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Loki, Fraud: the Eighth Fiefdom of Niflheim The image of the Warden of Hell persists above the blasted plain of Treachery, and his voice carries from Loki's Divine presence in Fraud as well. "You who scrape and grovel at the feet of the misbegotten Dwarf have one opportunity to save yourselves from the implacable, frigid clutches of the Terror of the Ice: foreswear your allegiance to Vendruck, and return your devotion to your True and Proper Master! Only this shall allow you to preserve your fragile existence! I say again: turn upon those who keep you enslaved; if they resist, destroy them!" As his message echoes and re-echoes throughout Niflheim, Loki addresses his followers who have temporarily ceased storming through Hell. "If he does not acquiesce immediately," Loki repeats, indicating the ponderous form of the Dwarven Sin of Sloth, "destroy him." Since my army and I cannot get through to Treachery without significant effort, I am engaging in a ranged area-effect social attack against the Dwarven Sins in Treachery. The goal is to convert them to my cause (analogous to a "kill" result in more direct combat, I expect) or at least render them ineffective in the coming combat (some result falling short of completely overwhelming them will hopefully still incapacitate them). Meanwhile, my followers are being ordered to attack Sloth unless he immediately and irrevocably switches his allegiance. I'm not sure how fair of a fight that is (especially with all the wards he's been dropping), but if he decides not turn on Vendruck, the several million souls at my disposal should at least keep the demigod busy for a few rounds. And if they start to lose badly, at that point I can at least feed off them for more AP. Trickster Spirit +4, Trickster's Mask +4/Malador's Essence +2, Between All Worlds +2, Everything New Under the Sun +2, Hell Warden +4 = +18, plus 3 AP. Also leaning on the bonus from the Realm of Treachery, whatever that may be. Remaining AP: 2/24
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Jun 29, 2015 07:40
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Loki, Fraud: the Eighth Fiefdom of Niflheim With the Dwarven Sins incapacitated by Thrym, that at least evens the odds a bit, Loki thinks. But there is still the matter of Vendruck... As he prepares to face down the DwarfLord, Hell is suddenly rocked by great tremors. He knows in the core of his being that his Divine associates have arrived, in rather dramatically destructive fashion. Parelle already slew one HellGod; perhaps she would assist him with this one as well? All that is needed is time... Banishing any hint of a smile from his features, he responds to Vendruck with a wounded tone, "Suicide? Is that what you think? I came here at the death of Malador to ensure the integrity of this place, and your followers attacked me!" With a sympathetic roll of his eyes, Loki continues, "I know, I know, mortals, what are you gonna do? Still, I can be magnanimous and overlook such a breach of honor for the greater good." Taking a breath, he forges on, "Now then, as much as you and I disagree about, well, nearly everything, neither one of us wishes to see the Ice consume the entire mortal realm -- and even, perhaps, the immortal realms too! I do not ask you to trust me, I only ask you to work alongside me to prevent the Ice from claiming us all! Look, already your grasp on the Realm of the Dead falters; just let me assist you! If you wish to settle our differences with violence after that, so be it, but do not let your shortsighted desire for vengeance be your undoing, and the undoing of us all!" To underscore his words, Loki calls out to the Jotun, "Those who sought to escape have been secured by your mighty hand and outstretched arm, O Thrym! Now I ask: make stong their place of imprisonment, and seek out any weaknesses in the foundations of your vast domain, that we may fortify it together." Similarly, Loki's followers cease their assault upon Sloth as he draws away their souls. "You have served your God," he proclaims, "Now receive your reward: the cessation of your suffering!" It turns out mortals aren't terribly effective after all, so I might as well get what I can from them before, say, Parelle rocks up and wants a slice of their worship. Consuming their souls for +10 AP. I'm also encouraging Thrym to identify any newly-created cracks (thanks Parelle!) threatening the metaphysical structure of Hell -- Treachery in particular -- and to use Guardian of Cocytus +12 (with the bonus from Place of Imprisonment +2 as appropriate) to shore it up against the encroaching Ice. He's relatively powerful, and I'm hoping he'll save me the trouble of having to take an action of my own to do just that, especially when I'm still a bit preoccupied with a certain Dwarf. Speaking of which... I'm trying to end the conflict by convincing Vendruck that I'm actually on his side, and that we need to work together to save his people and his domain. Social attack on Vendruck: Trickster Spirit +4, Trickster's Mask +4/Mirror Without Reflection -2, Between All Worlds +2, Hell Warden +4, Spirit of Chaos -2, Playing it Cagey -2/+2 = +8 (attack) +12 (defense), plus 6 AP. Presumably, a social victory would be just as effective as a physical victory, though with one less corpse at the end. Remaining AP: 6/24
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Jul 17, 2015 04:18
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Loki, Fraud: the Eighth Fiefdom of Niflheim "Crashing into Hell, eh?" Loki taunts the DwarfLord, even as he clings desperately to the sheer sides of the Endless Pit. "That would be the Goddess Parelle, seeking to claim the mantle of Hell Warden that is rightfully hers, since she is the one who slew Malador. You best prepare yourself to face her and her Host!" Meanwhile, "What's taking you so long?" Loki demands of Parelle and the others, even as his tricks and schemes fall to pieces around him. Vendruck had been more powerful than he had expected, and his honeyed words had availed little against the obdurate DwarfLord. As his wounds multiply, he wonders how far his opponent will go to defend what he now claims as his own. Loki knows what he himself would do, and that has him concerned. But as he sinks further into The Pit, he refuses to let Despair claim him, and though he knows that his trickery alone will not win the day against Vendruck, he realizes he still had other resources at his disposal -- some of them even provided by Vendruck himself, ironically. And so, embracing the Void, he wills the flesh of the Titanic monstrosities undergirding Hell not to hold him, but to allow him to tunnel more deeply. When he believes he has descended far enough to shield himself from the worst of Vendruck's rage, he nevertheless compels the fabric of Hell to continue to shift. Let us see Vendruck try to claim his revenge against me here! Loki thinks, even as he works to ensrue that Thrym's direct assault would succeed where his own misdirection failed. While he had been in precarious positions relative to myriad other Gods throughout the millennia, Loki reckons that this is the closest he had ever come to truly being defeated. Well, there is a first time for everything he muses. Though he cannot see the final result, when he is done, Loki hopes that there is a new direct conduit from Treachery to Fraud, allowing Thrym's waves of Ice to proceed unimpeded toward their intended target. Taking hits to Trickster Spirit (down from +4 to +2) and Trickster's Mask/Reflection of Divine Essence/Mirror Without Reflection (Now +2/0/-2). Calling on Hell Warden +4, Everything New Under the Sun +2, Inbetween All Realms +2, and Trickster Spirit +2 to manipulate the flesh and will of the Titans to my own ends. I'm seeking primarily to escape Vendruck's trap and protect myself against another blow from Vendruck, so I'm also Playing It Cagey +2 = +12 to defense plus 6 AP, plus whatever other situational benefits arise from using the intervening infinite space that Vendruck has so graciously created to ward against another attack from him (at least Place of Imprisonment +2, maybe more)?. On the offensive side, the same traits (with Playing It Cagey -2) yield +10 that will stack with whatever traits Thrym is bringing to bear in his attack. Remaining AP: 0/24 TychoBrahesNose fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Jul 31, 2015 |
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Jul 26, 2015 14:00
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Loki, Fraud: the Eighth Fiefdom of Niflheim Ensconced as he is within the Titanic flesh, Loki manages to avoid the the binding chains, but then an even greater problem arises from the Ice. Oh, sure, his allies may have weakened the newcomer's Ice-prison with their marvelously destructive entrance, but the DwarfLord was certainly not helping matters either. The situation was rapidly spiraling out of control -- normally be a circumstance that Loki approved of, but the entire mortal populace of Hell being destroyed with a word from the new arrival was disturbing. He would rather not see such a being unleashed on the mortal world -- if everything and everyone were dead, then there would be no space for Chaos, would there? Only a constant, monotonous...nothing. That notion was too much for Loki to bear. So he calls upon the slumbering Titans again, setting the realm of Hell to the task of breaking the chains holding his allies. Then, perhaps they would succeed where the Cocytean Ice failed -- if they worked together. And hopefully Vendruck will realize (as Loki did) what the biggest threat truly is, and finally start to cooperate. Healing Trickster Spirit (back up to +4) and Trickster's Mask/Reflection of Divine Essence/Mirror Without Reflection (back up to +4/0/-2). Calling on Hell Warden +4, Everything New Under the Sun +2, Inbetween All Realms +2, Trickster Spirit +4, and Trickster's Mask +4/-2; hampered by Spirit of Chaos -2; freaking out for +2 = +14. Rather than Parelle, Thrym, Reggie, Cadenza, and Pirsuq each taking a dedicated action, I'm using mine to free them all at once, so they can all tackle The Imprisoned together. Assuming Thrym is freed, does he still get a bonus from my assistance from last round, or is that gone since his attack was foiled? At the very least he should still get his own bonus from building up his power the previous round. Remaining AP: 0/24
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Aug 17, 2015 01:41
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Vicissitude -- the Empty Shell Formerly Known as Hell Thrym's ineffectual spell is completely ignored by the fleeing (formerly-)Imprisoned, all while Parelle and her family take their sweet time confronting Vendruck -- first as an enemy, and then as a potential ally. Seeing the results of this clusterfuck wrapped in a fiasco, Vicissitude loses it. "You let him go? YOU LET HIM GO?!?" he shouts at the Goddess. "The DwarfLord was an annoyance, to be sure, but he was nothing compared to The Imprisoned. Your collaboration on the invasion of Hell was most welcome, of course, but then you had to go and gratify your petty, shortsighted vendetta instead of bringing all of your considerable power to bear against the real threat -- one, I might add, that only became a threat due to the utter lack of finesse evinced in your invasion in the first place! The only reason Thrym and I had not defeated the DwarfLord already is because I was attempting to shore up Hell's meta-structure against the effects of having an entire realm come crashing into it with Divine force." Turning to the Ice Giant, he adds, "Speaking of which, see to it that Parelle's Family stays out of this." Rounding again on the Goddess, Vicissitude continues to vent his rage, even as his features shift to reflect Parelle's own face back at her. Her former naivete, idealism, and bleeding-heart devotion to the lesser beings populating the world are displayed, each in their turn, as a rebuke to her. "With your carelessness, shortsightedness, and inexplicable inaction, you may have done more to threaten the continued existence of the mortal races than anything short of The Encroaching Ice itself! If I didn't think that banding together was still the best chance we all have for surviving the multiple apocalypses now facing us, I'd turn my back on you and your precious Family, and gleefully watch from afar as your Pantheon cowering in its little haven gasped its last. Just as Parelle melodramatically holds her Hope in her hand, so also Vicissitude calls for the power of the Hell Warden to be made manifest, and black tendrils of fire play over his open palm, before he holds it up for her inspection, a look of utter contempt on his face. "The power you so graciously shared with me -- the power over the Realm of the Damned -- what good is it now? Because of you, there is no more Hell! What, then, of all the souls of the departed, especially those that preyed upon the weakness of their fellow mortals? Shall they evade the just penalty for all their sins? How will any mortal of good conscience survive, now that those without remorse are given free rein? Listen to me now, heed my words, and you, me, all the