RolePlay onLine RPoL Logo

, welcome to Epic Heroes Survivor

09:13, 19th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Episode 1: Gateway.

Posted by ZhorrFor group 0
Tilly
player, 100 posts
Heavenly Oracle
Wed 20 Mar 2013
at 22:32
  • msg #120

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

"What?  Me?" Tilly said, shocked.  "I don't usually like telling people what to do.  If you kids can't agree... If you want me to decide when there's an argument, okay, but I think we'll generally get along.  After we figure this out, can we have Pale tell us more about what he heard the earth say?  Maybe he can bring us with him to listen?"

Tilly had been rather taken with Pale's description of the earth.
Mirelinda
player, 134 posts
Starsoul Sorceress
They call me Grandmother
Wed 20 Mar 2013
at 22:36
  • msg #121

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

"Well, if Lareth don't want it you can have it Tilly. But I would like to volunteer to guard this place if you go down into the earth, I really prefer the open sky to enclosed places."
Dekar
player, 90 posts
Heavenly Knight
Dragonrider
Thu 21 Mar 2013
at 00:27
  • msg #122

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

"That makes sense. The only other natural divine caster is me...and I am not a true caster, nor is my magic strong enough to impose the sort of power on the universe Tilly can."

He graciously steps aside for Tilly, then.
Baron Sider
player, 97 posts
Human male 70 yrs old
Wizard 20/Cleric 1
Thu 21 Mar 2013
at 00:48
  • msg #123

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

"Well then, unless anyone else had any other nominations, with the notion that Tilly has awoken this world, I concur with her being in charge. What's next?" the Baron asks Tilly directly.
Tilly
player, 101 posts
Heavenly Oracle
Thu 21 Mar 2013
at 01:22
  • msg #124

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

"Wait a minute now, " Tilly protested.  "I said I'd settle arguments, that's all."

She cleared her throat.  Cautiously.

"But, well, I was saying that we should listen to what Pale was saying about the earth.  I think it's more important than building castles or wells or anything else right now."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:22, Thu 21 Mar 2013.
Tilly
player, 103 posts
Heavenly Oracle
Sat 30 Mar 2013
at 23:29
  • msg #125

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

Pale explains what he saw again.

Pale:
"Greetings, sirs and ladies. From how the sky twinkles so beautifully, I take it our spells are beginning to have some effect?" He smiles slightly more and sits cross-legged upon the ground. "I bring good news. The planet... is born. It is alive. I realize this may seem unlikely, but I am a druid of the earth; and I know. It is quite beautiful to hear it's voice, and amazing too- to have a planet, a spacechild, listen and respond and ask questions... it is all and so much more than what I have dreamed for so, so many years..."

He gives a happy sigh; the usually stolid druid is, again, much changed.

"In any case; it means that beneath us is something that will be shaped by what we do and say; and what we teach it. It is... something is a responsibility."



Tilly points to the ground.  "It's not just us anymore.  There's a new life here.  We should see how big the world is and what it looks like.  We have been staying around where we started, but now we should explore.  Second, we should try to talk to the planet together..."
Dekar
player, 91 posts
Heavenly Knight
Dragonrider
Sat 30 Mar 2013
at 23:33
  • msg #126

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

"I wonder...if it's possible to grant what's below us a benevolence the material plane back home never had. A benevolence like that which permeates the upper planes. Tilly? Could you and I do that?"

It seems possible.
Tilly
player, 104 posts
Heavenly Oracle
Sat 30 Mar 2013
at 23:48
  • msg #127

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

"I don't know, " Tilly says.  "But I'm willing to try.  If it's alive, it at least deserves a blessing and a name."

"If I'm guessing where you're from right, your people sometimes have very elaborate christenings."
Zhorr
NPC, 29 posts
Messenger of the Gods
"Mark my words!"
Thu 4 Apr 2013
at 20:21
  • msg #128

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

"Well, I don't know how one would go about christening a planet, but we can certainly try to impart upon this new being a sense of justice, which seems to be missing on our home plane. However, we also have duties to attend to."

Looking at the confusion on his companions' faces, Zhorr explained: "the divine spark that lies inside us must be tended to: we should reserve some time each day to meditate and pray. Also, we need symbols of faith to channel our powers."
Mirelinda
player, 135 posts
Starsoul Sorceress
They call me Grandmother
Thu 4 Apr 2013
at 20:40
  • msg #129

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

"Symbols of our faith ? I gather you are not speaking of the symbol of one of the Gods back home ? If so, in this plane, we each get to choose what represents it ?

I'll have to think about it, I need something suitable... star, I need a start to start with..."


