Support NeoGAF

[Azih]

((Hrm, seems like there are four good, two evil, and one neutral player characters... did I get something wrong? Or.. am I on TeamEvil? :O ))

((BTW Axe Menek's no longer old. He's a young man in death, though closer to middle age than youth. The second picture I posted, not the first.))

Menek blinks and finds himself in a different place yet again. Need to stop blinking He thinks to himself a little sourly before being greeted/insulted by the bird that had been his death bed companion "Wait, what.. I don't need a parole.." distracted by his new feathery companion Menek only has time to glance warily at the elemental before chaos descends along with a large vulture.

Menek's mind clicks through the possibilities, it's obvious that the gods would be in complete control of this meeting place and they wouldn't set an initial meeting between emissaries in a place where random animal attacks could happen, the vulture being a trial seemed unlikely as it would be a fairly absurd test of combat prowess, most obviously the vulture was with one of the others... should he doing something? After all this was an excellent opportunity to be rid of.... a fellow agent of Arozora? Menek shook himself Arozora would not be pleased if he acted against the owl and in any case he felt some sort of... mystical.. bond between himself and the animal.

Shuddering Menek says out loud firmly The vulture belongs to someone. Call it off. Now

Then the T-Rex crashes in and rushes towards them.

Oh my god a dinosaur! Maybe this is some sort of bizarre test

((Nezumi, I think this is all roleplay and we haven't quite got to rolling dice for real yet. But if Tessa's AC is lower than 38 she's gotten hit and will take 33 damage. If she has been hit you can roll her Fortitude save (1d20+Fort bonus) and if it's lower than 19 then she's also gotten poisoned))

 

[Nezumi]

((Thanks. I'm not sure what Tessa's AC is. Since I have not yet looked into the possibility of getting her some extra armor. And I'm not sure if I am to stack the two natural armor bonuses that are listed under T-Rex. I am however guessing that my Fort save would be 1D20+5+6 judging by the T-Rex's stats and the animal companion table...right?))

 

[KittenMaster]

<once again i wake up to find stuff i need to catch up on. I could've prevented a mess with a cmb check. Ill post soonish

EDIT: Okay. If I roll initiative and beat Tessa can I just attempt to grab the dinosaur and prevent any damage caused?>

 

[ThLunarian]

((Nezumi you did exactly what you were supposed to do, don't worry. I apologize for throwing you in the deep end of the pool like that.

I'm going to overrule the numbers for now. We will just say that Tessa got hit, and she is damaged, but she resisted the poison.

Also, the third evil presence was the vulture))

An arrow pierces the tough hide of the dinosaur and it yelps in alarm. The combined factors of the injury, its target's disappearance, and Viss's order cause it to abandon its attack and sheepishly return to Viss's side.

Higher up, the vulture also calls off its pursuit for unexplained reasons. It nonchalantly turns around and lands next to Ciel on the ground; once it does, it looks slightly confused.

The owl promptly flies off to hide, somewhere out of sight.

((I will hold off on moving things along until KittenMaster and DeadPhoenix post. In the meantime, feel free to interact with each other and RP some more. The animals are all under control now))

 

[KittenMaster]

Ozzang'ac continues to ponder during Mystra's appraisal of his abilities during their last moments in dialogue. Though indebted to her for delivering him from his purgatory, he knows little about the goddess herself or whether it is true she had created him.

And in an instant he is blinked into a new area of dryness. Even now the goddess' words echo in his mind,

Go forth, and know that your goddess holds you in the highest esteem.​

It only makes it wonder how he could carry out a task worthy of the gods if he could not even save his own kingdom from a beast worthy of the gods.

Ozzang'ac's mind becomes overridden by the vast wonder of unfamiliar imagery and a flood of trying to understand the natures of those before him. He shares a room filled with mermen exposed to the air, having difficulty adjusting to witnessing the torsos of the merpeople attached to extra limbs that prop them from the ground. Each of them also wear some kind of draping formed of materials he knows not of; possibly things found on the surface? He notes one in particular carrying wings of a seagull on her back; a different species of land merpeople perhaps?

Soon the blank expression of the elemental gazes over to the more standout creatures of the room. A masculine figure that appears formed from an island volcano, could this be a fire elemental? Ozzang'ac is unsure how a creature of a different elemental plane will react to a creature of water like himself. His eyes turn to two other creatures he cannot bring himself to relate to, a creature propped up like the surface mermen, but with some kind of bristly weeds covering the entire body in patterns of grayed color. Next is a large fish that has also gained the ability to breathe the air and perch onto land, the scaly fish-creature's fins seemingly replaced by these added limbs and elongated tail end.

Suddenly the fish snaps out at a bird, bearing fangs unusual for something outside of the darkest of the depths. Ozzang'ac nearly leaps to grasp the scaled beast, but is quickly blocked by the crowd of others rushing to stop it in his stead. Once again, he was unable to prevent a catastrophe... The fish creature was left injured by a hunter's hand, and the elemental can sense potential strife growing among the group.

 

[Azih]

((I'm enjoying having you play the Owl ThLunarian. Nezumi you're doing great. Assuming Ciel is no longer invisible as T-Rex has been called off. ))

Menek can still feel the owl's presence in his mind. It's an unexplainable tingle that is deeply deeply irritating.

"Hey ratbreath, come back here." He calls out and then his eyelid twitches as he realizes something and experimentally thinks Um.. Owl?. can you hear my thoughts?

With both the dinosaur and the giant vulture no longer threats Menek has a chance to appraise the other occupants of the cavern. His eye naturally follows the T-Rex first as it sits next to a....

Cat Person. Naturally more agile. Possibly Druid as has an impressive Animal Companion. Seems to rely heavily on it as protector. Best approach would be to ambush in a small space so it cannot assist

Menek's gaze travels to the giant Vulture sitting next to the pale vicious looking dagger of a human

Vanished and re-appeared. Got through dino's armour with ease, implied poison use, arrogant. All signs point to Assassin of highest order used to having everybody else at disadvantage and taking lethal advantage. Would be weaker in a stand up fight. Better yet, would never expect someone to be able to get the drop on him. Allies would be invaluable to keep vulture busy and keep them from setting up a deadly flank

Then to the winged woman standing in front of him in a guarded position.

Angel? Aasimar? Heavily Divinely touched. Obviously Good. Confident warrior. Brave. Used magic. Most probably would be able to not only fight but heal herself to keep going. Willing to put herself in harm's way to protect. A weakness to exploit. Ran to protect. Didn't Fly. Not used to wings? Target them first then.

Then to the woman standing next to him.

No obvious means of protection, yet not afraid by chaos, stinks of... uhh... smells of magic. Anti-magic field of some sort should be enough to strip away defenses. Target ability to vocalize to strip away offense otherwise. Needs further investigation.


His eyes widen as he looks over the hulking monster of a machine

Construct. Designed to be intimidating and use Brute Force. Best to assume level of intellect high. Designed as humanoid with same structural weaknesses though armoured. Attacks will be necessarily weighty due to heft. Seems willing to take hits rather than avoid them. Touch attacks if possible.

Then finally

Elemental, water. Standard tactics should apply... but would not be here if it was just a elemental. Avoid engaging in wet environment at all costs. Needs further investigation.


((Studied Combat on everyone suckers! Brother Eye is watching you! Man it's impossible not to have large portions of Batman/Sherlock Holmes seep through an investigator))

 

[Jackben]

Sybil releases the tension in her plated shoulders as the carnival of creatures settle their movements. She pivots on on her heel to address the civilians. "Hail, fellow plenipotentiaries. I am Sybil of R..." she hesitates as she ponders her answer a moment. "Sybil of Asgard." Sybil places her sword arm across her chest and nods in respect to both Menek and Mako.

Her eyes gleam bright and friendly as she addresses them both. "I am here at the behest of my goddess Freya, to serve the Raven Queen. Perchance might I ask of your name and whom you serve?"

Though the chaotic surge had begun to settle, she keeps the pale assassin and hulking construct carefully within her peripheral gaze.