Gods and all the fragile mortal races just might survive yet -- though just now our chances don't look good." ++++ I'd love to try to stop The Imprisoned, but Thrym already failed, and Parelle has already made it clear she's not interested in dragging him back to god-jail -- when she actually had a shot at succeeding, she focused her power on Vendruck instead, and then when the thing was on its way out the door, she still decided to chat up the DwarfLord. So unless we're all going to re-do our actions, I don't see a way we possibly have of actually stopping it. But if that's wrong, then I'll edit my post accordingly. Two can play at this game! Assuming what I've said above is accurate, I'm taking my non-Divine action to feed the essence of Parelle that I acquired previously into my Trickster's Mask, then making a social attack on Parelle. Trickster Spirit +4 for the glib verbal assault, augmented with Trickster's Mask +4 to reflect Parelle's failure back on herself; Between All Worlds +2 as well as Hell Warden +4 are relevant, as the souls of the damned were supposed to be my purview; topped off with Everything New Under the Sun +2 and Flipping Out for an additional +2 on offense/-2 on defense: Total is +18 attack/+14 defense. The goal is to browbeat her into listening to me and deferring to my decisions, at least in the immediate future. If any of The Family join in on her defense, I'm bringing in Thrym's +14 to freeze them out of the conversation (metaphorically, if not literally). In the medium term, given Vicissitude's actions and character development recently, I'm probably going to drop my anti-social disadvantage in favor of picking up the mantle of Defender of Mortals that Parelle has apparently forsaken. Long-term what I'm looking for is (perhaps surprisingly) to actually remain in the Pantheon of the Family, since I do actually think it's in everyone's best interest to join forces, even if I question the competence of everyone else around me. Also, at this point I'm actually OK with eventually giving back (hopefully in the most melodramatic fashion possible) the +2 Hell Warden that Parelle gave me, though renegotiating the terms of our initial agreement might be in the cards if I win this little altercation with her. Other concessions I'd like include control of at least some portion of the reconstituted Hell, likely with the mischievous Wildings co-opted to be its denizens (and maybe with a rebooted Sloth - one that I dislike much less -- as my viceroy). Beyond that, since everything that I wanted out of Hell has been destroyed, I don't really care what Parelle does with its empty shell now, so there will be no serious conflict between us on that front. So she can go off and spend the rest of her likely short and miserable existence hunting missing dwarf souls or whatever; meanwhile, I have decided that I now have two primary goals in life: 1) Figure out how to stop The Ice. I suspect Thrym will have some important knowledge in that regard, so I definitely want to keep him around as my sidekick. I envision that stopping The Ice will likely also entail a trip up North, so I plan to call another convocation of all the surviving gods to pool our resources and plan our (hopefully not suicide) mission. OOC, I also see this as a good opportunity for all four remaining players to interact, if we want to. 2) At the same time, I also want to hunt down The Imprisoned and, well, see that he lives up to his name again. Even though Hell is gone, there is at least one being that I can bring back to justice as a final hurrah for my (now mostly useless) job in the Divine Economy. Since this is also Thrym's raison d'etre, I expect he'll want to stick around to help me with this, if nothing else. Who knows, maybe even Isath could be convinced that the opportunity to consume the power of a being like The Imprisoned is a worthwhile goal to pursue in the company of a few other (hopefully not too tasty) Gods. We'll certainly need all the help we can get to go up against a +46 UberGod. Incidentally, whenever Thrym and I are out hunting, I plan to collect whatever stray dead souls I find. Again, since rounding them up has been my job all along, I should have no problem carrying them all with me (perhaps aided by another artifact that I'll be creating in the near future). Ultimately, I'll either dump them in New Hell if I think they'll get what they deserve there, or keep them for myself (i.e., for AP snacks whenever I need them).
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Aug 29, 2015 16:16
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Vicissitude -- the Empty Shell Formerly Known as Hell Aww, you're no fun. After all this time, I really just wanted to see how V and P stacked up against one another. I guess not fighting is one way of answering that. As Parelle offers a half-hearted response, Vicissitude realizes that his verbal assault is not nearly as satisfying to him as if had won a vehemently-contested argument with her. So he falls silent for a time, a bit unnerved despite having made his point convincingly. Finally, he adds, "Very well, you should indeed continue to improve relations with the DwarfLord to see if he can be brought around to your point of view. If neither you nor he wish to be in charge, however, perhaps I ought to retain greater influence over the Realm we are crafting to replace Hell. And as to the Sins -- it seems we are in accord that those demigods ought to be stripped of the majority of their influence, lest they undermine us at the first opportunity. "In any case, once we have prepared our domain, Thrym and I shall set off on our Hunt, so let us see to our respective tasks." Vicissitude then addresses Thrym. "You were drawn from the Icy depths of Cocytus...perhaps you know more of the nature of the one that we shall be pursuing. What caused him to be sealed within Hell initially? What crimes against the Gods did he commit? Do you know the significance of the names he uttered when he was released? And what manner of power does he wield?" As he waits for the Ice Giant to respond, Vicissitude begins assessing the cracks in his Mask that were sustained in his conflict with Vendruck. As he sets about repairing them, he continues his conversation with the demigod. "Completely apart from The Imprisoned, we must face the problem of The Ice as well. Given your nature, I also expect that you might have some insight into the cause of the global apocalypse, where it originated, and perhaps even how it might be ended." Picking Thrym's icy brain for anything that might be useful for either goal. Since I'm not using my stats as part of this regular conversation, I figure I can repair my Mask in parallel (the Special Ability is currently at +0 instead of +4). If I need stats for that, +4 Trickster Spirit and +2 Everything New Under the Sun are relevant; if Reggie can spare some power to help in the reconstruction (or even improvement) of the artifact, that would be nice too. ++ With regard to the status of the Family and New Hell, of course I'd be keen on keeping the +2 HellWarden for myself since I'm nominally "in charge". But I expect to be a rather absentee landlord -- so how about we keep the +2 at our home base in New Hell itself, for whoever is physically located there to use in the administration/fortification of the place (provided we trust them)? In particular, how about one of the NPCs (Reggie? Vendruck? Thrym?) fashions a throne made of brimstone and spiked chains to allow the Hand of the HellWarden to access the power? Relatedly, I completely agree that trusting the Sins is a bad idea. They are definitely not invited into The Family, so once Vendruck gives up his position they will lose part of their power and become only +4 demigods. On top of that, I'd like to remake them so that they are each only +2 Sins rather than +4 Sins (and collectively only +14 rather than +28). If that reshuffling of the Sins' power works, can those semi-divine +2 traits be given to others, or would they just be lost? This seems a really cheap way to bump up somebody's power a lot (+14 in total), so I expect that it's cheating just to transfer a +2 from each of them onto someone else (but hey, if their power can be literally stolen like that, so much the better for one or more of us lording it over them). If I'm going to be the one to refashion the Sins, Trickster Spirit +4, Between All Worlds +4, HellWarden +4, and Leader +2 = +14 are all relevant, though of course others (I assume Parelle, if she has the time) may want to have a say in how the New and Improved Sins turn out. Though the Sins are not going to be a part of our Pantheon, I do want to retain the option of adding Thrym to The Family at a later date (giving him an additional +4 like Reggie, Pirsuq, Cadenza, etc.) -- once I'm sure I can trust him, of course. ++ As to my subsequent actions after the Mask is fixed and the Sins are revamped, while Parelle is chatting up Vendruck (and maybe proposing marriage?!?) I want to create a new Artifact -- what I'll call a Soul Seal -- to allow me to vacuum up whatever souls we find while Thrym and I are out on our hunt. Ideally, as I add more souls the power will increase, until I either use their essence for AP or empty the souls out into New Hell for safekeeping. This will use Between All Worlds +4, Everything New Under the Sun +2, and HellWarden +4, along with Reggie or Vendruck's Construction/Artifice powers, if they are available. If there is any more time before the end of the Age, (and if someone hasn't done so already) I can be the one go get the mortals from Ascalon, especially if Parelle & Vendruck are busy on their dwarf hunt instead (speaking of which, aren't there a whole bunch of dwarves -- in form, if not in soul -- hanging out with the Scurrying beneath Ascalon?). Yes, of course I have ulterior motives in being the one to go get The Family's followers, even if I am being a team player -- I want to regain my direct influence over the Wildings. Technically the benefits of all of our worshippers are held equally by all of us; I just want some to be more equally mine. This is lower down on my priority list, though, so if we can get an NPC or two to handle it, so much the better. Finally, I'm assuming that calling the Convocation of the Gods will happen at the close of this Age, but they won't actually be assembled until the start of the next Age? In any case, I want us to call all remaining Gods except those that we know from experience will actively try to screw over The Family or the mortal races -- at the moment, that's Bisthak, Larissa, and the Imprisoned. Isath, however, is definitely invited -- he may be a gigantic Penis of Doom, but he takes care of business. If there are any other Gods (named or as-yet-unnamed) that might be questionable, maybe let us know and we can make the call on a case-by-case basis (Out-of-character, I don't know how much effort you want to put into making new NPC Gods, especially if they're the God of Being an rear end in a top hat When We're All Trying To Work Together). And now for the bookkeeping specific to Vicissitude: Trickster Spirit +4 is unchanged, as is Trickster's Mask +4/Special Ability +4/Mirror Without Reflection -2 (unless Reggie and I manage to improve upon it). The new +2 for our bigger Pantheon is going into upgrading my other power: Between All Worlds +4, since I expect to do a lot of traveling and soul-sorting as I go. I would actually like to keep Spirit of Chaos -2 (I'm not entirely moving on from my old identity), but I do want to switch out the other negative Trait that I almost never use for Defender of Mortals -2. Per our initial agreement, Vicissitude will drop his power down to HellWarden +2; as a slight tweak, however, I'd prefer for the remaining HellWarden +2 to go into the HellThrone +2 mentioned above instead of directly back to Parelle. Finally, I think Everything New Under the Sun has served its purpose and can be replaced; given the new responsibilities I'm shouldering, how about we change that trait to Leader +2 instead? TL;DR: Some traits have been shifted a bit. Vicissitude's Master Plan is as follows: Round 1: Chatting up Thrym, fixing Trickster's Mask (with Reggie's help?) Round 2: Refashioning The Sins to reduce their power and ensure that behave themselves (with Parelle?). Getting one of the relevant NPCs (Vendruck? Reggie? Thrym?) to make the HellThrone. Unless Parelle has a better use for them(?), send Cadenza and Pirsuq to retrieve the mortals from Ascalon. Round 3: Creating the Soul Seal artifact, probably with the help of one of the relevant NPCs. Whoever is sitting on the HellThrone (I nominate Thrym for the time being, though Reggie would be fine too) can start working on pushing The Ice back from our front door, or otherwise shoring up New Hell's defensive fortifications. Cadenza and Pirsuq should be returning from Ascalon with all of The Family's mortal followers. Round 4+: Bring the mortals back from Ascalon myself, if Cadenza and Pirsuq (or whoever) have not done so yet. Final Round of the Age: Call the Convocation of the Gods, with the help of pretty much the entire Family, so that we don't kill ourselves when The Ice tries to hitch a ride as we extend our Divine Presences.
