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HiKaizer
Feb 2, 2012

Yes!
I finally understand everything there is to know about axes!
Kan Deishu - Pater's Tower

Deishu frowned, and turned to Xozo. "Did you not just hear what was said? We must be tested. We cannot just leave. Be patient and wait to be told what the test is." He chided the strange creature. The Great Dragon Reborn could hardly say he was a perfect student after what had just happened, but these other jokers apparently did not even listen to what was said at all. It was no wonder that he could have beaten them all with these attitudes. Well, some of them were okay he supposed.

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TheNabster
Apr 26, 2014

"Today I will cause problems on purpose"
Pablo - Pater's Tower

"True we haven't exactly been told what the test will actually entail. Unless leaving this banquet hall is the first step... Is it?"

Pablo considered what he said for a moment

"Wait! That was not a question that I wanted an answer for, it was just rhetorical"

TheNabster fucked around with this message at 15:03 on Jan 20, 2015

Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE
Davos - Pater's Tower

"Pater has already stated the test would begin when we left the room. If you wanted to know what the test was you should have asked using your free question. Now, let's leave because each question thus far has drawn an escalating response. So I'd rather not be here when people start getting vaporized after getting their answer." Davos looks at the dragon-man as if the creature were a slow schoolchild.

A_Bug_That_Thinks
Mar 16, 2011


ASK ME ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE BIG SAGGY POKEMON TITS
Jacob - Banquet Hall - Pater's Tower

When he first started, it wasn't so bad. As the bowl diminished, his stomach began to roll-over in protest, and his tongue could only agree. Still, he kept going until the bowl had lost a fifth, and his stomach could take no more without filling his throat. Then came the sips and murmurs that ended the ritual. It was at the last of these that Caleb delivered his threat.

Jacob finished his murmurs and thought. He wanted to respond angrily. Didn't he just see Jacob just get struck by freak-rear end lightning?

Relax! Don't You remember just getting struck by freak-rear end lighting? Remember where rashness gets you.

He thought, and could have kicked himself for his stupidity.

"Right. Sorry about that, I really should have explained before I began. I did this ritual to regain my strength after that little episode. I came too, and people were talking about a test and the Dragon was getting his chest opened up. Now, I don't intend to die in this test. To survive, I need to be tip-top. I'll try to explain before I begin, in the future. I know how...unsettling my arts can be to the uninitiated."

To punctuate his words, he stands up and begins to towel himself off with towels from the service. He was feeling better already, but it wasn't the burst of health he was expecting. Sometimes an impromptu ritual can have a delayed effect, but he didn't think this one worked. His chagrin began to grow. He couldn't feel any wounds on his body.

He glanced at the faces around him. Luckily, only Caleb's showed disgust, but the others could just be better at hiding it. Gwendolyn's showed a particular dispassion that caught his eye. His fingers went to his throat, and he remembered the press on his throat. That's right she's a medic. ...and all she did was reposition you

He looks down at the bowl. Flour from his clothes had fallen in. Raspberry jam, dusted with sugar. He sighs.

It will be terribly embarrassing if you ate blood for nothing.

He looks up when Xozo speaks, and down again when Deishu replies. He remains silent, impatient for the test to begin.

AnAnonymousIdiot
Sep 14, 2013

Xozo - Pater’s Tower, The Banquet Hall

He snorted at the nonhuman’s stubbornness before the others chimed in. He nodded to the human - Pablo - and that one sneaky human in thanks before trying to relay that to Deishu in case he did not understand. “Pardon Deishu, but it is as the humans say: the moment we leave this room is when the test begins. If you still want time to find yourself before leaving, we would understand.” He paused to look at the new tattoos sprawled over his body.

“Yet the humans are right that we should leave. We would be wasting Pater’s time as well as our own if we stay.”

Tempus Rimeblood
Sep 23, 2007

...Friendship? Again?
The Sentinel - Pater's Tower

Back into his belt the knife went, as subtly as it came out.

"So we go, then. Let's get this wrapped up and get on our way."

A_Bug_That_Thinks
Mar 16, 2011


ASK ME ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE BIG SAGGY POKEMON TITS
Jacob - Banquet Hall - Pater's Tower

Sigh

"I forgive you words said in fear, cher Caleb, but let me be the first to say:" (here he kinks his head with a smirk) "Keep making threats, and they'll catch up to you one day."

Tempus Rimeblood
Sep 23, 2007

...Friendship? Again?
The Sentinel - Pater's Tower

"I've nothing to run from, friend," he says, clapping Jacob on the arm. "Twas merely a spot of precaution, in case the situation became a little heated. No hard feelings yet, eh?"

A smile. And a genuine one, at that. Caleb had no quarrel with the thaumaturge yet, merely a vested interest in keeping things from going to pot. Pater had chosen them all for a reason, and they were assumedly to work together to recover these fate-stones. No point in hindering themselves with pointless infighting.