Mirelinda starts scratching designs in the dirt.
Pale
player, 60 posts
Sat 6 Apr 2013
at 09:56
  • msg #130

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

"I can thus far think of no greater people to share this teaching experience with than you all." Listening to the discussion of the focus, Pale frowns slightly. "A focus? I... see. I must admit my unfamiliarity with this concept; it has always been me, and the ground beneath my feet, and the flickers of consciousness deep inside. Why would I need something special to be known? But, very well." Thinking a moment, he reaches down and pulls up a rough stone from the ground. Raising a hand, he mutters some words, and the stone changes shape in his hand, into a perfect half-sphere, the centre cleft into, revealing an interior shaped into the perfect crysalline formations of a geode, smooth and shining in the light. "An egg of stone. It shall serve."

Cast Stone Shape
Zhorr
NPC, 30 posts
Messenger of the Gods
"Mark my words!"
Sun 14 Apr 2013
at 18:11
  • msg #131

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

"While we should indeed make our own symbols of faith, it would be best if we could find a common theme, so that we can all use one another's symbol in case of need." He pondered for a moment, then added: "The symbols should reflect something that is common to all of us, but we know so little about one another. I think I may have a solution, though. During our daily hour of prayer and meditation, one of us will tell the others a story from their past. Since our powers are interconnected, this should work well. In about a month or so, we should be able to craft a common symbol that will work for all of us."
Baron Sider
player, 102 posts
Human male 70 yrs old
Wizard 20/Cleric 1
Thu 18 Apr 2013
at 02:27
  • msg #132

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

"Well, to avoid interrupting the prayer and meditation portion of our day, I would suggest that we do it dinner time. We can then get with the others to see how the various projects are going. We can also plan our activities for the next day along with telling stories of out past. That would be my suggestion." says the Baron.

"However, I must also point out that we are more likely going to want a Holy symbol that would be representative of our individual faiths and the domains therein. A follower of Peace is not going to want a flaming sword for theirs and I do not believe that we are all the followers on the same Divine being. Since we are all here to awaken the world, the first thing that awoke it might be the best. For the time being, a symbol of a flaming meteor might serve." he says, stroking his beard.
Zhorr
NPC, 31 posts
Messenger of the Gods
"Mark my words!"
Sun 19 May 2013
at 05:59
  • msg #133

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

"Very well. And since I have been the one to propose it, it makes sense that I should go first. Now, I think we can go back to our work... Just a word of caution for those of us whose magic is divine in origin: this universe was born without form, a featureless plain in a featureless plane. Any spell you cast will bring into existence the object of the spell itself, integrating it into the universe. The first meteor swarm created heavenly bodies, the first daylight created starlight, and so will an other spell you cast. You don't need to worry overmuch about side effects for small spells, but I would advise against causing earthquakes, floods, and other natural calamities for a while."

Thanking everybody for their help (perhaps lingering a moment on Tilly), Zhorr went back inside the shelter to resume his work.
Tilly
player, 112 posts
Heavenly Oracle
Thu 30 May 2013
at 02:11
  • msg #134

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

Now that Zhorr is safely alive, Tilly admits to a sudden appetite.  Creating a universe, it turns out, is hungry work.

She draws on her contingent powers, saying, "Baron's Kit, be here!"

And suddenly, there is a tent, as deus ex machina as one could ever want, with two Ioun Torches affixed at its front and back.  Before the tent, she raises her hands and crafts a spell--summoning a large slab table and seats out of the earth.  It's strangely anticlimactic--no more than a trifle after meteor showers.  Then she pauses to sculpt bowls and cups with some hemming and hawing, and, thanking the gods, spreads a dinner across the table of simple porridge and cups filled with rainwater (for the spell creates rainwater to drink).

"Baron... " she says, stepping back to inspect her handiwork.  "As our leader, I now command you to make porridge taste good.  Otherwise, what use are all of those arcane secrets?"

It's the levity of relief--after all that happened, joined with the good feeling that now they can settle down to a dinner by starlight--not a bad end to the day's work.  And if the world now had seas of porridge, well, that they could deal with tomorrow.


OOC:
Spells used:  Stone Shape, Create Food and Water, contingent wish
Sculpture: check - take 10 (check result 35).
Zhorr
NPC, 32 posts
Messenger of the Gods
"Mark my words!"
Fri 31 May 2013
at 18:02
  • msg #135

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

And so finally they were all reunited for dinner. It was time for Zhorr to put his money where his mouth was, or possibly the other way around.

He had suggested they all share stories to get to know one another better, and so he should start.

"Alright then... Just so you know, this was so many years ago I lost count, and the story may have gotten better with time.


"So, it's just the three of us: me, just about the way you see me now, Maximus, the Paladin, big fella, uptight like you wouldn't believe, and Lia, the cutest half-elf Druid ever, all wide-eyed and naive. It's our very first journey together, and I think none of us, except maybe Max, had ever seen any real action.


