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Kovar - Gray Peaks Encampment, Sun Plains Kovar looked down at his hands, paws, he wasn’t quite sure what he should call them. He supposed he ought to have suspected something like this might happen. As he shifted his weight in his new feet, he realized something. If his body was anything like that of the tribesmen, then there’s no way his armor should have fit. Looking down he can see that his armor had changed with him. It was a very strange realization, his new armor was impressive looking, but clearly not the same steel full-plate he had come in with. After a second of thought, he realized he was exceptionally glad for that, because if his armor had stayed the same he’d have likely broken his legs in several places, not exactly the image he wanted to portray to his new tribe. What was more strange, once he realized it, was how surprisingly unperturbed about this whole thing he was. He supposed he ought to be panicking, disgusted with whatever had happened to him, but much like the tribesmen he seemed to take to his change with abnormal aplomb. It felt, Kovar realized after moving around a bit, strangely natural. It was the same after his first change, he recalled, although that was less extreme. It must be just something that comes with this whole “god” territory he decided. Picking up the steel shield he had been carrying, he uses it’s polished surface like a mirror. Looking upon his new visage for the first time. Before he can get a chance to study it, he sees Lehoi in the mirror-like sheen of the shield’s surface. In the rush of the change he had forgotten that he had heard the big cat speak, but the surprise returns all at once ***Kovar turns, and sees the lion sitting. His voice is filled with surprise, "You can talk!?" Lehoi: "You can talk, why is it such a surprise that I can?" Kovar: "Because I've never even heard of any beast that could speak." Lehoi: "Perhaps they had nothing to say to you." Kovar: "Perhaps, though I'm surprised you didn't say anything when I caught you out and changed you." Lehoi: "One is as one is. What lies in the heart is not the same as the flesh that wears it. After all, it took you this long to realise your true nature." Kovar: "That's one way to see it. I'll admit I didn't see this coming, and not much escapes my sight." Picking up his shield again, he once more looks at his new visage, "Though I'll admit I could get used to it. It has a certain, regal air." He bares his teeth, "Intimidating too when necessary." Lehoi: "Of course." Lehoi says simply, as only a Lion can. Kovar: "Anyhow, enough preening, there's work to be done. If I can understand you and you can understand me, I wonder if I can understand the tribesmen now?" Kovar turns to face the shaman, he had been standing before when the change had taken place. Lehoi: Kovar senses that he cannot, but his changes have created a common link. Lehoi. ***Kovar turns back to the lion, "So wait, you can understand them and me?" Lehoi: "You did give them the tongue of lions. Why does this also surprise you?" Kovar: Well, I'm more that I can understand you, but I can't understand them." Lehoi: "That is because humans are foolish and make many tongues. Lions have but one." Kovar: "A wise policy. Anyhow, before I can continue I need to be able to speak with them, and since it seems you understand us both, you'll have to act as translator." Lehoi: "If that is what you wish." Kovar: "It is indeed. Now, are they saying anything? I imagine there might be some surprise when they hear you speak." Lehoi: "They seem to be waiting for you to address them. They too are surprised that they are now wearing their true nature." Lehoi: "It must be an amazing thing for everything to hold such wonder." ***Kovar laughs, then turns to address the tribesmen. "As you can see, I spoke truly when I made my offer unto you. I am called Kovar, the god of lions and strength." ***Lehoi speaks to them. "Behold your God. He is Kovar, one with Strength and the soul of a Lion. As was promised, so is done." Lehoi: The tribe pause for a moment, then get down on their knees and speak 'Kovar'. Lehoi: The accent is weird as it's a strange word for them, but Kovar feels a tingle of power rush up his body when they spoke it. ***Kovar shivers for a moment, struck by the powerful sensation. He could certainly get used to this. After allowing the moment to sink in, he continues, "I have chosen you from among all of the tribes. From you I will build a new and noble nation." Lehoi: "You were born from men, but your hearts were of our Pride. For this you shall create a nation, noble and as powerful as your forms!" Kovar: "This nation shall be new, as you are new. Men will not rule based on their blood or their sway over the mob, but they shall be entrusted that power based on talent alone. With you as the foundation, an ideal nation will be born. One that will one day stretch across the whole continent." Lehoi: "Others in these lands are weak. They let concepts of parents or how fair a voice rule them. We are strong, only those among us with strength of body, strength of mind, strength in what they do shall lead. We are superior, and so our Pride shall be superior." Kovar: "One day, when people see the banner of the lion, they shall know it as a symbol of nobility. They shall know that all those lands under the banner of the lion are lands where the people know peace, justice, and prosperity." Lehoi: "The Lion is king of the Animal Kingdom. We will show them we are strong, we are just and we are wise. None shall overcome our Pride." Kovar: "What say you? Are you prepared to follow me in this endeavor, to face the dangers of war and of peace to bring this ideal nation into existence?" Lehoi: "If you would have the will to be great, to be powerful, then give respect and thanks to your God." ***Kovar waits to see the tribe’s’ response. It would decide his next action. Lehoi: The tribe begins chanting your name. Kovar: The wave of worship is stronger this time, intoxicating, it takes much of Kovar's long trained discipline to push through it in order to speak once more, "This new people, this new nation, deserves a language worthy of it. Let us speak the tongues of old no more, I will grant unto you a tongue as noble as the people who will speak it." ***Lehoi sits for a moment, considering this. Lehoi: "Receive the blessing of your God. Kovar, in his wisdom, shall grant upon you the gift of the tongue of the gods." ***Kovar looks to see his people's response. Such a gift must be freely accepted, not imposed, if it were to truly achieve its purpose. Lehoi: The people are kneeling, but not saying your name anymore and seem to be waiting for something. Kovar does not keep them waiting for long. He focuses himself inward, and within the crucible of his transformed soul forges a new language word by word. It would be a language that would represent everything he hoped to accomplish with his new people. It’s tone and cadence would be regal and glorious, the sound and shape of it equally as pleasant in the ear of the listener as the mouth of the speaker. It would be a language well adapted to matters of strategy and communicating the oft complex topics involved in the strategies of war, of trade, of nations, of peace would be easy and clear. More than that, it would be a noble and righteous language. Kovar, having mastered two tongues, had become aware of the differences between them, and how the people and the language shaped each other. In this way he forged the language to encourage the best in its speakers. He knew that it could only be the tiniest of pushes, but sometimes that tiny push was all that was needed to help a person stay on the righteous path. As Kovar did this, he came to an important realization. To any who had known him before he had come to Sellos he would be virtually unrecognizable. He had changed so much, no longer was he distressed former general. The old betrayal still hurt, and probably always would, but he had made himself a new life in these lands. He was no longer merely a man, bereft of his country and life, and the birth of this new people, this new nation, this new language, was in part the birth of a new him. It was time, he realized, to turn the page. Perhaps one day he would return to redress old grievances, but he had a responsibility to those he had affected and being weighted down with the past would do them a disservice. It did not mean that he would forget who had been, he would still carry the lessons learned, but he would not let his past tragedy pull him away from his present joy. With this realization, Kovar let loose the language he had formed in his soul. All those changed would know it instinctively, and those who had not could be taught it just like any other language. As it formed, he knew that to go along with this new form and new chapter of his life he needed a new name, one in the tongue he had created. A word floated to the top of his mind, Leodin, it was similar in sound to word for nobility or righteousness in the new language he was creating. Nobility and righteousness were exactly what he hoped to convey to his new people. “Leodin.” It was the first word of this new tongue to be spoken, and as it rang out over the Grey Peak encampment, the language of the Litorians solidified into their minds, and those gathered would know it as the name of their god. Making a language for the lion-men(naming them Litorians), called Ro’arin. Creating it to be have a regal sound and feel that is pleasant to listen to or say. It will be excellent for discussing matters of strategy, and it’s construction and syntax will ever so subtly nudge those who speak it and think in it to be better and nobler than they are. Litorians will be able to speak it instinctively, and people of other races will be able to learn it just like they learn any other language. Lions[+2] - A lion tongue fit for lion men made by a lion god, emphasizing the nobility and righteousness traditionally associated with lions. Strength[+2] - To enhance its sound and impact, a strong language for a strong people. Divine Strategy[+2] - Ro’arin will be the ideal language for a strategist, and they’ll be able to discuss the vagaries of strategies no matter how complex with ease.
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Jun 30, 2013 05:14
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Beltheus-His Demense Beltheus looks out at his legion of imps. They were, individually, pitiful and pathetic creatures, barely suitable for anything, but their vast numbers made up for their individual weaknesses. Yes, he had enough now to carry out his plan. He stopped for a minute and thought more about his growing power and influence. His plans had worked marvelously so far, for the most part. Except. . .he thinks for a minute about the events in Eosia, and the meddling fools who tried to intervene. Beings of power, of the same sort of his, who decided to intervene in his affairs, and disrupt his plans. His original goal to win over the Emperor and use him to solidify control over Eosia was gone now, all thanks to the Arandian knight and his companion. He wonders for a second who elevated them the way Belsataroth had him, and what their goals were. He had, after all, done nothing to them to provoke such actions. But perhaps it was his fault, still. This was not easy to accept, for Beltheus was prideful, but it was true. The Demon Dust was, in many ways, brilliant, he thought, as he scooped up some from the fountain (that was a transformed Imp) and sniffed it. Indeed, it had given him his most direct and tangible benefits since he had become a demon. But that very success was its problem. It was so...obvious; so blatant that it served as a beacon to his enemies. Beltheus had to admit, he had been careless, and, in that moment of weakness, given his enemies a weapon against him. No, he would need to be more subtle. His mind turned towards Belsataroth. Instead of feeling gratitude towards the greater demon who had made him what he was, he felt only fear and resentment. Belsataroth's plans were opaque to him. He could very easily tire of Beltheus and take away what was given. Or, elevate rivals of Beltheus. Belsataroth had to be dealt with before too long. But HOW? There was no room for error here. Beltheus knew that, even if he made no mistakes, Belsataroth might still defeat him, and, as punishment, scatter his very identity into nothingness. If Beltheus was going to rebel, he would have to be prepared and he would have to win. These were the thoughts that went through his mind as he viewed his legion of imps. They were ready, and so was he. He orders, in a booming voice. "I order you to construct for me a library. Go, and bring it copies of every book that ever has been written and every book that ever shall be written. Succeed and be rewarded! Fail, and suffer an eternity of suffering!" Building myself a library. Demonic Duke +2
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Jul 2, 2013 04:12
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Daveron - Harvan Daveron stumbled along, from time to time the new energies flexing the limits of his now beyond-mortal mind, though he still hungered for the drink that kept his mind dull; he shoved his way into a tavern, socking people in the face and drinking their grog in hopes of dousing the pounding in his head. He wandered through Harvan like this for hours, a blight upon the town itself; many fell to accidents, others grew to murder and other assorted violence. Stumbling, he made his way out of Harvan, but in his wake he left something that would trouble those there for generations. Continuing Southwest, but making a pitstop in Harvan to blight it, and more or less leaving a really lovely mark on it for a while to come. +2 Bad Luck to shatter mirrors, break ankles, poor fencing swings, that kind of thing. Everyone's down on there luck here. +2 Truth because anyone that steps into Harvan will know at their core that this place is no good. +2 Hate to make those that dwell here any length of time grow to eventual murderous or other deeds of ill-intent. +2 Death so that crops won't grow, farm animals die, people's constitutions drop. With any luck, the thug-paladin Order of Daveron's will weather the worst effects of this, but hey, if they gotta eat part of this poo poo sandwich, the more the merrier.