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((Yeah, you're running with things great so far. Sorry for kind of forcing the pool into the ocean there for a second, but Ciel don't play that shit. ))

As the dinosaur is called off, Ciel reappears as abruptly as he vanished. "There, was that so hard?" Before he can act further, Thanatos flies over and lands by him, The giant vulture moves to pick up its master and protect him from whatever danger is still looking. The effort gets Thanatos a knee to the face. Thanatos lets out a short squawk, and simply sits down, clearly used to this kind of treatment. Ciel, meanwhile, proceeds to berate the vulture in an odd, drawn-out tongue, managing to simultaneously shout and whisper.

"Maatuch Kiuuuulsouven vah-suureirour coocalkuh shen rioulkhazeen tourooor adielvu det qialsindatrastaaa kouvuulbekzal iiiirdelth Thanatosss--
Shutvasven, baskuthaanviermul mourmul zatdatven seeen--"

Language- Necril:

Spoiler

Thantos, you imbecile! Not only do you not make your first priority greeting me, you attempt to come over and hoist me from the ground after you get bored chasing your lunch, which you didn't even succeed in devouring? Unacceptable, I see death has not fixed your discipline problems in the slightest.

When finished with his lecture, he looks over to the dinosaur and the cat woman, noticing that the dinosaur is still in control of its body. Begrudgingly accepting that they must work together, he walks over commence business relations or, failing that, put more unease in her.

"It looks like my poison was in too small of a dose to do anything to your pet. You should be proud! That tells me adjustments must be made, so you've pushed forward a scientific field that much more. It appears we are to work together for the foreseeable future, and in calling off your beast, you have shown a willingness to do so. You may call me Ciel."

He extends a hand, waiting for her to shake it. "May our business relations be... scratch that, may our desires to kill and maim each other be minimal."

 

[Nezumi]

((Edit: Oh. I had been writing this before I saw Axel's post. Give me a second to change things. or how do we deal with such situations? ))

The first thing Viss does once Tessa has settled next to her is checking to see if the wound she has received poses any danger. Once she is sure that this is not the case she gives the dinosaur a smack across the snout. Of course this is more of a disciplinary gesture than anything else. "You Idiot! Haven't we been over the whole "trying-to-eat-people-thing more than enough? Didn't you listen when Melora told us not harm the other representatives?" She shakes her head in frustration. Than she noticed the arrow is coated with some kind substance. That damned coward...
She narrows her eyes and turns towards the direction of the slender man... creature...thing, whatever it was. The giant vulture has landed next to it which drastically reduces Viss' admiration for the animal. She wants nothing more than go over there and hit it right in its stupid smirk ((totally assuming here Ciel is smirking, seems like the thing he would do)).
How dare it. How. Dare. It. But a voice of reason tells her that Tessa did attack first. Nothing good would come from resuming this fight. Melora had chosen her for a reason and Viss needed to be bigger than that... even if it sucked.

To her great surprise the creature suddenly comes toward her and extends a hand.

"It looks like my poison was in too small of a dose to do anything to your pet. You should be proud! That tells me adjustments must be made, so you've pushed forward a scientific field that much more. It appears we are to work together for the foreseeable future, and in calling off your beast, you have shown a willingness to do so. You may call me Ciel."

He extends a hand, waiting for her to shake it. "May our business relations be... scratch that, may our desires to kill and maim each other be minimal."

I can't believe I'm doing this. Melora, I see the path of redemption you have chosen for me is not going to be an easy one.

Reluctant Viss grabs the hand of the... Ciel. As much as she hated to admit it they sadly weren't in a position to resolve this matter in a more satisfying and less appealing way. Well, that didn't mean they had to be best friends from now on.

"You know. I would apologize to you for the behavior of my partner. However I'm not going to. First of all I'm quite sure that you don't really care. Second of all I don't see why I should apologize to somethin...someone, that shoots first and than gives a warning." She hold up the arrow. "Not to mention that I don't approve of your cowardly methods no matter how ineffective they were." She tosses away the arrow.
"Normally I would have made you regret that you hurt my companion. But seeing how she acted like a complete moron", Viss throws Tessa another punitive look See what I have to do thanks to you? "I propose we call it even as for now.
"I want you to know however that if you try hurting her, me or," she glances at the rest of the group. The winged woman had taken position in front of the other two humans, while the elemental still looked deeply distressed by the whole situation. The other... thing... had not moved at all. "Anyone else that I consider my companion ever again. I WILL make you regret it. Not right away of course, given our current situation, but all jobs come to an end. Eventually."

She presses his hand firmly and extends her claws ever so slightly before releasing her grip. Not enough to actually hurt him, but just enough to emphasize her point.

She then turns to the rest of the group ignoring, for now, the unmoving figure of that unnerving monstrosity. Is that metal? But how...

She bows her head. "My name is Vissaria daughter of Curai. Though since we are to be partners on this... whatever it is, I guess you can call me Viss. This is Tessa.
"I'm deeply sorry her entrance has startled you and I assure you that no one of you must fear any harm from her, unless provoked." Those last words she directed back at Ciel and it's vulture.

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Before she can even get a good look at the other people, Mako feels something crawling on her dress. It turns out to be a rather vicious looking scorpion! "Aiden!" she shouts with glee, but is interrupted by the sudden burst of animal based violence. Oh lord, she has apparently found herself surrounded by children who can't even keep their pets out of trouble... Mako decides to stand by and she what these people do. If nothing else she'll learn a thing or two about them.

Her attention first turns towards the human hiding in his cloak, being attacked by a T-rex. He suddenly disappears and strikes the dinosaur in a weak spot. Text book assassin, so probably also a sociopathic asshole. Will probably cause a lot of trouble...

She then turns to a slightly older looking man with an owl, being attacked by the vulture that seems to have scared Aiden... which happens to be owned by the assassin, of course. A wizard? Witch? Not another shaman for sure... Honestly, doesn't carry himself like a magic user, but seems to be some kind of alchemist at least. Oh well, at least he seems like a decent enough guy so far.

The winged human suddenly gets her attention. An aasimar! And she looks to be a paladin too. Thank Erastil, finally someone she knows she can trust.

And then... wow, is that a catfolk? She's never seen one herself, its so cute... would it be weird if she asks to touch thier ears? It appears to be the owner of that T-rex... they may need help keeping that thing in check.

It also looks like someone summoned a water elemental that is one giant face for some reason and built a very strange looking golem... Hopefully someone has a way to deal with them if they start causing problems, Mako prefers working with living things.

And just as quickly as the chaos begins, it is ended. And awkward introductions begin.
...Yep, Ciel confirmed for asshole.

"For an assassin, subtlety seems quite lost on you... I guess it worked though. Oh well, I guess I will continue with the introductions." says Mako, as she stands up and gives every one a nice curtsy, "I am Mako Mayaeil, yes that is elvan despite my lack of pointy ears. I am a spirit speak, an entertainer of the masses and, most importantly, a loving great grandmother. Like all of you, I've been sent here by a god, in my case Erastil, to do a job. And while this is not quite what I was expecting when I died, at least this will be an interesting way to waste time till my children join me in the after life, which I hope won't happen for a long, long time. Shouldn't be a problem for half elves, but until then lets try to make our time together as... pleasant as possible."

 

[ThLunarian]

((First, housekeeping stuff:

Nezumi, I missed your other question about spells. You have your full allotment of daily spells right now.

I also just read up on the rules for familiars and animal companions more extensively than I had before and to be honest it's kind of a headache to keep track of which rules apply to which type of follower, plus it's pretty arbitrary, so I'm going to default to whatever method suits each character the best for RP purposes. The owl can be understood by everyone (unless that wasn't your intent, Azih); Thanatos can understand the Necril language (but I'm assuming can't speak it?); Tessa's language capabilities haven't been fleshed out yet, so I'll leave it up to Nezumi to make that decision in the course of play. It's also up to DeadPhoenix how he wants to handle communication between Mako and Aiden, if there is going to be any at all. Again, that can be decided over the course of play and doesn't need to be figured out immediately.

Thanks for being patient and bearing with me as we get things moving; there are often quirks to be ironed out at the start of a campaign, and that's especially true given the number of characters and the high level of complexity we're working with here. I'm confident that we will get settled and in a more stable place very soon))

Thanatos makes a series of squawking sounds in mild protest to Ciel's tongue-lashing. The bird gestures in the direction of the angelic Paladin with its wings and beak, as if to blame her for.... something? It's not entirely clear.

