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Recruitment Thread: Making a Post: You can help me make posts quickly by making the information I need easy to read and access, because sometimes I have opened 3 copies of the game thread and one of the recruitment thread as well as the editing window. Here are the things I need and how, if everyone lays them out the same, posting will be a bit quicker and easier for me! pre:Name: (Current Location) Narrative details Summary of mechanical action; D: (Divine Trait name)+2 M: Mortal Traits +? If everyone can do this for me it will help a lot! I do read all of your narrative details, but if I can quickly see the information I've said it'll make my posting more efficient which is important with this many players! More than Mortals: Actions: Mortal scope actions will be handled by the rules set out in PDQ. You can go and read them if you like, but in essence a +2 quality auto-succeeds on DC 7 checks, a +4 quality auto-succeeds on DC 9 checks and so on. If you don't auto-succeed you roll for it (which is handled by me behind the scenes) and any time you do something where you can't apply a quality you treat it as having a quality of 0. Divine Actions are a little different. In the first stage of the game, Divine Actions are often Mortal Actions but with more power. If you you can perform that action at DC 9 or less and apply your Divine trait to it then you will auto-succeed, otherwise the guidelines for the Mortal skills will be flexibly applied to the actions a mortal with minor god powers will make. This section will be appropriately updated when the game up-shifts to the full Demigod phase. Magic: Here's some DC suggestions for doing stuff with magic at this point to help players out. It's not intended to be a comprehensive list and some situations may make things easier or harder, such as using sympathetic connections. But hopefully it should give you a general idea of where your action fits in. If in doubt, either ask me or try it anyway! Note: As a mortal magician (i.e using a Mortal trait of magic) these actions will be upscaled by +2 or +4. Automatic Successes: (DC 5 and 7) Moving objects like tables and chairs with magic, keeping food unspoiled, minor cosmetic changes, healing cuts or simple fractures, starting fires in a flammable place. DC 9: Creating a wall of ice enough to block off a road, creating clothing or food from nothing, healing simple diseases or mending complex fractures, asking a single question of a spirit, seeing a place in the same duchy/region for a moment. DC 11: Teleport across a town, move an object the size of a shack, heal infected wounds, cause a tree to explode, shield yourself against a squad of archers or swordsman, demand a single favour from an extraplanar being and bind them to this world until fulfilled. DC 13: Cause a storm over a valley, heal a person on the brink of death, change a living creature into another living creature, summon a minor being from another plane bound to your will indefinitely, teleport across a valley, cause the earth to swallow a squad of men. Belief and how to Acquire it: Belief is the lifeblood of a God. They can live without it, but they are reduced to the scale of being merely somewhat better than humans, or rather as the players start off. With Belief a God grows in power, able to influence things more greatly and from a farther difference. Mechanically this means upgrading existing Divine traits and gaining new ones. There are three common ways a player might gain power, but these are not the only ways. Places of Power: Belief has existed for many years, but it has gotten stronger recently. Old places steeped in myths and legend have accumulated Belief which can be acquired. These are the largest repositories of Belief in the world and such power will always come with a price, although the nature of that price will vary. Greedy Gods should beware though, for such places have often gained a seeming of awareness and taking the power may change you in unexpected ways. The Power of the People: People are the source of all Belief in the world, so harnessing this directly is a wise idea for those that wish for a steady rise in power. People are naturally sometimes difficult to convince, which is important for a God as that person must truly believe you are a Divine being and worship you, if not out of love then out of fear. The power of the Strong: People and creatures that are larger than life can accrue Belief as well. Although they cannot truly use it, sometimes these people are said to have unnatural luck or preternatural skill. In truth it simply the effect of accumulated Belief within them, Belief which a true God can take from them no matter his power. Gods can take Belief from other Gods as well, but the risks in doing so might be much greater. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Nov 24, 2012 |
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Nov 16, 2012 06:32
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Gather around and I'll tell you a story, of when gods walked the ground as mortals among us. Whether this is make-believe, heresy or the truth is up to you to decide, but a tale must be told. Let us begin on the Night of the Starfall, it was the first night 276th year of the 4th Era and no one knew it would be the last year of that Era. Much of the Arandia had managed to rebuild after the Eosite Empire had been forced out and many of the Old Ways had been rekindled. Jalosh and Inctan were the primary patrons of the region, while Eosia remained faithful to the One God Valamnis. Ah, but those are other tales aren't they? Anyway it was a peaceful night until there was a crack that split the heavens. Blue white streaks of fire covered the sky as something broke. One came to rest upon the world in a far forgotten place, but although the flame was never found it lived on. Soon men and women came into strange powers, or grew to great stature or grace. We shall begin with... There were many men who felt the change across the world. The city of Eisos held Alrain Z'haer, Stavos, and Vanthos to begin with, but soon they were joined by another man. In the simple village of Blackwater a man named Edo lived. Edo now, well he was a fisherman and like many of his trade a simple and humble kind of folk. So when he woke up and discovered he could see and heal the ills of others you can bet he was surprised! He healed his cousin and tried to heal his uncle but was found out, because they though he was a wizard. Blackwater didn't take kindly to magic and so they sent him packing and Edo found his way to Eisos. Now Alrain and Stavos, they were both scholars and similar minded men who found themselves possessed of magic whence before they had no a scerrick of any. Alrain had power in words, or the image of words at least at that time and Stavos was an alchemist who ironically gained the power to transmute things! But he was never really any good at gold, something of a personal obsession it was, it always came out wrong. Anyway Stavos found Edo who'd been making friends and healing people for a small fee. The problem was in Eisos they didn't take kindly to that as the Magisters controlled the medical magicks and they were a pretty pound of gold to buy. So they took Edo and marched him off to the Imperial University without so much as a please or by your leave! Stavos ran after the poor fisherman to try and look after him. In the Frozen Wastes there lived two terrible men by the names of Yizgur and Degowin. Degowin wasn't a bad sort at first, but Yizgur was a large man and lusted for the taste of the flesh of men. Sadly for Degowin some hunters tried to take his kill and left him and his family for dead, or so they thought. Turns out the chill of winter itself had crept into Degowin and he now walked through the snow like a child takes a summer stroll. Another had taken his hunt though, and that was a strange creature who lived in a cave alone. Seeking vengeance and his hunt, as well as wishing to silence the creature's song he slew the best and starving as he was feasted on its body greedily. But such flesh does strange things to men and stranger things to god and so it was that Koth watched the frosty Degowin grow, and grow until he looked a might bit like the thing he'd just killed. Koth was a childish kind of fellow who lived with his wolves and liked simple and happy past-times when he could get them. He'd been guarding a surly and greedy merchant, but when he discovered he could go through solid objects he made off with the merchants' gold and ran into Degowin. The fearsome iceman tried to quench the lingering song of the spirit of the Godsheap but he could not do it and left to make himself known to his old kinsman. Koth wandered south to find out more strange happenings. Arandia has been a turbulent place at the best of times. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 02:48 on Jan 23, 2013 |
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Nov 16, 2012 06:32
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Map Arandia: Fulkshire: 5 Harvan: 4 Coltain: 6 Eosia: Eisos: 1 Kiris: 2 Mudhal: 3 Konwey: Hai-Kan: 15 Ohman-Rey: 17 Ruins of Kitan-Atan: 16 Taeless: Harlakake: 10 Koltik'a: 11 Taelos: 9 Ulysesus Islands: Nundus: 8 Val Aman: Val Haysus: 14 Val Setin: 12 Val Lichett: 13 Verdant Isle: Midorin: 7 HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 03:50 on Nov 24, 2012 |
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Nov 16, 2012 06:33
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[Reserved in case someone gets to impatient. Will edit this to include starting points for characters] (Be patient if your character has not yet been covered, I'll have the rest done within an hour or two.) The year is 276E4 as measured by the Eosian Calendar. On the last eve of 275E4, there was a tremendous crack in the night sky and a fantastic shower of blue fire-rain. One fell to the ground far away from any mortal, but although its flame flickered and died out before the end of a full count to 60 its effects would echo through the ages... Arandia: Andra: You were unable to take part in the towns celebrations, due to a terrible cough that kept you in bed for the last week. Although you saw the Starfall through your window you were quick to dismiss it as a fevered dream. Now that you have awoken you feel better. In fact you cannot remember feeling this healthy and energetic in your life. Civar: You travelled to Coltain in time for the festival of the year, which marks the passing of the old year into the new. The blue fire that broke the sky open and streaked across to the horizon was definitely notable, and you paused to think exactly what your mother would have made of that omen. That thought put a sombre tone to the evening and you were glad to partake of the mead that was flowing at the tavern. When you awoke in the morning in the chaotic devastation of the frivolities of the night you feel ill. At first you think it's a hangover, but soon the moral outrage of the chaos around enlightens you to something being amiss. (I'm not exactly sure how to introduce your power, so apologies if this isn't really entirely accurate. I tried to be thematic) Daveron: When you finally awake your household is in a frantic panic. Ilvis has gone missing and they are unsure why. You had the weirdest dream though, where you told Ilvis she was going to run into bandits. The dream Ilvis simply replied, "wouldn't that be my luck?" Ilvis: You had been awake for some time before sun-rise, eager to avoid any chance of interception in your endeavour. By the time the townsfolk were truly roused, Ilvis had made her egress and had travelled some distance down the road. However now her horse was dead, an arrow in its side and a trio of bandits had come to relieve her of her gold. It seemed that some bandits had commendable work ethics even if they were bereft of commendable morals. Not even at the tourney had Ilvis' sword felt so much like a part of her, as though her hands extended into deadly steel instead of merely carrying it. If you could slay the bandits you could take one of their steeds as your own, despite their inferior stock. Julianus: You awake from your sleep, as the rays of the sun strike your room. The transition from slumber into wakefulness is smooth and without pause. You are left to ponder the mystery of your graceful return to consciousness, for you have never experienced anything like this before. When you inspect yourself in your silver mirror your eyes are drawn to yourself, although why you suddenly have such import to yourself is hard to say. It does not feel like vainglory indulgence or the mind-numbing embrace or narcissism. Wilhelm: Those fools last night and their showy lights, where in the blasted wastelands of hell did they get that blue fire? It was like someone had gotten a bunch of fire and thrown it into the sky with a catapult or something. The child from woman at the market who sold your honey came as he usually did, with his silver coin in hand and his basket with its pots. Someone the sweet and bubbling demeanour of the child infuriated you even more and you levelled a glare at the insolent adolescent, wishing it would suffer for the indignity of the evening. There was a ringing buzz in your head which was answered by the angry buzz of a small swarm of bees accompanied the flight of some of your charges who stung the child in the face and hands. The basket was soon abandoned as the tiny courier made haste to escape the stinging torment of the bees. Elysian Sands: Arashan: You awake to an eerie silence. The Walemundi had been subdued by the fire of the heavens last night, caring little for the years as other measured them. It is early enough in the morning, and people have slept later after the distress of the eve preceding, that you alone for many miles are awake. You find the air is still, not a hint of wind or movement of the air. The only movement is your own and the parting of the sand as you walk. In fact you find it almost hard to breathe in the perfect stillness of the world. Mazir: The night before had been truly amazing, when the sky had opened and fire had poured out. Oh how lucky to see such a thing in your lifetime! The thoughts had carried you to sleep, which was now disturbed by the men slinking into the front chamber of your cavern home. Elysia was not a kind place, despite being an oasis in the sands and no-one would tend to your safety save yourself. A lifetime, no matter how short so far that it had been of living in fear of thieves stealing your precious few tomes on magic had made Mazir a light sleeper. Now this single trait might yet allow you to live, with a bit of luck and cunning. Eosia: Alrain Z'Haer: Festivals have held little joy for you, your frail body has had little stamina to enjoy them. Although you took some notice in the strange event of the Starfall you had little chance or energy to do much about it. When you awake, it is to return to the book you had been reading the night before. All seemed as normal until after reading a few pages you noticed that you had unwittingly been tracing some of the words with a lazy finger. This would have been less noteworthy if not for the faint glowing trails left by its passage. Edo Waters: You took little joy in the festival yesterday, for your cousin has been sick ever since he was struck by a nettlefish. He has been feverish for a full threeday now and every morning you go to change his blankets and to place a cool cloth upon his burning forehead. The starfall seemed more of an ill omen than something to celebrate. However when you place the damp cloth on his forehead Kansai opens his eyes slowly. At that same moment you feel a kind of shock in your hands touching him. "Is that you, Edo?" He asks weakly but with a focussed voice clear of slurring. While he had spoken during the last three days, it had always been feverish and incoherent. Fylas: Every morning you must clean the room where you conduct your work. Despite the significance of this morning the chore remains the same and no less urgent. The dead are quick to rot and attract contaminating agents, so a clean and well maintained labs is a necessary evil. When you come to the task of cleaning up the dead rats you had experimented on, your touch causes one to twitch its leg for a moment. Testing again produces the same reaction, which is a curiosity given that the vermin is most assuredly deceased. Stavos: You had permitted yourself a single night of indulgence after the failure you had two days ago. There was some practical aspect to this, as socialising helped maintain various relationships that work into a complex chain of favours and funding. Regardless when you awoke and returned to the lab the sight of the inert lead filled you with a terrible frustration. You point at the chunk of metal, lying in the plate and yell at it; "CHANGE!" Somehow it is still surprising when it turns into a lump of steel. Suraj: You awake during the night to use the bed pan, and your hand illuminates your search for it. At the time your sleep fuddled brain simply thought that it was a pleasant convenience. In the morning you are not sure whether to believe it to be a dream or a delusion. With the rays of the morning sun filtering into your room it is difficult to test for the faint illumination if it was indeed no trick of sleep. Vanthos: The end of the year, the beginning of the new year. The darkness between when the year was not...this was the time you chose to attempt your summoning anew. People would be too busy with their revelry to investigate you and any Mages would be likely to dismiss the anomalies. As you finished the incantation the sky above your house broke, not that you knew of this in your basement and you feel a surge of power. With a kind of grim desperation your manage to stumble your way through the ritual and then the air before you collapses in on itself. For one maddening second you can see into another world of chaos and thoughts made manifest. Then before you is a single eye that floats, suspended by an otherworldly ethereal nature. The apparition blinks its single eye with some curiosity. The Frozen Wilds: DeGowin: This far to the north there is little chance to celebrate in the eve the passing of the year, for the snows and frost are quick to claim those that stray to far from their fires. It is this lesson that brings you some mystery as you awake to find your room covered in rime and your clothes laced with frost. By all accounts you should currently be dead, but unless you have gone to the lands where dead men walk something is quite amiss. Eredeth: You'd managed to talk your way into staying the night, despite managing to accidentally cause one of the horses to shy away as the rider tried to ride it out of the stables at a canter. It was clearly not your fault but the owner had been the chieftain of the village and the event had caused them to dislike you. It had been too late to move on and so here you were in the morning. You thought you managed to awake before everyone else yet as you walk to leave the tavern, you can hear someone say "He's coming, okay, I'll just club him and take everything he's got." Yet you can't see anyone in the room and more importantly you're not even sure you heard that. Which is quite a logical conundrum that you might mull over were it not for a possible imminent mugging. Koth Wolfrider: You awake as you normally do, before the fat merchant from the south who was mad enough to try to trade in these lands did. He always yelled about making sure he got his money from you and demanded that you do every trivial chore for him. Some days you saw it difficult to justify why you should not simply have him killed and fed to the wolves. But then you remember his chest of money and that only he has the key. When you go to collect the feed for the horse from the back of the cart, you are stunned when your hand passes through it for a moment. Yizgur: You're hungry. You haven't eaten for two days and no one has left the villager you have been staying near to because of the end of the year and those blue lights in the sky. A squirrel helped tide you over the previous day but it wasn't enough to sate you. Something will have to be done and soon. (Not sure how to introduce your power yet, as it still relates to fae and demons. So it'll have to wait until it's more relevant) Konwey: Cyriss: You wake up after the morning of the Starfall, to the realisation your clock is not working. It periodically needs to be wound and the absence of its tick and of its chime on the hour is more disturbing to your sleep than loud noises. As you step out of your bed and trump over to the erstwhile device, considering whether to return to sleep after you re-wind the clockwork you think for a moment you hear a faint whispering. When you touch the clock it becomes louder. It's not a voice, so much as a knowledge of what the device needs. Aside from being wound the clock 'wants' to be oiled. Sun Plains: Taeless: Adam Leborn: You are sure you drank far too much. This is hardly the first occasion you've had to think such notions but then again, before this you did not have a beard that threatened to touch the floor. This would have been even more impressive had you not been a good foot and a half closer to the floor now, if not even more than that which is admittedly in its own right a fairly amazing thing. Adam might have given these things more thought if he had not been busy panicking and trying to figure out if he was dreaming or not. Alexios: To say that there was much merry-making last night would be an understatement. Few men can consume as much food and alcohol as those who are old soldiers and know every day may be their last. You are fortunate as the leader of your group to have your own dormitory, certainly the men under your command will be faring with less fortitude. When someone enters your room to bring you your breakfast, they stand still for a moment and blink as if dazed by something. Kovar: Last night you had played a game of Lancers and Cavalry, which had ended in your defeat. Before drowning your sorrow in ale and food and celebrating the passing of the old year you had tried to determine where your planning and strategy had gone awry. Yet when you awake in a flash of insight you realise what it was that you had done that led to this defeat. In fact, as you think about it the entire game opens up in your minds-eye like a book. Lilian Grandpré: The wind was fierce, as the knocking windows of your room awoke you in the morning and some leaves blew in. With some consternation you wake up to go and close and bolt the window, catching two leaves as you walk to it. After a slight pause as your brain catches up to your body you realise that you knew where the leaves would go, as though it was moving your arm. Not because of the leaves, but the wind itself. Octagaon: Unlike many other people this evening you have not slept. Instead you have been waiting for the perfect time to strike your target, a merchant lord who has attracted an enemy in the wrong places. A while after that blue fire streaked through the sky, you began to hear a soft murmuring. It has been quite vexatious for the entire period. The only company you've had all this time is a spider in a corner of the roof. It wasn't poisonous or even of a particular size to take notice. But when you look at the creature accusingly as if it could be responsible for the whispering it seems to look bad and whisper in a thin voice. "Yyyeesss?" Val Aman: Geldolph the Leper: The Starfall had been a nice diversion from the harsh life of the streets. It was hard to begrudge the hardship given that it had been freely accepted but that was little balm to ease your suffering. A couple of drunk revellers wandering around in the early morning found the spot you had taken to rest. A sharp kick brought you awake to the sounds of mean laughter, but when the next blow came there was instead a terrible yelp. As you raised your eyes nervously to watch the man's arm had been broken, as though he had struck an immovable object with great force. Red: This was the first time you'd had a discussion with something you'd thought up. The rabbit was very polite and even wore a fine coat, but kept on insisting he was late for something. Red wasn't really sure where he'd come from, considering he hadn't been around when he woke up but the rabbit was very insistent that he was late for something. He wasn't being very clear about what he was late for however... HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 12:31 on Nov 16, 2012 |
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Nov 16, 2012 06:34
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Feel free to start posting. If anyone has any questions or I've made any mistakes, please discuss this in the Recruitment Thread.
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Nov 16, 2012 12:40
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DeGowin: Much to your surprise, there isn't a trail that looks like the beast had it been dragged. You almost miss the tracks left by the presumed thief though, as they're a third your height. They lead off through the woods towards a nearby hill, although you've never been sure whether it's truly a hill or mountain. Success, something much larger than a human has trekked to and from your home. Stavos Burhonhim: You're not sure exactly what it was that before that caused the change. You repeat the process several times, with increasing frustration until your return to shouting. None of your latter attempts are met with any more success than making the lead somewhat glassy. It seems something is happening, but your understanding of the process is very limited. Failure, you cannot manage a full transmutation, although there are some effects. Ilvis: You've never had to fight for your life before, always before your training and fights have been under strict conditions with little chance for death. As such you unfortunately kill two of the three bandits while trying to survive, but the third you manage to disarm and point your blade at your throat. "I...I yield! Spare me please Ser Knight!" He cries desperately. Success. You beat the bandits substantially. Lilian Grandpré: You can see the wind blow, if you focus a little. Not much to work with, feel free to narrate more and to do some kind of check. Aldrain: The second time you try, while you're focussing on the act you feel a surge of power. The glowing letters are alive, with intent and force and there's a rattling as the bread you had on your plate launches itself into the air and lands in your hand. Success, without specific intent the Sigilry acted on the most appropriate local context. Adam: Any attempt to preserve a sense of normality is destroyed by a young child who spots you and yells out in surprise. "Mommy, Adam became a hairy kid!" After that you soon find yourself surrounded by half the town who are understandably mystified by your change in stature. You can almost bear the indignity until one of the children playfully pulls on your beard, the beard! Nothing to resolve, continue along. Eerdeth: "Willing to sell out your friend eh? Well tell me more and then I'll make up my mind about this." The man replies after your attempts at persuasion, he seems more pliant although you're not entirely convinced he won't just club you at some point anyway. Success, he's definitely willing to listen to your proposal although he is still a thug and a nasty person. Willhelm: The mother of the child is clearly distressed about the many stings on her beloved boy, but she clearly did not believe the child's stories about vicious attack bees. You use some long kept home remedies to ease the child's suffering but like any adolescent, they are vocal about any pain they must endure. Success, you've taken much of the edge of the stings. Koth Wolfrider: You quietly sneak into the merchant's belongings and then focus carefully, seeing if you can quietly duplicate the trick before. You find that not only can you pull out objects held in your hands through the chest, but you can even fiddle around with the lock mechanism. That would make a noise and risk your theft being detected before you're done however, so you patiently relieve the merchant of his meagre wealth. Success, you can pull his gold through the chest. However you can only apply one mortal trait to a divine action, so keep this in mind. I selected the most appropriate one for this time. Andra: You find that your increased vigor matches a hearty appetite, although nothing particularly unusual for someone who moves around heavy armour and a sword for a living. The inn keeper is put in a good mood by the sudden income of gold and rushes to organise food and drink for you. Once you're eating he's eager to keep your eating, so plying information from him is an easy task. "I heard fourday again another caravan got waylaid. They said bandits were responsible, but I don't know of any man who cuts out the tongues and eyes of their victims. Some say there's an evil witch behind it." Success. Civar Kit'an: You go to your bath, which is a cold and brusque affair at this time of the morning. Contemplating the luxuries of heated water and what could be done to make it easy to obtain at any time your return to the taproom. All of the crowd from the night before have woken up and seemed to have straightened themselves up a bit. More interestingly is the strange way people seem to be careful not to make a mess and to keep things orderly. The barkeep is finding a couple of wineskins he'd been missing for a year. Success, people react positively to the aura of order in the place until it fades. Kovar: Success, however this is something that will take you time. You will need to travel around, ending up in northwest Taeless eventually, which is being raided by bandits from Val Aman. I suggest keeping this in the back of your mind, but continuing on with other things as you head in that direction. Cyriss: "Tha....nky...ou" A dry whispering voice says, and Cyriss cannot help but wonder if it was, in fact the clock that spoke. The tick and tock of the timekeeping device make it hard to make out any other words though. Success, keep in mind though at the moment complicated mechanics are uncommon so your ability will have limited scope with complicated machines for the time being. Suraj: You are getting pretty close to your intended mark when to your dismay a young girl gives a startled cry and pulls on her mother's dress. "Mommy, why is there a dirty man here?" It is going to be only a minute before the guard are on your heels now, curse your ill luck. Failure, you're spotted by someone you weren't focussing on to hide from. Daveron: It takes you a bit of investigating and searching around to figure out what's happened. At first you assumed that Ilvis had simply gone into town somewhere, she liked to sneak out to a favourite hiding spot and train. Soon it becomes apparent this wasn't the case. When you return home and find out one of the horses is missing, your search becomes more focussed and you check with the gate guards. They report that the tournament champion went for a ride earlier in the morning. It seems Ilvis has flown the coop, so to speak. Success, you find she left about two and a half hours earlier. Julianus: It will take you about a tenday to ride to Harvan if you go directly and don't dally in any villages or towns along the way. You can go there directly if you like, or if you stay somewhere you might find something or someone. Fylas: You discover that touching the rat causes it to twitch limbs, not even the same ones; sometimes one of the eyes moved around as well. Eventually as your contact with the rodent increases as you probe it you reach a sort of critical point and feel something drain out of you. Then the rat comes alive and begins squeaking at you angrily, or at least you think it's angrily. What is even more surprising is when the rat begins to trace out letters in the preserving fluid nearby. "A rat? The best you can find is a RAT?" Success, you've transferred a soul into the rat, although whose you are not sure of yet. Mazir: What the intruders assumed would be an easy mark proves to be incorrect, as Mazir suddenly awakens and rapidly casts an enchantment that entangles their feet in shadowy tendrils. One of the thugs however manages to avoid the binding and charges at you, only to be launched backwards by a bolt of arcane energy. A sickening crack and the limp slump as he hits the ground tells you he is dead. However the strange ethereal miasma that rises from him and hovers there is an entirely new phenomena for Mazir, who had seen death (and once by his hand no less) before. Success, you see a soul floating before you, although you may not realise what it is yet. Ocatagon: The spider does not really seem to react much aside from moving around its web slightly, however that small whispering voice comes again. "Both...neither...what is the difference? Perhaps" Vanthos: The creature seems entirely unimpressed by your antics and blinks again in a sort of bored way. My name is - and then suddenly your mind is assaulted by eldritch sounds and words, and you are not sure you could ever pronounce its name. But, you do know it now. What goat do you speak of? You are clearly new at this. The eyeball seems to not be taking you entirely seriously. Success, but you're new to summoning so you'll need to work out the process. Arashan: As you walk around a you notice a small wind kick up behind you, from your cloak which seem to billow more than usual. You can move on to the oasis if you like. Edo Waters: Tan jumps a little, which she would likely attribute to just surprise but Edo realises is from his touch. However to his disappointment there's very little change in the wrongness inside of her, it looks a little smaller though and Tan looks a bit better. "You didn't miss much else than Alekedo starting to tell more and more impossible fishing stories as he drank more and more. The other men loved it, we women did our own thing. How is Kansai doing?" She asks pleasantly. Failure, cancer is pretty hard to heal and mostly you just made Tan feel a bit better. Alexios: "Yes sir." Pavo says with more enthusiasm than usual and attends to his assigned task with notable attentiveness. Maybe Pavo's feeling particularly helpful, but he seems particularly...well he's looking at you a lot and beginning to be a little more like a puppy following its owner than normal. That's better than the men nursing sore heads though. The merchant quarter housed the real power of the city. There were a few other members of the council but they lacked the influence and more importantly, the wealth of those that lived in this place. They even had their own guild hall, which was nominally not the council chambers but often operated as such. Creative license is fine, especially when it's appropriate for what's already been established.
