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[Jackben]

((Oh you son of a...))

Reaching out a tentative hand, Niko hesitates in making contact with Yggdrasil, his hand hovering over the bark as it senses the overwhelming power of the divine magics like a sixth sense. He would like dearly to retrieve his dagger and take a sample of the tree with him, but the solemn mood of the village and the sacred way they treat the site tell him that is not a clever idea. That and the frozen visage of Odin instills some fear in the sorcerer, not completely superstitious given the radiation of power emanating from the fledgling goddess tree. The elven stranger's words explain much of what he hoped to know, and some things he wished he didn't...

Swallowing, he suppresses his natural reaction to the news with a careful nod. "We have other tasks on this island that demand our attention, some of which may be important to preserving the sanctuary of your village. We won't overstay our welcome. However..." He gestures back toward the village.

"How do you know this young child is...ready for such a task? Our companion, Baldur, prodigal son of Odin by his own words, is a powerful druid. Perhaps he might persuade the village to spend some time with the young one to assess his ability?"

The sorcerer does not waver as he awaits the village prophet's response. Ozzy fidgets nervously around Niko's shoulder, peeking around the back of his neck with a nervous twitch.

 

[KittenMaster]

"The boy will undergo a lifetime of training for this task. His life will become dedicated towards becoming the next to give his life for Yggdrasil."

 

[Jackben]

"Still, it seems appropriate for the son of Odin to speak with the boy to impart some wisdom as he sets off on his new path. In any case, we shall make preparations to leave shortly." Bowing slightly, Niko returns to his vigil by Yggdrasil with his arms crossed. The sorcerer's head dips slightly and his jaw moves, but only soft clicking sounds are heard. After this, with his back to the prophet, he makes lingering eye contact with several members of the party.

Perception DC20:

Spoiler

Ozzy has seemingly disappeared.

DM:

Spoiler

I would like to have Ozzy attempt to find the boy from earlier by scent and keep an eye on him. What rolls are appropriate for this? I rolled stealth here (and of course my familiar would get my first natural 20 of the game) but I don't know how scent would work.

 

[KittenMaster]

Niko:

Spoiler

That would be a survival for tracking. Your familiar would need to have the scent ability to gain a bonus, and know about the boy's scent to begin with IIRC.

 

[Azih]

Stricia waits on Alf's word before they leave the village and head east. His close connection to Odin and the wolf pack at the outskirts gives him the right to decide when to move on as far as she is concerned.

 

[Jackben]

Niko whispers to Stricia while still facing the goddess tree. "Our arrival has shaken things up a lot...but I'm not quite ready to leave. I will explain shortly."

Niko:

Spoiler

That would be a survival for tracking. Your familiar would need to have the scent ability to gain a bonus, and know about the boy's scent to begin with IIRC.

Spoiler

Weasel's have scent (ref here) but the page doesn't explain exactly what kind of bonus would be granted to a survival check, also the downwind/upwind mechanics seem confusing. Also I role-played some interaction between my familiar and the boy in my previous posts when we first came into the village but I don't know if that would be sufficient to learn the boy's scent.

 

[KittenMaster]

Spoiler

From what I can gather, it is a regular survival check with a different DC to meet.

 

[Jackben]

Spoiler

From what I can gather, it is a regular survival check with a different DC to meet.

All right, I'll see what this gets:
1d20=12

 

[KittenMaster]

Ozzy:

Spoiler

Ozzy will be able to get the boy's scent from his presence at the tree, pinpointing him from everyone else, to allow for further spying.

 

[ThLunarian]

Perception (1d20+12=24)

Gingerly plucking the anklet off with his teeth, Baldur transforms back to human form. "We ought get on our way," he says solemnly, looking over the party to make sure everyone is present and accounted for. He cocks his head curiously when he gets to Niko.

"What happen to weasel? This is first time I ain't been able to spot where he is."

 

[Jackben]

Growing slightly frustrated, Niko takes a breath and lets it out in a short exhale. Looking around to make sure no one is watching, he gestures for the group to follow him away from the forest grove. When they are out of earshot he gathers them around."No. We're not done yet. Don't you all understand? They intend to sacrifice the young boy to Yggdrasil to further its growth. Just like Odin, he will be trapped in its bark, probably forever. All for some fledgling goddess." The words are spit from the sorcerer's mouth bitterly. "You can ignore it, but I refuse to stand idly by while they decide the boy's fate for him."