Menek does not get a direct telepathic reply from the owl, but he does feel a unique transmission of emotion that is not his own, and logically must be from the bird. That emotion is primal fear for its life, tempered mildly by relief that the most immediate danger has passed.

 

[Mike M]

So far, Fleshbane’s tenure as the unwilling thrall of Zerome has been one defined by disappointment. Even the fleeting promise of bloodshed seems to have evaporated, as the disparate fleshlings adapt to their surroundings and restore some modicum of peace. Xenophobia is one of the most reliable motivations in stoking the ire between two dissimilar parties, such a pity it amounted to so little in this instance.

The ones who identify themselves as “Sybil” and “Ciel” have begun the process of introductions, prompting participation from the others. They appear to be attempting to forge the bonds of commonality with their compatriots by which they may secure themselves against hostility from them and instead turn it toward those without. Foolish, unwitting fleshbrains, they fail to see that this was but this was yet another manifestation of the conflict that defines the existence of biological in their ceaseless thirst for the resources they need to continue their meager existences. It repeated through every strata of their social orders like a fractal pattern; Kingdoms wage war against one another. States jockey for power and influence within a kingdom. Political parties compete for command of the state. Individuals fight for influence in their parties. It was the same story, all the way down the line—Put a scrap of food between two starving lovers, and even they will fight to the death. Biologicals need all available resources for themselves, and yet cannot subsist on their own. It was the critical flaw that inevitably drove them to all to their extinctions at some point.

The process of communicating by forming sounds via the manipulation of air flowing through the buccal cavity with a flapping strip of meat is a needlessly prolonged and laborious one compared to direct interface with machine code. Fleshbane’s attention drifts as the others speak, and he grows aware of the presence of something distantly akin to the machine intellects of his home world. As part of the Consensus, even as an autonomous unit Fleshbane was able to detect the minds of his fellow constructs. He knew their positions, could communicate directly across vast distances. This is something… Similar. Something that flickered and bobbed like torchlight compared to the steady incandescent illumination of a constructed intelligence, but illuminated the dark in its own way none the less.

Fleshbane realizes he is detecting the minds of the fleshlings about him. He is not able to interface directly with them, not in the way that he could with his fellows on Skirn, but he has the distinct impression that with focused effort he could impose his own will upon them. Possibly with enough force to inflict lethal harm.

Fascinating.

If not directly addressed, Fleshbane deigns to continue ignoring the others and await the appearance of that whom Zerome has promised his servitude to.

 

[KittenMaster]

Seeing conflict among the group as a result of the feral creatures following instinct, Ozzang'ac decides to compress his size to match that of the others in the room to appear less imposing. He approaches the merman and the bristled merwoman... and hesitates... he suddenly realizes that he is no longer touching the ground as he moves, and is somehow consciously levitating himself freely. It is almost as natural as swimming, but it is still unnerving to feel no weight in his movement as he would in the water.

Once he has a moment to gain composure, he speaks to the two before him, "Had I reacted a second earlier, I may have been able to step in and prevent any attacks. I know not what goal we will be striving to achieve but disorganization is key to failure."

Once he has made himself noticed, he introduces himself, "I am Ozzang'ac, former Captain of the Alantian Royal Guard of the sea. I have been given new purpose following my death to serve goddess Mystra and a being known as the Raven Queen."

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((Oh yeah, he's totally smirking. That seems exactly like how he'd approach things))

His smirk never fading, Ciel retracts his hand. "My my, such indignation over a warning shot. I don't know about you, but when something monstrous charges me, I don't wait until the last second in hope that someone intervenes. And cowardly? You must be the kind of person that attacks people head on, no defenses, bows drawn at dawn. Do you take ten paces away and rely on their honor to not get shot while you're at it? As for your little threat, we're already bound by gods to not fight. Your words are redundant but noted. Seeing as you have no interest in being cordial, I believe we're done here. Good day." With that, he pivots on his heel and returns to Thanatos

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((A lot happened while I was posting, so I suppose this isn't technically a double post.))
In response to the colorful lady, he says "You wound me. There's a time and place for subtlety, and I don't believe a dinosaur attack qualifies."

"As for the rest of you, I trust you caught my words with Viss. This will be a most interesting assignment."

((edit: just caught the language stuff. Yeah, Thanatos can't speak anything, he doesn't have much of anything as far as intelligence enhancements go))

 

[Nezumi]

(( I don't think Tessa really speaks. It would be strange. Viss has not cast awaken on her. She is perfectly capable of understanding Viss but makes her desires known mostly through body language.))

 

[KittenMaster]

<Posting again as well because there was something I forgot to ask and I might not get another chance.>

As the merman that had retaliated against the fish creature darts off, Ozzang'ac turns towards the bristled one once again and asks, "I have many questions about this world, but this one holds most strongly... but what kind of land fish is this that you command?" The bristles that layer over the merwoman's skin is also curious, but Ozzang'ac suspects that is a question unwise to ask this point of time.

 

[Nezumi]

Still a little occupied with wondering if an openly evil asshole like Ciel has just given her a lecture in courtesy, Viss only listens with one ear as the woman wearing the bright clothes introduces herself. It is only when the water elemental suddenly addresses her directly that she returns her attention back to the group.

"Fish? What fish..." Realization. "You mean Tessa?" She laughs though not in a mocking way. It is just that someone calling Tessa is fish is the most absurdly funny thing she had heard in while. Hartur would roll on the floor with laughter if she ever get the chance to tell him this.

After a minute or so she has her laughter mostly under control and manages to answers. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh at you. It's just...," another snorting laughter escapes her mouth. "No. Again Sorry. Tessa here is no fish. She is a Tyrannosaurus. A reptile. You know what a reptile is, right?"

 

[KittenMaster]

Ozzang'ac isn't sure how he is supposed to react to the laughter. Perhaps it is a good thing that he brought joy, but it may have unintentionally been at his own expense. He explains, "I don't believe the term has been commonly used in my home world. The creatures it most resemble near my Kingdom are the scales found on fish and some parts of a tortoise."

 

[Nezumi]

((Did you mean turtle? Because tortoises only live on land ))
Seeing the confusion of Ozzang'ac, Viss regrets her laughing fit. But still, Tessa, a fish?
She stifles the newly arising laughter.

"Well Ozzagnaza... Ozzgnana... You know what... how about I call you, let's say Ozz, huh? Anyway Ozz. I guess you could say that Tessa is some kind of turtle. But you do know that a turtle is not a fish, right? Anyway. If it is easier for you, you can think of her as a turtle. Only that she happens to be bipedal, bigger, with more teeth and lacking a shell. And alas I fear she is not such a good swimmer either."

 

[KittenMaster]

<Oh, right. Retcon my post and assume he said turtle.>

"It would be best if I understood Tessa to be... a rept-isle, you said it was? Knowledge of land creatures are limited on my part and the people of my kingdom have never needed to classify creatures as such."

 

[Azih]

"Menek.. Menek Intart, lately of the continent of Minae.... which.. I think is not nearly on the same plane as any of the rest of you. Pleased to make your acquaintances Sybil, Ciel, Vissaria, Mako, Ozzang'ac." Menek nods politely at each of them in turn trying to keep his wariness of the assassin and aversion to Mako and Ozzang'ac hidden. He was here to represent his deity and he'd do a good job of it if it killed him... well.. he was already dead.. what would happen if he died again. Something to ask this Raven Queen. Also something felt... off in his head... the connection to the owl felt like more than just a single bond but also a link to something far more.... unexplainable. Menek's eye twitched as he backed away from the link mentally and keep his bearing.

I serve Aroz...I mean Arozora. Master of the Mind and Mistress of Magic. I think it's safe to say that we have all been tasked to carry out the orders of the Raven Queen?

Menek walks up to the metal construct. Everything pointed to this being a safe haven and even the murderous assassin Ciel was playing nice so he felt safe enough to poke the hulking form with a finger.

"Hey, so what's your story?"