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Nov 19, 2012 02:28
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Making a Post: You can help me make posts quickly by making the information I need easy to read and access, because sometimes I have opened 3 copies of the game thread and one of the recruitment thread as well as the editing window. Here are the things I need and how, if everyone lays them out the same, posting will be a bit quicker and easier for me! pre:Name: (Current Location) Narrative details Summary of mechanical action; D: (Divine Trait name)+2 M: Mortal Traits +? Alexios (Taeless) The councillor stood up angrily and looked Alexios, well not quite in the eye. But fairly close to it. "You are welcome to the contract, as long as you actually obey it. I won't have any more talk about invading and spilling the blood of our nation in pointless wars! If you want to do that go to Arandia, those savages love to kill civilians and destroy towns." The councillor sat back down, sweating a little bit and looked at you defiantly. There are a few sounds of people quickly moving away from the door, as if there had been people listening on the conversation with keen interest. Partial Success, you convinced him that you are skilled enough to. Other people may be interested however... Andra: (Arandia, Coltain) It starts off as a single voice, just one merchant convinced to finally stand up for himself. But one voice was joined by others, who had suffered and wished to feel like they could defend themselves. It was easy once you had the merchants on board, because suddenly gold was flowing and the lure of gold speaks as strongly as the eloquent word. You find yourself surrounded by a multitude of people willing to strike out against this witch and consider that this is more like a militia than an adventuring group. Success, you find yourself mistress of a ragtag militia. Civar: (Arandia, Coltain) What began as a quiet day suddenly becomes eventful as a veritable storm of activity sweeps through the town. You manage to find out from people a lady, named Andra, is organising a group to go hunt down a witch who has been making life difficult for travelling merchants lately. You find your trinkets being bought out very quickly, and other people in the grounds around you that sell weapons and armours find themselves also benefiting from this storm of business. Success, however your charms are only strong enough to ward off simple misfortunes such as spilling milk or tripping over things. They won't help those going into battle yet. Vanthos: (Basement in Eisos) No you ignorant cretin, you entire technique is wrong. You are making up things and trying to bind me with imaginary creatures. This is pathetic. Get your act together for next time, or something with a mouth will eat you. The eyeball disappears in a flash of light leaving only a strange scent in the room which makes you light headed. Failure, you lose control of the summoning and the creature leaves. Kovar: (Rural Taeless, north-west region) As you head into the town you hear the guards talking about how the sky burned again last night. The first one claims its just a fire mountain, but the second one says there is no fire mountain in the region that has been active since the Second Age. The first one responds that there was also that terrible wailing in the night, from somewhere far off. Everyone in the village did look tired, but you don't remember hearing any wailing. At this point though if you ride off further you won't hear any more though. You have a bone, do something with it or make up your own! Ilvis: (Roadside in northernmost Arandia) The man remains fairly silent and reticent once you make him dig a burial for his comrades. When pressed he gives some vague directions and you get a feeling he's probably telling a lie. You do however learn that there are probably somewhere between 5-8 other bandits and that the leader is a really big pig of a man who works them all hard. He does look kind of scrawny. You don't need to roll to dig holes and bury people, seriously. Your trait didn't seem applicable to discussion unless you started beating him so you ended up with a failure, which is why you haven't really gotten anything useful. Geldolph: (Alleyway in Val Setin) You didn't even touch him before something surges through you hand. It's like another force, as if you had a hand beyond your hand. Your 'other' hand reaches in and moves the bone and flesh around until it matches the other leg. The man yelps in pain as his fracture corrects itself and gives you one panicked stare before fleeing. His companion is confused by the whole affair and after debating whether to do something or not, chases after his fellow thug. Success, you correct the fracture that you caused. The man's leg is fully functional and normal again. Degowin: (Godsheap, wilds of the Frozen Wilds) Degowin caught several glimpses of the creature as he tracked after the footprints. It was large, about three times the size of an average man and it had a great shaggy mane that was hard to tell from its head. It slung the great beast you had hunted over its back like a man might put a rabbit across his shoulder. As you approached the mountains you wait, noticing it go into a cave. The creature whatever it is seems little to care about the surroundings, so Degowin is able to track it right up to its cave. As you wait for a moment, you hear a strange kind of low rumbling. After the initial confusion you realise it seems to be humming some kind of tune...a common lullaby of a village from the north. Success, you can sneak into the cave to get a closer look safely if you wish. Lillian: (Rooftops somewhere in Taeless) Leading into the wind and letting you clothes catch the breeze help you jump up onto your roof and then onto another. As you reach the third roof you realise you're influencing the flow and strength of the wind as well. Your euphoria at this discovery is cut off by the shout of a housewife, telling you to get off of her roof before you damage it. Success, you would be able to do more with the right clothing. Edo Waters: (A bay off of Blackwater village near Mudhal (sorry, slight map alteration)) You try and wait for a time where you uncle is engrossed in something, so that you can touch him and heal him without noticing. When he snags a particularly strong fish you reach over to help him, touching him on the leg as you do so. You manage to heal him and you and your uncle successfully catch the fish. However you realise something is wrong when he doesn't get ready to try again, instead looking at you seriously with difficult to read expression on his face. "Edo Waters, I have known you since you were an infant and I know you have not learned magic. What did you just do?" Partial Success, you heal him successfully but he notices it. Fylas: (Laboratory in Eisos) You find during the day that your assistant, the only person in the world that knew of your secrets has died. Her eyes however have gone a strange milky white and his skin is slightly waxy. She has only been dead at most a full day and you had gone to check on her after she did not come in to bring you some odds and ends you had her go and purchase. The next morning when you return to the lab the rat is looking incredibly bored and there are tree notes in the book. You actually tied me down you arsehole? It seems the dead can't sleep. Fylas I am incredibly bored. I hope that delivery I bought you rots. Additionally your notes all have two main things in common. You need a soul and you need a vessel. A soul can be put into a vessel to give it the semblance of life. All Necromancers who had successfully done this noted capturing a soul was difficult, requiring complex magic to be cast right as a person died and that they found that human-like forms were easiest to put them into. Additionally they noted that souls decayed over time. The rest of the details vary wildly and are probably guesswork and superstition more than actual magic or deduction. Success. Additionally I had to try and work with what I remembered of your backstory before you edited your post. Adam: (Mining town in North West Taeless) The people seem to stop listening to you after a bit and you have to keep fending the children off of your beard. It's infuriating, the humans (wait you're human as well, why did you think that?) keep on just looming over you and ignoring you. It makes you so frustrated and you find any attempt to leave the crowd will probably involve shoving people. Failure, the crowd is too excited by the strange occurrence to really listen to you, and the children are having too much fun. It is a thoroughly un-Dwarflike situation. Cyriss: (Workshop in Taelos) You consider the complexity of the human leg. It has two major pivot points if you do not consider the foot. Making a brace for the leg itself would be much easier than trying to handle balancing. With this in mind you work away the day, fashioned mostly from bronze but with some iron bars to reinforce it. There are some gears to help the pivot of the knee, but actually doing anything with the waist become difficult. You do manage to make the brace satisfactorily though. It's awkward to wear yourself when you test it, but it would likely be very helpful to someone with a weak or injured leg. "What is the sky like? I want to see the sky." Success, you manage to make the leg brace. It can be adjusted to fit different legs within reason. But as an aid it's a little inconvenient for a normal human. Koth: (A forest in the Frozen Wilds) You spend some time just playing around in the forest. It's great to finally get away from that nagging merchant and he got what was coming to him no doubt. You ride the wolf and lean over and stick your hand through trees and low-lying limbs as you ride by. Eventually you try to get your wolf to ride through a tree as you phase through it. This works in that your wolf tries to avoid running into a tree and tumbles through it as you phase. The creature seems thoroughly disturbed by the experience and runs off leaving you alone. As you stand up and collect yourself you see the Godsheap in the distance and notice something large and hairy climbing up it to a cave. Success, you run around and have fun with phasing. You also learn animals don'[t like it. Stavos: (In front of Aldrain's home) You find that the university is mostly closed due to the festival, but there are enough staff on campus to let you know that Aldrain is resting at his home. By late morning you find yourself in front of his house and knock, waiting for an answer. Aldrain: (His room in Eisos) You scribe the words in the air and although the incandescent letters only last for a brief moment, the bread leaps up and into your hand as if moved again by an invisible hand. The bread itself tingles for a moment before settling down. Success. At that point there is a knock on your front door. Octagon: (A room in Taelos) You were doing pretty well until a voice in a corner says in a different, but still similar dry and quiet voice, "Well that's a different tact." The momentary lapse in concentration allows the man to move enough get his mouth free. "GUARDS!" He yells. Suddenly you need to leave, grateful you wore a mask to cover your identity. Failure, you'll need to get out of there quickly. Your employer is going to be unsatisfied. Julianus: (Village in central Arandia) "There is a witch causing a great deal of trouble down near Coltain I hear. But she doesn't affect us much here. We haven't had much troubles, although often merchants have troubles with bandits closer to Harvan. Our Duke would never let such miscreants wander freely in our lands. But admittedly the traders having troubles is inconvenient for us some times." The inn keeper replies to you. You don't notice anything unusual about him and he seems to be honest, if arrogant or prideful. But that's a common trait in Arandia. With that in mind you set out onward to Harvan. The road is quiet and the rest of the morning is peaceful. The village was quieter so it was easier to deal with all of the noises and goings on. Success, but the man is truthful. Wilhelm, master of the Toupee Bees: (Miniburg, Northeast Arandia) There is quiet a stunned silence in the market as after a moment bees from all areas of the market fly in and begin to settle onto the old man's head, until he is endowed with a flowing yellow and black toupee of bees. The other bonus is the pattering of the bees acts as a gentle massage, helping Wilhelm's mood a little. Success! And how. Eerdeth Romul: (On the road to Eisos in the Frozen Wilds) This is not good, they are going on you and quickly. You won't have a lot of choice but to run into the forest soon and there could be wolves or bears in there. You know you won't manage to outrun the mob sadly. Or you'll need to think of something else and quickly. Failure, you can't outrun them. You need a plan B. Yizgur: (Near a town in the Frozen Wilds) The truth was that you had not actually revived the child, not with magic anyway. Had the witless villagers had a proper midwife the situation would have been much simpler, although the current outcome suited your needs...until the villagers were ungrateful. Maybe they knew, maybe they didn't. Something in you rouses as you walk to the village, as night falls. You begin to wait for a time before the ground begins to shake a little. Slowly, consistently and more importantly rhythmically. As you turn to look a great creature, clad in shaggy fur and with two grout horns protruding straight from its forehead in a manner unnatural for any creature is slowly walking around. Its passing is also trampling the fields of the village, destroying many of the seeds lying waiting for spring to thaw the ground. Mazir: (His room, Elysia) Your magic cannot actually bring the soul of the dead man into view of the living, but you can replicate the effect with an illusion. As you draw in the soul of the man to you, you can feel the panic of the soul. Then it comes into contact with you and suddenly a rush of instinct and magic overcomes you. Opening the mouth seemed natural and the soul is sucked into there before being devoured and going...somewhere. You bend over for a moment, an intense pain in your stomach before it disappears just as suddenly and you stand up again. You feel...different somehow. The two men gasp and go even more wide-eyed, if such a thing was possible. You glance at your mirror for a moment and blink in surprise. Your skin has gone pale and your eyes are a softly luminous green. Success. Additionally you gain a Quirk, Unnerving Visage. It's a narrative detail for your character that could become something more if you cultivate it. Think of it as a +0 Trait for now. Daveron: (Offroad in Arandia, near the Eosian border) The guards salute and accept your command, despite you lacking any direct authority over them save being nobility. With that assured you travel down the road, finding some tracks that head into the forest at this point. Dismounting and leading your horse into the woods, you wander around only to eventually stumble across a bandit camp. The guards shout in alarm and one of them hastily picks up a bow and shoots. Dodging the arrow is easy but you think leaving might be wise, fighting multiple bandits and at least one with bows may be an unwise choice. You imagine that it would be bad luck for them, and good luck for you, if their bow string was to snap. Suddenly the man yelps and you hear a twine-like snap as the bow string does in fact snap. Success, the guards will keep an eye out for Ilvis and send out a patrol along the road. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Nov 25, 2012 |
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Nov 24, 2012 05:54
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Andra (Arandia, Coltain) The coin does a lot to loose tongues in Coltain. Given the city's proclivity for trade it comes as little surprise to Andra that the power of money is great here. "I heard that the Witch uses the skull of a long lost lover on her stick!" One kid, a little girl with brown hair and a ruddy face from hanging around fields a bit says. "Oh, she also wears the skin of the people she killed as a cloak!" A second girl says, this one with blonde hair and slightly vacant eyes chimes in. "Don't be stupid Galariel, she has a skull but no one makes a cloak out of skin. That's just dumb." A bigger kid says with a somewhat sooty face says. He looks like the ringleader of the kids by authority of age and size. "Papa says she lives deep in the forest nearby, because few people go out that way. Leaves a bunch of skulls on sticks to warn trespassers away." Meanwhile the merchant, who was called Florin, had organised the adults all milling around into three groups, each one lead by a mercenary and a merchant. The mercenary was there to give orders in combat (should there be any), but the merchant was there to make sure they acted in their interests. There were only four other mercenaries in your rag-tag militia. One of the merchants from the fair grounds approaches you, a man you think was called...Civar? He introduces himself Success, you manage to organise the group a little, although they're still not trained soldiers and find out some information. Andra and Civar are now together. Civar (Arandia, Coltain) You use some quartz, as you are too poor to afford a proper crystal. Unfortunately you realise why diviners use clear objects, as the image is hard to make out. You can make out a few important landmarks, but you'll be relying on some local hands as much as Andra to find your way. Failure, you are unable to properly scry the location. Also you marked your negative trait as a positive, as an FYI. Ilvis (Arandia, Forest south of Harvan) (You've been rearranged slightly due to figuring out where you wanted to go with the map) "Fine whatever, losing my hand is a mercy compared to what Baldos will do to me when he finds out I crossed him. I'll lead you there if you think you can kill them." He doesn't seem like he's about to do a runner, but he seems somewhat hopeful about something. Regardless the threat of violence ensure he is complicit in following your instructions and he leads you along a set of not obvious forest paths. As you walk you hear a horse further away whinny. You reach a certain point and there's a shout and the twang of a bow string snapping. The bandit's eyes go wide and he ducks behind a nearby tree, but doesn't appear to be running further yet. Mostly success, the guy directs you a bit into the forest, which leads you towards Daveron. Degowin (Frozen Wilds, Godsheap) The creature is taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of the human in its lair. It stops singing its bizarre song for a moment, as Degowin stands before it. The giant resembles a human from the front in a vulgar way, with tough leathery skin and a face that was as much a bear or pig as it was a human. It blinks once before Degowin merciless impales it and begins to gut it further. For such a large creature in fact it is surprisingly inept at actually defending itself. The only thing it really has to its advantage in this fight is a thoroughly inhuman toughness and resilience, partly due to its thick leathery skin. At the end though the creature lies on its back, its eyes still and blood trickling down the side of its belly from the many stab wounds Degowin's frost-headed spear inflicted. It was a surprisingly deadly weapon. The blood seems to hiss slightly as it hits the ground and Degowin can feel...some kind of increase in the air. Not air pressure as such, but it seems thick with something. The agent filling the air seems to come from the wounds of the creature itself, as if its death is letting out some kind of accumulated substance. As Degowin is left to contemplate what he is going to do with the large carcass, and the carcass of his own kill, he can hear faintly the echoing song the creature had been singing. Success, you kill the creature mercilessly you heartless monster. What do you do with it? Edo (Eosia, Mudhal) The Emperor's Road leads from Mudhal, so that is where you first travel to. The road between Blackwater and Mudhal is not too well kept, but there is little of value in the village save for fish and pearls and banditry is kept low by the army. Your trip is rather uneventful and you find yourself at the gates of the city. The guards look at you and shrug, letting you past. Apparently simple fisher folk like yourself aren't considered to be trouble makers. You realise that travelling the Emperor's road will be hard, but there are many barges that travel up and down the river Elos. Your skill as a fisherman makes you a safe passenger, but they are expensive and so you will need to work (and hard) for your passage. Success, you can work your way on a barge to Eisos instead if you rather. Daveron (Arandia, Forest south of Harvan) (You've been moved to match Ilvis) Daveron begins to find the whole charade rather amusing, everything seems to go wrong for the bandits. In fact, weirdly enough he either seems to know somehow what's going to go wrong before it does, or imagines it going wrong and it seems to happen. After a number of times the coincidence becomes rather hard to ignore, leaving the only impediment to your realisation of this to be your inebriation. Finally the only bandit left is their leader. He is a tall and large man, clearly fond of food and drink. His girth however belies a brute strength that the others, who lacked the plenty of food this man enjoyed lacked. The weapon of choice for the leader was a large zweihander, which was chipped and nicked which would lead Daveron to the assumption (if coherent enough thought was possible) that it was used to bludgeon and tear apart more than cut. Success, you've only got the boss left. Additionally unbeknownst to you Ilvis is nearby. Vanthos (Eisos, Underground Lab) Your research is now enriched with a new context, however it is this context that begins to shatter some illusions that had already been weakened by the eye. Your father, you are forced to admit, was a hack. He clearly never summoned anything in his life. The only creatures you discover that all have some kind of consistent framework and literature are small devils from one of the hells. Imps of some nature that can perform minor favours for those strong enough of will to bind them. There are three instances where the imp has done favours for someone of seemingly lesser will, by demanding a price for the action. It seems that complex sigils are commonly used to try and bind the creature, but the only essential part is the force of will to break through the barrier between Daesin and the Hells. Success, you find the secrets to the only summonings that have actually worked. Adam (Taeless, a mine in Northwest Taeless) Adam gathers his calm for one moment and then puts one shoulder to the front. The humans learn rather quickly that he had not lost any mass, despite his diminished stature. If anything else, Adam was probably even heavier than before. It takes only a few minutes to force your way out of the crowd before you can move towards the mines. Everyone is sort of stunned by this and you make enough distance for them to decide to just keep talking amongst themselves. As Adam comes before the entrance of the mine though he feels an odd sensation, almost like an unheard siren song luring him inside. The thought of a stout stone ceiling, even of unshaped rock seemed much more comforting than the unnerving expanse of blue sky. He had never really considered how terrifying all that open space really could be. Success, you make it to Mazir (Elysisan Sands, Elysia) "M...master." The first one stammers, clearly trying to ingratiate himself to avoid the fate of his ill-fated comrade. "We are very good at...sneaking into places without being noticed. Maybe we could find you...more...uh...people to eat?" "Better them than us, right?" The second one replies with a nervous laugh. Both glance in abject terror at the now dessicated corpse of their comrade. A strange by-product of the feeding process perhaps? As you consider this suggestion, you recall that it was a very euphoric experience and that you might not mind doing that again. But can you wait long enough to not consume these two men as well? Success, the men will act as kidnappers for you if you wish. Kovar (Taeless, Town in the North West) The fight was fairly one-sided. Or rather, completely one sided. The bully of a guard found he could not manage to really do much to Kovar, who was able to predict his every move. Eventually after a number of bruises and becoming thoroughly winded he concedes. "Alright...stranger...I yield." He pants and his companion looks disgusted. "Algard you fat pig now I'm stuck with your debt as well. And you both know we can little afford to match the worth of that trinket." He said making a sour face and considering the situation. Success, although not nearly as effective at predicting the moves of a fighter as an army, your strategy seems insightful enough to help with a simple brute. You realise a skilled fighter would be beyond your ability to follow though, you'd be relying on your sword-arm alone. Wilhelm (Arandia, Minburg) Bee thoughts are not very complex or sophisticated. However you do feel lots of tiny little tugs to different places, each tug having a distinct flavour. One is 'honey' the other one is 'flower' Success, but bees are stupid so you will need to be extremely simple and specific when communicating with them. Octagon (Taeless, Rooftops of Taelos) The main trait that keep you alive in your profession, was an ability to think on your feet and to adapt. You leap from the window to the accompaniment of a dry amused voice; "Goodbye" The guards of the man are good enough to chase through their house, and well paid enough to chase a man through the streets. But they were neither skilled or well enough paid to chase you across the roofs. You find yourself thoroughly beyond their reach, but your target will be on guard, and thus harder to kill now. Success, you manage to evade your pursuers. Alexios (Taeless, Inn in Taelos) You end up waiting for some time, in fact most other people in the inn are drunk and heading home by the time one particular man stumbles over to you. Although he acts drunk, his breath is clean of the rank odour of ale that the other men in this place share. "So, I hear you're interested in finally making a proper stand. No more of these silly play wars. Is this true? Or is someone making up lies to make me look like a fool?" The man is a veteran soldier, lean and muscled with many scars and missing an eye. He wears clothes that are plain, but holds himself with an air of a man used to leading men. His one good eye meets Alexios' dead in the face unwaveringly. Fylass (Eosia, Laboratory in Eisos) You try for some time to extract the soul, without a great deal of success. Eventually you find your mind wandering and it is in that second of empty-thoughts that you feel a subconscious pull as you literally pull out the soul of the rat into you. It clings to your hands, like a misty ichor, ethereal but yet entirely visible to you. As you hold the soul, the very essence of being of the rat in your hands you realise that you somehow had Sara's soul in hour hands yesterday morning. Perhaps as she died she had instinctively reached out to you and you held her down to this world. The rat's soul was somewhat distressed about its predicament however. You place it into a vial which...has a somewhat unexpected consequence. The soul is literally placed in the vial, metaphysically and literally. It gains a kind of strange aura around it and you can feel the rat's distress at being unable to move, see, hear or sense anything. Success, however a soul must be placed into something when you do not handle it. Erdeth (Frozen Wilds, Road to Eisos) The crowd looks puzzled for a moment and huddle together, whispering to each other. Although you can't hear what they're saying they unconsciously audiate the words in their minds. "Is he a god?" "Does he sound like a god?" "He sounds like a madman. "Madman never have anything good." "Just humour him and get him to leave before he spooks a cow or something with his antics." They seem to make a decision that you're actually just stark raving mad and someone reading their thoughts, maybe some kind of mad witch. "Oh yes great god, we are sorry for failing your test. Please forgive us our trespass and leave us to our sins!" They say in a loud and exaggerated manner, and it is made clear that they want you to leave as soon as you can. You sense that if you do this, you will at least not be followed or harmed. Success, you manage to find a way to extricate yourself Aldrain and Stavos (Eosia, Eisos, Aldrain's home) Aldrain writes a symbol in the air, the proto-rune for change. As he does so Stavos tries to exert his will without realising. The end result of this is that the symbol that Aldrain wrote changes and suddenly the lead transmutes itself into gold. The now gold nugget lies before them, indisputable proof of what they have just done. Success, Aldrain managed to transmute the lead into gold, Stavos's aid has shown him a more precise rune for this as well. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 00:15 on Nov 28, 2012 |
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Nov 27, 2012 07:27
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Andra and Civar (Arandia, Woods near Coltain) The first night was not too bad, but it becomes quickly apparently that Civar can't manage to feed everyone from the pickings from the roadside. Fortunately people contribute a little bit and the meal becomes enough for everyone. There are comments on its 'unique' flavours, but these don't seem to be actual criticisms. Success on Civar's action, upscaled to account for the large group. However when you finally reach the skulls on the fourth day something happens. Civar and Andra feel a fogginess in their mind, as though something was clouding their thoughts. Suddenly from around them there are terrified shouts and screams. It's hard to make out the exact words from the frightened militiamen, but it seems they are seeing terrible monsters and ghouls. Most of the force flees, leaving only the mercenaries and Andra and Civar there to face the witch's hut itself. It sits off in the distance, seemingly unobtrusive and innocuous save for its grisly approach. Daveron and Ilvis (Arandia, Woods south of Harvan) Daveron sees Ilvis (in armour however) charge in at the bandit, her blade suddenly glowing with an opalescent aura. The bandit is entirely caught by surprise and fights back with surprising ferocity until finally Daveron feels himself influence him and there comes a great flash from Ilvis' blade. Blinded by the sudden light the bandit staggers backwards and falls into one of their traps. He stops moving although after a moment of cursory investigation it appears that he has merely been concussed and not killed, as his massive chest steadily rises and falls. Success on both actions, Ilvis did well and contributed to Daveron changing his failure into a success. Adam (Mines in North West Taeless) It actually takes you a moment to realise that you are wandering around with your lantern. You can see in the dark, this is incredible! This makes it quite easy to avoid other miners as you can see the light from their lanterns approaching with relative ease. The other thing you notice is that you have an almost literal nose for ores and gems. It is difficult to accurately describe this but the closest you can think of is an almost intuitive knowledge of where ores are likely to be. You manage to mine more in this one day than you sometimes have in a sevenday, or even two sevendays when they were slow! Success, you mine an incredible amount and also discover some of your abilities. Degowin and Koth (Frozen Wilds, Godsheap) Koth began moving quietly and swiftly towards the place the creature had entered. But it seemed someone else was also going there and went in first. As Koth approached he heard the sounds of battle, and the death cry of what was probably the great creature. As he got even closer to the entrance he was surprised by the shrieking of what might by the man, a loud and maddening screaming that grows hoarse. As you approach the entrance you notice the man completely engrossed...eating the corpse of the creature. As he does so he visibly begins to grow largely and his inhumanly pale skin begins to go a chilling blue. Degowin has been so engrossed in his feeding frenzy he had yet to notice the song faintly returning, or the stranger looking at him hidden at the entrance. Additionally he also begins to grow a strange half frozen mane from his back, as well as his teeth becoming a bit sharper and better suited to ripping apart flesh. Koth is left to consider if he really wants to remain here for any longer. Degowin gains the trait Divine: Sound Control +2, as well as the Quirk: Inhuman, to represent his changes from consuming the corpse of the creature. Lilian (Taeless, Taelos) At the last minute you close your eyes and create a gust of wind that creates a kind of cushion, that softens the impact of your fall. The guard is ruffled and surprised, but regains his composure after a moment. "What were you doing up on the roof citizen?" The guard asks suspiciously, and somewhat aggressively as well. While running around on the roofs is not really a normal activity and probably not much liked it isn't a crime. Is there some other reason that the guard is so aggressive about it? Maybe he thinks you're a Mage or something with your wind trick, although Lilian is sure it is not actually magic. Success, you cushion your fall Mazir (Elysian Sands, His room in Elysia) Hatun and Zel had decent foundations for what Mazir was teaching them at least. This made it much quicker and they were surprising quick students although a great deal of this may have had to do with their eagerness to not be horribly killed like their companion. After the training is done you wait a day after which they return three times, twice with travellers from clans which had arrived and once with a lady from a house some distance away. After several hours of waiting it seems that they had not been noticed. Success, you have two kidnappers who are capable of kidnapping civilians who are vulnerable. Arashan (Elysian Sands, Elysia) The journey to Elysia is slow and arduous, but it is always so and your people have learned to be careful in the sands. After many days you arrive to discover the Pools in an uproar, there are several people that have been missing now and no one has an explanation as for why. The tribes are starting to feel that other tribes are betraying them and the situation is turning ugly. Success, you find out something is making the tribes concerned and things are getting very tense. This relates to Mazir's actions, although as of yet no-one knows this. Kovar (Taeless, North West) The first one, Algard looks fairly discontent with the first situation. "Gold is nice, but I don't want to be come across the captain if he finds out I've run out on duty..." He says nervously, displaying at least a sense of duty as far as protecting his own interests. The second one responds with a wide smile on his face. "Ah, but he will be glad that we've taken initiative to solve the matter won't he? We'll travel with you stranger, I dislike immensely leaving debts unpaid. You may call me Jusep, friend." Success, the men are willing to travel with you. Edo (Eosia, Mudhal) Edo finds himself unfortunately surprised to learn that there are not really wise men in Mudhal. There are rich men and poor men and plenty of both, but wisdom does not seem to be something that is in abundance. In fact his first attempts at asking some elderly men about his powers ends up with derisive laughter, forcing Edo to go somewhere else. Fortunately his charm helps prevent the raucous laughter from turning nasty but it is still and unpleasant thing to discover. By the time he leaves he is grateful to be gone from such a place and likely to begin to feel homesick. However a few people were grateful enough that he healed them to give him a few coins, but they rarely had much to give and Edo being an honest and good natured man often declined. As such he found himself heading to the capital Eisos with little more coin to his name than he began with. The trip itself was quick though, surprisingly faster than by road and perhaps easier. The days were hot and sticky and the nights less hot and just as sticky. The climate as they travelled inland was greatly different to Black Waters. In just three days Edo found himself at the docks in Eisos, with little to go by expect a somewhat snide comment that if he truly was magic, then he should go to the University as that was were such people congregated. Success, although Mudhal is a terrible place for an honest man. You get by, but are unable to make little extra money in the day you spend there. Octagon (Taeless, Tealos rooftops) You return to your room and look around carefully. You haven't been followed as far as you can tell, so seeing that it is safe you carefully unlatch your hidden compartment behind a drape and then retrieve your tools of assassination. "Back so soon?" The first dry voice asks in a dull manner. Red (Val Aman, near Val Haysus) "I am Mr. White of course." The Rabbit says straightening his back as you ask him his name. Suddenly a girl in a blue dress crawls out from under a nearby tree. "Have you seen my dog? We got lost after a storm and he ate some funny cake, now he's too small and I can't see him at all." She asks looking like she might be about to cry. The rabbit seems like he wants to run off somewhere, but he is too much of a gentleman to leave a lass in distress. The frustration on his face is really quite plain. "Okay, can you tell me you found this cake young lady?" He asks a little tersely, but otherwise attempts to continue to be good mannered. The little girl nods and points over further into the woods. "There was a board with white and black square and a lion, a tin man and a scarecrow having a tea party. It was their cake. I'm Alice by the way, pleased to meet you." She curtsies after her introduction and waits for you to follow. Success, you're going further into the rabbit party woods lair. No nasty wolves yet. Cyriss (Taeless, Taelos) You manage to find Jacques, who is quite confused by your ministrations. The poor man seems to be quite confused and insists he's not Jacques at all. You really have a bit of trouble getting the leg brace onto him, but eventually he seems to quiet down and you strap it on. It does take him a while to wake back up though, and the nurses are looking at you with a great deal of shock and concern. Fortunately though Jacques can walk so it is all for the best and you leave contentedly knowing that your work is done and someone's life has been bettered. The beggar looks at you cautiously as you approach. "Excuse me miss, but why do you have flint and steel in your hand?" He asks with a bit of apprehension, looking side to side. Failure, you can't find Jacques and instead put the leg-brace on another man. You have to knock him out to do so though. Wilhelm (Arandia, Minburg) Bees are very industrious and apparently, quite ingenious when it comes to agriculture. A clump of bees huddle over a patch of loose dirt and use their wings to displace the dirt. Then another bee travels to a flower and takes nectar into their pouch and roll on the dirt, displacing any seeds they picked up. Then they move on. It is not exactly the fastest process, but bees are industrious and there are a great number of them... Success, but bee agriculture is really difficult for the poor things Vanthos (Eosia, Basement in Eisos) It took a bit of preparation, for even though you thought you'd figured out the essential basics to the process you still wanted to be sure. Eventually you were there, and you began the summoning. As you make the call you can feel for a moment your awareness reach out and touch something else, something distant and full of fire, smoke and ash. Suddenly your mind is touched by a frightening awareness, it probes you and seems to be content with that because it lets you go. As you regain your awareness and composure you cough a little, acrid brimstone smelling smoke wafting away from an ugly creature squatting in the centre of your summing circle. It is about the height of a young child and has a wiry frame with dull reddish-brown skin of a leathery texture. Its eyes however are black, with bright orange irises. It seems to await you to do something, a substantial improvement over the eyeball. Success, you summoned an Imp Aldrain (Eosia, University of Eisos Library) You were fortunate in your knowledge of how to search for books in these halls. You begin your investigation in the proto-runes section of the linguistics section. However you find that you're having trouble finding the word. It looked a lot like change, in fact that was your original word that you used. But the new word that was made was different. You spend a number of hours searching before you finish your studies. You are now certain the word was not recorded, or perhaps ever used. Because after extensive comparisons you are sure this is a more complicated and specific word of change. Transmutation would be the common usage, but you think it's even more specific than that. The very word itself seems to be changing something into gold, as it has elements of gold, change and metal. Success, you identify the rune to change substances into gold. Stavos (Eosia, Universsity of Eisos Library) Magic is considerably difficult difficult to simply pick up. It does however seem to have a lot in common with Alchemy, in that both of them rely on careful formulas and steps to be recreated accurately to have the desired effect. However picking up even a few basic spells is fairly difficult, so you are suddenly much more impressed with Aldrain's recent dabbling in the art. However what you can ascertain is that magic uses a pervasive energy and that was probably what you tapped into to transmute the lead. This is why you could bypass your regular alchemical reactions, as you no longer needed to rely on them for catalytic energy. However you still remain unsure exactly how you tapped into this power in the first place, although intent and focus seem to be important. Success, however you can't bypass your weakness. Either you invoke it, or you decide on a new one to replace it. Julianus (Arandia, Harvan) It seems that one of the local lasses is missing, a girl by the name of Ilvis. Her cousin Daveros was seen riding out after her. Aside from this there is a lot of chatter about the Starfall, as well as some concern about the Duchess' illness. It seems she has been bedridden for a number of days. Finally there is the usual concern about what is happening in Eosia, as their envoy has not been for several moons now. Success, you pick out a number of more notable concerns on peoples minds.
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Dec 2, 2012 12:03
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Alexios (Taeless, inn in Tealos) "They're good at counting money which admittedly has its uses. Depends on if you want to live a life of comfort or of glory. But Taeless wasn't built on the tiring words and ledgers of some merchants. Tell me, friend, what would you do if you were leader...and how would you get there?" Kovar (Taeless, town in the northwest) Slight retcon here, to better synch things up between you and Adam There was the tale of the noise and lights that came a few nights ago after the Starfall. Aside from that people have been concerned that there have been some dead fish in the river that feeds from the mountains. They seem to be flowing downstream as if something closer to its source was killing them. Additionally no animal seems to willingly look towards the peak where the river sources from which has been causing farmers difficulty. The last thing which you pick up on is that all the walls facing towards that peak have some weird burn marks on them, or in stone bleaching, which forms an odd symbol. It looks almost like a flame if you look at it carefully. Many of these on their own seem to be relatively innocuous or standard superstitions but the coincidences are conspicuous to a trained mind. Success, you find some other signs of something strange occurring to the north west. Edo (Eosia, Eisos) Edo learns quickly that the markets of Eisos are a cruel place. He has to buy a permit to sell in a market, the permits cost more money then Edo has ever heard of anyone in his village having and further more there is a mountain of paperwork to sign. Edo has barely even needed to learn his letters and the thought of filling out such forms fills him with apprehension. When it becomes clear that you are obviously incapable of filling any of these requirements you are shooed out of the office and back into the streets. Dejected by your failure you head back to the market and sit for a while. You notice a couple of people come up and sell various items to one of the market stalls. The man at the stall gives the person money and then puts it for sale on his stall. It seems that some people at least at the markets just sell items for other people, which doesn't surprise you given how difficult the staff at the office were. Failure on the first part of your roll, but the second parts success helped give you a hint as to how you might still sell some stuff. Andra and Civar (Arandia, woods north of Coltain) As Andra and Civar approach the house they feel waves of magic roil around them and threaten their minds. Civar tries to mix a potion but he begins to flounder, what combination of herbs and tinctures can counter magic of the mind? As if sensing his fear and insecurity shades seem to rise up out of the many shadows, taunting and threatening him. By now the last of the mercenaries had fled as well despite Andra's attempts to rally them. In fact in the end it was only Andra's hand, grasping and holding Civar's arm firmly that acted as a burning light of clarity in the maelstrom of mental assaults. Determined she advanced to the hut and found a woman, not elderly or crone like but neither young standing in the door. Her hair had begun to grey and she wore a grim expression filled with hatred on her face. You imagine she would have been very pretty when she was younger, but the years are beginning to take their toll and her expression does little to improve her features. "So." She begins in an icy cold voice, calm and steady but filled with deepest loathing. "It was not enough to take my dignity and then my child. Oh no, you and your filthy money counters now come to take my life as well. So be it. I will be judged for my sins on my death, but I think they shall be naught compared to those thee shall face." Mostly failures, but Andra managed to succeed on her trait. Alchemy is not going to help much in direct contests with magic, but I did take your Divine trait into account Civar. As a general suggestion, I would stick with that next time you're dealing with magic or spiritual matters, at least for now anyway. Aldrain (Eosia, Great Library of Eisos) At some point your work becomes somewhat more difficult when you transmute your desk into gold. The library staff are unsure of whether to be pleased with the windfall, or displeased with the vandalism. They are quick to remind Aldrain that magic is generally not to be used in the library, but with some surprise as no-one though Aldrain actually knew any magic at all. After that initial problem you change to pages, which when transmuted (and later when trying to figure out silver you end up with some silver sheets) they do not spread to other pages or the desk. It seems when inscribed upon an object the runes act on all parts of that item, but not parts connected to it. The items inside the now gold desk were untouched for example, although difficult to rescue. You feel at peace as you work through this endeavour, trying to figure out new knowledge. Something in the back of your mind almost whispers, encouraging you and urging you to share this with others. I wasn't sure of what the intent of some of your wording was, but I decided to run with it a bit with a minor detail that wouldn't really affect much. The action was however a Success, and you become aware of a Presence in the Library. Koth and Degowin (Frozen Wilds, Godsheap) Koth manages to phase into the walls, which are practically thrumming with the song. It is though the ice and ground itself have absorbed the dying song of the creature that was killed. It was at this moment that Degowin leaned back and unleashed his belch. This was a surprising event for both Degowin and Koth, because the belch was like a massive blast of thunder that shattered all of the ice in the room. Degowin is then suddenly much more aware that his body is now even more different than it was the night before. Koth is somewhat deafened, but managed to slip back into a wall before he got spotted. It is thankfully a lot quieter inside of solid rock than it was outside. Success for both parties. Adam (Taeless, mine in northwest) The foreman is doubly speechless. Firstly because you have minecarts full of ore which would take a month for other people to mine. Secondly because you are now a lot shorter, hairier and the lost height seems to have been converted sideways. This makes convincing the foreman a lot easier, because by the time his mind has caught up enough to actually make an argument he'd already agreed. But as he pointed out, organising everything would take some time so for the time being he suggested you continue living in your house until they could, at the very least, find a relatively stable place for you to start working on making a home. The other men hang around quietly while you made your point, but you can feel them staring at you in amazement, given that many of them had managed to miss your little spectacle in the morning. Unlike the townsfolk, while there is a bit of fear and curiosity because of change, there is also a deal of admiration and jealousy given that you single handedly put many of them to shame. Success, but starting Dwarf-civilisation is going to be a slow process, even for a single house. You've got to organise food, stuff like a bed, where you'll get water from and so forth. I won't make you roll for each of them, but it's an explanation for why it'll take a little bit to set up. Mazir (Elysian Sands, Elysia) You consume the souls of the frightened people, this time gaining some small insight into their lives and memories. One was a beggar and there was little more of interest to note. Another was a weaver of some competency but no great skill or creativity. Finally the last one was a farmer from Taeless who had stolen something to feed his family, been caught and fled after they'd cut off his hand. He had made some money helping travellers from Taeless by translating. Your subordinates seem somewhat traumatised by the event and have a haunted look in their eyes, but they say little in response to your actions. You feel...a connection to them in some way, and as you look their skin seems a little paler and their eyes slightly greener than before. Success. Because you are a horrible soul-sucking monster your two followers are quick to believe you are a god. However two followers is little to grant you tangible power. Octagon (Taeless, Tealos) "You only just learn to listen and now you complain about us? You Humans barely ever stop speaking long enough to take breath. As for your other question that really depends on what you want me to do you know." The spider says in response, giving you the impression that spiders may not have a lot to do while they wait in their webs except coming up with snide remarks and witty comebacks. It however does not seem immediately opposed to helping you which is...surprising. Stavos (Eosia, Laboratory in Eisos) You read back upon the notes, remembering what you learned in the library. There was another Alchemist who was a Wizard as well who mentioned similar things. He said that in the end he had created a spell that would create a substance so hard that it was nearly impervious. But unfortunately the spell required so much power it would consume the life of the caster. Fearing what people with less scruples and more power in the future might do to find a way to make another pay the cost he destroyed all traces of the spell. But it was his hope that one day another would find a way to make the substance without killing someone. He said that he took his inspiration from diamond, but that diamonds were not a metal and that alchemy could not create them. You consider this carefully and try not to kill yourself for now. As for your experiments, there is a particular way of looking...where you seem to have a moment of clarity and the world stands still. In that moment you can reach out with this new power you have and shape an object with it. Achieving that clarity isn't easy though and you fail as many times as you succeed. You manage to transmute some small lumps of lead into steel, silver and electrum. Once you accidentally transmute a stone carving that you used as a paper weight into jade. That's okay, it wasn't clearly for me from your post. Hopefully this will give you some starts for story direction, but largely the story is for you to make and direct. I just help flesh things out and run the world. You action is a success, the failures are there for flavour and to help give your character context as to what is successful and what is not. Ilvis and Daveron (Arandia, Woods south of Harvan) Ilvis can smell the alcohol from where she stands, but Daveron doesn't seem to be completely smashed yet which is a nice change. That might explain how he has managed to kill almost every bandit except for the Baldos and the surviving ambusher. He seems just as much in shock that you're actually keeping your word, that Daveron managed to almost single-handedly wipe out a bandit camp. He mumbles something about the devil's luck but you can't make it out clearly. In terms of intimidating the bandit leader well...it works a bit too well. After hearing a choking gurgling noise you peer down to see that Baldos has taken his own life. Apparently he decided a quick death was better than the long and drawn out affair his execution would likely be. It does make it easy to loot the gold and stolen goods that the bandits had accumulated...but getting a war horse to act as a pack mule may prove challenging. Success Wilhelm (Arandia, Southern Gindarr Jungle) Ants. Of course it would be ants, they're always underfoot and everywhere. But here in the Jungle they've really gotten a good diet going. You can feel the giant colony stretching beneath your feet for miles. It took a bit of convincing though to explain to the Queen that an Emperor is in fact superior but she eventually got the message. You stretch your hands in one direction and millions of tiny insect feet move in that direction. As for the bees they are anxious as there are ants and other insects which feed on them. As well as the wasps...their ancient and evil cousins. Success, you find a colony of ants in the Jungle Julianus (Arandia, Harvan) If you hang around the south gate you'll likely run into Ilvis and Daveron when they return, as long as they don't go a different route for some reason. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 06:27 on Dec 7, 2012 |
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Dec 7, 2012 04:49
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Andra and Civar (Arandia, woods north of Coltain) "If I have been wronged? Do you think rape and murder count as being wronged? Having a child forced on me and my old life being destroyed, forcing me out of the worn...then when my baby boy is sick three merchants take my money and my pleas for medicine and do nothing. Nothing at all except steal from me and force me to watch my poor child die of the pox! I gave them at least a swift death and left a message to others. Why else do you think people knew it was a witch doing all of this? Because I let their slack-witted guards go." The woman's anger is literally palpable as she unconsciously projects it out magically. It is hard to concentrate with her projecting so much onto you. But Civar isn't sure she's telling the truth, after all there are more skulls here than should be accounted for, plus you can't see the goods left around here. Wouldn't she have at least taken the goods instead of leaving it? Something doesn't add up. Andra on the other hand is more sympathetic to the plight of a woman whose life has been destroyed and could go this far for revenge. She doesn't seem so concerned with her own wellbeing anymore. Success for Andra, failure for Civar. Civar is not sure what part of her story is a lie though. Alexios (Taeless, Taelos) Alexios does not find himself welcomed in the slum areas of Taelos, his uniform and weapon mark him clearly as a soldier of sorts which is enough to evoke fears and prejudices amongst the poor and homeless. The two major reactions he encounters are fear which caused entire streets to empty at his sight, with lookouts crying out about approaching soldiers, or anger and hate with name calling and even occasional stones being thrown. The general impression Alexios gets is that the people here are miserable and desperate, and that the government does little to help or alleviate their situation. Edo (Eosia, Eisos markets) Edo discovers that he can make more money by healing people's small injuries and minor sicknesses for a small fee. There are doctors and medical wizards in the city, but many of them charge more money than Edo has seen in his entire life! He might not be making a fortune, but he finds that the money is enough to feed him and shelter him for the time being. More than that though, it helps him get to know the people of the city and feel more comfortable. Many of the tales that were told of the people in Eisos were exaggerated it becomes clear. Although Edo has fortunately yet to meet a Wizard or Priest, he does come to know many of the people in Eisos have the same problems and the same dreams as the villagers in Blackwater. After he heals her leg there is a little girl called Taneeya who comes to visit him every day. She tells him some stories and helps him learn things about the city, as well as occasionally smuggling him sweets. Although she only mentions it once, Edo finds out her dad often gets drunk and hits her mum, and sometimes her, which is why she spends as much time out of the house as possible. Besides, she's never met someone from the sea before and Edo has interesting stories of his own. Success Degowin and Koth (Frozen Wilds, Godsheap) Degowin felt the very walls and ice of the cave struggle against him, but eventually they relented...in part. The tune has indeed been captured in the icebox as he wanted, but it seems that the blasted song remains in the walls and ice of the place still. It seems the scraps of power that seeped into the place are difficult to fully quell, as though it was the last defiant action of the dying giant. Koth was about to leave but froze in horror as the monster tried to capture and seal away the song. It was resilient and still remained in this place, but he dallied for a moment too long and the beast caught sight of him as he phased back through the wall and made to leave. Degowin for his part had little idea of what he had just seen, a man moving through solid rock and ice. Perhaps it was a ghost? He had seen stranger and was something else than human himself now, so it seemed less impossible than a few days before. Failure on the box action Degowin, but it was close so I made it a partial success as you had two Divine Domains and had your foible. Koth failed to back away and Degowin succeeded his notice check, but Koth has a head start at the moment. Adam (Taeless, mining town in northwest Taeless) Adam drinks, and drinks, and drinks, and drinks. In fact quite a crowd gathers around him as he was drinking, astonished at his feat of constitution. Unfortunately his new constitution was unknown to him and he had not anticipated just how he would react to being drunk. The answer was rowdily. As his younger brother explained with a mixture of amusement and disappointment, he had become quite rowdy once he was drunk and also quite loud. Apparently he managed to start a brawl in the entire inn which had spilled out into the street. Adam had been yelling things such as "you sodding giants think ye can take on a wee dwarf like me?" and "darned humans!". Why you would have ever said those things is beyond you, but it is enough to make you shrink back into your bed with shame and embarrassment. But you have learned that you can drink an amazing amount of booze, that the harder a liquor is, the better it tastes, and that your condition is limited only to yourself. Failure, and how. I had fun with this action! Mazir (Elysian Sands, Elysia) Your idea worked, in that you managed to burn the bodies and prevent your house from burning down. However the one aspect you forgot to account for was the smoke and smell. Soon you have people knocking on your door asking if you are okay and why you're smoking something so awful smelling. It seems that people in Elysia haven't smelled a burning corpse before at least. However you are unable to simply fob them off with a few quick answers and it seems you'll need to satisfy their curiosity and nosiness for now. Success on both actions, but your henchmen will return after you resolve the current issue. Kovar (Taeless, northwest Taeless) The guards have a spare uniform and travelling cloak they can grab from the barracks, and go and explain where they are going as well. When they return it seems the faces Jusep and Algard tell exactly how unhappy the captain was. They are however present and present your clothing to you, so after getting changed and grabbing some travelling supplies you start to head off to the mountains in the distance. Jusep explains there's a major mining town near the peak you're heading to, so you'll stop there first. Lilian (Taless, Taelos) The guard blinks for a moment in confusion in response to Lilian's casual and honest answer. As he gets his wits together she jumps away out of reach and he is unable to grab her. He starts chasing her as she begins running away to explore a new area of the city. Success, you didn't get caught and avoided the guard. The guard's chasing you but you could probably shake him if you tried to. Fylas (Eosia, laboratory in Eisos) The result was not desirable. Fylas quickly discovers that moving souls around can result in them becoming damaged, as the rats soul loses some of itself as he moves it around. When he reanimated the rat, it was dull eyed and mindless even for a simple vermin. He had succeeded in reanimating the dead, yes, but would this never do for Sara. Failure, but I modified it to a partial success as you were close. Wilhelm (Arandia, southern Gindarr Jungle) Wilhelm discovers quickly why the bees were afraid of the wasps. They were vicious and aggressive making them difficult to commune with and harder to control. Any time he thinks he has managed to pacify them and moves some of the bees or ants closer the wasps kill them. The Wasp Queen is apparently a tenacious and sadistic lady, who lusts after the blood and ichor of lesser insects. Failure. Aldrain (Eosia, Great Library of Eisos) Errata from last action: You manage to discover that you can either write out runes like a sentence, in essence speaking what you want. Change to gold works as well as the new symbol you and Stavos created. But you can also combine Runes together to make it more efficient in intent. However without more samples you are currently unclear on what rules govern the creation and usage of these meta-runes. As Aldrain moves further into the library he feels it call out to him. Directed by almost a hidden hand he finds his way to many old tomes on various subjects. He lingers in front of each for a moment, before being moved along. Eventually he feels like he knows in a way these deeper depths of the library. There is an awareness here...not like that of a human but something slower and deeper. Aldrain can almost hear it, if he were to only reach out and try to communicate with it. Ilvis (Arandia, woods south of Harvan) The bandit looks for a moment like he wants to say something, but then decides against it and keeps his silence. Which given the dead bodies around him is neither surprising nor perhaps unwise.