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Jul 2, 2013 08:32
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Edo, Outside the Arandian encampment The bad news merely piled upon itself; not only had the assassins proven themselves either liars or incompetents, failing to move their army an inch back towards Arandia in more than two months, but now the demons had struck too. In punishment for successfully healing Davos of his addiction to alcohol, Edo had lost his family. Repeatedly Edo had been reminded that there was no justice. And yet... There had been the Voice, and one perfect moment where he had felt on the cusp on something infinitely greater than himself. Edo had touched the vastness of creation. To pursue vengeance against the invaders and the demons - was that really the way? Would that really bring him even a single step closer to becoming one with the world itself? For days as the Eosians left him to his grief, Edo wrestled within himself for control; on the one hand, there was his natural pigheadedness. He didn't like having to change his plans, even after the deaths of his mortal parents. But he had heard the Voice. He had felt something much vaster than his plans. The living magic was a reminder of that, something both natural and new that could only be the work of a greater power than Edo himself. In the end, he had to accept that he couldn't save everyone. All those close to him would one day die. Even now he knew that he would likely outlive everyone he met, if for nothing more than his mastery of magic and lifecarving. That his family died in terror and suffering he would know for the rest of his existence, but it had been ordained ever since he had woken up and healed his nephew. Blackwater had no good tales to tell of magic-users, and this would be one more among many. Likely his neighbours were telling each other the demon was in fact Edo, and that the warlocks of Eosis had corrupted him. How little they knew. For now, as the unnatural heat poured down and with more and more Eosian legions moving into position and cutting off supplies and foraging for the invaders outside a small path for retreat, Edo put his mind to the living magic. He began to spend days at a time with it, Val, Katikos and Ajikan, talking about magic and trying to find out what the living magic was and what it could do. The two magisters had been well-trained, and their advice was useful if arcane. Val wasn't any good at magic, but the living magic seemed to like him for some reason, and Edo missed the golem when he wasn't around. In the end, Edo knew that whatever he did, it would be the magic itself that made its mind up about what and when to reveal. Using Divine Magic +2 to spend time communing with the living magic, trying to discern its qualities and hopes. With regards to hopes, I guess I'm thinking something like "meet others like it", "gain a physical form", "go home" or something like that. Maybe even something evil if I roll badly, like "cast blood magic" or "destroy enemies". I'm assuming I don't need to do anything more to keep the weather unnaturally hot; if I do, that will be the action again, rather than messing around with the living magic, because I figure it'll have to start having serious effects soon. Relevant qualities for that are Divine Sun, Divine Magic. By way of effects I'm thinking mass starvation and thirst, malnutrition, probably cholera and other nasties. No army can go without new food supplies and water for months on end, especially primitive alliances that (maybe?) haven't invented supply lines and probably don't have sophisticated medical staff. Edo will of course be keeping a close eye out for any hints of parley requests or orderly retreats that could be rewarded with a reduction of the heat. Cacto fucked around with this message at 13:17 on Jul 3, 2013 |
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Jul 3, 2013 13:14
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Adam - An Inn in Taeless Adam could never claim that he knew much about the world, but he could certainly claim he knew people, and Little Koh had proven himself to be more than just good people. The boy seemed quite energetic when he met him, and he had promised him to put a good word in for the boy's parents. A promise he reminded himself to keep whenever he got the chance. For now though, he had a few pressing matters to attend to - one of them being about to watch his country be ravaged in a war on two fronts. Here at the inn (provided free of charge after he helped stop a bar fight between a few rowdy patrons and the owner's son) he consulted his rather limited knowledge on how to prepare an entire country for war. Not a thing. Being a smark deadly leader did nothing to aid you with helping troops fight sand and spider people. He needed Kovar - but that was another two months away. So for now he just had to make due with what he had. A message was sent to Sellos for Burd - he did his best not so sound grumpy in the letter he had penned - stating what he had found out should be passed on to both Thadroin and Kovar. Thadroin would know to keep his people safe, and to take precaution for when he came to see him later in the season. He was a good friend, and one Adam sorely needed. The second issue was with the information of troops. The weird edge everyone seemed to be on was empowering Adam again - the taste of War in the air was almost intoxicating. And yet, amongst it, thoughts and values started to rise. He had noticed a nobleman walking down the street, and had contemplated the many ways to kill him. What he hadn't expected was to gauge the price of his attire and how much of a ransom he would be worth just by looking at him. Also if he would look cooler with an axe instead of a rapier but that was beside the point. Small things began to matter - food consumption rates. The price of Gold in the economy. Who was being married off to who for land. What the net worth of a cow was in a pre-war community. That, coupled with the aspect of battle soon to be joined, the dwarves sorting out their trading posts, and the feeling of becoming more than just a smith had begun to change him. He knew he had been traveling for a few tendays, and had been here quite a while, but time itself just seemed to pass him by. His worry over not causing trouble was gone from him, replaced with a sense of pride for his people, and the memory of a promise he made to a friend. It was a scary notion, to think that he had changed so much in such little time, and yet it filled him with excitement, because despite what he was before, in the last two seasons he had accomplished more than anyone had ever thought possible. He had turned his quiet little town into a fortress of trade and axes. His people will make their mark on history for centuries to come. That is, of course, if he can put an end to the bloody war. His plans for bringing everyone together gently would have to hold. He still had two months before he could get Kovar to help, so he better make the most of it. Alright. So. First up, Don't want no trouble is now replaced with "Keep them safe", the last words of Fel before he entrusted Sellos to Adam. Adam now fears to lose any of his people in any action that would cause them harm. It influences his choices, and muddles his decisions. Sending a word to Burd to get to Kovar about what I've learned is going on so far. Thadroin is also getting the memo. Finally, there is no time for pleasantries. Now that the trading outposts are pretty much done, I am going to create a Trade Route - basically faster stronger roads that soldiers, calvary, trading wagons, people, information etc can use to travel from village to village from city to city. Basically a super fast highway so we can get people to and fro without too much issue. I am also (after recommending Yodin's parents to the local trade groups) looking for ways to take over them either hostily or otherwise (probably the next turn). Normally I would take my time and be gentle but this is a time of war, and if I can supply my men, we stand a better chance against strange sand people and their spider friends. Dwarf [+2]: We are here to kick rear end, take names, and trade in our cats 4 gold. Leader [+2]: I will do my best to keep my people focused Trade [+2]: There will be quite a lot of talk to get the materials and people needed, but its for the drat good of the community guys. There is no time to waste
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Jul 3, 2013 22:01
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Rathin in Stonewill Orcshome "So then Kruger looks me in the eye and says, 'It's a ladle you gods drat idiot, a ladle!'" Rathin laughs, the others around the table did as well, the sun shining off their bright green skin. After a few moments Rathin put his bowl down and bid the others farewell as he left the table and headed for the fields beside the fortress, now starting to really take shape. As fine as any keep it would serve the Orcs well. Vek caught up to him as he entered the field. "We need to talk." He said in a deadpan serious tone. Rathij nodded but seemed oblivious to the seriousness of Vek's tone, "Then let me tend the crops as we do." Vek's brow furrowed, "That's what we need to talk about. This is unseemly. Even for you. A tribe chieftain doesn't tend crops or tell jokes around a table." "Is that so?" Rat in mused, "And what should I be doing." "Well you're supposed to be a symbol of authority and power in the tribe! You should be leading us on raids and disciplining people like Kruger that don't show up for sparring! Not indulging his cooking obsession!" Rat in grunted, "Has Kruger ever shown any exceptional fighting skill by Orc standards?" Not waiting for an answer Rathin continued, "He's really taken to cooking though and even those of us that have had city food think he's earned his self appointed title of, 'The Gourmet.' You're right Vek, I'm not acting like a chieften. That's because we're not a tribe anymore. Look at this! We're literally farming in the desert! We've finally beaten it! I never thought that I would see the day in my lifetime that we would beat the desert. Vek, we no longer need to fight for food, or honor." Vek interjected, "Then we will die when someone strong comes along and we are soft because of cooking!" Rathin grinned, "We are Orcs, and we are born strong, with fire in our hearts. I need only see you for proof. Vek, life in a tribe is a constant fight for survival. There are people out there that need not worry about food, or honor, and these people have all the time in the world to contemplate how to break us. While we fight for such a simple thing. When Unnaya told me of the others I knew it must change. That if we are to survive we must change. Are you afraid of change, Vek?" Ration never knew Vek to show fear, but for one brief moment he saw a shadow of tension in Vek's voice, " How can such things make us strong?" He gestured to the crop rows. Rat in smiled, "Vek, I don't doubt for a minute that you would die for your honor, that's why I named you my second, because I know you would fight to the death for the tribe. Vek, not everyone is so lucky to be born with a will such as yours. People have many talents and weaknesses. In tribal life, one needs only flinch for a second and find himself under a new master, a lowered rank or a loss of honor. That is not a strong life, it's a life that is easily broken by those that have more resources. As a second, you have to think of more then yourself, Vek. Is that the life that you want for Kruger? Is that the life you want for Kiri?" Vek gasped suddenly as Rat in mentioned her name, "You know?" Rathin laughs, "By the sands I'd have to be a damned fool not to. I've seen you spending more time with her. Glances that last a few moments too long. I suppose you thought you were being clever." He chuckled, "Oh don't worry, your 'secret' is safe with me. Although, you ought to just make it public already." Vek sighed, "We would but she has no desire to keep my things and cook. She doesn't seem to understand how these things work." Rat in let out a loud bellow that attracted some minor attention of some orcs farming further down the row, "It sounds to me like you're the one confused here. Vek, her freedom is what gives her strength. She is a fierce women and I was hardly surprised when she was the first in that group to turn green. Probably all her life she was controlled and now she has found a passion in herself that comes with the fight. Doubtless that is why you find her so appealing. Would you so readily take away that which has given her strength? Assume you did, do you think she wouldn't fight you to her last breath?" Vek grinned, "It might be my last breath if I tried." "And what of Kruger. Do you think that now that he's had a taste of his dream he would give it up so easily?" Vek sighed, "You are right, probably not." Rathin smiled, "I think you're starting to understand. We are moving away from something that requires chieftens and seconds. We're building a community that will need community leaders to enable all of our members to find what captures them and nurtures it. Then these members will fight when those others come because we will no longer lift up just ourselves, Vek. We will lift up each other." Rathin gestured to the large fortress that now loomed behind them. I want to transform the Orcs from a tribal structure to a community. Orc [+2] Orcs have a strong passion, redirect it to things other then fighting. Heart of the Tiger [+2] Help others see the wisdom in this through our connections to the land and each other.
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Jul 4, 2013 00:53
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Farro Kapersi - Konwey, Hai-Kan Update 17 Farro sat on a crate of preserved foodstuffs, watching the new recruits file into the warehouse over the course of a few hours. Recruitment had gone well, better than expected even. Once the initiates had fully arrived, he hopped up the side of the crate and turned to address the crowd. "Most of you have met me, some have not. Laowey and I, along with the other Arrows you'll be working with founded this little club a few months ago. We did that because ever since the Starfall, there's a bunch of jackoffs running around with more power than sense. I happen to be one of those jackoffs myself, but it turns out I'm looney enough to try and do something all loving heroic with it, so here we are. You're all here because you don't like what's going on here in Hai-Kan. You've probably heard rumors about the Arrani and their new digs up north in what used to be Val Aman. That they're a bunch of horrible man eating spider beasties and what not. Well, tough poo poo, it's all true. I ain't seen one yet myself, but I've got first hand reports from some of the Arrows. The chittery bastards even got my man in Val Lichett. Far as we can tell, they've got some kind of influence here in Hai-Kan, which is why your council has been bending over backwards to open relations with a revolutionary government nobody else has recognized yet. Mostly because everyone else is dealing with ANOTHER madman who's run out of the desert with a bunch of similarly mad sand controlling wizards and walking suits of iron, and flattened Harlakake. That's where you all come in. We need to find out exactly what sort of influence is being leveraged. There's more work to do than just here in Konwey, but I promised all of you we'd deal with your issues first, and I never break my promises. So enough with the pontificating, you repeat the Contract, you're in, and we start doing the work what needs to be done." After leading them through the Contract, and a brief collaborative planning session, he watched as they filed out of the warehouse. They were covering every possible lead: direct surveillance on high ranked councilmen, interception and investigation of material shipments into specified households, bribery, anything that could reveal the extent and methods of Arrani influence in Konwey. But Farro still felt that more could be done, and he sat in silent contemplation in the headquarters. As is happened, he was watching his shadow stretch further and further across the warehouse floor as the sun dipped low in the sky behind him, when he made a realization. All his life, even before his recent acquisition of supernatural stealth, he had lived in the shadows. Been mothered by them, really. The shadows were a place to hide or to strike from, a place of comfort, and they were always present, always waiting for him. Maybe now in his time of need, he should turn to them once more. Standing up, he focused on his own shadow, channeled his power into it, and spoke: "The only reason I'm still alive is because I learned how to use the gifts you have provided. You are more than deserving of reward for that alone, but it is not in my power to grant you anything without an exchange. So I propose this to you: serve me, and the Procession. Help us to root out and destroy the disorder in this world. Do this, and I will free you from your bonds. No more will you be a mere projection of that which dwells on the ground; but a will and a power of your own you will have. You will walk freely as equals in the Procession. This is the contract I offer you." Inducting the newbies. The current orders for the new batch is looking into what exactly is going on in Hai-Kan; how the Arrani have gained this influence. Meanwhile, Farro is attempting to create a new... something. I wouldn't call it a species persay, more like a race of elementals? Anyways, Farro is creating the Shadow Servants, which are basically sentient shadows that can jump in and out of normal projected shadows. When free-standing, they appear as black wispy humanoids. Their primary use is going to be as spies, because they can hide in a target's shadow, or in the dark corner of the room, etc. but they will be able to defend themselves to an extent. Using Contracts [+2] to create the agreement and act as the conduit to transfer the divine power. Stealth +2 because they will be difficult to detect, and are born of the root of stealth itself: the shadows. Love [+2] may be applicable because the shadows and the safety they have repeatedly provided have been a sort of metaphorical mother to Farro, and these will pretty much be his children.
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Jul 4, 2013 05:14
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Octagon - Arrahn, Sicaria Octagon decides it was time to put that temple to use. A temple required a priesthood, and he had an idea of just what kind of priesthood would be most appropriate... (Placeholder) My action for the month is as follows: I am going to create a priesthood of Voidpriests! Using Spider-Lord [+2] and Void [+2]. Maybe Transformation [+2] depending on what taking a spiderman through the void does/if it is necessary. Basically the idea is that they are a priesthood who can tap into the Void in a way similar to what I can do, whatever that may be. Obviously they worship me, duh!
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Jul 4, 2013 10:31
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Civar Kit'An (Eosia, Daveron's Army) Choices, choices. So much to do and so little time. Screams, spirit, demon. Eenie, Meenie, Minnie, Moe. I had to trust Eisner and Daveron to do something about the screams. In the meantime, the chance to gain more information about the Demon I knew was more important than finding out what this new... thing was. "Aideen, please keep an eye on that spirit. Try and keep it from hurting anyone." I waved my hand with the ring finger at her to let her know what was going on. "I need to track something down." Interview with a Demon posted:<HiKaizer> (It will be more of a case of your ring will alert you when he is nearby, it's not a radar, more like a metal detector) I'd led the demon talking to me on a roundabout rout towards one of the other smithies. While we'd walked I'd been stretching out my weather senses to try and locate it by the eddies it left behind as it moved. I'd finally gotten it right where I needed. Somewhere with lots of spare metal and other raw materials. I reached out with my still growing powers to bind the beast in place so I could finally land a decent blow on one of them. Binding and killing demon D: Weather +2 - finding it D: Smithing +2 - creating chains out of the local materials D: Order +2 - strengthening the chains and binding them to the ground to overcome the demon's strength, etc. ?M: Tinker's Treasure (Magic hammer) +2 - whacking it in the head if the chains can hold it long enough - do I get to use this against these demon things? Edit: If I really can take command of the army now that Daveron has left and put us in charge, I'm taking it back to Arandia first chance I get. LLSix fucked around with this message at 04:16 on Jul 5, 2013 |
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Jul 5, 2013 02:04
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Ilvis (Eosia, "Well alright, you heard the man. I'm the leader now, and my orders are to see to your fortifications, your camps and the territory you have already occupied. Do not engage in Eosian forces unless engaged by them first, do not harass or harm the local populace, and most importantly hold true to your vows of chivalry and the basic idea of human decency. That's simple enough isn't it?" Wiping my brow in the heat I plant the Sword firmly in the makeshift parade ground and address the assembled army at large. "Discipline, duty, and righteousness are the foundations of the knighthood and the armies of our people. We're not here as invaders and should not under any circumstance behave as such. Pay for what you take, either in coin or by helping the smallfolk of the towns you're already in control of. The Eosian government is too busy wracking itself with games of politics and demon corruption to see to the needs of its people." "We're not in the wrong here, not when there are literal demons and necromancers attempting to undermine the-" A great flapping thing flew into the area and departed just as quickly, causing a twinge in the demonfinder ring as it did. "What the hell is that?" Raising my fist I felt the ring tighten and pull again on my hand. "You guys are getting that too right? Demon, is there a demon here in camp with us?" GM-suggestion Daveron did make some fair points iirc, the nobles are probably really too riled and greedy to pull back all the way across the border right now. How hard are they going to fight me if I tell them to simply pick up stakes and go back to the border while we sort out this hot supernatural mess? For now though I think I'll try to kill two birds with one stone and instill in the Arandian army a strong espirit de corps, inspiring them to a firmer purpose and unity in (hopefully) being all the knight that they can be from the lowliest picket to the likely fracticious armoured lordy knighty guys who form the main body. Guys who're willing to work together, have high morale, see camp discipline and rationing followed should hopefully do better in hot averse weather than those who are the alternative, not to mention follow the orders of their supreme commander. I will also order them to try to work with the people in the communities they've already conquered and really not be a bunch of dicks about it because that's not very nice at all. They probably didn't bring a lot of cash money with them, this being a feudal army originally bent on conquest and plunder and all so they'll have to take it in trade by helping the locals maintain order or doing other helpful things that men with strong arms and backs can do. Action: Inspire the army towards a sense of discipline and right, so that they work hard, work together, and get on well enough with the locals without any major sources of friction to exacerbate an already tense situation. +2 Sacred Sword: It's about goodness, and swordliness, and being inspired to be a better man. (Hey I can use this now and not sound like a weird hypocrite because I've got a ser Wilhelm and everything!) +2 Justice: Y'all dudes gotta be just, and totally not a bunch of dicks. Can I get an Amen on that? +2 Travel: Maybe wing travel into this one so the inspired troops from the main camp move on quickly to spread it to the rest of the army in other regions? Is there a demon in the camp? I'm not sure if the magic ring works properly or if it can help me find said demon, but if so I'm willing to assume that the scary flappy wings and demon ring activation are related and move towards the area in question.
