Turn 0: Welcome to the Island of Plenty...Year 764, Month of:
Korroarfall
Rexxisreign
Bellia
Autumnjoy
KiaValor
Clammor
Alvin
Abbey
Mortus
Autumnwrath
Glaciana
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All the Young Gods:A mass of bleak black clouds erupts onto the horizon, and shortly after a series of small islands rise behind it. As you approach, it becomes clear that a larger landmass sits beyond the smaller ones. Mortus brings his boat to a stop at the edge of the storm.
"This is where ta gods be getting off, so I can bring the Heralds to their hometowns..." Mortus muses,
"Now where is dat bastard... He said 'ed take ya the rest of the way."Several minutes pass in a near silent suspence, with the only sounds being the raging storm and Canvas' humming. Then a third sound, a soft whir, arises and begins to grow louder. The whir climbs in decibles, until it is at least as loud as the storm, and somewhat shockingly it is the mortal Messel who spots the source first.
"Is that... Helicopter?" He asks, pointing with an expression of pure awe on his face.
Helicopter it was, the legendary flying machine of the God Clammor, which sliced through the sky on Mithril Blades and spewed bolts at its foes as a dragon would fire, approached and hoovered directly above the Galley. A strong ladder is lowered, and after bidding farewell to Mortus and the Heralds, you all climb on. Clammor, one of Rexxis' most loyal servants, and the greatest Artisan known to creation, awaits on board.
"GREETINGS!" He booms merrily,
"AND WELCOME TO THE ISLAND OF PLENTY! I have been hard at work in anticipation of your arrival, so why don't I show you what I HAVE MADE!"The armored armorer navigates his craft closer to the small islands. Five of them are arranged in a ring, with a sixth in the center, over which seems to be the eye of the small but intense storm. On the center island is a gray nondescript castle.
"THESE ARE THE DOMIAN ISLANDS! I RAISED EM MYSELF, and endowed them with boons given to me by our kin. They are for you to improve and develop as you see fit, BUT BE WARNED, for each of the outer islands provides enchanted protection for your castle on the center. That protection will be lost if the island is defiled by mortal hands, which will happen if a mortal so much as plants a flag or breaks ground for a project without one of your blessings."Clammor lowers his craft, and eventually lands it on the castle wall.
"THIS IS NEWBELLUM CASTLE, and it is your home now. I didn't know much of your stylistic preferences, so I left it bland on the outside, and mostly empty within. Feel free to remedy that as you see fit. THE CASTLE AND SOROUNDING ISLANDS ARE BLESSED SO THAT THEY WILL YIELD TO YOUR WILL WITH SOME EASE!"It is hard to read Clammor through his helmet, but it is pretty clear that he is pleased with himself.
"I DID PUT IN A FEW THINGS THAT I'D ADVISE YOU NOT TO MESS WITH! Come on... lets go take a look!"You are all first lead to a giant statue of Rexxis, holding a giant glass orb.
"THIS IS THE PRAYER GLASS! On it will be displayed the prayers of mortals, adressed to no god in particular, made at the temple in Kiatown. Of course, you are also free to spend a bit of divine energy, and meditate for a bit, if you wish to search out prayers from settlements without temples, or find some prayers addressed directly to you. In the long run, it might be wise to get mortals to build you all individual temples, and have each of you aquire their own means of easily collecting personal prayers... Also it is worth noting that you can also answer prayers and gain energy by convincing a mortal that his or her actions or desires are sinful, and getting them to ask forgiveness. You don't have to give them what they ask."Next you are lead to a large adamantine vault door in the basement.
"THIS IS THE MIRACLE BANK! It stores divine energy collected from temples to the Bellian Gods! If any of you lay hands on the Adamantine, you will be drained of any remaining divine energy you have, this is both to prevent theft, and to allow you to donate to the stores should any of you have divine energy that you would rather not let go to waste. Energy will be contributed in your name, if a temple is built to you in a place where you have many supporters."Clammor leads you upstairs in a hurry to a room containing what appears to be a replica of Rexxis' Emerald Throne. On closer inspection it appears to be made of lesser Jade.
"THIS IS THE JADE THRONE! SOMEDAY, SOMEHOW, ONE OF YOU WILL PROVE YOURSELF WORTHY OF IT AND BECOME LORD! The lord has free access to all the energy stored in the MIRACLE BANK, and may use as much of it as he or she wishes while sitting on the throne. Should you feel the urgent need to tap the Miracle Bank, a temporary Lord may be elected and burdened with terms and limitations. Voting for a temporary Lord is to be weighted, so those who contribute to the Miracle Bank have a greater say."The last place you are lead to visit is a room with walls of blue-white metal and an open ceiling.
