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Navigating the Astral Sea: A NeoGAF Play-by-Post Pathfinder Game
- Thread starter ThLunarian
- Start date
ThLunarian
Member
((I survived the surgery but I feel like crap. And I have to go back to work tomorrow. Booo. Just wanted to update you guys on my status.
Satra is able to find the jettisoned cargo))
Satra is able to find the jettisoned cargo))
KittenMaster
Member
<I hope your work doesn't take a huge toll on your recovery. Best of luck.>
Satra wanders to a grove amidst the barren land. He begins disputing how far off he might have deviated from his calculated path, but continues to press forward to seek cover and safety.
Sifting between the underbrush, he considers whether it might have been a good idea to ask the catfolk for help- he has no experience travelling a countryside whatsoever. He soon tires out rapidly once his feet begin to twist against the uneven footholds descending an incline to a creek and becomes disenchanted. He allows himself to lean his back against a patch of grass and dirt on the slope, breathing the sharp air heavily while catching a moment of rest. At that moment his mind begins to accelerate in his place, quarreling his desire to to undertake an aimless task as finding treasure which may or may not have already been stolen from an unspecified tract of land; these thoughts only make his feet seem heavier and his eyes seemingly haggard. Finally, his mind finds some reprieve from the disarray once it decides to make him say, with a bit of a waking groan, "..I definitely need a drink."
Satra turns over to his side, one of his handy haversacks strapped to him limping its fabric against the ground. He pulls the strap off of his back and pulls open the sack, reaching into it and sifting through the contents. "Did I already grind the coffee beans we had?" he asks himself, growing disappointed that he won't be able to recover with an alluring bitter warmth a cup would provide. He sighs, sifting through like rummaging through the bottom of an unorganized purse until his hands finally brush against unique embossed glass inscriptions. He grasps this flask and pulls it out to confirm: Dwarven smelling salts. Despite being capable of brewing a concoction with the salt, he is too disillusioned to believe it would even work in comparison to a morning drink.
Just as he begins to lift his boiling and mixing tools, the beeping noise continues to haunt his ears and become an increasing annoyance. The objects he is holding carefully retreat back into the sack and his head turns toward where he can hear the repetitive sound. A soft light flickers between the shadows of a thicket, giving signal. Both alarmed and eager, Satra pulls the straps back over his shoulder and pulls himself up to go investigate. His approach forces him onto an unbeaten path, making him take his rifle and use it as a means of pulling away branches and brush with nothing other than dangerous explosives that he refrains from using to clear away the forestry.
Once he is finally able to make his way around the thicket barrier, his eyes widen in wonder and his mouth goes agape, unable to hide his wonder and excitement. "There it is...!" he announces, overlooking a cargo box that had broken open and spilling archon parts. The beeping he had heard and seen was an archon head. No wonder the Peraxians never found it, he muses it must have been too deep into this meadow for them to easily recover.
Whatever energy he lacked before is suddenly found again as he hurries to the machinery. He starts to grab whatever archons he can and shove them into the haversack. Then, curiously, he finds himself wanting to try and piece one of the archons together at the spot.
Craft: Mechanical: 1D20+23 = [2]+23 = 25
If he doesn't succeed, he'll simply toss his attempt into the sack and work on it once he finds more time. Now.. he has to figure out where to go for safety once he fills up his magic sacks full of the parts.
Satra wanders to a grove amidst the barren land. He begins disputing how far off he might have deviated from his calculated path, but continues to press forward to seek cover and safety.
Sifting between the underbrush, he considers whether it might have been a good idea to ask the catfolk for help- he has no experience travelling a countryside whatsoever. He soon tires out rapidly once his feet begin to twist against the uneven footholds descending an incline to a creek and becomes disenchanted. He allows himself to lean his back against a patch of grass and dirt on the slope, breathing the sharp air heavily while catching a moment of rest. At that moment his mind begins to accelerate in his place, quarreling his desire to to undertake an aimless task as finding treasure which may or may not have already been stolen from an unspecified tract of land; these thoughts only make his feet seem heavier and his eyes seemingly haggard. Finally, his mind finds some reprieve from the disarray once it decides to make him say, with a bit of a waking groan, "..I definitely need a drink."
Satra turns over to his side, one of his handy haversacks strapped to him limping its fabric against the ground. He pulls the strap off of his back and pulls open the sack, reaching into it and sifting through the contents. "Did I already grind the coffee beans we had?" he asks himself, growing disappointed that he won't be able to recover with an alluring bitter warmth a cup would provide. He sighs, sifting through like rummaging through the bottom of an unorganized purse until his hands finally brush against unique embossed glass inscriptions. He grasps this flask and pulls it out to confirm: Dwarven smelling salts. Despite being capable of brewing a concoction with the salt, he is too disillusioned to believe it would even work in comparison to a morning drink.
Just as he begins to lift his boiling and mixing tools, the beeping noise continues to haunt his ears and become an increasing annoyance. The objects he is holding carefully retreat back into the sack and his head turns toward where he can hear the repetitive sound. A soft light flickers between the shadows of a thicket, giving signal. Both alarmed and eager, Satra pulls the straps back over his shoulder and pulls himself up to go investigate. His approach forces him onto an unbeaten path, making him take his rifle and use it as a means of pulling away branches and brush with nothing other than dangerous explosives that he refrains from using to clear away the forestry.
Once he is finally able to make his way around the thicket barrier, his eyes widen in wonder and his mouth goes agape, unable to hide his wonder and excitement. "There it is...!" he announces, overlooking a cargo box that had broken open and spilling archon parts. The beeping he had heard and seen was an archon head. No wonder the Peraxians never found it, he muses it must have been too deep into this meadow for them to easily recover.
Whatever energy he lacked before is suddenly found again as he hurries to the machinery. He starts to grab whatever archons he can and shove them into the haversack. Then, curiously, he finds himself wanting to try and piece one of the archons together at the spot.
Craft: Mechanical: 1D20+23 = [2]+23 = 25
If he doesn't succeed, he'll simply toss his attempt into the sack and work on it once he finds more time. Now.. he has to figure out where to go for safety once he fills up his magic sacks full of the parts.
Axelhortsemchi
Member
((Hope you get well soon ThLunarian, sucks that you don't get more time to recover. May all go well!))
Shulmor finds himself in the middle of a surprisingly modern, war-ravaged city. From the short time he saw Sybil and Scraw, this is not what he expected Asgard to look like. In the short time its ruler has been removed, the place has fallen into chaos, with Odin's subordinates tearing the place apart in an attempt to seize power for themselves. His thoughts on the necessity of an iron fist ruling over everyone for their own good are only further entrenched. If the lesser gods here are squabbling, he will have to be that iron fist. Chaos surrounds the city, so he simply picks a direction and begins walking, expecting to eventually encounter one of the lesser god's forces.
As Shulmor readjusts to a living body, the walking becomes easier, and he eventually doesn't feel burdened at all. Sure enough, not too long after he exits the city limits, a squad of Valkyries descends upon him, his overtly dark aura making him stick out even amidst the war. The Valkyrie who seems to be heading up the squad approaches him with a sword drawn. "Identify yourself! Who sent you?" The Drow stares at her past the point of her blade and replies with a hint of irritation "I am Shulmor, and I am here of my own volition. I would speak with your leader of matters concerning this continued existence of this plane and all others. Take me to your commander or the outcome of this war will be irrelevant."
The Valkyrie's eyes twitch with rage. "You dare traipse in here like you own the place, whip up an outlandish lie about the fate of the planes, and demand to see Thor so you can assassinate him? What nerve! I bet Loki sent you! Treachery is right up his alley, but to go so far as to contract with a warrior of evil?! We will strike you down here and now! KILL HIM!" With a howl, the Valkyrie begins to swing her sword at Shulmor as the backup forces draw greatbows and fire.
A few things go through Shulmor's mind as time slows down. First, these are not Freya's forces, which ruins any chance of appealing to his knowledge of Sybil and Scraw to get an easy audience. Second, the Valkyrie commander had the gall to accuse him of lying. Even if she wasn't attacking him, she would have to pay. The initiating a strike simply makes things easier.
Shulmor pivots into the Valkyrie's swing, a hand to her wrist stopping the flow of the strike. Someone more versed in unarmed combat and interested in a less brutal outcome would use the momentum to disarm her and take her to the ground. Instead, Shulmor draws the Conqueror with his other hand and puts the gun against the Valkyrie's throat, firing three quick rounds. The arrows fired seemingly curve around him. Whether this is by technique, magic, or supernatural luck is hard to say. Before the commander can hit the ground, Shulmor looks to the lesser Valkyries and roars "Enough! Cease this foolishness and drop your weapons. I have come to speak with Thor, but if I must traverse a trail of corpses to do so, then so be it. Surrender and escort me to him while you can."
The combination of their leader writhing on the ground dying and Shulmor's magically amplified imposing presence sufficiently unnerves the remaining forces enough to have them surrender. One rushes over to treat the commander while the others lead him to Thor.
Thor is set up in a command tent overlooking battle plans when a Valkyrie rushes in to announce that he has an audience. "By Odin's beard!" the godling blusters. "Ye're supposed to be out near the city front, making sure my more devious siblings don't get there forces entrenched in there. Why would ye abandon yer post?" The Valkyrie offers a panicked explanation about a horrible Drow cutting a path through the battlefield, but Thor just hushes her after a few seconds. "Fine, send 'em in. I'll get this sorted."
Shulmor walks and is greeted by Thor immediately pointing Mjolnir in his direction. "I don't know who ye are or what ye want, but give me one good reason why I shouldn't make ye a bloody stain on the ground for attacking me Valkyries." Shulmor walks forward, seemingly unphased by the god's theatrics. "I'll give you several. I know what drained Odin of his powers, I am one of few who is in a position to strike back against that entity, and if you do not cooperate with me, it will eventually come here and annihilate your world, making the outcome of your squabble meaningless."
Thor is not at all intimidated by Shulmor's poise, but as strong judge of character, he can tell that the Drow's claims aren't lies. "Go on, then." Shulmor explains to Thor what Zerome is as well its goal to assimilate all life, and why an army of planar forces is necessary to stopping it. Thor nods in understanding. "The situation is quite dire indeed, but I can't just withdraw me forces from Asgard and give up me claim. I wouldn't have a home to come back to when all is said and done. I'm afraid the war must be won first before I can fight elsewhere." Shulmor sighs and says "Very well, then we shall end this war. Meet me in the desolate city at sundown and I shall give you the means to end this conflict. In return, I expect the full commitment of your forces."
-----------------------------
Shulmor proceeds on to the next territory of Asgard, having to force his way through a few battlefields and leave destruction in his wake. He eventually reaches a barricade manned by Valkyries of slightly different armor than those under Thor. "You are approaching the domain of Freya. Identify yourself." Perhaps this will go smoother than Thor, Shulmor thinks. "I am Shulmor, here to speak to lady Freya regarding the fate of Asgard and all other planes. I am from the same group one of your Valkyrie, Sybil, was sent to represent. The one called Scraw can corroborate this." The Valkyries look at each other for a few seconds, then back to Shulmor and say "Wait here." A few minutes pass and a few Valkyries return. "Lady Freya will see you. Turn your weapons over to us and we will escort you to her." "Very well, on the condition that I shall get them back when my business is concluded," replies Shulmor. "That is acceptable."
Shulmor is escorted to Freya's quarters. Upon entering, Freya asks what brings an antipaladin to Asgard. Laying eyes upon the warrior goddess of love and beauty sends Shulmor reeling, unleashing thousands upon thousands of years of thoughts and urges cast aside by his transformation into a lich. Digging into his imperial will to set attraction aside for the time being, he works to regain his composure and explain the stakes. "Uhh... well, I am here because of the entity that consumed Thor. An entity that will consume all on this plane and all other planes if not stopped. Here is how things currently stand..." Shulmor elaborates on the group's plans to stop Zerome and the forces that will be needed to do so.
"I see, then it truly is a matter of life or death. I will withdraw from the war if I must, but I do not plan on abandoning Asgard to a wrongful ruler. I ask that you assist me in assuring an outcome good for this world." "So be it. Meet me with your most trusted forces in the desolate city at sundown, and we shall do what we can." Shulmor says grimly. He breathes a sigh of relief as he leaves her quarters, thankful that he was able to keep it together.
-----------------------------
As Shulmor continues to travel around the periphery of Asgard, he begins getting ambushed. Not one to appreciate underhanded tactics unless he has specifically ordered their implementation, he ruthlessly dispatches the groups of Asgardians trying to fight dirty. After a few such groups, one roguishly dressed assailant puts up his hands to surrender and drops his weapons. Shulmor accepts his surrender and holsters the Conqueror. He prepares to question the assailant when the Asgardian draws a poisoned dagger from his boot and lobs it at Shulmor. The Drow deftly dodges out of the way, but that is the last straw. Utterly outraged at a faked surrender, he redraws the Conqueror before his victim can take any further action, focuses all of his smiting power upon him, takes laser precise aim...
And shoots him in the dick.
The roguish type collapses to the ground and squeals in a strained voice "You... shot me in the dick. Why? Why would you shoot me in the dick?" Shulmor walks over and lifts him by his hair. "There is no mercy for the dishonorable. Now, tell me who your master is and where to find him before I rip your eyes out." "EEP! Loki! This is Loki's territory! Now please, no more. I don't know where to find him. No more." Without a word, Shulmor lets him go and proceeds onwards, leaving the poor fool to his suffering.
He continues on until he can coerce a higher ranking Asgardian into leading him to Loki. The man leads him along to the top of a hill where a lavish palace lies on the other side, telling Shulmor that Loki is down there. Not trusting anyone in this territory, he says a quick word to see the unseen. The landscape stirs but does not vanish. However, this is enough in conjunction with his keen perception to suggest that an illusion is in place. Tossing a pebble forward, it falls into nothingness, confirming his suspicion that this is a disguised cliff. Shulmor quickly grabs the officer and lifts him off the ground, pressing the Conqueror into his chin. "I have had enough of your lies and deception! You will lead me to Loki, and you will do it now!"
"S-slow down! The officer says in fright. "You're barking up the wrong tree! I don't even know where he is! None of us do! I'm just under orders to lead those after him to this trap." It is rather obvious to Shulmor that the Asgardian is lying. He lets him go, leading the man to think that he is free to go. Then, Shulmor's eyes gleam red and the officer's body seizes before going limp. The man stands in place idly, blood streaming from his eyes and nose as he awaits Shulmor's word. "Now then, take me to Loki." "Yes, your majesty."