"We are delivering this parcel, probably valuable, since the owner demanded that it be delivered by a Paladin, and requested at least a three-person group and offered a pretty hefty reward, like five hundred gold pieces or so each. I know it doesn't seem much now, but for the teenaged son of a cook it's a lot of money.


"We know how to spend it, too: Max is saving up for a new armor, Lia... Well, Lia has probably never seen that much gold all at once in her life, but I'm sure she's going to find something, and as for my self I have my eyes on this great-looking scimitar I've seen at the market, which is probably going to cost more than all of Max's gear put together, but I really really want it, and even all that money would still not cover its price, but I have to start somewhere, right?


"Anyway, we are all pretty excited, we and really don't wanna screw this up. For some reason, our client requested that we follow a specific route, on foot, so it's several weeks of travel instead of a few days by cart, and most of our path goes through the woods.


"To me it's okay: this guy is paying us a lot, so he gets to be a little weird; plus, it's the middle of the summer, and some shade is fine by me.


"Lia of course is ecstatic, she's literally dancing around whenever we enter a new forest. No, seriously, she's doing a little dance every time we get into the woods, it would actually be kind of annoying if she weren't so cute...


"Max, on the other hand... Well, he gave his word, so he can't quite back out, but he really looks like he's hoping to find a way. Not an outdoorsy fella, I guess.


"About halfway through the second week, we hear this little girl calling for her mom.


"Now, rescuing a little girl lost in the woods? That's some seriously heroic deed, right? So, one guess what Max does, and you get no points for guessing right.


"So we follow the Paladin through the woods, and we get to this really big clearing: it's an almost perfect circle amidst the trees, with a big rock in the middle; there's a natural spring at the top of the stone, with the water spilling upwards, where the sunlight, going through the water droplets creates this beautiful rainbow that seems to frame the rock.


"I'm not really an outdoorsy type myself, either, but this place was really stunningly beautiful, and again I do mean that literally: I had to nudge Lia back to reality, she was so entranced.


"And of course Max goes charging in... And the clearing is empty.


"Around the water pool at the base of the rock there are a few signs of animal activity, and we start guessing that maybe the girl followed a deerling or another cute animal, as it went drinking at the pool, then scared it off, and got lost.


"So Max calls her out, and we hear a voice behind a bush saying ''Mommy? I'm hungry!''


"Max kneels next to the bush, moves aside the branches... And the biggest wolf I'd ever seen jumps at him, pinning him to the ground. A moment later, two more jump in from the sides of the clearing, and surround Lia.


"One of the two goes ''Mommy, I'm hungry!'', and Lia screams... My name, of all things. And I have like two spells for the day, and one is shield, and the other is color spray, and I know that shield is not gonna cut it. So I do the only thing I can think of: I apologize quickly, and I blast them. Lia and the wolves alike.


"I know, I know, not my most chivalrous hour, but hey, it works! My color spray takes out the two worgs... And Lia, unfortunately. All three of them are knocked unconscious, leaving only the big one. And this is when I start to realize that the two I just knocked out are pups, and the big one on Max really is their "mommy".


"So I pull out my scimitar, planning to go for one of the unconscious pups... And just as I expected I get jumped by mama worg. I feel her breath on my face as she tries to bite it off - missing me by this much. But by then Max is standing, so I take a stab at her to make her back off, and cast my shield, and then the rest of the fight is a big mess of fur and steel, and in the end we all live to tell the tale.


"When the fight's over, and the effect of my color spray ends, Max is fussing around Lia like a hen mother.


"And then he starts yelling at me: tells me how reckless I was, and how my actions were despicable, and how I endangered a party member... And all I can think is: pal, I'm not the brave idiot who charged in the worg trap - I'm the idiot who got our hides back out in one piece.


"And Lia is pretty much on my side, even though she still has a bit of a headache, courtesy of my blast... But then I did apologize beforehand, so she has forgiven me already. Which apparently drives Maximus completely crazy.


"This is when I realize what's really going on. See, apparently our Paladin had a bit of a crush on our Druid, and he couldn't quite figure out why she had a bit of a crush on yours truly instead of, say, him, despite the fact that he was all brave and mighty and righteous, and I was none of those things.


"So we lose our tank: he just up and leaves, taking the package with him. By then it's almost night, and going looking for him in the woods at night looks like a good way to get ourselves killed, especially considering I spent all of my spells for the day. So we lay down our bedrolls, and one thing leads to another... And this is were I end my story, before it becomes a completely different kind of tale."

Baron Sider
player, 108 posts
Human male 70 yrs old
Wizard 20/Cleric 1
Sat 1 Jun 2013
at 03:19
  • msg #136

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

The Baron chuckles at that request. "Your wish is my command" he says

Cracking his knuckles first, he rubs his thumb and two fingers together like he was adding salt to something over each of the bowls and the flavor improves in the food.

