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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
"Lord" Cowl - Steamwal, Oenan

BP: [0]

"Excellent!" Cowl was quite beside himself. This might just work. He had the bag, everything else setup and all goods delivered to the other tent on time and everything stacked neatly.

The tents and pavilions were setup an no one should care that the goods sat en masse in the other tent as who could possibly walk off with all of that.

The carriage sat resplendent with its spirited driver just outside. Cowl had Bardok seat everyone in a sort of waiting area with a curtain and a desk in the other area.

Cowl sat behind the desk. The plan was for everyone to come in one at a time with Barduk ushering them all in.

While Cowl had previously been watching the town, people came and went. They also stored their valuables and belongings somewhere safe. It was also how he knew where all of their clothing went. Some hid their treasures and Gil in the backs of closets, some under floorboards, some in chests. A few maybe in a strong house or something like a bank or at their own holdings.

There was a chest behind Cowl and he filled it with a % taken from every merchant and rich person in town. The spatial magic working as it had before.

The amount would be noticed of course upon a thorough and complete accounting of all assets but not enough to make it look like more than standard grift by agents or employees of the targets. That there were no alarms and wards earlier was a given, as Cowl earlier had spied almost everywhere just looking through portals and taken from all of these places before with no previous ill consequences.

And so it went, that all of the merchants that Cowl did business with were paid.


Using: Space [+2] to skim just enough for those he did business with while taking enough spread across and from the others in the city. -=No poor people or slaves will be stolen borrowed from=-

I am Communist fucked around with this message at 21:25 on Aug 30, 2020

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sandnavyguy
Sep 12, 2015

Seraphi- Refugee village of Corinth

Before they can begin their hunt, Seraphi knows they must be well equipped. Simple shadow weapons won’t do, however. No, they must be more... tangible.

Using Dar’s powerful arms, Seraphi begins to tend monster flesh from the latest quarry, ripping away strips and shards as Seraphi begins crafting the gear that would forever be known as the Blades of shadow.

While he works, deftly and quickly, His new vanguard begin chanting in ancient tongues, their eyes aglow as Seraphi whispers the words in their ears. From each of the four comes a pillar of milky light, coalescing on the light leather armors lined up against the wall.

Yes... these are the armaments of the true Jaaskir warriors.

Use Moonlight +2 to form cloaks of moon, permanent armor that grants passive bonuses tied to guile and charm, and shadows +2 to craft monster Imbued weaponry that are extremely strong and grant poison-like qualities by injecting the victim With bits of shadow from Seraphi himself.

Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE
Asarluhi - The Road, Outskirts of Pralan

Your whispers sink into the man’s soul, slowly draining the fear from him and replacing it with unthinking devotion. After a few hours, he was completely your instrument, fear and disobedience both banished forever. You can feel sweet worship flow from him and help to sustain you. On your order, he infiltrated the town with steely determination and rented a room at the local inn. In private, he eagerly whispers non-stop prayers to you. He is ready and eager to carry out whatever orders you might deign to give him.


The Grand Treefather - Northern Forest, Belad

Your power engulfs the Aldryami, working into every cell, bringing about a divine transformation. It is neither pretty or pleasant, a slow grinding change. However, the change is effective. Where once stood humanoid creatures now there were great beasts of wood and leaf.



While changed, the Aldryami are far more feral in demeanor. Changing back is difficult, requiring time and focus, something more difficult for the changed Aldryami to muster than usual. Still, though there are a few stragglers, they manage to return to their normal forms, or so it seems at first. An apparent side-effect of the change has resulted in the “normal” Aldryami form changing slightly. They are now larger and broader than they once were, no more the lithe spindly creatures. Only time would tell what other new changes their new forms would bring them.


Colossus - Foot of the Great Central Mountains, Unclaimed Territory

One by one the stone cocoons crack, revealing the changed beings within. Where once they were flesh and blood, now step forth beings of stone and earth. Their forms are statuesque and perfect, their skin strong as stone. No more will they need to eat or sleep or breath, but being now of stone and not of flesh, their ability to heal from injuries is greatly diminished and they no longer can they naturally reproduce. Barring some intervention the stone minotaurs you see before you represent the total number of their species for the rest of time. In time you will find they take to your efforts of craftsmanship like a fish to water. They have been remade by your will, their art and aesthetics now perfectly mirror your own. They bow before their creator, long will hymns be sung of the day that God brought forth the Advent of Stone.