Loki is quite surprised to see one of his men lead an imposing looking Drow into his den. With a snap of Shulmor's fingers, the officer leaves. "I don't suppose you're here for a lecture on manners, are you?" Loki says flippantly. "I'm here because I assume you don't want to be eaten alive by the giant robot that sucked Odin dry," Shulmor says appropriately dryly. "A fair assumption, you're here to personally fly me to a luscious beach while this blows over then?" Without cracking a smile, Shulmor says "I know just the place, but you wouldn't be out of Zerome's reach there. I came to gather what forces you've got to stop him before the devouring takes place."
Loki tsks. "Come now, you know damn well that my forces alone aren't enough to stop something that could casually drain Odin. Unless you're just looking to have someone send a few billion black pages to this sentient machine via fax, you're going to need more than what I've got. I bet you're here for the whole of Asgard. Well bad news, in case you haven't noticed, we're at war right now. Long term consequences be damned, no one's giving you jack shit until there's a ruler in place. I'm obviously the most fit, so if you want to help me get installed on the throne, then be my guest." "Very well then, it seems consolidation is in order. Bring what you will to the desolated city at sundown." "Yeah, sure, whatever." Loki says, sending Shulmor on his way and thinking how to fuck with what is a blatant setup.
-----------------------------
Thor shows up with a squad of elite Valkyries when to his outrage, Loki is sitting on a treestump, casually swinging his legs. "YOU!! THIS IS A RUSE!!" Thor roars, prepared to lunge at Loki. The trickster god just kind of looks over and says " 'Sup fam? That time of the month again?" Thor is about to attack when he is interrupted by another familiar voice. "Thor? Loki?!" Freya proclaims with some measure of surprise. "You're here too?" "Oh, you're here too." Thor and Loki say simultaneously. The other lesser gods of Asgard begin showing up in rapid succession, replying to the presence of the others with varying degrees of surprise and anger. "Am I seriously the only one here who saw this coming from a mile away?" Loki says sounding almost bored. "I will admit it's impressive he got every last one of us here, though. Not bad, not bad."
The squabbling is eventually cut down by a loud roar of "ENOUGH!" For a moment, all the gods pause. Shulmor, cloaked in a powerful dark radiance, walks down to the space before the group of arguing deities and their chosen forces. "It seems all the parties have arrived. Now then, let us discuss the fate of Asgard."
((That seems like a good stopping point, one because I'm ready to stop typing, and two because convincing all the gods to give up their war seems like something I should probably roll for. Get well soon ThLunarian!))
Shulmor finds himself in the middle of a surprisingly modern, war-ravaged city. From the short time he saw Sybil and Scraw, this is not what he expected Asgard to look like. In the short time its ruler has been removed, the place has fallen into chaos, with Odin's subordinates tearing the place apart in an attempt to seize power for themselves. His thoughts on the necessity of an iron fist ruling over everyone for their own good are only further entrenched. If the lesser gods here are squabbling, he will have to be that iron fist. Chaos surrounds the city, so he simply picks a direction and begins walking, expecting to eventually encounter one of the lesser god's forces.
As Shulmor readjusts to a living body, the walking becomes easier, and he eventually doesn't feel burdened at all. Sure enough, not too long after he exits the city limits, a squad of Valkyries descends upon him, his overtly dark aura making him stick out even amidst the war. The Valkyrie who seems to be heading up the squad approaches him with a sword drawn. "Identify yourself! Who sent you?" The Drow stares at her past the point of her blade and replies with a hint of irritation "I am Shulmor, and I am here of my own volition. I would speak with your leader of matters concerning this continued existence of this plane and all others. Take me to your commander or the outcome of this war will be irrelevant."
The Valkyrie's eyes twitch with rage. "You dare traipse in here like you own the place, whip up an outlandish lie about the fate of the planes, and demand to see Thor so you can assassinate him? What nerve! I bet Loki sent you! Treachery is right up his alley, but to go so far as to contract with a warrior of evil?! We will strike you down here and now! KILL HIM!" With a howl, the Valkyrie begins to swing her sword at Shulmor as the backup forces draw greatbows and fire.
A few things go through Shulmor's mind as time slows down. First, these are not Freya's forces, which ruins any chance of appealing to his knowledge of Sybil and Scraw to get an easy audience. Second, the Valkyrie commander had the gall to accuse him of lying. Even if she wasn't attacking him, she would have to pay. The initiating a strike simply makes things easier.
Shulmor pivots into the Valkyrie's swing, a hand to her wrist stopping the flow of the strike. Someone more versed in unarmed combat and interested in a less brutal outcome would use the momentum to disarm her and take her to the ground. Instead, Shulmor draws the Conqueror with his other hand and puts the gun against the Valkyrie's throat, firing three quick rounds. The arrows fired seemingly curve around him. Whether this is by technique, magic, or supernatural luck is hard to say. Before the commander can hit the ground, Shulmor looks to the lesser Valkyries and roars "Enough! Cease this foolishness and drop your weapons. I have come to speak with Thor, but if I must traverse a trail of corpses to do so, then so be it. Surrender and escort me to him while you can."
The combination of their leader writhing on the ground dying and Shulmor's magically amplified imposing presence sufficiently unnerves the remaining forces enough to have them surrender. One rushes over to treat the commander while the others lead him to Thor.
Thor is set up in a command tent overlooking battle plans when a Valkyrie rushes in to announce that he has an audience. "By Odin's beard!" the godling blusters. "Ye're supposed to be out near the city front, making sure my more devious siblings don't get there forces entrenched in there. Why would ye abandon yer post?" The Valkyrie offers a panicked explanation about a horrible Drow cutting a path through the battlefield, but Thor just hushes her after a few seconds. "Fine, send 'em in. I'll get this sorted."
Shulmor walks and is greeted by Thor immediately pointing Mjolnir in his direction. "I don't know who ye are or what ye want, but give me one good reason why I shouldn't make ye a bloody stain on the ground for attacking me Valkyries." Shulmor walks forward, seemingly unphased by the god's theatrics. "I'll give you several. I know what drained Odin of his powers, I am one of few who is in a position to strike back against that entity, and if you do not cooperate with me, it will eventually come here and annihilate your world, making the outcome of your squabble meaningless."
Thor is not at all intimidated by Shulmor's poise, but as strong judge of character, he can tell that the Drow's claims aren't lies. "Go on, then." Shulmor explains to Thor what Zerome is as well its goal to assimilate all life, and why an army of planar forces is necessary to stopping it. Thor nods in understanding. "The situation is quite dire indeed, but I can't just withdraw me forces from Asgard and give up me claim. I wouldn't have a home to come back to when all is said and done. I'm afraid the war must be won first before I can fight elsewhere." Shulmor sighs and says "Very well, then we shall end this war. Meet me in the desolate city at sundown and I shall give you the means to end this conflict. In return, I expect the full commitment of your forces."
-----------------------------
Shulmor proceeds on to the next territory of Asgard, having to force his way through a few battlefields and leave destruction in his wake. He eventually reaches a barricade manned by Valkyries of slightly different armor than those under Thor. "You are approaching the domain of Freya. Identify yourself." Perhaps this will go smoother than Thor, Shulmor thinks. "I am Shulmor, here to speak to lady Freya regarding the fate of Asgard and all other planes. I am from the same group one of your Valkyrie, Sybil, was sent to represent. The one called Scraw can corroborate this." The Valkyries look at each other for a few seconds, then back to Shulmor and say "Wait here." A few minutes pass and a few Valkyries return. "Lady Freya will see you. Turn your weapons over to us and we will escort you to her." "Very well, on the condition that I shall get them back when my business is concluded," replies Shulmor. "That is acceptable."
Shulmor is escorted to Freya's quarters. Upon entering, Freya asks what brings an antipaladin to Asgard. Laying eyes upon the warrior goddess of love and beauty sends Shulmor reeling, unleashing thousands upon thousands of years of thoughts and urges cast aside by his transformation into a lich. Digging into his imperial will to set attraction aside for the time being, he works to regain his composure and explain the stakes. "Uhh... well, I am here because of the entity that consumed Thor. An entity that will consume all on this plane and all other planes if not stopped. Here is how things currently stand..." Shulmor elaborates on the group's plans to stop Zerome and the forces that will be needed to do so.
"I see, then it truly is a matter of life or death. I will withdraw from the war if I must, but I do not plan on abandoning Asgard to a wrongful ruler. I ask that you assist me in assuring an outcome good for this world." "So be it. Meet me with your most trusted forces in the desolate city at sundown, and we shall do what we can." Shulmor says grimly. He breathes a sigh of relief as he leaves her quarters, thankful that he was able to keep it together.
-----------------------------
As Shulmor continues to travel around the periphery of Asgard, he begins getting ambushed. Not one to appreciate underhanded tactics unless he has specifically ordered their implementation, he ruthlessly dispatches the groups of Asgardians trying to fight dirty. After a few such groups, one roguishly dressed assailant puts up his hands to surrender and drops his weapons. Shulmor accepts his surrender and holsters the Conqueror. He prepares to question the assailant when the Asgardian draws a poisoned dagger from his boot and lobs it at Shulmor. The Drow deftly dodges out of the way, but that is the last straw. Utterly outraged at a faked surrender, he redraws the Conqueror before his victim can take any further action, focuses all of his smiting power upon him, takes laser precise aim...
And shoots him in the dick.
The roguish type collapses to the ground and squeals in a strained voice "You... shot me in the dick. Why? Why would you shoot me in the dick?" Shulmor walks over and lifts him by his hair. "There is no mercy for the dishonorable. Now, tell me who your master is and where to find him before I rip your eyes out." "EEP! Loki! This is Loki's territory! Now please, no more. I don't know where to find him. No more." Without a word, Shulmor lets him go and proceeds onwards, leaving the poor fool to his suffering.
He continues on until he can coerce a higher ranking Asgardian into leading him to Loki. The man leads him along to the top of a hill where a lavish palace lies on the other side, telling Shulmor that Loki is down there. Not trusting anyone in this territory, he says a quick word to see the unseen. The landscape stirs but does not vanish. However, this is enough in conjunction with his keen perception to suggest that an illusion is in place. Tossing a pebble forward, it falls into nothingness, confirming his suspicion that this is a disguised cliff. Shulmor quickly grabs the officer and lifts him off the ground, pressing the Conqueror into his chin. "I have had enough of your lies and deception! You will lead me to Loki, and you will do it now!"
"S-slow down! The officer says in fright. "You're barking up the wrong tree! I don't even know where he is! None of us do! I'm just under orders to lead those after him to this trap." It is rather obvious to Shulmor that the Asgardian is lying. He lets him go, leading the man to think that he is free to go. Then, Shulmor's eyes gleam red and the officer's body seizes before going limp. The man stands in place idly, blood streaming from his eyes and nose as he awaits Shulmor's word. "Now then, take me to Loki." "Yes, your majesty."
Loki is quite surprised to see one of his men lead an imposing looking Drow into his den. With a snap of Shulmor's fingers, the officer leaves. "I don't suppose you're here for a lecture on manners, are you?" Loki says flippantly. "I'm here because I assume you don't want to be eaten alive by the giant robot that sucked Odin dry," Shulmor says appropriately dryly. "A fair assumption, you're here to personally fly me to a luscious beach while this blows over then?" Without cracking a smile, Shulmor says "I know just the place, but you wouldn't be out of Zerome's reach there. I came to gather what forces you've got to stop him before the devouring takes place."
Loki tsks. "Come now, you know damn well that my forces alone aren't enough to stop something that could casually drain Odin. Unless you're just looking to have someone send a few billion black pages to this sentient machine via fax, you're going to need more than what I've got. I bet you're here for the whole of Asgard. Well bad news, in case you haven't noticed, we're at war right now. Long term consequences be damned, no one's giving you jack shit until there's a ruler in place. I'm obviously the most fit, so if you want to help me get installed on the throne, then be my guest." "Very well then, it seems consolidation is in order. Bring what you will to the desolated city at sundown." "Yeah, sure, whatever." Loki says, sending Shulmor on his way and thinking how to fuck with what is a blatant setup.
-----------------------------
Thor shows up with a squad of elite Valkyries when to his outrage, Loki is sitting on a treestump, casually swinging his legs. "YOU!! THIS IS A RUSE!!" Thor roars, prepared to lunge at Loki. The trickster god just kind of looks over and says " 'Sup fam? That time of the month again?" Thor is about to attack when he is interrupted by another familiar voice. "Thor? Loki?!" Freya proclaims with some measure of surprise. "You're here too?" "Oh, you're here too." Thor and Loki say simultaneously. The other lesser gods of Asgard begin showing up in rapid succession, replying to the presence of the others with varying degrees of surprise and anger. "Am I seriously the only one here who saw this coming from a mile away?" Loki says sounding almost bored. "I will admit it's impressive he got every last one of us here, though. Not bad, not bad."
The squabbling is eventually cut down by a loud roar of "ENOUGH!" For a moment, all the gods pause. Shulmor, cloaked in a powerful dark radiance, walks down to the space before the group of arguing deities and their chosen forces. "It seems all the parties have arrived. Now then, let us discuss the fate of Asgard."
((That seems like a good stopping point, one because I'm ready to stop typing, and two because convincing all the gods to give up their war seems like something I should probably roll for. Get well soon ThLunarian!))
ThLunarian
Member
Satra is able to get one of the damaged archons in working order. Uncorrupted by Zerome's influence and absent any orders, it points its featureless, gleaming face at Satra and waits.
As Satra considers how to address the construct, an all-too-familiar 'roar' sounds from behind him.
He turns around and spots a familiar pink kobold, accompanied by a hummingbird and an earthbound woodland creature.
"Oh boy oh boy!" chirps Pillari, "You're one of Viss's friends, aren't you?! Wow are we glad to see you! You wouldn't believe what we've been through to get here! Why..."
The bird launches into a super-fast telling of the tale all about how the three of them managed to stay out of the way during Zerome's attack and takeover of Esperia, and then how they barely escaped the city by the skins of their teeth. When she is finally done, she lands and rests, somewhat out of breath.
"Is Viss alright?" asks Shirox.
Dewie runs to Satra and squeals happily.