HiKaizer
Feb 2, 2012

Yes!
I finally understand everything there is to know about axes!
Kan Deishu - Pater's Tower

The dragon-man scowled at the others. "Very well, if it is your intent to be so rude and to spurn the rest of our Master's hospitality then I shall join you." It was very clear that he considered them to all be exceptionally impolite by this. He looked particularly at the three eyed man, he was certainly the rudest of them all.

HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 04:24 on Jan 21, 2015

A_Bug_That_Thinks
Mar 16, 2011


ASK ME ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE BIG SAGGY POKEMON TITS
Jacob - Banquet Hall - Pater's Tower

Jacob smiles while he winds-up.

"I'm surprised we're alike in this. I also believe in burning the bud before it can bloom into a problem."

With his wind-up, he also claps Caleb on the arm, trying to do it noticeably harder.

Things are deteriorating here...maybe this is the test?




only...is it to see who will come out together...or to see who will come out on top?

AnAnonymousIdiot
Sep 14, 2013

Xozo - Pater’s Tower, The Banquet Hall

He sighed as he ushered the nonhuman to the door. “Be at peace Deishu. It may be Pater’s intent to test us on our wits by not telling us what the test is.” Xozo hissed to him. “He would have seen fit to tell us if such a trial of… mind... were not the case. Your insistence on waiting for his answers shows the trust you have in him.”

As Xozo neared the door, a new thought occurred. “It should also be noted that we could have asked about the test itself in this question, yet we all chose not to. Pardon, but I think it is because we all have greater concerns than this test we all face, with some concerns being more important than others.”

I guess Xozo will leave; I’m not sure if this needs to be said or not...

AnAnonymousIdiot fucked around with this message at 23:10 on Jan 21, 2015

I am Communist
Apr 19, 2002

I can show you what endless looks like
I can show you a single infinite thing
I can let you taste the sweet and sour of forever
Unending. Eternal. Inevitable
Taste my darkness
Climb into my abyss
Fall into me. Into my eyes
Look at them. Depths unfathomable
Pain immeasurable
A cruel promise fulfilled
Sorry for not hitting that update as quickly. It's been a hectic couple of days at work. I should have one up soon.

I am Communist
Apr 19, 2002

I can show you what endless looks like
I can show you a single infinite thing
I can let you taste the sweet and sour of forever
Unending. Eternal. Inevitable
Taste my darkness
Climb into my abyss
Fall into me. Into my eyes
Look at them. Depths unfathomable
Pain immeasurable
A cruel promise fulfilled
MUSIC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fZSz8UdPFw
SO THE JOURNEY BEGINS




Davos, Deishu, Dave, Dan, Jacob, The Sentinel, and Xozo - The way outside the Banquet Hall. Then. Somewhere Else.


As the group begins to walk from Pater's hall they could faintly hear an old man's voice say, "Now where could they be off to? No matter. Now about that test!" The hall instantly darkens throwing the group into pitch dark night. The air is suddenly musty with age and ancient purpose. Dan begins to hyperventilate. A slap could be heard and Dave muttering "Shut up bitch. Its just the dark!" A small light appears in Dave's hand, just enough to illuminate all of you and no further beyond your group. Its a stone that's been enchanted to give off a faint light. You're all somewhere else. A faint pitch can be heard pervading the air and the stones beneath your feet. The walls are very far off, if even there at all. Dan breaks the calm speaking way too loudly, "gently caress man. Just. gently caress! Where are we?! FFFFFFnnnnnnnuuuuugghhh..."

Dave looks at Davos. He knows what Dan will get if he didn't calm the gently caress down.

Deishu could hear the tone quite clearly. It was in the key of G.

The sentinel could feel the bits of metal in his gear slightly humming, the vibration in response to some faint sound.

Jacob feel much better. Healed in fact.

Xozo's eyes adjusted to the dark slightly quicker than the others, perhaps something familiar about the way the stones resonated with mystery alighting his senses with the latent magic he could sense in all puzzles. Extremely. Extremely minor. Just enough to make the pitch black into a shadow featureless gloom. Nothing moved within his vision but he could make out that they were in tunnels of some kind. Large tunnels which seemed made by hands and connecting with natural ones.


Gwendolyn, Lucien, and Pablo - Pater's Hall

"Now where could they be off to?" Pater wondered as the other's left. "No matter. Now about that test!" He clapped his hands together. His hand made a gesture like a blade and out of his fingertips shot grey beams of light. Each one surrounding the remaining apprentices in bands of energy. "You're each to find me an object of power. I cannot say what form it will take, but it is important you bring them to me." He raises his eyebrows for a moment. "Science, magic, or whatever the possessor calls its powering force; you will know it for what it is and bring it to me. That is your test. Fail to return and it means you didn't survive, or even if you did survive you will wish you did not. It wouldn't happen by my hand but by some terrible fate, good luck apprentices. You'll need it!" With that he makes another gesture and you are all whisked away .