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Jul 7, 2013 05:36
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Mazir (Somewhere) As he stood in the seemingly endless expanse, Mazir's thoughts raced. Where was he? How had he arrived? Was the elderly man the same as he'd seen in Elysia? Was this where all life came after death? So many questions. He examined the shimmers once more, the people and their reflections and so forth. Before he returned, or made more serious attempts to return. he'd need to explore this expanse more. Attuning his specialized magics to the land, he began to look over it more with a fine approach, he knew the boundaries and where they were, and how they snapped him back, but he'd still yet to academically study the effects of it. He'd went into the desert to test his power, and now he had a new domain to explore it would seem. Studying this strange new place more intently, specifically studying the area it's self more thoroughly and the people there to see what they are and how they might be of use. +2 Soul Magic If these people have indeed passed into this relme, then they would be spirits, and that was something Mazir could understand thoroughly, he'd just have to pry some of his knowledge more accordingly +2 Sands In addition, this strange place was filled to the brim with sand. While it was obviously magical in nature, he still had much to divine and discern about it. Fortunately, sand was the one earthly mineral he understood more intrinsically than anything else.
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Jul 7, 2013 06:30
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276 4E Sixth Moon Leodin (Sun Plains, Litorian Camp) Kovar, no, Leodin found that if he had wanted to making up a language was easy enough. Language was organic, it grew as it was used. Words that were not used often eventually were forgotten, being left to die while those that were commonly used were strong and remained vibrant. Language was as much a product of culture and thought as it was of speech, so Leodin surmised he would have to teach the Litorian how to think in Ro'arin. This meant teaching the tribe about strategy, about tactics, about fighting as a unit and about fighting as a soldier. Had the tribe not been so literally and metaphorically changed by him the process would have been far more difficult. Years of language and thinking would have solidified into a barrier he would need to pierce. Fortunately Leodin's blessing gave the newly born tribe of Litorians a slightly more malleable outlook for the time being. Leodin made use of it. At the same time he conversed with Burd at night, teaching him about the new Language. Burd reported that he and most of the Exalted had been been similarly transformed. Had the Dwarves not undergone a similar process they would have been far more surprised. Interestingly, Burd mentioned that after he had changed, before anyone else had or anyone knew, Thadroin had visited and handed him a helmet. It was a splendid helmet that reinforced the splendor of his new form. But the fact that Thadroin had know before anyone else had, somehow before it had even happened as he had to forge the helmet before he could present it raised many questions. Over the month he began to teach the Sellosian Litorians the new tongue of Ro'arin, things were progressing smoothly until he reported that Algard had left. Algard's transformation had been dependent on the armour he had been given. It had only just finished and then he was separated from the other new Litorians once again. He left with his companion to find himself, to learn who he was now. Burd and Jusep had tried to talk him out of it, but the two had left during the night after seeming to acquiesce to their friends concerns. Burd was not worried about Algard being unable to defend himself, he was turning out to be an exceptionally talented and ferocious fighter, but he worried that the man was so lost. Perhaps some time to sort out who he was would be good. Meanwhile the Litorians at the Sun Plains learned. They were eager students, even if they lacked the head start of their cousins in Sellos. Finally at the end of the moon, Burd's update included a report from Adam on the progress of his trade negotiations. Success, you create a language but it will take a couple of months before the new Litorians can fully adopt it. In the meantime an odd Pidgin between the two has arisen. Beltheus (Beltheus' Demesne, The Library of Souls) With a sharp order and promises of pain and promotion Beltheus set the imps scurrying off to their tasks. The Duke of Hell turned to his garden and pondered. The library would be without equal, for he could easily collect forbidden lore from the souls of the damned, as well as that which was available. So it was that he began to shape the library. It was made of marble and stone, with vibrant blood red carpets and dark mahogany bookcases with ebony detailing. The structure itself was made of incredible workmanship and detail, not to mention was the fact that it could defy normal dimensional restraints. Outside the library was a set size, inside it was not. This served both to ensure it could expand its capacity as knowledge expanded and also to serve as a defense mechanism. The library was capable of sealing off to self-contained areas to hold those who had snuck in without consent. It was at the end of the month that the essence of Davos returned. It was weak, beaten and pathetic. Beltheus cast it aside and told him not to bother him with failure. It would be a hundred years before the demon could reconstitute itself, its immortality not saving it from a century of painful and soul-wracking reconstitution. While Beltheus worked and indulged in some punishment on the pitiful demon, imps began to scamper in and out of the library. Some brought stolen books, while others brought knowledge and tried to find a way to record it. The library provided, parchment and ink, although some would find these tomes to be somewhat unsavory to read. Success, quite well actually. Your library has a few added features that seem appropriate for the domain. Also Davos got beaten and is effectively out of the game until possibly when everyone ascends to true godhood. Eosia Civar had tricked the demon into being in his presence for too long. Using the air around him he tracked the displacement of the fiend, using his powers of order he ensured what he needed would be at hand. With his powers over wrought metals and tools, he bound the creature in place. Then he struck with the hammer, the hammer that had been made to divine truth and to ensure justice was done. It struck true, but at a cost. The demon screamed in pain and the Tinker's Tresure turned a foul black shade. But Civar could sense the vile creature was dying, its body breaking up and its essence shattering. As he watched dispassionately the demon smiled at him and laughed. "Oh alike we are, you and I. I give you a gift, Civar, to remember me and yourself by. Use it well." Then reached out and touched Civar in the chest. Nothing...seemed to happen. He felt no different at least and it had been no attack. The demon screamed again and broke into a myriad of foul and evil pieces which most evaporated. But the core, what might be a soul in a human, returned to somewhere. At that point there was a terrible and inhuman howl. A minute later the Spirit of Chimes ran in and glared malevolently at Civar, Ser Eisner standing behind him. "I HAVE FOUND IT. HE. HE IS THE DEMON. THE ONE I HAVE SMELLED." To Civar's horror he realised that his ring was reacting to his presence, as was Ilvis'. But neither had a great deal of time to contemplate this for at that moment the Eosian army attacked. The confused Arandian forces, who had lost their zeal faltered and began to break upon the Eosian lines. Fortunately for the Arandians, the Eosian army would be later remember for being poorly equipped in the art of war. Their numbers were superior, but they had always been the dominant force. The army was bad at using the terrain to their advantage, at scouting properly, numerous other mistakes accumulated and ensured that only half of the Arandian army was slain that day. The Eosian losses were not negligible, but they had not suffered under the heat as the Arandians had, nor had their leadership been fractured and left unclear. After the battle Civar and Ilvis both found themselves with about a third of the remaining army each, the last third missing and scattered to the hills. But to Ilvis, all she could see was that the man she had been travelling with had been revealed to be a demon. Then straight after the Eosians had attacked. Had either been more willing to sacrifice their men for the sake of victory they possibly could have turned the battle themselves, but the cost would have been staggeringly high. The Spirit remained with Ilvis in the aftermath, with no other master to follow. Tragically the prisoners were mostly killed by crossfire, although two survived enough to tell the chilling tale of what Daveron had done. Edo would spend the aftermath with the Valamnite Order healing and tending to the wounded. During this time he had some time to examine the living magic which still accompanied him. From Valamnis he learned that it was alive, but it perceived the world in a different way similar to how the statue did. To them, more so the living magic, they saw colour representing magic. Those with greater life shone brighter, those with greater magic were more vibrant and colourful to them. Edo himself, Valamnis commented, was indescribably beautiful and sometimes such that it made looking at him painful. From his own knowledge and Ajikan and Katikos' insight he discerned another important property. Magic was like a formula, it was powered by an internal reservoir and directed by will but there was a craft and formula behind each spell. A spell worked the same way each time, as long as it was cast the same way. The living magic on the other hand was organic, when it wanted magic to happen it simply willed it to happen. The intent behind the spell was all the formula and impetus it needed, although the spell was powered by its own reservoir of power. In this way the magic needed to rest after casting a large, or many smaller spells in a similar way to a normal wizard. But the way in which it used its magic was so intrinsically different. People could learn this method Edo realised, but it would be difficult and unpredictable. Without the surety of a formula the form and effect of a spell would depend entirely on the intent and will of the caster. Emotions would colour spells, as would moods and physically sensations. The subconscious would play an even greater role. The potential was perhaps in some ways greater, but it would be a chaotic and unpredictable art. For the rest of the moon the Eosians tried to track down the Arandian forces. The Eosians were not good at moving in smaller groups, something that the Arandians were. The Arandians also had a stronger tradition of guerrilla war and were better suited to hiding and attacking. Eventually the generals recalled their forces together. Edo and the Magisters were invited into their tent to help the next phase of their strategy. Puppies, your section of the army is in the aftermath feeling fairly loyal to you and more inclined to do what you say. In that way your action was successful. However you have a greatly diminished force to work with and you're down one, potentially two allies now. You're also still in Eosian territory for the time being, although you can retreat if you are willing to face the king. LLSix, your action is successful although I've had to improvise with timing a little bit as your action was difficult to run a whole month with concurrently to Puppies. You have a third of the remaining forces and you've got some loyalty, although not as much as Ilvis. They'll follow you for now but there's some trust issues and the whole demon revelation thing going on. You do not feel any more demonic than before though, nor do you feel any greater or lesser urge to be evil. What Davos' gift was remains unclear to you for now. Daveron (Arandia, Harvan area) In history it would be known as the Black Moon. It was a moon where people went mad and attacked each over the slightest insult, where nothing seemed to go wrong and where no one could hide behind words or lies. The amount of death around Harvan was staggering. Daveron found all of this to be intoxicating. Each time his powers coursed through people and served their purpose, for good or for evil he'd felt a little surge of power. Now that he was letting his powers run rampant it was like an orgy of divine feedback for the godling. Had the King not been slain by his brother, who was then killed by his cousin, continuing in a chain until the royal family of Harvan was gutted there might have been more consequences for abandoning the field for his divine excess. Now though, well, Daveron could probably make a move for the throne itself if he decided he really wanted to. Success, you have caused a maelstrom of destruction around Harvan. It feels really good for you by the way. Also you'll find out soon what happened to the Arandian army, so you can work that into your next post if you wish. Adam (Taeless, Taelos) Sellos soon found itself in the heart of the Taelesian conflict. It was a strong defensible position and had begun to reinforce those towns around it. Sellos was producing many weapons and the Dwarves could quarry out stone even faster, especially when they had a great citadel to carve into the heart of the mountain. Stone was the one material that would make solid foundations for roads, and the sooner it was built the faster that they could get the weapons and armour to the capital that were needed. To this end Adam formed the Taelesian-Sellosian Roadworks. A company and organisation dedicated to the aggressive and essential upgrade and expansion to the road networks of Sellos. Yohin's family were established as part of the head of the trust, in a way a council of war when it came to economics. From there Adam gave them the opening directives of what needed to be done. Then he began to teach the stone layers how to really work with stone. It took time, time he wasn't sure that he had but was needed to teach the poor and less capable humans about stone. For the first time Adam began to appreciate the difference that Dwarven workers really made. Part of him had known it since the change, but to see it so painfully laid out before him was a different matter entirely. Maybe he could hire some of the Dwarves in as contractors...a number of possibilities ran through his mind about it. It would be another way to bring money into Sellos as well. Building the roads was still a time consuming process. In the end, the first road went between Taelos and Sellos. This was a practical necessity to ensure that the stones could be efficiently moved to where they needed to go. It also had the benefit of reducing the travel time from about a full tenday to roughly three, as carriages became a practical means of transportation. Yohin himself seemed to hang around, quietly watching what was happening and learning. The kid had a real knack for being in the right place at the right time. When Adam asked him about it he mentioned that 'he just had a feeling', and that his mum said that someone called Beltheus had said he'd be lucky a few moons back. The kid smiled and any questions of who Beltheus might be for now kind of melted from Adam's mind as he ruffled the kid's hair. Success, you found a roadworks company and make a road between Sellos and Taeles. It'll take longer to road to everywhere, but important towns and cities will be done within the next two moons. Rathin Stonewill (Sun Plains, Orcshome) Rathin had instilled a sense of strength and pride in the Orcs, which was right and proper. No one should be ashamed of what or who they were. But at the same time this made the transition to a community a difficult one, for the identity of the Orcs had been rooted in being warriors and hunters. It was one thing to say that you should respect another for their cooking prowess, but much harder for the Orcs to understand this. Arguments broke out among the nascent Orc community as to what strength was, as to what being a True Orc was. People had began to appreciate that one could be strong in another way, that dedicating your life to being the best in one passion was good in a way. However none could reconcile this with the hunter gatherer tribe that they had been. The Orcs were rushing to an identity crisis that threatened to destroy the fragile community that was forming. Who were they going to fight? If there was no other tribes or people to fight, and they were taming nature, where was the conflict that kept them strong and warriors? Sorry, you didn't roll so well. The Orcs are really struggling with the idea. Rathin will need to think of a way to either truly transform, or reaffirm the Orc cultural identity. Farro Kapersi "A shadow does not ask for much. We watch because we love. For our chosen we brave even the darkness where we must sleep." Farro's shadow replies and it began to pull itself off of the ground. "For love, I would bear even the pain of separation." It continues as it pulls itself fully off of the ground, the process looking like it caused it great pain. "As long as those who follow you ask in love, we will agree to do as you wish. But please know that it hurts us to be apart, so do not ask us to do such things lightly." Shadows were a quiet bunch, they did not say much and were content to watch. Farro made his covenant and from that learned the words, that when spoken by his followers would allow the shadows to stand apart and to act with form and substance. The shadows for their part did not complain, sometimes they would make comments on what they could and could not do, or to what hurt them. Beyond this though the were silent and dedicated helpers for the few tasks they were best suited for. When an Arrow bonded with his shadow he learned truly how much it cared for him, something that would make the thought of abusing it more difficult. As the Moon continued, Farro taught those other Arrows beyond Hai-Kan how to make the bond and to summon up their shadow. By the end almost all of those that followed him knew how to make the covenant, even if they had yet to do so. Success, you have created the Covenant of Shadow which allows an Arrow to bond with their Shadow. The Shadows can hide and travel through other shadows over short distances, but cannot survive for long in bright light or sunlight. Whether they last beyond the death of their owner remains unknown. Octagon Octagon was not sure what he had expected, but it was probably not this whatever it had been. He had taken some of the Arrani through the Void and then used his power on them, but as he poured his power into them something had pulled from within them. Their forms changed, becoming less spider-like and more something else. One of the new creatures leans back like a puppet whose strings have been pulled taught. Mu spoke through it, a horrible voice that sucked out space in the air to create its words. "do NOt pReSUMe. I aM ThaT WhIcH eaTS sTaRS And TiME itsElF. aLL wiLl BEcoMe mE in TIme." It was a rebuke, and yet the creatures remained. Octagon felt a connection to them, through the fragment of Mu in both of them. It was through this that he understood that Mu would permit some mutability in the way it was used, as long as its ultimate purpose was to be furthered. The Void could only consume, never create or give birth. At best it could change something, but never anything more and in the process something would be lost.  You didn't roll quite enough, so while you have your priests they are strictly speaking more loyal to Mu than they are to you currently. Mazir Mazir worked out two important things in his investigation. Firstly that the souls in this place were, almost definitely, those from before. The reflections were not so much an aspect of the soul as a property, that although the soul might degrade to a point where the old identity could not be retrieved from it they still held that information. Or at least here in this place they did. There were even reflections of Hartun and Zel, although the Soul Stuff they belonged to was small and weak. This had confused Mazir until he realised that the majority of both was still being used as Nomad. Secondly the place was not truly made of sand. When he had tested his power to change it Mazir had actually changed the composition of it. Unlike his temple, which was sand made to look and feel like stone here in this place he could make it truly be stone. The realm seemed to respond to his power and whim, as much a reflection of himself as the reflections of the souls were of their past lives. This place was undeniably his, Mazir was certain that no one could remain here against his will and that he had complete control over it.