"Well now, I guess I can go next. This is called, "Not all is what it looks like."

"Many Years ago, when I was first starting out, there was a group that was going after Giants in Oerth that I had meet in my travels when I joined up with them. This was a pretty powerful group that slew giants left and right. Lord Galos Greenhair. A Dwarf fighter that was cursed with green hair. Beard and all. That is another story. A Cleric called Thorvald, Myself and a Halfling thief called Robitt with the strength of a Hill giant."

"Well one day they had been clearing a Hill Giant fort that was giving the people in the area problems. They had gone deep into the fort and ran into the leader of the Hill Giants and his guards. The dwarf took his hammer and threw it at the leader. Only when he threw it, it never returned like it had done the many other times he had done fighting the Giants. Well it turned out that it was a clever ambush that they had set up for as the hammer hit the giant, it had turned into dust, for it was an illusion of the leader and was in fact a rather large rust monster, a bane to warriors anywhere. There was a mighty cry from Lord Galos as he had lost his families most prized possession. There was an even mightier cry from the Giants when they attacked. it was a hard fought fight but in the end we were able to defeat them.  So the moral of this story is "Be careful, all is not what it appears."  Says the Baron
Tilly
player, 117 posts
Heavenly Oracle
Sun 19 Jan 2014
at 17:44
  • msg #137

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

"Once upon a time, there was a troll known as Melmud the Terrible.  He was so terrible that even other trolls stayed far away, refusing to come down from the mountains in fear of him.  For years, Melmud terrorized a small realm by the steel mountains, raiding cities, eating livestock and forcing terrorized villagers to amuse him.  He had great red eyes and a club the size of a goat, and a mean streak.  He was strong enough and the region so poor and far away that most adventurers just simply never made up it there."

"Well, I and two girls, halfling twins named Missy and Lissy, who were rogues, went up.  We knew that brute strength wouldn't work, and besides, we weren't particularly strong to begin with.  Instead, we decided to play a trick."

"Ahem... pretty soon, the troll known as MissyLissy began a reign of far greater terror.  The villagers played along.  And any story we heard about Melmud, why, we made up one that was twice as bad about MissyLIssy.  Did he eat a goat by biting on its head?  Well, MissyLissy the Awful ate two goats by biting off their heads!"

"And soon enough, the stories reached Melmud the Terrible, and people began to snicker and laugh behind his back. And one day, he roared, 'What is all this nonsense of another troll!  I will destroy her!'  And as he traveled from town to town, the stories grew worse and worse, until finally he came to our... lair, a cave in the Steel Mountains that we'd set up for his visit."

"This lair was so terrible and so full of bones that Melmud stayed outside for a long time, trying to decide whether to go in.  Finally, he screwed up his courage and raced inside, hitting and bashing everything he could get at in the dark, without waiting to ask questions."

""Hah, " he roared!  "So much for MissyLissy the Troll!"  But then a great voice was heard:  "Melmud... I am coming!"  And the ground began to rumble.  "I'm not scared!"  he squealed, standing his ground.  But again, the voice came.  "Melmud... I am coming!  Hear my footsteps!"  And the ground rumbled so mightily that it was as if a great earthquake were happening."

"We had set off an avalanche to trap Melmud the Terrible inside the cave, but before it could seal the cave, he burst out screaming.  'You can have this place!  I'm going home!'  And throwing his club to one side, he raced up the mountain faster than lightning.   Since then, he has troubled no one at all. And to this day, no trolls ever come down from the mountains.  After all, they are too afraid of MissyLissy the Awful."

She pauses and reflects.  "To be fair, I think we were pretty lucky."
Pale
player, 64 posts
Wed 22 Jan 2014
at 06:02
  • msg #138

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

Pale speaks.

"Two girls there were; Alla and Atta. They lived in a simple village, in a complex land; but the battles and problems and questions were far far away, and the people remained untroubled and content. Even when they were babies, the two showed an unusual affinity with nature. Insects would not bite them, field mice would run playfully through their fingers, birds would sing songs to entertain them through the days and nights. When they showed themselves uniquely able to respond to this affinity-instinctively caring for and healing young animals, bringing food to a starving ant colony, bending bushes and branches to create hides that the little birds might escape the greater ones, the village was proud and joyful. a passing druid named them as promising novices of his craft, and named a wood for them to be sent when they came of age."

"Walking freely in the forests together- as was their practice- the ground treacherously slid beneath their feat, and the girls tumbled into a small dip in the land, a ravine where the river had run through long ago. The two landed hard upon the rocks; Alla broke three ribs and punctured a lung, Atta broke her leg. Slowly recovering their wits and feeling our their injuries, their eyes caught upon a lone fox up on the ridge; it slowly circled down towards the girls, licking its lips hungrily. The tiny soundless voice the girls had always heard whispered a command."