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Dec 11, 2012 00:30
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Andra and Civar (Arandia, woods north of Coltain) "And what can you do? Take me to that town and the vermin there will just try to hang me. They're all as guilty for not doing anything about those merchants, let them understand my pain. I don't care." Well despite her words Andra gets the idea that if she put forward an idea that was acceptable to the Witch then she might agree to it. But that itself is no easy task. Civar managed to help by virtue of being distracting, his queues and tricks catching the witch off guard and causing her to speak her mind more so than if she had a chance to focus and say what was likely, mostly a prepared speech. If Andra and Civar can figure out a way to get justice for all parties then the witch might just agree to settle this peacefully, or relatively anyway. There is still a sense of power in the air though, an ominous reminder of just what she could do. Success, the witch is a bit more willing to discuss things with you but talking her out of it will be hard and require a solution that will still make her happy. Kovar and Adam (Taeless, Town of Sellos) As Kovar finished his speech the ground beneath them began to rumble. Adam felt uneasy by this, something in him knew that what was happening now was bad. The earth itself felt...angry. The sky around them grew red as gas seemed to come out of the mountains itself. Blood shed...in my lands...leave outsider...before I swallow you... A rumbling voice seems to come from the mountains itself and earth itself. Adam recognises the voice however, as he is more in tune with the ground than Kovar and the townsfolk around him. It's Felwen, another miner was generally a nice guy and always seemed understanding and considerate. Despite his words maybe being considered benevolent to the townsfolk, Adam still feels a sense of wrongness about it. The villagers are naturally distracted by this astounding turn of events and forget almost all of Kovar's words. (Failure, so I decided to introduce this plot element at a convenient time) Edo Waters (Eosia, Eisos) Edo grabbed the man and isolated the area that was causing his madness. There was a malignant substance there, which you purged easily. But there was a deeper problem, a cause to this which you needed to resolve. So you moved your power in deeper until you found that spot which had been affected. Then you changed it so that it could not happen again. The action took only the moment of contact, so the man looked at you for a second with rage and anger, as if he was going to strike you instead of his wife. Then he ran to the chamber pot to be sick. The woman looks at you in surprise and terror and pushes you out of the room and house. You do not see Taneeya for four days after that. When you do see her she seems troubled and a bit confused. She tells you about how her dad hasn't hit her mum for a few days, but he acts weird. Later you overhear another porter talking to another. "Did you hear? That Davos can't get drunk no more. Says any ale or mead he drinks tastes like water, gives him no buzz either. Dunno what he's going to do now. Sure he stopped being a drunken lout but, it's like he's lost a bit of his will to live y'know?" Before you can ask further questions they walk away. Success, you have permanently changed the porter Davos such that he cannot taste alcohol and that it no longer causes him to be inebriated. Stavos (Eosia, Eisos) The markets are always a good source of food, there are peddlers selling various meats and fish on skewers, as well as fruit and a few other simple foods that can be stored and sold at market easily. If Stavos wanted to make something himself, such as some mashed chickpeas or to cook some rice he'd need to get ingredients for that. At any rate, his destination would need to be the marketplace, one way or another. When he went to his regular market there was a new man there. Although Stavos wasn't sure exactly what he did there, he watches the man touch a child who was coughing with a nasty summer fever. After a moment the child visibly brightens and becomes more energetic. The mother accompanying the small boy looks relieved and gives the man a few copper coins. Perhaps he was some kind of healer? It would be odd for the university Medicus to give their services for so cheap and so Stavos discounted that possibility quickly. Furthermore the man had done no gestures or incantation. It was more like Stavos' new ability, and maybe a little like Aldrain's. You can meet up with Edo Waters if you wish Degowin (The Frozen Wilds, outskirts of Northward) The air grew colder around Degowin as he walked and the light began to fade as snow swirled around him. But try as he might he couldn't make it as impressive as he wanted, not quite enough. The components were there and he found his new powers over sound could create thunder crashes quite amply, but it was all focussed around him. He was the eye of a storm, but it offered no peace and calm unlike a natural storm. It would have to do, he'd had some time to try and build up and practice to this point after all. Degowin felt sure it would cover the town with ease and a deal of the surrounding space, but it wasn't a true storm. Partial success, so the effect is more centred around you in an area (sizeable) rather than a true storm-front. It is still likely to be impressive however. Mazir (Elsyian Sands, Elysia) "Look Mazir just don't do that again okay? If you want to go to one of the outer caves, no one will mind if you use one for something like that." The man says with some disgust, commenting on the caves on the outside of the Caldera. Many had been worn in by the sands so they weren't used as residences, but if you avoided them during a sandstorm they were a decent enough place to do things that smelt bad. "By the way I haven't seen Aldema today. If you see her can you let her know I'm waiting for my skins?" He says referring to the woman that you had just moments before killed and drunk deep on her soul. Success, you manage to defuse interest in the situation. Koth The problem with teaching things to wolves, is that unless you're there to enforce it or it relates to hunting they tend to forget. So Koth finds that as long as he keeps reminding the wolves from time to time they'll kind of yip it back to him. But try as he might, he can't get them to howl it. Howls have specific meanings and to change that would be to say something entirely different. It is not so much the wolves being reticent, but simply that Koth cannot explain it to them. In the end although Koth knows the ways of wolves well, they are wolves and he is a man. They do not truly know the tongue of man, but more the way he says things. Succes, you teach the wolves the song. However your trait is neither magical nor Divine, so you can't change a wolf's nature. If you find a way to do so however, a follow up action would be much easier. Vanthos (Eosia, Eisos) Vanthos looks his will with the creature, using his power to try and directly dominate it. His next few seconds are confused however as he senses another mind behind it, one much stronger than him. Keeping the gate open however only gives it an opportunity to remain in contact with him. As Vanthos struggles to free himself from its ensaring presence the voice speaks to him through the gate. It is a deep rumbling voice of fire and ash, without a trace of pity in it. "Ah, so finally a competent Summoner has appeared, or at least one with potential. Why settle with just this little Imp? Wouldn't you like something a bit better? I can teach you...I can give control...I can give you power. All you need to do is do something for me in return. That seems like a reasonable trade doesn't it?" You cannot help but feel that any deal the entity will offer you will not be truly in your favour, but at the same time there is an alluring quality to the way it offers power, knowledge and control over other creatures. Success, you do have control over the imp. You can break free and try to force the entity out by closing the gate if you wish. Wilhelm (Arandia, Minburg) It takes some time to 'teach' the ants, which is not so much a process of education but rather overriding their existing genetic and biological directives. Drones are simple creatures, with little room for growth and change, and so Wilhelm turns to the now subordinate Queen. She was greater, more complex and using her as a directing authority for the ants would be a good way to make them not require constant direction. It takes a good deal of time, most of the night in fact to teach the queen first about farming, and then about working together with the bees. But eventually in the morning Wilhelm falls asleep confident that both parties have in fact mastered these principles. When he wakes up later in the evening he can see the ants and bees working together to finish planting in the fields. Wilhelm's only problem now, is that neither species are well suited to keeping the seeds watered. The ants have at least managed to get the idea of weeding and are efficient at it as they can deal with the weeds while they are still seeds. Success, you have the start of insect based agriculture going. Octagon (Taeless, Taelos) Octagon walks around asking a few questions. Eventually after a few hours and asking several spiders he manages to figure out that the spider had meant the rich area of the city, which was where the spider he wanted was. Octagon had heard of collectors who had prized collections of dangerous creatures, so perhaps this spider belonged to one of those. It's pretty close to morning though by the time Octagon has finished his search, and he is beginning to tire. Success, you figure out the spider is located in the rich part of the city and is probably part of a collection. Eredeth (Eosia, Kiris) The main problem is that you have trouble separating thoughts from words, when there are multiple conversations going on in the room. Your abilities add a lot more noise for your mind to filter and you just don't have the hang of it yet. Mostly all you gather is that people are still somewhat hungover from last night and there were some incidents of rowdy guards. Daveron and Ilvis Neither Daveron nor Ilvis' tasks are particularly difficult, although bother are unpleasant. Daveron is hardened to such realities and does not have the trouble holding down his stomach like Ilvis does, although later in the day he may find he has troubles for different reasons altogether. The remaining bandit is little help as he runs off a bit and starts vomiting profusely. It's hard for Ilvis to hold her stomach, but the grim repetition and simplicity of the task allow her to focus on something else. Something to distract her from the casual brutality of Daveron. After an hour or so she is is done and truly exhausted. It is time to find some rest somewhere, the sweat and midday heat are starting to make your armour truly unpleasant. Success on both actions. Daveron's free to wait around or to go off on his own whil Ilvis makes the grave. Red (Val Aman, Somewhere) Red walks through a door in a tree when Alice isn't looking and finds herself in a marvellous ballroom with a black and white tiled floor. Around here there are black and white men and ladies trying to dance, but they move in funny ways and cannot stand on the same squares. In the centre is a table where an older girl in blue is asking a lion for cake. The lion has surprisingly good table manners, certainly much better than the scarecrow that keeps on sending crows to peck at the dancers around the table while laughing at their discomfort. The tin-man at one point leans to the side so he can pour tea from a spout in his head. They wave cheerfully at you and wave you over. "Oh you simply must stay. My name is Blue and the next course is rabbit!" The girl says with a wide smile. There weren't any dogs or wolves around here, but Red notices that there's a water bowl near the door. Success...I think? Lilian (Taeless, A cell somewhere) Lillian awakes in a dimly lit room with slits at the side of the ceiling. There is an awful stench of faeces and blood mixed together, and the sounds of men shouting and grunting. She has little idea of how she got here and she at first thinks she's alone until a raspy female voice breaks her from her shock. "Ah, ye awakened cutie. What'cha do to end up down here in the pit?" Aldrain There's a whispering around him that seems to come from the books and shelves. Its hard to make out at first, but eventually Aldrain manages to make some more out from it. Share us, Bring others, Let us be read...at least that's what he thinks he's hearing. But that would imply that the books are alive, and further more able to speak. Yet under all of that whispering there still lay a deeper presence, one that was slower and perhaps more profound than these floating surface awareness fragments. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 00:59 on Dec 20, 2012 |
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Dec 18, 2012 07:02
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Perestroika hasn't posted for quite some time, nor has given me a message as to his absence so I'm considering Julianus AWOL and out of the game. Edo Waters (Eosia, Eisos) Edo manages to become reasonably well know over the following days as a healer who does not charge the exorbitant rates of the Medicus in the city. As such this naturally makes him a friend to the poor and lower class of Eisos. He finds his time in the markets increasingly taken up with healing people until he finds he has little time of his own. Although no-one seems to realise what he did to Taneeya's father, a few days later an official from the Imperial Academy of Eisos arrives. He informs the crowd gathered to be healed that you are not taking further customers today. "I must ask you to come with me sir, there are some people concerned about your actions. We wish to ensure that no-one without the proper skills or training is offering such important services to imperial citizens. As such by Imperial Edict you are to be taken to the Academy and tested." Edo is not sure what to make of the official looking document that is presented. While it looks like it is not a forgery, by Imperial Edict would mean that it was on the orders of the Emperor. Why would the Emperor have an interest in him?" The crowd quickly disperses with many desperate and discontent faces and murmurs, but they seem quite cowed by the official present. In fact most of the marketplace has gone extremely quiet. Success, although you've attracted attention to yourself as a result. The document is official, but Edo just doesn't realise that the author of it has power invested in him, and that it's not actually directly from the Emperor. Also you can and Stavos can meet up before this occurs. Adam and Kovar (Taeless, Sellos) A few questions around the place confirm that Felwen has not been seen since the day of the Starfall. The supervisor for the mine mentions that he'd found a deep vein of gold that was going to make him a good bit of money and he'd been secretive and wanted to mine it all. He didn't remember Felwen coming out later that night and assumed he'd been working. The mountain also hadn't been volcanically active in living memory either, which made the recent event somewhat concerning. If Felwen could, hypothetically, control the mountain and the ground around then Kovar reasoned he must be deep in the bowels of the earth. Lava, or magma as it was when still in the ground came deep from the heart of the world as its lifeblood. Even if Felwen had the power to survive down there, Kovar and Adam did not...well at least not Kovar. He ought to be prepared for dangers before he went down. Auto-Success Ilvis and Daveron (Arandia, Harvan) The bandit complies meekly and wordlessly, but he pauses for a moment before mounting the saddle. Perhaps he had been considering whether the beast would be able to get him away, but a quick glance at Daveron's warhorse seemed to assuage that particular doubt and he made no effort to flee on the return trip. "Ser Daveron, Ser Knight it is good to see you both again. I take it you could not find your cousin Ser Daveron?" The guards ask sympathetically as you reach the south gate. "And what is this person accompanying you? You seem to be...endowed with more than when you had left Ser Knights. Taken up bandit-slaying have you perchance?" He asked, eying the bandit up and down with an appraising gaze. Despite his career choice there was nothing explicitly marking the bandit as an outlaw. Potentially should they have any wish to, the pair could talk their way past the guards without handing him into their custody. There would be a tax on the recovered wealth however... Andra and Civar (Arandia, woods north of Coltain) The witch shook her head. "The other duchies would care little for the transgressions of the merchants here, but would happily have my head. But if you are sure that the Tia'Cha would welcome me then some company might be nice. I grow...lonely with only my sorrows for company." It was a grudging admission, but it seemed like you were able to talk the witch into leaving. The Tia'Cha would not look upon her crimes lightly, but the women would understand her pain and reasons and would be sure to give her a chance, if only a single one. However Andra and Civar would have to either fake the witch's death or explain what had happened. Somehow neither could believe the merchants would take the news of her getting away well or with any ease. They had been out for blood and they would likely demand it if they thought it had not been spilled. So the pair would need to decide how to proceed. If they so wished, now would be the best time to strike the witch as her guard was down...if either had the stomach to take her when she was unprepared. Success on both actions, but you'll need to figure out how you're proceeding now that you have options! Octagon (Tealess, Taelos) After a number of enquiries to different people using different 'angles' you manage to isolate one extremely rich and eccentric merchant that delights in a menagerie of exotic and dangerous pets. He has a number of other animals, not just insects in his private 'zoo', all of which seem to be very lethal but otherwise very different. The menagerie is well guarded due to it containing very dangerous creatures and for the same reasons security is also tight. Getting in will be one of your more difficult tasks. The man is however known to be ruthless and without scruples, so you may be able to acquire the spider, or at least its venom by simply purchasing it. However doing so would leave a potential trail to you... Success. Stavos (Eosia, Eisos) Stavos returned to his lab and considered what he had learned. His formula and his chemicals were useless, and so he focused his will to the task. There was an existing energy in the carving as well as in the world around him. Stavos just reshaped this energy with his mind, intuitively and by instinct rather than through any particular deliberate process or method. Then when he was missing a little, Stavos just pulled some from...it was not quite inside of himself and yet it was part of himself. There was an energy within him which seemed to constantly replenish itself. It was not a bottomless reservoir, but it felt like it was impossible to drain fully. You looked at the figurine which was now made of pure opal. It had streaks of all different colours in it and was beautiful to look at, and quite impossible. While not diamond or jade it was certainly a very valuable item. Success Degowin (The Frozen Wilds, outskirts of Northward) Degowin found himself much more difficult to tire than before. Part of it was likely due to his changed body, part of it due to the fact he seemed perfectly at home with the cold now. But there was some other reason as well. None the less Degowin found that a great amount of time had passed as he come out of his semi-trance. He had chopped several trees of lumber, and the town would likely not need to chop wood for a full sevenday at least. There was only one man there, the Shaman who was watching you warily from beneath his furred hood. As you turned to him he stood and bowed politely, then spoke. "We thank you for your service honoured spirit. May I extend the hospitality of our village and offer you food and drink?" The words were clearly practiced because they remained steady despite nervousness showing in the man's features. It was painfully obvious that he did not recognise Degowin at all now. Success. You chop wood. Lots of it. Mazir (Elysian Sands, Elysia) Mazir considered a few things. He'd been changed and invigorated by consuming the souls of the people he'd taken, so likely the henchman would too. The only problem was that Mazir didn't really know if they could eat them like he could. He could probably figure out a way to attach these extra souls onto them, but who knew what the result of that would be? There'd been a physical change when he'd eaten the souls so maybe there would be one as well. The problem was that Mazir didn't really know exactly how they would react to his magic. He could probably figure out how to avoid killing them, but beyond that you'd be charting new areas of magic. Success, but it's all new to you so while you can avoid making some horrible mistakes, you don't know how it will all turn out until you try. Liliana (Taeless, Taelos Arena) "Welcome to the pits lass. Fight well and you might earn enough to buy your freedom. Fight better and you'll stay down here until you die. Fight poorly and you'll die quickly." She says in a voice worn by years of overuse but still sounding full of confidence and even pride. She gave a slight snort and a mocking laugh as she looked Liliana up and down. "Might not be long for you, unless you're good with a light sword or spear. You're going to want to stay out of reach I fear." The pits were the name for the gladiatorial arenas of Taelos. To be sent there was almost a death sentence, and many crimes were solved by either threatening to send people to the pits, having gladiators fight it out for them, or by sending both sides to the pits and declaring the victor innocent. Kidnappings were not unheard of either, but it was the devil's luck to be brought here. Vanthos (Eosia, Eisos) "If you want power, control, to rise above your current situation you must be prepared to sacrifice for it." You have a vision of your wife and child. It's framed in the way to make them as least attractive as possible. Your wife is a nag and constantly demanding things, restricting your freedom to do what you want and doesn't understand you at all. Your child is disobedient, annoying and a drain on your funds. "You could have these, or you could have this..." You have a vision of yourself growing a bit larger. Vanthos can feel himself filling out, his arms and legs becoming thicker and corded with powerful muscles. A pair of leathery wings sprout from your back and a tail comes from your behind. For the moment the vision lasts you feel fire and darkness flow through you, and you are rushed with the intoxicating feeling of being in control and having the strength and will to dominate those around you. But then it vanishes and you're left being your regular weak self. "Sacrifice those closest to you and dedicate their deaths to me. Cut off you old bonds and gain new power, and control your own life." HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 10:47 on Dec 24, 2012 |
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Dec 24, 2012 06:42
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Andra and Civar (Arandia, woods north of Coltain) The witch apparently had little attachment to her home and needed few possessions. "I suppose if I am to start again I'll need a new name. Wicked Witch of the North is a bit presumptuous." She says with a scowl as she collects a few odds and ends, mostly clothing save for one notable child's toy. "Aideen will do as much as any other name." She adds and looks at Andra. "If you're going to burn down the place you might as well start in the fireplace." She turns to Civar then. "Alright, tell me more about the people you are going to introduce me to please, it'd be good to know what I'm expecting so I can be prepared." The hut itself does not burn well, being made of stone walls with a thatched roof. The flame does however gut the building and it as just as well that it did not burn well, the trio had to put out a few embers that almost began fires around them. Success, Andra needs to find the merchants and mercenaries, while Civar needs to lead the witch off. Edo and Stavos (Eosia, Eisos Markets)6 "No, it is not the 'best place' for testing and that attitude is exactly why we need to test you." The man says with a grim expression on his face, thinking for a moment. It was at this point that Stavos ran in and tried to convince him not to take him away. But all through Stavos' argument the bureaucrat's expression never once changed. Once he was finished listening he spoke again, in that same level and gravely tone. There was a sense of finality and inexorable advance to it, the man was clearly aware of the bureaucratic weight behind his words. "If you care so strongly for him then you are now his guardian. As such I require you to accompany us and act as a reassuring presence. The more co-operation is given the faster the process will go." Then he reaches into his robes and brings out a gold medallion with a pair of jewels on it. Although Edo would not know, Stavos would recognise the medallion as marking him as a wizard employed by the Court. He would likely have the power to force Edo to obey if the stories you have heard are true by any measure... Failure, you're roped into looking after Edo because of your story. The bribe is completely ignored however, still leaving you with the opal carving. Adam and Kovar (Taeless, Sellos) Jusep and Algard seem to take something from the lesson, yet as they travel to the mine Kovar found that Adam pointed out things to him that he'd missed. Rocks, mining equipment and carts he'd somehow missed which but were almost like a sixth sense to Adam. While Adam seemed to understand the theoretical concept of what Kovar wanted to teach him, it seemed in practice he wasn't sure what Kovar meant as he kept missing things. Maybe Kovar was seeing something else that Adam couldn't? Something to do with his power perhaps. Kovar realised Adam was guiding him to the mine. It seemed to make the most sense to him, if Fel was inside the mountain then they should go there. So the group of four found themselves standing in the entrance to the mine, unsure what to do next. Adam for his part could feel the disturbance within the earth. It wasn't an actual sense, so much as that he had a feeling in his gut that something was different...wrong. Failure for Adam, but success for the Lieutenants Mazir (Elsyian Sands, Elysia) Mazir waited through the night and in the early hours of the morning there was a light tapping on the door. Zel and Hatun looked at you with eyes slightly dead with fear as they brought in three others. A woman with a body just on the dying edges of rampantly sexual and two men. One a large man with a slack face that held eyes that moved quickly, belying a quicker mind than frame and features suggested. The other was a thin man that looked at you with appraising eyes. He wore a single onyx pendant, the sign of a fellow wizard and he was known to you. Berel his name was, although you had not known until this time he was a wizard, or at least thought himself to be. It was Hatun who stepped forward. When he spoke his voice was a little more...well it was almost less in real some fashion. "Salima, a dancer who hears the secrets of men. Kelet, a seemingly simple man desiring more and Berel, a fellow wizard. He says he wishes to see your power and will kill you if you are lying or disappoint him." Octagon (Taeless, Taelos) Octagon 'drops' into the menagerie during a change in guard shifts early in the morning, or late at night depending on your point of view. The emergency exit for the guards made for a nice emergency entrance, although getting to it had presented some interesting challenges. But Octagon dropped into the zoo silently and suddenly the noise of several animals that had been awake went silent. The air was filled with a tension that was almost palpable. Then out of the darkness came a voice, that was kind of muffled. "Hmm a new guest? And one uninvited as well. I do hope it tries to entertain the cats, the reactions of the last guest to do so were most entertaining." If there truly was such a thing as Spider Nobility this voice certainly had the voice down at least. Success, you don't die yet! Koth (Frozen Wilds) Koth tries to train the wolves to become used to phase shifting as he travels south with mixed success. He finds that the wolves become a little more used to it, although still tense up and tend to tumble through things slightly more often than not; but are able to do so while he is riding and guiding them. If he is not on their backs and forcibly directing them then they instead go around the tree, leaving his hand holding onto their fur as he himself passes through the tree. Eventually after a couple of days he finds himself near the outskirts of a town to the south. The wolves are slightly less comfortable where it is warmer and you will need to part company soon if you wish to avoid stirring up trouble by bringing wolves close to the animals and people of the town. Success, the wolves are slightly more used to phasing through things. It's still unnatural and difficult for them however so you still need to guide them through it (although you have still been attempting it while having physical contact) Degowin (Frozen Wilds, Northward) "We always have food for the Spirits. We must, lest we offend them and bring more misfortune on ourselves. I myself will not eat for several days to ensure your offering. But I know of no giant...is his another of your kin Spirit?" The Shaman asks with some caution, after responding to part of your questions. Presumably he simply wasn't answering for the hunters yet, although it was possible that he was avoiding something. If he had to starve himself to feed another then probably the village did not have food to spare, or at least enough to feed your now increased size and frame. Success, the Shaman answers your questions as best as he can for now. You learn that the village does not have a lot of food and apparently does not know about the creature you encountered. Liliana (Taeless, Taelos Pits) It was a few more matches before Liliana was called, and only after someone had come in and checked her in the manner of a farmer checking a horse he was considering buying. But Liliana found herself being marched into a room with several weapons and being told to "Pick one and wait". They had ensured she was unarmed when she had been kidnapped, so her only options were a number of swords (designed for thrusting), a spear and a fork, several clubs, a net and a heavy looking double headed axe. Wilhelm (Arandia, Minburg) The ants tried valiantly but they found themselves overwhelmed by rats that would simply get annoyed and eat them. Sensing your frustration and dismay a great number of the bees that made your cap made a noble sacrifice and ensured the rats were stung to death. At the end you found that many of your insectoid friends had been lost and any victory earned was a pyrrhic one indeed. Your audience is quite amazed by the whole affair, but not for the reasons that you had wished. Failure, although you 'won' you lost many brave and valiant insect souls this day.