"THIS IS A MOON CHAMBER! MEDITATE HERE DURING THE CRESENT MOON AT THE START OF THE MONTH, AND YOU WILL HAVE NO TROUBLE CONSUMING PRAYER ENERGY AND GROWING STRONGER! Of course, there are plenty of uses for prayer energy, and plenty of ways to grow stronger, that do not require a place such as this..."...
Clammor explains that you must remain in the castle, and rest for several weeks, so that its amenities and protections become attuned to your bodies and spirits. In the meantime, he offers to decorate your personal chambers however you see fit
...
Mortus arrives several days later, and lingers briefly. He declares that the Heralds have all been safely dropped off, and that they are doing their jobs admirably. By the time you will be ready to act, the Bellians of the Island of Plenty will know the names and parentage of each of their new guardians, and Mortus strongly suspects that that information alone will be enough for some to begin worship.
The Vulture-Faced admiral has also produced a scouting report on the armies and fleets of the area, which he assures you all is fairly accurate, if incomplete. There are likely partisan forces and mercenary bands around that avoided his detection by being too small or well concealed, and that says nothing about any Heroes or Monsters that may be around.
After spending several days in the castle, Mortus takes his leave. He promises to return every third month, with his next visit occurring in late Clammor, to collect the dead and dying, bring messages to and from your kin on the mainland, and help plan and execute any naval campaigns you might dream up.
"Remember, I am but yer humble Admiral and Ferryman, so long as ya all at least make a marginal effort ta remain in Rexxis' good graces!" He shouts from the Galley as he sails out of sight.
...
As you acclimate to the castle, you begin to get to know its other residents. With one exception, none of them are in your league in terms of strength, but the main members of the castle staff are all at least more powerful than the average mortal, and possess interesting personalities to boot.
Most frightening of the castle's denizens is Corusu, the Storm Dragon of old. Glaciana takes pride in sending the defeated dragon lords to do her bidding. Although Korrar, who has become one of the Ice Queen's chief suitors in the many years since his death, will carry out her orders willingly, Glaciana takes great pleasure in enslaving the others with powerful binding magic.
Clammor assures you that Corusu is incapable of any action save self defense, defense of the castle, eating when fed, excreting said food, and conjuring up the mighty storm of wind and waves which discourages mortals of all stripes from attempting to visit the Domain Islands. These assurances take most of the sting from the Dragon's harsh words; He has nothing but insults and and threats for anybody who visits his lookout, anybody, that is, except Auratus, who he regards with silent calculation.
The castle chef is a pig-like creature who stands and speaks as a man would. He introduces himself as Oinkiny, which is a name that some among you recognize as belonging to the former Barbarian God of Feasts and Gluttony, who was defeated by Valor in a terribly lopsided battle and stripped of godhood. When pressed, the chef admits that he is indeed such a former deity, and that Rexxis had offered to consider giving his power back, and perhaps even a spot in the Bellian Pantheon, in exchange for a hundred years of service to Newbellum Castle and its residents.
Veilia, the infamously neurotic Banisher of Filth, is the servant in charge of cleaning and maintaining the castle. With hair of spiders, and the ability to take the form of a ravenous swarm of bugs and insects, this daughter of Multia is clearly the product of one of the pleasure goddesses' many visits to Black Carapace's den. The impulses of her ancestry are kept in tragic balance by an overwhelming compulsion for cleanliness and purity; Although under most circumstances she is unable to bring herself to do the messy work of killing, she has a terrible habit of seducing mortals only to inevitably freak out and butcher them when they make a mess or move to deflower her. After pulling this stunt on several favored nobles, Rexxis got fed up and had the budding monster thrown in the starless tower. Clearly he has now found a more... out of the way... place to put her.
A young Bellian girl named Chell, claiming only to be of divine parentage, is charged with ferrying the group, and any worldly goods they have to move, through the storm and around the Island of Plenty on an enchanted Galley. Tulwor knows that she was rescued and adopted by Mortus after trying to drown herself. Ketemos is familiar with rumors that she was born of a Noblewoman or even a Goddess victimized by Abbey's antics.
Hanging around in idle exhaustion is the ancient priest Dennis, who claims to be groundskeeper. Known as 'The Daywalker,' Dennis is part of the Vampire Agrippa's brood, but has rejected his dark purposes and instead spends his days in the service of nature, and of those beings he thinks to be nature deities. Many deities find Dennis to be more than a bit annoying, as he feels it his duty to challenge those who he serves, so that they may improve himself. He is also famous for depriving himself of the living blood his kind must drink for as long as he is able, hence his chronic poor condition. He claims to have come mainly to study the wildlife of the Island, and that will gladly do his official duty and look after any plants or beasts that the gods keep, but it is also likely that he has plans involving Ketari, whom he is known to worship and occasionally challenge with the birds he breeds just for her.
Despite, for the most part, coming from less than ideal circumstances, with the exception of the bound dragon moral among the support staff is high; Everybody seems thrilled to be playing an important part in a brand new chapter of Bellian History.