"'Lie still, and die.'"

"Alla lay back, unresisting, unmoving except for when the blood filling her mouth prompted her to cough. The fox coming closer, Atta refused. She screamed at the fox to run away, she threw rocks at it to bruise its leg until with a yelp it stumbled away. Atta dragged her sister to help, and saved her. The consequences for her action came after her next season."

"The fox had pregnant, seeking food for her large litter of cubs. A wild dog ran her down as he limped back to her hole, and a wild rat killed her children. Without the foxes, in the coming months the mice, rabbits and other prey of the foxes ran rampant, eating through the village's vegetation and crops like a plague of locusts. Worst came when the wet season began; with the plants devoured, the land slipped and the river rose and washed away most of the village, carrying away five-and-forty of the village folk. The trees drowned in the river's new path, and the next sun season saw the village and forest arid, and lifeless. It took me many years to set the land back on the path towards balance."

"The voice never spoke to the children again. Alla never forgave her sister and became a farmer's wife; a fine one, but with no greater skill with the land than those before her. I met Atta in my travels, and she told me vehemently how she did not regret her actions or the deaths of the villagefolk; her sister had been saved, and that was all that mattered to her."

"From this tale, much can be learnt; that fate cannot be fought without consequences, that harmony always has a price. But, for me, I see in it how important perspective is to understanding and deciding. Whatever conduit of nature that spoke to the girls, always protecting and advancing the balance of lives. Atta, willing to do anything necessary to protect her sister. One cannot understand by only seeing the entire planet from above and its heavenly movements; one must also be able to lean in until the tiniest bluejay's life and thoughts become as important as the stars themselves..."


The pale man leans back and crosses his arms tighter.

"That is my story."
Baron Sider
player, 111 posts
Human male 70 yrs old
Wizard 20/Cleric 1
Sun 26 Jan 2014
at 05:41
  • msg #139

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

Baron Sider shakes his head in disagreement. "While I understand the nature of the story there Pale,  "'Lie still, and die.'" as you stated is a hard command for humans to obey. There has been many stories of people that die trying to save another when the ice breaks from under them or they fall into a river. There are those that volunteer to join their sovereign in the afterlife in order to serve them. Unfortunately there are other sovereigns that have no qualm whatsoever to sacrifice their wives, concubines and others, with no choice in the matter." he says

"The divinity or spirit that inhabited the girls since they were babies did not give them a choice in the matter and was spiteful. If they did not want Atta to interfere, they should have let her go to get aid for her sister or not be there in the first place. Instead they give them a gift, took it away and then punished 45 souls in the process. The divinity may have been merciful as they quickly drowned them rather than let then stave to death."

"The realm of nature has its own way of dealing with problems. With the additional mice and rabbits that were not controlled by the foxes, the birds of prey along with other beneficial creatures would have increased as less of their young would have been lost to the foxes.  The humans would have additional food due to the rabbits.  There are other times that a bad incident creates a beneficial one. An earthquake can change the lay of the land to make a natural harbor where there was none." The Wizard says
Dekar
player, 105 posts
Heavenly Knight
Dragonrider
Sun 26 Jan 2014
at 05:44
  • msg #140

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

Dekar went into is story. ""And now I tell you the tale of the corrupted priest...

 We'd received word from my Order a priest of Seranae was acting very, very strangely. He was always renowned for his devout behavior, but somehow or another, he was behaving in ways that were...decidedly unbefitting of a priest. We'd heard he had girls 'confess' to him in his private quarters.

 Anyways, my team and I were called to investigate the priest, and traveled to Dawnshine, by the sea, to investigate. With me was my team of valiant comrades. Eliastris, an elven Ranger of the woodlands, Thurgud, our dwarven priest, Simperia, our elven wizard, and Perrin, our halfling trapmaster and urban scout.

 We first went to talk to him. We found he has this...odd aspect to him. The priest was never known for his force of personality before, but somehow, he had one now. And it was...twisted, somehow. I could sense the darkness dripping off of him. That kind of darkness didn't happen often...it was a fairly powerful aura. So we had him detained, and went to take a look at his room.

 Before going in, I cast a protection from evil spell on myself...I had no idea what was in there, but I wanted to make sure my mind was clear. Thurgud saw what I was doing, and mimiced my idea, casting a magic circle against evil around himself that'd protect the rest of the team. What we saw was pretty horrifying. Girls who looked like they'd been drained of their life and will, and ravaged besides. Except one. One of the girls was still alive.

 "Thank you for saving me from that horrible man!" she said, as she went to throw her arms around my neck...