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Dec 31, 2012 05:58
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Andra (Arandia, woods north of Coltain) There is a great deal of confusion as you collect the troops and while some of them remember some compromising details you have an advantage in that many do not trust what they saw and heard due to the witch's magic. However you find yourself presented with an unfortunate and unexpected situation. Despite the disaster of what just happened, many of those you have gathered back together wish to go at the witch again. They are concerned for Civar's safety, but also inspired by his bravery in not only standing up to the witch in the height of her magic, but also for chasing after her alone. The group is starting to wind itself up again, ready to chase into the woods after the pair of them. Failure, but the group buy the story in the worst way. Degowin (The Frozen Wilds, outskirts of Northward) The Shaman nods and wordlessly takes the body of the beast you offer to him. He looks like he is going to say something, doubt runs across his face like a shadow but he seems to decide better of it. "Thankyou for your gift oh Spirit. I will do as you ask and have it ready for your return." The Shaman waits for you to leave before trudging back to the village, who you can smell waiting nearby probably too afraid to approach closer. Following back to your house is a little more difficult than you though, because you see things and perceive things differently in your new form. While you do not miss your landmarks and the ways you guide yourself, they are no longer second nature and you need to think on the matter. The tracks lead further north towards another town, but it will be several days travel to reach it. However the tracks also cross to another area, a cold wood with lots of trees covered in snow. In the woods it is harder to follow tracks, snow piles up on trees and then falls down to be spread around the ground. Degowin can remain in the area to wait for the antlers, or he can move to the town or woods. Both will take some time to properly investigate. Success, you need to decide where to move to next. Daveron & Ilvis (Arandia, Harvan) 7 The guards look at the bandit and are about to say something before Daveron steps in. His armour is covered in dried blood which says a lot about his activities for the day so far. After his particular comment and smile they shrug and decide to leave it at that. Clearly the noble had some kind of punishment in mind and he didn't seem like he was going to be...too merciful. "Okay milord, if you like we can take care of the bounty and bring the gold to your house?" The guard offers after Daveron's suggestion, and he would be aware that such bounties would be written in a logbook so that if he felt cheated he would be able to check. Success, you can deal with the bandit yourselves and are able to delegate the corpses to the guards if you so wish Civar (Arandia, woods north of Coltain) Aideen remained silent as you moved away from the house, but you could hear the sounds of the militia regrouping and seemingly regaining their confidence as their volume increased. Sorry for the short reply, I'll move you on if Andra succeeds in defusing the crowd or you'll be thrust back into trouble again. Edo & Stavos (Eosia, Eisos Markets) The Imperial Mages of Eosia are a group of imperially sanctioned magicians that are centred around the Imperial University. In return for having much of their costs covered by the Empire, they police magic and its users within Eosia (and outside when they had more authority and power). All people with magical talent, or at least those wishing to learn need to go to the Imperial University and are examined. Those who pass the initial tests are supported to become Mages, while those who do not or are deemed 'unfit' are prohibited from using Magic and punished if caught. Because of the insular nature of the group the Imperial Mages tend to be somewhat arrogant and exclusive. However unless it is a time of war or self defence the Mages don't actually kill anyone, the worst they will do is cut off a serial offender's hands to prevent them from casting magic. If someone kills with magic however and is proven guilty of murder then they are executed. Edo is unlikely to really suffer anything that will be physically damaging, but the Mages are likely to be assholes about...everything really. "Magister Ajikan" the man says shortly and without little other explanation as he leads the pair up to the main street and then along the road towards the centre of town. The Imperial University is near the Imperial Palace and the gardens for both are connected, as the Mages help in the care and construction of them. Edo takes the time to evaluate the pair of them, and finds that Stavos is in reasonably good health...he has a few problems here and there but nothing really stands out. The Magister Ajikan on the other hand has a kind of weakness in his bowels somewhere (kidney, I don't think Edo would know about anatomy much but if you want to that's up to you) and a subtle limp from an old injury to his leg but does not seem ill or about to die. Success, also my apologies if it looked like I ignored your foible. It was factored into the post, it was just that Stavos came in so he just decided to make him in charge of your welfare and then could force you to come along. The foible itself was responsible for that particular bit of interaction and for him believing you might be crazy. But if you have a problem with something like that again ask me about it. I was trying to play along with Edo's perceptions of the city and being swept along in a strange place, but I might have missed the mark a little. Aldrain (Eosia, Great Library of Eisos) Time seems to slow and you feel...larger. You can feel yourself built each piece of lumber and stone at a time, until you are finished and furnished with shelves. Then people bring books and place them upon those shelves. Yet you haven't awakened yet...it takes time until people come to forget that you are just a room with books in it and instead look at you as something else. An ideal, some kind of sacred concept where the preservation of knowledge is what is important. Yet at the same time they slowly begin to forget you were originally made to share knowledge, fewer people come to you each decade and you begin to worry that people may stop entirely. You know from their thoughts and words, which you understand in a vague way, that they are stopping people from learning hear. Knowledge needs to be preserved, but to what use is it if no one can use it? There is no point in keeping a book safe and in good condition for the next generation if that next generation is never allowed to read it. Suddenly Aldrain realises he has spent several hours in this section without being aware of it. He begins to feel a bit weak from all of the exertion and also from hunger. Perhaps people will even be looking for him after so long... Adam & Kovar- (Taeless, mines of Sellos) A strange wind seemed to wail out of the mines, until the group realised there were words in it. "Once I spied a girl fair, With emerald eyes and flaxen hair, We giddy danced the night away, And made merry under the hay." Which sounds like a cheerful folksong, except that Adam knows the rest of the lyrics. A man came sneaking in the night, His greedy heart was set alight, Into my house with knife he came, And on the floor made bloody stain, Lock your door against the lost, Lest you learn that sorry cost, Offer no peace for those that come, Lest blood upon the earth will run. The tale is supposed to remind you to lock your doors against thieves and bandits at night, but given Fel's earlier comments it seems like he might be viewing Kovar as some kind of invader. But just as the group can ponder what all this means the voice comes again, clearer this time and echoing from the rocks. "It is hard to talk from so far away, come down her and speak to me face to face." Success, you figure out Fel can hear you. Mazir- (Elysian Sands, Elysia) Mazir chants his spell which catches Berel's attention, the interest in the other mage is clearly enough to demonstrate that he is not some mere apprentice or amateur even if you have yet to judge the full scope of his abilities. Hartun and Zel simply nod and after Mazir finishes the spell the two move a bit more smoothly and responsively. Their eyes still seem as dead as before though. Once the pair have left the room Berel remains standing while the other two sit. He locks eyes with you and begins to cast a spell, which you recognise as a spell to dispell glamours and illusions. As you feel it ripple over you his eyes widen, although only slightly, and then he sits down apparently satisfied. Mazir realises he is beginning to feel a little tired himself however, as he remembers that there is a cost to giving energy to another. Success, although you feel a little tired after doing so. It's not enough to affect what you do yet however. Octagon - (Taeless, Taelos Private Zoo) Octagon manages to alight his way out of the zoo without being caught, just closing the roof emergency exit as he can hear the first signs of the guards coming in to patrol. "Well then I am sure they will be particularly anxious about my disappearance. So my knight, where are we going and what would you have me do?" How and why does a spider know about knights? Success, you manage to get out of the zoo Vanthos (Eosia, Eisos) "Killing them is simple enough, I do not care how you do it. Just kill them and dedicate their deaths to me. Invoke the name of Balsataroth as you do so. But know this mortal, if you do not have the will and the vision to seize control of your own life, someone else will. There are others that I can get to do this task. Oh they may be less competent but if they are willing and can hear me that is all I need, and your little hole has been very useful indeed." The voice says slowly changing from silken and inviting to harder and more commanding. When it finishes its next comment, Balsataroth's voice is like a fiery storm inside of Vanthos' head. "Do not bother me again mortal if you cannot do this task. The imp will aid you if you command it. Now that you know what to do we are done here." Then the connection is lost and the gap in reality that Vanthos had opened to summon the imp closed, leaving him to wonder exactly what its words about 'his hole' being very useful meant exactly...but one thing was clear. There might be others who could gain Balsataroth's power if they wished and Vanthos had gotten the impression that the first to serve him would be the most richly rewarded of all. Koth - (Frozen Wilds, Outskirts of Halfway) The guards make a kind of cursory statement of avoiding trouble on principle, but leave Koth to his business after that. This close between Eosia and the Wilds there were many strange folk who came and went and the people in the town, though further south than many Wilders, were still a hard and resilient people who would brook little violence or mayhem in their town. Koth was clearly dangerous and as long as he did not bother people they were very much content to let him be and attend to his business. Dorgan for his part was Eosian, which was a minority in the town. Koth remembered a tale told about him dealing in forbidden goods and fleeing for his life, but wasn't sure if it was true or not. Dorgan made sure to put on a show of his 'wealth' though and his office was fairly ostentatious compared to the town proper. The man himself sat at his desk, notably close to the fire which was burning merrily. His face and body had the look of someone who used to have a lot more meat on their bones than they now did and he had a kind of nervous look on his face. Dorgan was notoriously paranoid, which was part of what made him so good at information brokering; he had a perceived need to know everything he could. He settled down a little (but not too much) when he realised it was Koth. "How did the merchant guard work out? I thought you'd be gone for a good week or two more. Did he give up already?" He says with a kind of nervous laugh. Success, you reach Dorgan without incident. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 23:58 on Jan 10, 2013 |
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Jan 9, 2013 02:40
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The Breaking of the Heavens Vanthos (Eosia, Eisos) Vanthos summoned the imp as he put down the body of his dead son, he felt kind of numb like something inside him was hollow. It was an odd and distinctly existential moment, being aware of the entirety of his body and being. An hour ago this emptiness might have bothered him, but something had changed just moments ago when he had slit his son's throat. While he spent a few moments contemplating this, wondering whether this had to do with him committing a heinous crime, or if it was something to do with his deal with Balsataroth, the air grew still around him. Suddenly without warning reality around him cracked, a visible line growing hot red in the air and smelling of sulphur. It grew slightly larger until a great claw wrenched it open further, with red leathery skin and clawed nails of black stone. The hand widened the crack wide enough so that another could reach through. Both hands were large enough that they could easy grab Vanthos entirely and the one not holding back reality did so, dragging him into the place beyond. There was an incomprehensible sensation as he passed beyond reality to another plane and the shock caused him to blank out for a moment. When Vanthos opened his eyes he felt heat blast his face. He stood upon a blasted rock in the middle of a fiery void, filled with the smell of burning rock and blood. The rock itself was smallish, about the size of a small house and had a flat-ish surface, as though it had been ripped from some kind of flat badland. In front of him was the immense form of Balsataroth, who dwarfed Vanthos completely in size and in prsence. This close to the being he could feel as though the mere presence of it threatened to suffocate him. Balsataroth noticed him stand up and chuckled a low, rumbling laugh that held no pleasure that anyone would wish upon themselves. "I had not thought you had the courage to do it Godling, but it is done." He says and gestures behind you. As you turn and look Vanthos sees a burning portal leading into his son's room. There is a filmy surface over it except for the crack, and as he watches the crack seals over. "Do not be deceived, the connection is done, your world is breached." He says and as you turn around to face the creature again he has come closer to the rock Vanthos stands upon. "You have torn a hole in the wall around your world that prevented us from entering, and you from leaving. This realm is created in the gap between my plane and your world. Mortals tend to have quaint names for it like "Hell" or other such things, but it is yours and thus yours to name. And to do with as you wish." Balsataroth drew closer as he spoke, until he was right next to the rock that was your grounding in the void. His eyes burned with fire, terrible and filled with the promise of unspeakable acts and also of power, more power than Vanthos had even possibly begun to imagine.  "But I promised you a reward did I not? Come, let me remove the shackles of that pathetic form Godling." The Demon Lord said and suddenly grasped Vanthos in his hands. The hands cupped together enclosed Vanthos with room to move but there was no air. Vanthos began to panic as the heat inside grew unbearable and the air grew so full of sulphur, blood and bile that he could not breathe. As his body was wracked in pain he felt himself stretch and change, but the entire cacophony of his senses drove him almost insane and he could make nothing of the experience. Then after a time of pain, suffering and confusion that seemed to transcend eternity itself he was Different. The Demon Lord opened his hands and Vanthos floated in the void, no longer trapped by any false gravity or rules. The place was his to shape and command, although he had no power to do so yet. "Rise my Duke, cast aside your old name and swear fealty to me with your new one." Vanthos gains the Divine Trait: Demonic Duke [+2], as well as his foible Forbidden Magic [-2] becomes Demon [-2] to represent his new status as the world's first Demon. All Divine-Empowered beings: Suddenly you feel something change, a terrible sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. You can't say how you know, but something has broken an important barrier in the world and breached it. Now that this has happened something has grown where it should not.  Andra (Arandia, Woods north of Coltain) "But..." Andra hears from more than a few people, but the mob has grown silent and suddenly afraid because of your words. "Perhaps...you are right. We will wait for Civar to return then. You will guide us home, won't you Lady Andra?" One of the merchants says much to your surprise. No one had called you Lady Andra before, they had used milady or lady yes, but not as a proper title. There is a respect shining in the eyes of the people and you feel a faint connection to them. "You stood in the face of magic unscathed, but you aren't a witch, shaman or mage. How did you do it?" Suddenly Andra realises she is the very literal centre of attention of the group, although it might be best to lead them away from Civar and the witch for now. Then you feel something wrong happen, far to the north. Success, you've also gained some followers for managing to stand stalwartly in the face of magic and being clearly not a mage of some kind. Cultivate this and you'll be eligible to gain a new Divine Trait. Liliana (Taeless, Taelos - The Pits) The gate opposite to you on the far side of the arena was open and another figure, a man walks out. You find yourself facing another gladiator in the pit, one who looks equally surprised as you. As you both eye each other trying to figure out if you're meant to be killing each other a loud voice yells over the crowd. "TODAY WE HAVE NEW CHALLENGERS. TWO SCRAPS OF MEAT, READY TO FIGHT FOR THEIR LIVES AGAINST THE PACK. WILL THEY SURVIVE, OR WILL THE DOGS EAT MEAT TONIGHT?" It yells out as the gates to either side of you opens, and 6 vicious and wild dogs run out and begin to circle around the two of you. As Liliana backs into the centre of the arena with the man behind her, she feels the terrible change in the world, somewhere to the west far, far away. Adam and Kovar (Taeless, Mines of Sellos) There was a long pause, so long that Adam began to think Fel hadn't heard his words. Then there was an awful sensation of wrongbrokentearingpain from the earth. Fel screamed in anger and pain and the ground around you vented steam as a tremor began to cause cracks to form. Kovar for his part felt the change, not through the earth as Adam did but he knew something had changed, a new and possible terrible entity had entered into the game. He didn't know anything about it except it had the ability to make something happen such that it felt like the world had changed, coming from the far west. Then the tremor died down and Fel spoke, a hoarse whisper through the ground. "Can you feel it Adam, already the world is changing. It is hard for me to talk this far, I am tired...come down to me in the Heart of the Mountain. I will not harm you, you have my word on it. But come alone, or if you must bring the humans with you...I will see no harm comes to them either if they come. Your companion must remain here." Success, Adam convinced Fel to be willing to talk, but Fel insists on it being deeper in the mountain. Ocatagon (Taeless, Taelos) Octagon was moving through the town towards the house of the man he had been paid to kill, when he felt ill. Something had changed and not for the better. It was all he could do to not fall or to drop the spider, which seemed a deadly thing to do. "What's wrong, does this man frighten you that much, you that would court such sweet death as me?" The spider says in a decided spidery chuckle. "But I will do what you wish, just get me closer to the man and I will wait for him to be...unwary." The sense of wrongness had come from the far west, and although it was no longer a sense of sickening nausea if you thought about it, he could sense it still ever so faintly. Civar (Arandia, North of Coltain) Civar and Aideen hear the sounds of the mob moving away from them. Just as Civar thought they were out of the woods, so to speak, he felt the tear from to the north. Order had been broken, something vile and chaotic had breached into the world and changed something for the worst. He stopped for a moment to gather himself afterwards, which drew a surprised look from Aideen. "The mob is moving away, is something wrong?" She asks with concern, having been startled out of her usual bleak pessimism and brooding anger. As it died down, Civar felt a connection to the people that had been following Andra as well. He knew that if he could show them his new power, help them to become more orderly that they would follow him. This would grant him greater strength, because that was how his power and perhaps Andra's worked as well as she had seemed to be resistant to the witch's magic, far more than he had been at least. Success, Aideen is taken in by your stories which is why she is surprised and concerned when you feel ill. Mazir (Elysian Sands, Elysia) You are suitably entertaining your guests when suddenly something changes. Something evil and...somehow similar to you has entered the world and changed something. You feel like you have competition somehow, something far to the west has happened that might interfere with you...or possibly be a boon. It's hard to tell from this distance. Looking at Berel you see nothing other than a small amount of surprise at your misstep. Perhaps he did not notice? Shortly after this Hartun and Zel return with a sack each over their shoulders. They seem perturbed as well, and Zel even asks you; "Has something happened master? We thought we felt...something, for a moment. We do not think we were seen, but we are still nervous." Success, you are a hospitable host while Zel and Hartun do their task. Edo and Stavos (Eosia, Eisos Imperial University) Magister Ajikan leads you to the entrance when you suddenly feel terribly weak. Stavos feels a terrible change in the city, something that has changed something about reality itself. Edo feels like a terrible wound has been rent in life itself, the world having suddenly been injured but his magic tells him nothing as he flings it out to discover the source of the unpleasant sensation. Whatever happened was close, in the city both of you are sure, but you cannot tell where. Ajikan turns as you both pause and raises an eyebrow. "Come, the tests will not be harmful...or do you find yourselves in awe of such a splendid building? I imagine neither of you have been so close to the palace before." His smile is silky smooth and although not directly so, extremely arrogant in a thinly veiled way. Success, the Magister seems unaware of your whispering Wilhelm (Arandia, Minburg) Wilhelm's grief manages to filter its way into the hive and the colony, and both seem to hasten to tend to the precious larvae that they produce. Even the queen seems more energetic, and in a couple of days both will have replenished their numbers. As the evening comes you feel something terrible to the north, but the hive and colony know nothing about it. Your only response to your queries is a strange sense of insectile confusion. However Wilhelm realises the asset that soldier ants bring to their hives, bees have no such analogue. Success, the bees and ants make a concerted effort to replenish their numbers. Insects are brief creatures, but breed quickly at least as long as they are not too diminished. Degowin (Frozen Wilds, Whitewoods) Following the tracks takes some time, but Degowin is determined to have vengeance for what was done to him. So it is that he spends time wandering the woods carefully following the tracks. Although he loses them a number of times, he finds that he can use his cold ability to part the snow a little and sense where it had filled in the gaps made by the thick boots of the hunters. Eventually you come to a collection of a few tents. There is a sheltered fire amongst them, but they all seem asleep for the time being. Then the shock comes, the feeling of something hot and burning rending a hole in the world and something left in its wake, small and smouldering. It comes from the south, down where the 'civilised' peoples lived.  Success, you manage to track down the hunters and have figured out how to track after a snowfall using your power. Obviously this won't work with rain or something that's not inherently cold. Aldrain (Eosia, Great Library of Eisos) You pass the librarians who look at you quizzically and mention that supper was being served in the mess hall. As you head over there, you feel a sharp ache as someone does something in the city. Something that changed something important, something that was vile enough that you feel for a brief moment it would be better to burn such knowledge should it ever be recorded. Then the moment passes and you are left to continue towards the mess hall should you wish. Your body at least makes this desire known to you. Ilvis and Daveron (Arandia, Harvan) Ilvis' rather unusual way of dealing with the bandit manages to attract a fair amount of attention. People are quick to claim objects and you begin to suspect that not many of them are being entirely truthful about it. But when it is said and done, much of it has been claimed and reclaiming it would be rather...difficult. Ilvis begins to run into complications such as people wanting to know who this mysterious knight is and where you are from. Apparently many of the townsfolk have short memories and have forgotten the tournament already. Daveron on the other hand is content to lay back and snigger at all the trouble her soft-heartedness brings, with the bloody armour and a belligerent glare being enough to ward anyone off bothering him. Red (Val Aman, a Tea Party in the Woods) "Only if you catch that pesky mouse first." It says in a matter of fact tone, which prompts you to see a mouse pop out of a milk-jug. After about 5 minutes of chasing you finally manage to corner the mouse in a cookie jar and present it to the Lion. "Excellent!" He says happily and pops the mouse in his mouth. It looks nervously out of his ear after a couple of seconds but seeing Red, decides to hide again. The Lion enjoys your petting very much, especially when you scratch it behind its ears. As you are indulging it to a loud throaty purr it says; "I died once you know. There was a witch and a lot of snow, as well as this mouse. He keeps running away from me so I have to keep catching him. Sometimes he can be a real nuisance, but he's a good friend and as brave as they come." There's a small cheep from the Lion's ear in response to that comment. "Dying was pretty odd though-" The Lion says and suddenly everything is wrongwrongwrongwrong something's cracked and it's going to get you. It's far away in the west but you can't help but feel it will hunt and chase you. Suddenly the sound of a wolf's howl comes from far away in the distance.  Success! You pet the Lion.
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Jan 15, 2013 11:53
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Daveron & Ilvis (Arandia, Harvan) Ilvis's speech seems to kindle at least for some time, an appreciation for knightly virtues in most of the crowd. For those uninspired or who took part in wrongfully gaining from the recovery of the lost belongings of many merchants they found themselves swept up in the crowd. When it came to the flogging people were astonishingly resourceful at finding fruit and items to pelt at the bandit, as if they had been waiting for such an occasion. The most miraculous part was when a number of people stumbled forwards by accident, at the wrong time and got hit by stray fruit or stones themselves. It was soon discovered that those who had stumbled had been trying to take items that did not belong to them. Once this was realised a hush come over the crowd and all eyes turned to Ilvis and Daveron. Success, I combined both actions together into something that felt appropriate. Both of you feel a connection forming between you and the crowd, Ilvis more strongly however, and is close to gaining a new Trait. Andra (Arandia, Coltain) Much to the surprise of the group, if not Andra as well, it is those least capable of fighting that are most inspired. Even one of the merchants decides that it may be time to take up the way of the sword, a proclamation that turns many a head in the group. While many in the group look to Andra for leadership and protection now, fewer would actually take up arms to follow her. It is however a start to gaining a larger force, should that be the adventure that she wished for. Training them will take time but Andra's charm and display of courage and a willingness to sacrifice herself for others has ensured that those who want to listen will. Success, Andra begins to work some discipline in by a willingness to listen, into a number of those people. While many will follow her, fewer will follow her into battle. Wilhelm (Arandia, South Gindarr Jungle) The man stood in the place where the wasps gathered. Many gathered around him and at first he was stung numerous times, so much that his vision began to swim. Eventually he fell, his thoughts fading as the wasps began to crowd over him. Although he thought he might be dying, this was not the case. What came next was a strange period of semi-wakefulness when he felt surrounded by a warm tough shell. It was hard to tell how much time had passed exactly when he finally broke out, but Wilhelm was changed. He stepped out of his chrysalis aware of the wasps around him. Wilhelm had supplanted the queen as the leader of the hive, and furthermore he could feel the ants and bees he commanded as well. His body had changed to match his nature, he stretched his now chitinous hands and body and gave his wings a test.  Success, Wilhelm transforms and gains the trait: Insect Lord [+2] as well gaining the Quirk: Monstrous Visage. I was aiming for something a little less chunky looking, but I couldn't find much that wasn't a cartoon, comic or from The Fly. So I guess Wilhelm gets a bit buff. Adam & Kovar (Taeless, Sellos) Over the coming days Kovar walked amongst the town of Sellos and talked to its people. He came to know a number of them, came to know their troubles and he offered advice. As an outsider none would let him directly intervene, but the general carried an air of confidence and reassurance that put people at ease and opened their minds to his words. Most of his advice resulted in a satisfying resolution for all concerned, not always as men and women are fickle and often want to be contrary, but enough that people came to treat him less like an outsider.  The arrival of Thadroin caused a substantial stir. His similarity to the new body of Adam and his sudden appearance, literally growing from the ground itself caused many rumours to spread. Adam felt the unwanted and uneasy weight of peoples gaze upon his back as he moved around time. During this time he found that he healed quickly, more quickly than a man should, although if this was due to his new form or some other condition neither he nor Thadroin could tell. When Thadroin tried to test it himself he found his body turned to stone when he tried to injure it, preventing anything but a light graze. People began to look at Adam with curiosity, for his skill in the mines had soon became well known to all. So it was that Sellos began to change, and that the people looked first to Adam, but also to Kovar as well. Adam is growing a connection to the Sellosians, Kovar can get there too but as an outsider he has more to prove unless something should happen. Kovar's action is successful in making the town better disposed to him. Degowin (Frozen Wilds, Whitewoods) Degowin seized the man around the mouth before he could scream and held him down tight. The man struggled as Degowin leached out all of the heat in him until his skin shrivelled, his eyes turned cold and his heart stopped. Then the hunter replaced the spark of life that was dimming down with a shard of pure frost and let him go. The man stared in horror at his new form, marked with a chilling glyph of blazing frost in his chest. When he spoke, it was only a whisper, hoarse as though the man had been deprived of water for many days. "Who are you? What have you done to me. Please, release me...let me die." Success, you have created I can't believe it's not a Draugr. Civar (Civar, Central Arandia) Civar could see what he needed to mitigate, as well as foresee some troubles ahead. The only problem was that the cart was not in good enough condition to do much with it, Civar could see many ways that would for a short time improve the cart's speed only for it to later fall apart for pieces of the frame to rip and tear. In the end Civar used what he could see to make the trip easier, which helped ease the burden but was not the flight he had wished. Aideen warns Civar when strangers approach and once the pair has to deal with bandits, but thanks to a bit of clever speech and suggestion from the witch, along with some insights and manipulation of the stability of some of the bandits gear they avoid a confrontation. His cart and Chuckles arrived soundly and in good condition however when they arrived in the first town. The people of the tavern are surprised a witch would masquerade as a merchant, but then another comments how only certain wealthy merchants have been targeted and that their men have escaped. Soon the folk of the town have helped convince themselves of the pair's tale. You technically failed, but because you've been really good with using your Foible when appropriate I upshifted it to a success, but in different areas than what you originally seemed to intend. Also remember, when you use your Divine trait, you can only use other Divine traits or a single Mortal Trait Mazir (Elysian Sands, Elysia) Mazir cut the necks and as the life force of his victims bled out he drank deeply. But his magic of illusion mixed with his new power in a way he did not expect, and he drank deeper than he had before. As the life force of the first, a thin man of older age, flowed into Mazir he began to have a vision of his life. Once the man had been a fighter in the pits of Taelos, strong and skilled he had earned great fame and eventually his freedom. But the politics of Taelos were new to him and soon he found himself framed for a murder he had not committed. Unwilling to return to the life of a slave he had fled to become a bandit for some time, until he began to grow old and the others whispered of killing him and taking his share of his loot. Again the man had fled, this time to Elysia where he had remained until this night. Berel was speechless and the other two were white with shock, as Mazir realised that he was projecting around him the illusion of what he was seeing and feeling. He drove on, drinking deep into the life of the second, a dancer who had married a wealthy man who had given her everything she wanted except her freedom. Eventually she snuck out with a merchant caravan to Elysia and had made her trade here in the Oasis of the Sands. Zel and Hartun remained silent and merely watched, as though the strange and gruesome sight had lost some shock and perhaps even deeper emotional meaning to them. Success, you put on a better show than even Mazir had predicted. Your high roll has upshifted the result. Edo & Stavos (Eosia, Imperial University of Eisos) "The test will take as long as it needs to. If you want it to go quicker then you ought co-operate. As for your claims I sensed no magic being used nearby, so leave that to those of us who actually know what they're doing." Magister Ajikan says in a tone that clearly indicates exactly what he thinks of Edo's claim. He leads you and Stavos into the Imperial University, and from there through a number of doors and corridors. Eventually after being somewhat disoriented by the whole trip you find yourself in a room, with a marble table in the centre and several chairs around it. In addition there are raised seating around the centre there is a larger chair opposite to the entrance, also raised but closer to the middle area. The entire setup evokes a decided image of a court, or at least some kind of judgement being conducted. There is a man who looks somewhat ill sitting in one of the chairs. "This is Magister Katinos." Ajikan says as he gestures towards the seated man. "He has been given a disease magically. We can cure him, but it is your task to try and diagnose the problem and then cure his symptoms with magic. If you are actually able to." Failure, sorry but the Magister does not feel any urgency to rush. Bureaucracy is a terrible and intractable thing. Octagon (Taeless, Taelos) There was a break in patrol for a brief minute during the time that the noble went to have his second supper. Octagon quickly leapt down and climbed up the wall, after checking that there were no city guards or passers-by that might spot him. Deftly entering the room Octagon went to the bed and deposited his passenger. "Worry not my love, separation only makes the heart grow fonder." She says in a mocking voice and scuttles away to find a nice corner to hide in. In the light Octagon can see that the spider noble has a rather, well, vibrant colour scheme on her back which might be why she is hiding out of sight as opposed to in a corner. But there was little time to contemplate this, he had to leave soon before anyone returned. Octagon was gone and a distance away by the time the nobleman returned to his room. It was almost two hours later as Octagon reckoned it when a shout came from the man's room. "He's dead! Lord Deasoth has been murdered!" Suddenly there is a great deal of commotion in the room, but Octagon can't see the spider noble having left yet. It is up to him whether he leaves her behind or not... Success, the noble Daesoth is now slain. Also a reminder, one Mortal trait per Divine action. Liliana (Taeless, Taelos - The Pits) It would be more accurate to describe the fight as a dance, a bloody dance of murder and death. Liliana used the wind to guide her and to help her move around the arena. So it was that the dogs seemed unable to catch her, as she cut at them each one by one. The cuts were not deadly, not at first, but Liliana kept dancing in and out and kept cutting until the dogs began to bark in frustration. Had the beasts been fed they would have had the sense to be afraid, but such clarity of thought was overridden by the urge and need to feed. The crowd grew silent and Liliana realised she might be doing too well, and so set herself and allowed one of the beasts to scratch her. Then the reverie of the crowd was broken and they started cheering and roaring again. The scratch itself hurt, but was fortunately not too deep to be truly debilitating. Soon it was done, and Liliana stood with the other man in the centre of the Pit. The crowd seemed to expect something, for the victors to react somehow to their victory. The air hung in tense expectation. Success, you manage to do well but not perfectly in your first fight. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Jan 22, 2013 |
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Jan 22, 2013 23:25
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Andra (Arandia, Coltain) The crowd seems to hang on to your every word and through the night the tavern becomes so crowded that the windows are opened wide and people hang around them outside. As Andra talks she feels that tentative connection grow stronger, until she feels a definite connection between her and all the townsfolk and even those travellers. As she does so her mind and body seem to open up further as she begins to understand first, how magic in its three forms works and more importantly...how to fight it. It was as if the knowledge had been locked up inside of her all this time and here in this place, in the story that she told, the warmth of the hearth and the flowing mead casks that it finally opened itself to her. The rest of the evening however is a blur as mead and ale dim the evening until a cascade of images and sound. Then Andra awoke the next morning to the sound of murmuring in the back of her mind. Feeling foggy from the night before she pushed aside the sensation and it faded away, leaving Andra to deal with the new day. Whatever had happened to Andra, it seemed to be the cure for the hangover. Success, additionally Andra gains the Divine trait Protector [+2]. Edo & Stavos (Eosia, Imperial Academy of Eisos) Whatever was wrong with Magister Katinos Edo and Stavos might never know, for they brought their power to bare and plunged it into Katinos. The man's eyes widened in surprise as his body changed, crease lines and wrinkles fading, posture straightening, even his paunch began to recede and he began to put on muscle. When it finished his skin seemed to glint a bronze-like colour and it first it seemed like he was just superbly tanned. But then it sunk in, that wasn't a tan, the man seemed to literally now be made out of bronze. Edo and Stavos blinked while Magister Ajikan stared for a brief moment before turning on them, his face a deathly pale. "What did you do?" He asks hoarsely, before thundering out a mighty shriek; "What the hell did you do and how?" Magister Katinos stood, examined himself and smiled a little. "I haven't felt this good in all my life." He comments mildly, which earned him a cold glare from Ajikan. "Shut up Katinos, that's not the issue here." Failure, just, so you go what you wanted and what you didn't want. Mixing Transmutation with Healing has...interesting results sometimes you might say. Civar (Arandia, Harvan) Over the coming days you notice Aideen open up a little. She seems less on guard around you, but a lifetime or hurt and betrayal means she keeps herself fairly closed at the best of times. She speaks a little of her own childhood, of learning the Mind Magicks of being a witch. But she always cuts off after a certain point a look of long distant pain haunting her face for a moment. It seems Aideen has not had a lot of happy memories for many years and appreciates having some to listen to, at least for a while until she begins to feel jealous. A few days later you arrive in Harvan. Success, Aideen will trust you, not with her life perhaps but to a reasonable degree. Degowin (Frozen Wilds, Whitewoods) The man follows after you restlessly but says nothing else. With an amazing stealth for one so large, probably due to Degowin's newfound powers over sound you come to the next hunter and repeat the process. The second hunter was a larger and huskier man and so your powers acted differently on him, filling his veins with ice and his heart with cold. He grew larger, a bit, but mightily strong with a grip like a dead man has. He too finished struggling eventually and once he was transformed fully whispered when his mouth was freed; "What am I? What have I become...what is to become of me?" The man's vein stood out a softly glowing ice blue and his eyes were pure white, his pupils and irises burned away by cold. He too had a glyph on his chest, slightly different to the first. Success. You keep rolling really well on difficult rolls. |: I decided to add a bit of variety to the Frostborn though. Mazir (Elysian Sands, Elysia) It was done. Each of your disciples as they were had been marked and bound in a fellowship. You felt a respect from Berel but also a hunger for power. In time if not tempered he might rise against you, but for now he remained content to be bound and to follow. After the three newcomers were bound as well you notice they too have changed, a little, too become paler and a little more haunted looking as Zel and Hartun. Yet they did not have the dead eyes that your first two did and as your covenant grew larger you felt something. Were you to gather others to you, in fear or in loyalty, your power would grow albeit in a different manner to if you simply feasted on the souls of the dead. Success. I also gave you some hints IC about gathering followers, in case you wish to do so. Octagon (Taeless, Taelos) It took some time for there to be no-one in the room, but eventually people leave to go and organise things and to find the guard. So Octagon ducks in and quickly rescues the spider noble, escaping with her back into the night. "Oh my hero, come and let me give you a kiss." She says with sardonic amusement as Octagon presumably makes his way back to his home. Success, spider retrieval is complete! Kovar (Taeless, town in the north-west) So it came to pass that Kovar travelled for a full tenday until he returned to the town where Jusep and Algard had come from and received his reward. Had he not had the guards stick up for him it would have been hard to convince the head guard, but as it was he and the two guards ended up with some gold coins. Not a lot though, for the town was not exactly wealthy. And then it came to the time when Algard and Jusep needed to explain that they were leaving. The discussion was heard around the entire village and in the end both returned to their homes and gathered their belongings. "I think it best we leave this place and not return for some time." Jusep said prudently and looked towards the south gate, away from Sellos and towards the rest of Taeless. "There are more women out there than in the mountains." He said simply and waited to see what Kovar would say next. You get gold. But I'm not going to keep a track of it. Beltheus (Hell) Balasataroth smiled and it would have filled a mortal man or god with dread. To Beltheus though such cruelty and evil seemed more...natural now. In fact you wonder why it ever bothered you at all? After all where had being good or just ever gotten anyone? "You are a Duke, Beltheus, but a duke of an empty realm. Go forth and gather wicked souls, fashion the strongest and most vile into servants and...do with the rest as you wish. Tell your servants to do the same, and they will tell their servants to as well. A Master draws power from their slaves, their servants, and it keeps on piling like blood into a pool. Do not disappoint me. Should you prove weak and incapable you can and will be replaced. Grow strong, shape this realm into a realm of torment and evil and you will grow more powerful than you know. And with your power, I too shall grow...until those few left who rival me are beneath me!" He says and then draws back, before fading away like a burn upon reality and laughing a terrible and wicked laugh all the while. Then Beltheus was alone, with the hidden crack behind him. More could be made if they needed he knew, but doing so would be hard...at least at first. Go and make servants and gain souls, and gain power in the pyramid scheme of demonic power. Aldrain (Eosia, Imperial Academy of Eisos) "Did you hear? They took the healer from the streets and tested him. Except he turned Katinos to bronze! Oh and made him look like a perfect sculpture but still...apparently he mentioned something had happened in the city. I bet he was responsible." There are a number of other rumours and conversations similar, and Aldrain can hear that from the sounds of it, Stavos is also involved somehow. Adam (Taeless, mines of Sellos) Adam finds that for all his lack of work lately, that Thadroin can actually work hard when he wants to. In fact the darker skinned 'dwarf' seemed to enjoy the sensations of hard labour and being tired and sore as much as he enjoyed all the other sensations he had been indulging in. He was just happy to have a body back really, "besides, it's in our nature to enjoy working hard." He said with a bit of a smile when Adam commented on it. With the two of them working, their hovel is finished within a few days and surprisingly it ends up being fairly cozy, with stone brick walls and some metal work here and there. Thadroin suggested they make a forge, slightly apart from the main house of course to avoid fire damage, and dedicate it to Fel. All of this took about a full tenday to finish and both got their first proper night's sleep for some time under a roof of solid stone and earth. Adam hadn't realised how uneasy sleeping with only a thin roof above him had been making him feel. The following week Adam and Thadroin can get back to mining proper and they notice more than a number of people follow them, trying to learn how it was that made the two such expert miners. When Adam became uneasy with the attention, Thadroin handled the people by giving them a more personal demonstration and explaining what and why he was doing. But then on the seventh day early in the morning there came a knock on the door and one of the mining families was standing outside. Whatever had happened to Adam, had at least happened in part to them as well. "Uh, we be a little concerned about these happenings master Adam." The husband says with a bit of confusing and shyness. "But I ken ye might have a better idea than us." The man did not seem to realise his entire mannerisms and speech had changed overnight. His son on the other hand seemed to be finding his new beard to be quite entertaining. You're getting close to a new Trait, but I'll wait and see what you do with some new 'Dwarves' before I decide on it. Also, you should really name them soon. You don't have to name your people Dwarves unless you want to. Ilvis & Daveron (Arandia, Harvan) If Ilvis was surprised by what her sword had done before this, what it did next was something that defied belief entirely. The sword blazed even brighter for a second and, without thinking so much as acting on instinct, Ilvis pointed her sword at the man. It pulsed with pure white flame and then engulfed the man in fire. The crowd shrieked and stepped back, terrified by the old man's sudden combustion and he yelled in surprise, yet not in pain. He stood up and spoke calmly and almost in an otherworldly manner. In almost detached detail he described the many small and petty crimes he did, mostly thefts, because his back was stiff and sore and he found it hard to do many chores. His family travelled often and he sometimes nearly starved when they could not care for him. He was ashamed by what he did, but was scared of death and could not bear to starve away. With the things he stole and sold to those less scrupulous (whom he also named), he could afford to buy a meal at the inn, a warm bath to properly clean himself for a week or two and some ointments to ease his joints. The fire remained white throughout the entire scene and when he finished speaking he began to weep openly and the flames flickered before finally dying out. He was untouched by the flames and the crowd grew deathly still. Daveron pulled out his sword and the old man was unwounded, healed by the flames as his vest was clearly torn by the passing of the blood and stained with blood from the wound that had been there. But Daveron was held in the thrall of the scene as well. Almost lazily to the crowd he gestured, pointing to a middle aged man who stepped forwards. Kennet was the man's name and he stood there locked in the thrall of Daveron's gaze and gesture. Ilvis again sword blazing pure white pointed it to the man and flames leapt forth, but when they touched him they burned a dark black like no flame every should. Kennet talked, his voice full of panic as words tumbled out of it. His tale was vile, one of rape and murder and the crowd stepped many paces back from him. When he was done speaking of his terrible acts Daveron spoke a single word as he almost casually lopped the man's head off. "Guilty." And so it was that all in the crowd rushed to purge themselves of their sins and crimes, and Daveron could tell the truth of each while Ilvis stood there with her sword blazing bright. Ilvis gains the Divine trait Justice [+2] while Daveron gains the Divine trait Truth [+2]. Sorry I co-opted the scene a little from what you both originally intended, but you rolled a truly staggering result and I felt the need to do something special with it. Wilhelm It was much easier now that he was one of them. Wilhelm found it harder to think of himself as a man than as an insect of some kind. He was still himself, and his thoughts were not really affected as such but he felt a greater affinity for those who worked in the fields than those in the town. And the insects worked hard and the fields began to give a great bounty under their care. Admittedly there were many more mouths to feed so the providence was not as great as it seemed at first, but there would be plenty for those in town should Wilhelm feel generous enough to share. Three days after he returned one of the kids had snuck into his farm. When Wilhelm came to confront the errant youth the boy looked at him earnestly and said; "Mr. Wilhelm, you can fly right now? I want to fly too!" The insectman got the impression that the child was asking for a lift more than anything else. Success, your fields will produce more than the other farms due to the constant care of their insect minders.