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Aug 30, 2015 12:48
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Ice Phisherman posted:Parelle Eh, I see social combat as no different than a fight, except that actually dying removes player agency a lot more permanently than being browbeaten into submission does. quote:Counter offer. There's still the +4 broken shield that Malador had that's just laying around. I'm pretty sure it could be used as raw materials for the Hell Throne with Reggie's help. Items can be made, powers can't be. They can only be taken or earned in a pantheon and Pantheons aren't exactly stable. It seems pretty inefficient to use it like that since the expenditure of said power is only going to generate 2 AP while the broken shield can be used for 4 AP. I'm not really comfortable sending anyone out in force until the sins are under control, but it can be grabbed next turn. Parelle doesn't have to have it the power, but I'm against wasting it. If anything it can be given to Vendruck to cement loyalty to the Family Pantheon so he's less likely to kill us later. I think you misunderstand me -- I don't want to expend the power, I want to make it easy for the +2 HellWarden trait to change hands whenever we need it to, and the HellThrone is a convenient way of intsantiating that. Making the HellThrone from the shield or whatever is fine too, but somebody still needs to hold onto the power that we're protesting that we don't really need. If situating it in the HellThrone is too complicated (or too easy to abuse) then I'll just hang onto it. quote:1. Turn one, kit ourselves out for extended travel, fix your mask, recruit Vendruck. If you want to head out right away with whomever, that's fine. Thrym and I will take care of neutering four or five of the Sins and you can modify the remaining two or three as you see fit once you return with them. I think that everything else fits in with what I want to do with only a few NPC duties rearranged, as long as we can move calling the Convocation to Round 4 (which also gives you an extra round to deal with any trouble that crops up on your travels). Issues for Puppies to adjudicate (at least from my end): * Is the HellThrone a good idea for keeping tabs on the spare +2 HellWarden trait that we're kicking around? * When I forcibly remove some of the power from each of the Sins, where does it go? If it is just destroyed, so be it; if it doesn't need to be lost but is cheating for me to take +8 or +10 (from the four or five Sins that I'm handling) all for myself, should we distribute the power in some other fashion (including, perhaps, channeling it into attributes for New Hell itself?)
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Aug 31, 2015 02:01
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Vicissitude -- the Empty Shell Formerly Known as Hell With his efforts to repair his Mask a failure, Vicissitude turns away in frustration and seeks to focus his attentions elsewhere. He speaks again with his new companion as they continue to work. "There is more I would know, Thrym. As you are of The Ice, have you any knowledge of the source of the great glaciers that move over the surface of the world? What brought the Bitter Cold? Even if the cataclysm engulfing us did not originate from Below, surely you felt it when the ice of Cocytus moved?" Reggie is making the HellThrone this round, and will stick +2 HellWarden on top of whatever other traits he creates it with, while Vicissitude enlists Thrym's aid in creating the Soul Seal. This will use Between All Worlds +4, Everything New Under the Sun +2, and HellWarden +2, along with an equivalent amount from Thrym's traits (which are relevant since the artifact will basically be the only thing that is storing/imprisoning dead souls for now, given there's not a properly-functioning Hell anymore). I don't want Thrym to have any more control over the Soul Seal than I do, hence the desire to limit his contribution to only be equivalent to what I am bringing to bear (+8). I also really hope that Thrym has something to say about what brought on the Ice Age. Puppies are dicks posted:Parelle, Loki - Hell As Parelle indicated, +2 HellWarden is going into the HellChair. Also, I think you missed my earlier statement that I only want to swap out -2 Without Light, There Are No Shadows for -2 Protector of Mortals. I want to keep -2 Spirit of Chaos. And I am still not clear on the power remaining to the Sins: if their pantheon is dissolved and they are returned to their natural state, are they at +4 or +2? If the latter, then they are no serious threat. Either way, are they on ice until Thrym or someone else actively releases them, or will they escape in time? No matter what, Sloth (at the very least) is in for a makeover, though I'm going to wait until Vendruck and Parelle have left to do it.
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Sep 12, 2015 06:17
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Puppies are dicks posted:Parelle, Loki - Hell Reggie was working on the HellThrone by himself, since he was guaranteed to have at least +2 to put into into, on top of whatever the result of the roll was. Thrym and Vicissitude were working together on the Soul Seal -- presumably the results of the +16 you used for Reggie & Vicissitude could just be applied to Thrym & Vicissitude instead. Edit: If the stats are the same, then I should just end up with a +4 Soul Seal/-2 Some Disadvantageous Trait, right? If you want to work things that way, the only thing currently lacking is a separate roll for Reggie's action. TychoBrahesNose fucked around with this message at 05:24 on Sep 22, 2015 |
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Sep 22, 2015 04:11
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Vicissitude -- the Empty Shell Formerly Known as Hell Since Hell is no longer really a thing, Vicissitude reasons, so the Sins are really no longer needed in their current incarnation. "Thrym," he says, "I require your assistance on another matter. The Sins can sit, ensconced in your Ice, for as long as you care to maintain their prison. But why not put their powers to use instead? If we are to engage in our Hunt, I would think we'd need a Pack of Hounds to accompany us, wouldn't you?" While Parelle is away, I'm going to begin the process of reshaping the Sins into the Hounds of Hell -- starting with Sloth. Thrym and Vicissitude are again working together on this, with V contributing Trickster Spirit +4, Between All Worlds +4, HellWarden +2, and Leader +2 while sitting on the +4(?) HellChair and testing out my brand spanking new +? Soul Seal. Thrym is contributing his own +12 for a total bonus to our Divine Reshaping of at least +28. Yes, I expect Sloth to resist, but he's at +6 at best, so I think that's just too bad for him. We'll work on the rest of the (trapped) sins once we see the results of the initial "experiment" with Sloth. I am not entirely clear on what I want the final stats for the Hounds of Hell to be, but it will certainly involve a lobotomy to remove some amount of intelligence and free will to make them more like semi-intelligent slaves or domesticated (i.e., obedient, if dangerous) animals. Off the top of my head I'd say the basis for the new semi-divine beings we're creating is the +2 Hunter trait; while they are Pantheon'd, they will have the +2 or +4 Pack trait as well. If they end up with the negative trait -2 Lacking in Self-Will or some such as the result of T&V mucking around with their basic essence, that's OK I guess. As an aside, the idea that The Ice is just a natural (if supremely inconvenient) phenomenon had never really occurred to Vicissitude, but that seems to be what Thrym is indicating, and that changes V's strategy considerably. Maybe there is no way to stop the advance of the Ice, and just hunkering down and constantly pouring effort into maintaining a stable biosphere in a limited region is the way to go. If that's what we decide in the Convocation, at least we have a good start on it here in The Place Formerly Known as Hell. But presumably the Gods that we summon will have more useful information, or Thrym and V might find out something on their hunt...whenever it is that we get to that point.
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Sep 22, 2015 05:21
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Vicissitude -- the Empty Shell Formerly Known as Hell Vicissitude was momentarily taken aback at the surge of Sloth's power, and the vehemence with which he unleashed his bile upon the remaining mortals. The world just keeps getting more and more broken... Vicissitude sighed to himself. Parelle was on the right track by asking her minions to attempt to negate Sloth's curse, and he directs Vendruck to assist them in reversing the curse of his erstwhile lackey. Vicissitude would have preferred to contribute to the effort himself, but he first had to ensure that the other Sins were prevented from doing something similar. Besides, there would be time later to assist the mortals more directly. So with Thrym at his side yet againl, Vicissitude sets about reshaping the other Sins that had been frozen by the Ice Giant. Reshaping the other Sins into the Hounds of Hell. Thrym and Vicissitude are again working together on this, with V contributing Trickster Spirit +4, Between All Worlds +4, HellWarden +2, and Leader +2 while sitting on the +4 HellChair and implementing +4 Soul Seal, but tossing in -2 Protector of Mortals since I'm actually setting aside this responsibility for the moment to focus on the Hounds, as well as my new artifact's -2 Hungry for Souls. Thrym is contributing his own +12 to reshaping the five remaining imprisoned Sins (Gluttony, Pride, Lust, Envy, and Greed), bringing our total up to +28. If all five additional Sins are converted into the Hounds of Hell, then they will rejoin with Sloth to have a Pantheon/Pack bonus of +4 to their traits. Meanwhile, Vendruck is adding his +12 (or is it +18?) to Reggie's and Cadenza's effort to fix Sloth's Curse. One other matter I'd like cleared up: the HellChair is inherently +2/-2, and then has the +2 HellWarden characteristic that we were passing around added on top, yes? If not, it would seem that the only thing that Reggie accomplished with his "sucessful" creation of the throne is to add a -2 trait on top of the +2 HellWarden trait that was already in existence. That really doesn't strike me as a "success" by any conventional definition of the term.
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Oct 7, 2015 04:37
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Vicissitude -- the Empty Shell Formerly Known as Hell Those Hounds of Hell look pretty badass! Turning from admiring his handiwork, Vicissitude addresses the others. "I think we have done all we can to prepare our Home and ourselves for what is to come. It seems to me now that the only question before us is: what other Gods have survived, and which are willing to ally Themselves with our cause? We can certainly benefit from others to help track down the being formerly known as The Imprisoned. And also to determine what, if any, strategy is best for warding off the Ice, or even forcing it to retreat. "What say you all? Shall we put summon all the surviving Divinities to a Godsmoot at our newly-remodeled Home?" I think if we all work together we can get a message to everyone while still keeping our divine Selves warm enough to avoid being frozen to death by all the Ice everywhere. Adding up everybody's everything, we are at something like +80, or more if we can count on mortal/demigod assistance (though how the Hounds, for example, will help is not really clear to me).
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Oct 24, 2015 12:55
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Vicissitude -- the Empty Shell Formerly Known as Hell After much wrangling about the specifics of who will accomplish what, and just how the Godsmoot will be initiated, Vicissitude sets out with Thrym, Pirsuq, and the Hounds in tow. Speeding on their way, the Hounds seek out any and every God that they can, while the more powerful deities ensure that the Hounds -- and any gods who respond to the summons -- are sufficiently protected from the Elements during their travels. Hounds of Hell (+36) are searching out and offering a summons to attend the Godsmoot at Home to every deity they can find, whether on the surface of the earth or Beneath it -- or, for that matter, above the earth (assuming they can fly) and under the water (assuming they can swim/hold their breath). If a god refuses (or worse, tries to fight), the Hounds are to move on immediately. Obviously the surface-dwelling gods will be easiest to find, but any aerial or subterranean gods they happen across are welcome too -- the more the merrier. Aquatic gods are probably only coming if they are amphibious, but we're making at least a pro forma effort to include them in the invite. The Hounds, and all those who accept the invitation, will be offered assistance by Vicissitude, Thrym, and Pirsuq (+30) in keeping warm and traveling to their destination, though we also expect the gods to use any relevant characteristics they themselves possess. Meanwhile, Vendruck and Reggie sitting on the HellThrone (+24) are preparing Home to serve as the venue for the Godsmoot by 1) making it look like the sort of place a Godsmoot would happen and 2) making our little corner of Reality timeless for the duration of the Godsmoot. Since that's the most important trait for Home to have, they're focusing exclusively on that, and the other "normal" features of a Godsmoot will be strongly implied as being in place, but are not actually being created/enforced.