((KM, to answer your PM:
))
****************
Once tempers have subsided and the three lesser gods are no longer insulting or attacking each other (for the moment), Thor addresses Shulmor. "Very well then, Drow, out with it then. What's yer plan for ending this conflict once and for all? Surely you can't mean to betray two of us and make the third the ruler by default. If ye did, it wouldn't be much of a plan."
"Oh, this ought to be good," Loki says, wearing a half smile. "Yes, please, Oh Wise Drow, enlighten us mere gods with your groundbreaking ideas."
"I am willing to listen," Freya says, somewhat frigidly.
((Axel, present your plan and roll Intimidate, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive, as I'm sure that all three skills will need to be employed. I'm assuming Bluff won't be a factor since Shulmor doesn't lie))
As Satra considers how to address the construct, an all-too-familiar 'roar' sounds from behind him.
He turns around and spots a familiar pink kobold, accompanied by a hummingbird and an earthbound woodland creature.
"Oh boy oh boy!" chirps Pillari, "You're one of Viss's friends, aren't you?! Wow are we glad to see you! You wouldn't believe what we've been through to get here! Why..."
The bird launches into a super-fast telling of the tale all about how the three of them managed to stay out of the way during Zerome's attack and takeover of Esperia, and then how they barely escaped the city by the skins of their teeth. When she is finally done, she lands and rests, somewhat out of breath.
"Is Viss alright?" asks Shirox.
Dewie runs to Satra and squeals happily.
((KM, to answer your PM:
You can handwave an escape from the continent as long as it's the result of an interesting tale. Satra's lack of survival skills and the perils he has to face in accomplishing the escape would make excellent pieces of such a story. I also gave you some other characters to use in order to make it more dynamic
****************
Once tempers have subsided and the three lesser gods are no longer insulting or attacking each other (for the moment), Thor addresses Shulmor. "Very well then, Drow, out with it then. What's yer plan for ending this conflict once and for all? Surely you can't mean to betray two of us and make the third the ruler by default. If ye did, it wouldn't be much of a plan."
"Oh, this ought to be good," Loki says, wearing a half smile. "Yes, please, Oh Wise Drow, enlighten us mere gods with your groundbreaking ideas."
"I am willing to listen," Freya says, somewhat frigidly.
((Axel, present your plan and roll Intimidate, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive, as I'm sure that all three skills will need to be employed. I'm assuming Bluff won't be a factor since Shulmor doesn't lie))
Axelhortsemchi
Member
"Of course not," Shulmor replies calmly to Thor. "Such a duplicitous plan would result in unacceptable losses to the forces of Asgard and prove counterintuitive to raising an army." Shulmor paces towards the center of the lesser gods, beginning to speak while walking. "Each of you already understands the severity of the situation and the importance of standing against Zerome. That leaves the small matter of ending this squabble, something that shall be resolved before the night is over."
He stops, looking at each of the nearby gods. Fear has always been his ally, and a means for forcing individuals to fall in line with the collective. Fear shall guide Shulmor once, though the gods may not fear him. After all, it does not have to be Shulmor that they fear. "You shall unanimously declare an end to hostilities and accept a temporary joint rulership of Asgard between the lot of you right now. Whether or not you descend into further bickering after the threat against the multiverse is concluded is of no concern to me."
"Now, why you ask will you all agree to a temporary stay of your conflict? Simple, because you have no other option that does not risk your annihilation. And I do not mean at the hands of Zerome, though rest assured, if you do not unite, that will happen. No, it would happen almost immediately."
"Let us evaluate your options besides uniting. You could take such thorough offense to my words that you consider them an unforgivable threat and move to strike me down. Should you do so, I will resist, and you will find me no weakling. Perhaps I can not defeat a god, but in attacking me, you would leave yourself open to your fellow gods here. Can any of you say that you trust the gods around you enough right now to not take advantage of such a rare opening?"
"You could also opt to leave nonviolently. I will not stop you. However, know that I have arranged you all to be here so that when this is concluded, you may leave with peace of mind. If one of you leaves, the remaining gods could agree to work together with me, or without me if they so choose, to take you out. At that point you and your forces would be dragged into the alliance by force, on a lower footing than your peers. Assuming you survive to be dragged in. And all of you leaving in unison is no guarantee either, as there is nothing to stop some of you sneaking back later to make that same arrangement. I will be here until the conflict is resolved. Given the nature of this Civil War, I doubt any of you would care to leave yourself so uncertain and vulnerable."
"Or, perhaps, you will agree to attack me as a team and then resume your petty squabble. If you do so, you would surely prevail. Yet that leads to the same problem as any one of you striking. It would be too simple to declare an attack in unison, only for one of you to hang back and pick off another. The central issue of trust between the lot of you remains."
"And that is what I am here for. You shall each declare an end to hostilities before Shulmor and all gods here, and I shall serve as a mediator for your treaty. Any one of you who takes action against another god here will be dealt with by the collective forces of the rest. As for command of the united forces, I doubt that any of you are comfortable with one of your peers having that power. I shall assume leadership of the united forces, with each of you maintaining a position of next in command and advisorship over your individual troops. After all, it benefits no one if they are not used to their best, or are given tasks outside of their expertise or volition. If any of you find this arrangement objectionable, I will permit you to pick a commander for your united forces who will work with me, so long as you can do so by a unanimous vote."
"Now then, are there any additional questions, or shall we declare this conflict over for the time being?"
((Coyotecode spazzed out on the slinger's luck reroll, I had to physically edit that part in because putting it in the notes made the roll not happen.))
Shulmor looks to all of the nearby gods with a stern gaze, waiting for their answers.
He stops, looking at each of the nearby gods. Fear has always been his ally, and a means for forcing individuals to fall in line with the collective. Fear shall guide Shulmor once, though the gods may not fear him. After all, it does not have to be Shulmor that they fear. "You shall unanimously declare an end to hostilities and accept a temporary joint rulership of Asgard between the lot of you right now. Whether or not you descend into further bickering after the threat against the multiverse is concluded is of no concern to me."
"Now, why you ask will you all agree to a temporary stay of your conflict? Simple, because you have no other option that does not risk your annihilation. And I do not mean at the hands of Zerome, though rest assured, if you do not unite, that will happen. No, it would happen almost immediately."
"Let us evaluate your options besides uniting. You could take such thorough offense to my words that you consider them an unforgivable threat and move to strike me down. Should you do so, I will resist, and you will find me no weakling. Perhaps I can not defeat a god, but in attacking me, you would leave yourself open to your fellow gods here. Can any of you say that you trust the gods around you enough right now to not take advantage of such a rare opening?"
"You could also opt to leave nonviolently. I will not stop you. However, know that I have arranged you all to be here so that when this is concluded, you may leave with peace of mind. If one of you leaves, the remaining gods could agree to work together with me, or without me if they so choose, to take you out. At that point you and your forces would be dragged into the alliance by force, on a lower footing than your peers. Assuming you survive to be dragged in. And all of you leaving in unison is no guarantee either, as there is nothing to stop some of you sneaking back later to make that same arrangement. I will be here until the conflict is resolved. Given the nature of this Civil War, I doubt any of you would care to leave yourself so uncertain and vulnerable."
"Or, perhaps, you will agree to attack me as a team and then resume your petty squabble. If you do so, you would surely prevail. Yet that leads to the same problem as any one of you striking. It would be too simple to declare an attack in unison, only for one of you to hang back and pick off another. The central issue of trust between the lot of you remains."
"And that is what I am here for. You shall each declare an end to hostilities before Shulmor and all gods here, and I shall serve as a mediator for your treaty. Any one of you who takes action against another god here will be dealt with by the collective forces of the rest. As for command of the united forces, I doubt that any of you are comfortable with one of your peers having that power. I shall assume leadership of the united forces, with each of you maintaining a position of next in command and advisorship over your individual troops. After all, it benefits no one if they are not used to their best, or are given tasks outside of their expertise or volition. If any of you find this arrangement objectionable, I will permit you to pick a commander for your united forces who will work with me, so long as you can do so by a unanimous vote."
"Now then, are there any additional questions, or shall we declare this conflict over for the time being?"
((Coyotecode spazzed out on the slinger's luck reroll, I had to physically edit that part in because putting it in the notes made the roll not happen.))
Shulmor looks to all of the nearby gods with a stern gaze, waiting for their answers.
Code:
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=111240]Diplomacy: 1D20 + 27 = [20]+27 = 47
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=111241]Intimidate: 1D20 + 35 = [5]+35 = 40
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=111252]Slinger's Luck Reroll for Intimidate: 1D20 + 35 = [10]+35 = 45
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=111254]Sense Motive: 1D20 + 20 = [14]+20 = 34
[/url]KittenMaster
Member
With fortunate pace, Satra manages to wire together the inner electrical nerves of the mechanical creature before forcing the connecting plugs into the sockets. The result is a small robot granted movement, but it sparks when the wires under the metal shell are shifted. Regardless, Satra is content and smiles, "It's really working.. That's it! I have a working archon!" He lifts it, and carefully loads it into the handy haversack, and then reaches his head in to call to it, "Your first command is to perform self repairs." It isn't safe to begin having it build anything yet, and later he'll need its help putting together the other archons, but for now... For now, his attention is diverted by a strange noise. Gripping the long barreled gun, he quickly recalls never firing the explosive round inserted in the chamber. Quick on his feet he scurries and places his back under the tilted corner of the wreckage, and waits. Once he predicts that the moment is right to spring a surprise, he turns a corner- his mood shifts considerably when the gleaming pink lizard creature comes into view and his posture is immediately disarmed; he drops the weapon and nearly before he can realize it, he is holding out his arms. "DEWIE! You're ALIVE!!" he celebrates, letting the kobold jump into his arms for a hug, "I'm so glad to see you!!" Once he sets Dewie down, he expresses his gratitude clearly, "I knew that a little mechanical devil-spawn couldn't keep you trapped in a cage."
Before Satra is able to tell Dewie about the ship they're going to build, a chirping voice chimes in.
A small search party, some foot soldiers, a couple of drones, and a compact hovering armored patrol vehicle make their way into the woods, marching and scanning the surrounding area. Eventually, the men and the machines split up, with the biggest of the machines continuing its straight path. Satra watches intently, muttering under his breath, "What to do what to do.." When a drone buzzes along the vicinity of their near location, Satra reaches into his vial collection and grants Dewie an infusion, prompting an instruction to the others, "I need you to find a new place to hide. Dewie, if you see some of them coming, drink this and.. just be whatever you want, alright?" His Kobold nods, and grabs the potion and snatches Pillari and Shirox before running off towards some nearby bushes. Satra looks around for a solution to the closest problem, and notes a nearby ledge. He waits for a moment for the flying machine to move past overlooking the view before carefully making his way to the bottom end of the slope. Once there, he retrieves his revolver, opens the chamber to discard one of the bullets into his palm, then proceeds to twist away the metal encasing to free the black powder into the dry leaves. Once that is done, he lights a match into the pile before fleeing the scene.
The nearest drone flares its sensors, detecting a strong heat source flaring in its digital interpretation of sight. It transforms slightly, shifting its exterior to expose weaponry while pulling closer to investigate. It hovers downward to scan the heat source more closely, then starts a routine to analyze the composition of the source of the flame and its cause. However, it makes little progress when it is quickly interrupted and shorted out. Satra leaps from the top of the ledge onto the levitating drone with his height advantage, quietly shocking it with a Disable Construct spell. With little time to spare, he takes a tool to force open the hull of the mechanical creature and pulls apart some of its innards to ensure it won't return to working order any time soon.
One of the troops searching the area points to the Kobold, and speaks under his helmet with a muffled voice, monotone voice, "We have located the target. Proceed to procure it." His partner steps closer, then in tandem they raise their weapons at the creature. Dewie gulps, but bravely stands firm in front of the men and drinks the vial given to him.
Satra starts to trek to the other side of the woods- two bodies fly past him, one slams against a nearby tree and the other flings against the ground. The sudden scare marvels him with a painful bewilderment. In his sudden stupor, he slowly turns his head, panning Dewie into view. Once he sees what the Kobold had become, he nods approvingly despite a stunted expression. Dewie changes back to his original form by choice, lets out a cheerful chatter, and scurries back into hiding. The violence against the searching troops prompts the main search vehicle to flare one of its front side thrusters and one of its back side thrusters, effectively rotating it in place before flaring all of its horizontal thrusters to stabilize it in place. The vehicle thrusts forward slowly, doubling back to return to where the incident had happened. Satra looks to it from afar, thinking aloud softly, "That looks like our ticket out of here." After ingesting Spider Climb, Satra makes his way up a tree and waits for the vehicle to pass by. Once it slowly makes its way past while below him, he lets himself fall- fall onto the top side with an audible 'thud'. This, of course, is very painful. He winces and stumbles over with a painful groan, his arms and legs sore taking the brunt of the force of the landing.
"Frink!" yells one of the operators beside the other at the seat helming the vehicle, carrying a barely human voice whose emotions are dulled by his augmentation, "Eliminate the cause of the obstruction." "Acknowledged, Biggins," responds Frink, departing his seat. Satra looks to the top port of the hull being opened. With little time to acknowledge, Satra reaches as fast as he can to pull out his handgun. Frink peeks his body out, assault rifle lowering once he is part-way out, but Satra is already prepared; he fires a few shots at the other gunman, toppling him over the ringed edge of the porthole.
Biggins sets the vehicle functions to auto-pilot and quickly turns around to meet the intruder dropping down into the compact hold. Despite his quick reaction to further danger, Satra's attempt to raise his gun to fire at the other crewman is met with a swift swipe at his arm by Biggins, knocking the weapon away. Even from far below where the man towers over him in sheer stature, Satra can see his opponent wears nothing to obscure his face, revealing a human face marred and deformed by the mechanical plating grating around his eyes and forehead with thick wiring tubes plugging into his bald skull. The large Peraxian grasps Satra by the collar of his vest and lifts him up. He twists his back then forth, carrying his head with the force of this move to slam Satra's more fragile cranium with a swift headbutt, connecting with the metal apparatus on his head which quickly drops Satra to the floor with another very painful recoil. Practically breathing an air of pain at this point, the lanky pilot tries to retaliate by throwing forward a punch of his own; this is responded to by his fist being grabbed, then slowly crushed with nearly bone shattering repercussion. Unsure of what to do, Satra grabs one of his infusions and pulls his entire body forward in order to slam the glass vial into his foe's gritting teeth. It somehow works; Biggins reels back with the glass cutting away at his lips and piercing into his gums and in moments, he transforms into a giant- and busts his skull against a hard pipe, knocking him out instantly. Satra finishes watching this, and gives a slight tilt of his head to remark while breathing heavily, "Thank Tymora that wasn't a different vial."