((Perfectly fine with the owl being able to talk to everyone. Is the bold bothering people? If so I can stop doing it and keep verbal communication between quotes))

 

[Nezumi]

There is something in the Ozz' almost childish naivety that Viss finds to be absolutely endearing. She doesn't believe one second though that he is any less powerful than anyone else in the group or he wouldn't have been chosen for this mission. Even if I have no idea what this mission is.
It is just that he is so clearly out of his, well, element No more laughter, dammit, Viss would have hugged him, if she thought it possible.
She gives him another reassuring smile.
"I guess that is good enough. You will learn fast enough, I'm sure." She turns to the rest of the group. "Anyone has an idea when our employer will get here? And please, can someone in seven hells please tell me what this thing over there is? Did one of you bring it? Does it do tricks or does it only stand there menacingly?" She tries not to look at the huge humanoid mountain of metal ((?)) that appeared not to take notice of anything that had happened in the last minutes. It gave her the creeps.

 

[KittenMaster]

Ozzang'ac's attention turns towards the hulking figure in the back as does everyone else. He guesses, "I had assumed he was a fire elemental," noting his lack of knowledge being apparent, he quickly follows up with an uncertain, "but I have been wrong before."

 

[ThLunarian]

Finally, things settle down and the question of 'Now what?' begins to linger in the air. Just as everyone begins to direct their attentions to the curiously-silent android, a new person appears in front of everyone.

Pale-skinned and strikingly beautiful, this woman radiates a presence unlike any others in the room. The subroutines that would normally cause Fleshbane extreme distaste at the sight of any biological creature, somehow are not triggering at the sight of this ostensibly humanoid creature, a fact which produces in him an extremely rare state of confusion.

Everyone else, of course, is immediately aware that they are now in the presence of a deity.

"Welcome to your new home," says the woman. "I am The Raven Queen, shepherd of souls and regulator of the Astral Sea."

She is speaking aloud, but her voice is also being projected directly into the mind of each person and creature in attendance, to ensure that not one word goes unheard.

"My job is to ensure that all souls arrive in the correct domains upon the end of their mortal lives," she begins. "The systems I have put into place to ensure their proper distribution are highly effective; I believe the latest counts report a ninety eight percent accuracy rate." She begins pacing methodically and slowly back and forth, as a rhetorical technique to maintain everyone's attention.

"However, not even the gods are perfect, and I am no exception. There have always been.... deviations. Interferences, which divert souls from their rightful homes and into the wrong afterlives. Over time, we have learned that these deviations tend to be intentional.

"You can imagine that this creates a problem. No one is happy when a soul that rightfully belongs to them is shipped off to another god's domain. However, the question of how to deal with these violations has always been difficult to answer. By design, each domain of the Astral Sea is lorded over by a specific deity, or group of deities. If a violator in, for example, Asmodeus's Nine Hells," and she glances at Ciel, "Has devised a scheme to divert souls away from Odin's Asgard," and she glances at Sybil, "How can justice reasonably be expected to get carried out, without resorting to war?"

Here, she stops pacing and turns her body to directly face everyone once again. "This is where you come in, and why this shouldn't be a problem anymore. The seven of you have been hand-picked by your masters to serve on the newly-formed Soul Allocation Enforcement Department, or SAED, if you prefer. You will be tasked with seeking out perpetrators of soul diversion as the need arises, and dealing with the problem in whatever ways you see fit."

She now walks into the center of the group, such that they part and form a rough circle around her. "All the gods of the Astral Sea have agreed that, concerning matters of soul allocation, you have absolute authority. The laws of whichever domain you enter will not be able to touch you - so long as you do NOT interfere in any way with the status quo in that domain."

She is very slowly rotating as she speaks, making eye contact with each of you in turn. "You will be reporting directly to me. I'm aware that all of you are accustomed to there being multiple layers of separation between yourselves and the gods which you've served, but make no mistake - I am your direct superior officer, and you will have direct access if you need it. So long as you are here in this building, you will be able to call for me, and I will listen.

"Of course, that works the other way around, as well. I will be giving you your assignments directly, and I expect you to be available when I do."

She pauses for a moment before continuing. "I will address the matter of your living arrangements and the resources that will be available to you shortly, but before I do, does anyone have questions or comments regarding the nature of your duties or the chain of command?"

((The hazards of everyone posting within 5 minutes of each other, folks. I don't think we've ever had such rapid-fire participation between so many players at once like this. That's okay though. Mike M, if you want to roleplay an initial reaction to the others' attention, which subsequently gets interrupted by Raven Queen's appearance, that would probably work best here. Everyone else hold off on posting until Mike makes his next post please))

 

[Jackben]

((Fuck, posted at the same time as an update. I'll let other people post so I don't end up editing in a bunch of paragraphs))

((I have no problem with the bold type. Makes for a nice contrast.))

And then... wow, is that a catfolk? She's never seen one herself, its so cute... would it be weird if she asks to touch their ears?

((http://i.imgur.com/KZGvqPf.gif))

Sybil stiffens noticeably at the smirking assassin's approach, his dark speech a portend affirming the blood dripping nature of his aura. Still, she must adhere to her code, and thus she nods in acknowledgement of his introduction. The paladin resists the urge to smile at both Viss and Mako's barbed words, quietly impressed, but simply adding "I believe we all have a divine interest in maintaining civility."

"Well met, Mako of Erastil and Menek of Minae." She nods at the scholar and smiles at the spirit speak, suppressing a twinge of jealousy that one who appears so undisciplined proclaims ability to speak with the spirits. "And you too daughter of Curai." Her jealousy quickly turns to wonder as she remembers begging to be read the stories of goddess Freya's chariot led by Skogkatt with the other orphans in her childhood. 'She is beautiful'. For now, the paladin keeps her wonderment quiet.

The water elemental continues to surprise, changing shape and speaking with a human-like intelligence, making inquiries and positing questions almost...independently. "Ozzang-ac." She pronounces the words carefully, attempting to mimic them as perfectly as possible. "You are a Captain of the Alantian Guard and serve Mystra. You are different from many summoned avatars I have seen in that you express yourself independently."

They each have a sharp wit, which would make negations difficult. Sybil prays most of the diplomacy she will need to practice will be upon those outside the Raven Queen's council.

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((Doh! Had a bunch of posts show up while typing again. I guess he said that before the Raven Queen showed up. And yeah, the bold's fine with me))
Resisting the urge to correct Viss and state that it's Nine Hells, Ciel steps back from the unmoving construct and says "Beats me. She's probably waiting to see if we try killing each other or something."

Ciel further checks his distance as Menek approaches the large... thing. If his hunch is correct, the bounds of the no killing edict are about to get tested, and he's all too happy to let someone else be the guinea pig.

 

[KittenMaster]

What he thinks is a fire elemental doesn't hold his attention long enough to overcome engaging a response to a voice that addresses him by name. Turning to the voice that speaks curiosity about his nature, he answers, "Well met.. Sybil of Ash-guard was it? I was a summoned creature for the Kingdom, but after my duties were done I became a guard for the royal family... I had never thought of myself any different than other water elementals until after my demise."

Before Ozzang'ac will ever get the chance to explain his apparent creation by Mystra as a possible reason behind Sybil's observation, he is soon greeted by the presence of the Raven Queen that was most well spoken about by the gods. He turns attention towards her and listens to her words well.

Though Ozzang'ac does not know the entire procedure which to gather lost souls to their rightful owner, it becomes apparent that it will seem to be a delicate task that must be taken seriously. He knows as a royal guard that has only known servitude his whole existence that he would be suited to the task, and suspects Sybil of Asgard as well, but remains unsure of others that are less disciplined or less invested in maintaining order.

<I may post again if I can think of any questions to ask ICly.>

 

[DeadPhoenix]

"Have you picked one of us to be a leader or is that something we need to figure out for ourselves?"

 

[Azih]

"How dangerous would you expect these tasks to be? Do you have any suspicions on who might be behind these diversions? And what happens if we die.... again... while we carry out our tasks?" Menek fires questions as respectfully as he can at the imposing queen of the dead.

 

[Mike M]

((Holy shit, I remember when I was the one posting a million posts an hour. I deserve this.))

Fleshbane’s glowing eyes flash at Menek’s unsolicited touch, and the man finds his hand encapsulated in a metal fist as Fleshbane lowers his gaze.

“Do not defile me with the touch of your rotting meat, fleshling,” he says, forcibly pushing Menek back a pace before releasing him and facing others that had gathered round to observe him. “I am a Xenocide Unit of the Pan-Skirn Construct Consensus, designate 055,” he announces. “In your mewling language, I have also been referred to as ‘Fleshbane.’ A suitable title, given my designated purpose--it is but for the machinations of my captor that the floor is not already slick with your blood. I am restrained for the time being, but know that it is only a matter of time before I am free once more, and I am ageless.”