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Oct 30, 2015 02:32
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Vicissitude -- GodCon "Be welcome, Divinities," Vicissitude declares from his seat upon the HellThrone, "to the Convocation of all those deemed worthy of Worship by mortal beings. The Family have opened their Home to you so that, as in Ages past, a great coming together of the Gods can be effected, that we might together address matters of great import to all of us. "The members of the Oceanis Pact, masters of the seas: Aoquin, Silver Swarm, Shark God, and Hyboreas are welcome within Home. "The God of Steel and Flame: Bisthak is welcome within Home. "The Goddess of all those Beyond Life: Larissa is welcome within Home. "The Dragon know by many names -- Azazel, Qing Long, Fafnir, Jormungandir, Leviathan, Orochi, Tiamat -- all names that strike Fear into the souls of men and Gods alike: All Flame All Devourer is welcome within Home. "The Lady of Summer, She Whose Footsteps Bloom: Alvande is welcome within Home. "The Golden One, the Sightless All-Seeing One: Tiphanes is welcome within Home. "The gods of all those that crawl and stalk beneath the earth, those whose names are forever Unspoken, they are welcome within Home. "The God of Those Who Dwell Within, The Voice of the People: Wallastra is welcome within Home. "The Stalking Horror, the Pulsating Pillar, the Engorged One: Isath is welcome within Home. "He Who Brings Light to Shadow, He Who Watches from Beyond: Montcorr is welcome within Home. "The Goddess who cares for her People, She whose name is on the lips of every mortal in Bastion: Adrianna the Priestess is welcome within Home. "The Enlightened One, He Who is Pure Thought: Lai Xi Boi is welcome within Home." I wasn't sure if "The Lord and Mistress of Empire" were titles for Alvande and Tiphanes, or if they're separate Gods (also you have Tiphanes listed twice). In any case, if I missed anybody/if anybody else joins, I'll edit them in here. Standing, Vicissitude indicates his fellow Family members as he continues with the remaining half of the Litany that is the ritual opening to every Convocation. "The Goddess of Hope, the Cornerstone of the Family: Parelle welcomes you. "The Great Jotun, the One from Whom None Escape: Thrym welcomes you. "The DwarfLord, the Inspiring Artificer, the Warden of the Underworld: Vendruck welcomes you. "The God of Craft and Tool: Reggie welcomes you. "The Healer, the One Who Sows: Cadenza welcomes you. "The Spirit of Wind, the Patron of the Wildings: Pirsuq welcomes you. "And the Messenger, the Speaker, the One Who Binds Souls: Vicissitude welcomes you. "As in Ages past, the voice of every god and goddess shall be heard, in time, should they desire it. But the matters of utmost concern to each and every Divine Being shall first be laid before all. Fimbulwinter has been heavy upon us for an Age, and the Family has sought to solve the mystery of its source, and how the clutches of the Cold might release its grip from the world. Those with knowledge are welcome to share what they have learned during the past Age, and those with Power and the Will to use it are invited to join us when we commence restoring the balance in the next Age. For there will again be an Age wherein the Cold might linger in its appointed place at the Ends of the World, but in the Summer Lands, in the domains of Fire, in the depths Beneath, in the Waters surrounding all, in the great Cities of men and Gods, all shall be warm and free of Ice. We shall soon know if this vision is the desire of the Gods assembled in Convocation as well. "Furthermore, when Malador, the God Who Judges, failed in his appointed role, those who are now of the Family stepped into the breach to heal the wound inflicted upon Reality. But there is still loose in the world one who must be Imprisoned. This truth has no doubt been felt by all who possess mortals that call upon their name, for their very souls have been tainted by the work of this one. As with the Ice, so also in this matter, The Family seeks to serve all the Gods by returning The Imprisoned to his rightful state. As with the omnipresent Ice, so also in this matter: those with knowledge are welcome to share what they know of this being, and those with Power and the Will to use it are invited to join us when the Hunt commences in the Age to come. The flaming Hounds of Hell were created for this task, and the Ice Giant Thrym shall not turn aside from his appointed task until Punishment is once again meted out upon the one who deserves it, that the worship of mortals that is our rightful possession might once again be unafflicted by the Curse. We shall soon know if this vision is the desire of the Gods assembled in Convocation as well. "It is now that we shall hear the voices of all the Gods of this Convocation, this great Pantheon of Pantheons, with regards to the matters of the Fimbulvinter and the Curse. As of old, in Ages past, when our discussion has taken its course, when Divine judgement has been rendered, when the voices cease, then any Divinity among those assembled may bring to light any other matter for the Convocation to hear, and to which each Divine being is invited to respond." Laying it on thick with the pomp and circumstance (and a bit of flattery for good measure), trying to get the gods to fall in line with the primary topics of conversation. Hopefully if we get down to business right away, no one will see fit to ask any questions about why the whole edifice of (what almost looks like every other) Convocation is held together with duct tape and string. At least Home itself looks like it has seen some recent sprucing up for the party. Trickster Spirit +4 with Trickster's Mask +4/Mirror Without Reflection -2 for convicing bullshittery, Inbetween All Realms +4 to make use of Vicissitude's name recognition and credibility (such as it is) with every God of every Pantheon (and those of none at all), Leader +2 since look who's pretending he's in charge and knows what he's doing, Warden of Hell +2/HellThrone +4/Temporarily Out of Time (+?)/<false> Convocation <+?> to take advantage of the setting and Divine expectations built up over who knows how many previous Ages. Spirit of Chaos -2 as well, because this whole Convocation thing, from beginning to end, is all too neat and proper for Vicissitude's taste. Assuming the location-specific traits are only +2 each, the total let's-get-down-to-business roll is +20. As the junior partners in the Family (all less than +10), I expect Reggie, Cadenza, and Pirsuq will be doing the running back and forth and using their respective powers (and the power of Home, though I don't remember all its traits) to respond to any request from the attending Gods. Perhaps these demigod servitors (+20 all together) also lend credence to Vicissitude's attempt at turning our faux-Convocation into a real one...? After all, we have an appropriate setting, we have lesser deities to pour the ambrosia, and we have someone calling the meeting to order -- what more is there? Oh yes, Thrym, Guardian of Cocytus +12 is working the door with the Hounds of Hell +36 as another layer of intimidation against any God who is contemplating violence. Total is +48 for the show of don't-gently caress-with-us power. This might be the relevant number for dealing with the more belligerent attendees (the Dragon, Isath, the Oceanis Pact, Bisthak) than all of Vicissitude's eloquent verbiage -- even if they don't believe The Trickster, nor respect the mores of the Convocation, hopefully the threat of force will be enough to prevent the actual need for it. Of the NPCs, Vendruck is left to act as he wishes, unless Parelle has something for him to do. Also, did the Hounds discover anything useful with regard to The Imprisoned while roaming the earth, and going back and forth in it? TychoBrahesNose fucked around with this message at 13:52 on Nov 6, 2015 |
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Nov 6, 2015 13:48
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Vicissitude -- GodCon "All Flame All Devourer has been welcomed into Home according to the timeless rituals of the Convocation, Parelle," he chides gently, "and the Family has a reputation to uphold as well. He enjoys the protection of the Convocation -- the same as every other God and Mortal here." This last is directed at All Flame, as Vicissitude stares unblinkingly into the flaming maw of the creature. "You would be wise to remember that you are not the only monster here, Dragon." "Speaking of the timeless rituals, we have some other latecomers as well...be welcome, Agorom: Weapon of the Gods. And the Emanation of the Solar Furnace: The Fourteenth, The Mouth of the Sun, is likewise welcome. For the Convocation is a place open to all with the spark of the Divine animating them." These last bits of housekeeping taken care of, Vicissitude finally addresses the monotonous droning of the Oceanis Pact. "You wish for the Gods of the surface to refrain from encroaching upon your domain. I, for my part, agree to your request. For you have nothing that I require," he adds with a dismissive wave. "However, should it be discovered that you are harboring that which I and mine seek out, or if you encroach upon our lands or our followers, then you shall be held responsible for your betrayal, and this agreement deemed null and void. In particular, should The Imprisoned seek refuge within your depths, know that it is in your interest to oppose it with all of your Divine being -- a matter those from the surface are certainly treating with the seriousness it warrants." Addressing all the Gods, Vicissitude continues, "For if we wish to undo the Curse of Sloth and return Hell to its proper metaphysical state, it is The Imprisoned that we must hunt. While Bisthak has voiced an intriguing idea -- his first ever, I wager -- the Essence of Sloth has, alas, been destroyed." Vicissitude at least believes this to be true, since he performed the divine lobotomy with his own hands. "Thus there is nothing of Sloth left to purge, War Machine," Vicissitude adds as an aside to Agorom, before continuing his attempt at salvaging a coherent plan from the madness that had unfolded during the Convocation. "The Imprisoned -- that is the target. And so I propose that those who wish to focus on eliminating the threat from The Imprisoned, and restoring the world to its proper functioning -- those Gods should join Thrym, the Hounds of Hell, Pirsuq and the Wilding mortals, and myself in our Hunt. Agorom certainly has tools appropriate for this task, and this task likewise falls within the remit that has been delivered to the Mouth of the Sun. With the power of the Greater Light of Day at our side, will The Moon, the Lord of Night, join our cause as well?" It sounds to me like this plan would be relevant to the interests of Agorom and the Mouth of the Sun, and maybe even All Flame, on top of the already-established participants of The Hunt. Montcorr has expressed more concern about the Cold, but I think his skills are perfect primarily for supporting the efforts of The Hunt. "Meanwhile, those gods who wish to focus on the threat posed by The Ice -- whether that be shoring up their habitations, or discovering a way to advance Life and Warmth and green grass against the encroaching tide of Fimbulwinter -- I propose they work together for the common good of all of us, and our mortal followers alike." It sounds to me like this plan would be relevant to the interests of Parelle, Wallastra, the Priestess, and Alvande, and perhaps even Isath as well. I didn't get the impression that Lai Xi Boi was keen on joining either of these efforts. Neither has Tiphanes expressed any interest either way. Bisthak and Larissa are not really invited to join in either, as far as I'm concerned. TychoBrahesNose fucked around with this message at 01:16 on Nov 16, 2015 |
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Nov 16, 2015 01:11
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Vicissitude -- GodCon I'm quite amused that in all this snarky bickering and one-upsmanship, it is the Trickster God of Chaos who is trying to keep us all on task and united in purpose. Maybe, after all, he's not so much the God of Chaos as the God of Being Contrary. Vicissitude first replies to Isath and the conversation that the Family was holding amongst itself. "The Dragon is a distraction; there are far more pressing matters at present. And to be honest, I find its overbearing presence and its penchant for Chaos rather amusing. That said, it is clearly a threat, and I will not stop you should you decide that you wish to eliminate it or chain it at the start of the coming Age. In fact, it might indeed make a useful power source for re-empowering Hell." Then, speaking aloud, he addresses the others. "Fortunately for you, my lady Summer, you do not have to trust me in the slightest. If you wish for the evil of mortals to be given free rein without repercussions inside the borders of your domain -- well, that is a matter for you alone, and the consequences are yours to bear alone as well. I, for my part, see a need -- regrettable as it may be -- for the existence of Hell, or at least a place very much like it. Be that as it may, if you wish to oppose the Ice, and if you wish to have your efforts matter, then you will join with Parelle and the the others. The God of Cities, in particular, has a fascinating idea worthy of pursuing. Trying to strike the Ice at its heart, to stop it once and for all, is a suicidal fool's errand -- even if we knew where and how to strike, which we do not. But starting with skirmishes -- destroying a Glacier here, taming a Windstorm there -- and you might regain enough of the earth to weaken the Cold overall. Parelle herself has some notion of how this stratagem may be employed, as one of her 'Children' is himself a former Icestorm. On the other hand -- and much to your relief, I imagine -- my own efforts will be focused elsewhere; you need have no fear that I have some secret plan to benefit myself at your expense. "And you, Agorom, if you wish to ignore my advice and focus on the symptom -- Sloth -- rather than the cause -- the Imprisoned -- you are welcome to do so. Fortunately, Parelle is already working on a cure for the Curse, and your own idea regarding a concerted effort by the patron deities of the far-flung mortals may in fact be effectual. Despite accusations to the contrary, I cannot actually see what the future holds for these efforts. But as I have already intimated, Thrym and I (and assorted others) will be Hunting at the start of the New Age. Your firepower would be most welcome. But if you wish to play to your weaknesses rather than your strenghts, by all means sit at Home and tend Parelle's garden for her. Who knows? Perhaps amongst all that destructive firepower, you really do have a green thumb after all. "You mute Gods of the Beasts, and Gods of the Things that Crawl Beneath -- your own feral nature speaks to your capabilities as ferocious hunters. Should any of you wish to join the Hunt, I shall consider a temporary alliance for such purposes. I have no desire to domesticate you or otherwise chain you to the side of the Gods of the Sentient Mortals. But if you wish mutual protection against the larger threats..." Here he casts a sidelong glance at All Flame All Devourer, "That also is possible during the time that we are Hunting together as a pack." Hopefully an alliance of convenience with some random lower-powered gods, along the lines of "you scratch my back, I keep you from being eaten by a Dragon", will also improve our chances against The Imprisoned. Finally, Vicissitude turns to Larissa. "The Gods of the Convocation have spoken, and it appears that they trust your intentions even less than they trust mine. It is gratifying to see that your grasping nature continues to result in you over-reaching. Know, however, that, should that grasping nature cause you to reach for any of the mortal followers of me and mine, you will regret that over-reach far more than any other."
