In the chaos of crashing through the metaphysical barrier of the bright moon, half the party was cast into a vast jungle basin encircled by mountains. The loam was soft but stank more like rotten death than fresh earth. This was a cursed place.

It was deep night; the great planet loomed above, rimmed in red light from an unseen sun. The jungle was painted in blacks and dark greens accented by the red blood of the all-too-frequent eclipse. This jungle was quiet. There were no insects; the air was cold. This was a place that held its breath for far too long.

[Up to five players may participate in this quest. To enter, just reply describing your entry to the area.]

[Quest has two parts; the Hunt, and  the Godslaying. There are several secrets to discover within the Hunt portion of the quest that will provide information about your target or offer some immediate advantage. If the Hunt is not completed within three hours, the quest will automatically progress to the Godslaying as the native theofauna discovers you.]

[Quest Completion awards 10 spheres and +1000 XP divided amongst the hunting party.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:04, Sun 04 Sept 2022.

The [Lunarian] appeared here in a standing position, having understood previously that the transition from Void to moon was more metaphysical than physical. More of a transition than a true falling. And so he had stepped into the moon from the void more than anything. But there were still many rules and meta-rules he was still learning. To him, this wasn't a game like it was to some of the others. It was an anime, but any anime fan knew that the worlds within stories held their own sort of "realness" and Godhunter had become VERY real to him indeed.

He swept the area with [Illuminatio], refusing to let the darkness of the night be of any hinderance to him. But it wasn't enough. The group was split but he feared not; they were still connected back through Eri so he roughly knew they were okay.

He closed his eyes and bent down to touch the Earth.

"Sprits of the land, of the water that permeates the air and the loam. Spirits of the lunar eclipse and of the light of the planet overhead...heed me, Starling the [Lunarian]. I am of the Flesh of the Unfaltering Sun who shined in the Void, and of that flesh I ask the spirits who walked with my second mother to walk with me as her heir." he mumbled as he drew upon his lunar powers.

"Spirits! Please tell me about this jungle and give me a lay of the land. Any prominent features, landmarks, as well as boons and dangers you think I should know about. Anything to help me have an edge against my enemies, to let this aethereal prey have a chance to become the hunter instead."

Starling uses [Illuminatio], and grants access to it to whichever allies of his participate in this quest as well (except to anything REDACTED which he withholds for their own protection for now). He then uses [Lunar Magic]+[Feng Shui] to attempt to commune with the spirits of the land and sky and light overhead to get a lay of the land, and perhaps discover some advantages or pointers from the spirits.

Without even grasping what was going on, Domonkos found himself landing into yet another unknown area, a jungle by the looks of it. He wished he had invested more of his previous life playing Godhunter instead of working, which was a thought ironic enough to make him laugh out loud. The grasp that came out of his new throat startled him. It would take some time to get used to that.

Looking around, he found the darkness fading away as one of his companions landed with him. At least he wasn't alone. He stumbled his way towards the [Lunarian].

Landing amidst the rest, [Rajmund], formerly the [Scapegoat] looked around at the dead jungle basin. He also glanced to Lunarian as the other cast his abilities outward. Meanwhile, he looked around.


"Not the most hospitable place to find ourselves..." he mused.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 12:34, Mon 05 Sept 2022.

Dalton, err Atilla, closed his eyes as he prepared to slam into the surface of the moon. Instead he felt himself suddenly stop. The first thing he noticed before he opened his eyes was the horrific smell that filled his nostrils. The next thing was how humid the air around them had suddenly become. Indeed he opened his eyes to what appeared to be what remained of a jungle. The dim light cast by the eclipsed planet above them prevented him from seeing more.

The sudden glow provided by [Starling] illuminated the surroundings and easily let the Demilupine pinpoint the godling. He confirmed that the effigy remained in his possession before he slung the doll over his shoulder. Once the realm his other half was in had calmed down he would hopefully be able to deposit Eri's keepsake somewhere safe. As he approached he noticed other players, although not nearly as many as had floated in the void. 'Stupid portals never keep us in the same place,' he mentally noted.