"Lord" Cowl - Steamwal, Oenan

You reached across leagues to lighten the pockets of the rich and powerful of Steamwal. Your efforts secured you the funds necessary for your current transaction, the veritable fortune necessary to buy sufficient tools and supplies to support an entire settlement of hundreds of people. However, Steamwal was not notoriously wealthy, and there were not that many wealthy persons within its borders. Such a sum as you take would be noticed, and would without a doubt draw attention. People might even notice that the mysterious theft occurred after a mysterious and eccentric noble visited town. It would no doubt draw the wrong sort of attention on your cover identity. However, while it would be difficult for “Lord Cowl” to visit Steamwal again in the near future, you hadn’t left any clues tying back to your cover's origin so the Lost were safe from retribution.


Seraphi- Refugee village of Corinth

Working through Dar and then the members of your vanguard, you forge four blade and four suits of leather armor. These magical armaments formed from physical objects will be able to survive daylight in a way you previous efforts could not while still providing the same divine protection. No doubt each suit will one day carry a legend of its own. However, for now, the vanguards put them on, and ready themselves for the hunt.

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
Cowl - Heading North from Steamwal, Oenan

BP: [0]

Cowl shrugged. If any wished to accuse "Lord" Cowl of the theft he wouldn't deny it. However those accusing him might find themselves teleported 15 feet underground if they choose to threaten him. Nothing flashy. Cowl summoned enough basic wagons with dwarven stage coach drivers to look the part far from town so they could be seen coming from the west.

Cowl himself went inside the goods tent and began emptying all the crates and containers into his bag of holding. The organization was easy for him but he knew that The Lost would need things tidy when they took this over. Once all of the goods were stored inside the bag, the empty crates and containers and goods were loaded onto the carts by all the summoned dwarves. The carts were then covered in travel tarps and lashed down.

Cowl then had Bardok get into his fancy coach and the entire caravan began to head North. They didn't try to hide and made camp when they were over a day away.

The pilfered clothing, crates, containers, and non-summoned things from the town were burned in the campfires that evening.

Cowl then dismissed the summoning of his coach and purple haired driver. Shook hands with Bardok and bade him good luck with his ill gotten soul gains back to the infernal realm as he dismissed his summoning. The rest of the carts and caravaneers were sent back to their home plane of origin.

Cowl stretched and began to go back home, teleporting along the way. His route would circumvent the town by a bit of a margin and he'd keep off any beaten paths as he ported back to the Lost in the South / South East.


Storing all items inside Bag of Holding, Going North and burning all non-summoned items and containers at campsite. Using: Summoning[+2] to dismiss all summoned allied units. Then taking a circuitous route back to the Lost in the South.

Rhjamiz
Oct 28, 2007


Asarluhi - The County Seat of Pralan

Asarluhi whispers in the Merchant's ear, "Go get yourself a drink, Merchant. Relax. Socialize. Shop. Gather rumors of what has these people on edge, and spread some of your own. Things you may have heard. Snippits you might know."

And so they both went out to the inn's commonroom, to bars, to whatever social gathering place there might be in a town this size. After a long, hard journey on the road, full of danger and fear in these uncertain times, what Merchant wouldn't wish to unwind among friendly faces and plentiful ale? And while he was there, he would naturally hear things, and tell things, and share news from the road. And all the while Asarluhi would work its subtle work, plucking and pruning and tending and nurturing the roots of this newly sown fear like one might tend a garden.

"...I heard it wants sacrifices..."

"...I heard it ate an entire village..."

"...I heard it can actually talk!"

Will use Fear +2 to rumormonger; collecting rumors from the folks regarding Asarluhi, Arhold and the Life-Drinker's doings in the country, and spreading them across the town, supplying a few of our own to enhance and nurture the fear currently permeating the town. Nothing outrageous. Just ever so slowly turning up the heat and helping to spread it around.

Takanago
Jun 2, 2007

You'll see...
Colossus - Foot of the Great Central Mountains, Unclaimed Territory

"Very good." Colossus smiles, looking upon his children with a new sense of pride. "Let this be the Advent of Stone, let this be the start of a new era. Just as you have transformed, let us transform the world."

"Let us start here, again," the god says, looking once more to the ruins surrounding them all. "Show me what you can do. Use this gift that I have given you."

The great builder then bids his Children of Stone to continue the task they had left unfinished: to rebuild their settlement and turn it from a set of ruins to a proper, stone city. But this time, they would not just try to recreate the greatness of the past -- they would create something new. This new city would be built with a mixture of neo-classical style, inspired by the minotaur constructions of old, and a new, more abstract style inspired by their father's fondness for geometric shapes and patterns.

Now that the Children of Stone have been transformed and this whole long hurdle has been overcome, I want to try rebuilding the city again. Except this time, instead of just kinda recreating the city of the past, I want the them to build something that reflects/establishes the new culture we have. I am thinking it would look something like a mix of neo-classical greek-inspired stuff, and a completely new and kinda alien or modern-looking style. Something not currently present in this world, at least. These kids just spent a while bathing in the mind and influence of an earth god so I'd imagine they'd come up with some new ideas not really seen before. Using Earth [+2] and Craftsmanship [+2]

Punting
Sep 9, 2007
I am very witty: nit-witty, dim-witty, and half-witty.