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Nov 19, 2015 01:33
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Vicissitude -- GodCon "Ha ha ha!" Vicissitude laughs jovially. "Well played, Tiphanes! Of course you always know everything, as there is no room for chaos in what will have already transpired, yes?" Continuing with his mirthful tone, he adds, "I care not to whom mortals offer their devotion while they draw breath, as my role in the divine economy remains, as it was in past Ages, to be the guide for their souls upon their deaths. Then they are all mine for a time, regardless of their prior pantheonic or denominational affiliation. "But what you neglect to mention is what else your mortals will be up to, even as they are proselytizing the faithful belonging to the others. Do you actually plan to possess them yourself and manifest bodily within the other gods' sanctuaries, or merely to see through their eyes at opportune moments? Or is your ability to infiltrate another god's domain slightly more limited than that? "Never mind -- I don't actually require an answer from you. You're not the only one with foresight, Blind Leader of the Blind. I may not know the full extent of your clairvoyance, but I know what I would do were I in your position, and that is sufficient to give me pause when it comes to your offer, no matter how ecumenical I might consider myself in principle." Puppies are dicks posted:Plan LARISSA: Team up with the Bisthak Empire, get fed fire, Undead chaff/slave workers, feed AP and hot flesh back. Other terms may be negotiable. HAHAHA NO. In addition to professional antipathy toward Larissa due to her cockblocking Vicissitude's duties as psychopomp for deceased mortals, he also personally despises her. She can die in a fire while eating a bag of dicks, as far as V is concerned. quote:Plan WALLASTRA-SOUL: Hearts and minds purge of mortal(read also overwhelmingly or mostly human) souls using lines of social organisation, infrastructure, and nationality as a base Both of these sound nifty, but Vicissitude has no particular resources to devote to these tasks himself. So that's a "Yes" in principle, but a "No" in actual practice -- unless of course, he's actually attacked by the Ice at some point, and then he's more than happy to have allies in this most vital of causes. quote:(All VICISSITUDE plans exclude LARISSA, BISTHAK, ALL FLAME by default) If V can help (by, say, distributing fruit during his travels like an all-powerful Johnny Appleseed), he's all for it. But otherwise he's going to be focusing his efforts elsewhere. So, a conditional Yes that's really mostly a No. quote:Plan VICISSITUDE-HUNT: Hunt the Imprisoned/(Dragon All Flame alternate goal) in order to replug the hole left in Hell As far as V is concerned, this is the only plan toward which he will invest conscious effort. quote:Plan VICISSITUDE-ICE: See also Plan WALLASTRA. If it doesn't stop him from Hunting, sure, he'll help beat back a Glacier or two. But since any Cold-fight will likely deplete resources he wants to throw at The Imprisoned, he'd be more inclined to make a strategic retreat from The Ice than to stand his ground -- unless somehow the only way to get to The Imprisoned is through that particular bit of Cold. So again, a conditional Yes that's really mostly a No. At least until The Imprisoned is back in its cage, at which point V is more than happy to be all about global warming. quote:Plan VICISSITUDE-PARELLE (this one is partially binding): agree to take and keep 100-300 Wildings in order to guide the flow of damned and evil souls towards Hell in order to secure the orderly flow of life and death. Um...maybe? In the sense that Vicissitude will be taking a whole horde of Wildings with him on the Hunt to help sweep up souls for deposit in Hell later (assuming any of us make it back), and also to possibly help in the actual Hunting. quote:Plan TIPHANES (this one is partially binding): Agree to take ??? number of PEOPLE OF THE PROPHECY into your populations, allowing them to proselytize (possible shared faith or exclusive faith with TIPHANES) and conduct religious rituals in peace. Alas, I have no free will in the matter -- Tiphanes already knows that I will turn him down. Thus, I am constrained to fulfill my destiny as he has foreseen it.
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Nov 21, 2015 11:48
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Amaguq, the Lone Hunter Stirring upon the HellThrone AP: 24/24 His sleep upon the HellThrone had been troubled, with dreams of mortals oppressed by the weight of the Ice, and other, far darker things. He saw visions of a swirling vortex, carrying the entire cosmos down into the endless void of nonexistence. It was just as he caught a glimpse of the bottomless depths of the Abyss that he finally awoke. A guttural growl passed his fangs, sending the Hounds whimpering and cringing in a paroxysm of fear. Amaguq's hackles were raised, as if the threat to his eternal life were right there in Hell's Throne Room with him. Perhaps it was...the threat was everywhere now, with the Curse of Sloth laid like a smothering blanket over the world. He knew what he had to do, though the blanket still threatened to stifle his every breath. Shaking his frozen coat as if to free it from the clinging malaise, Amaguq summoned Thrym to his side. "Prepare the Hounds," he ordered. "For soon, we Hunt. It may be that the DwarfLord could lend you his artifice, in order to outfit us for the task at hand. I am thinking a spear or a harpoon made of the frozen stuff of Cocytus, to aid in subduing The Imprisoned." He still insisted on calling it by its rightful name, though the being's freedom since the end of the last Age continued to make a mockery of his words. "Pirsuq!" his voice echoed across Limbo and reverberated off the walls of Home, though only the Gods properly perceived what to mortals seemed only an ominous tremble of the earth, or a vague sense of foreboding in their spirits. "Your Wildings will be needed for the Hunt as well!" As he finally stirred from his Throne, he perceived the changes that had come to HellHome. Some of them were welcome, some of them were not. It was the latter that began to occupy his attention, scattered as it was. As he pondered, he realized that he would have to step bodily from his domain to examine the world, to see what had become of the glacier that threatened them in the past Age, and to see what had become of the souls that should have been flooding into the underworld to replenish its decimated population. Taking up his Soul Seal as he readied to set out, he realized that his other valued artifact -- his Mask -- still showed signs of the abuse he had suffered at the hands of the DwarfLord. That would need to be seen to as well. So much to do... And then there was the tract of the Hellscape that the giant protean mass had made into its own. In a way, he admired its adaptability and stubborn determination to reform all around it into its own image. Perhaps the being known as Isath could be convinced to assist in the Hunt as well. But that, too, must wait... There was also the Unquenchable Flame, or whatever it was the mortals were calling it. That was a further unexpected development; perhaps that is where he would start. The souls of the deceased mortals would still be there, wherever they were, waiting for him to perform his role of Psychopomp within the divine economy. Once he had the time and inclination to get around to it, of course. But first, the Unquenchable Flame -- that was a perfectly straightforward task to take on upon first rising from his slumber. After all, he couldn't be expected to set out immediately on the Hunt, when so much needed to be prepared first? Padding forward, the great Wolf slipped silently, unnoticed by mortal eyes, beneath the portico of the Shrine to the Undying Flame. Taking in the iconography of the Shrine, he pieced together the story behind the theology of the Flame. Though he could learn much from symbols and rites, the words of the mortals themselves were the greatest key to unlocking the mystery of the Undying Flame. And so, seeing the attendants constantly standing vigil around the flame, Amaguq listened as they endlessly recited the Litany of the Flame, over and over and over. When he thought that he knew enough to ask the right questions of the actual practitioners of the faith, he stepped from the shadows. He wondered, briefly, whether it might be more appropriate to appear to the Undying Attendants in a form that would encourage the mortals to lower their guard and release their suspicions toward the Lord of Hell. But why bother, when he had already assumed the form he would take during the Hunt? After all, it would only be a few brief moments until he and Thrym and the others were well and truly on their way. Yes, only a few brief moments, clearly not worth the trouble of stooping to appease the mortals' sensitive psyches. "The Lord of Hell, God of the Crossroads, Hunter of the Imprisoned, would know of this new observance that has arisen within his Home. Who, of all you steeped in the mysteries of the Flame, would presume to teach a God?" The mortals, one and all, cowered in fright from the massive predator that suddenly appeared in their midst, speaking with a voice that echoed and re-echoed in their souls. The Sacramental Flame that had been burning steadily upon the brazen altar wavered and guttered in the Wolf's exhalations until, finally, the one strongest in her faith -- an old, sightless crone, with the ritual burns covering much of her form -- hobbled painfully forward on her cane to stand directly before Amaguq's slavering jaws. "The Flame sees and knows and protects us all. Dare to rend my flesh, seek to consume my soul, do what you will, but my Faith shall remain." I have in my head something like the Vestal Virgins mashed together with the religion of the Silver Flame from Eberron, but just exactly what's up with the Undying Flame is what Amaguq is here to find out. I'm starting off slow and not really bringing any Divine attributes to my actions yet -- though once I have enough information to evaluate the situation, I will certainly do so. After all, The Trickster undoubtedly knows all about the tactics used by less-than-scrupulous gods to connive worship from mortals. **** EDIT: One thing in particular I'm looking for is whether or not our friendly neighborhood dragon somehow managed to acquire some followers in HellHome -- are these folks' worship actually going to All Flame? Or is it something more innocuous, like people praying to the Flame we set up to guard the door? Heck, sentient or not, if it fended off a Glacier single-handedly while all the real gods were taking a nap, I'd be inclined to worship it too! If that's the case, could such worship actually turn it into a real god? **** Once my motivation starts to pick up, I then plan to: * Fix my Trickster's Mask * Have a conversation with Isath, wherein I offer him inducements to join us on the Hunt * Go for a stroll around the outside of Hell to see what happened to the Glacier and to see what random souls might be wandering around in the Cold out there * Oh yeah, and I mean to lead The Hunt as soon as we're ready. Any day now... But for the time being, uncertainty, inefficiency, befuddlement, and a touch of uncharacteristic impotence is, I think, a good way to start a new Age under the Curse of Sloth. At least Vendruck and Thrym have something to do -- I'm imagining they'll work together to create some kind of Icy, stabby weapon for me (or Thrym) to wield, the better to bring down The Imprisoned. I think they should be at something like +24 to fabricate an appropriate Elder-God-slaying artifact. TychoBrahesNose fucked around with this message at 11:39 on Dec 12, 2015 |