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Jan 29, 2013 09:45
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Andra (Arandia, Coltain) Andra goes to find Galariel and the others. Much to her possible amusement she discovers that they're playing knights and witches, with one of the smaller boys having been forced to be the witch and Galariel as Andra. The ringleader boy whose name you find out is Baros looks at you kind of guiltily when the group spots you. "You're not going to make me go back to the smithy are you miss? My arms hurt and its really hot in there." The sooty face makes a bit of sense now, and you reassure him that no you're not at the moment (although should Andra wish it wouldn't be too hard to find the smith and let him know where his errant apprentice is). When you ask about something funny going on the little kid's face lights up a bit. "I know, maybe you can do something about the serpent!" He says earnestly and this time it's Galariel's turn to disparage the rumour. "My dad says that's not true, that there is no serpent. He says it's just because the fisherman are being lazy Tomos." She says to the small kid which prompts a small shouting match of "Is not!" "Is too!" for a minute. Andra decides to step in when the children threaten to come to blows. "I don't know if it's true or not miss, but there's been more broken boats late and Gerrick has been making lots of nails and brackets. He was up making more this morning." Baros says to you while Galariel and Tomos sulk by making faces at each other. Edo and Stavos (Eosia, Imperial University of Eisos) "Fine. Let it not be said that a Magister is unwilling to put their life on the line for the Empire. I will test your ability so that I might now what it is you do. Use your...whatever it is on me, I will know what you do." Magister Ajikan says with a grim note of determination to his usual arrogance. So Edo tried to change him as well, this time not feeling the aid of Stavos. He managed to heal Ajikan and shaped his body to be fitter, yet unlike Katinos the other Magister does not turn to metal, but neither does his youth return. Ajikan frowns deeply though once this is done, casting several spells and with each one becoming increasingly perplexed and annoyed. Finally he snaps at Edo; "Alright, what is it that you have done? You have changed me, somehow, but I can't sense any magic at work. In fact I can't sense anything. It is as though you have just...changed things with your will!" Edo for his part realises that restoring youth is really difficult, sculpting the body is simple if not always easy as he's just shrinking and enlarging existing things. But age is...more intrinsic and a less defined quality. Partial success, you managed on the healing and the body sculpting but not the reverse aging. That's the really hard part. Degowin (Frozen Wilds, Near Northward) Degowin came to the clearing where his servants had gathered the other hunters. It was cold and they shivered, their warm clothing being barely sufficient to keep them warm in the night. He told them his words and saw the fear and understanding in their eyes, but the fear was not just to him. Their leader looked at Degowin and whispered almost like in a reverie. "So it is true. I had a dream that you would become a monster and torture us. I had thought to give you a gentle death to the cold, but you have lived. Now we are cursed. Doomed." Many edge away from him after these words, fearing you would strike them down as well due to their association. "We will serve you, Degowin, but what of our hunt. Will you let us take what we have back to our families, or will they too suffer for Thurjin's crime?" Success, the hunters will serve you out of fear for now at least. But they also worry about their families. As well, you find out the person responsible for leaving you to die to the cold. Civar, Daveron and Ilvis (Arandia, Harvan) Aideen had followed Civar not out of a sense of duty but mostly because she had wanted to cling onto the one source of stability and comfort she had in this place. She had followed him to the meeting with the two knights, even if one of them had been more of a lout than a real knight. To stay or not...she didn't know. Nowhere felt like home and she didn't feel like settling down here, Harvan was too large and someone might recognise her eventually. She had told Civar that she would continue travelling with him for a while, as long as he didn't mind. If he did well...she could always follow him she supposed. Civar guided Daveron through what he needed to do for him. To have such order and precision was a bit of a shock for the big Daveron, who lived a more disorganised life. The forge seemed to sing as he struck at it and shaped the metal, as Civar quenched it and they worked the hammer head. Then it came to Ilvis' turn. She took her sword and placed it on the anvil, feeling it resonate with the steel in it. The scent of hot metal and burning coal filled her nose and she breathed deeply, taking the essence of the forge into herself and pooling it within her. It was like a hot weight that wanted to flow through her, and it was into this that she poured the power of justice. As she worked her power into it, the essence of the forge began to spread through her and once she could not hold it anymore she let go. The flames at the forge rose higher. "No, wait. Don't stop. It feels right." Something seemed different, but no one could really make much sense of it. Their attention was focussed on their task. The flames grew bright, white and black and Civar placed the hammerhead into the flames. It absorbed the white until the fire contained only blackness and then Civar removed it and quenched it for the final time. Then Aideen spoke, her head thrown slightly back and her eyes defocused. "Take in hand ye of worth, the hammer which will make men, Strike the metal or the man, truth and justice will tell true, Imbue the gift to metal wrought, to reveal lies and wrongs well hidden, Or judge and deliver verdict, make those with evil break with rue. I shall brook no hand lest that which be of pure intent that shalt strike true. Ye who would judge shall be judged, lest ye be found wanting." Her voice rang thick with prophecy as the hammer was finished. On each of the three largest faces was a single word, each different. Truth, Order, Justice. The hammer itself was otherwise unremarkable but it held the feeling of power in it. Aideen dropped to her knee, faint with exhaustion as the grip of prophecy left her. Ilvis found herself sweating profusely in her armour, and without even thinking about it took her helmet off so that she could breathe. Daveron paused for a moment, staring in shock at her as she scratched her itchy beard. Wait.  There wasn't a question of success, you stacked the heck out of it. You've created the first Mortal Magic item, the Hammer of Justice. Like the legends of Mjollnir only one worthy of it will be able to use it, and it can be used to judge a man or forge a weapon that will strike true against evil hearts, that being people who would spread chaos, lies or injustice. Additionally Ilvis acquires the Quirk: Male. This is because of her self-image and projected image disconnect. Adam (Taeless, Sellos) Adam spoke and all present listened intently to his words. Sellos was a mining town and everyone was bound in some way or another to the fortunes of the mine. Yet there was a kind of camaraderie and kinship amongst the miners. They were dangerous places, the roof could collapse and crush you unexpectedly and such things did happen from time to time. And so it was that they were like a community to themselves within Sellos. It was true, Adam's change had taken them by surprise and with some fear...yet they had begun to accept him for what he was. There was an allure as well, for Adam's prowess at finding metals and gems, at shaping stone had begun to be noticed. When Adam looked up and said that word, Dwarf, it was more than just the Langleys that said 'aye' in response. Not all present had changed but about another half of all those that had crammed into the place had somehow, in the space of Adam looking away to compose himself, shrunk to become Dwarves as well. Over the next Tenday it came to pass that all the miners and their families in Sellos became Dwarves. Those in town who did not work in the mines did not change, nor did they seem like they would. A small shanty village grew in the wider area of the mines, temporary living for those Dwarves that no longer felt comfortable sleeping under just a plain roof. Adam for his part had hid for the fist few days, even more mortified at what he had done. But as time passed he realised something. Even if he didn't feel comfortable leading these people, they were his people now for better or for worse and he could lead them. It wouldn't be easy, but wasn't that what Kovar had said? That being a leader was often uncomfortable and unpleasant, but those who were good at it did it because it needed to be done and not because they wanted to. On the other hand it was an entirely different matter when Thadroin tried to present Adam with a crown. Success. You have now officially given birth to the Dwarf race! Adam also gain the Divine Trait: Leader [+2] because of this. Kovar (Taeless, Sellos) Although you had figured out a bit about Jusep before, your inquiries reveal quite a bit of insight into him. Jusep for all his attempts at laconic indifference is actually a fairly caring sort of person, he wants a wife because he envies that kind of bond that people have. Yet people in his hometown didn't take him seriously because he didn't step up and take charge. This wasn't because he was lazy, but because he disliked ordering people and controlling them. It was easier for him to follow and help people, to make them happy like that which had led him to becoming a guard. From this Kovar could figure out he needed a headstrong woman, someone that would make what she wanted know to him clearly and simply. But he would need to make sure that the woman wasn't too strong, too confident because Jusep was still a man and would feel troubled by being obviously subordinate to a woman. When the trio returned to Sellos, a just over two tenday after they had left they discover the town greatly changed. Fewer people walk around the town proper anymore and there are a fair number of abandoned houses. It seems that all of the miners and their familes have become like Adam, and have taken to living in the mines. People are commenting they're making a new town in there, carved from the stone of the mountain. Yet they're not sure what exactly to make of all this, for the miners still come down and pay for drink, buy food and clothing and so on...but it's like they're almost a different people. Those left in Sellos proper seem kind of listless, as though part of them has been ripped out and they're not sure what to do about it. Success, you would recognise a good wife for Jusep now. You can either find a decent match in Sellos or the nearby towns, or you could try further a field to find a more perfect match. Mazir (Eleysian Sands, Elysia) Over the next tenday Mazir reworks the caves on the far sides to his needs. A collection of tanned leathers, expensive but surreptitiously gained through the endeavours of Kelet and Salima for a cheaper price sheltered the entrance. The far back of the room had been converted into a private area, warded by Mazir and Berel so that only they could enter. Here Mazir worked his magic, slowly gaining power from those that would defy him. The middle area was converted into a living space, although only Hatrun, Zel, Berel and Mazir himself lived here for the time being. The front was a cover, with some deliberately foul smells that were carefully ensorcelled to blow away from the cave. Only those with reason to come inside visited the caves, and Mazir's cabal grew in size slowly but surely. By the end of the tenday following he had a small but sufficient network of subordinates, which was just as well. The clans were arriving and the risk and potential providence of this was immense. Mazir could use this to influence what would happen to the sands or, should he wish, have a vast source of people to feed on. Success, you gain a small network of servants and agents. As a result you're fairly close to a new trait, I am just holding off to see what to give you. This event also coincides with Arashan's posts, when he was still in the game. Octagon (Taeless, Taelos) Octagon waits a while, trying to find out if something is going on. Eventually, as if inspired by the death of the merchant another noble wants a poison. Not just any poison though, a horribly virulent poison from Val Aman. Such items are naturally forbidden in Taeless, with its general dogma or straight and fair combat and to be caught with such a thing is to be sentenced to death. So naturally the noble is willing to pay a very large amount to have it...acquired. Eventually you notice one day your spider friend, the original one and not the noble, is missing. When you question the noble she replies simply; "Oh, I ate him." Lilian (An ocean somewhere) The crowd appreciates Lilian's showmanship and the applause is great. So it was that she left the arena and returned to her room. Life over the next few tendays is hard and Lilian becomes better at fighting in a real situation than she used to be. She learns to use her talent more practically but tries to hide it, for fear that its discovery might cause her to be trapped forever. Yet one day after she has finished there are two hooded men waiting for her in her cell. The old lady is fast asleep and they peer over at Lilian when she enters. "Is this the one?" The first hooded figure, a male voice that sounds too wellspoken to be a mere thug. "Yes. I sensed no magic from her, yet she is in every fight the wind changes." The other replies, a female voice that sounds older and a bit harsher. "She must be like the fisherman and the alchemist. We will take her with us, it will be a better life than the arena I think." She continues and they both nod. Perplexed and without a weapon Lilian is about to try and react but they start chanting and she feels drowsy. She feels a knock to her her as she strikes the group. The next thing she is aware of is the smell of the sea, and the rocking sensation of a boat as she wakes up on a bed. Aldrain (Eosia, Imperial University of Eisos) Aldrain finds some books on demon summoning which seem mostly to be about forcing out and dragging small creatures, Imps the author calls them, from another...place. The way they are described seems most foul, little creatures that delight and feed off of suffering and vice and will do their master's bidding until his control fails. Maybe something like this happened before, if anything it might give you a way to track down where it happened if you can figure out the 'words'. The library for its part seems to rustle with a wind, which when you listen speaks to you seemingly saying; "Something forbidden comes...spread our knowledge...teach others not to fall to it." Wilhelm (Arandia, Minburg) Carrying the child is not as difficult as you had thought. It seems that there is a fair amount of muscle beneath your carapace which is odd...you are sure that is not the case with other insects. Perhaps your origin as a human makes you unique. It is certainly something to think about. The food is carried without incident although it takes many trips, the wasps and ants are small and while they are strong human labour is still proportionally difficult for them. If there was a way to breed them to be bigger, then it would be quicker and easier. When Wilhelm deposits the child, who has to his credit remained very still to avoid being dropped in town the youngster asks you a question with innocence in his eyes. "Flying is neat Mr. Wilhelm, but how and why did you become a bug person?" The townsfolk are naturally surprised to hear the child confirm that the strange creature before them was, in fact, Wilhelm and about your new form. But people are unsure whether to snatch the child away from you or not and freeze in a paralysis of indecision. Then they freeze from fear of the swarm of insects that slowly bring your crop of food into the market. Success, the trip is without incident for both the child and the food.
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Feb 5, 2013 04:38
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Some combat in a frozen hellhole posted:Attack (+10): 2d6+10 16 The combat is swift and bloody, both men leap at each other and strike but it seems that Degowin's increased size has not decreased his speed...at least not by enough. Thurjin finds himself gutted with a spear and starts coughing up blood. "Mercy...please..." He says desperately to Degowin, knowing that the giant was unlikely to give him any with his madness and with what Thurjin had tried to do. And so Degowin stood there, a man's life held within his hands...entirely. I've rolled the next round, if you decide to try and finish Thurjin. You gut him horribly. Anyone who does combat like this will get a quick resolution as well, as it's simpler to write in most cases.
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Feb 5, 2013 05:25
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Octagon (Val Aman, Val Setin) The journey to Val Setin involved a barge down the river. The air is stank with humidity and your companion finds it easy to spin webs to catch insects. She makes one notable and interesting observation part way during the voyage however. "This is most curious. By now I ought be dead, I wonder if you have something to do with this perhaps?" She muses although seems to take her longevity quite in her stride. You arrive at the docks in Val Setin and make some 'discrete' inquiries as to where it would be best to purchase a poison. To your chagrin you remember why Val Amani annoy you, everyone has their own secret brews with all kinds of effects and there are no less than 6 'honest' alchemists that would be able to provide you with what you want. Success, you manage to figure out which alchemists will sell the type of poison you want. Which is an important thing in Val Setin. Degowin (Frozen Wilds, Northward) The hunters are a little unsure about the stew, it smells strange to them and their animals do not wish to eat of it. Yet after seeing what Degowin did to Thurjin they are not only too scared to decline it, but also wonder if some part of the strange power that Degowin has gained will rub off on them as well. The meal is eaten in utter silence and at the end the hunters thank you for your providence. The trek home takes the group a few days as they are laden down by their kills. On the first day the hunters comment that the weather seems warmer than they are used to. By the second day a number have taken off their cloaks and heavy jackets, too hot under their weight to bear wearing them. They discard them on the ground, not being able to carry them and their hunts. On the third day all of the hunters have begun to walk bare-chested in the snow, not seeming to notice the chill bite of the cold at all. They walk almost soundlessly and the world around them seems louder and more profound for the first time. When you return to Northward the wives and children of the hunters rush out to greet them, only to slow and pause to see their husbands and fathers doing the impossible and walking with the spirit the Shaman spoke of. Quickly someone goes to rouse him and he returns to you, your headdress ready. He has worked the pelt of the Great Stag into the headdress as well, with the skull and antlers forming the body which rests on your head and the pelt running down your back. He offers it to you solemnly. "I see you have brought our hunters home safely, all save Thurjin. Do you know of what happened to him Great Spirit? He was lead of our hunters and his wisdom and guidance in the hunt has fed us well for a number of winters." Success. You can work on your hunters more if you want, but at the moment they can walk bare-chested through the snow and do not leave much sound when passing. Hot weather will bother them more however. Andra (Arandia, Coltain) The children at least seem eager to jump to the orders of Andra the Witchslayer. Even Baros who clearly not eager to return to the forge reticently returns to talk to his master. Although the others you ask for gather around at the wharf quickly enough Baros it seems was detained by his master to either do chores that had piled up in his absence, or to assist in making the harpoon. There are a number of fisherman all debating amongst themselves the details of the serpent gathered by the time your group of followers arrives. Success, feel free to steer this a little bit and decide what's true and false about their stories. Mazir (Elysian Sands, Elysia) You don't know where you went wrong. All of your plans indicate what you did should have worked, you punished only those wicked and deserving and yet...yet the clan leaders viewed what you did as horrific. Not only did a few of them invoke some antiquated and possibly made up clan laws about they being the ones to punish crimes amongst their peoples, they called you a monster and demon. The clans have united, at least for the time being yes, but against you and not with you as you had hoped. Yet it has not come out into the open just yet. There is a small window before all of Elysia knows who you are and what it is you can do. Your followers for their own part have their own ideas. Salima advocates bewitching the leaders to follow you, or using their wives to get at them. Berel suggests simply taking them by force and taking their souls for yourself. They are powerful people and even if their souls are not worth any more than another man's, surely the fear you generate can be used to control them. Hartun and Zel remain silent on the issue, being the first to be bound in your service is changing them each time you consume another soul. Once or twice recently you have not even needed to make your will known to them, they have simply done what you wished. Failure, this was a big action and you just rolled under. Don't panic though, I'm not going to kill you off for it, so feel free to get creative with how Mazir reacts to this situation. Kovar (Taeless, Sellos) You have no idea how Jusep's evening with Barbara went, he won't speak of it and seems thoughtful this morning, more so than before at least. There is a group that has arrived for training this morning much to Kovar's relief. About a third of the males in the now upper-town have taken to the field and there are many others standing and sitting by watching. Even if not all are following Kovar's challenge, it seems many of those left on the surface are at least curious enough to watch what happens. Success Red (Val Aman, A Tea Party) The men and women dancing don't seem to hear you. Neither do the people at the table. But the trees...the trees hear your cry and step out of the ground. A couple of them even pull out some axes, to cut down the wolf of course. What kind of nasty tree would cut down another tree after all? (Near Success, so I made it different and interesting. I am going to lose a track of everything I include in your delusions one day) Edo and Stavos Magister Katikos has been testing his spell casting and cheerfully informs Ajikan that it is also fine. Ajikan looks at Edo and Stavos for a moment, before considering something and looks at Katikos. He casts a number of further spells before thinking about things. He strokes his beard for a moment while thinking about something and then squares his shoulders as if he's made some decision. "Okay then. You want to know more about this, both of you, then do what you Katikos on me. Let's say...you try and make me out of Obsidian. It's different in composition to bronze and should give us a better idea of how the process works. If you need some we have some around here for testing. It's a good stone for storing arcane energy." He says and retrieves a piece and hands it to Stavos. Katikos seems thoughtful and then smiles a little, as if realising something. Failure, but just. So you have one more hurdle to jump before you can be let go. Ajikan is going to put his body on the line for science again! This definitely has nothing to do with the chance to have youth again and possible further arcane power. Beltheus Beltheus disguised himself as the mild mannered Vanthos. It was fairly simple, you were very familiar with your original form after all. Disguising the Gate however was much harder, as your hell seemed to creep out of it a little. The room had a slightly sulphurous smell and the floor around it was slightly singed. But eventually you used enough perfume and illusion to cover this up. Your imp remained there to deal with anyone who might investigate too far. The bar stank of beer, sweat and despair. Once upon a time the smell would have been quite off-putting but now Beltheus could smell the sin in the place. Men who indulged in murder, lust, theft and worse perversions were accompanied by women who plotted the humiliation and death of others and to get ahead enough to escape this wretched place. You couldn't pinpoint these senses yet, but there were at least three souls here that might make reasonable starting servants. The rest might do well as fodder for whatever tortures you wished to punish them with. Whatever it was, their suffering would fuel you well. The barkeeper was a fat and gross man with greedy eyes that strayed to many women, especially those with bosoms that spilled out of their inadequate bodices. Another group of men were gathered around two men at a table. One looked scared and cornered like a rat, the other was a larger and more menacing man with a knife stuck in the table slightly to the side of his hand. Then there was the one man who seemed in charge of the whores about the place and the woman who seemed innocuous enough, yet everyone stayed away from and who had eyes that appraised everyone. A number of people looked over Beltheus, who appeared to be the mild mannered Stavos. Some were greedy and others were sizing him up for something...unpleasant. Success, it'll be harder for anyone investigating your house to discover the gate. Daveron and Ilvis Daveron's plan ends up in many more rounds of drinks being bought and Ilvis finds her/himself wound up into this as well. His new body is reasonably tolerant of alcohol and he doesn't shame himself but he doesn't have the tolerance and experience of Daveron and many of the converts. The hangover he nurses is not pleasant, until he finds he can dispel it with a bit of focus if he wishes. His/her memories of the night are a little hazy but he remembers that Daveron and he went to another pub in town and got together a group of men. Then s/he got her sword out and knighted all of them while Daveron made them swear an oath. But...his oath was not what a proper knightly oath would be. They were sworn to Daveron's prosperity and power, beholden only to him and empowered to divine the truth so no man could hide what was rightfully Daveron's. You don't think that Daveron is planning any sort of banditry but it's still a concerning turn of events. And over the next month or so the knights became more organised. Daveron used his wealth and his influence to purchase an old keep and they started renovating it. Once it was done up they rode to the main roads and challenged all men to prove they were not smuggling goods. Over the next week or so Daveron had gathered a bit of wealth from this and he and his men had begun to change a little. Daveron had always been a big sort of guy, but recently he'd gotten a reputation for being...well larger than life, stronger than a work horse and able to sniff a lie should it be told. He and his men had seemingly grown a bit larger, more thuggish in appearance. It wasn't all bad, even though things had mostly run away from her/him, Ilvis found that a number of the knights seemed to be less influenced by this and appreciated the spirit of the law more than the letter of it. And when Civar brought the badges he had been working on you find that they do not work for Daveron's men, only yours. Aideen is with him and when she sees you she smiles a little and has a few quick words for Ilvis, while Civar and Daveron try to figure out why the badges won't work. "You seem confused by your change Ilvis." She says, smiling a little when you act surprised she knows your real name. "But I do not think it is a curse from afar like Civar suggests. Consider, you spent so much time trying to pretend to others and even yourself a bit that you were a man. A forge is a place where metals are changed and moulded into new shapes, harder than before. And you took the essence of it into yourself..." Success, but since Daveron and Ilvis have different views about what the order should be Daveron won out. There's a small group that follow Ilvis more than Daveron, but otherwise the others follow Daveron. You should probably name your lawyer paladin thug order as well! Civar You're not sure what's wrong. Some of your badges work for some of the men and not the others. But they don't seem defective, because one that works for one knight will not work for a different one. Eisner seems to have some idea, but he's busy talking with Aideen right now. Success, your badges work...for some of the knights anyway. Adam Adam leads the Dwarves to discover what they're good at, to forge and create things aside from just axes and refined metals. To your delight, you discover amongst the Dwarves you have jewellers, armourers, stonemasons, sculptors and of course, some brewers. You have trouble doing much with your still limited space and making workshops will take more time, but you have a number of tradesmen ready to provide goods to sell and of good make and quality as well. Your only problem is that you realise that you need to plan your construction underground carefully. You can't build haphazardly like one might on the surface. Your little village will do for now, but if you plan to attract more people and when more Dwarves come or are born then you will need to have room to house them, for them to move around and for them to work. Being a leader is more than you originally thought and not all about making speeches it seems. Success, you've got the foundations of some craftsmen and tradesman. You're very limited and hampered by facilities and space at the moment however. Lilian For a few minutes all the response Lilian has is the sound of waves lapping against the side of the ship. Then one of the robed figures you saw, the female as she removes her hood, comes into the room. "Ah you are awake. I apologise for our rough treatment earlier. We needed to get you out of the arena without anyone noticing. I am Magister Itayana of the Imperial Academy of Eisos. We have rescued you because we are trying to investigate others like you." She looks to be in her late 40s with greying hair, and her robes conceal some simple but obviously expensive clothing, with a gold chain around her neck which connects to a medallion with two jewels set into it. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 00:31 on Feb 12, 2013 |
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Feb 11, 2013 04:01
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Two notes: 1. Since people are moving towards Beltheus now, one thing I don't think I've made clear is that the sense of wrongness is not persistent. It happened once, when Belsataroth broke through reality into this world, creating a hell and the first demon in the world. This radically changed the fundamental nature of reality and every Divine being felt it. You can't use it as a radar though to track down his rift. You know where-abouts it is, and people in Eisos would be able to figure out about a 5km squared area it lies in, but no-one knows for sure. That said, you haven't forgotten that either, so even when time passes you'll be able to remember which direction it was roughly in. 2. You can either stack 2 divine traits, or 1 mortal trait and 1 divine traits, or multiple mortal traits. You cannot stack 2 or move divine traits and any number of mortal traits. I probably should have made this simpler from the start by saying only divine stacks with divine, and mortal stacks with mortal. I may still do so soon.
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Feb 11, 2013 09:22
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Cacto posted:Edo "You said your power was healing and from what you've said let's look at what you've done. Firstly you've been healing people in the markets, which is from a theoretical standpoint simple enough. But you've also changed someone so that they can no longer be an alcoholic. That could be considered healing, yes, but that's starting to get to intent. None of what you've done has worked on existing arcane principles. In fact it seems that intent is more important than method, to the institution's collective mortification." Ajikan says focusing on the situation at hand and the possibility of arcane learning. Now that he's caught up in his work he seems...more reasonable? At least somewhat less overbearing when you are part of an equation and rather than a person perhaps. "But you're focussed on healing. Stavos has had a lifetime of alchemical studies so it's ironic that his talents have turned to that area. But are you sure that combined you can do that, to bring an inanimate object to life? That requires you to shape flesh, create a mind and to also create a soul. What I suggest is simpler, you only need to shape my body...and on a more practical level a dog cannot tell us about what it is you have done. You've done this before together, so if you do this now it will give Katikos and I something to investigate. You said you had something to do, so the quicker we sort this out the quicker you can get to that." Ajikan seems pretty stubborn on it and can provide what he sees as good reasons for what he is doing. I rolled for this but you got a low result, so you'll find it challenging to get out of the situation without acquiescing to his demand.
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Feb 12, 2013 23:28
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Andra Baros eventually arrives with the spear and almost reverently hands it to Andra. With that done, after a few farewells Andra takes her newly commandeered boat and paddles out of the shallows and into deeper waters. Curiously enough no other boats are out at the moment, all the fishermen seem to have decided to flee while Andra fights the serpent. So she is left to her own, which was good, no-one else would get hurt. The waiting was the worst part however, as time seemed to stretch into a hazy miasma upon the surface of the ocean. After an uncountable period time (mostly due to having little to track it by) Andra's boat is suddenly rocked and a great serpentine head pokes out of the head of the water near you. It sticks out its tongue like a snake, twitching as it tastes the air. Then after a moment it roars and charges at you, the boat shudders and breaks as it swallows Andra whole. This doesn't stop Andra though, who begins cutting her way savagely out of the snake as blood starts mixing with water as she breaks through the skin and flesh of the monster. By the time she has hacked her way out she finds herself sinking down towards the sea floor, unable to really swim upwards in her armour at all. Andra reflexively tried to hold her breath as she struggled, but eventually she couldn't hold it any more and she gasped. Water flooded down her throat and she began to think of drowning...only to discover she was not in fact drowning at all. Apparently she could breathe in water, or perhaps did not even need to breathe at all any more. She was however sinking rapidly down into the dim dark depths of the bay with little she could do to swim back up, the serpent sinking silently beside her. Success, you managed to slay the serpent. However I wasn't sure if you were wearing armour or not (as you are in your pic) but I thought this might be a good way to make things a little more interesting than 'goes to bay, kills serpent, comes back'. Degowin (Frozen Wilds, Northward) Degowin pressed his hand to the Shaman's head. Tanjan recoils back at the touch, but was held firmly by the larger Degowin's grip. "I can feel it...something far too the south...it hurts the tear something strange dark fire pain hurt pleasure it won't stop won't stop let me go it hurts it huts it hurts!" Tanjan is shrieking at this point, writhing so much in Degowin's hands that you let go by surprise. He staggers back a few steps before wailing in despair. "What have you dooone? I can't see!" He wails, bringing his hands to his eyes which have burned away to twin ice cold flickers. Failure, and you were so close as well. Kovar (Taeless, Over-Sellos) It was a beginning. Although Sellos was a small town and those males who were now not dwarves did not really make up even a full unit they were starting to listen and obey. It was easy enough to do so when the most threatening enemy you had to fight was a training dummy of course, and they'd get mowed down by actual mercenaries right now if it came to open combat. But they had an edge in that they had Kovar to plan and account for their weaknesses and over time those would be shored into strengths. That said the main issue was size. Sellos was small and especially so compared to Taelos and other large Taelesian towns. Kovar would need to attract people and build up Sellos, or Over-Sellos as some people had begun calling it to contrast the Dwarves of the new Under-Sellos. Success, but it will take you a long time. You won't need to roll again for your current troops, but it's not going to happen in a couple of weeks unless Kovar starts tampering with people and experimenting with his Divine powers. Beltheus (Eosia, Eisos) The barkeep seems surprised at first, that such an outwardly unassuming man would be making such a request. But then he smiles greedily and says; "I'm sure I ken find summon." And gives you the worst tasting date wine you would have tasted in your life had you still been Vanthos. But you might as well have been drinking water for as much flavour as it had to you now. As for the men next to you, when you looked closer you could read the sin on their souls like another man might read facial expressions. There was a smaller man who was inclined to drink and petty theft, but the other man next to you was tougher, not a big thug mind you but lean and hard. Not just physically as well, his soul reeked of murder, violence, lust and other things. He had potential, either as a potent source of torment for all his sins or to be moulded into a servant, like Beltheus had moulded you. Success, you've located one of the vile souls in this place (the bar was a good place to start).