 But her arms bounced off. The ward from my spell held the woman at bay. When she bounced off of me, on a hunch, I scanned for evil again. So, there it was. She might've tricked us if we'd use lesser means, but such a powerful evil aura meant it was time to deal with it. "It is a creature of darkness! We must defeat it!"

 Eliastris loosed an arrow at her, for he was always quicker then I, but his arrow did little good, for it was not blessed. Perrin attempted to get the jump on her, but to no avail, for his dagger could not piere her flesh. When my smiting sword crashed into her, she lost her disguise, and reverted to her native form...a succubus! She screamed from the terrible pain my sword could inflict on creatures of the abyss. Thurgud saw his opportunity, and launched a spell of pure holiness, and he actually blinded the foul thing. Not sure what else to use on such a thing, Simperia tried a magic missile, and it struck true, as magic missile is wont to do. Though her body was by definition full of temptation, it held no lure for me, warded as I was. My deadly sword crashed down a second time with the power of my deity, and cleaved her in two, leaving only a puff of black smoke as she was struck back to the abyss.

 When we went down to the priest, we found him much changed. Instead of the dark personality he had before, he was almost completely drained of any personality at all. It took some powerful restorations before he could even act normally again, and then he repented. He had, after all, violated many under the succubus's influence. He blamed himself...priests normally have strong wills, after all, so for him to fall under the influence of such was egregious to him. I think he's still repenting somewhere.
"
Mirelinda
player, 143 posts
Starsoul Sorceress
They call me Grandmother
Sat 1 Feb 2014
at 08:29
  • msg #141

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

OOC: GM post, leaving a slot open for Mirelinda's story.
Zhorr
NPC, 33 posts
Messenger of the Gods
"Mark my words!"
Sat 1 Feb 2014
at 08:40
  • msg #142

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

Time seemed to fly and yet move very slowly, the previous few days had passed in what seemed at once a matter of minutes and several months.

As they were eating their daily meal, Zhorr looked at his companions to see who had a story for the day, and realized it was once again his turn.

"Well, well, well. Let's see.

"Alright, so remember Lia? Cutest half-elf you've ever seen? Well, it's been a year since Max up and left - and by the way, what kind of Paladin does that? You don't just leave your group in the middle of a forest! We never heard from him again, by the way, for all I know he was eaten by the worg's mate. Serves him right...

"Anyway, a year has gone by, and we are definitely not as green as we used to be.

"Actually, Lia is greener than she used to be, in that she's started dying her hair green. Don't ask why, I kinda thought it was a Druid thing, bur most Druids I met afterwards didn't really do that, so go figure. Maybe I am just a weirdness magnet?

"Anyway! Somehow I have been promoted to front line fighter, me and my shiny chainmail, and Lia is in charge of keeping me alive and healthy, plus all the other Druidy things that I won't claim to understand, but that really work.

"We make quite a team, Lia and I... She still loves forest a bit more than I would like, tough: she would be happy as can be if we just settled down in a little lair in the woods and lived like rabbits or something.

"Now, it's not that I don't like the idea of living like rabbits... Or some aspects of it at least... But as I said I am really not the outdoorsy type, and we both know that, and we try to make allowances for one another's faults.

"So we just travel, spending half of our time in cities and half in the wilderness. Overall, it works out pretty well.

"One day, we find about these catacombs, chock full of undead, and what little information we have swears upon a pile of holy books that there is a sizable treasure at the bottom... Or the center... Somewhere deep down, anyway.

"Thing is, at this point, my spells have spread over more than one spellbook, and I am starting to understand why the blessed book got that name: I can never find the right damned one.'

"So, long story short, I want a blessed book, and I wouldn't mind a ring of wizardry either, and Lia has more than a few things she would love as well, so we are thinking this tomb or whatnot might be what we are looking for.

"But. One Magus and one Druid against an unknown number of undead, plus probably several traps? We really don't like our odds there. So we begin inquiring discreetly in the nearest town, trying to figure out if there is somebody who would be suited to accompany us.

"One evening, while we are having dinner, this guy approaches our table. He's dressed in a black robe. And I'm already thinking: 'This is not a good sign.'

"And then he opens his mouth... And he's whispering. A really low whisper, as in, we only get about half of his words, and now I am thinking: 'This is really not a good sign'

"Because I can actually see under his hood, you see, and this kid is probably not even sixteen. No way he's the powerful necromancer he pretends to be.

"Now, just on general principles, I cast a detect magic, and I fully expect that he will smirk at me... Instead, he gives me a confused look and asks me if I could repeat that, like he didn't quite get I was casting a spell and not talking to him...

"Anyway, now I see Lia, shining like the pretty star she is, and I notice that there's a guy in the back of the tavern that I taken for a peasant but who has to be at least an adept, because he might not dress up but he has a pretty flashy aura...