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Dec 8, 2015 13:31
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Anansi, Spinner of Tales and Pursuer of Souls Weaving his way among the mortals of Home AP: 22/24 The Trickster finds himself impressed by the accidental success of the guardian they had placed at the Gates of Hell. And so, as his form flows and changes, Anansi decides to do what he can to assist The Undying Flame in its sacred task of protecting them all from the Crushing Ice. Calling the DwarfLord Vendruck to his side, Anansi makes words to flow like honey from his lips, inspiring the mortals near and far, of all races and types, in their devotion to this newly-begotten God. At the same time, as his senses continue to awaken to the realm around him, Anansi finds himself amused yet oddly threatened by Parelle's naive attempts to shape Hell as a place of punishment, but also of redemption. Though it is a new Age with new rules, Anansi nevertheless feels the pull of his eternal role as psychopomp, and along with it his surprisingly conservative view of what must and should happen with the souls that are handed over to Hell. And so he continues to pour forth words of great depth and meaning to the mortals thronging about him, about the sacrifice of the noble Flame, and how it deserved all the homage they could give it for what it had done --- and continues to do -- for them all. Such manipulation of mortals can be accomplished nearly without conscious thought for a master of words like Anansi -- which is fortunate, because Anansi's divine power actually is focused elsewhere. Parelle thinks that she will make an escape from Hell for those Truly Worthy souls? Not on Anansi's watch. Though it pains him to act against even the soulish remnant of the mortals under his care, such action is necessary to retain the integrity of the Divine Economy. Or at least, that's what he tells himself. When he is sure that he has added the most devious of his own snares and deceits to Hell's Tests, he turns away, satisfied. Redemption, he smirks to himself, is surely unattainable to even one of the many millions of fallen mortal souls now. At least, he reassures himself, if some soul does ever overcome not one but two Gods' trials, he has nevertheless done all that he can to ensure that resurrection, or escape from Hell of any sort, remains as rare as he can possibly make it. Anansi knows, of course, that the Frost Giant is watching as well. Fortunately, he and the Jotun were in agreement on the sanctity of Hell's claims upon its denizens. And so his actions should reassure Thrym that even Hell's Back Door was well-nigh inaccessible to the mortals they guarded. In return, Anansi asks for only a small favor... Despite his best effort, The Trickster still cannot be everywhere at once. But when they are in accord, the others can almost certainly be convinced to act as if they are extensions of his own Divine will. What else is the point of a Pantheon, after all? And besides himself, Thrym is certainly the best situated to determine the suitability of Hell's most unusual divine guest for The Hunt. **** Adding to the effectiveness of Hell's Test for the Wicked Trait, or perhaps layering a new Trait on top of it? Trickster Spirit +4, Inbetween All Realms +4, Warden of Hell +2, Trickster's Mask +4, Soul Seal +4/Hungry for Souls -2, Protector of Mortals -2 = +14 plus 2 AP. Just making sure to plug the holes for you, Parelle, so nobody undeserving gets through. You're welcome! I'm also gathering a great many of the Family's and The Undying Flame's mortal worshippers together to pour their heartfelt devotion into The Undying Flame -- that is, tapping them for AP to send to TUF, to fan the Flame into a blazing inferno and melt away the glacier adjacent to Hell. I'm also asking Vendruck to cobble together some sort of Maxwell's Demon to provide a reflective insulator at the gates of Hell/Home to send any residual heat back out toward the Glacier. In theory, that could double the effectiveness of TUF, since the heat is no longer radiating out equally in every direction, but is all headed in one direction. Next, Thrym is being dispatched as Anansi's emissary to make overtures to the protean Divinity known as Isath, and at the same time to judge the being's suitability for joining the Hunt. Incidentally, How did Vendruck's and Thrym's weapon-forging efforts go last round? Also as an aside, I'm happy with Pirsuq making as many Wildings as he can. The more mortals to worship Chaos incarnate (i.e., The Trickster), the better! **** Starting to check at least a couple of items off of my To-Do List: * Fix my Trickster's Mask * Go for a stroll around the outside of Hell to see what happened to the Glacier and to see what random souls might be wandering around in the Cold out there... DEALING WITH THE GODKILLING COLD FIRST * Oh yeah, and I mean to lead The Hunt as soon as we're ready. Any day now... TychoBrahesNose fucked around with this message at 13:11 on Dec 25, 2015 |
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Dec 25, 2015 12:57
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Mercury, God of the Gateway At the Doors of HellHome AP: 18/24 Sensing the products of divine worship flowing to The Unquenchable Flame, and with the new divine technology courtesy of the DwarfLord, Mercury decides that it is past time to release himself and the rest of his Pantheon — and, for that matter, all of their followers — from the Ice that imprisons them. Calling his HellHounds around him as further warmth against the Cold, and stepping to the Gates of HellHome, he sends a spark of his Divine Essence following in the wake of Vendruck’s Demon to breathe upon the Flame and send it roaring forth to force back The Cold from his domain. As Mercury sets about assisting The Unquenchable Flame in its task of freeing the occupants of HellHome, Thrym continues his conversation with Isath. "The Trickster is seeking a way to prevent the Ice without from killing us all -- or at least, those of you not immune to its crushing Cold as I am. Even the stunted and misshapen one, for all his general uselessness, has fashioned a trinket that might just prove helpful in that regard. If you are at all inclined to assist with The Hunt, this is a perfect opportunity to do so, by ensuring that The Ice poses no danger to Gods or mortals once the Gates are opened." Warden of Hell +2, Leader +2, Inbetween All Worlds +4 = +8, with the benefit of Vendruck’s Demon and the Hounds of Hell +36 (at least for defensive purposes), plus 4 more AP to assist TUF in clear as wide a swath of ice as we can from in front of the Gates. Yes I expect this puts me in (some) danger…anybody else (especially the Laser-Tipped Penis) wanna join me? I think this is our best shot, since TUF is as empowered as it’s going to get, and I’m lending my not-inconsiderable powers toward the effort as well. This action presumes I have some inkling of what's going down Outside TychoBrahesNose fucked around with this message at 10:59 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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Jan 11, 2016 07:32
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Mercury, God of the Gateway HellHome --> Outside! AP: 18/24 Well that was...unexpected. Mercury thinks to himself as he tamps out the last of the flames clinging to his robe. Though not unforseeable. A pity the Pack is only at half strength now. Though with the Ice gone, the mortals will have a chance to breathe freely, to see the sky...at least for a time. Seeing the fleshy protuberances of the Towering God snaking across the threshold, he leaves the initial investigation of the newly-cleared Glacierzone to Isath. Instead, he turns back to his domain and begins to issue orders for his Family and their followers. "Reggie!" he calls out. "The Gate has been damaged -- see to it that its function is not compromised! Cadenza! One of my Pack has need of your ministrations! Pirsuq! The way beyond the gate is clear -- for now. If you or your Wildings wish to take to the sky -- the proper sky! -- you are free to do so. Only report back to me or to Parelle with what you and yours discover." "All you mortals!" the Messenger God speaks directly to the minds of those who worship those of his Pantheon. "By the will of your Gods, the way beyond the Gate is free from the grasp of the Cold!" Yes, that sounds about right, Mercury thinks to himself. Let them believe that tremendous explosion was all part of the plan... "If you wish to remain within the embrace of Home, do so!" Mercury continues. "If you wish to expand, to settle beyond the walls and raise flocks and grow crops, you are free to do so as well. All that is required is that you stay within sight of the Gate, that you may return to the greater safety within if Cold or another Enemy should come. The air above shall be guarded by Wildings, and the ground all around shall be patrolled by my Hounds to provide ample warning until you are able to construct proper fortifications and warnings." Turning his attention to the God sulking after his conflict with the Ice Giant, he gestures consolingly. "What say you DwarfLord? Will you assist the mortals with your Artifice? They have need of strong walls against their enemies, and even moreso a means of perceiving threats while they are still afar off -- whether that be an approaching Ice Storm, or an approaching army." His seemingly endless task of directing his followers finally complete, he at last turns his attention to his role he that had been neglected for some time...ferrying the souls of the dead to the afterlife. Now, with the remaining Hounds in tow, he overtakes Isath's oozing and creeping sensory apparatuses and begins a wide sweep of the new land available to them. Trying to manage a Family is challenging! Assuming Reggie can be spared for a round, I'd like him to ensure the Gate has sustained no permanent damage/is fixed up even more quickly than its baseline regenerative powers would accomplish. Similarly, I'd like Cadenza to heal the wounded Hound. Hopefully Pirsuq and his Wildings will jump at the chance to be out and about in the Glacier-free zone, and will provide useful intel while they are testing out their new environment. Likewise, if we want to increase our stock of mortal followers, it seems like giving them an extra Zone to expand into would useful -- provided it's defensible. That's where Vendruck comes in. If he gives a drat about the mortals at all, he will hopefully work to make the area outside nearly as homey as Home itself. If he's not interested in helping, I'd like Reggie and Cadenza to use next round to improve the expanding mortal settlements. In the meantime, while Isath does his own probing of the Zone itself, the remaining Hounds (including the one Cadenza heals) will be patrolling the outer boundary of the no-longer-a-Glacierzone, specifically looking for any incoming threats and (if they can manage) sniffing out the trail of The (Not-So-)Imprisoned. Alas, with their reduced strength, they're down to +4 each (+12 total), though with Mercury holding their leash while they patrol they at least do not suffer from their negative Trait. As for Mercury himself, he's going to collect as many mortal souls as he can find while he patrols with his Hounds around the perimeter of the recently-thawed zone. Warden of Hell +2, Inbetween All Worlds +4, Soul Seal +4/Hungry for Souls -2 = +8 total to find souls to feed into my Soul Seal (most likely for transport back to Hell to replenish our dwindlding stocks, unless I have need of the AP sooner).