Gwendolyn - The Garden looking place

Gwendolyn appears in a field that looks endless, fields containing every kind of plant and tree with animals everywhere greets her stony gaze. It is paradise. One she cannot feel. Touch. Or enjoy. A perfect place. If she could cry she would at its beauty. Already she feels and ache in her heart. Will it be enough to stop her mission? Will she give up and stand still forever like Pater found her? The other two apprentices were nowhere to be seen....


Lucien - A field of swords

You appear not too far away from a very non-human looking being amongst the aftermath of a great battle. Lucien cannot tell if he is inside or outside due to the fires burning in the distance and the ash raining down in dark clouds. The only illumination is from burning things. Lucien didn't care to think about what. The creature hasn't noticed you. But rather seems to be examining the dead as if looking for something...


Pablo - Idiot fountain

Pablo drops right next to a stone edifice. The splashing of water from the furthest statue came with the muttering of...the dumbest poo poo Pablo had ever heard. Like "1+2=rear end LOL. And it kept on spitting it out along with the water. The area seemed outdoors but usually you encountered walls the closer you came to the horizon in such places in Pater's tower. They functioned almost as an extremely large bubble or room. Pablo had to stop those thoughts because...the stupidity coming from the fountain was all pervasive and essentially maddening if you weren't paying attention to your own thoughts. He was about to turn away when suddenly the fountain spoke to him.
"Hey buddy. Can you gimmie a light?"

I am Communist fucked around with this message at 05:26 on Jan 24, 2015

Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE
Davos - Somewhere Else

One minute they were in the dining room, the next a cave. Davos is glad he made sure both he and his thralls had eaten before leaving, as they didn't have much in the way of supplies. He looks around his surroundings, and feels a faint flow of air from the direction they seemed to be arrayed in. Then Dan started panicking. Davos shot him a glare and with the smallest hint of menace, informed him, "Breath deeply and be silent." He left the consequences of failing to do so unspoken.

Turning to the rest, his voice is more cordial, or at least neutral. "So, it appears we're in a cave. I can feel an air-current from up ahead. Does anyone have any reason why we shouldn't go that way?"

I am Communist
Apr 19, 2002

I can show you what endless looks like
I can show you a single infinite thing
I can let you taste the sweet and sour of forever
Unending. Eternal. Inevitable
Taste my darkness
Climb into my abyss
Fall into me. Into my eyes
Look at them. Depths unfathomable
Pain immeasurable
A cruel promise fulfilled
Dan and Dave - Somewhere Else

Dan started trembling but quieted quick. Dave turned away and started waving the light around, as if that would make it brighter. "drat thing. That street woman said it would light up the night! What a crock of poo poo!" He began to circle the group, peering out as far as he could. "Any of the rest of you losers see anything?" [Davos knew he wasn't speaking to him, but in his crude manner to the others.] Dave pulled out a long thin blade from seemingly out of nowhere. He looked like he knew how to use it. What he was getting ready for was anyone's guess. Perhaps it was tension or maybe he could sense something the others could not.

Dan farted. Grateful for the darkness so they couldn't see his face turning red. He muttered an apology. As he began looking through his pockets. A pair of punch daggers appeared in his hands and he began walking the perimeter with Dave. Both looking at the ground or trying to peer further.

Not too much luck there.

HiKaizer
Feb 2, 2012

Yes!
I finally understand everything there is to know about axes!
Kan Deishu - Pater's Tower

Deishu decided to hum, further in sequence of the scale so that he made a minor third with each note. He did not respond to the thugs.

I am Communist
Apr 19, 2002

I can show you what endless looks like
I can show you a single infinite thing
I can let you taste the sweet and sour of forever
Unending. Eternal. Inevitable
Taste my darkness
Climb into my abyss
Fall into me. Into my eyes
Look at them. Depths unfathomable
Pain immeasurable
A cruel promise fulfilled

SCCCCCCCCCRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a_cz-_yZS0

Something massive has heard you. Dan and Dave freeze in pants making GBS threads fear. Everyone has heard that unholy sound of unthinking instinct.

I am Communist fucked around with this message at 07:46 on Jan 24, 2015

Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE
Davos - Somewhere Else

Davos involuntarily shudders at that sound coming from the direction that carried the air current. Trying to cover his own terror he jokes, "Well, I suppose that's one reason to go the other way."

TastyLemonDrops
Aug 6, 2008

you said "drop kick" fyi
Gwendolyn - The Garden

Pater's orders were simple enough, but as Gwendolyn scanned the horizon around her, she realized that the task was potentially more difficult due to the lack of specifics or help from her peers. The object of power she was to find would be nearby, she assumed. Assumptions got people killed back in her own world, but it didn't seem likely that Pater would bring her here just to go hiking. A family of furred creatures wandered past her, radiating cute. Gwendolyn glanced at them briefly to assess their capacity as a threat and went looking for the nearest suitable tree for climbing, to get a better view of the area. If anything, this paradise might even be a result of whatever it was that Gwendolyn was to find, not that she knew what to look for to begin with.