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Jul 9, 2013 03:37
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Ilvis (Eosia, Ilvis' Army) "It just doesn't make sense..." Rubbing the ring in my hand contemplatively I look at the winged (for lack of a better word) beast shambling alongside the remnants of the Arandian invasion force. "What's your name anyway? And don't say Chime or Spirit because neither of those are names. You're a man under there probably and you have a name. Everyone's got a name. What is it that you do anyway? You find demons? Sniff them out? Is that what Civar smelled like to you?" "CHIMES DOES NOT REMEMBER ANY NAME. CHIMES DOES NOT REMEMBER ANY BEFORE. WE SHOULD FIND THE DEMONS SO WE CAN KILL THEM. CHIMES WANTS TO FIND THE DEMONS SO WE CAN KILL THEM. THE CIVAR SMELLED LIKE A DEMON SO WE SHOULD FIND HIM AND KILL HIM." "Ah! Alright already, I'm standing right here so you don't have to shout. Finding the demon and putting it down is definitely on our agenda but I can't go around calling you Chimes or shouting "Spirit come forth!" every time I need something from you. I'll look like a complete twat." Ears ringing from the spirit's boisterous introduction I leaned back on my horse and motioned for it to calm down. "Until you tell me otherwise your name is Rickard, and for the sake of my ease of mind you're also going to wear pants. This is an army where we wear pants. What's left of it anyway." "Stay close and follow my trail. The rest of the troops are scattered around all over these hills and we need to find them before the Eosians do and take them apart piecemeal." I raised the Sword and with a wave cut a short portal between us and the next copse of trees, hopefully bypassing the road and any Eosian patrols still in the area. "Magic, and trickery. I did warn you that there were actual literal demons out there working against us didn't I? Rickard here says there was one in the camp, so stay sharp." Put some pants on that Chimes guy and name him Rickard. Then I'll warp my army around the woods to pick up the remainder of the Arandians in the woods until we're a cohesive unit again. +2 Sacred Sword: Dowse for the location of lost and isolated soldiers in need. +2 Travel: Warp around the area until we've located all of the stragglers and unaccounted elements of the Arandian army, hopefully avoiding the Eosian patrols along the way. Puppies are dicks fucked around with this message at 16:48 on Jul 14, 2013 |
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Jul 9, 2013 05:35
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Leodin - Litorian Encampment, Sun Plains Leodin looked across his people, already they had begun to take on the new tongue, but Ro’arin would reflect those who spoke it. He pondered this for a time, distracted by the loss of Algard, he had not intended to further isolate the man. He makes sure to comment to Burd, that if Algard was seen to tell him that Kovar truly wished to speak with him. This loss would have been more devastating had not Leodin been buoyed by the constant stream of worship from the Litorians. Leodin had been unsure of how to feel at first, he had asked for such worship, but it had seemed strange and off putting the degree to which he had been obliged. However, thanks to the indescribably feeling the worship brought he soon quickly forgot any misgivings he had and came to bask in the devotion shown by his new tribe. Just as much as the physical sensation, the worship spoke to something deeper in the man who had once been Kovar. He had been a general, he had been looked up to, relied on, obeyed. However, this was different. The litorians quite literally were dedicating their lives to him, looking to him as the answer to all of their questions, the center of their lives. To a man who had suffered the lash of betrayal, who had seen the people he had fought and killed for turn upon him, this was an irresistible state of affairs. While they were like this, while he was the most important part of their lives, the litorians would never betray him, they would never hate him. That security, that feeling, combined with the physical pleasure being worshipped brought to the godling would make it very difficult to give it up. After he had brooded for a time, resolving to set aside time to seek out Algard once his plans were in motion, Leodin returned to the business at hand. Ro’arin would be a reflection of those who spoke it, and for the moment the litorians were mallable. It would be up to Leodin to help set the shape of their spirits and not just their body, and so he set out to do just that. He gathered up the tribe and began to speak. He laid out for them a philosophy that would shape his expectations for them. It was born from what had come before. Leodin spoke of strength, how it was not merely of muscles but of the mind and the spirit. Strength of body was important, he taught, each and every litorian would be expected to strive to perfect their bodies as far as their own physical potential allowed. However, by the same token, they were expected to be strong in mind as well. Sharpening their senses, their reason, their ability to strategize to understand. Lastly, and most importantly they needed to be strong in spirit. The litorians were confused at first, for the others were obvious, but this was less so. So, Leodin explained. To be strong in spirit was to embody righteous virtues. To be generous, honorable, wise, honest, to hold vows in great seriousness, to ever rebuff cruelty and empty violence. Of course, The core pillar of this strength was submission to god. Through prayer, worship, and obedience to their god, the litorians would be better equipped to embrace the virtues Leodin laid out. Their faith, kept strong and pure through devotion, giving them the strength of will to pursue and live out these strengths. Once he had laid out the three forms of strength, Leodin spoke of the importance of balance between them. Those who lacked strength of body would find it hard to carry out the plans formed by their mind and guided by their spirit. Those who lacked strength of mind would find themselves acting against their goals, as the imperatives of the virtues at times seemed to stand in opposition to those who did not weigh the various forces at play around them. For example, it was important to be honest and honorable, but someone who claimed that deception and misdirection had no place on the battlefield would only lead to the death of the men in their charge, for there was little less honorable than a foolish commander.. The honor was in the treatment of the defeated, of avoiding cruelty. Honor and honesty did not mean being simple. He set aside special condemnation and warning against lacking strength of spirit, for those who lacked spirit would quickly become beasts, turning their strength and mind to tasks uninformed by the virtues of spirit. It was this weakness of spirit that allowed corrupt and unjust regimes like the blood nobility and demagoguery that infested the existing lands of Barant. The litorians however had hearts of lions, hearts that should take to the strength their god describe naturally, it was why they had been chosen, and their forms changed to match their hearts. They had been blessed with strength, and part of their duty was to help those who were weak, to find and build strength within themselves, so that one day all the peoples of the world would be strong and the world would be a paradise. Having laid out this divine philosophy for the litorians, They would need to become a shining beacon, living exemplars of the strength Leodin described. Once they had done this, they would set out to conquer and unite the Sun Plains and perhaps one day all of Barant. For only once they had firmly taken what would soon become called the Path of the Lion into their hearts would they truly be worthy of such a grand effort, for only then could they be trusted to not repeat the mistake of the past. The litorians were a new people, and only once they had completed the transformation of their spirits and not just their bodies would they be ready to make their mark on the world. Teaching the Litorians a new philosophy, the Path of the Lion. It emphasizes the importance of having physical, mental, and spiritual strength. The third being something like conceptions of virtuousness: honor, generosity, uprightness. Generally boiling down to not to be a dick to people or to exploit their power for evil ends. Also part in parcel with the strength of spirit is submission to Leodin, tying into his new drawback. Lion[+2] - A lion philosophy for lion-men, drawing on ideas of nobility associated with lions. Strength[+2] - A philosophy of strength in its various aspects, teaching them to be strong and to remain strong. Divine Strategy[+2] - To formulate the philosophy to be lasting and effective, weighing Leodin’s goals and transforming them into a set of rules that the litorians can live by in order to live up to them. His power of strategy transforming lofty goals into a workable campaign of teaching. Also, Leodin is losing Outcast[-2] since it doesn’t really make sense anymore, what with the new name, and new face, and new outlook. In it’s place he’s gaining The Center Of It All[-2]. Representing the combination of the physical effects of being worshipped with the psychological impact of that level of adoration and deference on a person who had been scarred by betrayal and watching those he had fought for come to hate him. Basically, he’s gonna have a hell of a hard time giving up any level of devotion from his followers.
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Jul 9, 2013 05:47
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Beltheus-The Library of Hell Beltheus wanders through his library. It's not nearly complete. It never will be complete, really. More knowledge is always being added to the world, and there is an infinity of knowledge to gather. But it's begun, and it will grow over time. As he walks, he thinks of Davos. The poor idiot. Davos could be useful, but he needs to learn how to THINK. Beltheus finds himself uncharacteristically angry at the other man. Perhaps a century of Davos's incorporeality will teach him how to be less careless. And perhaps by that time, Beltheus will have forgiven him. Perhaps. With that, his attention turns to the mortal realm. Manipulating the fabric of reality, he opens a portal to the Elysian Sands. Then, stepping through with those imps that are not working on the library project, he orders, "My children! Build me a fortress of stone around this portal! Make it strong and defensible, so that no man may take it! Succeed and be rewarded! Fail and be punished!" Building a fortress in the Elysian Sands. Demonic Duke, +2, Demon Summoning +2
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Jul 11, 2013 05:41
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Edo, South of Eisos, Eosia The Eosians had won a great victory, but at a high cost, too; though the discipline of the Eosian army had been famed, years without war had made them slow and predictable, their tactics outdated. But General Summer and the curious disunity of the foreigners broke them, and the enemy was scattered. So far the scouts had failed to locate the remnants. At the next council of generals, Edo joined them alongside the most senior magisters to discuss their next steps. He listened halfheartedly as the generals spoke of the war. Edo had sacrificed a lot for Eosian victory, but he didn't really understand the movement of armies. From his perspective, the scouts' failure to find the Arandians had to be little more than laziness. Too many years spent polishing armour rather than wandering around in the woods. Compounding that was his previous focus on the sea and his general inexperience with the hazardous mountain passes and deep forests on the borders of Arandia. Instead, as the arguments went on, he started daydreaming, thinking about what he'd learned from the living magic. Perhaps there was some way to mimic its motions, its flows; perhaps a human could learn to wield magic like it did... When he realised how it could be done, Edo jumped to his feet and rushed out. Ajikan rolled his eyes and made excuses for the two of them before joining him outside. "Well?" the obsidian magister asked. "What was that about?" Edo started explaining excitedly to Ajikan, and the pair were shortly joined by Katikos and a few other magisters. As soon as he could, he sat the group together with the living magic and encouraged them to meditate while focusing on just how the magic used its powers. Soon enough, there was the slightest hint of the mages' auras moving in sympathy with the creature's. Now it would be just a question of drilling them - this kind of magic, for all its unpredictable effects, could reinforce the Eosians' advantages and turn the tide of war. At last a magic that could be used for any purpose! Using Magic +2 to help the sacred order of magisters to learn how to use sorcery/the magic of the living magic. I'm choosing magisters as the target audience because they're already sworn to protect dangerous magic and not let the untrained or foolish use it, so they're probably the most conservative possible users of sorcery. It should make legion magisters a bit more effective in supporting the troops.
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Jul 11, 2013 13:24
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Bryn - Bryn's Cave, Northwest Arandia Atop a massive horde of gold, Bryn slept, his massive body rising and falling with each breath. Across the world, countless mortals slept with him, and he travelled through their dreams, leaving blackened and twisted nightmares wherever he went. He fattened himself on their despair and fear, swallowing it up with an insatiable hunger, and growing ever stronger as he did. And then, after nearly a month of gorging himself, he stirred from his slumber, rising up in an avalanche of assorted gold coins and other treasures. His dark wings carried him silently to the village. They called it Hope's Ridge. Bryn, twisted and inhuman as he was, could not help but find some amusement at that dark irony as he opened his great maw and spewed forth a great dark cloud. As the vapor sunk, figures began to coalesce from the smoke, twisted and malevolent forms which rained down on the sleepy town, attaching to the dreamers like parasites. Already, he could feel their dreams dakening. I'm creating a swarm of malevolent nightmare creatures who shall be known as the Dreameaters; they feed on the despair and fear created from the hellish nightmares they inflict on their hosts. Nightmares +2: Well, duh. Monsters +2: Sound a lot like monsters to me, pa.