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Feb 7, 2016 13:49
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Crow In and Around HellHome AP: 12/24 With a few desultory flaps of his pinions, Crow returns to the borders of Hell with his burden of souls. Picking his way among the dying embers left over from the Undying Flame's self-immolation, he uses his Divine senses to peer inside the domain he shares with the rest of the Family. As he perceives the goddess Parelle engaging herself in all manner of Sin, The Trickster breathes a sigh of relief. He immediately comprehends that she is becoming more and more bound to the place -- the corollary being that he himself is becoming more and more free from its jealous grasp. However, being the skeptical sort, he is still not certain he can trust the goddess to fulfill her newly-assumed role properly -- especially given the arrogance she displays in thinking that she, an amateur in matters pertaining to the Afterlife, knows better than he just how the souls of the Departed and the Damned should be handled. It is clear that she has already meddled needlessly with his contributions to Hell: Redemption? Hah! One needn't be the myopic and hidebound Malador to realize that such soft-headed thinking is just what led to the release of the Imprisoned in the first place. So, despite his distaste for being tied down to one place, Crow decides that he really must keep an eye on Hell, even when he is out on his Hunt. And what better means for such Sight than the creatures that Parelle herself had a hand in creating? Ideally, her fondness for the erstwhile Icestorm would allow the demigod Pirsuq and his offspring to stay close enough to warn of any truly disastrous course of action Parelle decides to undertake. Yes, they would be the perfect tools, Crow decides. And if things with the Family really start to unravel, then having a contingent of mortals on my side couldn't hurt. In the meantime, further preparations for The Hunt ensue, though he is content to leave the details to underlings. "Cadenza," he orders, "see it it that Thrym, Pirsuq, and I have a supply of Sloth-resistant sustenance for at least some measure of defense against the Imprisoned, should we come against him on our Hunt. Pirsuq, see to it that the followers of the Undying Flame return their worship to the Family, as is proper. The mortals are not to be harmed in any way -- their devotion was entirely warranted in the past Age, of course -- but they must be convinced that their god is truly and finally dead. Thrym, the DwarfLord would not assist you in forging a weapon fit for the Hunt, but you have no need of him to complete such a task. It is in your very nature to seek to recapture the Escaped One -- let that Icy resolve guide your hand in its work." Dropping the deceased souls off to help replenish Hell. 250,000 souls isn't a lot, but it will hopefully help the hemorrhaging of followers we're all experiencing. I am devoting my own efforts to giving Pirsuq and the Wildings a permanent trait that allows them semi-divine visual acuity (seeing farther, seeing hidden beings, and the like) -- with the proviso that when they are using it, I can see what they see, if I so choose (I'm drawing inspiration from Mojo and Psylocke, and as it turns out, the Blind God and his followers too). Trickster Spirit +4, Inbetween All Realms +4, Leader +2, Warden of Hell +2, Trickster's Mask +4/-2 = +14 +6 AP to imbue the demigod and his haphazard collection of mortal folllowers with this dual effect... maybe call it +2 Sight Beyond Sight/+2 Trickster's Eyes? This should help both with the upcoming Hunt and with keeping tabs on how Hell is faring under Parelle's (unsteady?) hand. Meanwhile, Cadenza (+6 + relevant traits from Home and the Garden she's been tending?) is going to provide us with the fruit that she (and Parelle?) had been working on, for at least temporary buffs against Slothly shenanigans. Thrym (+12) should make himself useful too, by creating some kind of weapon (maybe a great icy harpoon?) to help Hunt our elusive target. I had a notion a few turns back that Vendruck would help him with this; though that didn't work out, there's no reason he can't do it himself. Pirsuq (+6)is going to ensure that the Undying Flame's followers don't accidentally cause their god to come back from his present non-existence. Actually, it would have been nice to have Thrym see to that, but a) he's not officially part of the Family and b) I think his handling of the mortals would be a bit less kind than Pirsuq's. Though for the record, I don't actually care how Pirsuq accomplishes the task I've set for him, provided no mortals are actually killed by his conversion attempt. And if he screws up, I could always pick up the pieces next round, on my way out the door...
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Feb 24, 2016 14:37
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Hanuman Hell --> Thawzone AP: 10/24 Hanuman ponders the situation unfolding in Naraka and its surroundings...Pirsuq has successfully "converted" the followers of the (as it turns out, inaccurately-named) Undying Flame, while Vendruck shut himself within his workshop. Deeper within, Parelle's newest race of followers clashed with their monstrous guests's spawn. Meanwhile, his modifications to the Wildings did not go quite according to his plan, but the outcome was not as unsuccessful as it could have been...if he cannot have his Eyes, at least he would inject a bit more Chaos into the staid existence of those who call Hell their Home. Given all that had recently transpired, now, it seems, would be a good time to leave the rest of them to their own tumult and discord and begin his hunt for Ravana. And so he marhsals his forces out upon Thawzone. First is Thrym, the Ice God Hell-bent on re-capturing The (Formerly) Imprisoned, holding the leash of the remaining Hell Hounds. Then, in the air above come Pirsuq and his Wildings flitting about with neither rhyme nor reason in their flight. The mortals within Home, and those who have spilled out into the Thawzone, watch in awe as Gods and demigods prepare for The Hunt. "Reggie! Cadenza! Do what you can for the people! They will need stout walls -- build what defenses you can for them; if the fortifications you make can be encompassed within the Living Gate, so much the better. They will need food -- plant what gardens you can for them; if the Food of the Gods that lifts the Curse of Sloth can be planted and tended within the Thawzone, so much the better. And now," his voice reaches a crescendo, "we..." And then from above, a warm wind brings a gigantic floating Tree into their midst, even as the Living Gate itself pulses and squeals in alarm, recoiling as if preparing to lash out. Fortunately, the Trickster recognizes the God aboard the unusual form of transport. "Do not strike! This one is not an enemy!" Hanuman commands the Gate as he raises a pacifying hand. Presumably, Isath would receive the command, given his ongoing connection to the Gate, and he would ensure that there would be no unnecessary violence. Then, turning to the newcomer, he adds, "Welcome once again Abyaz, Mouth of the Sun, to the humble abode of The Family. The Lady of the House, as well as our guest, the Divine Monstrosity Isath, are within. You are welcome to enter, should you wish to do so. However, I myself and my companions are just about to set off on The Hunt, should you wish to join us in scouring the face of the Earth, instead." He briefly considers forestalling the start of The Hunt, but everything is already prepared, and it would look kind of silly to have his followers stand down when they were just about to begin. But perhaps as long as the others stayed within sight, he could steal at least a few more moments to prepare himself... Turning again to his entourage, he calls, "And now, we HUNT! Begin nearby, at the edges of the Thawzone, and seek out our quarry. Once you have its scent, we shall away!" As the hounds begin baying and the Wildings begin wildly whooping as they buzz crazily throughout the air above Thawzone, Hanuman returns swiftly to the mouth of Hell to finish just one more quick preparation... Thrym and Hanuman are each taking some of the fruit that Cadenza has provided for us. This round Reggie and Cadenza are working on making the Thawzone more defensible and more habitable, with Walls and Gardens and such. If Reggie (+6) can assist Isath in expanding the Living Gate to encompass the Thawzone, that would be great; otherwise he's just going to build more mundane defenses against invading armies (and or/invading Cold). Cadenza (+6) will be using her gardening to help the mortal population of Home flourish and expand into the Thawzone. Meanwhile, the Hunters are making a mortal-scale move to the edges of the Thawzone and beginning The Hunt! Thrym (+12) + Pirsuq (+6) + Hell Hounds (+12) + Wildings (+?, including Chaos Eyes) are all teaming up to try to catch The (Soon-to-be-Re-)Imprisoned's scent. Hanuman himself is waiting to see if Abyaz will take him up on the offer to join The Hunt (hey, that may be a good way for him to find his missing sibling too!) Meanwhile, he is taking one last stab at fixing his Mask; I'm also going to try acquiring the Essence of the other Gods nearby to feed it. I already have Parelle's essence; I figure with Isath, Vendruck, Cadenza, Reggie, and Pirsuq all being here through the Turning of the Age, I should be able to acquire a bit of all of their essences rather easily (especially Isath's, since he leaves a trail of it wherever he goes). As far as fixing the Mask goes: Trickster Spirit (+4) + Inbetween All Realms (+4) = +8 + 2 AP. And finally, with the spectacular display of Godly force to awe the mortals, I'm tapping at least some of our followers devotion (and/or our dead souls' "worship") to refresh my AP. I fed 4AP to TUF from our worshippers earlier; how much is left? I am down 14, so that is the max I'd need; I'll take that or 1/2 of The Family's total AP reserves, whichever is lower.
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Mar 4, 2016 03:18
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Hanuman Thawzone AP: 10/24 "I am pleased that you will join us in our Hunt," the Monkey-God replies to Abyaz as he finishes tinkering with his Mask before grasping the other God's hand. "The Land of Summer does indeed seem lovely; perhaps our search shall take us there. For before we can return the Imprisoned to its proper state, we must first find it. Thrym, the Ice Giant, exists to hold prisoners within Hell, and nothing will stop him from recapturing the one who escaped. The Hell Hounds and the Wildings are our trackers to flush it out of hiding, and we have weapons against both the Cold and the Curse of Sloth that our quarry laid upon the world. With these we shall eliminate its foul taint upon the world and the mortals under our protection, quarantining it back in its prison for the rest of Eternity." Presumably Abyaz can be airborne with Pirsuq and the Wildings while Thrym and the Hell Hounds and I scour the surface of the earth (and Beneath it) during out Hunt? Regarding our AP pool, according to the info on page 1, "The Family" have 300K mortal followers in Home + 100K Fomorians in Hell. Puppies' tracking of the number of Fomorians is somewhat hard to follow, however, and I also don't know if the mortals expanding into the Thawzone over the last several turns has increased their number at all (for that matter, the number of Wildings is not mentioned, unless they're included in the regular mortal followers). But assuming these numbers are it, we have 4AP available from mortals, equivalent to what I already gave to TUF before he went and blowed himself (and half of my Hell Hound Pack) up. We also have 400K incorporeal souls (presumably +250K souls I just collected), which gives us only 1-2 AP. So unless these numbers are way off, there's only 1-2 AP available for the entire Pantheon; if that's the case, I will just refresh the full amount that I am able without eating them entirely. Also, Puppies, can you update the traits/population of Hell and Home (and the Thawzone)? Or are you keeping track of it somewhere other than page 1?