"And our supposed necromancer, you ask? Blank. Totally blank. Like he hasn't prepared a spell in weeks.

"So either this guy is a really powerful spellcaster who can mask his aura like nobody's business, and has decided to disguise as a teenage kid for some reason, and he's so good that he'll even pretend not to know the words to a detect magic, or I just found a teenage kid in serious need of some attitude readjustment.

"At this point, I am just giving him more and more rope, to see how he has decided to hang himself, and I notice how he's not actually looking at me when I talk to him... So I start to connect the dots.

"I may have failed to mention a couple of things about my green-haired half-elf companion... One is that her human ancestor, her father, was a merchant from the Far East, from a proud warrior race. They call themselves the 'nime. Not neemeh, mind you, though it does sound almost exactly the same and it took me a while to learn how to pronounce it in a way that wouldn't make Lia cringe...

"Anyway, she has green hair and exotic features, and she's as cute as any half elf you've ever seen. She also likes to wear some pretty short tunics, and not much else. Put that all together, and she really, really, really catches your eye.

"And I am looking at the scene, and I'm thinking that when this kid is looking at her green hair he really, really, really wants to see if the magic carpet matches the veil of veils - if you'll forgive the expression.

"So we tell him that we are going to need somebody to take care of traps and locks, and he starts expounding the virtues of this friend of his, the best locksmith in town - wink wink... No, really, he's winking at us. Twice. that's when I start thinking I'm gonna put so much fear of the gods in this kid he's gonna pee his pants, so help me.

"Yeah, I decide I am going to readjust this kid's attitude myself, and we agree to meet the following morning near a cave not far from the town. He'll bring his friend so that we can meet him.

"The following morning, we meet at the cave, and of course he and his friend are all over Lia. I could catch on fire there and then and they wouldn't notice. While they are otherwise occupied, I cast a cantrip I don't actually prepare very often: ghost sound.

"The oblivious duo continues to try to impress Lia, who is feigning interest, and a few seconds later the biggest roar these two kids have ever heard comes from deep inside the cave.

"They immediately take on a nice shade of grey.

"So I go: 'I know this sound! It's the dreaded Skeletal Dragon! Good thing we have you, necromancer, or we would certainly be doomed: this monster is impervious to normal weapons, and highly resistant to magic!

"As my words sink in, I start to perceive a distinctive odor coming from our necromancer, and I'm thinking, mission accomplished, and then some... The next roar goes off, and he and his friend bolt. I shout something at them, along the lines of 'No! Please! Come back, or the dragon will certainly kill us both!', and then they are behind the hill and Lia and I burst into laughter.

"So I wipe my tears and dismiss the ghost sound.

"And then the third roar comes from the cave.

"See, we hadn't actually scouted the area, we'd just seen the cave as we were approaching the town, and somehow we had not considered the possibility that there might be other dwellers in the cave.

"So this big golden thing comes out, scampering on eight robust legs, clearly angry that we woke him up, and I honestly have no idea what it is, until Lia goes 'oh no, it's an aurumvorax!'

"I still don't know what that means, but I know that something with 'vorax' in its name is probably not vegetarian, and likely nothing I want to fight in close combat unless I dictate the terms of it.

"So I cast my latest and greatest spell.

"Unfortunately, what with all the excitement, I kinda forget that this particular spell has a relatively big area of effect... So I don't quite realize that casting it in front of the beast when said beast is only a couple of steps from us is not my best idea ever - as it will put the two of us well within range. Not until after I cast it, that is.

"Don't get me wrong, it works, really does, and next chance I get I cast a Fly on myself, so I can fight the monster on my terms, and we all live to tell the tale. However, after the fight, Lia has some words for me. Big ones. Really, big. I mean, I'm pretty sure I heard some hyphens in there!

"You see, there is this small detail that she never actually told me, but apparently just expected me to naturally know: as her father had made a point to inform her, way back when, girls of her lineage should never be in the area of effect of that kind spell, lest the magic go awry and behave unexpectedly.

"At this point I am really confused as to what kind of arcane knowledge she thinks I have, so finally I just look her straight in the eye and tell her:

"'Lia! How the heck was I supposed to know that 'nime girls and Black Tentacles are sworn enemies?'"

This message was last edited by the player at 10:35, Sat 01 Feb 2014.
Tilly
player, 121 posts
Heavenly Oracle
Sun 2 Feb 2014
at 18:12
  • msg #143

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

Tilly just bursts out laughing after Zhorr's story, and is too busy laughing to comment for a moment.