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Jul 12, 2013 05:49
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Farro Kapersi - Konwey, Hai-Kan Update 18 The bond between and Arrow and his shadow was a close one, almost to the point that a shadow knew what would be asked of it before it was even spoken aloud. Of course, that alone did not make the integration of the news Arrows (for by the contract, the shadows were indeed Arrows as well, tied to their human counterpart or no) easy- for one, they needed names, something that they hadn't required before. Assigning them names proved to be a difficult task; it felt like giving one's arm or foot a name and referring to it as a separate entity. In the end, one of the new recruits who was schooled in Konnish history suggested a hybrid of the human name and "sas"- a term used long ago by a religion in which the priests referred to themselves in the singular plural to denote their spiritual completeness. While Farro didn't quite agree with using the word in that particular light, he agreed that as a loanword from an extinct language it would be suitable enough as an alias. sasFarro and the other shadows did not comment on the subject, but began answering to the new names which was viewed as tacit approval. The Shadow Servants themselves proved a substantial boon to Procession intelligence gathering- after all, nobody expected that the walls did indeed have eyes and ears now, when it was required. From this Farro learned of the time and route of one of the Arrani trade caravans. It was an important opportunity to survey the strange goods reported to be coming into Konwey with great scrutiny and without risk of discovery, as well as a potential source of information from Arrahn, where Arrow operatives were having difficulty gathering any without fatally exposing themselves. The plan was simple: Farro and a contingent of the more martially inclined Arrows would depart northwest from the Amast-Bevy gate and intercept the caravan shortly after it crossed into Konwey proper. The Shadow Servants would assist in eliminating the guards once the caravan had stopped for the night. The humans would follow afterwards and subdue the civilian traders for questioning. It would be difficult to move and hide such a large group, but it was better to be prepared for the possibility of actual Arrani spider people to be present in the caravan. Not much was known about them, other than they were dangerous and perhaps even fatally venomous. Ambushing a supply caravan going into Konwey from Arrahn, so we can look at the things they're importing and ask some questions. Stealth [+] because we're being sneaky, sneaky highwaymen. Love [+2] as Farro is drawing from the close bond between a person and his shadow to protect them both from harm. I don't know if it has a mechanical effect, but the Shadow Servants are directly involved in the attack.
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Jul 14, 2013 05:29
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Civar "The Cursed" Kit'An (Arandian wilderness) The power of the demon to afflict me is a source of deep concern. I now wield powers greater than those of heroes of song. If I'm being honest, greater even than some lesser gods I've heard about. Everything I'd heard about the demons previously had suggested that they required the afflicted's consent. That they could mark me as a demon even against my will... their powers had to be nearly limitless, if somewhat narrow. That narrowness was offset by how different each one was though. Collectively, I think they're a greater threat to this world even than Vigo the Destroyer who had been cast down by Ray, the sun god, eons ago according to the priests. Accordingly, I insisted that the army continue to use the rings that I had handed out to them, and investigate every warning the rings gave. I even went so far as to spring surprise inspections by approaching groups of soldiers I knew had one of the rings and summoning chains like those I'd used against the demon to bind them to the ground if they weren't prompt enough to respond to the ring's warning. I'd leave them there all night, and then have their whole unit assigned to tail-end Charlie position, eating the dust of the rest of the army for a whole day. I greeted the two assassination attempts with joy in my heart even as I bound the attackers. At least someone in this army hated demons enough. Meanwhile Aideen worked with the healers and other support staff to save as many of the injured as possible. I didn't visit very often, I was concerned that whatever had been done to me might be contagious. The times I did I was pleased with her efforts. I hadn't told her, but this was something in the way of a test - she'd been in a very dark place when I met her and it was very rewarding to see her using her talents to help people now, and not falling back into old habits. So it was with great relief that I parted ways with the army as soon as we were a days march into Arandia. Even if I did have to spend a day watching to make sure they kept marching the right direction afterwards. I was sending them home. It would be harvest time soon and they would be needed in the fields. I would have preferred to do something about the way Daveron's aura of hate had marked some of them first, but given my "demonic status;" anything I attempted was unlikely to be successful. I might even be more of a danger to them. I would first have to purify myself before I could help anyone else. I know dozens of cleansing rituals collected from hundreds of towns during my travels and I tried every one I could think of. Most of them were just time fillers though. The one I thought most likely to succeed required a new moon, still a week away. I would ritually bathe in a river 3 times - washing away the taint before spending all night meditating in a peaceful glade, in the middle of a forest. The still, calm darkness of the moon washing over me. The next two days I would spend communing with the forest. Speaking no word and seeing no human, only interacting with natural animals in their natural habitat and eating only those fruits or berries that nature provided. I expected to be rather hungry by the time I was done, but hopefully when I met back up with Aideen at our camp the demon-finder ring I'd be leaving with her wouldn't respond. Or at least the isolation and time to think would bring me some inspiration about what had been done to me. Afterwards, we needed to discuss what to do next, and that was something she should have a say in after following me faithfully for so long. Sorry about the long post Sending the army home with whatever demon finder rings they already have. Aideen to help the wounded while we're with the army. Main action - healing the demon taint on Civar
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Jul 14, 2013 16:05
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Adam - The Vizier’s Court, Taless He stood outside the grand hall, quietly running the scenario in his head. It had taken a small amount of time to get this audience with his Liege, a lot smaller than he had expected. In fact, a lot of things had taken a lot shorter than he had expected. The roads would be done by the next dark moon, his outposts were running steady and strong, and already the Consortium was the most talked about trading post in the city. And yet, it didn’t feel that long ago. He would have sworn that he had only met Kovar and the orcs less than a week ago, and yet their monthly meeting time was almost up. He had hidden himself at the start from much of the higher ups - hoping to deal with the lower trading merchants and work his way up the food chain. Of course, that had been before he found out that his home was going to be fighting a war on two fronts. He had almost panicked and fled to the sun plains, seeking Kovar for help, but then he remembered that his general friend had instead told him to keep in touch by good old Burd back at Sellos, and his need to see Kovar dropped to nothing. Fine, he thought, I’ll do this myself and show you that you don’t need him. We’ll see who is more worthy of your tiime. He had set up his plan, his idea for how this would work. He would approach the Vizier, proclaim that the dwarves are ready to fight, clearly woo him with some words and his prowess, and as his plan and tactics would be sound, the vizier would instantly trust him to lead his armies to victory. True there may be a few issues here and there with the whole ‘convincing’ part, but if they just spoke like civilised men he was sure they would come to at the very least a compromise. And with that, his name was called, and he entered the great hall. The Court of the Vizier posted:<TheGrandVizier> "Adam Leborn, of Sellos and owner of [Company name here]" is how you are introduced to the Vizier. Adam blinked. A statement of ‘wait what’ had started to form on his lips, but he was quickly ushered away from the Vizier and replaced with another eager citizen, this time juggling clay plates. Adam feared the new man may grab the Vizier’s attention a little bit more. He stormed out of the great hall with a huff, nostrils flaring. How dare that man, dismissing him without fully hearing what he had to say. And with such a preposterous declaration too. What an... what an.... What... a rather brilliant and thoughtful idea... Adam paused mid step/storm, his eyes suddenly looking up at the sky. He had just been asked to basically introduce himself to every single man who would be going up in war, and not sitting in their room eating grapes and making farting noises with their armpits. Real warriors, real soldiers. Not only that, he was asked to best them in combat, prove he was superior, knock their senses off. Then make them his bestest of friends and prepare them for what was coming. True, this would take him a hell of a lot of time, but he had a month to basically get to know who truly runs the world, and make them into a real army, not one that just pretends to be to keep the peasants in check. There was no time to lose, he had to start now. Doing an about-face, he raced towards the local barracks, eager to start. Action: The Consortium Company is doing super well at the moment. So well that it’s probably only a matter of time before we start causing a crapton of trouble with the locals. So while Adam is busy showing the people to Taless what a true warrior looks like, they will be gathering information about the other trading companies, namely how we can takeover them with mergers and whatever we need. Not to do it just yet, just want to know who I should be worried about when the war hits and everyone wants in on the trading action. For the action itself, Adam is going to go on a full on rear end Kicking (TM) venture, seeking the warriors, leaders, best men of the Taless army, and subsequently kicking their rear end. It will be a day of introductions and equipment checking in the morning with the people he is meeting, duels in the afternoon, and drinking the night away in the evening. He will do his best to meet as many of the armies of Taeless as he can, and try and spur them on with his leadership. Of the people he meets, he will give advice and checking them to see how they will fair in a war, and give them advice like train yourself in certain ways, or just to go home and be a family man. Dwarf +2 A Night of drinking, hilarity, and hardcore partying is going to take a lot of stamina and constitution, especially if its followed by a day of battle. Adam is going to have to pull on some serious reserves to keep himself going. Leader +2 These are the real people who will be facing untold horrors soon. There is no telling how the battle will go, so he’s got to try and give them as much drive as possible. If people respect Adam as a leader, they will listen to his advice and better themselves.. Trade +2 Learning about the people here is going to heavily affect how he will deal with them later on. Armies need to be fed, to be kept going, to be given the best in armour and clothes. If he can provide things and supplies to these people, he can keep them working for days. Just have to get the logisticas of the army to co-operate with him. War +2: Come at me Bro. Druggeddwarf fucked around with this message at 21:47 on Jul 15, 2013 |
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Jul 15, 2013 21:45
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Octagon - Arrahn, Sicaria Octagon stares at the horrific beings he had created. Though no emotion can be seen on his face, his voice rings of disappointment. "I'm very sorry," is all he says before decapitating each one with a swipe of his claw. It was a learning experience; he learned that Mu would not be the tool for this job. Not while it stood apart from him or even against him. No, he could not rely upon the Nothing. He would need to rely upon his more... natural powers. Once the corpses of the failed Voidpriests are thoroughly disposed of, he calls in a second group of not-quite-so-eager volunteers. "No need for you to fret, dear things. We'll not be venturing to the void together; it is not a place for mortal kind, I've learned. No, instead, we shall extol the virtues of Venom and Variety. The strengths of our kind. Come, let us see if we can do better than the last group..." My action for the month is as follows: I am going to create a priesthood of Spiderpriests, following the religion that we shall call the Silk Road. The underground tunnels are the Webway, by the way. Using Transformation [+2], Spider-Lord [+2], and Toxins [+2]. They shall have powers pertaining to those Domains so long as they worship me. Naturally, these skills can be taught to initiates of the Silk Road. They shall be the very epitome of Spiderdom. The spideriest spiders a spider can be (super-spiders). Naturally, non-spiders may follow the Silk Road, and if they attain full priesthood they may become spiders, themselves. I feel cheesy as hell using Spider-Lord because I use it for everything, but after that failure I don't want to risk it! Feel free to drop it if you think it appropriate.