Gwendolyn looks for a sturdy tree that she can climb, avoiding tree branches/limbs as they likely wouldn't support her weight, driving her hands and feet into the trunk to make hand/footholds if she's not capable of climbing it naturally. If she reaches a height from which she can see past hills and such, she will look for any points of interest.

TheNabster
Apr 26, 2014

"Today I will cause problems on purpose"
Pablo - Idiot Fountain

This isn't quite what he had in mind when he suggested that the trail was a test of wits, he was expecting something that wasn't a test of his wits. But mental fortitude he would have liked to think was one of his strengths, and so he tried his best to ignore the inane thoughts of "How can mirrors be real if our eyes aren't" from crossing his mind.

The sudden question however startled him slightly. A light? A light... Oh of course he means to light some manner of pipe, the thought of who exactly he was talking to can come later, he reached into his pockets.



His distant uncle was an inventor of small renown, whilst not quite on the level of the greats his inventions were small conveniences that were popular among-st nobility. Pablo didn't smoke, the taste of it made him retch and his aunt developed an incredibly throaty cough from her constant use of the red herb, but it was handy for lighting candles. It was probably one of his few possessions that he didn't have to pawn off to feed himself in his more, uncomfortable times for purely sentimental reasons.

"I have a lighter, but for whom am I lighting for?" He said turning to the source of the voice.

Tempus Rimeblood
Sep 23, 2007

...Friendship? Again?
The Sentinel - Somewhere Else

He did his best to ignore the barking thugs. Ordinarily, he'd have roughed them up, just as he would any other street tough that made the mistake of trying to bluster over Caleb Ethael.

But today was different. The screech puts him on edge, and his hand flies to his belt to ready a fistful of knives, still humming from the vibrations in the cave.

His other hand, meanwhile, runs over his bandoliers. He knows the vials by touch, each engraved with a different sigil. In his mind, he runs over them. Potion of healing, naphtha divinorum, purified aqua vitae, and finally, his favorite - Madame Louisa Ethael's Cryomantic Elixir. The vial eases out of his belt and into his other hand. The Elixir had many uses - it was like the bog-standard alchemist's frost, with a few additional properties added in by its maker.

The one he concerned himself with in the cave, though, was its luminescence. When shaken vigorously, the Cryomantic Elixir produces a soft blue glow on par with a torch. This can only be used so many times, though, before the mixture becomes volatile.

He quickly shakes the vial, holding it up in his left hand, throwing blades clenched in his right.

"Righto then. What say we keep moving, and if necessary we'll slay ourselves a beast?"

Tempus Rimeblood fucked around with this message at 16:33 on Jan 24, 2015

A_Bug_That_Thinks
Mar 16, 2011


ASK ME ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE BIG SAGGY POKEMON TITS
Jacob - Somewhere Else

"By all means Deishu, keep doing what you're doing"

The scresh left him more on edge than he had been, but with it came an icier feeling. There was death in this tunnel. So, though his heart hammered, he stood stiff-backed for his eyes to adjust to the dark when the cold blue light began to shine.

He coveres his left eye with his hand to conserve his night vision, and shoots Caleb a nod and a gesture to show his gratitude.

He looks around, noticing the missing members with a frown. When he sees Davos, he walkes over to him, giving Xozo a toothsome smile as he passes.

"I'm sure you heard that, Davos. When the time comes, and you've decided that your life is worth one of theirs'..."

With this, he tilts his head to the two remaining swaggerts.

"...let me know."

Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE
Davos - Somewhere Else

Davos looks back at Jacob with a hint of scorn, "You're asking the wrong question. You should be asking not whether I would sacrifice one of my subordinates, but whether I would trust you to do anything. You were foolish enough to get branded with the mark of Yig afterall."

A_Bug_That_Thinks
Mar 16, 2011


ASK ME ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE BIG SAGGY POKEMON TITS
Jacob - Somewhere Else

"Ha! It is you who is foolish. Yig lives still, in struggle with Pater. The hand of the Prophet Himself marked me thus. I have been chosen as a disciple in his word, a general in his army, and a duke in his kingdom. When death comes, I will survive on what blood I will. The question is whether you'll survive too."

A_Bug_That_Thinks fucked around with this message at 01:29 on Jan 25, 2015

Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE
Davos - Somewhere Else

Davos' laugh was filled with contempt, "So you've actually sold yourself out to that creature. I hope you enjoy being its cringing slave, little fool. Maybe when it's done using you up it will give you the mercy of a quick death. As for the rest of us, I, unlike you, have bigger ambitions than whoring myself out to the first demon I see."

Davos moves towards Deishu and the Sential and away from Jacob. If Jacob really was stupid enough to side with Yig, then perhaps they might be better off killing him now, rather than waiting for the inevitable knife in the back. With a discreet hand signal he calls Dave and Dan back to him. There was no telling what the insane blood mage might do.