"You'd never see a rabbit lie still and die for a fox, just like that!  Tilly laughs, sitting back, at Pale's story.  "If all she could do was obey voices, then of course the forest spirits would abandon her to the life of a farmer's wife.  If the forest could not take care of itself without a single fox eating a single girl, then there's a bigger problem.  Perhaps the farmers had been poaching the foxes for a long time... and it would have been better that she were told to work on stopping them from doing that.  After all, what do we have at the end of the story?  The problem turns into a disaster, the storm passes, but there's no guidance for the future.  Obviously, the balance will just be lost again if the farmers continue as they always have.  A wise druid would have kept training her, to avoid such a turning point in the future.  So I can only conclude that she failed the test by lying still and waiting for death."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:27, Tue 18 Feb 2014.
Baron Sider
player, 113 posts
Human male 70 yrs old
Wizard 20/Cleric 1
Tue 18 Feb 2014
at 19:27
  • msg #144

Re: Episode 1: Gateway

The Baron smiled at the tale and nodded sagely at Tilly's comments.

"Well now, I guess it is my turn" he says addressing the group as he takes a sip of wine.

"I had mentioned a Dwarf fighter by the name of Lord Galos Greenhair in my last tale. Many years ago I had meet him when I had just started out in the magical arts and he already had his green hair. As green as an emerald it was. He had been cursed with it for a serious misdeed by the head of the Dwarf Pantheon, Moradin. So cursed was he, that in a fit he cut his hair down to the roots, and heaven forbid, also cut off his long flowing beard. As most of you know, that for a dwarf is their second or third most prized possession, with piles of gold and a good sturdy weapon fighting for the lead.  Well, the next morning when he woke up to scratch his chin, it had grown back during the night and took its emerald color, having been the greenish-grey like the patina of old copper the day before."

"Now he was not forthcoming to me as to why he had earned the wrath of Moradin but some research that I had done later in my life, pointed me his error and the seven tasks that he had to do in order to redeem himself.  In the world of Dwarfs, an oath is the most sacred of things. The oath that he had sworn had been his undying wrath towards Orcs, when they had raided his clans stronghold, killing his wife and two children. Now he had sworn on their bodies that he would slay the killer of his family and all of the Orcs in the tribe that had done the deed. Day and night he had tracked the tribe down with murder in his eye and his mighty warhammer in hand."

"He had gone to great lengths in hunting them down for two months before he had found the raiders. He lead a dozen other Dwarfs in the assault on the camp, giving no quarter and not expecting any from the Orcs. For a good half hour they fought, slaying almost every Orc male, female and child that was in the tribe.  This would seem to have been the end of the tale. but I said "Almost all". In his case, he would break the oath he had sworn.". the Baron says

"After dispatching the chieftain of the tribe, he was all alone in the camp with Orc and Dwarf bodies scattered all over the place as none of his companions had survived the assault. Still covered in blood from the battle (Mostly Orc blood with a bit of his), he started searching for any survivors and there were none to be found in the camp but he had noticed a set of tracks in the mud leading to a river.  Following them, he spotted a pregnant Orc running away. She had tried to seek safety from the battle away from the camp.  She ran into the river to escape from the angry Dwarf. She had hoped that he would chase after her, but stopped when the water got to her neck. Now, he had done part of his oath since he has slayed the killer of his wife and children in battle but not all of the Orcs. He could not bear to kill a pregnant Orc and spared her. This would have been the end of it but as he had turned to leave the water, the Orc was not going to allow what he had done to her tribe and had threw a dagger at him, catching him in his neck. With that, the oily poison that had been coated on the blade seeped into his body. He slipped on the mud and into the water. "

"Now this might have been the end of him but as luck would have it, he did not drown. The armor he had been wearing fell off due to the damage it had sustained in battle. The padding that he was wearing under the armor, had trapped enough air to keep him afloat somehow. A farmer found him lying on the bank of the river a few miles downstream from the Orc camp, pulled him to safety and got a healer to nurse his wounds. During the night while he was suffering from the withdrawal symptoms of the poison, he had a dream. In it, there was Moradin and six other dwarven deities standing there with stern looks."

"For failing to fulfill his oath, and being taken advantage of by the Orc in order to redeem himself, he would have to go to Six Dwarven temples and ask the head priest for a task.  Vergadain, God of Wealth and Luck, Dumathoin, Keeper of Secrets under the Mountain, Dugmaren Brightmantle, The Gleam in the Eye, Abbathor, Great Master of Greed, Berronar Truesilver The Revered Mother, and Clanggedin Silverbeard, the Father of Battle. Once those six tasks were done, his final task was from Moradin himself. For the moment, Moradin said, "since you had broken your oath Lord Galos Ironhammer you will be marked until such time as you have completed your tasks." With that he fell into a deep sleep.".

"In the morning, he woke up to his hair starting to turn the greenish grey that I had mentioned. My next turn at story telling, we will start with the first task." he says finishing his cup of wine.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:51, Wed 26 Feb 2014.
Sign In