...
Nearly a month has passed. The calandar is set to flip from Kia to Valor. You are feeling strong... and perhaps even a bit more alive than you ever had before. Clammor suggests, as he packs his equipment into
Helicopter for his return to the old Bellian Lands, that this is a result of the Heralds having done their job properly, and that you all now likely have followings bigger than you have ever had before.
You are attuned to the castle now; You can see and pleas floating in the prayer glass, feel the ambient protections granted by the domain islands, and hear the alluring call of the Jade Throne.
To those willing to brave the wrath and insults of Corusu, the castle lookout offers a decent view of the island. From there, two towns, a handful of high peaks, the mouth of two rivers, Bellian held jungle, Orc held grassland, and an Orc held fort are all visible.
The only thing between you and seizing the moment is the unprecedented weight of your actions. In a sense, history beings anew now. With you. For you.
You may now post your first actions. Also post what, if any, alterations and decorations you had Clammor add to your quarters.
You may wish to check out the links and spoilers below....
Newbellum Castle:Jade Throne:
No lord. No temporary lord.
Miracle Bank:
3 Neutral Miracles (+1/2 Per Month)
0 Miracles from Ketari (+0 Per Month)
0 Miracles from Auratus (+0 Per Month)
0 Miracles from Tulwor (+0 Per Month)
0 Miracles from Ketemos (+0 Per Month)
0 Miracles from Pyrite (+0 Per Month)
Moon Chamber:
Upgrade (Cost)
+1 Combat Power (1 Prayer Energy, +2 Prayer Energy at Combat Power 30 and every 10 Combat Power thereafter)
Random Boon (3 Prayer Energy)
Targeted Boon [Grants you bonuses in a desired area] (5 Prayer Energy)
+1 Miracle or Interaction a Month (8 Prayer Energy, +8 Prayer Energy each time you take this upgrade)
Defenses:
-Sandy Domain lowers the success rate of hostile miracles aimed at Newbellum Castle, or any resident or welcome guest inside of said stronghold, by 75%
-Rocky Domain grants all inhabitants of Newbellum Castle a x3 Modifier to their combat power rolls while defending the castle in battle.
-Frozen Domain prevents the Young Gods, and anybody fighting alongside them, from suffering an utter defeat, as long as the battle takes place in Newbellum Castle or on the Domain Islands.
-Labyrinth Domain prevents creatures intent on destroying any feature or improvement made to Newbellum Castle or the Domain Islands in battle from winning a Complete Victory to do so.
-Sunken Domain allows each young god may call a single actor who is willing or bound to instantly appear at their side in a battle to defend Newbellum Castle or the Domain Islands.
Prayer Glass:
-Words cannot express my shock at or gratitude for the safe return of the son that bears my name from the land of death, however life has been complicated by having a Herald under my roof. Messel and I have been offered all sorts of high positions, and all my children are receiving offers of betrothal from families who were formerly way above their station. I am but a humble soldier, and I know not enough about the affairs of high society to feel comfortable making decisions of this magnitude. I humbly request divine wisdom or console on this matter. From: Messel, Son of Tressel, Distinguished Private, Kiatown Guard
-The dignity of our dead, as well as my career is at stake! For the last several months, fresh corpses locked in the vault awaiting burial have been mutilated. None of the locks have been disturbed, and nobody other than myself has the key. I've been able to keep this under wraps up until now, but when the Herald Hialarth wished to view her own corpse in the catacombs, and when I told her it wasn't suitable for viewing because somebody took her legs, she threatened to ruin me unless I got to the bottom of it! From: Horit, Son of Mirth, Kiatown Undertaker
-For eons my people have been under the protection of the Goddess Multia, and she has shielded us from the worst of the persecution and hate born towards us. Since learning that Multia has no power here, many of us are nervous that people will treat us with the utmost contempt and violence as they did in the dark days. Please send me a sign that some god is still watching over us! From: Samwise Wildefair, Speaker for the Husbands of Husbands and Wives of Wives
-I am disgusted and tainted. My superior officer just made me cut down 30 helpless and bound Orcish Prisoners. They were guilty only of fighting for their people as I do mine. Please help me find redemption for this sin, the courage not to let it happen again, or a way out of military service. From: Sarah, Daughter of Seth, Conscripted Private, 1st Kiatown Army
-Speak in me muse! I was just commissioned by the moneychanger Niles to write an epic poem that may fire up the masses! Give me the wisdom or stories I need to do your work as I do the work of the free people! Fill me with your loves, hates, adventures, and passions so that I might share them with a world begging to better know its gods! My body, mind, and pen are forever free, but my soul is gladly your slave, and my greatest pleasure is in yours! From: Mikkia, Wife of Hogan, Scholar and Populi Partisan
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Topic: Isle of the Young Gods: Game Thread (Read 52743 times)