I am Communist
Apr 19, 2002

I can show you what endless looks like
I can show you a single infinite thing
I can let you taste the sweet and sour of forever
Unending. Eternal. Inevitable
Taste my darkness
Climb into my abyss
Fall into me. Into my eyes
Look at them. Depths unfathomable
Pain immeasurable
A cruel promise fulfilled
Gwendolyn - The Garden

Gwen finds a tree that seems fairly old. Butterflies and birds caper about happily in the sunlight. Sinking her hands into the gnarled wood, she begins to climb the tree. The sounds of her climbing crunch and crack. Most of the animals and creatures flee from it, a few stay. Curious and watching, seemingly ready to run at a moment's notice. Gwendolyn at first doesn't see anything and then suddenly, there it was. She didn't know how she could have missed it. A lone sentinel standing on the other side of a gateway made of light. His back was to her, from her vantage point. He was like her only, different. The stillness. She couldn't tell that he was animate exactly if not for the feeling she got of watchfulness.

This was north. To the south was a site she hadn't noticed before. One of dust, sand, and decay. The bones of thousands of animals, creatures, and husks of plants littered the landscape as far as the available horizon. A blackened and twisted tree stood defiantly among the ruins. As if to say in the way of all trees: "Bring it, bitch."

A few sights to see.


Pablo - Idiot Fountain

The fountain sighed. "Me you idiot." In the side of the status's mouth amazingly was an unlit cigarette. Hand rolled. The water almost magically didn't come out of that side of the statue's mouth. "So what's it gonna be bud, you gimmie that light. Or I continue to speak." A few idiotic phrases started filtering back into hearing range. "I can do this for all of eternity..."

A few statues from a bit away made sucking sounds.


"They don't like to smoke cigarettes, if you know what I mean."

Got a light bud?


The Sentinel, Davos, Jacob, Xozo, Deishu, and the other two - The Ancient Buried City

The blue light illuminates for quite a distance. Strange lamp-like posts with crystals atop them dot the streets. Cabling seeming to connect most to each other. There were buildings of a sort and roads, all of these structures were dark. From his viewpoint, The Sentinel could see all of the cabling going to a squat building. A few lever-like switches on the outside. The rest of the city faded from view the further you got from the light. Everyone could make out buildings and even a few strange heaps which could have been means of conveyance. Dan whistles in amazement. Dave slaps him. "The gently caress man! The lizard pissed something off by humming at the loving thing. What are YOU DOING?!" He nearly shouted the last. Too late he realized he was yelling. He clasped his hands to his mouth as if to put the words back inside. His light stone hit the cobblestone streets rolling. Rolling...

Rolling...

Until it hit a pile of decayed, digested, and mummified remains. It looked like a mass grave. Or a massive meal. The decomposition was extremely great. Jacob could sense no blood. Not even ancient blood leftover. The calcified remains of bones, clothing, and other objects was a grim thing to view. As this sight revealed itself, Deishu could feel through his highly tuned senses a slight vibration through his feet. The tune had stopped. Xozo while he had remained mostly mute suddenly just knew the layout of the streets for this cavern. It was like a labyrinth, some random aspects from growth but mostly an orderly puzzle. People had to live here after all. And...confound invaders.

Some revelations. Everyone I haven't heard from I need to hear from you by monday(USA)

Tempus Rimeblood
Sep 23, 2007

...Friendship? Again?
The Sentinel - Somewhere Else

"Well, I don't think anyone bearing a sigil of Yig is doing any bloody sacrifices here. Least, not if I can help it. Now, Pater chose all of us for reasons, and I doubt that reason is to kill each other at the drop of a pin. So let's all just stay calm, and stop going at each other like a bloody knitting circle, and we can sort out the whole servant-of-an-ancient-evil thing when we've finished the test and have some breathing room. Savvy?"

They continue on, and a conundrum presents itself.

Wires, switches, a mass grave of mummified remains. And some creature, out in the darkness. It just got curiouser and curiouser.

The buildings looked scalable. But if those switches were connected to the wires...perhaps the wires channeled some form of mana. He'd seen artificers that did something similar in Balenstrand, a long time ago in another life.

Slowly, but surely, he began to formulate a picture of what was going on before him.

"This was some kind of city. The dead lay in mass graves at its outskirts - no ceremony here. And in an area that appears civilized. Likely a plague that killed these people. And this building here, with the switches leading to the wires. I get the feeling these wires provided something necessary to the city - perhaps some form of mana or other source of power. Surely, a civilization that appears to have been this advanced had some form of artifice. And artifice requires power.