While ingesting potions to heal himself after that brief encounter, he makes his way to the controls and attempts to figure out how to manipulate them. However, just as he thinks he managed to capture the vehicle, it starts to topple from the force of a blast at the side. A display appears showing the final drone firing beams towards the vessel. "Darn it, it must have seen what went on here! Does this thing have weapons?" Another blast hits the hull, this time causing an explosion following it sending the vehicle plowing into the ground ahead, and throwing Satra against into the corner. "I have to get out of here!" he blurts, taking a universal formula and ingesting it. He chooses to turn into a vapor, soon becoming a mist that escapes through the exhausts.
The Peraxian manned vehicle finally explodes, a task finished by the drone continuing to fire at it until it wears away at the metal plating enough to destroy its power. With no sign of the others, the robotic drone flutters away. Dewie finally comes out of a small hole he dug, looking left and right wondering where Satra is. He then has a moment where it is possible Satra may have been in the big thing when it exploded and begins howling, as if pleading for him to come out. Quickly, Dewie is shushed, "Shh, shh, it'll try to come back if it hears you." A murky smoke pulls together, gradually forming the human partner from nowhere. Dewie chatters, seeming annoyed, but Satra responds, "Come now, close calls aren't a new thing for us."
Once the two are reunited with Pillari, Satra takes a moment to ask the talking bird, "It's not really safe to stay here and this communication device's signal is cut off. Can you scout out a path for us to safety?" Pillari cheeps, "I can't find Shirox! He went missing since that creepy lizard grabbed me!" Satra turns to give Dewie a very stern look and kneels down with a heavy sigh, then holds open his palm, "Alright. Barf him up Dewie. Come on, I know this was your doing."
One incident saving a rodent's life from a greedy kobold later, the group begins hiking away from the woods, Satra using a rag to clean Shirox along the way back.
<I'm pretty sure that was teh longest post I wrote in my life.
EDIT: Oh yeah, I figure I'd show this thing I made for Jackben: http://i.imgur.com/0fBJayO.jpg >
Before Satra is able to tell Dewie about the ship they're going to build, a chirping voice chimes in.
"I can't say I know Viss well enough.. to be friends. I'll call you my friend for helping Dewie out, though. Saves me a lot of trouble and grief!" He smiles.
"She said she had something to take care of, I was going to ask if that Half-orc fellow was alright... wait, are we alright? You said you escaped by the skins of your teeth that would mean..." His face grows worrisome, and en cue warm humming begins to be heard in the distance. Satra ushers the animals toward cover in behind a brush, picking up the magic sacks containing his prize in the process.
A small search party, some foot soldiers, a couple of drones, and a compact hovering armored patrol vehicle make their way into the woods, marching and scanning the surrounding area. Eventually, the men and the machines split up, with the biggest of the machines continuing its straight path. Satra watches intently, muttering under his breath, "What to do what to do.." When a drone buzzes along the vicinity of their near location, Satra reaches into his vial collection and grants Dewie an infusion, prompting an instruction to the others, "I need you to find a new place to hide. Dewie, if you see some of them coming, drink this and.. just be whatever you want, alright?" His Kobold nods, and grabs the potion and snatches Pillari and Shirox before running off towards some nearby bushes. Satra looks around for a solution to the closest problem, and notes a nearby ledge. He waits for a moment for the flying machine to move past overlooking the view before carefully making his way to the bottom end of the slope. Once there, he retrieves his revolver, opens the chamber to discard one of the bullets into his palm, then proceeds to twist away the metal encasing to free the black powder into the dry leaves. Once that is done, he lights a match into the pile before fleeing the scene.
The nearest drone flares its sensors, detecting a strong heat source flaring in its digital interpretation of sight. It transforms slightly, shifting its exterior to expose weaponry while pulling closer to investigate. It hovers downward to scan the heat source more closely, then starts a routine to analyze the composition of the source of the flame and its cause. However, it makes little progress when it is quickly interrupted and shorted out. Satra leaps from the top of the ledge onto the levitating drone with his height advantage, quietly shocking it with a Disable Construct spell. With little time to spare, he takes a tool to force open the hull of the mechanical creature and pulls apart some of its innards to ensure it won't return to working order any time soon.
One of the troops searching the area points to the Kobold, and speaks under his helmet with a muffled voice, monotone voice, "We have located the target. Proceed to procure it." His partner steps closer, then in tandem they raise their weapons at the creature. Dewie gulps, but bravely stands firm in front of the men and drinks the vial given to him.
Satra starts to trek to the other side of the woods- two bodies fly past him, one slams against a nearby tree and the other flings against the ground. The sudden scare marvels him with a painful bewilderment. In his sudden stupor, he slowly turns his head, panning Dewie into view. Once he sees what the Kobold had become, he nods approvingly despite a stunted expression. Dewie changes back to his original form by choice, lets out a cheerful chatter, and scurries back into hiding. The violence against the searching troops prompts the main search vehicle to flare one of its front side thrusters and one of its back side thrusters, effectively rotating it in place before flaring all of its horizontal thrusters to stabilize it in place. The vehicle thrusts forward slowly, doubling back to return to where the incident had happened. Satra looks to it from afar, thinking aloud softly, "That looks like our ticket out of here." After ingesting Spider Climb, Satra makes his way up a tree and waits for the vehicle to pass by. Once it slowly makes its way past while below him, he lets himself fall- fall onto the top side with an audible 'thud'. This, of course, is very painful. He winces and stumbles over with a painful groan, his arms and legs sore taking the brunt of the force of the landing.
"Frink!" yells one of the operators beside the other at the seat helming the vehicle, carrying a barely human voice whose emotions are dulled by his augmentation, "Eliminate the cause of the obstruction." "Acknowledged, Biggins," responds Frink, departing his seat. Satra looks to the top port of the hull being opened. With little time to acknowledge, Satra reaches as fast as he can to pull out his handgun. Frink peeks his body out, assault rifle lowering once he is part-way out, but Satra is already prepared; he fires a few shots at the other gunman, toppling him over the ringed edge of the porthole.
Biggins sets the vehicle functions to auto-pilot and quickly turns around to meet the intruder dropping down into the compact hold. Despite his quick reaction to further danger, Satra's attempt to raise his gun to fire at the other crewman is met with a swift swipe at his arm by Biggins, knocking the weapon away. Even from far below where the man towers over him in sheer stature, Satra can see his opponent wears nothing to obscure his face, revealing a human face marred and deformed by the mechanical plating grating around his eyes and forehead with thick wiring tubes plugging into his bald skull. The large Peraxian grasps Satra by the collar of his vest and lifts him up. He twists his back then forth, carrying his head with the force of this move to slam Satra's more fragile cranium with a swift headbutt, connecting with the metal apparatus on his head which quickly drops Satra to the floor with another very painful recoil. Practically breathing an air of pain at this point, the lanky pilot tries to retaliate by throwing forward a punch of his own; this is responded to by his fist being grabbed, then slowly crushed with nearly bone shattering repercussion. Unsure of what to do, Satra grabs one of his infusions and pulls his entire body forward in order to slam the glass vial into his foe's gritting teeth. It somehow works; Biggins reels back with the glass cutting away at his lips and piercing into his gums and in moments, he transforms into a giant- and busts his skull against a hard pipe, knocking him out instantly. Satra finishes watching this, and gives a slight tilt of his head to remark while breathing heavily, "Thank Tymora that wasn't a different vial."
While ingesting potions to heal himself after that brief encounter, he makes his way to the controls and attempts to figure out how to manipulate them. However, just as he thinks he managed to capture the vehicle, it starts to topple from the force of a blast at the side. A display appears showing the final drone firing beams towards the vessel. "Darn it, it must have seen what went on here! Does this thing have weapons?" Another blast hits the hull, this time causing an explosion following it sending the vehicle plowing into the ground ahead, and throwing Satra against into the corner. "I have to get out of here!" he blurts, taking a universal formula and ingesting it. He chooses to turn into a vapor, soon becoming a mist that escapes through the exhausts.
The Peraxian manned vehicle finally explodes, a task finished by the drone continuing to fire at it until it wears away at the metal plating enough to destroy its power. With no sign of the others, the robotic drone flutters away. Dewie finally comes out of a small hole he dug, looking left and right wondering where Satra is. He then has a moment where it is possible Satra may have been in the big thing when it exploded and begins howling, as if pleading for him to come out. Quickly, Dewie is shushed, "Shh, shh, it'll try to come back if it hears you." A murky smoke pulls together, gradually forming the human partner from nowhere. Dewie chatters, seeming annoyed, but Satra responds, "Come now, close calls aren't a new thing for us."
Once the two are reunited with Pillari, Satra takes a moment to ask the talking bird, "It's not really safe to stay here and this communication device's signal is cut off. Can you scout out a path for us to safety?" Pillari cheeps, "I can't find Shirox! He went missing since that creepy lizard grabbed me!" Satra turns to give Dewie a very stern look and kneels down with a heavy sigh, then holds open his palm, "Alright. Barf him up Dewie. Come on, I know this was your doing."
One incident saving a rodent's life from a greedy kobold later, the group begins hiking away from the woods, Satra using a rag to clean Shirox along the way back.
<I'm pretty sure that was teh longest post I wrote in my life.
EDIT: Oh yeah, I figure I'd show this thing I made for Jackben: http://i.imgur.com/0fBJayO.jpg >
ThLunarian
Member
The three lesser gods listen to Shulmor elaborate upon his plans for the most part, but the moment he mentions that the three of them would be reporting to him, things begin to deteriorate.
Loki bursts into mocking laughter. Freya's body language suggests heavy withdrawal from the metaphorical negotiating table. Only Thor even takes the request seriously.
"Come now, Drow," he says scoldingly. "No matter how easy it is for ye to tear through legions of peons, ye can't seriously expect three gods to willingly come subservient to ye." He addresses Freya and Loki. "I suggest we take this lad's grand aspirations down back to earth. What say ye we withdraw our arms against each other for now and agree to join the fight against this Zerome fellow, and we agree to use Shulmor here as a means to coordinate our efforts with whatever other armies might decide to join in the fight?"
Freya immediately becomes more attentive. "I would agree to that," she says.
Loki says nothing for a moment, steepling his hands and alternating his gaze between the other three present. "Very well," he finally acquiesces. "On one condition. It had better be more than just the three of us showing up to fight this all-powerful machine god. It's my policy to make fools of my opponents - not the other way around."
((Axel, you can consider this part of your mission a success, although you can do a wrap-up scene for Asgard if you'd like, before moving on to your next target.
KM - I don't have much to add to your scene, so you can proceed to the next leg of your story. From what I understand your immediate goal is to escape the continent and make it back to the beach, so you can write about that if you'd like))
Loki bursts into mocking laughter. Freya's body language suggests heavy withdrawal from the metaphorical negotiating table. Only Thor even takes the request seriously.
"Come now, Drow," he says scoldingly. "No matter how easy it is for ye to tear through legions of peons, ye can't seriously expect three gods to willingly come subservient to ye." He addresses Freya and Loki. "I suggest we take this lad's grand aspirations down back to earth. What say ye we withdraw our arms against each other for now and agree to join the fight against this Zerome fellow, and we agree to use Shulmor here as a means to coordinate our efforts with whatever other armies might decide to join in the fight?"
Freya immediately becomes more attentive. "I would agree to that," she says.
Loki says nothing for a moment, steepling his hands and alternating his gaze between the other three present. "Very well," he finally acquiesces. "On one condition. It had better be more than just the three of us showing up to fight this all-powerful machine god. It's my policy to make fools of my opponents - not the other way around."
((Axel, you can consider this part of your mission a success, although you can do a wrap-up scene for Asgard if you'd like, before moving on to your next target.
KM - I don't have much to add to your scene, so you can proceed to the next leg of your story. From what I understand your immediate goal is to escape the continent and make it back to the beach, so you can write about that if you'd like))
KittenMaster
Member
<Will I need to make any checks to have the archons build a ship once Satra returns to the main area?>
ThLunarian
Member
((Make a Knowledge Engineering check, and if you have ranks in a relevant Profession, make that check too.
However, the results of these checks will not come into play until later. You are going to succeed at building the ship regardless. It's going to take you the entire month, though, and that's with all the available Archons assisting you))
However, the results of these checks will not come into play until later. You are going to succeed at building the ship regardless. It's going to take you the entire month, though, and that's with all the available Archons assisting you))
KittenMaster
Member
Kn: Engineering: 1D20+20 = [6]+20 = 26
<For pete's sake...
*opens up roll history*
Literally the moment the Aldebaran battle started Satra has been cursed to be incredibly bad at his intended job.>
<For pete's sake...
*opens up roll history*
Literally the moment the Aldebaran battle started Satra has been cursed to be incredibly bad at his intended job.>
ThLunarian
Member
((Very sorry about that, Azih. I did miss your roll.
Let's turn your Knowledge Religion roll into a journey to the Isle of Enlightenment to perform research on Zerome.))
Possessing little to no knowledge on Zerome, whose secrets have been particularly well-kept, Menek decides that it's time to return to the Isle of Enlightenment, both to check on the status of his god's kingdom and to perform some much-needed research on the Machine God.
Unlike the other domains (although he would have no way to know how they're faring), the Isle is largely unaffected by Arozora's absence. Everyone seems to be adhering to whatever research pursuits strike their fancy.
Curiously, it also seems as though no one much cares that their god is missing, nor do they show much, if any, concern for the looming threat of Zerome. Whether this is due to ignorance or apathy is not quite clear, and varies from person to person.
((That Knowledge Religion roll gets you the following dossier, courtesy of Mike M (pages 1-4 only): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz3lHdUARJ0WZ09vS2JaelZ6VWs/view?pref=2&pli=1 ))
Let's turn your Knowledge Religion roll into a journey to the Isle of Enlightenment to perform research on Zerome.))
Possessing little to no knowledge on Zerome, whose secrets have been particularly well-kept, Menek decides that it's time to return to the Isle of Enlightenment, both to check on the status of his god's kingdom and to perform some much-needed research on the Machine God.