"It cannot be what he wants, his life has just begun!" He looks pleadingly from person to person, hoping to find at least one face that agrees with him.

 

[Azih]

Stricia thinks about this "I did not think that the successor to Odin would take his path and merge with the tree. I thought the heir would just be a guardian and protector. Not... sustenance."

 

[ThLunarian]

Baldur is taken aback by Niko's sudden adamance, and he thinks carefully about what's being said, forcing himself to take his mind off of his grief for a moment.

"Do we know what the boy wants? If he doesn't want to do this then we should help him, yes. But if he does want this, stopping him is just as bad as forcing him."

 

[Jackben]

Niko looks to the monk with uncertainty. "I really don't know fully how it works, but..." He thinks back to the visage of Odin trapped upon the tree. Turning to Baldur he nods. "I just want him to have a choice. Even if he chooses to serve as guardian and...fuel for Yggdrasil, I truly believe he deserves to choose." He thinks for a moment before continuing. "And fully know just what he is choosing."

Returning to the question of Ozzy, Niko fills in the party. "We should be able to find him without too much difficulty. But I do not know if the villagers will accept our words in their current state."

((Can read spoiler text now guys if you want, using Ozzy to track and spy on the boy's location))

 

[Azih]

"Would Odin have sacrificed himself to the tree knowing that some other would have to take his place merged into Yggdrasil? If that is the case then my estimation of him would change. Alf... Baldur.. as you were born of this place do you have any instictive knowledge of what a successor of Odin would be expected to do?"

 

[ThLunarian]

"I know nothing of this. This village is foreign to me. Not sure why we being secretive of this though. Why not just find this boy and ask him what he wants? Not difficult." He looks like he's ready to start moving in that direction right now, but out of respect for the party he waits until a course of action is ironed out.

 

[Azih]

Stricia just turns and asks the elf what he means by taking Odin's place. "Is it to be a guardian and protector of Yggdrasil? Or is it to merge with the tree as Odin did?"

 

[KittenMaster]

The elf they were speaking to approaches the group once more, resting his hands together and in front of him as he speaks to you, "Are there troubles among you? I see a distressed face."

 

[KittenMaster]

Stricia just turns and asks the elf what he means by taking Odin's place. "Is it to be a guardian and protector of Yggdrasil? Or is it to merge with the tree as Odin did?"

Nearly upon arrival the elf receives this question, "He shall be both. When he is an adult and his powers have matured, then will he understand the destiny we have raised him up to accept."

 

[Azih]

Stricia turns back to what is now nothing more than a man shaped wooden outgrowth with new eyes. "Then Odin was truly selfish. To take this action knowing that some other would be forced to take his place? And in exchange for what?."

Turning to Nico she says "It will be many years and the boy will be a grown and powerful man before he would be forced to make this decision. And though I have no doubt the village will raise him to heavily encourage a certain path it will be his choice and his alone in the end whether to sacrifice himself as payment for Odin's abandonment of his duties."

Turning away from the tree. "I would not think Yggdrasil would be worth such an act. But it will not be any of ours decision to make when that time comes."

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

Leo turns to Niko and says "It sounds like they're going to groom him for the part, which would put a damper on the whole actual freedom of choice thing. Then again, that's how I was brought into arenas, and I loved arena fighting! So it might not be the most inhumane thing."

 

[Jackben]

Niko listens to the others words and shakes his head. "That may be true but...I want to know what he wants right now. To stay in the village and follow whatever sacrificial lamb cult grooming training they have cooked up or to explore the outside world. I guess we have to talk to him. May we speak with him?"

 

[Azih]

"He is but a child Nico, would he willingly abandon his family and village?" Stricia says but shrugs. If Nico wishes to intervene then he can.

((Stricia is all Prime Directive like Captain Jean Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise)

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

Leo shrugs and says "not really my call, but I'm fine with. that."