"I'm not sure we should throw the switches, lest they attract the creature's attention. And if they even work. But if we do attract the creature, odds are where there's one there's many. We don't appear to be in a good situation here, lads. But those switches could provide us a necessary advantage, keep us from being hunted. After all, if we can activate some form of artifice with which to defend ourselves...could be just what we need to stay the hunters and avoid the hunted. I'm going to scale one of these buildings, see if I can make anything else out. I'll send you an all-clear if I can't make out any movement. When I do, someone do me a solid and throw the switches. We'll, er...shed some light on the situation."

With that, he puts the knives back in his belt, the vial back in its bandolier where it continues to glow softly (if a bit cold for his liking), and sets off to scale the nearest building with more than two stories.

Tempus Rimeblood fucked around with this message at 03:38 on Jan 25, 2015

Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE
Davos - Somewhere Else

This was not a pleasant situation. Davos hated having to get his own hands dirty. He preferred to act through intermediaries, cutouts, and thralls. Still, he supposed there was little choice. Looking at Dan he orders "Go over and throw the switches when the signal is given." Turning to Dave he adds, "And you, stay close, protect me with your life if you have to."

HiKaizer
Feb 2, 2012

Yes!
I finally understand everything there is to know about axes!
Kan Deishu - Some ruined town

The humming from Deishu stopped as he looked seriously at Jacob. "If you think that magic will avail yourself against me, you will discover how mistaken you are. I will stop you and make sure you never cast a spell again if I have to. Now clear your head, clearly whatever was done to you has confused you. It would be regrettable if I had to hurt you while you were not yourself." The Great Dragon Reborn said somewhat softly, voicing his view that clearly Jacob was just addled from those tattoos that he had been branded with. "If the creature is attracted to sound we can use this to our advantage."

I am Communist
Apr 19, 2002

I can show you what endless looks like
I can show you a single infinite thing
I can let you taste the sweet and sour of forever
Unending. Eternal. Inevitable
Taste my darkness
Climb into my abyss
Fall into me. Into my eyes
Look at them. Depths unfathomable
Pain immeasurable
A cruel promise fulfilled
Just fyi, you all don't have to serve Pater, stay together, or Yig or anyone.

A_Bug_That_Thinks
Mar 16, 2011


ASK ME ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE BIG SAGGY POKEMON TITS
Jacob - Moulder Town, S.E.

Jacob turns to Deishu.

"An ill choice of words. I respect you Deishu. I threw you some cheek, but I meant no true disrespect. My apologies."

Now that he had a task for his hand, he takes it away from his eye to hold them both together in front of his chest in contrition.

He turns to Davos and Caleb. He holds the bridge of his nose with one hand, and dismisses them with the other.

Still frustrated, he walks over to Xozo.

"You know, I was born less than a hundred years after Pater and Yig were caught up in the power of the Stone of Ruin. The histories were still being solidified. Even then, you could see the shadows of the grotesque fairy-tales that're told nowadays." His mind is caught up again in the immensity of the despair he felt when his soul was rent. It was so vibrant, and it went back all the way to the beginning. "Is it really so hard to think that Pater could be like any other savage victor?"

The despair quenched his pique, and he started to take in his surroundings. The pile of bones. He goes over to it, and begins to cast around for as pristine a skull as he can find. No holes or cracks. Much better if it still has it's jaw bone. Dirty isn't the best, but you can't expect everything, and there's always spit and polish.

As he does so, he declares his intent, keenly aware that his actions would probably be interpreted as an assassination attempt or something.

"The witches of Kendor were skilled necromancers. They held little scruples against calling the dead, and almost as few in how they did so. If I can find a good skull, maybe I can find out the manner of its owner's death."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacob looks for the best skull he can find

TheNabster
Apr 26, 2014

"Today I will cause problems on purpose"
Pablo - Idiot Fountain

Pablo looked dumbfounded for a few moments, before shrugging and lighting the fountains cigarette with his lighter.

"Where are we right now? I have never heard of any place like this."

I am Communist
Apr 19, 2002

I can show you what endless looks like
I can show you a single infinite thing
I can let you taste the sweet and sour of forever
Unending. Eternal. Inevitable
Taste my darkness
Climb into my abyss
Fall into me. Into my eyes
Look at them. Depths unfathomable
Pain immeasurable
A cruel promise fulfilled
Those in the - Ancient Underground City

Dave takes up a protective stance near Davos as Jacob begins trying As the Sentinel reaches the top of a nearby building, Dan reaches the squat building an unceremoniously throws the switches down.

Nothing happens.

Dave calls out "Do it again doofus!". Dan grunts as he strains to throw the switches upward. With a deep crump and a whine suddenly the building begins to hum with power. Dan smiles, "drat right!" He makes a flexing gesture. Slowly and wanely the poles still standing and connected on all the streets put off a weak glow. It is enough. The Sentinel sees off in the distance one area with a lot of lights, a compound of some kind. That was west. In the east he could see a large but not quite as large area lit up around a very tall building. It almost went to the ceiling of the massive cavern.