Unlike the other domains (although he would have no way to know how they're faring), the Isle is largely unaffected by Arozora's absence. Everyone seems to be adhering to whatever research pursuits strike their fancy.
Curiously, it also seems as though no one much cares that their god is missing, nor do they show much, if any, concern for the looming threat of Zerome. Whether this is due to ignorance or apathy is not quite clear, and varies from person to person.
((That Knowledge Religion roll gets you the following dossier, courtesy of Mike M (pages 1-4 only): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz3lHdUARJ0WZ09vS2JaelZ6VWs/view?pref=2&pli=1 ))
Axelhortsemchi
Member
Shulmor's expression shifts to anger as the gods balk at his taking control of their forces. His anger subsides and his stern expression softens as the gods come to an agreement on uniting nonetheless. "It seems you have come to a unanimous decision, making my expectations irrelevant. Very well, that is an acceptable arrangement. Your cooperation is appreciated." Looking to Loki, he says "Of course it won't just be the lot of you. Setting you up for a lethal prank is hardly worth the fate of the universe." With that, Shulmor is off to the next realm to gather more forces to combat Zerome.
((Ready to go off to Shulmor's next destination. I think that's the Nine Hells, but if there are other plans I can go with those.))
((Ready to go off to Shulmor's next destination. I think that's the Nine Hells, but if there are other plans I can go with those.))
KittenMaster
Member
<Since it'll take a whole month to build the main ship, will it be possible to get a smaller ship on the side so that Satra can do stuff like collect more Archon parts and visit
?>
Olidammara
ThLunarian
Member
With a tentative truce established in Asgard, Shulmor is able to focus on the next step. He manages to convince Thor to provide a teleportation spell that will get him to the Nine Hells - though it will be impossible to specify an exact location.
Once more, Shulmor's essence is sent flickering about the Astral Sea, and when he reappears he finds himself in the middle of a city.
The buildings are ancient in design and made of stone. The cobblestone streets glow ember-red, and emanate a fierce heat great enough to be uncomfortable (yet still bearable) for Shulmor. Distant screams of torment can be heard echoing through vents that decorate the landscape.
The streets are populated mostly by Devils, though there is the occasional humanoid dressed in rags, in a hurry to get somewhere - no doubt some foul creature's slave.
Before Shulmor has time enough to get his bearings and wander around, a small squadron of winged Devils in guard's armor swoop down from above. The frontmost Devil addresses him. "Our Master wishes an audience," it says, and it is more of a command than a request.
The group of Devils together lift Shulmor from the ground and fly him to a great iron tower in the center of the city. At the very top of the tower is a throne, and upon the throne sits a humanoid man with a goatee, dark purple skin, and ornate red robes. He holds a golden scepter in hand.
"I know who you are," says the man slyly, smiling a deadly smile. "You are Ciel's replacement. Though it seems you have lost your status as Lich. A pity."
He rubs his chin with his free hand for a moment. "I am Dispater, Lord of the Second Layer. What is your business here?"
((KM - I'm alright with that. I gather that you have a pretty good idea of where you want your visit to Olidamarra to go, so you can write out that part if you'd like))
Once more, Shulmor's essence is sent flickering about the Astral Sea, and when he reappears he finds himself in the middle of a city.
The buildings are ancient in design and made of stone. The cobblestone streets glow ember-red, and emanate a fierce heat great enough to be uncomfortable (yet still bearable) for Shulmor. Distant screams of torment can be heard echoing through vents that decorate the landscape.
The streets are populated mostly by Devils, though there is the occasional humanoid dressed in rags, in a hurry to get somewhere - no doubt some foul creature's slave.
Before Shulmor has time enough to get his bearings and wander around, a small squadron of winged Devils in guard's armor swoop down from above. The frontmost Devil addresses him. "Our Master wishes an audience," it says, and it is more of a command than a request.
The group of Devils together lift Shulmor from the ground and fly him to a great iron tower in the center of the city. At the very top of the tower is a throne, and upon the throne sits a humanoid man with a goatee, dark purple skin, and ornate red robes. He holds a golden scepter in hand.
"I know who you are," says the man slyly, smiling a deadly smile. "You are Ciel's replacement. Though it seems you have lost your status as Lich. A pity."
He rubs his chin with his free hand for a moment. "I am Dispater, Lord of the Second Layer. What is your business here?"
((KM - I'm alright with that. I gather that you have a pretty good idea of where you want your visit to Olidamarra to go, so you can write out that part if you'd like))
KittenMaster
Member
A lengthy flight takes the group back to the lake surrounding the now abandoned campfire. Vibrant hues of the astral sky mirror in the landscape and trees form a rough border, like ink splashed onto paper. Satra flies to the rest point, carrying Shirox and Dewie with him, and they are finally able to land, then pause. "This is where everyone will meet up," he explains, "I guess I'm the first one to return, I suppose we weren't that far to begin with. Viss will be back soon enough I hope." He eases into a sitting position onto the grass, completely apathetic to its wetness given the circumstances, then sets down both of his magic sacks to open them. "Come on out," he commands the archons. Soon little robotic people march out of the sacks, navigating to an orbital position around their new master and pivot their torso independent of their pelvis to face Satra before stepping in place to re-orient their standing position. They stand before him, awaiting new orders. Eager to begin even so late, and after returning from a trip, he states, "We're going to design, and build a ship."
The remaining energy he has is spent doing provisional planning. He busies himself with interest tapping a holographic screen projected by an archon with a sharpened stick, taking advantage of the makeshift utensil by using it to draw schematics and input commands. "Check this out Dewie. Our ship is going to have none of the problems that trolley in Esperia they called a big ship is known for. It's gonna be capable of traveling long distances, it's going to carry an entire crew, it'll have magical shields and weapons." Dewie then points and eagerly barks. Satra responds, "Haha, sure! Why not? We'll give it a main cannon that fires a large area disentigration spell." Dewie nods and yips approvingly.
Slowed down by a yawn, it becomes apparent that some rest is needed. He commands the archons to continue with developing the most important core materials, and instructs the archon he was personally using to save the schematics he has come up with so far. He tilts himself carefully, leveraging himself on an arm to lower himself into the grass. He closes his eyes, but his thoughts racing with the possibilities of what the ship will be like keeps him from slumber for awhile, knowing that soon he will be darting through the air once more and taking on Zerome and the Peraxians that shot him down on his own terms.
He wakes up with a tugging in his stomach. Not enthused to sleep last night, not enthused to get up, it's the cycle of life. Nothing to eat, nobody else around other than small animals that hunt small things for themselves and Dewie, it becomes apparent that there is a huge problem- what are they going to eat?
In the woods, Satra stalks a boar like creature much like the one Cecil had hunted prior. Once the animal has halted his movement he positions himself where he can get a good line of sight through the trees, and raises his rifle to keep it steady against his shoulder and aligned with his view. After a moment, he pulls the trigger, causing a burst that darts the pig creature and knocks it down.
Back at the camp, he stares at the corpse of the animal and doesn't know what to do with it. He shakes his head and says to himself, "How do I... get the hair off? I could definitely use Viss' help right now," He clasps his hands together and looks toward an archon, pointing at the animal corpse, "Archon DD3-5, do you know how to skin an animal?"
He awaits an answer.
The remaining energy he has is spent doing provisional planning. He busies himself with interest tapping a holographic screen projected by an archon with a sharpened stick, taking advantage of the makeshift utensil by using it to draw schematics and input commands. "Check this out Dewie. Our ship is going to have none of the problems that trolley in Esperia they called a big ship is known for. It's gonna be capable of traveling long distances, it's going to carry an entire crew, it'll have magical shields and weapons." Dewie then points and eagerly barks. Satra responds, "Haha, sure! Why not? We'll give it a main cannon that fires a large area disentigration spell." Dewie nods and yips approvingly.
Slowed down by a yawn, it becomes apparent that some rest is needed. He commands the archons to continue with developing the most important core materials, and instructs the archon he was personally using to save the schematics he has come up with so far. He tilts himself carefully, leveraging himself on an arm to lower himself into the grass. He closes his eyes, but his thoughts racing with the possibilities of what the ship will be like keeps him from slumber for awhile, knowing that soon he will be darting through the air once more and taking on Zerome and the Peraxians that shot him down on his own terms.
He wakes up with a tugging in his stomach. Not enthused to sleep last night, not enthused to get up, it's the cycle of life. Nothing to eat, nobody else around other than small animals that hunt small things for themselves and Dewie, it becomes apparent that there is a huge problem- what are they going to eat?
In the woods, Satra stalks a boar like creature much like the one Cecil had hunted prior. Once the animal has halted his movement he positions himself where he can get a good line of sight through the trees, and raises his rifle to keep it steady against his shoulder and aligned with his view. After a moment, he pulls the trigger, causing a burst that darts the pig creature and knocks it down.
Back at the camp, he stares at the corpse of the animal and doesn't know what to do with it. He shakes his head and says to himself, "How do I... get the hair off? I could definitely use Viss' help right now," He clasps his hands together and looks toward an archon, pointing at the animal corpse, "Archon DD3-5, do you know how to skin an animal?"
He awaits an answer.
ThLunarian
Member
Rather than answer verbally, the Archon marches robotically to the creature's corpse and points a magical emitter at it. Mystical energies envelop the beast, and before Satra's eyes, it is transformed into a perfectly prepared, pre-sliced pork roast, complete with pineapple garnish and utensils to assist with eating. It rests atop a plain wooden table, surrounded by chairs, and the table is already set with tableware to accommodate four people.
KittenMaster
Member
Satra's face lights up in delight once the body shifts abrubtly from a limp weight eminating a sweaty stench to a rich, alluring meat with a soft texture oozing a warm aroma. Satra is quick to find a seat at the table and Dewie quicker to climb onto it. He rubs his hands together and comments cheerfully, "How about that dinner, huh Dewie?" The salmon colored reptile nods rigorously and grunts a response, its maw dripping with salviation. Satra reaches an arm to pull Dewie back slightly, tsking, "Hang on there, let me get my share before you get your spit and chew marks all over it." Grasping a well sheened steel fork between his fingers, he uses it to scoop a few of the cuts onto his plate: more than any man would need, but very little of the meat compared to how large the beast is. Once finished, he guides his hand foward, welcoming Dewie to his prize. The kobold proceeds to scoop up large swaths of pork into his maw, crushing the tender loin with wide movements of its jaw, much like a canine dog. Snickering, Satra says, "It really has been a long time since a good meal, hasn't it?"
Days pass.. and over each day the camp becomes more and more of a factory for the ship. Magic crystal engines form little by little, while other archons generate cables and connectors more quickly; various curved flat metal plates of different sizes and shape sit in the grass outside of a shelter built over the camp site. Although progress is being made, the mechanic finally begins to have an understanding of the Archon capabilities and their development speed. While the two gaze at an archon's display, Dewie growls and barks for a moment, as if making a comment and Satra nods, "Yeah.. we can automate development but it will still take another couple of weeks to finish, and the others haven't gotten back yet. Dewie, I don't think I can sit idly by anymore, I need to help warn the gods." Dewie murrs worriedly, but Satra responds, "I need a small ship right away for the time being.."
He steps outside, carring the archon he has and setting it on the ground. Then, he starts pointing at individual ones carrying out lower priority tasks, "AD-N.D, DD-5E... and you, whatever you are. Can you build me a cruiser that can..." Something tells him that this phrase was used before, and in a context that doesn't make as much sense as it does now. Shaking his head with a bit of a tremble to reorient his mental focus, he continues, "A cruiser that can navigate the astral sea." With compliance, the designated archons begin work on a small ship, a stock design pulled from their database. Satra goes on to state, "We can use some of the parts, particularly the magic drive and transfer it to the main ship later to save time."
However long it will take to build the small ship, it is on that day preparations are made to depart. In the days prior he makes sure to have food and drink prepared to be stored for the trip, and he brings that and the archon with him for the trip. "We have to make this short. There's no guarantee we'll find the god I'm looking for." Dewie chatters questionably. Satra responds, "The only man that could possibly be as good at his job as my sister- The Laughing Rogue."
<I know I am allowed to go on with the meeting with Olidammara right away, but I need a break from writing and I think I want to plan it in my head a bit more now that it's coming right up. That and I want to get to working on artwork of my character for Nick N's game.>
Days pass.. and over each day the camp becomes more and more of a factory for the ship. Magic crystal engines form little by little, while other archons generate cables and connectors more quickly; various curved flat metal plates of different sizes and shape sit in the grass outside of a shelter built over the camp site. Although progress is being made, the mechanic finally begins to have an understanding of the Archon capabilities and their development speed. While the two gaze at an archon's display, Dewie growls and barks for a moment, as if making a comment and Satra nods, "Yeah.. we can automate development but it will still take another couple of weeks to finish, and the others haven't gotten back yet. Dewie, I don't think I can sit idly by anymore, I need to help warn the gods." Dewie murrs worriedly, but Satra responds, "I need a small ship right away for the time being.."
He steps outside, carring the archon he has and setting it on the ground. Then, he starts pointing at individual ones carrying out lower priority tasks, "AD-N.D, DD-5E... and you, whatever you are. Can you build me a cruiser that can..." Something tells him that this phrase was used before, and in a context that doesn't make as much sense as it does now. Shaking his head with a bit of a tremble to reorient his mental focus, he continues, "A cruiser that can navigate the astral sea." With compliance, the designated archons begin work on a small ship, a stock design pulled from their database. Satra goes on to state, "We can use some of the parts, particularly the magic drive and transfer it to the main ship later to save time."
However long it will take to build the small ship, it is on that day preparations are made to depart. In the days prior he makes sure to have food and drink prepared to be stored for the trip, and he brings that and the archon with him for the trip. "We have to make this short. There's no guarantee we'll find the god I'm looking for." Dewie chatters questionably. Satra responds, "The only man that could possibly be as good at his job as my sister- The Laughing Rogue."
<I know I am allowed to go on with the meeting with Olidammara right away, but I need a break from writing and I think I want to plan it in my head a bit more now that it's coming right up. That and I want to get to working on artwork of my character for Nick N's game.>
Axelhortsemchi
Member
Shulmor's readjustment to the sensation of excessive heat is short lived as a squad of winged devils approaches. He gladly goes along with the mandatory escort, finding it a nice change of pace from having to wander battlefields and force and audience with the plane's leadership.