While he won't stop Niko, Leo is growing increasingly exasperated with this place. He still can't wrap his head around what a tree man would mate with to sire a wolf/man. And now Niko's up in arms about a kid again. This is why Leo avoids extended stays in nature, it just does weird things to people.

((That simultaneous post timing. I like to imagine Leo and Stricia are just talking over each other here.))

 

[ThLunarian]

Baldur narrows his eyes at the elf. "This is not freedom," he says unhappily. "My father says this Ig-drizzle is a god. What reasons to have another die for it? If god cannot survive without sacrifice of mortals, then does not deserve it at all."

He frowns. "My father gave his life for this Igdrizzle even before he die. If you would make little kid bear this same burden, I cannot allow it. You will stop this practice. No more raise little kids to sacrifice their selves. You want this to happen, you can sacrifice yourself."

 

[KittenMaster]

<When I quoted Stricia, it was after the Elf walked in on you guys.

He heard everything after that.>

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Draco suddenly speaks up, "Am I missing something or does this tree basically feed on people? And its suppose to become some kind of god? We done just fine without gods since they all sacrificed themselves, and from what I've heard, before that most people weren't even aware they existed. Sure, if someone wants to go down the path and become a god, more power to them, but when the process involves feeding off of, well, US, I'm thinking maybe we'd be better off without them."

 

[Jackben]

"Draco gets it...but even if we excuse the theological angle here, this bothers me on a deeper level." The sorcerer takes another deep breath, this time a bit more slowly to relax himself instead of using it as fuel for an exasperated sigh. He looks first to Leo "Look...I know it seems odd" then turns to Stricia "And maybe I am taking it a bit personal" before rounding out with Alf and the elven prophet, "but I just...empathize with being brought up to become something you don't want."

"Maybe I'm just being needlessly nosy but I can't just walk away without knowing I at least gave him a chance to make that choice."

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

"Huh. If the tree's killing everyone, that's bad. I'm not sure what it's doing for the village. If you want to go talk to the kid, you should do that. For the elf, I think I know how to figure this out."

((Tiberious stupidity incoming))

[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=62701]Perform (Act): 1D20 + 18 = [2]+18 = 20
[/url]

Tiberious turns toward the elf and asks "It is important that manly righteousness be followed, even when dealing with a godling! If people keep getting fed to the tree, is it because that's the right thing to do?"

 

[KittenMaster]

<So I'm gonna have to come up with an interesting response considering the elf was pretty much standing right by you guys and heard a bunch of stuff that probably wasn't meant for his ears and you guys didn't really react to that knowledge.>

 

[Jackben]

<So I'm gonna have to come up with an interesting response considering the elf was pretty much standing right by you guys and heard a bunch of stuff that probably wasn't meant for his ears and you guys didn't really react to that knowledge.>

((I intended for Niko to request of the elf that they be allowed to speak to the kid (but in the same breath prior to that he calls the process a cult, whoops) and if not try to sneak to him anyway but the rest of the debate between the party being heard will probably complicate things quite a bit now!))

 

[KittenMaster]

<This was the fault of me not realizing Stricia's question at first, so I simply decided to answer it as he joined your circle. Somehow this must have caused you guys to not notice a critical detail that he is, in fact standing near you guys.

And a bunch of posts were made since then, so I'm not sure I can really make a correction now.>

 

[Azih]

((Stricia wouldn't have been bothered by the elf being there since to her the matter was kinda settled when she learned that the boy would be an adult before being fed to the tree. She did make an I AM DISSAPOINT face at Odin though and wanted to get out of the place))

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((Leo being completely oblivious to the elf seems fairly in-character for him, and like Stricia, he pretty much just wants to leave. I don't think he said anything too bad to stoke the fires though))

 

[Jackben]

((It's cool, I'm fine to just play it out as Niko being so into the discussion that he didn't even register it.))

 

[Mike M]

Dreadstone gazes upon the wooden form of Odin and is suddenly struck by the parallels with his own life. Both men fathers whose selfishness took their children from them. Both men who would do anything to make it right.

In solemn and unspoken understanding, Dreadstone nods to Odin's unseeing eyes. "I'll watch over 'im long as I'm able."