The light helped Jacob pick out a skull. It was extremely differently shaped than any humanoid's. It was an almost flat thing with sharp canines and forward facing eyes. Davos could see along the street they were on. Odd weapons along with ancient dismembered skeletons were scattered all over the place. The strange substance seemed to all over many of the pieces.

In an interesting bit of insight, Deishu knew that whatever may have happened here that the corpses were all of the same race. Not a single body or sign of anything they may have killed them.
From the roof the Sentinel could see that they all died in defensive formations.

Everyone didn't seem to notice Xozo anymore. He was on the outskirts of the light in the northern direction where the sound had come from.

AnAnonymousIdiot you have until tomorrow to post, then you're done in this group. Everyone else who hasn't is in the same boat after Monday

Pablo - The idiot fountain

The statue sighs in pleasure as it takes a drag from its mouth. "Do you know how long it took to get the last guy to put that in my mouth? Then I had to wait forever for you to come along." The statue thinks for a minute. "You're here in the mad gorgon's garden. 10 generations of inbreeding with your own grandsire will do that since he's the only male around. Sure they only mate once every 500 years, but grandpappy is immortal while the gorgon is not."

Other statues stuck in purposeless poses suddenly make more sense to Pablo. "Yeah, you kind of lose your creativity after a while." It blows another puff of smoke in a ring. How was it doing that?

TheNabster
Apr 26, 2014

"Today I will cause problems on purpose"
Pablo - The Idiot Fountain

Gorgons. Why did it have to be Gorgons?

When Pablo become an apprentice of Pater, there were quite a few rather starling revelations about the world that they never taught at the Academy. One of them was that a lot of the fictitious creatures of old myth and legend in old stories that his wet-nurse used to read him were actually very real, and very common in parts of the world. And they were just as dangerous as the stories made them out to be as he found on an excursion with a group of other apprentices a while back.

He encountered a very unhappy Gorgon in one of the old ruins of a long since forgotten civilization when he decided to leave the group he was with for the call of nature, and if it wasn't for some very quick math work and much experience in long distance running he would have gotten off worse then some ruined undergarments, and the indignation of many 'Caught with your pantaloons down' jokes for the rest of the trip. Suffice to say that one near miss that would have led to being stuck in the worst possible position to be found dead in, made him incredibly nervous around Gorgons. He tried his best not to let that twinge of fear be noticed.

He cleared his throat, "I don't suppose you know, where this Gorgon is? I was sent here to find an 'Object of Power' for a test. And as much as I would like not to, it seems like the best place to start."

TheNabster fucked around with this message at 18:53 on Jan 25, 2015

I am Communist
Apr 19, 2002

I can show you what endless looks like
I can show you a single infinite thing
I can let you taste the sweet and sour of forever
Unending. Eternal. Inevitable
Taste my darkness
Climb into my abyss
Fall into me. Into my eyes
Look at them. Depths unfathomable
Pain immeasurable
A cruel promise fulfilled
Pablo - The Idiot fountain

"Oh? Well Delia is making the unfortunate pilgrimage to see her grandsire now. She only has a hundred or so years left of her life. She needs to birth a daughter this time and not another son to be eaten." He takes another drag. "Just follow the path west, she's not in a hurry. Oh hey, if you could kill them both we all might get released from this eternal hell of no booze or cigarettes." He sighs. "No pressure."

TheNabster
Apr 26, 2014

"Today I will cause problems on purpose"
Pablo - The Idiot Fountain

Oh yes sure, confront an insane and very old Gorgon, and her immortal Grandsire by himself and kill them both. Yes, no pressure indeed. If this is the test for apprentices to graduate, Pablo could not fathom what someone would have to do for a master's degree.

And yet as far as places to start looking for this object of power, it was the only real lead he had.

"I will make a bloody good attempt at it or die in the process. I won't bother with the odds, I feel I would do better not knowing them, fare well Sir." He did a curt bow to the Statue and headed off west to where ever this 'Grandsire' lurked.

TheNabster fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Jan 25, 2015

A_Bug_That_Thinks
Mar 16, 2011


ASK ME ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE BIG SAGGY POKEMON TITS
Jacob - Moulder Town, S.E.

He held the skull in his hands with a full-toothed grimace. It really was an excellent specimen.


He felt vulnerable, and he was going to be even more so while involved with the ritual. He walks over to Deishu, trusting that he'd protect him if anything attacked. On his ways, he tries to snag one of the strange weapons. The skull presented several problems, and maybe a weapon could help.

The witches of Kend, like almost all necromancers, concerned themselves only with their own race, and on great occasion their slave races (cats, dogs, elephants, and so on). This skull looked too different. He would instead have to use a variant of a blood-summoning ritual from Gast. It would be pretty similar, as they carried on the necromantic tradition of Kend across the sea, but rather than the spirit being bound into the skull where it could whisper secrets, it would instead only be bound to the skull. It would have more autonomy. Who knew if that would be a good thing. This creature could be drastically different from a human. We may not be capable of meaningful communication, and if we are, who's to say we share a language. He could understand most humans in death, but what about this being?