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Feb 13, 2013 04:01
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Mazir Elsyian Sands, Elysia) You did not believe in such things as Gods, but had you, Mazir might have believed what had happened before had been a sign. Because whereas before nothing had gone right for him, all of his plans were coming together. Salima had drugged the drinks of a number of the guards and you'd slipped into the camps of the People's leaders easily. Furthermore when you had gotten closer Hartun and Zel had reached forward and taken the souls of the two men out themselves, Zel holding the thing in his hands wondrously like a child might gaze at a new toy. Then you had rushed into the chamber of the leaders, in your full power and slain the closest three immediately with raw magic bolts. Wrenching their souls away Mazir used them to power his next magic as he shaped the ground, like he had back when Hartun and Zel had first tried to rob him. Then one by one with the leaders gagged and bound you killed and ate their souls. They had power, power over others and it rushed into you like an intoxicating drug. It was almost all Mazir could do to stop himself simply tearing out the souls of everything around him in his ecstasy. But then he regained his control, his composure. There was something else he had to do. As Mazir passed a mirror, one of the true luxuries of one of the clan leaders, you noticed that the green light had begun to spread from your eyes further down. Your mouth was more a dark glowing abyss of eldritch green than anything else and your veins softly glowed in the darkness of the tent. Well the dice liked you, so I guess you get what you wanted. Degowin (The Frozen Wilds, Northward) The villagers seemed unsure what to do, but suddenly the hunters began a soft chant. It had no real words or purpose, it was just a reverence and a wish to ease the pain of the shaman. Slowly the other villagers began to chant as well, hesitantly at first but with growing confidence as the whole group began to feed into itself. Words began to form out of it more clearly, asking for Degowin to give the man peace and mercy. Then Degowin took his power from inside of him and moved it through the snow and into the Shaman. It would not be quite right to say that the snow melted, because it got colder and began to turn clear. The snow began ice, ice harder than steel and it spread over the shaman. At first he shivered, then his skin began to grow pale before finally turning blue with the cold. The ice had gathered at certain point, filling out his gaunt elderly frame a little so that he was not so frail and also gathering around his ears. Finally the ice began to darken into cold flesh until there was no difference between ice and flesh any more. His eyes were still burned down to twin icy blue embers, but he did not seem to look through them any more. "I can hear it..." He whispered. "I can hear the frozen wilds, the creaking of the trees bearing the weight of snow, the snow of wolves chasing a stray rabbit, the clouds in the sky gathering snow within themselves. I can hear it all my lord." He said in a hoarse whisper, not like the Frostborn, but from wonder. Then he cupped his hands together and furrowed his brow. The air around it grew misty as he created a simple spear-head made from ice. "It is a magnificent gift my lord." He said, presenting his simple construct to you. There was something...right, something satisfying about how he called you 'my lord'. It stirred something within you, a desire to gather more of it, more worship to you. There was a whispering power in it, that if you gathered more might become louder and stronger.  You rolled a 12, so you got something pretty cool. Your Shaman can hear, understand and speak to the wilds as long as they are cold enough. Furthermore he has simple ice magic, nothing to rival your control of course but he could go toe to toe with some of the Magisters of Eisos now when it comes to mastery of ice magick. Kovar (Taeless, Over-Sellos) As Kovar focussed on Burd in his trance he felt something within him stir. It was like a small flame. Before he'd used it to light his way, to see how battles would play out and the lines the connected to them. Supplies, morale, terrain, equipment, movement...all of these were easier to see when he placed that light to it and looked. But now that he held it Kovar kindled it into something stronger, a proper fire that coursed within him. He looked over at Burd, while in his trance and saw that the young recruit was doing his best but something was betraying him. His body, smaller and less suited to work than others. His mind, less disciplined but yet willing to change and not knowing how to. And something deeper. A different quality. There was a tiny ember there, a fleck of flame. Kovar reached out to it and tried to coax it by giving Burd some of his own fire. But once he started giving him a bit of his own power he found he wasn't sure how to stop. Power poured into the recruit who suddenly doubled over as his body was wracked with changes. Muscles began to grow and his skin began to toughen, the leathery kind of nature it takes on when one has been in hard conditions all his life. But it didn't stop. Burt began to grow even larger still, his bones beginning to thicken and lengthen and his skin began to change into something else, no longer skin and tougher. Eventually Kovar yanked himself out of his trance and sat there panting. Then Burd politely coughed and spoke, his voice suddenly much deeper and gravely like one who has grown used to shouting a lot. "Excuse me sir, but I think we're going to need a new set of clothes." Kovar looked up and blinked in surprise. Burd had changed like he had wanted. The man's skin was tough looking and tanned unlike the pasty white it had been a minute before. Not only this but it was as though the things that had been masculine about Burd had been turned up a notch. He was greatly swarthy now and over seven feet tall. But the most startling change was his face. Aside from his sudden explosion of facial hair there was a calm and stern expression in Burd's face. His eyes were replaced with radiant pools and he was calm and collected. Even from his bearing Kovar could tell that he would follow any order and that only the strongest of compulsions would break his calm. Then Kovar looks at himself and realises he has physically undergone a similar change. Your previous clothes structural integrity, unfortunately, failed during the transformation. Then Kovar realised the one part he had been missing. He and Adam, and perhaps other people like them changed those around them. But then again, those around them also changed them. Like Adam's sudden crystallisation of the understanding of leadership, pressed onto him by the Dwarves. Success, gain the trait Strength [+2] because basically most of your action was making him a stronger soldier and it was the most practical and tangible part of it I could use. Also your eyes glow as well now, it's purely cosmetic. Andra (Arandia, Coltain) Time had even less meaning down in the cold depths of the ocean. Andra did feel the cold, but it was slower to creep into her than it once might have been. Even despite all of this by the time Andra's head broke free of the water and drank in the salty air she was very cold and glad to get onto the beach. She was nearby to Coltain, but in one of the inlets to the side of it. It would take her some time to drag the carcass all the way back. But at least she would warm up by the time she did. The first to come across her was a fisherman, who was collecting muscles and other similar things from rock pools. He looked at Andra, then at the serpent she was dragging and went very white. "Starry skies preserve me." He mutters to himself. Wilhelm (Arandia, Minburg) There is not an outpouring of tears and repressed affection for the now chitinous Wilhelm most people seem to say things like; "Well, that wouldn't be right." and "You did give us this food I suppose." But the fact remains that most people are still pretty weirded out by all of the insects going on. Not really sure exactly how to treat the now bizarre and inhuman Wilhelm, they seem to decide the only way to treat him is normally. So people buy your food, although you're not really sure what to do with the coin. And slowly over about a month people seem to get used to the sight of Wilhelm and although he is weird and kind of monstrous, he stops being quite so scary. So it is much to Wilhelm's surprise when another voice comes into his mind. "Look mummy, I have wings!" A small child, a boy, the one who had asked you for a ride before. Then another voice, this time a man, one of the other farmers. "poo poo...poo poo poo poo poo poo my wife is going to kill me." He wasn't related to the boy. And a third voice, a female thinking to herself. "Well...I suppose I do have some nice curves now but still this fur is a little...different. Bzz. Did I just think bzz?" It's the same kind of way you 'hear' your insect hives but these are more like actual people's thoughts. Success. And like Adam, over time as people accept you and begin to follow you in small ways, some people begin to change... Civar and Ilvis (Arandia, Harvan Duchy) Well, it looked like a horse. If a horse was made out of metal that is. And it moved like a horse. That much Ilvis was sure of. Yet it did not act like a horse. It responded to Ilvis, to Civar and to those among the Order that the badges would work for. To the others it would look sternly and become immovable. It also had a sword in its head which was...not a thing that normal horses had. Already it had given a wicked cut to one of the more unruly and ill-tempered of Daveron's followers, nothing lethal or particularly debilitating, but it had made itself quite clear that it would not let him touch or ride it. Which was impressive as it did not make any sound at all, except for the sound of rustling metal as its joints moved. Ilvis and Civar did not really feel affection from it, but more of a kind of respect and connection. All agreed. It was a most magnificent, yet unnerving creature indeed. You made a robot unicorn with a sword horn. I give up. Really. The one time I relied on the dice to prevent something
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Feb 13, 2013 11:01
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Edo (Eosia, Imperial University of Eisos) With Stavos' approval you turn your power to try and change Ajikan before he has a chance to speak, surprise and alarm written over his face at the comment of removing his magic power. Edo reaches into to Ajikan and can see inside him a spark, something that Katinos had but the others, with a few exceptions, that you've worked on have not had. So you metaphysically reach in and snuff it. At the same time together with Stavos you take the obsidian he handed you and meld it into his body. With a sample to work with it's a bit easier for you and with Stavos' aid changing his body is even easier. When you are done you look upon Ajikan. He looks slim, fit and possibly attractive, were it not for his black obsidian flesh with curious white markings lining it like full body tattoos. Odd, as you didn't add those in yourself and you were the conduit for Stavos' power. Ajikan blinks for a moment, stares at his hand and then immediately drops to the floor on his knees. He is actually shivering physically as he looks up at you with despair and terror in his eyes. "What did you do." He whispers. "Please, change it back...please..." The look in his face is...haunting. While part of Edo would be satisfied to leave him like this, the greater part of him, that part that is compassionate and the source of his healing power refuses to leave him like that. So Edo reaches out and tries to return the spark that he extinguished to him. Suddenly something rushes through Edo like a river of hot water. Magic is literally flowing into and through him, as he reignites the spark of magic within Ajikan. A little stronger than before no less as well. But it's not just power that flows into Edo, it's understanding. Knowledge of how magic works and how to use it. Suddenly all of the terrible and wonderful things that can be done through the arcane arts are crystal clear to Edo along with the realisation that destruction is quicker and sometimes easier than to build or to heal. While it hardly excuses the way the Magisters act, you begin to understand a little bit the reasons why they do what they do, as well as why magic is so carefully regulated. Success all around. Additionally Edo gains the Divine Trait Magic [+2], possibly to his displeasure. Andra (Arandia, Coltain) Despite the fact that Andra was not being especially charming in her use of language, the offering of a dead giant serpent and thus an end to the destruction plaguing the fisherman did a lot to motivate them. A group of the fishermen come after a while and assist Andra in dragging the carcass to the town. It does however take a while and by the time it gets to town is beginning to smell a bit. Not wanting to leave it any longer to rot, Andra makes the suggestion that since it ate all the town's fish for a time, the town should eat it. The poetic justice of this is not lost on the people and everyone starts working on stripping it to the bones and eating it. Andra notices Baros taking one of its huge teeth, but he doesn't seem to be acting suspiciously about it and waves awkwardly, holding the tooth as large as him in his other while balancing awkwardly. Success. On a side note feeding the town the serpent and letting them take in part of its accumulated Belief will have some interesting effects down the track. But you'll find that out later. Octagon (Val Aman, Val Setin) You are lead to a number of stores, however only one offers you the antidote to the poison. The fact that this alchemist knows enough about his art to make a counter-agent to something he has created makes you feel confident that he is the right one to buy from. Just as you go to buy it, the spider noble whispers a question to you. "Does he have something to counteract my venom?" Curious, especially since it might be relevant should you displease her and she bites you Octagon asks. The owner wonders about the spider and is taken aback when it crawls out from your collar and onto your shoulder. "A Wraithwood Recluse! You are playing with death itself ser." He replies sombrely and pulls out a single stopper with a dark purple-red liquid. "Should it bite you, drink the entire bottle." He says and puts it with your poison and antidote purchase, assuming that now Octagon would want one. "Drink it. I will give you a kiss, and it would be a shame if you died." The noble says seriously, giving Octagon the impression that she's not kidding. Success, you find the best person to buy from. Ilvis (Arandia, The Order's Keep) Ilvis finds a gap and hammers the coin in with the hilt of her sword. The horse tries to move, but it seems like its back cannot move properly. Shortly Ilvis notices the coin stuck in a place where the gap was to allow movement of the horse. You jam up the horse. It can't move properly now. It looks at you irritably. Civar (Arandia, Har River near Harvan) Civar makes merry into the night with his people, trying to include Aideen and make her feel more comfortable. It seems to work a little bit and you notice that after a while she seems to have gathered a crowd of children around her and is telling a story. It's not a nasty story, or a story of loss, but a simple story that a mother would tell her child as a way of teaching them about the world. There's a look of happiness in her face, but there's still a touch of sadness in her eyes. Kovar (Taless, Over-Sellos) There are blank stares at first when Burd and Kovar return to Sellos. Kovar is the more recognisable of the two, already being somewhat bearded due to his cultivation of a vagabond image, but people soon realise (after Kovar mentions Burd by name) who his companion is. The reaction to this is unsurprisingly initially shock and wariness. After a while people seem to accept that Kovar is mostly the same, but Burd's transformation still unsettles them a little. Despite this, Kovar has more than a few people express some curiosity in his 'special training program'. Later that day Jusep comes to speak to you. He hadn't seen Burd and your change and he pauses for a moment, his eyes going wide in surprise. Then he shrugs and speaks; "Don't know what you're eating boss but I'd like some if you'll share." He says and pauses for a moment collecting his thoughts. "I need help. Barbara has been watching your lessons and practising on her own." Jusep says with a look of desperation in his eyes. This doesn't seem that bad so you smile and with a little laugh ask him why that's so wrong. Jusep turns deadly serious at that comment. "Yes, but she's good at it, I mean really good. You need to help me, Kovar, I need to be better so I can fight her properly. She asked me to help her spar and I said yes but oh god she'll beat me I know it!" He says, and then noticing the raised eyebrow adds; "I mean physically beat, as in hurt me, not that she'll win. I don't really care if she wins or not as long as she's happy about it." Mazir (Elysian Sands, Elysia) By the time Mazir had said "TAKE MY MARK AND SEAL OUR BOND AND ONE DAY THE SANDS WILL CASCADE UPON THE WORLD!" most of the crowd were cowed into submission. He could feel it in him, a rush of power as they accepted that their fates would be bound to him. So it was when he uttered the words, 'sands will cascade upon the world' the very air around him whipped into a fierce wind. It gathered around Mazir like a tornado of sand, blacking out the world for a moment before he felt himself lifted by something. As the wind subsided and the last bits of sand began to fall into place Mazir realised that it had constructed a throne. The throne looked like it was made of wood and while he held the sand in place it felt and acted like wood. But it was made of sand instead. The crowd grew even further hushed and awed as Mazir tested his control, forming a an arm as large as three people out of sand and controlling it from afar. Then a thought occurred to Mazir and he sent forth a great sand storm. People cried out in pain and surprise but after a minute it passed, and everyone present had a glowing green symbol of Mazir's power carved into their chest by the sand. Success. Also Mazir gains the Divine Trait Sand [+2] Degowin (Frozen Wilds, Northward) The Huntmaster tends to the seeds, but his art is with the cold itself and not with life. Degowin finds that while he has changed the seeds, he has not changed the nature of the plant itself. The current crop will grow hardily in the ice and snow, but the seeds they produce will not have that trait. The real problem that Degowin discovers is that the hunters he changed like the cold, while their families cannot survive in it. This is causing them to have to live apart and a number of wives have come to you, asking for you to help them so that they do not have to stop living with their husbands. Their expectation is likely that you will undo what you have done to the hunters now that it is not needed, although none say anything as such and are very careful and cautious around you still. Failure, but only just. Adam (Taeless, Under-Sellos) The mines which always seemed so expansive to you once, now seem not that deep at all. Truthfully Sellos still had a great amount of wealth untapped, both in metals practical, precious and in stones and gems of all kinds. Well, the tunnels would do for temporary housing at least. Hovels could be made and in a way, the tunnels were like a kind of street. But they were not very well planned and they meandered. It'd be an organic way to build a town, but if Adam wanted to make a more ordered, structured settlement that truly showed off Dwarven craftsmanship then likely it would just be a temporary measure. Either way it would do for now at least, anything larger would take years to carve out and to truly civilise. In a way, the Dwarves were exploring into the underground like frontier explorers. It made it easier to understand the current situation when Adam could relate it to past experiences. Certainly it helped him explain it to others. Success, you can make other hovels down tunnels to create streets and pathways. This will help create a sense of space and privacy for people which will alleviate some issues. Lilian (The Great Sea) "If we return you, what would stop you from simply being captured again?" The woman asks reasonably, looking out of the window to the sea. "I can return you if you want, but I am also offering you the chance to learn to use and control your powers more. Have a think about it. You're not truly a prisoner here, but I think you will find we are offering you an invaluable opportunity. Besides, I am sure we can find some way to allow you to speak to your family." She adds with an attempt at a friendly smile. You get the expression she normally wears a much sterner expression however. Red (Val Aman, Spinewoods) In the Spinewoods that bordered on the Val Titanus mountains there was a party of travellers walking through the woods. There was a lake further in where a specific flower grew, it was a potent remedy for many ailments of the chest and it had been a cold and damp winter so far. Val Haysus would need many more flowers to keep up with those becoming ill. The day was unusually clear and bright, although still cold and the woods were mostly quiet and calm. A few deer and stags here and there as well as the odd rabbit were their only company in the forest. As they neared the lake though the wood seemed to grow darker and the air grew thicker. Shadows began to form around them and the herbalists grew a little afraid. Sadly they were right to do so as shadows darted out, living darkness and dove into them. The five herbalists dropped their baskets and screamed in pain as their bodies twisted and changed. When it was done the five of them stared in horror at each other, for they had become some monstrous combination of wolf and man. Yet the change of their minds was not yet complete and the Wolves, or the essence of them barked loudly in their heads. The red one comes. Blood, death, run before she catches you. Red had been very pleased by the dragon. It was a bit larger than a horse but had good hearing, sight, sense of smell and importantly wasn't a wolf. She'd made sure. But there was a wolf, or more out here somewhere. She'd heard screaming so she knew that they had to be nearby. They'd managed to catch some poor victim, or victims. She had to redouble her pace and Red urged her mighty dinner tray steed to run faster. It was pretty close to the ground but it could run faster than the silly horse with a horn, people should never underestimate silverware after all. Then she caught a glimpse of them, some things that looked like people but had been taken over by wolves. Now they were corrupted and would come to try and kill her. Although, not if she could kill them first. The poor herbalists however saw the mad girl, axe in hand, clothes in tatters riding on a silver tray and with the forest running behind her. They no longer doubted the voices in their heads and ran as fast as they could. Success, you created both allies and enemies for yourself, fitting in with your delusions. Additionally Red gains the Divine Trait Wolves [+2] as she is starting to change the nature of wolves themselves. Daveron (Arandia, The Order's Keep) Well you created a special group, but sadly they did not seem to have any greater powers than the others in your order. Although they were loyal, they were elevated only in name and not in ability. Failure, you don't manage to imbue them with any greater ability than they already had.
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Feb 19, 2013 02:29
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Kovar (Taeless, Over-Sellos) There was an almighty rip as Jusep suddenly grew, even taller than yourself and Burd, standing at around a full 8 feet tall. At first for a moment you thought everything was successful until you realise his eyes aren't glowing. Jusep is noticeably perturbed by the fact he's now a almost a full 3 foot taller than Barbara. "Hmm, I don't know if this is going to go down well." He wonders and excuses himself, going to find a sheet to dress himself in before Kovar has a chance to comment. An hour later Barbara storms back with the somewhat sheepish looking Jusep. "Look at him. Look at him!" She yells at the top of her lungs, her face livid with anger and showing absolutely no concern for any kind of discretion or discipline. Burd who is watching on seems mildly surprised and...possibly amused. "How am I supposed to spar with him now? You need to fix this, either undo what you did to him or do it to me as well!" She screeches into the air, starting to draw attention. Failure, but it was a close thing so I decided to go with an amusing interpretation. Basically you made Jusep too big and failed to give him any special abilities. This is denoted by the lack of glowing eyes. Wilhelm (Arandia, Minburg) The man and kid were like Wilhelm, kind of beetle-like with carapaces and on the man, a big horn. The woman is more like some a cross between a bee or a wasp. The most curious thing is that even though the woman is still to human minds a woman, to the bug part of Wilhelm she's not. She's not the queen, and you're not even sure if she can reproduce any more actually. But the weirdest part of all is that Wilhelm is pretty sure he could make more bugs...somehow. There's an urge for a moment to tinker, to specialise offspring to be suited to tasks, but that's put aside as you continue to teach them how to work with the insects. In the end each seems to have a different affinity, being able to talk to a kind of insect, but not any others. The woman can talk to the bees, the man the ants and the kid, disconcertingly enough, seems to get along with wasps just fine. Success, they each have a speciality. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 06:57 on Feb 19, 2013 |
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Feb 19, 2013 05:47
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Notice: A number of players want and need to do some time-skip actions, so to avoid a massive headache on my part in a few updates I'm going to time skip. Make sure you've got something in mind for your character that will take some time, a month or two, and have that ready for when I give warning that the next post will be a time skip. Red (Val Aman, Spinewood) Red tried to cut the Wolf-ness out of them with her axe and succeed. Unfortunately she also cut the person-ness out as well and the Wolfman died. Gurold is dead! The crazy woman cut him apart. What's going on shitshitshit gotta run faster- The wolfpeople all whine in fear and then one by one change from wolf-people to looking like actual wolves. Then they run away faster than even your silverware can go. It seems you'll have to track them down later once they stop moving. Or send one of your loyal court members after them. Failure. You're terrorising the poor wolfpeople. Andra (Arandia, Coltain) You visit a herbalist, who is somewhat awed by your visit and professes to be confused by your presence. You're healthy, remarkably so, so what could his remedies do for you? After Andra explains that she wishes to know if she is still human the herbalist pauses for a moment, before coming to a sudden realisation. "The humours!" He cries and rushes to one of his books. "The body is balanced by a number of fluids, the humours are the fluids that dictate the balance. Hmm...bile is hard to test but I've got an elixir that will cause you to make phlegm and blood is easy to test." Unsure about it, but wanting to know the truth the herbalist feeds you the potion. While you wait for it to have an effect the herbalist brings out a thin and sharp knife. "This will hurt a little, I apologise." He says, but Andra reassures him she can deal with a 'little bit of pain'. So he cuts Andra and you wait to see what happens. What does happen is that no blood comes out, and Andra's body is filled with glittering star-like radiance. The herbalist utters a small profanity under his breath at the sight. Now we know what the default blood of a +4 total character is! Kovar (Taeless, Over-Sellos) Fortunately Barbara does not sprout a glorious raven black beard. Unlike Burd, yourself and Jusep she seems to emphasise and increase her feminine attributes, while at the same time becoming stronger. As such the new Barbara has some very lovely curves and is well endowed in certain locations. Her frame is not wrought with the same large and defined musculature as the three men, instead remaining attractive but with a sense of solidity and strength that is more subtle. Unfortunately she experiences exactly the same tragedy of clothing as the others and her glowing eyes narrow at Kovar dangerously. You get the impression that had you not helped engender a greater respect for authority into her that she probably would have slapped you then and there. As it is, Barbara blushes furiously and grabs the nearest sheet to cover her dignity. Then she drags Jusep off by the arm who sighs and says "it was nice knowing you boss" as he is dragged away. Later you hear that their sparring match was very impressive, although no one will actually admit to watching. Jusep winces from time to time but seems very pleased about something the next day. Success, your power enhances masculinity and femininity while granting extra strength so Barbara does not look look like a freak. Edo (Eosia, Great University of Eisos) Ajikan seems a little stunned at what happened. "Yes, I think I have learned some things as well." He says rather weakly and stands, with a little help from Katikos. "I should rather think so Lord Edo, although I do think it shall take some time to convince the other Magisters of what has transpired. Lord Edo? You weren't a lord but before you can finish telling Ajikan how wrong he is, he cuts you off. "Only God...or a God, can do what you have just done. No mortal art can still or breathe life to the gift, we can only trap it. It might not please the priests, but if you are not a God then you are close enough that the difference does not matter." Civar (Arandia, near the Order's Keep) Aideen seems somewhat surprised when you present to her the dream-catcher and explain its purpose. Surprised and quietly grateful, for her dreams have often been difficult and painful for her. "It is a very considerate gift Civar. I have spoken to the women here, and we have agreed. I will travel with you longer, assisting you in whatever it is you do. It seems I am bound to your destiny somehow, so although there is a place for me among the Tia'Cha I shall wait until I claim it. I hope this does not trouble you." She says softly as she considers the strange device. She strokes part of it and it seems to almost thrum with a soft power, and she smiles a little and places it among her meagre belongings. "We have been given a horse and a wagon to make our travels a bit easier." She says, gesturing to the gifts from your people. Success, also you're given a vardo to sleep in and horse to pull it. Mostly for Aideen's comfort than for yours. Ilvis (Arandia, the Order's Keep) As you try to pry it out, the horse seems to bend forward slightly loosening the coin a little. You pry it out and hold the mangled piece of metal in your hand. It still seems to be active, despite all appearances, a mark of the workmanship. Success. Octagon (Val Aman, Val Setin) The 'kiss' is, as expected a bite by the spider. There's a slight tingling as the venom enters your blood, but the antidote seems to counteract it. The merchant sort of stares at you as if you are insane and then coughs politely, hoping you'll leave the store. For the rest of the day Octagon searches for contacts and makes a few networks, some good groundwork but nothing concrete as of yet. As the evening passes however you begin to feel a little ill and go to your room at the barely reputable inn you're staying at. When Octagon wakes up he notes two things immediately. He is firstly, upside down and likely on the roof unless someone has somehow glued all the furniture in the room onto the ceiling. Secondly he is in a gigantic spider web. Panic runs coldly through him for a moment as he realises he suddenly has six more limbs than he used to and his legs seem to have become a large abdomen. There are also two roughly human shaped cocoons stuck to the web. Additional realisations immediately follow. This is not your in room. There is a double bed. You are some kind of horrific cross of a spider and a man. There's another spider-man thing on the web with you (that seems to take up essentially the entire room). "Well, this is all rather surprising isn't it? You have quite the appetite though." The spider noble, or whatever she is now says with a small laugh, then marvels at one of her new hands. Success. Additionally a number of things happen to Octagon. Spider-Whisperer [+2] becomes Spider Lord [+2], Octagon gains the Divine Trait Toxins [+2], the Quirk Monstrous [+0] and finally, his drawback changes to Man Eater [-2] Mazir (Elysian Sands, Elysia) Your newly converted followers seem to fight with extra zeal and desperation, capturing a great deal of the town. Most of the resistance is slain in the first night of fighting, with Hartun, Zel and yourself managing the influx of souls. Each time one of your followers slays someone their mark glows brightly for a moment and a small change seems to come over them. Eventually though you and your forces trap the last remnants of resistance in a series of caves and they surrender, begging mercy in exchange for their service and obedience. Success. You can rename Elysia and the Sands now if you want, given you have essentially control over it. However you're using too many traits. If you use one of your Divine Traits, you can only use either: Other Divine Traits, or One other Mortal Trait I've been choosing the most appropriate one so far, but I've warned other people about this and soon I'll apply downshifts to actions where I need to pick the right trait. You've done well so far, but not so well you could afford that penalty. If you've got any questions about this ask in the OOC thread, PM me or ask me over IRC. Beltheus (Eosia, Eisos) The man was quite shocked when Beltheus revealed his full demonic glory to him, although he did have enough wits to try and attack you which was, while disrespectful, probably going to be useful when you converted him. Fortunately his attack lands him within easy range and you grasp him with your hands, binding him with your fell magic. As he struggles against the ephemeral and intractable shackles binding him you carve a demonic symbol into his chest with your fingers. Had he not been gagged by your magic his screaming would have attracted the neighbours as well. You finish the whole affair by reaching into his body and tearing out his heart, and soul, with your hand. He bleeds extremely profusely for a moment, before the flames of hell claim his body. His soul tastes of murder and other violence, a dark and murky sensation filled with a haze of anger and contempt. It gives you power, yet you will need to return it, in a way, to the man and so channel your power through it. The already blackened thing is excised of all that was good and merciful in it. Then you plunge it back into the man who contorts in an obscene manner, as your power and his soul transform his body to match his now twisted mind. His body is a dull black and the tough leathery skin is cracked, leaving the violent crimson rage contained within him to bleed through a little to infect those around him. An extra pair of arms erupt out of his back as his entire frame bulges from increased strength and size. Twin horns and terrible teeth adorn his head, while his feet have changed into cloven hooves of hellish brimstone.  His voice rages like a fire as he speaks. "I am reborn my Lord Beltheus. I, Arhuon, Lord of Wrath and Bloody Murder pledge my loyalty and service to you." He looks at the rubies near to him, and picks them up. They seem to blacken and begin to melt, such that a gemstone can, in his hands and he roars a terrible laugh and eats the filthy liquid gem. "Such pathetic trinkets mean little to me. Blood and skulls are all I care for now. I shall assemble an army of servants in your name, and prove that I alone am most worthy of your power and glory!" You begin to consider it might simply be easier to burn down your house than to clean it at this rate, given that hell is not particularly kind to the furnishing and decour. Success, you're created your first lieutenant. He'll gather some servants and souls on his own, unless you give him more direct orders. As you gain power he'll gain power as well, like all your servants, but you can elevate him higher than others should you wish once you have more lieutenants. Hell has a rather competitive and mobile hierarchy after all. Also since you didn't provide a name, he named himself. Wilhelm (Arandia, Minburg) You loose yourself in the jungle, learning about its insect ecosystems and bringing some under your control. New to you are beetles who are more useful in moving large things around, or larger than ants can easily manage anyway. Make them larger and they could be very good beasts of burden you suppose. There are silk moths as well, which could help you provide clothing for the town. Both are more difficult to control, due to their individuality and lack of a collective mind. Aside from these Wilhelm also discovers a number of colonies of ants, a different species of ants which has an acidic bite that 'burns' and multiple hives of bees and wasps. As Wilhelm brings a number of his new converts and specimens home he begins to hear a multitude of voices in his mind. Many more than before. In fact you realise it's been quite a few days since you left. The town welcomes you back in your mind and you suddenly realise that most of the remaining people in the town have changed as well in the tendays of your absence. Those left seem to be waiting for their transformations as well. Your farms are now much greater and more productive than before at least, with the new helping hands and guidance of the now transformed townsfolk. Success, you discover most of the species in the jungle, although you can't control all of them easily yet. In addition, like Adam most of your town has converted to your followers now. Degowin (Frozen Wilds, Northward) Other towns had other magicks, and while some little of it was known to the wisemen of Northward they could not answer in any great detail. One town on the coast, Whiteshore, specialised in water magicks and controlling the creatures of the sea. Greyrthon further north was known for its keen hunting hounds, which were almost pure wolf and controlled by its hunters through shamanic magic. Their focus was limited though, compared to Tanjan even before his elevation to Degowin's disciple. The ritual they devised however was simple, invoking Degowin and requesting that he lend them his aid. It worked on those who had yet to receive it, and deactivated it on those who had received it already. As it was the middle of winter and the days and nights were cold and prone to frost, none of the town were really want to decline the boon. Degowin also feels a strange tug when they ask, and are granted either by him or Tanjan the blessing. He can also hear a small whispering voice, the words of the person asking for his blessing. In a few days the hunters return again with a respectable bounty of meat for the village. Strangely though, none are eager for fire to cook it and simply eat the meat raw. Success. You have created a ritual that can be invoked to give your followers a small blessing and also discovered the beginnings of prayer. Also, your people develop a taste for raw flesh while it is active. Partly because of Degowin's own nature there, but also because fire is unpleasantly hot with his blessing.
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Feb 22, 2013 07:20
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Andra (Arandia, Coltain) The problem is that Andra has trouble doing a lot of damage to herself. The knife is designed to make small and sharp incisions and even then all Andra can do is tear the skin a little and try to pull it back. In the end she does not manage to cut her fingers off, nor does she cut away all the skin on her finger either. Instead the glowing light seems to bleed for a moment before beginning to evaporate into the air. Judging from the movement of the specks in the air before they disappear entirely, the herbalist seems to accidentally be breathing it in. On a brief inspection you notice he is looking a little strange and does not seem entirely...there, at the moment Red (Val Aman, Spinewoods) Red is just considering what sort of person would be right to help her when she is tapped on the shoulder. She turns around and is surprised to see a human sized Rooster, standing in a pair of very nice boots. It is also wearing a nice belt admittedly and a fine leather jacket along with felt hat. The Rooster bows slowly and clears its throat a little. “You called for me, my lady?” He asks in a rich and intellectual sounding voice. Red is admittedly not sure exactly what it is that makes someone sound smart, but the Rooster has it. “If there’s some way I can help, please let me know post-haste.” Success, you’ve made a lieutenant. The Rooster only knows what you know so far, but it’s able to put things together that you haven’t and is more consistently observant than Red is. Lilian (The Great Sea) The woman considers this for a moment. "We are still within range. If you know where you left it, and can describe it in detail we may be able to retrieve it. Such a thing is within our power and skill, although we quickly approach the edge of our range to do so. You may want to wait until after to demonstrate your powers over wind." She suggests prudently. You can't imagine you're too far from land then if you're still within range, their vessel most have been travelling down the river Tae, through Val Aman to the Great East Sea. If you're already at see then either you were asleep a long time, or they travelled very quickly. It seems you won't have long to ponder what to do at least. Edo (Eosia, The Great University of Eisos) Edo quickly searches through his sudden knowledge. He can't think of anything to tap into 'Divine power', in fact in magic you are not even sure such a thing has ever existed. As for his spoken question, Ajikan responds to that slowly, as though considering his reply even as he spoke. "Who is to say? No one has ever seen a living God walk among men. The Emperor claims lineage to the Sun God of course, but, the Sun God has never walked upon the world either. I wonder if that strange phenomenon at the new year's eve had something to do with all of this. I'm not going to tell you whether you succeeded or not on this check. This will be a general stance on plot relevant questions. Adam & Kovar (Taeless, Under-Sellos) What Adam creates is not really a map, so map as a very intricate and detailed model. Kovar has seen Adam work before, but mostly for practicality or in metal for axes. The detail of the model is frankly, quite astounding. The model is divided into a number of cutaway sections to allow one to see inside it. Primarily the shape is kind of like a diamond, a large space in the centre connects all the various tunnels and walkways, as well as providing a way to transport goods up and down easily through mechanisms. Merchant quarters and stores go near the top, but not directly at the top which has about half of the guard and armaments of the city so as to be quick to defend in a siege. In the middle are most of the living quarters and the workshops that don’t relate to stone, gem or metal. Lower down those workshops are close to the tunnels that lead to the mines. Finally, in the very centre of the city is the quarters of Adam and the municipal offices and halls. Clearly Adam would need to explain many of the details as they went along, but the model would be enough to allow people to start mining out the mountain for their home. It would take the Dwarves many years to finish it, but it would be a marvel once they did to be sure. As long as they could figure out the scale that is. Success, you won’t see the true results of this for quite a while though due to the nature of building a full underground city. Beltheus (Eosia, Eisos) The map did not go exactly as you had planned, but in hindsight what you have might possibly be more useful. The map you’d sought to change had burned pitch black in an instant, but the leather remained just as supple as you had hoped. For a moment you were angered, outraged that it had not done as you wished and you readied your power to burn it to ashes. But as you did, the flames leapt from your hands, instead tracing red hot lines across the parchment. It showed you dots of people around your area, showing how corrupt their souls were. It had more precision, but was not as wide in scope if you could not travel somehow. Success, but your original action was a bit beyond your general power at the moment so I gave you something I hope is equally useful. Think of it as being like the Marauder's Map from Harry Potter. Octagon (Val Aman, Val Setin) Surprisingly as Octagon suspected, he managed to quickly find some unused catacombs under one of the old cathedrals. For a city that is not that notably religious Val Setin likes building a lot of cathedrals. Perhaps it is their love of stern architecture and hideous creatures that drives them to build them. At any rate when one can clamber up walls, it is relatively easy to circumvent the barred doors preventing regular access, and the door with a lock. The catacombs are dark and dusty, but that doesn’t bother Octagon as much as it would a day ago. He finds it easier to move by noting the movement of air in the crypts than he does through his eyes. Success, you found an unused catacomb. It should serve your needs, for now at least. Civar, Daveron & Ilvis (Border of Arandia and Eosia) Civar and Aideen meet up with Daveron and Ilvis on the road north to Eosia. Unsurprisingly they do not encounter any bandits, Daveron’s order has taken care of any bandits that might be in the area. Even if they hadn’t, you are sure that by now none of them would not know about Daveron and Ilvis. They would be sure to avoid you if you were around. So you reach the Eosian border without incident. There is a lone guard station with a small patrol who look at you as you approach. One side is Eosian, the other side Arandians from Harvan. The Arandians seem to recognise Ser Daveron at least and wave at you as you get closer. Degowin (The Frozen Wilds, The Bleak Mountain) Tanjan nods as if understanding your reasons for not wishing to remain. “Take the Frostborn with you my lord, they are pathetic enough without moping about their fate when they think you cannot see. If you need me, or need to speak to me throw your voice into the winter wind. I will hear your words.” He says simply and once you make to leave, returns to his work. He had been working on some kind of elixir, made from frozen plants that were crushed into a liquid and kept just above freezing point. The journey to the north would have been miserable for a normal man, but for Degowin he did not notice the blizzard particularly aside from a slight increase in difficulty in seeing where he was going. Eventually he came to a great mountain, with two paths going along two passes to either side of it. One would lead to the east and the coastal town of Whiteshore, with the other heading further north and west to the town of Grerythorn. Or Degowin could climb the mountain to see if anything lay atop it, or to make something up there if he wished. He could even simply climb it to enjoy the silent view of the ends of the world if he wished. Aldrain (Eosia, The Great Library of Eisos) Although it takes a little experimentation both with lexicon and syntax, Aldrain eventually stumbles across the right combination of runes to perform the task he wants. The books he had reading, treatises on language and proto-language were your first attempts at its use. As you etched the runes upon the cover of the tomes, the pages and lettering glows softly as it seems to flow into your body. Travelling like a warm current through your fingers and up your arm and spine into your head, the knowledge of the tomes contents slowly distilling into your mind. As you finish absorbing the last tome, Aldrain realises in a startling epiphany that he did not even use the runes this time, he had simply put his mind to the task and copied the knowledge from the book. You sense an approval in your mind as you follow this realisation through that you could copy this into the minds of others. Whether or not this was truly what the library had intended is something that Aldrain is frankly not very sure about, but whether intended or not you feel both approval and excitement. The library, as you have come to associate the awareness as, seems to want you to take in the knowledge of all the books here so that should it burn down it won’t be lost. Although it’s obvious that if you yourself died there would be equal risk, the library seems to dismiss that concern for...some reason you can’t quite make out. Success, additionally Aldrain gains the Divine trait Knowledge [+2]. As a warning as one of the most broad traits, DCs for some actions will be higher than other people. On the other hand, you have the power to force me to spontaneously have to decide on any world detail you desire. Please don’t abuse this too much for the sake of my sanity. Jimmy4400nav / Mazir: I’ll add a small update for you if you post tonight or tomorrow morning. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 23:01 on Feb 27, 2013 |
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Feb 27, 2013 10:49
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Mini-Update: Mazir (Elysian Sands, Elysia) Mazir finds that despite his great power, creating permanence is still difficult. With such a large structure as what he wishes making it stay in place on its own once he leaves the area is beyond his current power perhaps, or certainly at its upper limits. But there is a more practical and simpler solution, to have it be bound to his will. It means that he can dismantle and reconstruct it at will and take it with him as long as sand could be found. The structure itself was made entirely of sand, but Mazir's new powers as well as his magic allowed him to create the seeming of any rock or gem he wished it seemed. His palace could seem as opulent as he wished, as long as he did not mind it not being true wealth yet and that it had a certainly susceptibility to water and other liquids. Except for blood, blood was thick enough to not trouble the sands which was perhaps an interesting and symbolic fact, depending on how Mazir looked at it. Or wanted his new people to. Success, but it's not permanent. If you'd rolled a 12 I would have let you make it permanent. I'll let you describe it, although keep in mind to keep it a very modest size as your powers are still growing. You can simulate rocks and gems, so stuff like gold, obsidian, jewels, limestone and so on are all possible cosmetic options. You'll need real incense though, and real flames if you want ceremonial fires. Main update will come tonight or tomorrow.