Lupa - Maju-Inu Village, Southern Belad

The answer she receives from the elders is not entirely unexpected, but it's all the more frustrating for that; in the privacy of her own mind, she can admit she was hoping for a more pleasant surprise.

Still, she could no more change the facts than she could turn the seasons backwards, or change the sun to a wheel of cheese – it would be how it would be.

"I thank you for your wisdom, though it does not contain the answers I had hoped for. Still, even legend and myth may contain unexpected truths. I shall leave you for a time, and explore these lands on my own; if wisdom cannot be found in memory, then I shall find it in the hunt. Be careful, and be safe, my children. Practice the old magic that I have taught you, and guard your walls well until my return".

Lupa leaves her children for a moment, then. Her talks with the elders had not settled her; on the contrary, she finds herself trembling with a furious energy. She is not a mindless beast, but wildness lives in her blood, and she feels the powerful urge to howl to Grandmother Moon, and tear the earth beneath her paws – and in her search, she surrenders to both instincts.

The Wolf-mother hunts.

Deep into the woods she runs, her footsteps both ghostly and thunderous, as otherworldly as the burning hunger in her eyes. She passes by a handful of Beladian villages on her travels; even in her fury, she does not attack them, though the temptation to smite her enemies is both strong and vicious. Soon, she promises herself, soon.

She will learn the lay of these lands; even if she cannot find the allies she desires, a good hunt will show her where her enemies dig their dens, where the betrayers hide and scheme against her children. And that wisdom will bring her fangs to their throat.

Leaving the Maju-Inu to their own devices for a bit, Lupa will take the opportunity to find the answers to her questions for herself by setting out and exploring the Beladian wilderness, tapping in to her sorcerous nature with Witchcraft +2 to divine locations of interest and guide her path. She has no idea what she will find, but sometimes you just have to take that risk and poke your nose where it doesn't belong! Given her state of mind, Feral -2 may apply.

sandnavyguy
Sep 12, 2015

Seraphi- Forbidden Forest Cave

As Seraphis vanguard approached the yawning mouth of the cave, the final vestiges of daylight began to burn away, leaving only black to fall over the beaten path. Awakening their new sense of moonlight guidance they could see as if it were midday despite the inky gloom.

“Here,” Dar spoke, his voice resonating with Seraphi’s influence, “ is the cave where we shall find the hardiest beast. If you are truly my flock of warriors, seal the cave behind us with large boulders, and douse your torches.”

More than a test of will, Seraphi needed it to be as dark as possible to fend off the drones within the twisting tunnels, and to pierce the thick carapace of the razor fang queen. The team must be both supple and pliable enough to be easily manipulated around the battlefield, while also firm enough from training and enhancement to carry forth their holy mission.

In particular, Seraphi could read Dars thoughts of fear, muted though still present, and would use his innate sense of danger to pinpoint the creatures that can blend in to the dark. But of course, so could Seraphi. The core stone within the Queens belly would certainly be within their grasp.

Using Moonlight +2 navigate the caves infrastructure and fend off minor drone attacks with the vanguard before entering battle with the deadly Queen. Use Dar specifically and shadow +2 as razor sharp tentacles to war with the Queen upon locating her, with the vanguard as support.

Valhawk
Dec 15, 2007

EXCEED CHARGE
Cowl - Heading North from Steamwal, Oenan

You take steps to disappear without a trace, taking a circuitous route, destroying all evidence of the exchange location. If anyone came looking they would find no trace that you had ever been there and no trail to follow back to the Lost. It takes some time to get back thanks to the need to disguise your trail, but when you return you find that the Lost are still doing fairly well, though they are happy at your return. They’ve carefully rationed the supplies you left them to ensure they lasted as long as possible, and have been working to raise and herd what they didn’t consume for meat. They still weren’t self-sufficient, though hopefully your new infusion of goods would go a long way to correcting that.


Asarluhi - The County Seat of Pralan

Your follower heads to the tavern at your direction, eager to carry out your orders. The tavern is busy, but there is a distinctly anxious note to the atmosphere. It would seem that the topic de-jure is the goings on in a village in the swamp. Apparently a monster or a demon of some kind had attacked. The villagers had all fled. Word was going around that the Kingdom was going to send a military unit to investigate and suppress any threats they might find. There wasn’t much your merchant could do to spread the rumor any further than it already was as the topic was the talk of the town. Ever since news had reached them, the guard had been on high alert, and there was talk of sending a request to the adventurer's guild in the capital. It would appear your attack on the town had caused quite a splash.