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Mar 8, 2016 01:30
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Hanuman Departing the Thawzone AP: 22/24 Assuming I got 2 AP from tapping the rest of our worshippers last round -- is that right? As Parelle's Divine strength flows to him, Hanuman is taken off guard by her generous gift, and he wonders if she has finally gone completely insane. It is almost enough for him to voluntarily send Pirsuq back to her -- if only to make sure she doesn't do anything else incredibly risky that could endanger their people. But he still thinks that their cause is best served with Pirsuq at his side. After all, what more could Pirsuq accomplish than any number of the other gods still in HellHome -- to say nothing of the great womb-like gate protecting those ensconced within? He briefly considers undercutting Parelle's efforts and directly bending the sentient ice storm to his will, but with the Hell Hounds baying at their leads, he has more important matters on which to focus his Divine attention. "Your mistress is summoning you, Pirsuq," he declares brusquely. "But of course, you are no longer a servant at the beck and call of the one who created you. No, you are your own being now, with your own creatures made in your likeness. You must decide for yourself where you'd have the most fun -- or where you'd do the most good for all, if that's your thing. But the HellHounds have caught the scent of our quarry, and I need to know now whether you are joining the Hunt or staying behind." And with that, Hanuman and his entourage Depart. Not in the manner of mere mortals, of course, but as only one with his Divine portfolio could accomplish. Following the snarling HellHounds, they set off on the trail of their quarry. Moving all of us (Hanuman, Abyaz, Thrym, the HellHounds, and the Wildings -- as well as Pirsuq if he's still down with The Hunt) to wherever the scent of The Imprisoned is strongest -- presumably that's where it's physically located, but perhaps not. Trickster Spirit +4 to overcome any deceits it has employed to throw us off its trail, Between All Worlds +4 to Travel, HellWarden +2 because even my tenuous connection to the erstwhile Realm of Torment affords me some insight into The Imprisoned's motives and goals and modus operandi, Leader +2 (+2 from Abyaz) to bring everyone else along = +14 +2 AP for what amounts to a Mass Teleport. To where, you ask? Well, the HellHounds +12 are going to be adding to the effort to stay on The Imprisoned's scent, so we end up in the right place. Meanwhile, Thrym +12 is going to be fending off any Ice that threatens us along our path; if Pirsuq +6 is coming too, he can help Thrym out with the protective magics. Meanwhile, the Wildings are going to be collecting any loose souls we encounter along the way and depositing them in my Soul Seal for safekeeping. If they find anything interesting with their Chaos Sight, that would be good to know too, though that's not their main focus. Abyaz can help out with any of the actions I've already laid out, as he sees fit, or tack on his own action if there's some crucial aspect of The Hunt that I've overlooked. Or I guess there's nothing stopping him from pursuing his own agenda as he bums a ride across the planet from me.
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Mar 19, 2016 13:28
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Hanuman Wallastra City - The Suburbs AP: 22/24 Wallastra City Council posted:"Greetings honored deities! We are the elected and empowered city council of Wallastra city. We speak on behalf of the city and Wallastra himself in welcoming you. The God Wallastra has anticipated your coming and requested that we assist you in what we may. Having integrated Isath's Far-Seeing Eye into his own being -- situating it directly over his pineal gland (where else would a Third Eye belong, after all?) -- Hanuman is ready to continue The Hunt. In retrospect, he is not terribly surprised that his taks entails less wilderness tracking and more discerning the hidden depths of mortal souls. "Greetings honored representatives of Wallastra!" he responds grandiosely, his Third Eye staring unblinkingly at the mortal councillors. "As your patron deity has no doubt informed you, a greal primordial Evil has been loosed upon the world, and we are here to re-Imprison it. While you have protected yourself quite effectively from the Cold and the Ice," here Hanuman gestures non-committally toward the rapidly-strengthening Hellstorm, "there are subtler ways that the seeds of destruction may insinuate themselves into a people. As mortals, you are unlikely to have the needed resources to combat such influence -- but that is precisely where our Hunt shall succeed. To start: we shall examine the hiding places and deep recesses of your domain, to root out our quarry. I would also learn about your City, its People, and its novel Technologies. If any of you have insight into where the Curse may hide, your wisdom would be highly valued." TL;DR: Help me help you! What do they have to say about The Imprisoned, whether they know it by that name or not? We'll start with what they can tell me about their city and its recent (since the ending of the last Age) changes. Any direct mystical insight into the Curse and its (meta)physical manifestations would be welcome as well. Mostly I expect them to be actively obscuring the truth -- whether they speak out of maliciousness or ignorance or are themselves the victims of deceit -- but lies can be just as informative as the truth. If not moreso, since they reveal the liars' true priorities and what they might be desperate to conceal. So: Trickster Spirit +4 to separate truth from lies, Inbetween All Worlds +4 to discern the non-physical evidence of The Imprisoned (whether in their words, in their souls, or elsewhere in their city), Leader +2 to elicit cooperation from the mortals, HellWarden +2 to continue pursuing The Imprisoned's "scent" on and among the mortals and their cultural artifacts, and finally Far-Seeing Eye +2 for even more Divine vision; Total is +14 (plus whatever Abyaz can contribute); hopefully this investigation targets the mortals considerably more feeble skills than being directly opposed by The Imprisoned (though come to think of it, such direct opposition could bring it out of hiding more rapidly, even in the case of failure). In any case, for now the Mortals do not have my leave to retreat into the safer(?) confines of the City. I want to keep them on edge and anxious to comply with my request, before the Hellstorm gets threateningly strong. Meanwhile, Thrym and the Hounds and the Chaos-sensitive Wildings (+12 +12 +?) will physically patrol the city looking for material manifestations of The Imprisoned and generally being ready to fight it or any of its minions, if it comes to that.
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Apr 12, 2016 01:42
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Hanuman Wallastra City - The Grand Tour of the Grand Design AP: 22/24 Hanuman offers a grateful bow toward the mortal representatives of the city and its god. "We would love nothing more than to see all there is to be seen of your impressive and prosperous city. Lead on," he says, gesticulating toward the city proper. "Keep them talking," Hanuman whispers to Abyaz. "See if they have anything useful to say about the Storm, or their missing God. I'll be joining the tour, but my attention will primarily be...elsewhere." As they walk, Hanuman engages them with all sorts of inane questions, about infrastructure, taxes, and the like, peppered with a few more relevant questions about the workings of their city -- in particular the Forges and the Necropolis. As they approach the center of the city, and the gaping chasm that eludes their fragile psyches, the form of Hanuman continues to nod along benignly to whatever they say. But the god himself is no longer present, only an image left to allay the suspicions of the mortals. Orpheus Descending into the Devil's Throat AP: 20/24  With the mortal denizens of Wallastra City preoccupied, Orpheus silently slips away. Before long, he is gazing over the precipice leading into the Underworld. WIthout bottom, it seems, from here. But the Trickster God knows that appearances are always deceiving. Always. And so he steps into the void, flitting down like a spirit, plumbing its depths and divining its secrets. Unlike the Orpheus of myth, however, he does not seek to return with a lost love, but with the secure knowledge of how The Imprisoned hides itself among and beneath the City. Only then will the members of The Hunt be able to excise its influence from the hearts and souls of the mortals. If such a task can even be accomplished cleanly. He fears that perhaps the city and its inhabitants are already too far gone, and that they must be sacrificed for the safety of the entire world, regardless of how relatively "innocent" they are. The thought plagues him as he continues to float within the Pit, seeking the connection to the Necropolis that no doubt hides Beneath -- the connection, he surmises, that allows The Imprisoned to continue to consume the souls of all the mortals -- even those that, by rights, should be beyond the influence of Wallastra's domain. But even as he frets over the ultimate fate of the City, he hopes that perhaps The God of the People is indeed living up to his name, and is already seeking to confront the one that threatens his chosen mortals. He had talked a good game during the Godsmoot, in any case. If Wallastra can be found during his investigations of the Bottomless Pit, or of the Necropolis, he would certainly be a valuable ally in their Hunt. Perhaps his journey would be more like that of the Orpheus of myth after all -- minus the whole failure in self-control and the resultant loss of the one whom he sought, of course. As he continues his search, though, Orpheus returns to worrying: but what if the god himself is complicit the city's corruption? While Abyaz, Thrym, the Hounds, and the Wildings (E: and Pirsuq) are going on the Grand Tour (at least partially as a feint), or doing whatever else they choose, Orpheus will be trying to suss out just where The Imprisoned has gotten its hooks into the city, and if those hooks can be, um, unhooked without causing catastrophe to the inhabitants. Protector of Mortals applies, unfortunately, because the initial plan is to leave as much of the infrastructure protecting Wallastra City in place as possible, rather than focusing exclusivley on capturing The Imprisoned. Trickster +4 Inbetween +4 Hellwarden +2 Far-Seeing Eye +2 Soul Seal +4 -2 Protector of Mortals = +14, +2AP to investigate the Bottomless Pit for signs of a) The Imprisoned and how it can be separated from Wallastra City, and b) Wallastra himself Based on the responses from the mortals, and our investigation so far, I presume that the Bottomless Pit and the Necropolis are the best places for investigations in pursuit of both of these goals, and so if the Pit doesn't work out, I'll move on to the Necropolis and try the same thing next round. Presumably the connection between the Pit and the Necropolis that lies Beneath the city is easy to see, at least for a god? TychoBrahesNose fucked around with this message at 20:10 on May 23, 2016 |
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May 19, 2016 21:15
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Susano-O AP: 18/24 Reverse Wallastra Their quarry at last unearthed, at least in a metaphysical sense, Susano-o acts to force it out into the open where he and his allies can confront it directly. Releasing a handful of souls from his Soul-Seal, he gives them the fruit that had been blessed by Cadenza for the disruption of The Imprisoned’s influence. As the souls are pulled inexorably toward the foul machinery, Susano-O takes up his own position at the nexus between the Necropolis and the Infernal Furnace. Just as the souls reach the Furnace grate, the fruit they bear reacts violently with the heat and the power of the place. At the same time, Susano-O wields his own divine power to disrupt the Infernal Furnace, using his command over the souls of the dead, and the draw of his Soul-Seal, to wrench all of the souls anywhere in the vicinity of the Infernal Furnace from the grasp of the Imprisoned’s foul clutches. “Yamata no Orochi, eight-forked snake, I abjure you, come forth from your hiding place amongst the machinations of the mortals!” Susano-o declares, his voice echoing and re-echoing across the City of Wallastra and its fetid reflection in the Reverse City. “Your doom is at hand!”  Trickster Spirit +4 and Far-Seeing Eye +2 to find the best place to exploit the vulnerabilities in the Imprisoned’s influence. Inbetween All Realms +4 and Warden of Hell +2 and Soul Seal +4 and Cold-resistant fruit +? to gum up the works and bring The Imprisoned’s influence to a grinding halt. All that topped off with Leader +2 to trash talk the Big Bad into revealing himself and bring the contest for the soul of Wallastra to a head. These are all different aspects of the same action: +18 + ? + 2 AP to flush out The Imprisoned so that we can all collectively deal with the root cause of the corruption in Wallastra City — and, not incidentally, return The Imprisoned to his proper state of, well, Imprisonment. I guess this can be considered an attack on the twisted infrastructure of the Infernal Furnace, though my goal isn’t necessarily to destroy it outright so much as it is to exorcise the ghost from within the machine. I just figure that interacting with the physical structure at the heart of the corruption is the best way to get at The (not-yet-physically-manifested) Imprisoned. TychoBrahesNose fucked around with this message at 03:44 on Oct 17, 2016 |
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Oct 17, 2016 03:41
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