Further threats and responses are cut off as a new presence appears among them. She confounds Fleshbane’s perceptions, having all the characteristics of a being made of flesh, yet failing to register on any of his criteria. Was this a creature who only adopted the appearance of a mortal, or was this another effect of Zerome’s alterations designed to make Fleshbane more manageable?

Further analysis will have to wait, as the entity—self identified as the Raven Queen—at last explains the purpose of this motley assembly. “So this is to be our final fate?” he asks after she has concluded. “To be dogs on chains that come running at your beck and call? An eternity of servitude seems poor recompense.”

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

Ciel finds himself smirking once more as the large, fiery hate-robot finally shows signs of life. So it can talk after all. Fascinating.

Faced with his new boss, Ciel's efforts to tone down his brashness are limited to 'try and not get yourself killed.'

"So we're soul allocating police, basically? The ban on interfering with status quos is regrettable, albeit expected. Very well, even with associates that wouldn't be my third choice, this beats the alternative."

 

[ThLunarian]

The Raven Queen nods mildly as she entertains various questions from her audience.

"The seven of you are all second in command here," she explains to Mako. "Each of you will have a full staff to take care of the grunt work that can be accomplished here, and in turn, each of you will report to me.

"However, as per the terms of the accord that sanctioned your assembly, the seven of you and ONLY the seven of you will enjoy diplomatic immunity, and as such only you will be able to go into the field - though arrangements will be made to accommodate any attendants that may be required for a given journey. We'll get to that later."

Menek's query produces a small smile on The Raven Queen's lips. "Of course, you're not yet familiar with the Astral Sea. 'Dying' here is impossible. If you are.... 'killed,' you will awaken to find yourself here, in the Command Hall. There will be a brief period of recovery, and then you will be fully restored. That is, provided that you abide by the rules. If your death is the result of a deviation from your purpose, you will be discharged from service and will find yourself in the realm of the deity you serve, for them to deal with.

"Can these missions be dangerous? Potentially, yes. There are fates worse than death, and the entities which can divert souls from their predetermined path tend to be immensely powerful. This is why we've chosen only the best of the best for this assignment."

She regards Fleshbane impassively. "No," she says bluntly. "There will be a schedule of rotation. After ten years of service - or when one of you is forcibly removed from SAED, whichever comes first - you will be sent back to the domain of the god you serve, and you will be replaced by another domain's champion. For any other deity, I would expect an eternal reward for such a period of honorable service, but I must admit that I have some degree of pity for you. I know little of this petulant upstart 'Zerome,' but it seems to care nothing for its worshipers. I suggest you relish your time away from it while you still can."

((I'm looking for more questions, in particular questions about the facility, so that this info dump can be broken up a little bit and the segue can be more natural))

 

[KittenMaster]

Finally having a question based on information given, the water elemental asks, "My authority as a guard in my previous kingdom was recognized by my close guardianship. How might we, in our following circumstances, be able to prove to those distant from that we have such privilege and authority granted by your holiness?"

When brought up the fate of those that become a part of the astral sea and how death is not imminent, it becomes apparent that there might be a chance that the rest of Ozzang'ac's people may be somewhere in the astral sea. He asks, "Does being brought to recovery after an apparent death happen to all that live in the astral sea, or is this only a privilege granted to ourselves?"

<I have no way of really coming up with how Ozzang'ac would think of asking about the facility.>

 

[ThLunarian]

"A fine question, Ozzan'gac," says the Raven Queen. "Your sponsors each have their own views on the importance of this mission. Most are able to look in on you at their leisure. If you wish to correspond with them, you will have magical access stations in your own wing of the Observatory. They can facilitate communication in real time, or if your sponsor is not available then you can leave a message."

She listens to his next query. "That is... a complicated question," she admits. "The majority of the time and for the majority of denizens, it is true. There are certain corner cases that are harder to sort out. If you wish to know about the citizens of Alantia, I can assure you that they are each in the domain of whichever god they worshiped. Perhaps if a specific person concerns you, I can look into it."

 

[KittenMaster]

Ozzang'ac simply responds, knowing that it is no longer his place to focus on his own personal matters over that which he was chosen to pursue, "Thank you. It relieves me enough to know that my people still exist in some form."

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

Ciel listens to her spiel. Blah blah blah, stuff about duty and responsibility, blah blah worthiness, "Wait, living arrangements? So we're going to be operating out of wherever this is? What kind of living arrangements have you made for us, exactly?"

 

[Mike M]

Fleshbane crosses his arms across his chest. “Your explanation of the laws governing this venture trouble me,” he states, his voice possessing a faint electric buzz as he speaks. “Am I to understand that all the biological intelligences that have ever shuffled off their mortal coil have continued their worthless existence in these realms? That this ‘Astral Sea’ forever accumulates the castings off of the whole of the multiverse to be sorted and divided among vainglorious ‘gods?’”

With the grinding of adamantine plates, Fleshbane sweeps his arm wide in dismissal of the thought. “I was promised slaughter!” he protests. “What use is ending a life if they are only reconstituted again in some far realm where they might continue as though nothing has occurred? What need have I for staff or facilities if my sole reason for being is to be thwarted in such a manner?”

 

[ThLunarian]

"I made no such promise," the Raven Queen points out to Fleshbane. "And Zerome had no business - nor the authority - to make such a promise either. But your tactics in the field are of no concern to me, provided they get the job done. If slaughter is required so to make things right, then slaughter to your cold heart's content. As to your complaints of the mechanisms of the Astral Sea and how souls are recycled, I daresay those questions are better left for philosophers and gods. My recommendation is that you refrain from troubling yourself over them."

Turning to Ciel, she explains. "This facility is unique to this realm in that it belongs to no god, not even me. It floats high above the Astral Sea, and is a marvel of modern magical architecture. In the center is this command hall; above you will find a vast library, containing the lion's share of information that you could hope to know.

"Surrounding the center portion are seven spacious wings, each of which is large enough to accommodate an environment of your choosing. You will have magical servants at your disposal - intelligent constructs that will design, construct, conjure, and build environments to your exact specifications. These servants will also be on hand to serve you, and if you want them, you'll have access to humanoid assistants as well, though I'll have to rethink that policy for you, Fleshbane," she explains.

A three-foot-high, faceless machine with a vaguely humanoid shape and a shiny, metallic half-sphere for a head appears next to the Raven Queen. It emits a constant low, pleasant buzzing noise.

"We call these Archons," she says. "They are common among the nobility throughout the civilized portions of the Astral Sea. They are emotionless, harmless, and completely subservient. They will respond to your orders without question."

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((Best pep talk incoming EDIT: Adding stuff in response to the Raven Queen before he gives the State of Evil))

"Hmm, sounds rather high-end. I guess there are upsides to this after all."

Fleshbane's outburst gets Ciel's attention more than the luxurious accommodations. The questioning of purpose causes him to perceive weakness and uncertainty. More importantly in a room full of the overly moral, it suggests someone with a world view in the same ballpark as his, who can perhaps be brought closer with the right words. Approaching Fleshbane but avoiding touching after seeing how that went for Menek.

"Good sir, you appear troubled by the implications of an afterlife. If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion, perhaps you're looking at this from the wrong angle. Is it the killing of life you relish, or the suffering inflicted as men, women and children are brought before you and broken? It may be true that the Astral Plain means no one you exterminate is truly eradicated, but the pain they feel before being torn asunder? The pain felt by their survivors? That is quite real, both hear and there.

I can't begin to understand how you process things. Perhaps all the robotic parts keep you from considering something so meaningless. But, if I'm not mistaken about your actions so far, you do have humanoid emotions in there. Why else would you have those but to get into the perception of people, and to relish in their despair? Don't think of it as an invalidation of death, think of it as an opportunity to ruin an infinite number of lives. Embrace that part of your mind, and the rest will fall into place. I have no doubt that there will be opportunities to bring havoc that are within the bounds of our orders. They may not approve-" he motions to the other party members-"but my deity is all about loopholes; opportunities to kill and torture will present themselves. We're stuck here, so all I'm saying is: give sadism a chance."

 

[Jackben]

((I'm imagining Ciel spearheading a political 'give sadism a chance' campaign, complete with bleeding dagger pins and buttons that are actually mimics.))