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Jul 16, 2013 04:40
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Rathin Stonewill Orcshome The community concept didn't take well with the Orcs and small petty arguments were breaking out. Rathin sighed as he witnessed the events, it was not what he had envisioned for his community. It was time something was done, but he wasn't sure what to do. As he looked upon the soon to be completed fortress he searched his head for ideas. He turned and looked at the now many crop rows of food and soon came upon an idea. He thought a moment and once it became clear that this may yet work he went back into the courtyard of the fortress and stood on top of a crate, nobody in the busy courtyard noticed him at first. Rathin inhaled and let out a mighty roar and soon all turned to look at him. "Hear me!" Rathin shouted. The orcs in the courtyard gathered 'round. Rathin continued, "The fortress is nearly complete! Now is the time to find fresh bodies to put in the beds and on the ramparts! We have taken the first step towards becoming our own people! We have beat the desert and now it is time to turn our eyes to the wider world!" Shouts errupted from the crowd in cheer. "I will begin organizing you all into units to go out and find me the best the sands have to offer and bring them back here. They will join us! It will not be easy, the party sizes will be small and while we have tamed the sands here, out there," He pointed beyond the walls, "It will be difficult. You will all have to learn to work together, and respect one-another. You all can do it, I know it in my heart. We Orcs were meant to endure and endure we shall!" Rathin's going to try a different tack to get the Orcs to respect one another and put things into a community perspective. He's going to organize small groups of 3 or 4 Orcs each to go out and recruit tribes and send them back to the fortress. They will be given limited provisions and will have to work together to survive. D: Orc [+2] To encourage the orcs to work together as teams and recruit new followers. D: Heart of the Tiger [+2] To inspire them with vigor and courage to see through the hard times ahead
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Jul 17, 2013 05:26
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276 4E Seventh Moon Ilvis (Eosia, South west border woods) Rickard is restless during the time Ilvis rounds up the troops she can find in the woods, but he does not find any demons. Ilvis' ring does not go off either, although now that Civar has been revealed as a demon (or so it seemed anyway) its accuracy may be suspect given that he made it. This does make finding the soldiers less stressful and morale picks up as the group manages to collect more of the scattered men back into their ranks. But by the end of the moon you doubt you will find much more success, because the soldiers will have in most cases have been captured or as is more likely given the general Eosian incompetence at finding you (which also serves to raise morale a little), that they may be dead. There are wild beasts, and there are matters of food and water. While many of the soldiers are from peasant stock and thus used to foraging to feed themselves, equally as many are not and they are less capable of surviving in the wilds. A number of them may have also managed to make their way south and those others not fitting into any of these groups may have unfortunately fallen in with Civar. At any rate Ilvis was now not really sure where Civar would be, even though she could probably get to that spot with a little difficulty. She had a force that was in total roughly a third of what the invasion had been. She had to choose whether to retreat back to Arandia and face the king, or whether to launch a campaign of guerrilla attacks against the Eosians. Success, you've gathered up all the men that you'll be able to and avoided the Eosian army. Who continue to be woefully inept at anything that isn't facerolling cities and armies through sheer overwhelming force. Leodin (Sun Plains, Litorian Camp) The three claws of a Litorian's paw, excluding the opposable digit, represented the three pillars of their society. The paw did not work without all three, if one was weak or lacking all would suffer. Such was the lesson that was passed to the Litorians by Leodin as well as by Burd, to those in Sellos. For the most part people seemed to take to it fairly well, although some elements like the parts of deception that were acceptable would take longer to learn. In part all of this was helped by Ro'arin, which had been designed at least in part to match such a mind set. One time Burd commented that it was amusing that part of the philosophy advocated being strong and independent, while at the same time being respectful and subservient to Leodin. Unsure of what to make of the comment, you'd paused for a moment after which your lieutenant had clarified that as you were actually stronger, wiser and possibly immortal among other things that it was not an improper thing either. He had merely found the contradiction from a certain viewpoint amusing. The other thing that Leodin finds out is that Adam has been in Taelos, setting up a company to start building higher speed roads between Taelesian towns and cities. His plan is to speed up troop movement and supplies so that when it came time to fight and take back Harlakake that the Taelesian supply lines and forces would be well prepared. Someone matching Algard's description, or rather the armour's description was seen in Taelos as well and he has already asked any of those he has contact with to get Algard to come into contact with him and you when he next can. So far he has not heard anything. Sellos is doing well by the increased trade though and new offices have sprung up below and above the surface. The town is expanding in both directions and there has been an influx of immigrants seeking the safety of its distance from the conflict and for its obviously impressive forces. A number of immigrants have fitted in and eventually converted to either race, but Burd notes that this is much slower than the original rate and is not sure that much more will happen in the coming moons. Success, the Leodin will adapt to this fully within a year or two, but for the time being they will follow it as best as they can which should often be enough. Beltheus (Elsyian Sands, The Fortress) The one advantage Beltheus had, was that the imps were used to a hot and physically abusive environment. However the part that took the longest was finding and shipping the stone. The fortress was being built in the desert and the imps had to quarry from the mountains a day away. It would take them a couple of moons to do so, unless Beltheus stepped in and started making more suitable demons. At the end of the moon, Arhuon reported back in on what he had been doing. He gave Beltheus a quick report, outlining the existence of Adam and Kovar, now calling himself Leodin it seemed, as well as the Dwarves and the Litorians. He had been working to set up the foundations of a small cult in the area and he says that he has succeeded in possibly turning one of Leodin's trusted lieutenants to their cause, a man named Algard. Arhuon mentioned that they should be wary of the being named Thadroin however, who seemed to know exactly what Ahruon was doing and yet did nothing. In addition to this, when the men and women of Over-Sellos transformed into lion-like creatures he had known this would happen in advance. He had too much knowledge of what was to come to not be a potential threat, yet he was making no moves that Arhuon could find and he had looked. In addition to the dwarf and lionman gods, there was a strange man in the desert who had not been seen for several moons but had similar powers to themselves. He had power over sands and had a number of other powers, including seemingly turning people into strange monsters. The man wanted to conquer Taeless it seemed and might potentially welcome a partner, especially if Beltheus kept his current construction project a secret... The fortress will be finished in about 5 more Moons, but if you dedicate some heavier lifting demons it'll make it quicker. I didn't feel comfortable giving you the second free portal, so so far they're lugging it across the desert. As this is suffering for the wretched imps I thought you wouldn't mind too much. Edo (Eosia, Southern Eosia) The magical theory was simple and obvious to Edo, but to the Magisters it seemed to be completely alien. While they could use the approach of the Living Magic, the results were always unpredictable. Because of this people had started taking to calling it the 'Wild Magic'. On a positive side, Edo noted that the Wild Magic was much easier for everyone to use and it seemed more readily accessible than standard Wizardry, possibly because it was more about will and intent. Unfortunately it was a very complex interaction of many elements that only Edo and the Living Magic itself seemed to realise and understand. Subconscious intent blurred and affected the results of spells, emotions kept on shaping the form that the spell took. Even more incomprehensibly half the time the magic itself seemed to have a will and would sometimes step in to give the person what they needed and not what they wanted. Wild Magic was in essence a very dangerous gamble, it never paid off how the caster wanted but a little over half the time paid off how they needed it to. The other half it did but not in a helpful manner, such as when Ajikan had tried to conjure a light and had instead set the tent on fire in his frustration. He had gotten the light he needed but not in a form that he had wanted. The Living Magic itself seemed to change subtly each time Wild Magic was used, growing more complex and beginning to develop a personality. You rolled really badly, so I took the opportunity to give you something that could be useful but has drawbacks and risks. The Living Magic is connected to Wild Magic in some way, and each time it is used it grows. So far generally decent people are using it and it is learning 'good' things, but that may change if Wild Magic becomes more widely used. Bryn (Arandia, Hope's Ridge) The Dreameaters were not as many as Bryn had wished, but they served his intent just as well. Dreameaters only existed in the night, during the day they sunk back into the ground to sleep themselves. Then when the moon came up they would return to torment the village. For a moon Bryn watched with wretched glee as the town became increasingly sleep deprived and people grew frayed by the awful dreams that plagued them. In the last tenday one old lady died in her sleep, plagued by the Dreameater as he heart gave up. In her last breath she gave birth to yet another Dreameater. People began to believe that the land was cursed and discussed perhaps leaving it, or seeking the help of a priest to exorcise the evil that now dwelt there whatever it was. Success, but only just. You only have a handful of Dreameaters and the only way they can reproduce is to kill someone in the grip of their nightmares. Then the persons fears and despair form a new Dreameater. Farro Kapersi (Konwey, Northern Trading Road) The plan took a while to plan and set up, but in the last tenday of the Moon the Arrows struck one of the trading caravans. Inside they found what they had expected to find, although some things baffled the confused rebels. There was a great deal of Chuma, which as noted induced a sense of peace and contentment, while decreasing general awareness. Farro noted that it made people more suggestible but that might simply be a combination of effects and not something planned. There were a number of very docile and somewhat stupid attendants that were taking care of the cart, but they themselves were not especially suspicious beyond their dull mannerisms. There were also a number of poisons, which while generally outlawed were often used by unscrupulous merchants and had been traded in to the country for at least a century. So while perhaps illegal, it was not unusual and there would be certainly be plausible deniability for the council (at the cost of a merchant, or worst a member). One vial did stick out to Farro though. it was in a doubly locked small chest and had the simple label of "Transformation Toxin" written in spidery letters. Success, you raid a caravan and find...something. Civar (Arandia, Harvan) The Tinkers Treasure was fairly quickly dealt with. To Civar's relief the blackness was in two parts, the demonic part was only a thin veneer covering the surface of the hammer. It was easily cast aside and purified which left the hammer to return to its regular hue. Civar contemplated that this must be part of Ilvis' work, that when the hammer was in the hands of the unworthy it went a putrid black as he had seen the flames of her sword do so. As he held it in his hands it remained its pure iron self, which made him contemplate the nature of the demon's 'gift' a little. The moon he spent purifying himself did nothing. While fully two thirds were little more than scams or rituals designed to give a sense of comfort, the remainder did work and Civar was sure of it. Yet after that moon when he returned the ring still responded, singing that a demon was nearby. Driven almost to rage for one moment, Civar paused and thought about it. When he looked closely at the ring he realised the trick the demon had done. It was the ring itself that had been tainted. How could it not return a positive signal when its very essence had been tainted? As he had been wearing it, that was why Civar would have appeared as being tainted himself to Ilvis and that spirit. But given her general irrationality it seemed unlikely she would accept the explanation so simply. It was simple to purge the ring of its taint, and once you had done so it stopped reacting to a demon's presence. Following the army back to Harvan Civar found the city almost in ruins, something had struck the city causing a wave of horrible accidents that had resulted in deaths. Tempers ran high and fights seemed to be common. Aideen shuddered and whispered to you; "I can feel him in the air, Daveron has cursed this place." As Civar travelled through the ruined city he could feel the pressure on the back of his mind, although it was easy to ignore. But the worst news of all, was that the entire royal family was dead and there was now a war of distant successors vying for the throne. By now Daveron and Ilvis would have legitimate claims as well, so far gone was the line. Success, you purge both the Tinkers Treasure and your ring of the taint. Adam (Taeless, Taelos) Adam Leborn spent a full tenday single handedly beating every fighter in Taelos that he could find. It had been hard to find people willing to tests themselves at first, but you had offered the Axe as a prize and suddenly it became a competition. The Axe was an alluring prize as its craftsmanship and edge were obviously worth fighting for, but it seemed to encourage the fighting itself in a way. Still only one of the men came close to besting Adam, a man who wore simple leathers and fought with a broadsword. He was almost as strong and tireless as Adam himself and the two had fought for a full hour before Adam had won. The man had bowed to you once you had defeated him and said he would come back each day. On the last day when no others had done better, Adam offered him the Axe and asked his named. He smiled and took the weapon humbly. "You may call me Arhuon, Adam." He has said politely and that night you had both drunk deeply indeed. You would never see that man again, although perhaps the true owner of it would reveal himself to you in time. Two days later Adam found that the man had been travelling who matched the description of Algard's armour, however you had been unable to find him again. The last thing you had heard was that the two had been travelling to the west, yet no towns or guards ever saw them. The company would keep an eye out for him however, in case he ever returned. However Adam had more pressing issues. Quickly Adam sorted out those who were sorted best for command and those who currently held command positions. He played a number of games and waged mock battles, in each coming out victorious over the enemy. After the second tenday there was no on left in Taeles who could claim to be a warrior or leader of fighter who had not tested themselves against Adam. After having done this Adam found it would be another two tendays before he could see the Vizier again. Disgusted, Adam simply decided to begin his work now and began the process of teaching the mercenaries how to be soldiers. It was hard, the first thing Adam had to do was instil a sense of fighting for something other than money, that fighting for their nation was worthwhile. In terms of fighting on the field the majority of the men and women were good at disabling an opponent, but they would not go in for the kill. This would be the next thing that Adam would need to teach them. Success, so far you've gotten a good connection with the troops themselves. Your options here are now to either bypass the Vizier entirely, or to go back to him having done what he wished. If you wished to see him you'll get your meeting at the start of the next Moon. Octagon (Arrahn, Sicaria) The Order was formed and the Silk Road was created, tenets by which Arrani should dedicate themselves to to better themselves and serve their god. At the head of this were the Eight Spinners, those blessed by Octagon as his most virtuous and capable followers. They alone could create very limited quantities of the Transformation Toxin, never enough to convert towns or cities, but enough to reward some humans with ascension to the ranks of the Arrani. The Spinners were larger than the Arrani and their poison was lethal, even to the Arrani although not to another Spinner. In addition they had a greater appetite to others of their kind, but they would live twice as long. There could only be Eight Spinners at one time, one would need to die for another to be inducted. All of the remaining Spinners would spin a cocoon around the applicants, those that were worthy or the most worthy would emerge transformed into a Spinner. The others would die and be left as a holy offering to Octagon. Success, you have created a religion and a priest cast, although only the leaders, the Spinners have greater powers than the others. The religion does encourage a bit of backstabbing and politics, but should weed out the most competent and most worthy to lead. Rathin (Sun Plains, Orcshome) Rathin manages to attract about five tribes to Orcshome, those who wish to not have to worry every day about whether they can eat or not. The result was not quite what Rathin had expected however. The Orcs who travelled out learned to work together and began to understand the value of having people good at different things, they also appreciated the hardship and challenge. Orcshome was beginning to feel like home, but life there was easier and the Orcs had been a tough and worn people. It seemed that they needed some form of competition or hardship to make themselves feel content about themselves and for them to fit in. Rathin could not keep on trying to assimilate tribes forever, but surely there would be ways to assuage that part of the Orc spirit that was alone, independent and fiercely competitive and aggressive. Not so unlike a tiger in that way, for the great cats were also solitary creatures mostly by nature. As for those Orcs that returned, even those unsuccessful in their mission they seemed to have become close to those they travelled with. At the very least Rathin could devise a way to create little micro-communities perhaps. I'm going to leave the results vague here as not to preempt what you do with Orc society. There are several directions I can see, all different and all viable. Feel free to ask me about it some time if you wish.