Shulmor returns the devilish smile and begins addressing Dispater. "Well, that saves a little explaining then. My current form is indeed a pity, though this is but a temporary inconvenience for Shulmor. I have come to ensure the Nine Hells are prepared for the coming of Zerome, the entity that has drained Asmodeus and many of the other gods of the Astral Sea. It intends to consume and assimilate the entirety of existence, and as things stand, the only hope of us continuing to have an Astral Sea to live in is a joint attack upon the machine god from as many of the remaining survivors of the planes as possible. The remaining members of the organization I work for and..." Shulmor's speech slows for a second as he minimizes his revulsion, "Ciel formerly worked for are taking steps to appeal to the planes closest to them and to find weaknesses in the machine to be exploited. I am visiting as many planes as time will allow to make sure they are prepared for what is coming. If you can rally your forces and perhaps give some insight into how to bring the other layers of the Nine Hells aboard, it could be the difference of whether or not we are all part of a single artificial conscious in the near future."
Shulmor awaits Dispater's reply.
((Not sure if diplomacy or intimidate rolls are needed here. Not even any real intimidating there other than Zerome being serious stuff. But sticking them in just in case.))
((Oof, should have just taken the six. Hopefully the intimidate roll wasn't needed.
))
Shulmor returns the devilish smile and begins addressing Dispater. "Well, that saves a little explaining then. My current form is indeed a pity, though this is but a temporary inconvenience for Shulmor. I have come to ensure the Nine Hells are prepared for the coming of Zerome, the entity that has drained Asmodeus and many of the other gods of the Astral Sea. It intends to consume and assimilate the entirety of existence, and as things stand, the only hope of us continuing to have an Astral Sea to live in is a joint attack upon the machine god from as many of the remaining survivors of the planes as possible. The remaining members of the organization I work for and..." Shulmor's speech slows for a second as he minimizes his revulsion, "Ciel formerly worked for are taking steps to appeal to the planes closest to them and to find weaknesses in the machine to be exploited. I am visiting as many planes as time will allow to make sure they are prepared for what is coming. If you can rally your forces and perhaps give some insight into how to bring the other layers of the Nine Hells aboard, it could be the difference of whether or not we are all part of a single artificial conscious in the near future."
Shulmor awaits Dispater's reply.
((Not sure if diplomacy or intimidate rolls are needed here. Not even any real intimidating there other than Zerome being serious stuff. But sticking them in just in case.))
Code:
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=112279]Diplomacy: 1D20 + 27 = [17]+27 = 44
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=112280]Intimidate: 1D20 + 35 = [6]+35 = 41
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=112281]Slingers Luck : 1D20 + 35 = [2]+35 = 37
[/url]((Oof, should have just taken the six. Hopefully the intimidate roll wasn't needed.
))ThLunarian
Member
Dispater nods sagely as Shulmor speaks. "Yes, we are well aware of the threat that Zerome poses. The Nine Hells are in the midst of an orderly transition of power, in Asmodeus's absence. The Lords of the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth layers were all whisked away by whatever strange magicks that Zerome wields, which caused some... complications; however, the Archduke Glasya, Lord of the Sixth Layer, is well on his way toward transitioning into the highest seat of power in the plane.
"Your efforts to unite the forces of the Astral Sea against Zerome are appreciated, and remove much of the legwork for us. I can relay your message to the Archduke, or I can bring you to to audience with him so that you may address him yourself; only you know your schedule, and so I will leave the choice to you."
"Your efforts to unite the forces of the Astral Sea against Zerome are appreciated, and remove much of the legwork for us. I can relay your message to the Archduke, or I can bring you to to audience with him so that you may address him yourself; only you know your schedule, and so I will leave the choice to you."
KittenMaster
Member
Two lively figures, dressed as gaudy noblemen, their attire crafted by insincere cheap material dyed and glitter dusted to give the illusion of wealth, their wigs that of cotton strong to length and tied with ribbons both bicker snively against a wooden backdrop painted over with a jagged, unconvincing representation of a mansion stood up on a platform stage in the middle of an aging grass field. They act with exaggerated movement and speaking to convey their memorized exchange, but even with their practice their words often come off as dull in places, too strung out, or other errors that are easily caught by a perceptive ear. "I am anxious to hear if you have met gazes with the fair lady of the Livingston house?" asks one of the costumed noblemen. "I wouldn't call a lady that swindled me out of a Chess victory 'fair', if I may clarify!" remarks the other, resulting in a few chuckles out of the rather low key audience, including Olidammara, who sits among the peasanted crowd in the chairs watching the play with great interest. After the god gives a huff and a smirk at the line, the man sitting next to him turns to comment, "This half copper comedy wouldn't be half bad if I had never seen anything else." Looking over Olidammara agrees with just a smile, though goes on to further clarify, "To be honest I was hoping for something so retched it was fantastic." He chuckles, "A not so guilty pleasure." The stranger holds out his hand and introduces himself, "Satra Addlelove. 'The best there is', I presume?"
With twisting of his posture and his eyes rolling forcefully with half astonishment, he asks the stranger, silently questioning the nature of the meeting, "Okay. How did you find me? Out here of all places?" Satra's eyes flicker shyly outward a moment, before his thoughts gather time to explain, "Well..." He shrugs just one of his shoulders, "I thought about where the best rogue would be most hidden, most comfortable. And that, was among friends that are among enemies." As Satra explains this, Olidammara laxes into the seat, resting one of his arms over an empty seat while crossing his leg over. Nodding, he smiles, "Among friends that are among enemies. Yes, very good advice for any dashing figure that has become too popular for his own good, but that doesn't explain why you found me." With his hands folding open in presentation, he shakes his head while announcing, "I hardly have any enemies worth noting!" Satra, almost defeatedly shrugs and answers nonchalantly, "I figured the only comedy play open in the recent hours was the second best place." Olidammara can't help but chuckle at the revelation, "Predictable as always, I see. Alright then. Let's get this over with."
Olidammara strolls through the town fair with the mortal following, pausing at a stand to make an exchange with the vendor for a handful of berries. Turning to Satra, he states forwardly, "Fortunately you did not try to find me in my home realm. The guards have become more inclined to shoot people in the dick ever since the maze has been mapped out more thouroughly." Bewildered, Satra's brows contort, "In the dick?" Olidammara snickers and bellows laughably, "Of course they wouldn't! That's just a story I use to scare people." Satra's eyes flicker and he nods understandably, "Of course. That's something only Ciel would think to do." Olidammara's brows raise, "Ciel? Oh yes, you must be her boyfriend." "Wait, no-" "I tire of the gossip surrounding her throughout the planes, are we dealing with SAED matters?" Satra answers kurtly, "Sort of, I'm not SAED, nor do I have anything to do with Ciel. I figured I should warn you that there is a mechanical swarm that's been devouring the divine powers of the gods. It already drained the likes of Pelor, Vecna, even the Raven Queen."
The divine rogue deity gives a cold look to Satra, and muses over his words. Slowly and bitterly, he asks with a very low voice, "And what.. makes you think I wouldn't desire that of their fates?"
The sudden statement comes as a shock to Satra, and the unexpected phrase leaves him at a loss for words. Olidammara quickly gives a strong pat to his back and bursts in laughter, "I'm joking! I'm joking.. I wouldn't be so bold to think that way of the other gods!" Still shaken, Satra pulls himself together to recollect his wits, smiling a bit, "You got me good!" "Anyhow," he continues, "What makes you believe that an intermediate deity would be willing to take on a being that would drain me, a deity, of my power?" Satra looks to Olidammara again, and answers, "Well, I figure that you would have a lot of connections, people you could talk to, strings you could pull to get mortals to fight against this on-coming threat so that you yourself would be perfectly safe." Shaking his head, Olidammara explains still balancing the berries in his palm, "You are correct, having proxy forces would be ideal, but you still hadn't convinced me that I should convince a good number of individuals, half of which don't even know I am running their shows, to go out and risk their lives when I can simply allow all of the other gods and their more zealous followers to do the work for us!"
Satra starts to feel very defeated at this point.
<I have no Diplomacy, but I have Bluff. Should I bluff even if it would inevitably fail? (And I'm fine with it failing either way, fits both characters.)>
With twisting of his posture and his eyes rolling forcefully with half astonishment, he asks the stranger, silently questioning the nature of the meeting, "Okay. How did you find me? Out here of all places?" Satra's eyes flicker shyly outward a moment, before his thoughts gather time to explain, "Well..." He shrugs just one of his shoulders, "I thought about where the best rogue would be most hidden, most comfortable. And that, was among friends that are among enemies." As Satra explains this, Olidammara laxes into the seat, resting one of his arms over an empty seat while crossing his leg over. Nodding, he smiles, "Among friends that are among enemies. Yes, very good advice for any dashing figure that has become too popular for his own good, but that doesn't explain why you found me." With his hands folding open in presentation, he shakes his head while announcing, "I hardly have any enemies worth noting!" Satra, almost defeatedly shrugs and answers nonchalantly, "I figured the only comedy play open in the recent hours was the second best place." Olidammara can't help but chuckle at the revelation, "Predictable as always, I see. Alright then. Let's get this over with."
Olidammara strolls through the town fair with the mortal following, pausing at a stand to make an exchange with the vendor for a handful of berries. Turning to Satra, he states forwardly, "Fortunately you did not try to find me in my home realm. The guards have become more inclined to shoot people in the dick ever since the maze has been mapped out more thouroughly." Bewildered, Satra's brows contort, "In the dick?" Olidammara snickers and bellows laughably, "Of course they wouldn't! That's just a story I use to scare people." Satra's eyes flicker and he nods understandably, "Of course. That's something only Ciel would think to do." Olidammara's brows raise, "Ciel? Oh yes, you must be her boyfriend." "Wait, no-" "I tire of the gossip surrounding her throughout the planes, are we dealing with SAED matters?" Satra answers kurtly, "Sort of, I'm not SAED, nor do I have anything to do with Ciel. I figured I should warn you that there is a mechanical swarm that's been devouring the divine powers of the gods. It already drained the likes of Pelor, Vecna, even the Raven Queen."
The divine rogue deity gives a cold look to Satra, and muses over his words. Slowly and bitterly, he asks with a very low voice, "And what.. makes you think I wouldn't desire that of their fates?"
The sudden statement comes as a shock to Satra, and the unexpected phrase leaves him at a loss for words. Olidammara quickly gives a strong pat to his back and bursts in laughter, "I'm joking! I'm joking.. I wouldn't be so bold to think that way of the other gods!" Still shaken, Satra pulls himself together to recollect his wits, smiling a bit, "You got me good!" "Anyhow," he continues, "What makes you believe that an intermediate deity would be willing to take on a being that would drain me, a deity, of my power?" Satra looks to Olidammara again, and answers, "Well, I figure that you would have a lot of connections, people you could talk to, strings you could pull to get mortals to fight against this on-coming threat so that you yourself would be perfectly safe." Shaking his head, Olidammara explains still balancing the berries in his palm, "You are correct, having proxy forces would be ideal, but you still hadn't convinced me that I should convince a good number of individuals, half of which don't even know I am running their shows, to go out and risk their lives when I can simply allow all of the other gods and their more zealous followers to do the work for us!"
Satra starts to feel very defeated at this point.
<I have no Diplomacy, but I have Bluff. Should I bluff even if it would inevitably fail? (And I'm fine with it failing either way, fits both characters.)>
Axelhortsemchi
Member
((The real lesson to take away from Satra's adventures is that only villains shoot people in the dick.))
"Likewise, your reasonability and organization has removed a significant portion of my work as well. The last plane I visited was... quite messier, to say the least." Shulmor mills over the devil's offer. "If Archduke Glasya is to take the highest seat of power in this plane, it would be good for me to speak with him before travelling elsewhere, if for no other reason to establish a means of fast communication. With numerous planes involved, the more leaders I can reach on short notice, the better."
"Likewise, your reasonability and organization has removed a significant portion of my work as well. The last plane I visited was... quite messier, to say the least." Shulmor mills over the devil's offer. "If Archduke Glasya is to take the highest seat of power in this plane, it would be good for me to speak with him before travelling elsewhere, if for no other reason to establish a means of fast communication. With numerous planes involved, the more leaders I can reach on short notice, the better."
KittenMaster
Member
<Actually? I can't even think of a good bluff. I'm ready to call convincing Olidammara of anything a failure.>
ThLunarian
Member
((KM, it sounds reasonable enough, and would definitely fit Olidammara's personality based on what he did at the end of QftHR
Also, some minor retconning is required: Glasya is a female, so just pretend that Dispater said "her" instead of "him" where appropriate))
Dispater snaps his fingers, and at once he and Shulmor are standing in a medium-sized office. A lavish, hand-carved mahogany desk rests in the center of the room, and seated at the desk is a beautiful woman with copper skin and a semi-translucent dress. She wears a crown atop her head, and her ears are pointy; tiny horns protrude from a healthy mane of brunette hair. She is busy filling out paperwork.
She looks up to see the pair and sighs. "We need to revisit this open-door policy," she says somewhat sternly to Dispater. "I'm already regretting it. What do you want?"
"Lady Glasya," says Dispater, wearing that same shit-eating grin. He performs an exaggerated bow, without breaking eye contact with her. "May I present to you Lord Shulmor, formerly of SAED. He wishes to coordinate an assault on Zerome, the machine-god, and as the newly-installed Supreme Leader of the Nine Hells, he seeks to speak with you about the coming assault."
"Yes," says Glasya, frowning skeptically. "The coming assault. About that. I am not entirely convinced that this machine-god is a threat worth taking seriously. In fact, I have serious doubts that such a commitment of forces is worth even considering at all. I was close to considering the matter closed, but since you've gone to the trouble of coming to see me in person, I suppose I can at least hear what you have to say. Out with it, now."
Also, some minor retconning is required: Glasya is a female, so just pretend that Dispater said "her" instead of "him" where appropriate))
Dispater snaps his fingers, and at once he and Shulmor are standing in a medium-sized office. A lavish, hand-carved mahogany desk rests in the center of the room, and seated at the desk is a beautiful woman with copper skin and a semi-translucent dress. She wears a crown atop her head, and her ears are pointy; tiny horns protrude from a healthy mane of brunette hair. She is busy filling out paperwork.
She looks up to see the pair and sighs. "We need to revisit this open-door policy," she says somewhat sternly to Dispater. "I'm already regretting it. What do you want?"