Sybil excuses herself from Ozzang'ac's side and takes a knee as the Raven Queen presents herself. She studies her with the distant reverence appropriate of her station in servitude to a deity on par with her own. Though she does not feel a personal connection like that with her goddess Freya, Sybil is struck by the Queen's extraordinary otherworldly beauty. The arbiter of the Astral Sea radiates static aura of intense but sealed energy that reminds Sybil of the permafrost of the darkest winters in Rangrid.

Sybil's attention is broken by the machine man Fleshbane's awakening and distasteful proclamations. She can feel heat creep up her back, causing the brand upon her neck to begin a dull burning. Not only does this autonomous golem operate independently, it appears to care far less for law and order than she anticipated. In fact, for a construct that was mostly passive it appears to be the most chaotic of their group, acting out emotions of impatience, rage, and worst of all...'impudence'. Swallowing her growing irritation over Fleshbane's complete disrespect, she steels her voice and addresses the Queen.

"My Queen, I am Rhea of Rangrid, also known as Sybil of Asgard. Please call upon me however suits you best." Sybil allows the others to ask questions, preferring to remain single focused.

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

((I'm imagining Ciel spearheading a political 'give sadism a chance' campaign, complete with bleeding dagger pins and buttons that are actually mimics.))

((I'm going to have to add that to the ever-growing list of atrocities to shoot for before the campaign ends.))

 

[Mike M]

Fleshbane's burning orange gaze turns now to Ciel. "You are bold indeed to adopt such a tone with me," he says. "Do you think finding a single commonality between us makes us allies, now? That you have somehow elevated yourself in my eyes above these others? You are mistaken.

"Pain and terror are but a means to an end, but the killing is everything. Biologics are a cancer upon existence, multiplying without reason, consuming everything without heed, and burying theirselves in their partially digested filth. The fate of all flesh is extinction as your insatiable avarice inevitably exceeds your available resources. Only by hastening your end can balance and sustainability ever hope to be achieved."

His diatribe concluded, Fleshbane's attention returns once more to the Raven Queen and her primitive construct servant, waiting for the opportunity to quit the company of these lesser creatures.

 

[ThLunarian]

"....Yes. Well," says The Raven Queen, apparently regretting listening in on Ciel's and Fleshbane's dialogue, "I believe that covers everything. There may already be an assignment for you, but I have more research to do first, and I'm sure you all need time to settle into your new accommodations. The humanoid staff should arrive within a day or two. You'll find a basic console in each wing of the Observatory from which you can communicate with your sponsor, as I mentioned; should you desire to change its appearance to match your choice of decoration, the Archons will be able to help you. It sounds as though there are no more questions, so I'll be on my way. Expect my return before the week is done."

The Raven Queen blinks out of existence, leaving the group to explore the compound and figure things out for themselves.

((This is where each of you can custom-build your portion of the compound. You each have about the equivalent of a mansion-sized space to work with, and you can make it look and feel however you want.

You also have the freedom to create NPC characters to interact with on your own terms for RP purposes (meaning you can write both sides of your interactions with them unless you really want me to step in for some reason), and you can build relationships with them if you choose to do so. As mentioned, each of you will have a personal staff of three full-time humanoid helpers and a dozen archons. These NPCs will not have in-game mechanical effects and you shouldn't include them on your character sheets; they are solely to facilitate roleplaying and to help create the feel that I'm going for in this campaign - that you're all the biggest of big shots with a lot of power and a lot of responsibility.

Have fun. Once everyone has their space made up and any additional RP scenes are concluded, the Raven Queen will return to give you your first assignment))

 

[Mike M]

Arcs of balefule energy crackle as they climb Fleshbane's mechanical form before he suddenly vanishes from the central hub where this absurd squad has been assembled.

He instantly reappears in a vast, vacant space of featureless white. His own designated quarters to craft however he desires to suit his comforts. But Fleshbane is a being forged of adamantine and adorned with spikes, "comfort" is neither something he desires nor provides.

The Raven Queen's promised "staff" arrive, a dozen of the small constructs that are scarcely above being nothing more than animated tools. There is an almost eager note to their machine language inquiries as they query their new master about the nature of his desires for his new abode.

Nothing, he broadcasts back. The juggernaut would be equally satisfied in a palace as he would in a closet. "Living space" was a concern for organic life, yet another limited resource for them to squabble over.

The archons fall silent for a moment before renewing their questions anew.

I require nothing, he repeats to no avail. Still the archons clamor for instructions on how this wing might be customized to his preference.

"They are unable to leave this place in this state," comes a voice from behind Fleshbane. "The archons are compelled by their basal programming to alter it."

"Then their programming is flawed," Fleshbane states, his head swiveling one hundred and eighty degrees on his neck to face behind him. "The expected result of fleshbrains."

Behind him stands three figures. One is large and hulking–almost equal to Fleshbane's own imposing stature–its surface an even black coloring speckled with flecks of red rust. The second appears more like a sculpture, cast in gleaming red metal in the stylized and sexless form of an idealized male physique. The third is a golden abstract representation of the female form, all exaggerated proportions balancing upon legs that terminate in points rather than feet.

"Fe," rumbles the one made of iron.

"Cu," acknowledges the copper male.

"Au," the gold woman says in the same voice that had spoken earlier.

"Elementals," Fleshbane observes as the rest of his body rotates to match the orientation of his head. "Tell me, did the Raven Queen send you under some misguided notion I would think us kin?"

"The Raven Queen thought you might be more amenable to our service than that of 'fleshlings,' as you have been known to put so delicately," Cu said. There was a note of aristocracy to his voice.

Fleshbane chuckles, the sound of metal surfaces casting sparks as they grind together. "I am to believe this is to be for my benefit? Not the safety of our mistress's staff?"

"A false dichotomy," Fe answers. "Nothing would preclude both from being true at the same time."

"Consider me duly rebuked," Fleshbane says.

"Fe is the scholar of our number," Cu says, gesturing to the only vaguely humanoid iron elemental. "Au is our combat master," he says, moving his hands towards the golden figure to his left, "and I am to be your advisor on etiquette and protocol."

Fleshbane leans forward until his inexpressive face is level with Cu's own. "'Etiquette and protocol?'" he repeats.

"Manners maketh metal," Cu replies coolly. "What sort of world would it be if metal did not behave in a completely predictable manner? If it did not form molecular bonds or react with compounds in the exactly prescribed manner on every occasion? I think you will find that being the embodiment of a thing carries more weight than simply being made of the stuff."

To Fleshbane's audio receptors, Cu was describing the disorder inherent in the interaction of biological organisms. Their inability to react consistently when presented with the same stimuli in one instance as another. Perhaps there was more wisdom to the Raven Queen's selection than base pandering after all...

Fleshbane straightens himself. "And you three serve me? Obey my commands?"

Au nods her head. "Only the Raven Queen may countermand you," she says.

"Then these are my commands. Fe, I require knowledge. Bring me all that is known of Zerome and his associations so that I might better know my tormentor and seek his undoing."

Fe bowed, a rigid movement owing to the brittle firmness of his composition. "At once," he intoned before turning heel to lumber out of the chamber.

"Cu," Fleshbane continues, "do you number hospitality among your skills and knowledges."

"Of course, my lord," Cu smiled.

"Then I delegate the command of these archons to you. I desire this space to be as inhospitable to biological life forms as possible. If I am to be compelled to spend time in their number without the ability to end their lives directly, I will settle for a realm where they cannot set foot without the promise of death."

A shadow of a sour expression flickers across Cu's gleaming features before his stoic properness reasserts itself so quickly that it could scarcely be said to have fallen at all. "Say no more," he says, brushing past Fleshbane and marshaling the eager archons.

"Au," Fleshbane says, turning toward his combat master.

"I serve at your pleasure," she says gently.

Fleshbane's armor gleams as the surface grows fluid, rivulets of molten metal cascading down his arms. In his hands, it reforms itself in the shape of an enormous greatsword with a razor's edge. "Kill me," he orders.

---

Fleshbane's hall rings with the sound of unending combat, the two opponents throwing themselves against each other time and time again. Sometimes the temperature grows so cold that they become embrittled, pieces of them snapping off and shattering at the slightest impact. Sometimes it is so hot that they glow bright enough to illuminate the darkened chamber around them.