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Jul 18, 2013 04:15
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Octagon - Arrahn, Sicaria Octagon is positively delighted with the progress and disposition of his new Religious Order. They are everything he needed and he is more than happy to allow them to work mostly autonomously, overseeing their own training and proselytizing. Clearly no Arrani would need conversion, but they would have permission to begin preaching in Konwey, were anyone brave enough to try and were the populace receptive. Either way, hardly important for the time being. Instead, he Octagon turned his attention to more... practical matters. His influence was spread far and wide, and he would need a method of keeping up to date on the goings-on of his expanding sovereignty. And so, from strands of silk and a simple piece of wood, Octagon began to shape that which would allow him to keep a finger upon the pulse of the world. Using Spider-Lord [+2] and Transformation [+2] to create the Silk Harpsichord. It resembles a small, single-stringed Harp with a silken chord. It works by focusing on your recipient and plucking the string, initiating a "call". They answer (with their own Harpsichord) and then you can converse normally, the string vibrating with their voice. The communication cannot be intercepted, but can be overheard since it's a conversation. It allows for instantaneous long-distance communication with reasonable privacy. If only to prevent "prank calls", I'd say that the recipient of a call can "tell" who is calling them and can decline to answer or block a caller. Except there is a single Master Harpsichord. It resembles a fully-stringed harp, with silken strands. The Master Harpsichord can listen in on any other Harpsichord in existance, including conversations in the vicinity of an inactive Harpsichord. The user "plays" the Master Harpsichord as he or she searches for the information or conversations he or she might wish to listen in on. It obviously helps if you already have a target in mind, but you can just troll for gossip casually. It can also be used as a regular Harpsichord. Probably there can ever only be one, and if it was destroyed it would take a Spinner to recreate it. For the moment, I am keeping the Master Harpsichord for myself! (duh) Over the next month I will be both producing a fuckton of Silk Harpsichords and teaching the priests how to create them, and selling them off as trade goods, far and wide. Konwey gets preference, of course, so they can buy low and resell for tidy profits. A Harpsichord in every home, a turkey in every pot. Rhjamiz fucked around with this message at 06:51 on Jul 19, 2013 |
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Jul 18, 2013 06:43
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Farro Kapersi - Konwey, Northern Trading Road Update 19 The raid on the convoy went smoothly. Too smoothly. The entire team leading the wagons were slow witted, extremely complaint young people. Farro was half sure if he had strolled up and asked to examine the goods, they would have let him. The Chuma could prove useful for it's effects on potential targets; after all if people were more suggestible trapping them in beneficial contracts was much easier. The poisons could also prove useful if the Arrows ever needed to get their hands dirty. The this Transformation Toxin... whatever it was, it was important enough to be well hidden and well secured, if not exactly well protected. That warranted further investigation. In the end, it was decided the entire caravan would be striped for supplies, as much as could be reasonably carried. The only issue left was that of the caravaneers. Even if the shadow servants had not been required, it was still too dangerous to allow their presence to be revealed. Knowing full well that darker deeds would be required to bring about a better future, and unwilling to burden his fellow Arrows with the very grievance he was seeking to purge, Farro dispatched the others back to Terminus to unload the stolen supplies and return to their previous tasks. And then, one by one, he dispatched the wagon tenders (in as humane a way as could be managed, not that it mattered much to them in the end). He piled their bodies on the near-emptied wagons and burned the lot. To anyone who came across the remains, it would appear much as any of the more violent bandit attacks that hit the trade routes from time to time. He smirked darkly. In way, he supposed, that's pretty much what had happened. The more he ran from the past, the closer it was following him. Terminus Nothing. All the experts, literature, anything the Procession knew or could procure had shed no light on what exactly the Transformation Toxin was or could do. He had suspicions, of course. Nobody had heard of spider people before these Arrani had appeared overnight months ago, so unless they had boiled up out of the bowels of the earth or fallen from the sky something had created him. Probably this Octagon fellow who was claiming himself as the leader. And maybe this is how he did it. Provided it didn't brainwash him, this could be a significant boon to Arrow infiltration into Arrani influence. And he drat well wasn't going to have anyone else do something this stupid. Maybe whatever powers he had would protect him from the worst of it. He rocked back in the chair, and unstopped the vial. He lifted the container skyward, and with a sarcastic grimace, called out. "Hey, Sparkles. Cheers." Mimicking a toast, he downed the contents. You find a strange vial labeled "Transformation Toxin". Drink it? No >Yes
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Jul 18, 2013 07:08
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Farro Kapersi It burned going down his throat, and Farro immediately wanted to retch violently on the ground. Stars began to swim in front of his eyes and as the liquid passed down into his stomach he could feel its contents churn. Then the pain hit and Farro was almost blinded. His muscles spasmed violently and his chest began to heave as Farro's body began to change itself. His legs began to move backwards as new ones grew in front of them, his back elongating into an abdomen. By this point Farro stopped really being conscious of what was going on, but the change continued. Farro didn't know how long it took but it was mind-numbingly painful. Then the hunger hit. Farro wasn't sure when it was that he regained his senses and sanity, but when he did he was standing about two feet taller than he had been. He had an extra pair of legs and another set of eyes. Beyond this he felt changed, something in him had been growing and had been usurped into something else. As Farro investigated this change he realised he was now some kind of monstrous half-human half-spider creature and as such had powers befitting such a being. Then he noticed the feathers littered around before him and then, someone else. The one behind the power that had changed him. A being called "Octagon".  Farro, you are now a Vassal of Octagon. What this means is you lose one trait, but in this case as you were close to gaining Shadow [+2] I will let you lose that and gain Spider Lord [+2] instead. Octagon has no direct power to give you orders but for the time being at least you are generally inclined to be friendly to him and see no reason not to act in his interests. Beyond that how you react is your choice and you can be freaked out by this but part of you, the new spider part of you is completely okay with this. One thing to consider is Lydia might be in a better position if she has new spider powers as well. Octagon, you notice Farro as soon as he regains awareness. He is connected to you but you do not have control over him, although he is likely to not be inherently hostile to your suggestions. Additionally both of you are currently considered to be in a Pantheon together for when it is relevant, and as such both of you can freely communicate via Divine Telepathy when you wish. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 08:02 on Jul 19, 2013 |
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Jul 18, 2013 07:33
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Wilhelm - Minburg, Arandia He felt something tinge in his mind, a cheer of joy. A tingle in his fingers and toes. The feeling of others around him, and the world came back from black. And shortly following all this an immense hunger. There were so many more mouths to feed in the community, and though their methods were impeccable there was certainly room for improvement. He sat in the middle of his old field, the one where his ants and bees orchestrated their first cooperation. Golden wheat wobbled lazily in the wind as he dug one of his clawed hands down into the ground, scooping it and feeling it through his chitined appendages. It was the same even after his change, and it was something wonderful that could never be taken from him. A worm wriggled its way from the soil in his hand, and as he watched it divine inspiration struck. He began to focus upon the critter... Wilhelm is going to make some earthworms that function as cattle and farmers all at once! These super worms will rotate the earth, bringing all the deep nutrients back up to the surface and will also NEVER STOP GROWING so as to be goodly sized edible cattle! Hopefully they'll also have a mind that can be communicated with at the same level that a person may be able to communicate with a cow. Using ALL THE DIVINE TRAITS +6 to do this.
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Jul 19, 2013 05:06
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Octagon - Arrahn, Sicaria Octagon is startled by the sudden appearance of... someone. Something had become connected to him in a way his children were, but this one was... different. Somehow. A Comet-touched? Probing for the being's thoughts, he spoke into his mind... quote:* Octagon ahems. His 'voice' is tinged with amusement. "Who are... wait. You are Farro. I assume you know who I am." Octagon concludes the discussion, steepling his claws in thought. A second Spider-Lord, the beginnings of a Pantheon. This could be useful, indeed! Perhaps he could recruit one or two more to his side in the future; for now, he would need to make sure this new Spider-Lord sided with Arrahn. Speaking of Arrahn... It was a shame his Harpsichords had not yet been perfected, but it would seem he would need to use messengers for this task. Using the lost caravan as a convenient excuse, Octagon decided that a small group of Arrani would accompany each caravan as a guard. While the Arrahnian military had not yet been... officially restructured, there remained plenty of loyal and eager Arrani who had been soldiers or guardsmen in their past lives that it was not difficult to find volunteers. Word was dispatched to the Arrani of Delena and Sicaria; from now on, all non-Herd and non-slave humans were off-limits for predation. This was especially true for Caravan Guards. The Citizens of Taeless and Konway were to be treated as equals; "accidents" would not be tolerated. More flies with honey, Ambassadors don't make good impressions by eating their fellow delegates, etc. Purchasing slaves from the local markets as a meal was, of course, perfectly acceptable. In addition, Octagon sent word to the Operatives that composed the Konwegian Imperial Senate; it was time for a strengthening of Arrahn and Konway's relationship. "Negotiations" would take place that would result in a more relaxed stance at the border. Citizens of both kingdoms would be able to travel freely back and forth in order to conduct business or pursue pleasure more directly, rather than rely entirely upon Trade Caravans. Naturally, this would allow priests and layspiders of the Silk Road to proselytize freely in Konway's border towns. For the time being, Octagon was content to allow his people to handle these affairs; they did not yet require his divine attention. Rhjamiz fucked around with this message at 02:22 on Jul 25, 2013 |
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Jul 19, 2013 06:27
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On the road to the Orc fortress to meet up with Adam, Leodin rested for the night. He had left the Litorians who had once been the Grey Peak tribe to prepare for the coming campaign and to continue to work to internalize the Path of the Lion. Even though he was no longer with them in person, he could still feel the balm of their worship coursing through him. It was then, the night before his arrival that he carried out his plan. He had been discussing it with Burd for weeks by that point. If Leodin could commune with Burd across a great distance, hear what he heard feel his flesh as though he were there himself, would he be able to communicate through Burd to someone in Sellos. Leodin had always intended something like this, it would be a powerful tool, but after Algard's departure, the entire plan had become more urgent. He had been away from Sellos for too long, but to go back now would mean abandoning his plans in the Sun Plains, which was far worse. However, in light of all that had happened, and since he would soon meet Adam there was one thing he could no longer let lie. Thadroin was concealing something, he knew things that he had no reason or right to know. So, Leodin would attempt this experiment, to speak through Burd in hopes he might be able to speak with Thadroin, despite being many weeks travel from Sellos. He settled into a comfortable sitting position and closed his eyes, calming his mind as he did whenever he reached out to Burd. It had grown easier to connect with repeated use, and the bond between the pair had strengthened even more when Leodin had gained his true form. The bond he had with all the Litorians strengthened his existing tie to Burd. A part of him felt a bit of mirth, especially in the light of Burd's enjoyment of the apparent contradiction in the Three Pillars, because in a way what he was attempting to do could be seen as the ultimate expression of one of them. For what greater submission to god could there be then to let him speak with your lips and hear with your ears. Either way, it was certainly something that seemed priestly enough. The moment passed, he reached out with his mind ready to try the experiment, hoping to be able to speak with Thadroin and dispel some of the mysteries surrounding him. Trying to be able to speak and hear through Burd, along the same link Leodin's used to keep in contact with him before. Taking care to not go too deep, after what happened last time. Lion[+2] - Lion god trying to speak through a lion man. EDIT: Replacing this with the action I posted later, since the chat actually finished in time for the update much to my surprise. Valhawk fucked around with this message at 03:28 on Jul 24, 2013 |
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Jul 19, 2013 08:32
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Daveron - Harvan The days dragged on in Harvan, now twisted by the dark influence that grew around him. Daveron smirked as ale dribbled down his chin, looking at the rabble before him, protesting to their new King about their trials and tribulations. One particular groveler caught his eye, and he beckoned them closer with a gruff wave. Daveron grabbed him by the collar, pulling him close, the smell of old ale causing the man to gasp, "You... I see something special in you." Daveron grinned, "You will be the voice of Harvan, and you and I will cleanse the world of the rot that is inside of us." He set the man down, and extended his hand, opening it; within were many crystals, seeming to resonate the desolation that had visited this region as of late.  "Take these, give these to those who want to escape this place, but know in their hearts they can never truly leave." Daveron chuckled as he slumped back into the throne, "This is our home now, our place to kick our feet up." Coalescing the desolation here into super concentrated crystals, then getting them spread out. Basically using them as a magnet to draw in both people that are into this twisted kind of thing as well as those too weak to resist. It's a big ol poo poo party here in Harvan. +2 Truth, +2 Death, +2 Hate, +2 Bad Luck.
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Jul 19, 2013 08:39
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Edo (Eosia, Southern Eosia) It was frustrating how slow the magisters were to pick up a perfectly simple psychoreactive magic source with n-dimensional complexity. And when he thought about it, it was also amazing what had happened to his vocabulary over the past few months. Spending so much time with magisters and scholars of magic had changed him. Edo hoped it had changed him for the better. Now though, he left the magisters to practise, with the advice to try to calm themselves completely before using wild magic. It was about then that the scouts reported that they'd found the Arandians - they were holed up in the wood-covered hills to the south, just east of the mountains. The perfect place, really, where they can defend their positions and spoil the Eosian infantry's advantages. Of course, they couldn't deploy their knights, either, and their archers had become a bit useless, but beggars couldn't be choosers. So Edo decided to play to his strengths in bringing an end to the threat. He had been given influence over life; he had been gifted with knowledge of magic; and he had been rewarded with the light of the sun. Over the course of a month, he visited the outskirts of the camp at night a number of times, each time protected by wards of illusion. And each time he gave the sentries he came across a terrible gift - the gift of ebola, found in the Eosian jungles and rightly feared for its horrific effects. If the foreigners would not leave, they could die here, holed up in the dark of the woods, far from their homes. The last time he visited, he left a note in the pocket of his victim, to be found by the commanders of the camp. "You chose this fate when you broke your word, assassins. Prepare to leave, and I will heal your men. Stay, and you will die here." Using Magic +2 and his knowledge of Healing +2 to spread a slightly faster-incubating version of ebola (eg a week to kick off rather than two weeks) to the Arandian scouts. It's super contagious, especially in confined spaces, so hopefully the Arandians will start dying en masse before they can do much about it.
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Jul 19, 2013 09:14
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Civar "The Cursed" Kit'An (Arandia, Harvan to Fulkshire) "Enough! Enough Aideen. Where ever we go there is some buffoon wielding powers out of song. And every time we move to oppose them directly two more spring up while we have our backs turned. We'll never be able to keep people from tearing the world apart this way. And if we're being honest, I haven't always been successful in defeating these wackos when I could catch up to them. It's just too big for us to be everywhere we need to be. We have to start empowering people to defend themselves from these madmen. I suggest starting with the Tia'cha; they've always been good to us and we need to head further South anyways. Find someplace with fewer disasters so we can teach in peace. Not have to worry about losing half our students to corruption or madness. Are you with me?" I headed West first. The Tia'cha campgrounds were there. Ferka's troupe had long since moved on, but Moirraine and Rand's troupe were just getting ready to leave when we arrived. I had little trouble convincing them to head SouthWest to Fulkshire after sharing news of recent events to the North with them. The last thing Tia'cha want is to head towards trouble. They have a saying: "It's no use arguing with the weather." Well, that's one saying whose meaning I hoped to change. As we traveled I talked with the singers and dancers in the troupe, which meant virtually everyone - sharing with them what I'd learned of how the weather worked. How it was one vast, complicated system; but that the apparent chaos was controlled by rules. Rules I could teach them, and teach them how to influence with their songs and dances. Traveling South to Fulkshire Teaching Tia'cha Song Weather Magic - Weather Wizards that work spells via song and/or dance. Weather +2 Order +2 - create links between the ordered, flowing patterns of a performance and the flowing patterns of the weather. I'm hoping Aideen will come too, maybe she can teach them how to influence emotions via song too? I'd prefer her not to stay because I'm trying to avoid stepping on Pupps/Zombie's toes. I'll probably be looking to either expand the Hammerites next turn or find them a leader to give Tinker's Treasure to.
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Jul 21, 2013 16:56
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Mazir-Unknown He was free in his new realm, he molded it as he could and tried. He raised great wonders in the expanse and made it's denizens his own. Seeing the new souls come in everyday gave him a sense of power, one he had never felt before. Slowly he gathered them all in one location, herding them like the cattle they were. Once enough were in one location, he began to mutter the incantations. He would be attempting his grand apotheosis, and truly become the great power of the world. Thousands of souls were here, as he muttered the chains of light began to link them, pouring energy into one location and one individual...Mazir However the power soon began to surge, and he could barley contain it. As Mazir struggled, he saw streams of light cracking down his new body. Eyes wide in horror, he saw similar cracks emerging in the very fabric of his realm the endless desert began to have cracks similar to him as well. AS the cracks in him and the world widened, Mazir howled in pain as everything began to sunder. With a final burst of strength, he mentally shouted a final command, he hoped would be heard NOMAD, CONTINUE MY WORK! he screamed as everything became white... Sadly real life is becoming a bit too busy and lately I've been having a difficult time keeping up with this incredible game, so I'm respectfully bowing out. I apologize everyone, HiKaizer thank you so much for a great game, I'll keep trying to follow you guys when I can and see what awesomeness you unleash on the world!
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Jul 21, 2013 23:01
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Bryn - Arandia, Hope's Ridge By day, the great beast slumbered in his lair, mounted atop a pile of gold. At night, he worked, flying high above the tormented town. Those who remained alive lived a torturous existence, their dreams haunted by terrors, and their days spent exhausted. Though there was talk of abandoning the place, few had the means to do so, tied to the land as they were. And so the people suffered and suffered, and as their sanity began to go, their moods darkening along with their dreams, so too did their bodies change; children were born as scaled and serpentine beasts, fanged and horrible to look on. The adults changed, as well, more gradually but no less certainly. And from above it all, Bryn watched happily as his corruption claimed the village. I'm going to begin to twist the remaining survivors into terrible beasts, driven mad and corrupted by Bryn's persistent nightmares. Nightmares +2: To twist the mind. Monsters +2: To transform the body. Dragon +2: They will be formed in my image.