Atilla noted that [Starling] seemed to be talking to something out in the jungle. Not wanting to interrupt his speech he moved to [Rajmund] and [Domonkos] before he whispered, "so those who played Godhunter, does any of this look familiar? Are we in stage 1 or some area in the game? Eri said this belonged to someone named Ilan, that ring any bells?" The demilupine reached out with his [Familiar] talent to see if he sensed the emotions of anything besides themselves in the forest.

Domonkos whispered back, likewise not wishing to interrupt [Starling].

"I'm afraid I never played the game. I've heard about it, but I was more into Real Time Strategy games. I somehow doubt we are players though, are we? Are our "races" part of the classes of the game? It keeps feeling like we are NPCs, which is a troubling thought. Even now, I sense some tendencies inside me that I shouldn't be feeling if I was truly in control"

Realizing what he said looking like he looks, he quickly adds:

"Nothing to worry about, just a mild sense that I'm more comfortable than I would normally be to the idea of eating corpses. Not gonna go on a rampage and turn on you"

It was a improptu effort, and Starling's words stirred the pools and rivulets of rot only slightly. We do not recognize you, tidesinger. they whispered to him. Yet, the spirits of the reddened light answered more fully. The flow is hindered. Unstopper the waters; part the veil. Give us a bit of your blood; give us a speck of your sight. Join with the flow. Unstopper the waters; part the veil; join with the flow, tidesinger.

[You may bleed yourself to tithe 1 HP to dedicate your left eye to spiritual sight until you are healed, seeing as these spirits see. This will hinder your ordinary perception. This is not a spell.]

Atilla sensed emotion, wretched emotion. Psychotic rage, insatiable hunger. Not near, no, he could not sense anything nearby, but the emotions were so loud and so plentiful that he could tell the South was a very dangerous place; the aggression came more faintly from the other directions.

South was also the direction of the slope.

[Timestamp 20:55]
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:46, Wed 07 Sept 2022.

Starling touched the Earth, and shook his head. Standing up, he looked upward at the Red light emanating from the planet far overhead. Light that was from the sun and moon, reflecting from the planet to them there in that dead forest. The former was more reticent, while the latter was more forthcoming. Starling desired to try and commune with both.

Still piggy-backing off his open spiritual connection, Starling responded aloud, apparently to thin air. Demilupine/Atilla senses via [Familiar] purposeful intent though from Starling; the now-teenaged Lunarian wasn't just acting whimsically or randomly.

"Spirits of the loam and soil, of the rot and of the pools beneath that hide concealed traces of life. I offer you a drop of my blood as a show of good faith. Light of the sun and moon, shining planet overhead, I offer you a drop of my blood to join the flow with you. I dedicate, temporarily until I choose to heal, my left eye to the flow. And in doing so, let us each share our sight and in doing so, expand one another's awareness." he said aloud.

Suddenly, the Lunarian began to tear up in one eye - his left to be precise. The water trickled down his face a moment, before turning red and falling to the Earth to sink into the loam. Another tear fell from his left eye, turning red as it went, although as it fell off his face into the air it suddenly dissipated into aethereal mist before wisping upward in the air, vanishing. His left eye suddenly turned blood-red.

Starling temporarily dedicates his left eye (and temporarily commits 1 hp) to spiritual sight. He then attempts to further commune with the spirits of loam and stellar light.

"Spirits of loam, please acknowledge me now. Spirits of stellar air and shining light, I unstopper the waters. Please show me a lay of the land and insight ab out the dangers here, and perhaps...ways to hunt the hunter."

Starling now attempts to get a lay of the land. And of course, should the spirits try to hide things from him he will shine [Illuminatio] upon even the spiritual landscape.

While [Starling] seemed to enter a seance with spirits, Domonokos looked into his very being, perhaps for the first time since he had died.