Standing on a dais in the center, Fe recounts the known details of Zerome and the composition of the Astral Sea in his creaking voice. The howl of the winds that churn the atmosphere of chlorine gas threaten to drown out the oratory, but he continues undaunted.

Outside, Cu stands at his post with a phalanx of archons, ready to receive visitors that will likely never come with the proper welcome of nobility. If he notices or cares about the absurd contrast with what lies behind the door, he gives no sign.

For the first time since being brought online to serve the Consensus, Fleshbane feels something akin to comfort.

 

[Axelhortsemchi]

Ciel shakes his head and sighs, his mood rapidly deteriorating. "You were right about one thing in that pissy, rambling diatribe of yours. I was mistaken about you. Here I thought you at least enjoyed your work, were someone who could understand the joy of inflicting suffering, but no, you're a mere tool. Nothing but an advanced knife, with no more thought towards the meaning of your goal than the tools you use yourself. Have fun with your existential crisis, and try not to think to hard about the notion that somewhere along the line of constructs that made you, it can be traced back to a machine made by one of those biologics you hate so much. Hmph!"

Clearly outraged, Ciel storms off as soon as the Raven Queen dismisses them. Left in a room of white with Thanatos, he finds himself in need of someone to take his anger out on. "Slaves, REVEAL YOURSELVES!" in response to his shout, Archons appear in the white void with him. They wait for him to begin issuing orders. Instead, he whips out his bow and shoots one, hoping to get a good response out of them. Nothing. They just fix the damaged one and continue waiting for building orders. This won't do at all.

"First things first. Can you create organic matter in this space?" The machines buzz and whir, not giving a definitive answer. Perhaps he should have just taken his spot in the Nine Hells after all. "Fine, then show me. I want a dungeon made filled with prisoners and torture equipment. Cover all ages and races. I don't care if they're truly people or approximations, as long as they act the part. Next, I want a room riddled with blood and limbs. It should look like a war was fought in there and then a bomb went off around the victors. This is to be my meditation room." The machines continue to whir for a moment as they process his orders, testing Ciel's already frayed patience. "The fuck are you waiting for? Get to it!"

In a short order, the two rooms are completed. Leaving Thanatos alone with the archons, he enters the dungeon to ease his temper. Within minutes, a myriad of screams begin to echo through his incomplete living space.
--------------------------
"Oh shit, I'm going to be late!" Dyliah, A young elf with blue hair and a tall but slim build frantically runs through the facility, trying to find the room she was assigned to. When she accidentally spilled coffee on the Raven Queen yesterday, she was terrified about the consequences. To her relief, it seems she was just assigned to serve one of the members of SAED. Ciel, his name was?

She finds the room before becoming tardy, and upon opening it, is greeted by an odd site. The space in front of her is a white void with two doors. In between the two doors are a giant vulture, a gruff looking middle-aged dwarf, and a large, stocky mountain of a man. The two besides the vulture look very uncomfortable, for reasons she quickly figures out. From behind one of the doors, a nearly nonstop deluge of screams and wails of agony are pouring through. "I guess that door's off limits?" Dyliah mutters to herself. She walks over to the other door and begins to open it. The dwarf and man both spring up and yell "No, don't!!" but by then it's too late. She opens the door and is greeted by a near-literal bloodbath. The amount of carnage before her is overwhelming, and that's before the smell of corpses hits her. She frantically slams the door shut and finds herself throwing up. When finished, the archons delete it as if nothing happened.

"I guess you're the last of us assigned to psycho duty?" The dwarf speaks to Dyliah. "Name's Arlen Ironbeard, ye can just call me Arlen. I got transferred out of a prison plane to come serve this guy, what kind of shit did you do to land yourself here?"

"Oh," Dyliah stammers shyly, "I'm a bit of a klutz. I accidentally spilt coffee on the Raven Queen yesterday. And for a second, I thought I wasn't being punished." For several more minutes, they fall silent, the only sounds being the screams coming from behind door number one. Feeling a need to break the silence, Dyliah turns to the large man and asks "So, who're you?"

He stands up and looks down at her. "Name's Brick. I was the only one of us crazy enough to volunteer to serve this sick son of a bitch."

Dyliah blinks in disbelief, "Volunteer? For him? But why? Did you know what you were getting into?"

Brick looks at her, his face almost devoid of emotion. "Lass, have you ever heard of the sacking of Selmark?" "The sacking of where?" she asks. "Selmark's the town I grew up in. It was a small place, everyone knew each other. One day, a horde of bandits rolled in and put the place to the torch. They killed the women and children first and rounded up the men, killing those of us who resisted. Then that cocky asshole Ciel came out. Apparently, he had a job on someone in our town, but just opted to coerce some bandits into killing us all because 'he couldn't be assed with finding out who in particular had to die.' Apparently the person had an amulet on them his client wanted, so we were made to search the corpses along with the bandits. When it didn't turn up, he just killed the rest of us and repeated the process. So why am I working for him? In the hopes that I can kill the cocksucker in his sleep."

Dyliah's face goes pale at his story. "And we're supposed to serve his every whim?" "Yup" the other two say in unison.
--------------------------
At this point, the door to the dungeon is thrown open and Ciel comes out with a spring in his step, covered in blood. "Ah, much better," he says mostly to himself. At this point, he notices he has company. "You must be my personal assistants then? I guess we better get the rest of this place finished quickly. Come, let me give you a quick tour of the dungeon while the archons flush things out. I trust you've already seen my meditation room?"

The three go a bit pale again as he talks about what's in there so casually. Meditation room? What kind of sick freak finds what's in there relaxing? Dyliah thinks to herself. Her thoughts are cut off by a final decree from Ciel before he begins descending the stairs. "Archons! By the time I'm out, I expect pristine hallways, A room to keep Thanatos in, and a lounge. Get to it.

Ciel leads them down into the dungeon, and if he hears their gasps, he pays them no mind. Standing out amidst the mutilated bodies is a young man nailed up to a rack, his abdomen torn open and his ribs shooting out like spider legs. "Do you like what I've done with the place? This will be my main source of entertainment and stress relief. The archons seem surprisingly competent at making humanoid replicas. Their work even seems good enough for me to test poisons out on! And since they can make anything, I finally have a healthy supply of infants. Before here, it was a hassle finding them to test the barest minimum doses of poisons on, you know."

While Brick and Arlen stare on in horror, Dyliah breaks down into tears, unable to cope with the fact that she's stuck with this monster for the foreseeable future.

Ciel finds himself smirking and says to himself "This is going even better than I imagined." He then walks over and puts a hand on Dyliah's chin, tilting her to look up at him. "I find it amusing that you're grief-stricken now. Had the archons not been good at their jobs, the three of you would have been my entertainment. At least now I don't have to worry about the Raven Queen revoking my right to living slaves." Ciel laughs, flashing peculiarly sharp fangs while doing so. At this point, Dyliah's past crying and is simply thinking I never asked for this.

As they leave the dungeon, they find that halls have been built to Ciel's specification. The floors are made of expensive wood, and the walls practically gleam with the high-end materials they're made of. "Not bad for a first draft, but make it darker. I want people to need light sources to navigate my quarters." In moments, the space darkens considerably. A few torches line the walls, and Brick finds himself having to request one to follow along.

"I see the living accommodations for Thanatos are in order. Good, good. See to it that he is supplied with a good amount of carrion. Now, let's see how the lounge turned out."

Ciel and the poor souls stuck with him wonder into the next room. It is a fair-sized chamber, with chairs, tables, and couches. There are cooking supplies, and the cabinets and cool storage seem well-stocked. Satisfied, Ciel motions for the three to stand in front of one of the chairs. "I have some final orders to give to the archons, and I will be with you shortly."

Strolling over to the archons, he says "Sleeping quarters. Make a room for the three of them, and supply them with reasonably acceptable beds and hygiene facilities. If space allows, give them each their own room, but do not compromise anything intended for me over it. You may supply normal light for their quarters For my quarters, I want three different bedrooms. In one, I want the most ornate, comfortable bed you can produce. The room should look like a room for nobility. The second should be a coffin upright against the wall, in a room made of skulls. There should be a candelabra casting purple light through the chamber. For the last room, I want a bare room with a mat on the ground. Each of these rooms should have their own bathroom and bathing/showering area attached. When I sleep in one room, body doubles shall be placed in the other two sleeping rooms, and an alarm shall sound throughout all of my quarters if any one of them is disturbed."