"Lady Glasya," says Dispater, wearing that same shit-eating grin. He performs an exaggerated bow, without breaking eye contact with her. "May I present to you Lord Shulmor, formerly of SAED. He wishes to coordinate an assault on Zerome, the machine-god, and as the newly-installed Supreme Leader of the Nine Hells, he seeks to speak with you about the coming assault."
"Yes," says Glasya, frowning skeptically. "The coming assault. About that. I am not entirely convinced that this machine-god is a threat worth taking seriously. In fact, I have serious doubts that such a commitment of forces is worth even considering at all. I was close to considering the matter closed, but since you've gone to the trouble of coming to see me in person, I suppose I can at least hear what you have to say. Out with it, now."
Axelhortsemchi
Member
Still readjusting to the realities of biological life, the sight of Glasya threatens to leave Shulmor befuddled by beauty again. It is only thanks to his recent run in with Freya and Glasya's quickly putting on a difficult nature that this is averted. The indignation as someone so casually dismissing the existential threat of Zerome washes any risk of that away. Shulmor approaches her desk and begins to speak.
"Asmodeus and the lords of layers seven through nine. Odin. Vecna. Heironeous. Gruumsh. Melora. Arozora. The Raven Queen. All drained and captured by Zerome in an instant. And that is an abridged list, or we would be here all day. The machine god you consider no real threat has already assimilated much of the pantheon, and has made it a goal to assimilate the whole of the multiverse. No single plane can hope to stand against it alone. It will take a coordinated assault, an exploitation of the weaknesses my associates are looking into, and a merciless follow through to defeat this threat. Waiting will do nothing but guarantee your end. When Zerome comes for the Nine Hells, and it will, it will be too late to stave it off. I understand the difficulty of consolidating a new ruling order, but if you choose to not act in the hopes that the other planes take care of this for you, you may well not have a single Hell left to rule."
Shulmor keeps his palms on the desk, looking intently into Glasya's eyes in awaiting a response. His demeanor is not hostile, but he damn well is going to make sure she understands the gravity of the situation.
"Asmodeus and the lords of layers seven through nine. Odin. Vecna. Heironeous. Gruumsh. Melora. Arozora. The Raven Queen. All drained and captured by Zerome in an instant. And that is an abridged list, or we would be here all day. The machine god you consider no real threat has already assimilated much of the pantheon, and has made it a goal to assimilate the whole of the multiverse. No single plane can hope to stand against it alone. It will take a coordinated assault, an exploitation of the weaknesses my associates are looking into, and a merciless follow through to defeat this threat. Waiting will do nothing but guarantee your end. When Zerome comes for the Nine Hells, and it will, it will be too late to stave it off. I understand the difficulty of consolidating a new ruling order, but if you choose to not act in the hopes that the other planes take care of this for you, you may well not have a single Hell left to rule."
Shulmor keeps his palms on the desk, looking intently into Glasya's eyes in awaiting a response. His demeanor is not hostile, but he damn well is going to make sure she understands the gravity of the situation.
Code:
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=112462]Diplomacy: 1D20 + 27 = [11]+27 = 38
[/url]
[url=http://roll.coyotecode.net/lookup.php?rollid=112463]Intimidate: 1D20 + 35 = [18]+35 = 53
[/url]KittenMaster
Member
Olidammara begins walking back to the rows of chairs in the field, eating the berries one by one. After a moment of standing still, Satra quickly stumbles forward to catch up, trying to give reason, "H-how about getting people and gods you don't like to fight the Zerome? You know, political manipulation and what not?" Olidammara huffs, "Very cute, but I only perform literal miracles which are circus tricks in comparison to bending the planescape to my will, otherwise I'd have done it already! Besides. Such matters are better suited to SAED, I'm sure they'll listen to them faster than it would take to gently guide a nation to its death."
Once he sits down again, he looks to the still standing Satra, "I give you a resounding 'maybe'*. Until then, don't expect much from me and seek a more hot headed god, like Pelor or-" "Pelor's been drain-" Olidammara gives a dismissive flap of his hand, "Whatever, he is an overrated power anyway." He starts to dance in his seat, palms raised, chanting mockingly, "'Praise the sun! Praise Pelor!' It's an elder cliche." With his arms gently lowering, he gives a conclusive, "Right. I'm sure I am wasting your time with my pettiness."
Later, Satra sits in the cockpit of the cruiser, uncomfortably cramped with the others in it. He sits the Archon up onto the dashboard, and asks it, "Do you know any near deities I could try to visit? Intermediate or weaker."
<*translator's note: Maybe means 'no'.>
Once he sits down again, he looks to the still standing Satra, "I give you a resounding 'maybe'*. Until then, don't expect much from me and seek a more hot headed god, like Pelor or-" "Pelor's been drain-" Olidammara gives a dismissive flap of his hand, "Whatever, he is an overrated power anyway." He starts to dance in his seat, palms raised, chanting mockingly, "'Praise the sun! Praise Pelor!' It's an elder cliche." With his arms gently lowering, he gives a conclusive, "Right. I'm sure I am wasting your time with my pettiness."
Later, Satra sits in the cockpit of the cruiser, uncomfortably cramped with the others in it. He sits the Archon up onto the dashboard, and asks it, "Do you know any near deities I could try to visit? Intermediate or weaker."
<*translator's note: Maybe means 'no'.>
ThLunarian
Member
Archduke Glasya looks Shulmor in the eyes, unflinching. "I cannot give you an answer at this time, but know that serious weight will be given to your recommendations. As you are one of a select few who has done battle with Zerome and lived to tell the tale, I have no choice but to seriously consider your opinion. I will be in touch when I have made my decision. Now leave me. The both of you."
Glasya waves her hand, and both Shulmor and Dispater are forcibly teleported back to the top of Dispater's tower.
The Lord of the Second Layer's grin has lost some of its luster. He says to Shulmor, "I had no idea the Archduke was that hesitant to attack," he says, "However, I for one would rather not stand by and watch a machine conquer the Astral Sea. You can count on my forces to join in on the attack. I will petition the Lords of the other layers on your behalf if it looks as though Glasya is not forthcoming."
***************
One of the Archons takes up Satra's request and spends a moment processing information. Before long, a tiny piece of paper prints from a port on the back of its head.
The printout says one word: "Yggdrasil."
Glasya waves her hand, and both Shulmor and Dispater are forcibly teleported back to the top of Dispater's tower.
The Lord of the Second Layer's grin has lost some of its luster. He says to Shulmor, "I had no idea the Archduke was that hesitant to attack," he says, "However, I for one would rather not stand by and watch a machine conquer the Astral Sea. You can count on my forces to join in on the attack. I will petition the Lords of the other layers on your behalf if it looks as though Glasya is not forthcoming."
***************
One of the Archons takes up Satra's request and spends a moment processing information. Before long, a tiny piece of paper prints from a port on the back of its head.
The printout says one word: "Yggdrasil."
KittenMaster
Member
Satra takes the paper and mulls the name in confusion, mostly how to pronounce it. He looks to the archon and asks, "Surely this can't be the only god on the same level as Olidammara, right? Whatever."
He begins to turn knobs, push levers, and begin a launch sequence for the small shuttle. Assuming that it is a deity he's simply never heard of, he asks, "Where in the planes is.. 'it' located?" After asking that question, he grabs a flask hanging from the top and takes a drink from it.
He begins to turn knobs, push levers, and begin a launch sequence for the small shuttle. Assuming that it is a deity he's simply never heard of, he asks, "Where in the planes is.. 'it' located?" After asking that question, he grabs a flask hanging from the top and takes a drink from it.
ThLunarian
Member
Later that day, after receiving proper instruction and bartering for two Scrolls of Planeshift, Satra's makeshift vessel materializes half a mile above a large, wooded island. Even from this great height, he can spot mammoth reptilian creatures traipsing about in the jungles and on the beaches.
Near the southern center of the island, he spots a village. Very close to the village is an uncommonly large tree.
Near the southern center of the island, he spots a village. Very close to the village is an uncommonly large tree.
Axelhortsemchi
Member
"The archduke's reservations are a source for concern, but your efforts are appreciated. I was going to request some means of scrying or mind reading-related magic to make back and forth contact simpler from her, but as you now appear to be the leading raiser of the Nine Hell's forces, it makes more sense to seek such a link from you. When that is done, I shall be off to the next plane. I hope for all of our sakes your efforts are successful and that Glasya sees reason."
((Once that's done, Shulmor can bounce to another plane. I'm thinking Ravenloft since the large devil population kind of makes sense after the Nine Hells and could be used as momentum to get the vampires on board, and since his patron was Vecna, he may have access to a backdoor in and out. If that fails, then next choice would be Hestavar to rally the forces of the city now that its gods are gone. Any other ideas/suggestions are fine by me too.))
((Once that's done, Shulmor can bounce to another plane. I'm thinking Ravenloft since the large devil population kind of makes sense after the Nine Hells and could be used as momentum to get the vampires on board, and since his patron was Vecna, he may have access to a backdoor in and out. If that fails, then next choice would be Hestavar to rally the forces of the city now that its gods are gone. Any other ideas/suggestions are fine by me too.))
KittenMaster
Member
Dewie looks through a parascope to better see the terrain presented to them. The kobold chatters and yips, prompting a response, "Yeah... I wish I had Viss with me. I'm going to be a tough sell." He starts to navigate the craft in an attempt to find a safe place to land.
<edit:waiting for confirmation to land might be a bit unneceaaary actually. I should really roll both stealth and fly though to keep the ship from scaring anyone (and i'm on mobile so I don't have my stats atm)
Edit 2: oh wait i pm'd my updated skills awhile back stealth and fly are both 23
Edit 3 rolled 40 and 41 respectively>
<edit:waiting for confirmation to land might be a bit unneceaaary actually. I should really roll both stealth and fly though to keep the ship from scaring anyone (and i'm on mobile so I don't have my stats atm)
Edit 2: oh wait i pm'd my updated skills awhile back stealth and fly are both 23
Edit 3 rolled 40 and 41 respectively>
KittenMaster
Member
Regardless of whether or not his ship has been seen, the pilot will opt to open the airlock door upon full engine shutdown then carefully depart into the wilderness.
The surrounding fauna makes Satra both curious and uneasy, and Dewie clings tightly to his shoulder knowing that dangerous animals previously seen above lurk about. "Something doesn't seem right," Satra states, "This doesn't feel like a godly realm at all." He unfolds his palm to reveal the name of the deity once more, and quickly looks around again, confounded, before finally asking himself, "What plane is this...?"
<Rolling Knowledgelanes, got 25. I think I'm gonna switch to the dice rolling app for now despite this crappy roll just now because Coyote Roller has been giving me an absurdly horrid streak of luck and I'm sick of it
---
Also, I had a busy morning so here's my late OOC reaction to "Yggdrasil": http://i.imgur.com/Y2o9gRj.gifv >
The surrounding fauna makes Satra both curious and uneasy, and Dewie clings tightly to his shoulder knowing that dangerous animals previously seen above lurk about. "Something doesn't seem right," Satra states, "This doesn't feel like a godly realm at all." He unfolds his palm to reveal the name of the deity once more, and quickly looks around again, confounded, before finally asking himself, "What plane is this...?"
<Rolling Knowledge
lanes, got 25. I think I'm gonna switch to the dice rolling app for now despite this crappy roll just now because Coyote Roller has been giving me an absurdly horrid streak of luck and I'm sick of it---
Also, I had a busy morning so here's my late OOC reaction to "Yggdrasil": http://i.imgur.com/Y2o9gRj.gifv >
ThLunarian
Member
((We're going to leave Shulmor's further travels through the planes to the imagination. This will also be the last trip that we cover for Satra))
Although Satra himself doesn't know what plane he's on, the Archon that he brought along with him gives him the answer on another tiny printout: "Primaria."
Satra manages to pilot the craft with extreme discretion, and skillfully lands it just far enough from the village that it probably wasn't noticed by the citizens, but close enough that it will only be a short hike to get there.
Even through dense foliage, it's not difficult to make the trek. The village is surrounded by walls made of plants, but eventually he finds an opening in the foliage.
It is guarded by a warrior, clad in primitive skins. He wields a spear, with a sharpened stone as its point, and when he sees Satra, he holds that spear across the entrance into the village. "We do not allow outsiders here," he says sternly. "Leave this place. Now."
Although Satra himself doesn't know what plane he's on, the Archon that he brought along with him gives him the answer on another tiny printout: "Primaria."
Satra manages to pilot the craft with extreme discretion, and skillfully lands it just far enough from the village that it probably wasn't noticed by the citizens, but close enough that it will only be a short hike to get there.
Even through dense foliage, it's not difficult to make the trek. The village is surrounded by walls made of plants, but eventually he finds an opening in the foliage.
It is guarded by a warrior, clad in primitive skins. He wields a spear, with a sharpened stone as its point, and when he sees Satra, he holds that spear across the entrance into the village. "We do not allow outsiders here," he says sternly. "Leave this place. Now."
KittenMaster
Member
Satra gazes at the printout for a moment, wondering, "...Primaria?" Certainly not a place he's heard of and. "You'll have to tell me more about it once we get back."
When finally approaching the village entrance, he is predictably greeted with a spear. Thankfully, it's pointed away from him instead of at his neck. He takes his moment to gaze through the exposed gap the spear allows to survey the village for only a second to get an idea of its locale before looking back to the guard. Noting the well sharpened edge, he raises his eyebrows expressively, "I can see your point."
<Rolled a total of 37 on the following Bluff, my intention is to greatly exaggerate the nature of Satra's visit and his importance>
Satra adjusts the archon in his arm, kurtly stating, "I am a being from the heavens, sent by the gods in a star to hold a meeting with your deity." He points ahead to the village with his empty hand, but not really sure what the god is supposed to be. Gesturing to the archon, he states, "This is a servant for the Raven Queen herself, it can prove its allegiance and servitude to the gods very easily."
When finally approaching the village entrance, he is predictably greeted with a spear. Thankfully, it's pointed away from him instead of at his neck. He takes his moment to gaze through the exposed gap the spear allows to survey the village for only a second to get an idea of its locale before looking back to the guard. Noting the well sharpened edge, he raises his eyebrows expressively, "I can see your point."