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Jul 22, 2013 21:40
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Farro Kapersi - Terminus Update 20 Farro spent some time alone in Terminus, evaluating his recently acquired abilities. Certainly the silks and venoms might be useful at some point, but what would probably be the most useful was the astounding increase in mobility. No longer limited by a human (if extraordinarily powerful) form, there were all sorts of new advantages: being able to jump higher and for longer distances, climbing walls, hanging from overhead objects... combined with his powers of stealth, his shadow, and the ability to move vast distances quickly, Farro was the ultimate spy. And that suited his purposes just fine. Yes, even if the change had been more radical than anticipated, he could use this. His first real test was reconnoitering the situation in Harlakake. Invisible and silent as the grave, he spent weeks moving about the city gathering as much information about Mazir and his lieutenants as he could: listening in on conversations, observing training regimens and troop movements, recording the transportation of supplies, anything that would prove of use against the leader of the Elysian invaders. After a solid month of work, he returns to Terminus to collate his findings and open a new gate to Sicaria. He'd judge firsthand the actions of Octagon. Checking out what's going on in Harlakake. Stealth [+2] to be invisible and silent; Contracts [+2] as he is doing this as a vassal of Octagon as well as his own purposes; Spider-Lord [+2] to creep over buildings and walls and get into places that would be more difficult if he weren't a horrible spider monster. Also upshifting difficulty to open a gate to Sicaria. Obviously Jimmy dropped from the game but I don't know that in character. Assuming you'll continue at least part of that in NPC form the information will still be valuable. If I'm just wasting my turn pop me a PM or something and I'll do something else. GruntyThrst fucked around with this message at 14:59 on Jul 23, 2013 |
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Jul 23, 2013 14:56
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Ilvis (Eosia, South west border woods) "This is a fine mess isn't it? Answer me this, why have we failed and so dramatically at that?" Having found the last scattered elements of the invasion force and folded them gently into my army, I settled them into one last bivouac in the woods. "Poor discipline. Demons infiltrating the camp. Greed. A reckless and cavalier attitude towards the operation of an army. A complete absence of forward observers and scouts. Having spoken with you, ridden among you and worked beside you for these weeks I've come to the conclusion that the 'invasion' was nothing but a poorly contrived attempt to seize territory and booty, a cowardly and badly planned effort to take advantage on the infirmities of the Eosian state. And what has it gotten you?" I counted off the reasons on my fingers, watching the winces and shamed looks of the army's commanders across our shared flickering campfire. "Arses kicked in by a force that's twice your size but that barely knows which end of the sword is the sharp one, squads of men, entire squads! lost to wild animals and the elements. And for what? Nothing but bloodshed and chaos which serves no end. Well, not I suppose if you count the demons who feed off of disorder and terror. Great job there then." As none of them met my gaze I leaned back and sighed. "Listen, I've tried explaining this to you before and it didn't quite take. Whatever motivations or ideals you had in the past, they don't really mean the same thing now. There are monsters, terrible and evil beings that want nothing more than to tear down the walls of the world and bring death and destruction to us all. Greed, wrath, moral cowardice and other failings serve only to strengthen those beings and bring humanity that much closer to the edge. Look to Rickard if you want a working example of what happens when you get too close to that!" Rickard half rose from his crouch, ears and eyes alert for demons at the raising of my voice before I motioned for him to be at ease. "No, there aren't any demons here. Go back to sleep. You do the right thing by your mates and you do right by the people you're fighting against because there are tangible benefits for doing so, the first of which being you're not a completely poo poo excuse of a human being." Glumly I stirred at the fire with a long stick before tossing it in and nodding towards the Sword laying on the ground beside me. "Look at this thing, this here's a no joke magical sword of justice. It's meant to be inspirational or something isn't it? All sorts of magic powers and special abilities or something? But at the end of the day it's a tool, like an army is a tool. A tool which if misused or misappropriated for the wrong ends, functions poorly. In a way we are all tools to be used thus, but as right thinking and responsible people it's our duty to use and be used judiciously and for the greater good." I eyed the moon, fat and full in the distance. How many nights had I stared at it from my window, wishing for the chance to be Head of my own army, a proper knight with a magic sword and armour and a tireless horse? "We're going home. There's no reason for you lot to be up here, you're not equipped to deal with the horrors that lie ahead and never were." I'd like to spend my impressing the importance of order, discipline, and chivalry into Ilvis' army, giving a rousing and inspirational speech explaining why things have become such a colossal cock-up (moral failings and demons, duh!) and how the only way to prevent such terrible failures is to hang tight to that whole chivalry and personal responsibility thing. See if I can't yet make properly paladin-y guys out of this bunch yet, Spirit of chimes possibly included among them. Maybe I can sneak in a "Dude, don't be a dick" subroutine into his core anti-demon programming. +2 Justice: Veritas, aquitas, and uh... that third thing. A good army runs on discipline, it runs on espirit de corps, and efficiency. A small group of dedicated men working together and willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good can overturn an army many times their size. Discipline, righteousness, and not being a dick are powerful force multipliers you guys need to learn. +2 Sacred Sword: I mean seriously, look at this thing. I hold it and I'm filled, absolutely brimming, with the feeling, with the idea that I have to be a better er, man. How does this not rub off at all on any of you? Ah yes, then we're heading home since I've completed my objective of making sure there are no stragglers or malcontents left behind.
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Jul 24, 2013 01:53
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Beltheus Beltheus smiles to see the imps at work, suffering in the sun. It did them good. They were lazy creatures. Still, their pitiful efforts would take a long time; almost half a year. This was not acceptable. It would mean further delay of his plans, which are already behind schedule. So, he has to intervene, again, causing further delay. Beltheus wonders for a minute why all his subordinates are incompetent., then proceeds to shift and manipulate some of the imps to increase their abilities. He decides to add mass amd girth, to make them stronger, faster, more tolerant of the environment. Then, when he's done, he will go in search of this mysterious man of the desert. Changing some of the imps to give them increased size, strength, and stamina. Demonic Duke +2, Demon Summoning +2. Then going into the desert and trying to find out more about this mysterious desert god man.
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Jul 24, 2013 02:41
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Adam, Leodin, and Rathin - Orchome, Sun Plainsquote:***Leodin strode through the camp proudly, his new form causing quite a stir. It was only once he arrived at the pre-arranged meeting point to find that Adam had yet to arrive that he stopped and found a comfortable rock. Their meeting place was off a small ways from the fortress proper, the better to provide a modicum of privacy for the pair. Adam and Leodin went together to see Rathin, finding him inside the fortress and beckoning to speak with him alone. Leodin stood in silence, waiting to see the orc leader’s reaction to his new form. Rathin looks quite confused, although his form has changed somewhat as well since their last meeting. He’s chewing on some wheat between his large tusks and has a large tilling tool at his side, looking more like a farmer then warrior now, although his visage still looks quite fearsome for a farmer and there is no doubt the warrior Orc spirit lies within him. quote:Rathin: Kovar? Is that you? By the sands, what happened to you?
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Jul 24, 2013 02:42
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Rathin Stonewill Orcshome Rathin smiled as he saw some incremental progress in his people. As he left Leodin and Adam to their own devices his attention turned back to the now complete fortress. It's imposing visage would surely inspire future generations of Orcs of what can happen when they work together. However, now it was time to nurse the passion of the Orcs and turn it into a powerful resource. He walked to one of the lower parapets that stood in the courtyard and shouted, "Hear me!" The commotion in the courtyard quickly halted as everyone turned to the sound of his booming voice. "So many new faces, and so much untapped potential. We must rise above the Plains now, and become a mighty force that can safeguard our homes and our lands, most importantly our way of life. We must learn to do the tireless work of forging a civilization of the Orcs!" He roared, immense cheers rose up from the crowd. "I know the best way to achieve this is to continue honing our fighting spirit. Some have misunderstood me when I encouraged people to take up passions other then arms. Yes, I have heard some rumors that I am soft, and not the strong leader needed for the Orcs, and should any wish to voice them here I will fight in combat to gladly prove my prowess to any who think such a thing. However, know this, behind every sword is a legion of outfitters, cooks, farmers, haulers, milkers, and by the plains many more! Some take pride in these tasks and so they should, for those tasks keep the engine of this civilization running! The result we see in our blades and arms. It's a result I think cannot be appreciated unless it's sharpened regularly. Therefore, we shall build a Grand Coliseum and hold competitions between individuals, teams, creatures, perhaps even other nations! Competitions of strength, ingenuity, bravery, endurance, and anything else that we can dream up that will be useful in the battle field!" Going to instruct my people to build a Grand Coliseum where we can fight in friendly competition to hone our combat and non-combat skills. D: Orc [+2] It's the very nature of Orcs to continuously improve our skills in battle. D: Heart of the Tiger [+2] To inspire the people with my speech and get them PUMPED UP about building an awesome arena.
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Jul 24, 2013 03:05
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Leodin and Adam - Litorian Encampment, Sun Plains After departing Orchome, Adam and Leodin made their way to the place where the Litorians had gathered in preparation of the begining of Leodin's grand campaign. He had explained what had happened over the past months to Adam, and the change he had wrought in the people once know as the Grey Peak tribe both physically and culturally. The major issue would be that Adam did not speak Ro'arin, or the abandoned tribal tongue of the Grey Peaks. However, in the process of teaching the Litorians Ro'arin, several had picked up enough Taelossian to form a workable pidgin, and Leodin could serve as a translator as well. Adam was uncertain he would remain for the entire campaign, but since it would be at least a month before the Vizier would see him again, it was agreed that there was value in him experiencing war first hand. Though, if Leodin had his way, it would would be unlike any war the world had ever seen. It was in this occasion, now that he at last had an army under his command and had fully embraced his divinity that hid divine providence of strategy shown the brightest. He worked out a campaign plan that would put any mortal general to shame. It laid out the path of the conquest of the unaligned tribes, with the goal of not merely beating them, but converting them as the Grey Peaks had been converted. It seemed unlikely he would be able to make them all Litorians, but what Leodin could do was instill into them the mindset and fervency of worship the Litorians now possessed. He had studied the mind-set of the tribes, and he knew that they respected strength. The best way to win their respect and ultimately their adulation was to demonstrate prowess on the battlefield. It was too his end that he formed his strategies with goals in order of priority: first, minimize friendly casualties, if possible prevent any from occurring at all; second, minimize enemy casualties, the goal was to convert the tribes and to win a victory over a tribe that was at once crushing and as bloodless as possible was the surest means to do that; third, win in as complete and spectacular a fashion as possible while maintaining the other priorities, this would impress upon the tribes that beating his army was impossible and make integrating them into the nation he was forming far easier. With these priorities in mind, and the knowledge he had gained from his month studying the various tribes which had culminated in finding the Grey peaks, the strategies flowed naturally. He intended to use all his talent and skill for this campaign, it would be his masterpiece. For if he succeeded he would not only gain the beginnings of a nation, but would begin to form a reputation, and he knew that a reputation for being undefeatable was as potent a weapon as any catapult. If it succeeded, his strategies would play a key role, but Leodin was not so arrogant as to ignore all the advantages that allowed this plan to succeed. He had with him the Litorian host, an army of beings naturally stronger and better equipped for battle than men, and then Exalted on top of that. Without them, his plans would be mere ideas, never seeing reality. Just as much, he was glad to have Adam among his troops, the dwarf god was a combat asset any general would kill for, probably equal to a unit on his own. Leodin planned to use that talent to maximum effect, and to give Adam all the battle he could ever want. More than that, Leodin was glad that Adam's first true experience with war would be a campaign he was in command of, he was once worried that Adam would drown in war, but he seems to have controlled the power rather than being controlled by it. All the same, in secret Leodin wanted to be there when he first experienced war first hand so that his friend would be safe, physically and spiritually. On the day the campaign was to begin, Leodin stood before the Litorian host, Lehoi and Adam at his side. He speaks to them in Ro'arin, his voice loud and deep, "We depart this day to begin the glorious campaign. For many centuries the Sun Plains have been divided into tribes, in this way they are broken apart and left weak. We go to show them the truths I have brought to you. You are strong in body, mind, and spirit! We go to show the world your strength, to show them that a light has arrived to turn back the darkness of weakness and division. When you fight, know that you must be an exemplar of your strength. It is the duty of the strong to lift up the weak, and just as much as words your actions will show the other tribes your strength. Conduct yourself accordingly, for with every action you shape how the people will see the Litorians, so make sure they see your for the strong and honorable people that you truly are." "It is for that reason that you must make sure you are ever in control of yourselves. Even in the heat of battle, you mush show your strength of mind and spirit as well as body. Now, I have no doubt that none of you will give into base temptations, but so that the outsiders will understand and so that if and when they join arms with you they will have no grounds to complain, I will not tolerate any soldier who engages in ravaging or looting defeated settlements. To do so makes you no better than a beast, and an insult to the lion's heart that beats in your chest! Anyone who engages in such crimes will receive the strictest punishment. Now, let us march, so that the Sun Plains and all the world will know that the Litorians are strong and that the Litorians are honorable, so that the banner of the Lion may stretch across the Sun Plains!" Engaging in a campaign of conquest of the tribes of the Sun Plains not aligned with the orcs. Aiming to minimize casualties wherever possible and to win battles in an as over the top way as we can get away with. The goal being to not just beat the other tribes militarily, but to structure the campaign in such a way as to convert them to the worship of Leodin and imbue them the same fervency that the Litorians have. Strategy[+2] - To work out the form of the entire campaign, as well as for each individual battle, the purest application of the domain Leodin has ever had. Strength[+2] - Both to personally contribute in battle thanks to being super-strong, and to help sustain the strength of the Litorians and impress the other tribes. Lion[+2] - To make use of being able to talk to lions, who most people don't suspect as being scouts for enemy armies, also to help directly in battle. Fire[+2] - When I said as flashy as possible I meant it. Leodin will use his mastery of fire to contribute to his effort to win battles in a spectacular fashion that minimizes casualties on both sides. Also, since Adam's out of town for two week and won't be able to post, he's hanging around with Leodin helping out until further notice. I assume he'd contribute War[+2] what with this being a war and all, but I'll leave that up to HiKaizer.
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Jul 24, 2013 03:28
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