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Mar 5, 2013 05:04
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WARNING, the next post will be a time skip, prepare an action that could go for a month or two for it. Andra Waiting on an action after our post. Degowin (Frozen Wilds, The Bleak Mountain) The main challenges of climbing a mountain was strength, stamina and enduring the elements. The elements of a mountain, namely the cold, no longer seemed to really bother Degowin as much as they once did. As for strength and stamina, well these were things that Degowin had in ample amount before his change. The only thing that kept tripping him up was his new size which he sometimes kept underestimating. He reached the top by the time dusk was setting in. Climbing down in the dark would be foolish, but at least neither he nor the Frostborn would be in any great danger of freezing to death in the night. Success, you climb to the top of the mountain. Aldrain (Eosia, The Great Library of Eisos) Despite feeling sprite about the affair, Aldrain quickly finds himself drained by the effort of absorbing the book. It wasn’t quite like as if he’d stayed up and read the entire book himself, but there was some reservoir of energy that it used up. It seemed you would need to pace yourself for this task. Not exactly a success or failure, but you rolled lowish and I was unsure how to approach it as a simple success or failure result. Basically you can get tired easily, which I felt currently worked well into your foible. The process itself however both works and is repeatable by you, and possibly theoretically others who can use you power if any exist. Octagon (Val Aman, Val Setin) It was harder to keep a track of time in the depths of the catacombs. When you clamber up to investigate the Cathedral above, which you had believed to be abandoned you find a solitary man of the cloth with a key diligently gathering books and placing them aside to take somewhere else. He has a torch, which makes you realise catching him unawares with that will be difficult. Instead you decide to ambush him when he leaves the small office he is in. Suspending yourself by a single thread, whose strength no longer surprises you so much, you descend rapidly as he leaves and bite him. Your sedative agent floods his body quickly and he has time to utter a surprised yelp before he succumbs. Using your many legs you quickly wrap him in a cocoon of thread and leave him there as you go to the front door and make sure it is locked. Then you take him down to the catacombs. Your mate, companion, you’re not really sure what to call her now, seems curious about your guest but respectfully backs of when you indicate he is not dinner. Not yet anyway. The man wakes up and starts looking around nervously in the dark, before noticing the outline of Octagon’s new form. Fearfully his eyes adjust a bit more and he makes out some more details, before beginning to scream in terror a little. Success, you have a screaming low ranking priest captive. Adam and Kovar (Taelos, Under-Sellos) Adam and Kovar worked on the armour long throughout the night. At various points Thadroin came and brought them cool drinks to help them in the hot forge, as well as to keep up their strength. At times the two worked together and at other times one stood back to help the other. When Kovar worked Adam had to either help him learn what he wanted to do, or to work from his descriptions. In the end dawn rose on the mountain, not that either knew from Under-Sellos, and the suit was finished. It was solid and imposing, of a dark metal that spoke of fortitude and implacability. In the wrong conditions it could even look menacing, although removing the helmet and showing your face would likely go a long way to making it seem somewhat less intimidating.  (Dragon not included) To their initial disappointment the suit was the size of a normal man, Kovar would never be able to wear it. But Thadroin looked at it and blinked for a moment. “Try to put it on Kovar.” He said simply and seeking to show him that he was clearly wrong, Kovar did just that. To your surprise however the armour expanded as you tried to put it on, growing to Kovar’s size. When Adam tried it on as well the armour shrunk to match him as well. Kovar could wear the armor easily and comfortably, feeling more like it was a second skin that a suit of metal. There was something else within it as well, a reservoir that could be tapped into. It was admittedly insignificantly small for Kovar and Adam, but maybe for a mortal man or woman it would be a valuable asset. Success, the armor has two properties. Firstly it will match the size of whomever wears it at the time. Additionally if a mortal wears it, it will attune to them and over time imbue them with strength and size as well, similar to Burd, Jusep and Barabara. It is a Mortal Magic Item. Edo (Eosia, Eisos) The spell was hard, harder than he thought at first. Admittedly it was Edo’s first attempt at using magic, but even so he did not expect it to be this hard. Changing the statue to move freely was not so hard. Combining the animation with what he had done to Ajikan and Katikos was actually relatively simple and Edo was practiced at it. He did need to add in muscles and ligaments so that the statue was capable of moving itself but that he managed to do. Giving it power and a soul was harder, much harder however. But eventually after struggling you wrenched power from...somewhere and placed it within the statue before you began to mould it. Yet Edo had no idea what a mind was truly like so in the end you had to give it a child-like quality. It would need to learn, to grow into an adult, so far as statues could be adults. But that act of giving it a soul almost drained you entirely, and you were left gasping for breath as you knelt before the statue. Tenderly it stands free of its base and looks around. Then it crouches before you, an expression of curiosity on its face as it asks a question Edo would not have expected to hear. “Are you my father?” Success. You actually rolled below average for this and would have failed, had I not decided that this was really too much fun to let fail. So I shifted it to a conditional success. I am letting you know that I am leaning back with my fingertips together, cackling like an evil madman right now. Red (Val Aman, the Spinewoods) Red thought about it and then brought forth into being a marvellous outfit, a simple yet elegant dress that Red thought would befit her as a queen. It certainly looked regal enough. Then she thought about some jewellery because of course every monarch needed gold and jewels. And for a moment it did exist as well! But then it seemed to vanish back as though it had never existed. “Perhaps the more you summon, the harder it is to keep it there Mr Lady.” Your servant offers humbly. “You have created many servants, and surely they must be a tax on your power.” Failure, but I’m letting Red keep the dress because it’s simple enough. Civar and Ilvis (Arandia, Border of Eosia) Civar’s change was almost imperceptible, there was no great display of light or power as flashier mage might indulge in. What one might notice if they watched carefully, was the sudden change in pace and direction of one of the waitresses. The crease of the brow of the matron who began to reorganise some of the plates and tankards in the serving room. People moving their stools and chairs a bit so that clear thoroughfares in the room were created. There was no great commotion, but the change was itself large if one was observant. Perhaps fortunately Ilvis not find someone that the Sword burned black for, but it certainly did a lot to impress people. After all, it wasn’t everyday that someone got set on fire and came out of the experience unharmed at all. You notice Civar doing something though, and the response of the people in the hostel is controlled in its enthusiasm. People are not really sure if you’re actually a knight, or just a skilled magician, but either way you’ve made quite an impact on those in the room. EDIT: A couple of hours later a Magister arrives. He has somewhat shabby looking robes that once would have been quite impressive and a gold amulet around his neck with the jewels set into it. He seems to notice the trio immediately and walks over to you. Ilvis' sword does its thing of checking him to see if he is a decent person, and the white fire clears him of immediate suspicion. He seems a little surprised and concerned by this however. "Could you please explain to me what you just did and why?" He asks in a concerned, but not hostile voice. At least not yet anyway. Success on both accounts. Lilian (The Great Sea) The female Magister smiles a little as you describe it. “It sounds very valuable, both to you and for its price. I shall return in a moment.” She says and leaves the room and Lilian to herself for a short time. When she returns she is holding your blade, sheathed in its scabbard in her hands. “Is this the weapon you spoke of?” She asks, sounding considerably wearier than she did before. Beltheus (Eosia, Eisos) The next day Ahruon returns to you, a nasty and callous smile creasing the current features of his mortal guise. During the night you had felt a small number of souls pass into your domain, and they increased your strength by a little bit. “My Lord Beltheus, your creation works magnificently. Not only did the pathetic mortals lap up the dust, but I managed to even cause a number to murder each other so that they could fight over the remaining scraps. If we have a way to make more it will do much to spread our influence.” He places the bag on the table, now mostly empty except for a few specks of dust. Success, the dust works both like an addictive narcotic but also loosens the morality of a soul. Prolonged consumption will erode even the most virtuous of souls and in those who are already evil and depraved, it will mark them and send them to your domain upon death. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 23:20 on Mar 6, 2013 |
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Mar 6, 2013 03:24
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In the Frozen Wilds As the life seemed to ebb away from Degowin, and he thought he might finally know peace a figure walked up to him out of the white snowy landscape. It was Thanjan. He looked down at you and his face contorted in a grotesque smile. "So Degowin. You kill my son and think that is it? That you can just run away. Oh no. I have plans for you. Your legacy will live on quite a bit longer I'm afraid." Then the wiry shaman crouched down and took up one of Degowin's arms in his hands. And began to eat. No worries. I figured this might be a poetic way to tie off the story.
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Mar 8, 2013 23:27
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Eosia In the capital Eisos, the animation of the statue of Valamnis and Edo Blackwater's connecting to the people sent ripples through the city and the nation. Seeing the statue of the first Emperor as a sign of Edo's divine right, as well as his incredible powers people began to question the right of the incumbent emperor to rule. This began as an undercurrent of discontent in those less well off and used by the existing government. Then after a number of unfortunate incidents rioting began to break out. Edo found himself at a loss to control the people in the city, if he tried to direct them they seemed to descend into anarchy and lose all preplanning. When he tried to discourage their efforts it only seemed to fuel their fervour more. By the end of several weeks the city was divided along the water front. It was only through the intervention of the Magisters Ajikan, Katikos and a few of their like minded followers that shielded the commoners from the magical wrath of the Magisters. Ajikan seemed to be more at peace with himself, seeking less to exert any political influence he might have had for his own personal gain. He remained mildly coy about that particular change however, simply saying that; 'something great is changing in the world, it is bound to change us in many ways.' This was not the only disturbing thing for Edo however. Many of the people he had begun to heal lately were returning to him, having taken some strange drug. He did not have time to track down who was distributing it and had so far failed to gain a sample. It was horrifically addictive and even though he was sure each time he had purged it from the system of those who came to him, its insidious influence lingered in their systems beyond his senses. Each time they came back they had changed, they had become more selfish, wrathful, in many ways those things that were good had slowly losing that which was good and right about them. Taneeya's father had fallen victim to it, in his search for a surrogate for the alcohol that was like water to him. He had stopped coming home and she was afraid, both of what had happened to him and what was happening around her. Beltheus on the other hand could feel the rich energy of the growing conflict flowing into his domain. It was much, much less than a soul could provide and he was wickedly grateful that the conflict had produced a number of deaths. And the spread Demon Dust was only fuelling the descent into wickedness and depravity as many fell to any source of solace and comfort they could find in the chaos. One in particular, a porter by the name of Davos, had been touched by the hand of someone else, someone with the same kind of power that Beltheus had, although of a different nature. It had taken away his ability to imbibe alcohol and made him slightly resistant to the influence of the Dust. As a result, it was slowly building in his system. Beltheus could hear his desperate need to consume it, to have more, to have some kind of pleasure and relief from the world. There was also a burning desire for revenge in his heart, against the one that had changed him and accompanying despair that he'd never reach Edo Blackwater. Yes, Beltheus had a name and a face now. But the most wonderful opportunity came, when one of the senior priests for the Emperor himself fell to the temptation of the Demon Dust. In his frustration he gave a prayer to anyone, or anything, that would give him the power to legitimise the Emperor. If only he could gain a power like that heathen heretic Edo, he'd be able to wrap the Emperor around his finger... Aldrain for the most part did not notice the conflict. His home was sheltered from most of the rioting and the Great Library and the rest of the Imperial University was well protected. But the librarians did and grew worried. Places of learning were often burned by the unwashed masses, as icons of the perceived noble oppressors. Aldrain had the power to directly learn the knowledge from their scrolls and begged him to teach them. To his surprise, it was a skill that could be taught! It was not easy and they struggled with even the basic words and concepts that he'd picked up quickly, but it was enough to eventually teach them the Runes of Learning. Together they worked to preserve the knowledge and Aldrain could feel their respect and admiration for him. He'd always been well respected as a scholar, but this was different. He could look at them each and tell that they would be prepared to follow him, especially if they had a chance to learn more. All of them shared the thirst for knowledge, and the proper respect for it. Further out in the countryside of Eosia, away from the chaos that was engulfing Eisos, even Ilvis and Civar could feel the ripples from the capital. The peasants spoke of the return of the Sun God Valamnis, a prophet had come from a small village and was leading the commoners against the tyranny of the empire. At first Ilvis found it hard to influence the people in the places she travelled to. It took a lot of time to build up good will, both because she was an outsider, a stranger and a noble. But s/he managed to prove it each time, for it seemed despite their words contrary to it, the people of Eosia wanted a strong leader to guide them in these troubled times. Despite all this however, Ilvis realised that it would take more for them to willingly follow her. In a time of trouble or if she came to their defence, as she did in a few cases where the local soldiers had been called to the capital and outlaws had sprung up to take advantage of this, the people would follow her. But not now, some boundaries were too great to cross so easily and so quickly, even after a month. The pace suited Civar much better on the other hand, who was able to tutor the smiths in a couple of villagers over a few days. They understood the value in a proper order and the way that chaos was never good for anyone. Even those that claimed to profit from chaos needed some degree of order. Order was the only thing that could temper, contain and destroy chaos. The smiths changed a little over each of the days, and would continue to change for some time. Civar didn't mind though, it would take time to temper and reforge them. And, he'd left each of them a gift. A small token with a hammer on it, which would tap into one he held as well. It functioned the same as the badges that Daveron's order, allowing him to speak over distances. As the smiths became more aligned with Order, their skill with it grew along with their strength and range. And on the coast, near Mudhal Lilian landed into port. She'd managed to breathe a lot of wind into the sails which had shaved a few days off of the journey. Her first steps on solid ground were a bit shaky though, mastery of wind apparently didn't give you the ability to avoid sea-legs. The senior Magister, Itayana, as she'd found out she was went to talk to one of her order in the city and when she came back she looked very troubled indeed. "I must apologise Lilian, we had planned to take a barge up the river to Eisos so that you could go to the University. However, I have received word that the city is in open revolt at the moment. Such a thing is unheard of in Eosia. If you wish we can do some learning here however, my companion Ulukan has a very...respectable manor-" and the tone of voice lead Lilian to believe that Itayana had some particular thoughts on the matter. "-and has graciously offered to put us up for the night. We can certainly remain here, Ulukan has a number of personal tomes in his library and spaces for practice and research which while less well equipped and suited than those of the University are none the less still adequate for our needs I think. Or, you might choose to travel elsewhere. If we wait long enough I am sure the situation in the capital will be resolved as well. Ulukan's manor is to be fairly honest, quite opulent even among those in a city of merchants. It easily rivals any of the wealthy estates in Taelos that Lilian has seen. Ulukan himself is not a small man, both in height and in girth and seems to roll more than walk. He does however show off his power to you with all kinds of impressive tricks, such as levitating plates in to your meal and having the meat carved by a knife that seemed to be moved by invisible hands. It all tasted delicious, although Lilian might be put off by the almost disgusting show of wealth and power on display. Itayana was certainly not impressed by any means. The beds were warm and comfortable however, which after several weeks of sea travel was enough to make her forgive at least a few transgressions for the time being. In the morning Lilian would need to decide what to do with herself. It seemed that Magister Itayana planned to remain with her for the time being regardless. Elysia Souls were ephemeral once separated from the body. They wanted to go to some place...else, although Mazir was not sure where exactly. There were two different locations and it was hard to judge where a soul went. But a soul could be tied to another object, preventing it from leaving this realm. Not only this but souls could be combined as well, increasing their strength and useful as raw sources power. This was not without a downside though, the identity of the souls was destroyed in the process, sometimes a new composite one formed and sometimes it did not. Influencing them could create at least the seeming of an identity, if it was not the real thing. It was hard to tell. But Mazir certainly had a lot to toy with now. On the third week of their experiments Hartun and Zel did something reckless, completely taking Mazir by surprise. They willingly combined their own souls, which had become somewhat detached from their bodies through all of their magics. They formed a new entity that was...unnerving to the people of Elysia. It called itself Nomad, and it had bound itself into the sands of the desert. The body it constructed from itself was a curious affair. It was mostly man-like, powerfully built and yet it was strangely blank. The face had little to particularly distinguish itself and it was completely bald, including a lack of eyebrows. When Mazir questioned this Nomad simply explained that hair was difficult to manage as it flowed and moved. Its eyes were pure pools of green with solid black pupils in the centre that never moved, yet it could see to the sides at any time despite appearances to the contrary. Berel did not approve of Nomad, calling it unnatural and an abomination, although he was quickly silenced by Mazir's orders. Nomad was strange, but he was also more powerful than Hartun and Zel had been combined. When asked why they had chosen to do what they had done, they had simply replied that 'it needed to be done.' Val Aman Val Setin was awash with rumours of spiders. Giant spiders who watched in the shadows, yet scuttled away when you went to look. There was a natural degree of fear for what was unknown and in the dark, yet the people would have been terrified had they known the truth of the matter. Octagon's first attempts had been slightly disappointing in some ways. The giant spiders that he had laid eggs for had been strong and obedient. Yet they were not very, well, smart. They were more than spiders and yet it seemed as though they lacked a human spark. When you discussed this with your mate, who by that point had taken over and was creating smaller and nimbler versions with a variety of toxins, she suggested that if you had changed, so could humans. The process had draining and Octagon had needed to feed more frequently than before, but as the humans he had left were suspended in cocoons with a toxin that slowed down their metabolism he had a thought. So Octagon bit them and injected his toxin into them. The process was quite painful and the shock unfortunately jolted the humans out of their stasis. Had he not been in the catacombs their screaming might have drawn attention, yet by the time dusk had set on that day they had been remade. They were similar in form to Octagon, yet they did not posses his powers. On the other hand they were far more intelligent than the giant spiders and other minions he and his mate had birthed, and they were very capable of directing their less willful brethren as well. Father north in Val Haysus the people were rather mystified by the girl Red, whom they knew but had largely ignored, who walked about of the Spinewoods and proclaimed her divinity. This would have been met with open ridicule and mockery had she not been accompanied by a company of walking trees, a talking rooster and other odds and ends. The lion, which was know by description from the Sun Plains but never seen in a place such as Val Aman particularly disturbed the people with its terrible claws and deadly teeth but perhaps the most concerning thing of all was its urbane attitude. The town paid cautious lip service for the time being, while a messenger went to Val Setin to contact the College there and request the help of a Wizard. The Ergod the baker turned into a wolf in broad daylight. Well, he turned into something half man and half wolf, then turned into a wolf. He began to try and run away, but unfortunately for him Red was nearby and caught up with him quickly. She didn't want to appear evil or scare the townsfolk as she wanted to make a good impression, so under the Rooster's orders she told Ergod that if he obeyed her he would be allowed to remain. It wasn't her original plan, she'd wanted to remain indirect where the wolves concerned and for the rest of her dealings with them she did. However this made a big difference on the townsfolk, Lions were unknown but wolves were a menace and one that was feared. Someone who could command them was to be respected if it would ensure their fields would be safe. Ingrid and Anna also turned during the month, but after that the outbreak of man-wolves seemed to die down. When the herbalists returned there were 7 of them and they were left to a pair of miserable hovels on the outskirts of town. They didn't go out much, because people tended to spit or hurl rocks at them, but Red could hear their misery. They seemed to be praying to her, begging her to do something to help their suffering. It wasn't their fault a wolf...thing had come into them, they hadn't done anything wrong and just wanted to live their normal lives. By the end of the month though the wolf thing and the men and women were indistinguishable, any division between the two being had gone. Arandia Minburg was beginning to be restructured somewhat. Now that the various townsfolk had all been changed it didn't make so much sense for there to be regular buildings any more. So instead they began to build a multileveled hive like structure instead. It was a little strange at first, but it made a lot of sense. And it was defensible which apparently turned out to be an important thing, for the people of the other towns thought that Minburg had been taken over by monsters. Instead of uniting in friendship and understanding, they grew fearful and violent. By this time rumours of strange beasts to the south, of walking statues and civil war in the north had reached Arandian duchies and the people felt that monsters were invading the world. Two of the envoys sent out to the towns never returned, yet Wilhelm had felt their moments of death almost as clearly as if they were his own. It seemed that within a tenday the nearby towns would march on Minburg, with a mind to burn it all to the ground. Tealess Adam and Kovar stared. The villagers stared. Jaws collectively dropped. The man, Cathos, was known to have a fiery temper before but this was a rather terrifying literal translation of it. Kovar had tried to transform the man in the same way he had before, the imagery of his kindling flame. Except this time it had gotten away from him and well, Cathos was... Cathos was now a big man who had burning eyes instead of glowing eyes, hair that was literally smoke wafting off of his head and when he opened his mouth it was as though his body was a living furnace. His comment on the matter was: "Well, I feel somewhat different." Burd on the other hand had a much simpler suggestion; "Sir, might I suggest a different approach in future?" It was certainly impressive though and the bandit that accompanied them helped convince the people of the town that Kovar and Adam would be good partners. Although they did politely ask that Kovar work on his technique first before attempting to change them. After a good, long and very productive professional chat a few of the men in town who worked with stone, gem and metal agreed to go back with Adam and spend some time learning among the Dwarves. Kovar gains the Divine Trait Fire [+2]. Also, next time let's aim for some succinctness shall we? This is a roleplaying game, not a novel. I appreciate wanting to write things, but if you have to go over multiple posts you may wish to cull some of the less essential details. Ferro's journey was long and in parts difficult. Sometimes Ferro could make deals to help him out, there was a certain degree of finality to his deals though it seemed. Twice people tried to back out of their end, yet fate conspired to force them to obey their words it seemed. Despite this though Ferro did not manage to seem to be able to find someone to take him up river. Instead he had to walk. In his journey Ferro saw a number of things. Although he naturally saw the squalor and poverty of the poor in Taelos every day he had lived there, he did not realise that away from the cities it was also similarly bad. Farmers might have the food they grew to feed themselves, but it was a meagre thing as they could only afford to keep the least valuable and nutritious of their food for themselves. There was certainly no meat they could afford, except when a particularly old sheep died by accident and they could have the toughest and most flavourless mutton available. Ferro was able to give a few of them some future aid in return for shelter. It wouldn't help them now, but later...and more importantly it built up good will. If Ferro was to do any of what Anmiel had said he'd need people to follow he thought. When he got to the ruins Ferro felt a great potential in the place. There was not strictly a power here, but something could happen. Something great, something powerful...but the nature of it would change. Ferro thought back on what Imald had mentioned, the border of life and death and looked around. There were a few wild goats in the area...it wouldn't be too hard to do a sacrifice. But as he thought it Ferro swore he could hear Anmiel's voice in his head, saying to him; "Nay, it must be a willing sacrifice. What was wrong was made through blood and murder, this must be made through a willing sacrifice lest it be tainted." Then the voice seemed to be gone, and Ferro was not sure he had even heard it in the first place. There was a small town nearby, a day's walk if Ferro got his act together and set off again. It was that, or figure out how to talk to goats.
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Mar 25, 2013 01:38
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Andra Andra decides to leap into the air. It seemed to be the easiest and most natural way to begin, but she focused on adding more, well, spring to her feet. Something to make her jump so high that she didn't need to land. She closed her eyes and then pushed away from the earth. When she felt the sharp wind whistling against her face she opened her eyes and saw the world beneath her falling away. Andra managed to stabilise her ascent at the point the sky began to grow dark, which allowed her to see the whole continent of Taravesh. The one thing that surprised her was to the far north, in the lands that were often covered by snow, there was a mountain that seemed to be made of ice that was stretching up to the sky like a finger. It took Andra a little while to get the hang of flying, but eventually she could confidently move around in the air. The only problem was it was a long way down and Andra wasn't exactly sure how to turn this off yet. Andra gains the Divine Trait Flight [+2]
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Mar 25, 2013 06:29
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Kovar - (Taelos, Base of Mount Wurde) Kovar's first attempt was on berry bush, which had several notable effects. The first was that the bush suddenly increased in size, which was not unexpected. Slightly less expected was that the berries remained the same size. Further more unexpected was the suddenly massive vine-like explosion of roots that started cracking open rocks around Kovar as they reached for soil and nutrients. The most unwelcome thing was that the berries seemed to now contain some kind of liquid fire, as when Kovar tried to pick and eat one he had to spit it out and find water quickly to soothe his mouth. His second attempt was on a pair of goats, which was more in line with what he expected. However thinking back to his last two disastrous results this time he worked on it without trying to summon his flame, which was now more like a living inferno now. Instead he looked at the goats, in a slightly different way. He saw their strengths and weaknesses and saw that he had two options, that he could mitigate their weaknesses or improve their strengths. Seeking to try both, one of them grew to be quite large with its fur becoming like a shaggy coat and its horns curling further. It looked more like a mammoth now (if Kovar knew of such things, never having been to the Frozen Wilds) than a goat. The other one didn't seem to change as much though, until it knelt down and began to eat a rock. Apparently finding food had been the weakest part in it had been its teeth. Its coat also seemed somewhat different, although getting closer might be difficult considering that the bigger goat also seemed more aggressive. You've managed to make Napalm Berries and also Goat Mammoths and Rock Goats. Assuming they can manage to spread, you could deal with them now if you wished. Success, in terms of figuring out how to separate your fire and strength powers though. Beyond that is up to Kovar's interpretation. Edo - (Eosia, Eisos Marketplace) The spell was simple but difficult. Tracking multiple beings over the whole city at once was taxing, especially since the spell construct needed to by dynamic. There was an easier way, which while not ideal would still be effective. Edo built up the spell, something that was becoming surprisingly matter of fact and familiar to him. Sometimes the act of magic seemed to be a joy, which could make Edo wonder why Blackwater was so opposed to it. Sometimes anyway. The result was that the stones and the earth of the city would light up a path, leading to the closest person nearby affected by the dust when Edo wished it to do so. Any shaped stone within the city would work for his purpose. Should Edo teach the activation spell to others they could also tap into it, although it was not an easy spell to learn. Success. Those with a bit of magical training can be taught to tap into the spell. It will show the caster the nearest person in Eisos affected by the Demon Dust. In doing so you also feel that someone else is aware of what you have done. Farro Kapersi - (Taelos, Amast-Bevy) Elice pondered this proposal for a moment. Several things ran through her mind, figuring out what Farro's game was, whether it was a trap of some kind, who she could round up and whether they'd be enough to take him down. Then she seemed to agree for now. "Alright, I'll do what I can Farro. Mind you, I'm sure you'll know what will happen if they're disappointed about why they're there." She says and winks at you. To Elice's credit she waited some time until after the fact to leave, although she did not notice in the noise her soundless steps. There was a group of 13, including Elise that met Farro two days later. 9 were men and there was a variety of them. In fact it was sort of surprising how many of them there were, two were barely men. They waited their eyes expectant but saying little. Elice to her credit managed to sneak up on you with her new footsteps, well, she almost did. You felt the touch of your power in time to turn to face her mischievous smile, which was not entirely friendly as well. "So Farro, why did you call us to this place?" Success, you have your people there, 13 in all. Civar Kit'An (Eosia, Eisos) You arrive at the capital to find it in chaos. The city seems to have split down the river into the wealthy areas and poor areas. Ramshackle barricades have been errected to prevent people from travelling from one side to the other. The mages seem to have split roughly half and half, with those on the poor side following some man named Edo who apparently is the son of the Sun God and has a walking statue of the First Emperor as his companion. Also now you understand fluent Eosian despite only having been there for a short time. Ilvis - (Eosia) You didn't get as many of the people to follow you as you wished. They might only be a handful, but they included some guards, the smith and a few others that had some weapons lying around. So it was that Ilvis lead them off to the bandit camp only to find it mostly empty. A single dying man spoke of how the very plants and animals had turned against them, with a single shadowy figure watching impassively. Then after almost all of the bandits were dead the figure left. He spoke a little more of how small and slight that figure had seemed, yet had seemed to radiate- And then he died in your arms. Needless to say the man around you found this more troubling than the bandits and all agreed; this was a job that the Magister needed to be involved in. It clearly wasn't a job for simple men like them. Failure, but someone else succeeded before you got there. Beltheus - (Eosia) Hekatos was lead the way, Beltheus having resumed his simple disguise. The court was still in session and the intrusion of Hekatos and some stranger was not well received. Well, Beltheus had planned to make a show of it anyway so why not. When the guards at the entrance tried to block Beltheus, he simply caused them to be engulfed in hell-fire. The room went quiet, all except for Hekatos' gulp of fear, but he remained resolute and the both of you walked up to the throne. There was a tension, no a pressure in the air as a trio of Magisters prepared some kind of spell, but the Emperor stayed it with a gesture and looked down at the pair approaching him. "Thou stand before us Priest, with a stranger in our court. Two of our men hath been slain in the course of their holy duty. Tell us why you have come into my court, in this hour with such intent." Then Hekatos began to explain, about how they lacked the power to force the populace into obedience, how that there had been a usurper in the workers, and also that the Sun God no longer responded to their prayers. But someone could, and he gestured to Beltheus. The Emperor peered at you and considered this. "And you, Beltheus, canst though prove thine power? Thine divinity equal to the almighty Sun God, lord and father of ourselves and Eosia." Well, if there was a time for showmanship, it was now. Beltheus revealed his full majesty to the room just as he had to Hekatos. Everyone cowed back, every Hekatos, although he was a little bit more prepared this time. When his voice spoke it was smouldering with brimstone. "I can Emperor of Eosia. I can give you the Power to put down this rebellion, the Strength to rule without question and the means to weed out traitors to your noble nation. I am here, willing to offer you something where you old gods are not. And all that I ask in return, is that your devotion to them become your devotion to me." The Emperor considered this as he cowered and tried to straighten himself a little. Ah yes, this one was prideful, Beltheus could see it in his eyes. "In such times when the old gods have forsaken us, we see that if we are to continue to rule we must look to new ways. Very well Beltheus. If your power truly brings back order and stability to our lands then we accept." So it was that Beltheus gave his blessing to Hekatos and to the Emperor. Both were lifted off of the floor as power flooded into them. But the gifts were not equal, for Hekatos received a measure of power greater than his Emperor. To those around the Emperor was more noticeable, with his eyes being branded by glowing red lines and symbols. But Hekatos gained a great eldritch symbol burned into his chest across his stomach. He panted for breath, overwhelmed by all the power he had been given. The Emperor recovered first, being given a smaller measure and blinked. His irises had turned a vibrant blood red. Then he looked at his hands and flexed them a little, tendrils of hell-fire flickering across the surface. "We are well pleased by your gift Lord Beltheus." He said and smiled as he stood, the sin of pride blackening his soul even more as he arrogantly rose. Success, the Emperor has magic comparable to the average Magister, although demonic themed. Hekatos falls between him and Arhuon in demonic magic, but without the physical strength and other talents. Someone has managed to do something to track those who are feeding on your dust. Adam - (Taelos, Towns near Sellos) The tools were well received, each one uniquely suited to the different elders and leaders of each of the two villages. The first was a mining pick that while simple was forged from steel. Adam had thought of steel before, but this was his first real experiment with it. Thus he was glad that it was most assuredly successful, for it was stronger and sharper than other picks the town had seen. Soon all the smiths around were clamouring to know his secret. In the second town Adam made a hammer. It was likewise made of steel and although had some magnificent inlay, was more practical than ornamental. Again the smiths in the town were eager to learn the secret of steel. Adam had to think to himself, that he really ought to make himself a steel hammer to work with as well. Also an anvil. Yes, they might prove useful. Success, your gifts of steel (which is new to the world) are very well received. Mazir - (Elysia) It worked, once the magic was done the souls were bound, each into a different part of the armour to bring it to life. But the result was not like Hartun and Zel. The thing was animate but not truly alive, instead obeying orders exactly and precisely, but only that. However it did have some uses, in that it never tired, nor did it need to eat or drink. Also it never spoke, which was sometimes a relief. In its helmet burned two blazing green eyes that moved around but never blinked. Nomad explained the result to Mazir simply when he questioned them about it, wondering what the difference had been between them and the armour. "It is because the souls had been gone from their bodies too long. They lost identity and will." Success, the armour will follow commands given to it through soul magic. Octagon - (Val Aman, Val Setin, Crypts) That night the toxin was spread to the wells in Val Setin. It would take several days for the early symptoms to start showing, as the water would dilute it substantially. But if the victims did not ingest the trigger-toxin somehow, within a month they would be dead. Success
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Apr 10, 2013 03:24
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Ilvis (Eosia, south east districts) As Eisner sweeps the area with his sword the fire running along it seems to dim for a moment, flickering as if it was about to go out. Yet the blade is not extinguished and in the dying light something is illuminated. The plants around the group and the sight begin to glow in a soft black light as strange as it was to see. The light reveals something that Eisner had not truly noticed before, that the plants themselves seem to be covered in far more blood than they ought to be. The sword shudders in his grip and Eisner feels the touch of another at work here. The feeling is fading but whatever Ilvis, Civar and Daveron have become, she knows that the same force is at work here. The feeling starts leading off to the mountains to the south east, which separate the desert east of Eosia to the east of Arandia. Those are tough duchies that make their money from metal and goods made in the smith. They've always been a hotbed, mostly because they have the natural resources to be the best equipped in Arandia. Fortunately their arrogance in this meant they were also not as well trained, which offset their advantage and kept them on an equal footing with the other duchies of Arandia. Still, Ilvis knows she will likely face a hostile reception is that is truly where the culprit went. Success, you have the start of a trail, or a full trail, you're unsure right now, to follow. Additionally you know that something with powers like Civar, Daveron and yourself is at work here. Kovar (Taeless, Mount Wurde) Kovar soon discovers that a mountain lion does not act or think in the same way that a person does. That is not to say that he cannot figure out what it will do, for in its own way the lion will act along a very predictable set of variables. However this does not mean that his chase is easy. It takes some time to track a lion and during this time Kovar swiftly learns that his new size is not always a boon in the rocky mountains. For a while Kovar tries to chase down a lion, but the beasts can slip through gaps between boulders and crevices that Kovar now cannot. It combines the grace of a housecat with honed experience and a greater size. But that wasn't what Kovar needed to do. He did not need the best, the most wily, the most powerful mountain lion for his task. Such an endeavour would still be risky for him, although he felt sure the beast would find it very difficult by now to actually kill him. But he could do with a little less, as long as he had one in front of him he could work with it. So instead of trying to find the mountain lion, Kovar brought it to him by killing a wild goat and leaving its carcass out in a clearing. Surely as he knew it would, after some time a lion sneaks forth warily into the clearing to investigate the chance of a free meal. Success, although if you do actually want the very best mountain lion around you'll need to keep chasing it down. Civar (Eosia, Eisos) Civar finds that most of the violence occurring in the city that is not directly connected to the war seems to stem from a drug of some kind. All of the people who know of it call it the Demon's Dust, although none are sure why. It gives a short period of euphoria and confidence, before leaving the user frustrated and wanting more. Logically you assumed that if you followed the chain of supply you would find the one responsible for its manufacture, or at least local distribution. Yet you are stymied by the fact that no one seems to know who is really supplying it. Strangers seem to appear, or people who are dead or cannot be there and hand it out to people, seemingly for free which is the most confusing part of the whole affair. Some small time criminals seem to be trying to horde and sell it, but their supply comes free from elsewhere. But the most concerning thing of all is the stench of chaos and something else it leaves behind. The slums and poor sections of the city stink of it, the sensation almost overpoweringly disgusting to Civar. You do find out that the man this side of the city seems to be following, Edo Blackwater who was the one with the walking and talking statue, is trying to track down and cure those afflicted by it. Often against the sufferer's desires, until they are healed. Partial success. You find out something is going on, but your mortal qualities aren't quite enough to beat out the demonic distribution network Beltheus has going. Adam (Taeless, Under-Sellos) Wait. He had a temple? When exactly had this happened? Adam didn't really remember building a temple, or even asking for one to be built. The most disturbing thing of all was that it was a temple dedicated to him. This had to be Thadroin's idea, but there would be time to deal with that later. The travellers seemed to be settling in alright. Only three of them had been dwarf-ified already but the others seemed to be getting close to it as far as Adam could tell. Having watched it happen enough by now he was starting to get a handle on the process. The first part seemed to be getting over the shock and fear of the Dwarves being different enough to essentially be their own race. Then after this acceptance the person started to realise that they had things in common with them, or wished to have things in common. Adam was also suspicious this step was sped up substantially if they had family involved in this process as well, or at least a very close friend. Finally there seemed to be a point where the person stopped thinking of themselves as outside of the group of Dwarves and mentally started including themselves. There was a short period of starting to take on habits and mannerisms before the actual final physical and full mental adjustment. But it seemed that many of the blacksmiths were close enough that they had little to change, although the other craftsman might take a bit longer. There was a joy in gaining more people to his people, as well as a little addictive rush of power. As more people became Dwarves Adam himself felt...well not literally bigger but metaphysically bigger. A reservoir within him grew a little bigger each time. And this temple...well despite being incredibly embarrassing fed into this as well. However it felt right and good to Adam in a way that he couldn't quite explain. Maybe Thadroin or Kovar would get it though. The people are mostly fine and comfortable (when not hitting their heads), and are adjusting well. I added in more flavour as well to give you a bit more to work with. Edo (Eosia, Eisos) Every time Edo gets close to someone truly important, they seem to vanish into thin air or disappear as if they had never existed. It is unbelievable, with his art and power that someone and something is managing to evade him. He knows it is out there but he can't track it down. Later that day reports come from the front lines that the Emperor has publicly renounced the Sun God. More disturbing is that he seems to be invested with magic of his own now, and pays homage to to a new god named "Beltheus". But during all of this there comes some good news, possibly. Someone else in the city is trying to track down the source of the Demon Dust, a man named Civar who hails from Arandia and is accompanied by a witch. They too struggle to track down the final source of the Dust but perhaps together you might have better luck. Or he might have another agenda at work, you're unsure. What you do know is that more...power has begun to congregate in Eisos. You had a similar run of bad luck to Civar, but with your Divine attribute (I ignored Strength as it wasn't relevant to the roll) you had a better chance. Unfortunately you failed your contested roll against Beltheus this time. Mazir (Elysian Sands, Elysia) Mazir found his work effective, until he ran into a critical issue. Metal was not plentiful or easily acquired in the desert. Your worshippers would need a supply to continue the work, as well as additional souls. For the time being your people cannibalised any available smithable and workable materials but they would only go so far for now. It was a catch, you would need those forces to acquire more and yet you were currently unable to make them until you had the resources. Your people estimated they could make about 100, which they could get done within the week. They were very eager to impart that they were not being held up by lack of will, and there was a fevered and fearful fervour to their attitudes. Clearly they were still all mortally afraid of you, but no one wished to risk your displeasure and so were eager to impress and appease you as much as possible. Success, but you've got other issues to deal with first unless you can think of workarounds.