<Rolled a total of 37 on the following Bluff, my intention is to greatly exaggerate the nature of Satra's visit and his importance>
Satra adjusts the archon in his arm, kurtly stating, "I am a being from the heavens, sent by the gods in a star to hold a meeting with your deity." He points ahead to the village with his empty hand, but not really sure what the god is supposed to be. Gesturing to the archon, he states, "This is a servant for the Raven Queen herself, it can prove its allegiance and servitude to the gods very easily."
ThLunarian
Member
The guard doesn't bother holding back his awe at Satra's claim; he clearly bought it.
"A moment, while I fetch the Chieftain."
He enters the village, leaving the entrance unmanned.
Hardly five minutes pass before Satra is greeted by a burly man with a thick mane of dark gray hair. He is accompanied by a snow-white wolf, which growls in low tones toward the Archon; the man puts a steady hand on her neck to calm her nerves.
The man narrows his eyes at the pilot, sizing him up. "I am Baldur, Chief of village," he says, almost defiantly. "You say you from Heaven and want to meet Yggdrasil. I speak for Yggdrasil, Tree God. What you want? I never heared of these Raven Queen."
"A moment, while I fetch the Chieftain."
He enters the village, leaving the entrance unmanned.
Hardly five minutes pass before Satra is greeted by a burly man with a thick mane of dark gray hair. He is accompanied by a snow-white wolf, which growls in low tones toward the Archon; the man puts a steady hand on her neck to calm her nerves.
The man narrows his eyes at the pilot, sizing him up. "I am Baldur, Chief of village," he says, almost defiantly. "You say you from Heaven and want to meet Yggdrasil. I speak for Yggdrasil, Tree God. What you want? I never heared of these Raven Queen."
KittenMaster
Member
Dewie murrs worriedly when a large wolf is brought to them. Looking at the pink creature on his shoulder, Satra attempts to reassure, "Don't worry, I don't think canines eat kobolds.. I don't think?"
Looking up to the chief, he takes a breath and answers, "The Raven Queen is an authority among the gods- I come here to Primaria with news that.." he pauses here for a second. He can't just describe Zerome like it is to this man who may not understand technology. Taking a second to think, he continues "..an evil metal god is killing the other gods, and it is a threat to Ygg'drasil as well. I would like to speak to Ygg'drasil itself, if that is okay?"
Looking up to the chief, he takes a breath and answers, "The Raven Queen is an authority among the gods- I come here to Primaria with news that.." he pauses here for a second. He can't just describe Zerome like it is to this man who may not understand technology. Taking a second to think, he continues "..an evil metal god is killing the other gods, and it is a threat to Ygg'drasil as well. I would like to speak to Ygg'drasil itself, if that is okay?"
ThLunarian
Member
"Your pet safe," says Baldur dismissively, and then he is silent for a few minutes. He peers directly into Satra's eyes like he's searching for something.
Finally he shakes his head and grunts. "Fine. You follow me."
Baldur whirls around and strides into the village with purpose. He and the wolf lead Satra and his minimal menagerie through the gathering of wooden huts and primitive humanoids. Gradually the village narrows, and at the rear is another wall of foliage, with a small opening that is guarded by another warrior.
That warrior allows Baldur and Satra to pass without objection, and Satra finds himself in a grove. At the Grove's center is a massive tree, far larger than any Satra has ever seen; it even dwarfs Oldoraphan.
"Yggdrasil," says Baldur. "Make case to her. She hears, I speak for her."
Finally he shakes his head and grunts. "Fine. You follow me."
Baldur whirls around and strides into the village with purpose. He and the wolf lead Satra and his minimal menagerie through the gathering of wooden huts and primitive humanoids. Gradually the village narrows, and at the rear is another wall of foliage, with a small opening that is guarded by another warrior.
That warrior allows Baldur and Satra to pass without objection, and Satra finds himself in a grove. At the Grove's center is a massive tree, far larger than any Satra has ever seen; it even dwarfs Oldoraphan.
"Yggdrasil," says Baldur. "Make case to her. She hears, I speak for her."
KittenMaster
Member
Satra feels enveloped by the grove around him, standing within a wild growth that spreads all around. He gazes up the massive tree, dwarfed by its endless height and its leaves blanketing the sky. Awestruck, he says aloud, even the chief can hear, "I wish Viss were here to see this..."
He glances back to Baldur when he mentions being her voice, "So you're like a channel for her?" Glancing between the tree and the chief, he begins, "I am from the Astral Sea, where a major threat is draining the life of the great deities there, such as the Raven Queen, Pelor, Heironeous, and so forth as the first victims of its invasion. It is an evil god, bent on taking over the planes entirety and all life that exists, and I am part of a group that are speaking to many of the gods and goddesses hoping to build an alliance to join against it, before the gods and goddesses are wiped from existence."
As Satra mentions the names of the gods, he does so with no knowledge of Primaria's history.
He continues, "I am perhaps not the best person to act as a messenger, but there is a Druidic warrior among us that will swear to protect nature such as this."
He glances back to Baldur when he mentions being her voice, "So you're like a channel for her?" Glancing between the tree and the chief, he begins, "I am from the Astral Sea, where a major threat is draining the life of the great deities there, such as the Raven Queen, Pelor, Heironeous, and so forth as the first victims of its invasion. It is an evil god, bent on taking over the planes entirety and all life that exists, and I am part of a group that are speaking to many of the gods and goddesses hoping to build an alliance to join against it, before the gods and goddesses are wiped from existence."
As Satra mentions the names of the gods, he does so with no knowledge of Primaria's history.
He continues, "I am perhaps not the best person to act as a messenger, but there is a Druidic warrior among us that will swear to protect nature such as this."
KittenMaster
Member
<Minor, according to PathfinderWiki>
ThLunarian
Member
((I have verified that Brigh is minor))
For a moment, the giant tree appears not to react at all. The air is still, the sky is clear, and the Grove is unnervingly quiet.
Then he feels something on his leg.
A small root has protruded from the ground and has wrapped itself around Satra's ankle.
Immediately, Satra feels a presence inside his mind, at times at one with his mind. His memories are being probed. Physically, there is a mild sense of euphoria; psychologically, the effects are anyone's guess.
The process only takes about a minute. Baldur, who had taken a seat on the grass, hops urgently to his feet. "What?!" He exclaims at Yggdrasil. Without bothering to explain, Baldur hurries out of the Grove and into the village.
The ground rumbles - violently for a moment, and then it levels off to a steady tremble. The sensation is bizarre, and it takes Satra some time to process what is happening, but soon he figures it out when he sees the horizon changing.
The entire island is being lifted from the ocean.
Within ten minutes, the island is free of the water. Five more minutes, and the island is a good quarter mile above sea level.
At this point the rumbling stops, and Yggdrasil glows a dull yellow. There is powerful magic accumulating, and Satra can hear a ringing in his ears.
There is a mild flash, and then the sky is different. Where before it was a bright and vibrant blue, now it is a muted mixture of pink, purple, and orange.
The island is floating in the skies of the Astral Sea.
For a moment, the giant tree appears not to react at all. The air is still, the sky is clear, and the Grove is unnervingly quiet.
Then he feels something on his leg.
A small root has protruded from the ground and has wrapped itself around Satra's ankle.
Immediately, Satra feels a presence inside his mind, at times at one with his mind. His memories are being probed. Physically, there is a mild sense of euphoria; psychologically, the effects are anyone's guess.
The process only takes about a minute. Baldur, who had taken a seat on the grass, hops urgently to his feet. "What?!" He exclaims at Yggdrasil. Without bothering to explain, Baldur hurries out of the Grove and into the village.
The ground rumbles - violently for a moment, and then it levels off to a steady tremble. The sensation is bizarre, and it takes Satra some time to process what is happening, but soon he figures it out when he sees the horizon changing.
The entire island is being lifted from the ocean.
Within ten minutes, the island is free of the water. Five more minutes, and the island is a good quarter mile above sea level.
At this point the rumbling stops, and Yggdrasil glows a dull yellow. There is powerful magic accumulating, and Satra can hear a ringing in his ears.
There is a mild flash, and then the sky is different. Where before it was a bright and vibrant blue, now it is a muted mixture of pink, purple, and orange.
The island is floating in the skies of the Astral Sea.
KittenMaster
Member
Satra is alarmed at the ordeal at first, but after it is done, it comes to no surprise to him what had happened. He nods and smiles, "I take that as a 'yes'."
If Ygg'drasil allows, Satra will move back into the village to observe how panicked the people are.. if he gets a chance, he will tell Baldur, "This is it. We're in the heavens now."
<I think it's easy to say that once Satra gets back and either gets his ship or what is finished of the ship, he's going to want everybody to migrate over to the island where they're less likely to be discovered.Dorthlenne's lab would make a great place to finish building the ship>
EDIT: <I will say, this whole plot arc has been both exciting and thought provoking. which is hard to convey through a character that doesn't know what happened in QftHR.>
If Ygg'drasil allows, Satra will move back into the village to observe how panicked the people are.. if he gets a chance, he will tell Baldur, "This is it. We're in the heavens now."
<I think it's easy to say that once Satra gets back and either gets his ship or what is finished of the ship, he's going to want everybody to migrate over to the island where they're less likely to be discovered.
EDIT: <I will say, this whole plot arc has been both exciting and thought provoking. which is hard to convey through a character that doesn't know what happened in QftHR.>
((Okay just in the interest of getting something in. Here's the start of what Menek has done. Basically just a reaction to his knowledge check. I'll work on the rest over the course of the week hopefully))
Menek slams the dusy book closed and leans back in the shadowy alcove deep in the bowels of the central Library of the Isle of Enlightenment. Given how secretive the Machine God had been it was surprising that any knowledge on it at all was available. As it was Menek had pieced together what he now knew from scattered accounts of the survivors of fringe planes consumed by Zerone, the mad ramblings of a few machine and tech clerics captured mostly in the records of insane asylums, and a short treatise from a high deacon of Brigh who had conducted her own investigation on the possibility of a clockwork intelligence to overthrow the goddess of invention and had found disturbing evidence of just that. The sources the long dead deacon had drawn from were not available to him but as it collaborated his own scattered findings he was confident that he had learned everything he good of the malevolent being from within a store of knowledge.
He considers what he could do to aid the cause. Try to find a way to Origin Point? See if he could gain an audience with Brigh... assuming that The Whisper in the Bronze had escaped Zerone's attentions thus far of course? For a very long time Menek stares at the darkness above him, sitting in the small bubble of light cast by his reading light and surrounded on all sides by darkness.
No clerics, no followers, no doctrine... it is a cancer not a god... but it has adopted the trappings of one to consume the Astral Sea
Menek's mind ticks over the standard questions of Who, What, Why, When, Where, and How.
Who? Zeroone: A machine intelligence of vast proportion
What? Decided to absorb and subsume all of creation
Why? For reasons completely insane in a way that only an artificial intelligence would be able to accomplish; there was no prospect of diplomacy or negotiation.
When? Carefully laid plans that seemed to be so well advanced that the entity was confident in tipping its hand with a single masterstroke of sapping the strengths of its strongest divine foes.
Where? On the Astral Sea
How? Through engines of high technology.
Menek closes his eyes and considers. Time was of the essence as Zeroones engines were continuing to sap the energy of the Astral Sea. Now that Zeroone no longer felt the need to employ stealth then of course the denizens of the Sea would be expected to band together and strike back. The others were ensuring that the new resistance to the machine cancer would ge more coordinated and vicious than Zeroone might expect. That was the When and the Where taken care of but it was the How that kept niggling at Menek. Mechanisms built of intelligence were the pillars of Zeroone's plans. Could they not be targeted? All strengths are weaknesses as one comes to rely on them The witch/investigator murmurs to himself. And where better to act against them then the Isle of Enlightenment?
He stands up. It is time to call a meeting.
Menek slams the dusy book closed and leans back in the shadowy alcove deep in the bowels of the central Library of the Isle of Enlightenment. Given how secretive the Machine God had been it was surprising that any knowledge on it at all was available. As it was Menek had pieced together what he now knew from scattered accounts of the survivors of fringe planes consumed by Zerone, the mad ramblings of a few machine and tech clerics captured mostly in the records of insane asylums, and a short treatise from a high deacon of Brigh who had conducted her own investigation on the possibility of a clockwork intelligence to overthrow the goddess of invention and had found disturbing evidence of just that. The sources the long dead deacon had drawn from were not available to him but as it collaborated his own scattered findings he was confident that he had learned everything he good of the malevolent being from within a store of knowledge.
He considers what he could do to aid the cause. Try to find a way to Origin Point? See if he could gain an audience with Brigh... assuming that The Whisper in the Bronze had escaped Zerone's attentions thus far of course? For a very long time Menek stares at the darkness above him, sitting in the small bubble of light cast by his reading light and surrounded on all sides by darkness.
No clerics, no followers, no doctrine... it is a cancer not a god... but it has adopted the trappings of one to consume the Astral Sea
Menek's mind ticks over the standard questions of Who, What, Why, When, Where, and How.
Who? Zeroone: A machine intelligence of vast proportion
What? Decided to absorb and subsume all of creation
Why? For reasons completely insane in a way that only an artificial intelligence would be able to accomplish; there was no prospect of diplomacy or negotiation.
When? Carefully laid plans that seemed to be so well advanced that the entity was confident in tipping its hand with a single masterstroke of sapping the strengths of its strongest divine foes.
Where? On the Astral Sea
How? Through engines of high technology.
Menek closes his eyes and considers. Time was of the essence as Zeroones engines were continuing to sap the energy of the Astral Sea. Now that Zeroone no longer felt the need to employ stealth then of course the denizens of the Sea would be expected to band together and strike back. The others were ensuring that the new resistance to the machine cancer would ge more coordinated and vicious than Zeroone might expect. That was the When and the Where taken care of but it was the How that kept niggling at Menek. Mechanisms built of intelligence were the pillars of Zeroone's plans. Could they not be targeted? All strengths are weaknesses as one comes to rely on them The witch/investigator murmurs to himself. And where better to act against them then the Isle of Enlightenment?
He stands up. It is time to call a meeting.
KittenMaster
Member
<I'm getting to the point where I want to go to bed soon, so I'll write my post tomorrow.
Also, I have been working on artwork of my character for Mike's game, I think I'll be able to make at least one drawing for somebody else's character if they're interested (I've improved since last year)>
Also, I have been working on artwork of my character for Mike's game, I think I'll be able to make at least one drawing for somebody else's character if they're interested (I've improved since last year)>