The weapon would act as a gauge of intelligence and likeness. If it looked like a hominid could use it intuitively, that would be good. He wouldn't have to alter the spell too much, and it would be a useful prop. Otherwise...he would improvise.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Ritual

gently caress it. It'll be fine

He takes his knife, and slices across his left palm. He dips his fingers in, and uses them to draw the summoning sigil on the ground:



He picks up the weapon. It looks as fragile as the skull, but the spirit might recognize it. He takes some of his blood, and paints what he thinks is the aggressive end. He lays it down across the smaller sigil.

Finally, he takes up the skull. He mutters as he draws his sigils on the bone. Usually it wouldn't be the best to use either his own blood or fingers, but this one spirit doesn't seem like it'd be that powerful. He finished muttering as he put the spirals behind the eye sockets, and he lays the skull gingerly atop the weapon.

He takes more of his blood, and rubs it inside the mouth.

"Do you taste that, Defender? Do you taste that life in your dusty mouth? Does it slake your thirst, Defender? The thirst for this life, that you long ago forgot? Does your shade rest, Defender? Do you remember your rage, Defender? The rage and fear you felt as your own sweet life was cut away? Do you remember now, Defender?

Would your shade feel the wind again, Defender, and defend again what you once defended? I call you here, Defender. I call you here, Defender. I call you here, Defender. I call you here...."

A_Bug_That_Thinks fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Jan 26, 2015

I am Communist
Apr 19, 2002

I can show you what endless looks like
I can show you a single infinite thing
I can let you taste the sweet and sour of forever
Unending. Eternal. Inevitable
Taste my darkness
Climb into my abyss
Fall into me. Into my eyes
Look at them. Depths unfathomable
Pain immeasurable
A cruel promise fulfilled
Eh, think more like a misshapen dwarf/morlock head. Not so much something from Aliens.

I am Communist
Apr 19, 2002

I can show you what endless looks like
I can show you a single infinite thing
I can let you taste the sweet and sour of forever
Unending. Eternal. Inevitable
Taste my darkness
Climb into my abyss
Fall into me. Into my eyes
Look at them. Depths unfathomable
Pain immeasurable
A cruel promise fulfilled
The Head - The Ancient Underground City/Ruins

In the dim illumination, the spell took hold wordlessly. The jaw opened and shut. Jacob and the others got the feeling the eye sockets were now looking at and through all of them. "Yesss? I haven't seen or felt anything in a long time. Who and what are you?" The skull like the bone pieces all around were extremely brittle. One wrong application of pressure and it would dissolve into fragments.

Yeah these materials aren't good for necromancy, the weapons are pretty much corroded and oxidizing whatever their purpose was. They didn't seem to help their owners much.

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AnAnonymousIdiot
Sep 14, 2013

Xozo - The Ancient Buried City

Both his hands had clutched the Puzzle Sphere, keeping it close in his sight. Even though he could make out something in the corridors, he still had little bearing in the haze his eyes could see. He focused on the hidden power of the Sphere to try and bolster his sight. It had helped make out more of his surroundings, seeing more developed halls over the more naturally formed corridors. ‘Perhaps our test is to navigate this maze?’ Xozo thought to himself, as he kept up with the rest of the party. He had thought to inform the rest of the party before the screaming.

‘This is the consequence for failure!?’ The Cryptomancer’s eyes looked like they were about to pop from his head and his jaw clenched. He could see the human, Caleb readying his knives for battle; he could hear the shady human and Jacob bicker about what they should do.The closer and closer they walked and the longer that hum went on, the more and more he fidgeted with the Sphere. He felt in danger and did not want anything to do with whatever it was that made that sound. He had just finished arranging the sphere to give him knowledge of the layout when he saw a mass grave lightly illuminated by the glow of the Sphere of Ojijiki. His nose closed at the horrible smell that would’ve came from the pile and focused all the more on the knowledge the Sphere had given. Especially since the rest of the party was in discussion over their plans here.

“I think I know how we can navigate this place, and we can use that for our advantage as well.” The Cryptomancer spoke up at last. With whatever chalk he could find he drew out the rough layout of the cavern as best as he could on a stone slab, making sure not to leave out any details before the knowledge vanished from his eyes. So focused on constructing this map that he did not realize that the rest of the party was leaving him. When he had finished he high-tailed it back to the party before he lost them. By now the knowledge had left him and all he could use as the map he drew out.

One of the humans, Jacob had let his mouth run loose, talking more about himself. “It would not be difficult to say that Pater intends to harm us here.” Xozo had answered him. “Yet I suspect that this may be a distraction from our actual test. Perhaps we are supposed to find something here. Like one of the Fate Stones you spoke about.”

Catching up with the rest of the party with a crude map in hand, and keeping close to Jacob for the time being.

AnAnonymousIdiot fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Jan 25, 2015

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