Colossus - Foot of the Great Central Mountains, Unclaimed Territory

The stone minotaurs took in your orders and then set to work. Watching over them you could tell this was very different from their last attempt. Now with an intuitive understanding of stone and of craftsmanship burned into their very souls they set to work. Thanks to their transformation the stone minotaurs no longer need to eat or sleep, allowing them to work day and night without rest. In a matter of weeks they have assembled the beginnings of a city. A few completed buildings in the center of the settlement, with foundations and partially completed structures radiating outward. The designs are strange, aligning with the needs and sensibilities of its creators. There are no residences, no sleeping or dining areas, no amenities one might expect to see in a normal town that your children no longer require.

Work was continuing one day, when one of the groups that was assigned not to build, but to watch over the settlement reported that on a regular patrol around the perimeter they had captured a human.


Lupa - Maju-Inu Village, Southern Belad

You leave your children behind for a time to explore your surroundings more thoroughly. Over the next few days you gain a lay of the land. The Maju-Inu lived in the deepest portions of the great forest that covered much of south-western Bellad. Other than Lamlar, which you had already attacked, there were 2 other towns within a 50 mile radius of the Maju Inu settlement. Both to the north, where Lamlar had been to the east. There were also a number of smaller settlements. You dared not get too close to any of the towns, but from what you could piece together they were likely similar to Lamlar, meaning that it seemed likely they might have Maju-Inu slaves as well.

The towns are linked by a dirt road that connects them in a line running west and east between them and from them. Investigating the road and the various trails leading to smaller settlements, you scent the occasional traveler, but not too many. It would appear that this was one of the less populated areas of Bellad. That jives with the general lack of development you’ve seen. Some areas especially near the towns have been cleared to create fields, but most of the smaller settlements seem to rely heavily on hunting. This is perhaps why the Maju-Inu ended up here, with fewer humans and more places to hide, it seemed the natural place for their exodus to lead even if it was unplanned.


Seraphi- Forbidden Forest Cave

Through Dar and his vanguard you carve a bloody swathe through the cave. Even before he had the vanguard, with your assistance there wasn’t really anything in the jungle that could stand up to him. His limitation was really that there was only one of him, so he couldn’t be everywhere at once. Dar thrills in his power as usual, with the added flavor of being accompanied by a group of super-warriors loyal to him and you alone. Nothing in the cave stood a chance, and before the night was through everything within it was dead or dying.

Rhjamiz
Oct 28, 2007


Asarluhi - The County Seat of Pralan

Asarluhi whispers in the Merchant's ear once more. "Good, very good. Enjoy the night. See the town. Check on investments, or whatever it is mortals do in cities. Go to the inn, get some rest, then go to the market and go about your usual business. Prepare to return to the swamplands before the army reaches it."

In the meantime, Asarluhi went about its subtle work, and with every breath the Merchant took, he exhaled a tiny imperceptible speck of divine blood, infused with the Life-Drinker's Divine Will. It would float upon the air, seeking out the fear radiating from passersby, and one it had entered through the nose or mouth, would slowly feed upon that fear and turn it into reverence. Slowly. Slowly...


Will use Fear +2 and Blood +2 to begin sowing divine seeds of tempering; the tiniest mote of divine blood, flecks of vapor in the air exhaled in the Merchant's breath, infused with my will, seeking out that fertile ground of fear in the citizens of Pralan and slowly growing in the mind as it turns fear into tempered worship bit by bit.

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sandnavyguy
Sep 12, 2015

Seraphi- Forbiiden Forest

Dar screamed in bloody victory, his roar piercing the air a ringing out through the entire forest.

Seraphi felt almost elated by the amount of endorphins he was feeling pulse through his warriors. But he could not rest.

Reaching into the shredded carcass of the Queen, he pulled out a globular yellow crystal. It throbbed with warmth, and as Dar gave it to the vanguard they began to chant, eyes aglow.

"THROUGH DARKEST SHADOW MAY TRUTHS LIGHT SHINE, AND FROM THIS STONE WE BANISH THINE KIND"

Seraphi channeled the ancient tongue through them all as the forest shook and a wind whipped the canopy outside the cave.

It was through this spell he would banish the creatures from their hunting grounds, clearing a safe swath of passage in and out of the village itself and to the roads. but importantly, it should keep out intruders as well who will instead fall prey to the monsters that had plagued them for so long.

"Now my children, it is time to hunt properly. let us begin our crusade in my most holy name, and begin reclaiming our lands!"

using moonlight +2 use the pheremone magic to purge the monsters from the areas surrounding the village, pushing them more toward the main roads and previously safe territories. Using Shadows+2 attempt to locate any human camps nearby.

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