"I demand no fewer than ten locks on each of my bedrooms and bathrooms, with five locks on every other room in my dwelling. In addition, my three slaves will have permission to come and go through any room they please save my multiple personal quarters; this can be overruled by my flipping a switch within any of these rooms barring it to all outside guests. Now, traps. There should be extensive lethal traps in every room, set to go off on anyone who enters unauthorized. My slaves will be exempt from these, save any occasion where they enter a room I have barred them from."

"Now, what else am I forgetting? Ah, yes, an alchemy room. Make me one of those. Not all experiments are suited for bodies in the dungeon, and I have to make the poisons somewhere. Throw together an archery range while you're at it. Since we're on a roll, make me a throne room. There should be a blood red carpet leading from it down some stairs and back to the hall way. Make sure there's a table near the throne, I'll likely be drinking a fair bit of wine there. As for the room with the panel in it, turn it into a conference room. That room, you may supply normal amounts of light for. Oh yes, and a final, special room for my slaves..."
--------------------------
With that, Ciel returns to the lounge and takes a seat in front of the three, who have nervously awaited his return. "I do realize we haven't introduced ourselves yet. You are surely aware that I am Ciel, and frankly I don't care what your names are, nor will I until you prove yourselves useful. For the time being, you are Slave 1, Slave 2, and Slave 3," he says, pointing at Brick, Arlen, and Dyliah in that order. "Now, your duties. Slave 1, your job is to make sure this place is properly maintained. When my torture toys begin to wear down or food and wine run low, I expect you to address that with the archons. Anything they can't adequately produce on their own, it will be your job to put in requisitions for it. You will also be in charge of going to the library and returning with entertainment reading, which you shall leave here in the lounge Should anything be lacking, it is you who will be punished. Slave 2, you're now my secretary. You will alert me to anyone who wishes to enter my portion of the mansion, so I may decide whether or not to grant them permission. You will also alert me to any contacts from the Raven Queen or Asmodeus, should they not contact me directly. As for you, Slave 3, you're on research duty. First and foremost, I want to know as much about my associates as you can find out. I'm looking for secrets and exploitable weaknesses. Accurate pictures of their loved one's faces would be ideal. Here are your keys for getting around this part of the facility, you'll find I'm quite concerned with security and privacy. And I do have one last thing to show all of you."

Ciel takes the three to a room tucked near the back of the quarters, marked by a nondescript door. Inside lies a pit, with a chair raised high above it, not unlike where an emperor would sit at during gladiatorial games. This pit is where you'll all go when any one of you disappoints me. Here, you'll fight to the death for my amusement. Or near-death, depending on how proficient the archons prove at fixing people. Should you not cooperate, I'll just have vicious animals and monsters thrown in," he says, motioning to a gate within the pit. "Now that you all know the consequences of inadequacy, you are dismissed. Begin your tasks immediately."

Ciel returns to the section of his living quarters set aside solely for him and makes a beeline for the noble's room. His mood restored and his accommodations set up, he decides to relax for a while. His associates may be insufferable, but at least the space to live in is nice.

 

[KittenMaster]

Upon being freed from briefing, Ozzang'ac wanders into one of the several paths to occupy it. He finds himself embarking on a grand hall that bears little resemblance of what his own home was like. Gone is the aquatic palette of sea floral and glimmering creatures against the fog that is the thick of the waters, here now is the warmth of lamps carefully placed upon wall papered walls between portraits of unknown figures draped in fabric much like the mermen he had recently met, landscapes of strange environments and wondrous places never encountered, and tales painted of impossible deeds made possible by epic figures that have surpassed any greatness any mortal has achieved...

Surpassed any greatness any mortal has achieved...

Ozzang'ac suddenly remembers what Mystra had said about him. That he is incapable of ascension and that he was 'quite frankly' below her. Though becoming a god had never crossed the elemental's mind, something about being openly seen as inferior still makes even the stoic creature uneasy.. a being created specifically for servitude such as this.. no.. even any other elemental is summoned to perform duties of battle for their master. In a practical sense, despite being able to make choices and have thought, he is no different than the volcanic warrior whose actions are trapped into strict limitations mandated by a strange higher will.

As he moves he begins to compare the paintings to himself without restraint no matter how irrelevant the actual meaning behind the picture. Once his thoughts swell up into confusion, Ozzang'ac realizes himself and says to himself, "This thinking is unhealthy. I must keep my mind strong should I act out my duties."

Once at the end of the hall he finds an empty massive room. Three figures of vastly differing heights stand before the elemental: what seems like a miniature version of the creature Tessa is, a half-sized merman, and a bulky, green toned merman. The middle of the three looks up with frames around his eyes, a youthful but proud little merman with dark hair and a never smiling demeanor. He speaks, "Are you the new occupant of this lair? We are the assigned servants of this branch of the living quarters. We are here to serve your needs and assign equipment which you will require to serve the Raven Queen." Before Ozzang'ac can answer, the small humanoid snaps his finger in the air, "Pepa, please inform the Archons that our resident has arrived." The small fish-like creature nods eagerly and rushes to the back. Afterward, the gaze of the small man looks up to the green one, "Jonna, please fetch the equipment." And then the green one runs to a table with a very large cubic rectangular container rounded at the edges.

Once given a chance, Ozzang'ac asks, confused by this ordeal, "Equipment? But it is difficult for me to hold a weapon or wear armor.." Raising his brows, a response is given, "Archaic wear of old technology, perhaps, but seeing the circumstances we were able to come up with a solution." The largest of the three people, Jonna, heaves the large container to the water elemental, setting it on the ground before him. Unfastening the buckles which keep the container held together, the servant then pulls open the container to reveal to the liquid being various buckles and wear, including an amulet. The smaller of those still present explains, "These magical items are designed to fasten to the surface of liquid and still grant the wearer the effects. This will allow you to be equipped as the others in your group are." Closing the case, Jonna retrieves the items and sets them aside for later. "You may call me Hugh, though I suspect you will need minimal service other than what the Archons can provide."

Soon, Pepa arrives with the little disc creatures of metal. With a scratchy growl the little creature nods and jumps a bit. Hugh explains, "This here is our Kobold, Pepa, and Jonna here is a Half-Orc. We are the three servants given to you. We will continue to watch over the room as it is built and tend to visitors." They move away from Ozzang'ac to fulfill their stated duties. This all brings much familiarity and nostalgia to how servants would come to the beckon of nobility and provide convenience to their wants or needs. Once in the presence of the builder creatures, Ozzang'ac says to them, "I have only one need: water which to dwell in."

It is at the edge of this pool that the elemental can feel comfortable in his own environment, even if it is an enclosed mass of water, and can gaze up to the mystical sky of the Astral Sea. An archon moves to the edge of the water opposite of Ozzang'ac, and pulls his head off of his neck. The disc head then buzzes in a hover over to the water being, and says to him with a muffled murmur in the sound output, "You requested knowledge, sir?" "Yes.. I wish to learn more about the Goddess Mystra."

 

[ThLunarian]

((I'm jumping in to say that you guys have done an excellent job. The three stories above are exactly what I was looking for, so if any of the rest of you are unsure on how to approach this, use any of the three anecdotes above for a template.

Regardless of when everyone finishes, I'm probably not going to have the Raven Queen return before Tuesday, so you don't have to feel rushed to get something out there.

Also, if anyone has any feedback, suggestions, or criticism for me, please send me a PM. Having this many players is interesting and cool, but I can already tell that it's going to present some challenges for me as the DM going forward, so I want to make sure that the way I choose to handle those challenges is as optimal as possible. Thanks!))

 

[KittenMaster]

<I just want to know if I can just Wiki search Mystra both ICly and OOCly or if it's DM knowledge given.>

 

[ThLunarian]

((Roll a Knowledge Religion check. The result will represent your staff's research efforts.

Now that I think on it, that goes for you too, Mike M.

Even if you get a bad roll, you'll be given commonly-known information; the bonus, hard-to-find stuff will only come out with a good roll.

And yeah, don't go by Wiki pages. I mold the histories of gods and stuff to suit my plot, much like I did in QftHR))