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Apr 16, 2013 02:30
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Farro Kaperski Everyone around the circle sort of went quiet for a while. In the end it was Elice that spoke in the silence, her voice piercing through it like an arrow through the night. "Farro. Will you protect my daughter?" She asked softly, which earned her a number of surprised looks from the circle. Had she managed to keep it a secret all this time? She was the last person you imagined to have a child and yet, there was a sincerity to her which inclined you to believe she spoke truly. Farro never remember exactly what he said after that, he agreed but the words seemed unimportant when Elice nodded, took out her dagger and stabbed herself with it. She crumpled to the ground wordlessly, a distant and serene look in her eyes as she did so. The world exploded into light and sound, blinding and deafening everyone in the clearing. Although Farro would always swear he heard a voice saying "It is always the mother who will give all for her child." Then it struck Farro, a wave of emotion so deep and intense that it threatened to tear him apart. Unable to stop himself tears filled his eyes as the full force of Elice's love for her daughter ran through him like lightning striking a tree. That she was willing to destroy herself and everything else to ensure her daughter's welfare and safety. Farro had never experienced anything like it in his life and understanding it now made him feel more complete, whole in a way he would have been unable to define before this. In the aftermath of this stood a single shining arch made of what appeared to be white gold marble. Then a crack in the air like the crack between two doors opening split, spilling radiance out onto the field as Elice opened the door. There hovered behind her for a moment the figure of Anmiel smiling gently and regretfully. Farro sensed though he had not done anything wrong, but could not shake the feeling that the angel had somehow expected this. Inside the door was a world of light. Simple, orderly, clean and pure. It was familar to Farro, almost a part of him and he knew that it belonged to him, somehow.  Farro gains the Divine Trait of Love [+2] as well as a mirroring Demesne to Beltheus. Kovar Wrestling with a lion even at your size is not a thing to be taken lightly. Fortunately though Kovar has the advantage of literally super human strength, once he grabs the lion the battle is over. The lion for its part did a fairly good job of circling Kovar and feinting, unfortunately Kovar was able to figure out which was actually a proper lunge and which was not as the lion was a simple creature by nature. The first true lunge it made at Kovar, he grabbed it and held it into submission. This was not a particularly pleasant transformation for either of the pair wrestling. The lion struggled against Kovar's will and power and the change that invaded its body was as a result painful for it. Kovar for his part could feel the pain as well.  Monster to leprechauns and tiny-folk everywhere It worked in the end, and the mountain lion was bent to Kovar's will. But there was a fire in its heart and a wildness that he could not quite stamp out without making it less useful. As a result the beast would obey Kovar's commands, such that a creature no matter how large can, but should any other try to touch it or order it around it would become agitated and likely to turn on them. Partial success, it's not a perfect soldier for anyone except for you. But then you felt another gut wrenching crack as something else happened. This one was closer, to the south east of you. It felt less wrong, closer to your nature in some ways than the other one. Yet it tore through you like a pain as the world was once again physically changed in a fundamental aspect. Civar God Combat in an alleyway posted:Arhuon's attack Civar was quite surprised the man he started fighting, stopped his hammer with his second set of hands. His second set of hands that smouldered. Then he looked closer, for a moment peeling back the veil on the man and seeing the creature's true form. The creature for it part sensing that you have realised its true nature begins hurling fire at you. Diffusing the fire, which you found to be made of something other than fire kept you on the defensive and the creature began pushing you back. Until Civar worked out the trick to deflecting the attacks and lunged in with his own counter attack. Again one combatant was forced backwards, the burning thing figuring out your attacks until it could block and defend as well. You were both at an impasse and into the silence for a moment the creature, with an entirely inhuman and nasty grin says; "I don't suppose you might be interested in a job? Perhaps some more power. I know someone who can make things happen for you." You found Arhuon, although you don't know his true name or nature he is clearly not a being of order. He seems less powerful than you though, so something else is acting as a proxy for it. Additionally I'm keeping an eye on actions at this point for potential new Traits. Civar and Arhuon both keel over in pain for a second as reality changes again, although this time some part of Civar rejoices. There is somewhere a bastion of Order, to the east. This knowledge helps alleviate the physical torment of reality altering, although Arhuon seems not to share your sentiment. Beltheus and Edo (Eisos) Beltheus Were you still vested of your mortal sensibilities the man's response might have been unnerving. As it was the fanatic zeal, the burning hatred and thirst for revenge in his eyes was almost a tangible aura. "Oh yes. I'd like to do that bastard in. Maybe I'll even get a reward from the Emperor, I hear he's been trying to get rid of him." He said licking his lips eagerly. Your other converts had at least required some convincing, this man was practically jumping for the chance to gain power and revenge. Beltheus burned his power into the man's soul twisting him into what he wished, an assassin with the strength to leap in and out of the shadows. Davos proved to be quite dedicated to his purpose and quickly bled away to enact part of his revenge.  You were about to stop him when you are wracked by intense pain. Something, somewhere, someone has done something like you, changing the nature of the world. It is utterly foreign and alien to you, and it makes you angry and a rush of boiling and fiery need to destroy it so utterly the mere memory and concept of it is wiped from the world. Yet it is some time before you recover enough to do so and by then Davos has gone to where Edo is. It came from the east, the other side of the world. Edo Blackwater Combat in an open street posted:Davos As Edo was searching for the culprit, one of the shadows literally burst out of the ground rushing at you. Before you could react properly, the statue of Valamnis had interposed himself between you and the attack. The creature was roughly human, although made out of sinister shadow and something else. In one swift movement it decapitated the statue and then smashed it into pieces with the hilt. Edo could already feel the essence of Val begin to drift away, he'd need to act fast if he was to save him. The creature looked at you for a moment and then spoke in a whispery shadowy voice that while lacking substance managed to be heard quite clearly. "I do not forget Edo, I do not forgive. What you took from me, I will take from you a hundred fold in return." Then the creature leapt back into the shadows, leaving Edo with a choice. Turn his power to saving Val, or hunting down his murderer and leaving him to his fate. But worst of all he had recognised that voice. It belonged to Davos, the man who had been an alcoholic and a wife-beater. As a side note, creatures like Val and Davos will have a single rank for attack and defence purposes for now. They can't use it like gods, but they have enough power to actually deal damage do Divine Traits first. Edo too feels the change in the world, and while it gives both him and the changed Davos pause, it does not pain him like it did Beltheus. Not in a metaphysical manner as such, though there was an unpleasant amount of literal pain as the fabric of reality was once again forcibly altered. This feeling comes to you from the east. Octagon Elkud was to his credit, surprisingly tactful when dealing with the alchemist. It seemed he had run slightly clandestine errands before you guessed. There was a wave of dizzying pain and nausea as you arrived in the shadows as reality changed. It came from the south west, someone there had changed reality again and it was not pleasant at all. It was like a chill poison numbing your body until you shook the feeling off. The alchemist is naturally alarmed by the sickness and queries Elkud about how he knows about this. Elkud manages to come out with a somewhat convincing cover story about a parishioner coming to him from a town stuck down by the plague. The alchemist seems to buy the story, although raises an intrigued eyebrow when Elkud in a fit of fancy mentions the alchemist who made the counter agent is called "The Spider Lord". Neither of them are of course aware that they themselves carry the imminent plague within themselves, although the alchemist wisely advises Elkud to return for a 'free sample' of the cure once he has reproduced it. Success, you are ready for stage 2 I guess. Let me know if you want to do anything else before the plague breaks out or if you just want to skip to it. Ilvis The trip to Eisos will take a few days, but on the first day you are struck down by a feeling of the world being torn and remade again. Although the feeling behind it is closer to your nature than the last, the physical resonance of reality being forcibly changed is for a brief moment mind-numbingly painful. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 00:51 on Apr 18, 2013 |
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Apr 17, 2013 08:25
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Mazir (Elysian Sand, Elysia) Mazir found that he could create the golem without too much effort, but the problem was keeping the sand together. Leaving some part of himself in the first one to keep the enchantment persistent was more draining than he had anticipated. But, the spell could also be taught. As such Mazir could teach those with sufficient power and talent to create similar golems, and they could control them until a certain distance away. The golems were naturally vulnerable to water, but sand was an easily accessible material in the desert. Nomad could control two golems at once, although neither he nor Mazir could determine whether this was due simply to his greater skill and power, or if it had to do with his having been two people once before. On the matter of his own body and hydrophobia, Nomad simply said; "I am bound to sand, but not merely this sand. It will take more than water to extinguish me." Success, but right now animating more than one permanent construct is difficult for you. Given time you could do what you wanted, but this is a more practical solution and will do more what you want quicker; it's less powerful but on the other hand the golems are potentially renewable and they are not obviously sand, so people would need to figure out the flaw first. Edo Blackwater (Eosia, Eisos) In his grief and anger Edo tried to plunge towards the centre of life, a plane of unending creation and life. There two spells that came to mind, a spell of traversing to a place...well somewhere other, or at least outside. The understanding was strange and bound up in the spell for Edo, but it felt right to use. The other spell was a spell of creation, one that could take energy and create something new, a small shard of reality to me shaped by the caster. In mortal hands it would probably burn away the life of the caster and more to fuel it, but for Edo he had enough energy to spare. Mortals dealt with words and gestures, but Edo just turned his will to it and constructed the spells in his mind. Recklessly he brought forth energy, such great energy that the paved stones around him began to buckle as the very earth itself trembled as the spell reached its conclusion. And then-  Creation. In a single instant the void shone with a Light so bright it would echo until the edges of the universe even when the universe gave its dying breath. At the centre of eternity lay a single Will, which spoke a single Word. Thus the world came to be. Life grew, small and simple at first until men were created and began to walk the world in the infancy of civilisation. The world lay open and Others looked upon it with greed and intent. The Will took forth some of the Light and wrapped it around the world. As it did so the light changed and became solid, real and tangible having a discernible beginning and end. The Light was charged with the energy of Creation and the Others turned away, knowing that the world was barred from them forever. Under this protection mankind grew, men began to build homes, then towns, cities until the empire of Eosia was formed. Time span until in a small village a child was born, a fisherman who upon a certain day travelled to a large city and came to be in the place where he cast himself into a spell greater than he was, despite him being much, much more than other men. Time stood still in that single instant as Edo saw into himself and the Will spoke two words. Not Yet. Edo shuddered, suddenly feeling weak and insignificant. He had failed, and yet...in his hands he held something warm and alive. But it wasn't a living creature, it was magic. Magic that had will, intent and purpose. It sang in his hands with a joy of being alive and aware. You rolled a 12, unfortunately creating a plane is currently beyond you. Beltheus and Farro cheated. But you have something for your effort, literally magic that is alive and aware. Everyone Else The world seemed to tremble for a moment, before quieting down again. Civar Kit'An (Eosia, Eisos Slums) The air tried to obey, but it could not do so without other changes. There was a certain level of humidity, temperatures and pressure before it could comply to Civar's demand. So in that moment he methodically proceeded through each step until- There was a tremendous crack of thunder and the air reverberated as the sky literally darkened with cloud in a second, swelling with stolen water until a bolt of electricity cascaded down the path the God demanded. The creature jumped back in time to avoid another bolt of lightning. As rain began to pour the energy in the air chased after the creature as Civar chased as well until he found himself in a crowd of wet people. There were many figures moving around which made it hard to track down the figure. Civar turned to Aideen who pointed to a house, a book store by the looks of it. A shadowy voice seemed to whisper to you; "I can hear your anger, your need to control and conquer. We are not so different as you think Godling. Arhuon is watching you." Aideen blinked for a moment and then said; "He's gone. I felt him from that house and then he was gone. I am not sure how though." Success, you have gained the Divine trait Weather [+2] and found Vanthos' bookstore. Beltheus (The Demesne of Beltheus) There were two places towards the west you could open a gate most easily, so picking the one where you could feel the most sin and vice, Beltheus stands straight and concentrates as he moves his hands into the air in his realm. His fingers slipped into the space between worlds and he pulled apart. The action was difficult, and the Duke strained as he exerted all of his might to pulling apart space between the two points. It seemed to open up into a church, and there was a fat man in the rich robes and garments of a priest staring in horror as a trio of what seemed to be giant spiders with the upper torsos of something mostly like a human advanced on him. The creatures paused for a moment as a flaming archway opened behind the priest, who turned and stared in blank incomprehension as Beltheus looked through the gap at him. Success, also this is not the same church as Octagon. Also feel free to name your realm, it doesn't have to be hell or anything like that. Octagon (Val Aman, Val Setin) As time passed the people of Val Aman began to fall sick, it happened within the span of around three days and by the time the plague had become known the medicine that Octagon had surreptitiously provided was into circulation. And for a number of days people recovered and the worst was thought to have passed. But the people were very, very wrong indeed. On the first morning many people went missing and there was an air of unease. By the time night fell it was known that houses where people had lived who were missing had great spider webs in them. It seemed to be located mostly in the middle class areas of the city and the poor, frightened by what had happened gathered together for safety and comfort. The second night was the worst, as the plague was revealed to be a curse, turning men and women into foul creatures that fed on the flesh of men. By the time the third night came by the city was in chaos. Most of the rich drank fruit juices and wines and so were not affected, but the rest of the city had turned on them as the men and women regained their minds and adjusted to their situation. Octagon moved around the city noting that in a few situations there was the occasional odd pet who had been transformed as well, although most had died and also been eaten. On a whim he travelled to Elkud's house where he found a cocoon of silk there. Yet the priest had not left his cocoon yet and seemed to waiting for something, Octagon could sense his mind and form swimming in a viscous fluid inside of it. Success, you have destroyed Val Setin and given birth to your race essentially. Do you want to name them? Also you gain the Divine trait Transformation [+2] and have the chance to exercise it on Elkud if you wish. Adam and Kovar (Taelos, Under-Sellos) Adam and Kovar are training when Kovar notices something click in Adam. At first he's not really exactly sure what but without really realising what his is doing, Adam walks over to the rack of training weapons that Kovar had brought with him and examines each in turn. Then he picks up a spear and holds it as if he had held a weapon like that all his life. "Do ye fancy a dance?" He asks Kovar with a grin on his face, lapsing back into the Dwarven brogue as he didn't pay attention to his words. Curious as to the behaviour of his friend, Kovar agreed and was surprised when Adam leapt at him. It would have been more accurate to say that Adam danced with the spear, and Kovar needed to pull on all of his training and experience to keep on the defensive. The skill that Adam suddenly had seemed to surpass competency or grace, Adam was more metaphysically connected with the weapon and the two seemed to be a single entity in his hand. At the end Adam had the point at Kovar and he had to concede the match, unable to keep up any longer. Kovar was drenched in sweat while Adam seemed as though he had only been jogging lightly. Then it hit Adam. He had never used a spear before. Kovar hadn't taught him a single thing about them, and he had just not only beaten him but made Kovar look like an amateur. As he looked at the rack of weapons he knew how to hold and use them almost as though it were instinct, the sword, the bow, the javelin and more exotic things. It wasn't even just weapons, looking at his hands Adam could think of different ways to use his body as a weapon. When it came to fighting and killing Adam suddenly knew it all. Adam gains the Divine trait War [+2] Farro (Taelos, Amast Bevy) The bargain was a heavy one and not made by a light decision, but those present had seen what Elice had been willing to sacrifice and she had been one of the hardest people they had known. As such the convocation was made and the contract struck, those 12 present bound to the Promise they made and scattered to the winds. One was not bound to always directly work for the sake of Order, one could take a wife and raise a family for example, to try and continue their line and to bind more to the idea of Order. In this way each of them could make small concessions and from time to time, escape from the most arduous of their responsibilities. Of course the responsibility could not be shaken for too long and there were difficulties with even thinking about acting against it. But when they had drawn the keys and spoken the words; "So we promise, here in this place with each other as witness." There was a unified purpose to it, as well as a sense of brotherly and sisterly love for those also bound to their Order. From that day on none of them would ever truly be alone. So it was that they left, one to return to Amast Bevy, but the others scattering to find out what was happening in the world and to try and guide it to order. Farro was left there on his own with his own next choice to make. Success, as their first task the Procession of Arrows scatters to try and find out what is happening in the world. From time to time you will receive updates, general information on big events and situations in other lands. Ilvis (Eosia, Eisos) The horse began to gallop and Ilvis matching her beat to its hooves striking the ground. Whump whump. Whump whump. The metallic hooves dug up the dirt as the creature of iron and will ran until Ilvis, focusing on where she wanted to go saw her hand and sword glow brilliant white. With a swipe of the blade that seemed to cut the very air into the colours of the rainbow the horse swung its head causing the blade to cut open the air in front of it. The beast leapt through the air and the world stopped for one terrifying second. Thwop thwop. Thwop thwop. This time the hooves struck the sound of paved stone and Ilvis had to blink the rain out of her eyes as she found herself in a market in a busy city. The horse managed to turn around and canter to a stop right in front of a rather surprised looking Civar. Ilvis' sword sizzled slightly in the rain as it cooled down from what it had done. Success, Ilvis gains the Divine trait Travel [+2] HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 05:16 on Apr 22, 2013 |
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Civar and Ilvis (Eosia, Eisos) You spend the next hour or so searching the place carefully top to bottom. It looks as though no one has been living in here for a few months, dust is beginning to settle except for footprints that move around and seem to end in the bedroom. There is a double bed there and a single bed, but beginning to be covered in dust and cobwebs as well. It seems like whoever lived here had a child, but they probably had to leave in the event of the rebellion if they don't have something to do with Arhuon's disappearance. Regardless it seems like something happened, Civar can feel some vague perturbations on order, but nothing that really gives you any real information to go on. Arhuon's trail has gone cold at least for the time being. Failure. Sorry, you didn't roll well and weather just didn't apply in this situation. Gates don't affect the weather in a meaningful way at the moment. Octagon (Val Aman, Val Setin) It was Octagon's touch that Elkud was waiting for. As the Spider Lord sent his power through the cocoon he could feel the changes begin to happen inside. It would take time for the transformation to complete, so Octagon left the place and went out into the city. By the time he'd reached the palace most of the fires in the city seemed to have burned out and rain began to fall. The water was...bothersome to the spiderfolk and although Octagon could ignore it safely enough it did make him feel slightly uncomfortable. The gathering in the palace seemed to be starting to run out of initial inertia. There had been a degree of frenzied instinct and adrenaline after the initial change but now people were beginning to realise to a degree what had happened and were confused and frightened. Octagon's words though seemed to galvanise them. The people seemed to change postures even as he spoke, beginning to seem less like people in spiderfolk bodies, and more like they were accustomed to their bodies. Most of them moved out, although some remained behind speaking to each other. It seemed for now they would move out and try to rebuild new lives, although many were unsure what to make of it all even if they felt vaguely excited and energized by it all now. Elkud's cocoon was ripe and swollen by the time Octagon returned and as if his return had been the cue Elkud had been waiting for he began to cut his way out of the cocoon with his incisors. Elkud was bulkier and more compact than the other spiders that had been made based off of Octagon's original work. He looked around slowly and then at himself carefully and with an alert and critical eye. He gently tested his new arachnid appendages for a few moments before he tested out his new ability. It would have been unsettling to watch for a human, as the body of Elkud sort of spun around and into itself as a fleshy exterior for his human body seemed to reveal itself from somewhere inside the bulk of the spider. Elkud's new form was in the same way as his spider form, bulkier than he had been and there was a great deal of muscle where the scrawny priest had not had some before. Had he not been a spider in disguise it was likely that people would naturally find him attractive, which would work well for what Octagon had in mind for him. Then Elkud changed back and made a curious bowing motion. "I see that you made me different from the others Lord Octagon. I should have been more wary of the plague, at any rate it is no longer relevant. I am ready for your first commands." Success, Elkud has been made into a special form of spider-man-creature (please name them soon) that will be hard to detect as not being human. Although magic and divine powers will have much more luck. The next day one of your children reports that they have found three bodies in a cathedral, with terrible burns and holes in their chests. Not all of the city had lived through the transformations, some of the better defended estates had even managed to kill a few of the new people and escape the city. However none of them had done anything like this and it had been in a church as well. There was no sign of the priest that had ministered there either and none of your people had eaten him. Edo Blackwater (Eosia, Eisos) The work was hard, and Edo could feel that he might even risk draining himself until nothingness. But then he began to think about the sun, to reach out for power. At first it was a gentle sensation of warmth that began in his hands and began to spread. As Edo cast his spell, locked in the magic until he could finish it, the power crept through his arms and into his chest before suddenly rushing to all of the ends of his body. Val began to glow bright gold as the spell seeped into him and it seemed as though light itself began to gather itself into his chest. All in one last rush something beyond was sucked back into Val's chest and he coughed for a moment, despite not breathing or having liquid in his body. Edo stepped back and watched as Val's eyes opened. They were different now, almost a liquid fire...or...filled with sunlight. The statue was also not fading back to the normal white grey of the stone it had been hewn from. Then Edo paused. Not all of that colour was from Val. Glancing down at his hands Edo Blackwater realised that he was glowing an incandescent white gold, and the rain that was falling steamed off of his body. He did not stop glowing as well, all the radiance of the sun that was hidden by the clouds pouring rain seemed to be contained within him, as if it had been taken and placed inside a new receptacle. Edo did not feel hot as such, but there was a deep warmth that pervaded into the very reaches of his body and mind. By channelling the power of the sun into Val to resurrect him, he seemed to have taken it into himself as well. "You seem to be living up to my namesake more than me. I am glad you are still safe Edo." The great statue said weakly, but gently as he lay there in the rain alive against all the laws in the world. Success, you also gain the Divine Trait: Sun [+2]. Whether you permanently glow is up to you though. Beltheus (Val-Aman, Val-Setin) Ochsbright seemed disappointed for a moment that he had not been granted youth as well, but he did not really feel age anymore and with illusions he could make himself seem what he appeared. He walked out of the portal and took the form of one of the spider creatures, but made to leave the city of Val Setin. He did not know how to tempt a spider after all. Success, although next time you would be wise not to have your text narrate success pre-emptively. Your roll was only just over the mark and I was feeling generous. Beltheus however wandered the city and watched as the spiders began to congregate in the palace. From outside he could hear a being speak, a being with power in his voice like Beltheus. (You can hear Octagon's speech to the spiders at this point) Mazir (Elysian Sands, Elsyia) The magic took a lot out of the caster and it seemed that not many of your people were competent enough yet to maintain the focus and control to sustain the golems. They had the skill, and they had the reserves but only barely so. As such most could not control the golems for long as they grew tired and their focus began to waver. In time people would gain more stamina, but at this point it did not seem like it would be in time for Mazir's plans. At least without some other form of intervention. However during this time people had begun to redecorate Elysia. Although the great reservoir in the centre of the rock formations made the sand magics hard, people were beginning to use sand to cut away their caves and shape them, while the stronger of the casters had made small permanent features out of sand. They were not as elegant as Mazir's works, being more like sandstone than any other material, but it was the beginning of making the place into something more which was a welcome piece of good news in the string of set backs that Mazir had been having. Failure, unfortunately your students are not kick-rear end pupils and there are complications in them mastering the ability. Kovar (Taeless, Outskirts of Over-Sellos) The results had good points and bad points. The good part was that the plants did produce more and were able to do so from less. The bad part was that their roots were invasive, destructive and three of the plants had begun to seek out Kovar before he moved away. Even now he watched as a poor hare was snared by vines and dragged into the middle of the bush that had been wheat stalks and now resembled some kind of tree made out of multitudes of wheat stalks. They'd grown together into a single voracious plant that seemed to even now devour the rabbit and the bottom of the wheat stalks, as Kovar watched them thicken and lengthen, had a concerning blood red tinge. Failure. You've created monster plants instead, imbuing them with the wrong parts of Strength. Divine botany is more difficult than expected. Farro Kaspersi (Taeless, Harlakake) From this end Farro did not really make a gate. As Anmiel had said it was more of a terminus, many places could lead to it and it could lead to many places. But it was only one place. As such when Farro opened the new door, the Gate simply folded out into a new direction. Where once there had been one path there were now two. That in itself was simple, even if the act of doing so had left Farro panting and dripping with sweat. In the end it seemed that he had indeed been right in his estimation, as long as he used his power to the direct fulfilment of the contract he could tap into further power simply by virtue of the contract's connection. But he'd need to be wary, it seemed that it would be literal in its interpretation. The Gate now expanded, Farro stepped out into the sun of Harlakake. Success, you manage to expand the Gate. Your demesne also changing according to your whim, but isn't much larger than that single building right now. Adam (Taeless, Under-Sellos) The key to Sellos before had been trade. It would still be trade in the future, at least as far as Adam could see it. The export of Steel would do a lot, and giving it to nearby villages for a cheaper price would allow them to make more money and then have more wealth in circulation. Dwarves were naturally assigned to oversee the transport of the valuable cargo, although all agreed that they would have much preferred to be underground with a proper cave roof over their heads. But the caravans were not overly long journeys and furthermore they always returned home. The burden was not too great or too long. Adam likely wouldn't see the proper returns on the initial investment until he returned from the planned journey, but he felt confident he'd made a good start. Success, although as a side note I would also suggest that you try trading with less isolated villages as they will have more goods that Sellos will need. Rathin Stonewill (The Sun Plains) Rathin toyed with the tiger heart he wore. Just a few days ago the second change had happened, he'd felt it ripple through his body like a pain that would be impossible to physically describe. This one had been closer as well, to the north and east a little. But the plains did not often give people much time to consider such mysteries for long. There was the business of life to attend to after all, and hunts did not conduct themselves in ones absence. But here was a lush paradise, a pool that should not have been so full until the spring rains. It was summer and it should nearly be dry by now, but there were many beasts gather around it drinking and plants had began to grow even thicker than they should. There was food almost ready for the taking, but the question was why...and who.
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Apr 28, 2013 11:10
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Kovar (Taless, Selos) Most of what Kovar wanted had worked. Indeed he'd made the rabbits a bit larger, although the change was mostly in musculature and their ability to dig. They were definitely more nutritious as they ate a wider range of vegetable matter now as well on top of their increased size. They would also follow orders and work in coordinated groups. The only problem in this last statement was that they were working in coordinated groups by themselves. The few rabbits he'd altered so far had managed to all but once evade him, by clever tactics and taking advantage of their ability to move underground where he could not. Catching the rabbits would prove to be a challenging and formidable task for any of his soldiers, requiring close teamwork, precision and sound tactical thinking to try and outsmart the now even more wily hares. Right on the border, so you get success with a glitch, which I'm flavoured to the weakest applied Trait. Edo Blackwater (Eosia, Eisos) Edo got Ajikan and Katikos to try and gather all of the Magisters that they could. This was not easy as there were still quite a few in the country attending to their duties and those in the city had inevitably begun to take sides. Edo found that in the end the group had split into three main factions. The first was his faction, that agreed with what he did and were concerned about the rumours of the Emperor casting aside the old God for a new one, as well as the powers he had supposedly been given. Outside of these were two related but different groups, one being the Magisters that agreed in part with Edo but did not like that he was causing a lot of upheaval and turmoil right now. The final group were those loyal to the Emperor. The Magisters were there to serve him, as he was Eosia. It was his will that they moved by and they would leave the matters of Demons and Demon-Magic to the priests. This view was the practical stance taken by the majority of the more neutral group, they had enough problems and tasks to deal with and their responsibility covered Wizard Magic. The most concerning thing Edo felt was that the touch of whatever had taken Davos had begun to affect those loyal to the Emperor. He could feel it, much more faintly, but it clung to them as well. Not really much luck here, although you did get some useful information. Civar and Ilvis What Eisner found in the crowd surprised him. He moved among the people and asked them and each time when he asked the question, "who did this to you?" the Sword tugged back to the person. Each of the people affected by the dust that they caught and questioned the sword indicated they had done whatever had happened to themselves. But when Eisner asked "who is responsible for this?" The answer was different, a tug to somewhere that he couldn't explain the direction to. It was as though there was literally a new direction that made perfect sense but that he had not know existed before. When the two Godlings discussed the matter they began to wonder, if perhaps this was the sword telling them that it was in a different place. The Horse seemed to be nervouse when Ilvis told it what she wanted to do, but it was obedient and it was efficient. The two had not been sure if the Horse could really have feelings but it seemed that sometimes it did, or at least the semblance of them anyway. It was really difficult to tell and Aideen could not sense much from it, her talent dealt with people and not really animals as she had explained. But the deed was ready and the two of bound their power together and the Horse charged with the sword gleaming multihued and multidimensional upon its head. It sliced through and they ran through the tear in space into... A garden. The smell of flowers, insects and water filled the air and the entire place hung in a void. To Civar there was a deep and abiding wrongness to it, not in the sense that it was evil but that it contradicted the Order of the world and was...well unnatural despite the obviousness of the statement. It was one thing to see it was unnatural and quite another to feel it deep in your being. Ilvis for her matter felt a vague sense of peering through a fog, although everything was clear and crisp. You stand there for a minute and a kindly looking old man steps through behind you. "I was not expecting visitors in this place. Would you care to sit for a while and relax?" He says, gesturing to a stone bench that stood next to a pond with lilies floating on it. Success, you find Beltheus' Demesne but he left it as the garden and hadn't mentioned changing it back so you see the garden instead. It seems suspicious and to Civar, very unnatural, but nothing yet makes the place seem evil except for some odd coincidences and a sort of nagging doubt. Octagon (Val Aman, Val Setin) Elkud paused and then politely replied; "Master, I can only do half of what you said. I can tempt others, find those who are weak and looking for power without realising the cost. I can spread word and gather information. However I cannot make the Transformation Toxin, that is your gift and something only you can do." He paused waiting to see if you would reprimand or punish him. If Octagon did not, Elkud would make arrangements and move towards Val Lichett soon to begin his work there. Val Heysus could wait after all, it was further towards the north and would be unable to amass a great army or pose much threat. Val Lichett was a valuable crossroads and much work could be done there. The further transformation of some of the Arrani went well, they spent several days in their transformative cocoons but emerged similarly to what he had. On a curious note the females, while remaining slender and sensual in their human forms (a deliberate design mechanism) were all on average larger than the males. The group was mixed though and on Octagon's orders went after Elkud, had he left, or waited for other orders. Success, you make some more, although it takes about a week for all of them to finish. You can either jump the narrative or do something else or other things during this week if you like. Just explaining some sexual dimorphism in spiders, although you could probably change that with your powers if you wished. Rathin Stonewill (Sun Plains, an Oasis) Rathin closed his eyes for a moment and thought. A beast, a predator, thought of the land in terms of the food chain. It did not care particularly for plants, as it did not eat them, but neither did it ignore them. Verdant growth and abundant food meant grazers and herbivores would have much to eat. They would move shorter distances to feed, become fatter and more abundant. But there was also the matter of water, plants were a sign of water but they could drink from the land after the drinking holes had dried up. Was it pure, fresh spring water or was it muddy and tainted? Beasts needed to drink and made do when they could, and if the water was bad then they would see the effect through the animals in the food chain. But the beasts here were healthy looking and the plants lush but not unhealthily so. Once Rathin had seen what happened when too much salt had gotten into the water and the plants had plenty of water, but had begun to wither and die which had driven the beasts away. That had been a difficult year and the tribe had needed to move far away from that place to survive. Tentatively Rathin drew closer and had a sniff, smelling only clear fresh water with a bit of mud stirred up in it as water holes always had. Then taking a bigger risk on a hunch he tasted it. The water was clear and mostly pure, save for the odd bit of dirt or leaf in it. That was the mystery of it, the place was wrong and unnatural but it was not unhealthy. Success, I added in some flavour as I thought Orcs might have a better sense of smell as well. Wilhelm (Arandia, Minburg) You can attempt to speak to them, but for now their course is set. That doesn't mean your words won't have effects later on though, so you can mention it in your next post if you like. Although the discussion had been chaotic, once someone took charge your people moved efficiently and with purpose. The 'army' that marched on Minburg was more a rabble of peasants with improvised or inherited weapons. The few decent fighters or men with sense in the group managed to avoid the traps, but Minburg had been quickly turned into a warren of tunnels and traps. None of them were lethal and the people you captured were, although dirty and muddy, mostly safe and uninjured. The battle such as it was really ended up turning into a bizarre game for the insect people, many of them learning how best to taunt the mob into their traps and thin them out. Eventually by the end of the day as it was, the only competent people had fled to get word back to their towns and Wilhelm was left with a town full of traps filled with confused, cold and now scared peasants. You did pretty well, your people got out and you managed to snag almost everyone in a day. It was a long day to be sure but now, well now you've got to figure out what to do with all of these people. Adam (Taeless, Under-Sellos) Sellos had always in the past been an exporter of metals, which had paid well enough. But now that the Dwarves were beginning to branch out into making their own tools, weapons, armours and even jewellery and masonry there was now a multitude more of things that Sellos could export. But trade was built on trust and people would be wary of the new Dwarves. Adam needed to build trust and a sense of reliability for them. That's why the initial organisation work was to do with building those foundations, giving away samples and giving them generous prices for now. The Dwarves would soon be mining plenty of gold and metals anyway, if there was a longer term profit to be made by not having as much to begin with then this was an acceptable payoff. Adam paused for a moment, wondering at how he was thinking in longer timespans and for the future, where once his life had mostly been 'until next week'. Even more so was the fact that he was beginning to plan into a hundred years without even pausing to consider he might not be alive then. It was foolish, no one lived until then and yet...well Adam couldn't really explain it. Beyond being a Dwarf he knew time wasn't so much of an issue for him anymore. The letters were sent out and arrangements made, again it would take time for these results to show themselves but Adam felt confident that it would work out. As a side note you did REALLY well. When we properly kick off into longer time scales Sellos is going to have a good strong start. But I'd suggest avoid spreading your people out too much thinner in the near future, you haven't really had time to expand your initial population at all yet. Beltheus (Val Aman) You sense someone intruding on your domain as you begin to leave. Ochsbright says he will attend to it as he is closer, but if you wish to 'evict' your uninvited guests you will need to do so personally. Your demesne does however still look like a garden which should amusingly confuse them. You can deal with this and still move on by the way, just mention which parts of your post are where. Farro Kapersi (Taeless, Harlakake) Farro begins his search, first in the slave markets to make sure Lydia had not been resold and then back to where Lydia had been owned. It took some time and a bit of convincing to get a meeting with the estate. Farro made a deal with a gardener to a talk to one of the local merchants, whom he then made another deal with to talk to the owner of Lydia. Both were minor deals and did not require Farro to directly intervene, but Farro felt that if he needed to come back he'd made a foundation to work off next time. When Farro finally got to talk to the man, a spice merchant by the name of Tarrek his heart fell. Lydia had one day fled the estate and travelled into the desert. This would take her into the Elysian Sands and most likely to Elysia. Even worse was the fact that few people had been travelling from Elysia lately and people on the other side of the pass reported seeing an eerie green light off in the distance from that place. Something was happening there and it was an ill omen. Farro quietly checked his bond and was relieved to find that Lydia was alive. Somewhere at the very least. There was still hope after all. Partial Success, as you rolled low on this. You've got a trail to follow though a clue. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 03:09 on May 7, 2013 |
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May 5, 2013 03:09
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