Niko calls the attention of the party and raises his concerns about the fate of the young boy, which quickly dominates the topic of conversation. Dreadstone puts a pair of fingers in his mouth and whistles sharply to restore order.

"None of this is mission critical to us," he whispers harshly so as to exclude the nearby elf as best he is able. "We came here to do a job, we get it done, then we're gone. The boy's got years left before this is an issue. You got problems with the way these tree huggers go about their business, you come back on your own time after Ruby Keep gets a grip on the kingdom again and settle it then.

"Now, we got trouble in the east and an island full of monsters between us. Let's stop jawin' and start movin'."

 

[ThLunarian]

((I kind of just saw the whole conversation as us having it freely in front of the elf and not caring that he was listening because we're not threatened by him.

That's definitely how Baldur feels about it, at least.

I imagine Dreadstone is probably either facepalming or outright ready to pimpsmack all of us right now, too.

Edit: Simultaneous posting strikes again!))

Baldur hears Dreadstone's admonishment but doesn't respond to it, keeping his eyes locked with the elf's to let him know that he was not just let off the hook, and that Baldur is still expecting a response.

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((I totally did it on purpose to give the elf a chance to explain why we shouldn't burn down the man eating god tree. Also, the speed of all the posts right now doesn't help...))

 

[KittenMaster]

<Alright, going to post under the assumption that the Elf heard everything.>

The Elf explains, "Odin had no successor in mind other than Baldur, and he made a sacrifice to allow Baldur a choice. To Yggdrasil, another worshiper of Ehlonna is the cost for Baldur's freedom to live his life away from her."

"The child has great potential to surpass even Odin. He will be allowed to have a full life in his youth, and then as his powers have matured and in his tiring age he will grow to accept the final gift to the goddess: himself. Yggdrasil is immortal, as was the Armor of Fallen Leaves, but it needs followers to help it grow and to eventually ascend to full goddess-hood."

"Also realize this, even in her infancy, the goddess' powers are not to bring to anger. Much is expected of us."

 

[Azih]

"The merge will not be expected until he is an old man?" Stricia asks.

 

[KittenMaster]

"It will be after your youth, but before the human becomes brittle and withered. The between of body and wisdom."

 

[ThLunarian]

Something about this is not sitting right with Baldur. He lets out a very low and quiet growl in general frustration. "How many more must be sacrificed?" he snaps.

 

[Azih]

((Dreadstone getting ignored lol. I think that's the first time that's happened.))

 

[Mike M]

((Dreadstone getting ignored lol. I think that's the first time that's happened.))

((I know, right? LOL))

 

[Jackben]

((Dreadstone getting ignored lol. I think that's the first time that's happened.))

((Not by Robin-err Niko!))

At the sound of Dreadstone whistling Niko stops and finally notices the presence of the village prophet. He silences his objections momentarily and listens to what their tiefling leader has to say as well as the words of the elf. He thinks a moment, attempting to find the words that will satisfy both. Seeking a middle ground he looks to both parties with a proposal.

"I just want to speak with him. Can you allow that much?"

 

[KittenMaster]

The Elven man takes a breath, "I wish I could say it is wise, but we wish to wait until the child is old enough to understand the painful truth. As a child it will only confuse him."

 

[KittenMaster]

<I'm gonna need the game to be put on hold while things are working behind the scenes. You may continue to roleplay if you wish but I'm gonna make any requests an auto-fail for the time being until I know what direction the story is going, so keep that in mind.>

 

[ThLunarian]

Baldur steps forward. "No. I cannot allow you to use the child like this."

He hesitates and looks back at his friends, but his resolve is not broken.

"I will stay here instead."

 

[Jackben]

Baldur steps forward. "No. I cannot allow you to use the child like this."

"Al- er Baldur is right. I refuse to stand by and let this kid be raised to be sacrificed without ever knowing what life could be outside the confines of this village! We should-"

He hesitates and looks back at his friends, but his resolve is not broken.

"I will stay here instead."

The sorcerer is stunned speechless at Baldur's new proclamation. "Wha..but...!?"

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((Whoa shit! Are you pulling a Sarm?))