And then he looked outwards, into the dead jungle that surrounded them. That spirits were here, as [Starling]'s conversation seemed to suggest that this jungle once held life, even if it was dead and cold now.

Domonokos closed his eyes, and tried to search for a spark of divinity hiding in this natural tomb. Since he apparently could [Detect Theofauna] now.

The wolf-man shrugged at Domonokos' attempt to placate him. After everything they had witnessed the one thing Atilla did not fear were the other godlings. "I wouldn't say we're in that game but I think this world influenced that game. So I don't think there are players and npcs. Hell if I know for sure though, we've only been here an hour longer than you. Corpse eating makes sense. We killed a ghost-eater in the house", Atilla paused as he glanced at the undead man again. "At least I think that's the race you are. Anyway yeah the description called them 'degenerates who eat corpses'. I'd prefer if you don't do it in front of me but do what you gotta do."

Any further communication stopped as the prince nearly fainted. Compared to the foul stench of the jungle this proved to be somehow worse. Atilla hated this damn jungle. It took a few moments for him to grow used to such a powerful emotion. "No matter what happens we need to stick together. Whatever this thing is we've been sent to hunt I can sense him from here, he's to the south. I think we should avoid it for now and see if we can find anything of use before we fight it. There will be no diplomacy or negotiation with that thing. If someone ever offers you the chance to sense insane rage, do not say yes."

The wolf-man was somewhat concerned he could not sense whatever Starling was talking to. A large percentage of things in this world seemed to want them dead. However he decided to let the other godling continue on with his negotiations. Until then he kept his senses open in case the insane god started to head their way.

Atilla readjusted the doll that had been slung on his shoulder. "Actually, I might drop this off before things kick off here. Might as well test how this works. I invoke the name of Regina Damnatorum! Grant me a passage to our kingdom!" He shouted to the heavens. Even though he knew this could work, it still felt off. The wolf-man either teleports back to his fief or if a portal shows up he tosses the Eri effigy through it.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:33, Wed 07 Sept 2022.

Starling

[-1 MAX HP]

The world was beautiful, awash in decay. Decay was not death; it was failing old life broken down to be rebuilt into new life. His red-eye showed him that all the fresh vigor was being diverted to feed something; something that was stoppering the waters, a whirlpool of fresh wind and fertile soil drawn down, down, down . . . a small creature one cubit tall, made of rich dirt wriggling with insects with ichor-eyes, rose from the loam. A spirit of dim light, earth and water. It was not visible through his normal eye. Sideways, sideways, it said. Walk sideways, tide-strider. Join the flow. The center is far, the flow is fast. Walk sideways, tide-strider. the little gnome swayed, and the Starling's vision swam as his right eye saw a jungle, but his left saw the hidden river of flowing rot that ran widdershins . . .

Domonokos

Domonokos used his nascent [Detect Theofauna] talent. Something like a 'minimap' appears in the corner of his vision, with an arrow pointing due south. He could also 'jump' his vision acros the 'fog of war' to see where his prey was.

There was a God here. A dead god that refused to be dead, for it had walked those rivers and returned. A god of Life that could not live, and so harrowed the jungle. He was within the palace, beyond the impassable gates, within the city of -

No, no, that was the wrong God. There was another God here, in this same place, but at a different time. Their time. This was a beast, a predator, proud and fierce. A savage god trapped in a circle of circles, beast-men in tents that kept it at bay. Their warriors fought it in shifts, keeping it ever-bleeding so that that its own blood could be used to bind it where it stood. The beast had no more blood to bleed, but it refused to die. The blood was drying, the binding weakening . . . in three hours, the beast would roar and feed and rise again to full strength.

The savage god was two hours away, due south.

Atilla

He spoke the name of the Lost Queen, and an Echo of his fief appeared; a watch-golem. The golem took hold of the doll, and this dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.

Stillborn Effigy has been returned to the Pools of Predilection.

[Timestamp 21:05]