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Author Topic: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I)  (Read 15954 times)

Digital Hellhound

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #165 on: September 21, 2014, 06:26:39 am »

(Wow, sorry for the wait. Stuff got busy all of a sudden... and, also, I've been very lazy.)

---

The Away Team

Jago's expression remains as hard as ever as Kazren speaks - but after a moment, a slight frown seems to appear on his features. He looks at Kazren with more curiosity than hostility for a change. He shakes his head, seemingly at himself. There's a flash of anger when Kazren speaks up to the rest of the camp, but he seems hesitant again before he replies.

'You do not see, champions. I am a raider. I was a raider before I become Unbegot, when my clan cast me out into the wastes without a brother to carry me; should our leader fall, I hope to live on a raider,' he says. He shakes his head. 'You speak of what the settlers have built, champion. There is no honor or future in the life of settlers. They are chained by any passing champion, fearful of the wastes, fearful of the gods. Your companion speaks true in that; fear is a slaver like any other. But... your words have little meaning otherwise. Perhaps we are slave to our natures, but even that is better than to be slaves of your masters. As for the future... that is not for me to say. I expect we will build a new world, one where no god stands above us. I do not doubt I will be long dead by then, but I...'

Jago trails off, again hesitant. He looks at Kazren as if he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. 'You... speak truly of your death? It is said the gods can do such things... turn dead men into living, or trap their souls in machines such as yours. We have killed many, it is true - I would not have us face them again. Or... our own dead.'

The other Unbegot seem curious as well, though suspicion shines from their eyes. Their weapons are still close by, but perhaps this will not turn to violence, after all. It is clear this is not what they expected from the champions. Kazren's manner and experience as a Preserver, no matter his current form, may lend his words a weight they would not otherwise have.

***


Spoiler: The Everchild (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Dust (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Arlia the Shaman (click to show/hide)

Myrmidonic

Seeker takes a while to answer. 'I do not understand your meaning, honored champion. The gods could naturally not allow my programming to remain as it was when they found this vehicle. Correction: created this vehicle,' he says. A rather human-sounding tinge of confusion enters the machine voice. 'That does not seem right. What I mean to say-'

The voice cuts off without warning, the lights inside the Myrmidon dimming. The loss is only momentary, Seeker speaking again before Fenrik can voice any question. 'I am sorry, honored champion, I did not quite catch what you said. Please, repeat your query.'

***

Spoiler: Fenrik (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: The Myrmidon (click to show/hide)
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IronyOwl

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #166 on: September 21, 2014, 04:43:16 pm »

((Hmmmmmm. What's that part we're definitely not supposed to get into again?

Oh, just the fusion reactor. Well, maybe there's a person in there anyway.))
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The kitchenette mold free, you move on to the pantry. it's nasty in there. The bacon is grazing on the lettuce. The ham is having an illicit affair with the prime rib, The potatoes see all, know all. A rat in boxer shorts smoking a foul smelling cigar is banging on a cabinet shouting about rent money.

adwarf

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #167 on: September 21, 2014, 05:06:24 pm »

Fenrik started laughing as Seeker requested him to repeat his question, out of all the gods who helped make this machine it had to be that bastard Nilvath who put these restrictions on Seeker just to fuck with them. After a minute he replies,

"Nevermind Seeker, it would appear someone, probably Nilvath, has placed some restrictions on what you can answer and my question is a restricted one. Thank you anyway."

With that Fenrik falls silent with a slight frown on his face, 'Gods' were such a cowardly existence for all the power they held but he wouldn't stand against them, if they wanted to cripple this asset to keep something hidden let them. There were four other 'champions' to use a shield anyway ...
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Draignean

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #168 on: September 22, 2014, 09:50:15 am »

   Kazren nodded to Jago, stretching out his wings for all to see in their full expanse. "This is not armor that I wear, friend Jago, but a tomb: A silver sarcophagus to hold the body of a dead man, a body only given a facsimile of life by the divine science of the Gods." Kazren bowed his head, folding his wings back into ready position. "A long time ago, I was called Preserver Kazren Alash, and I served no Gods before man. My range covered settlements north of the Whitestone Rifts, east of the Godseye Ridge, and south west of the Waste of Bloody Tears. I lived in the way of my order; always traveling, always teaching, always learning. I did good with that life, but it was short life." Kazren shrugged his shoulders, contemplating the fire while still keeping an eye on Jago. The thought of his death no longer caused Kazren pain or even discomfort; it had become a part of him as surely as any scar. "One of the settlements I frequented was attacked by a blessed servant of a dark God, a man whose greed for glory made him attempt to enslave the entire populace. I arrived in the midst of his mass conversion, and he struck me down before I could even speak. There was no glorious battle or contest between us, just of flash of divinity that destroyed me as surely as a boot destroys an ant. It was a simple, fast death, and yet... It brought me no rest, no resolution to my ills, no fulfillment to my duties." Kazren paused for a moment of emphasis, gauging his audience. "I died, and I was Returned by Rennahn, Goddess of Justice. She pulled me from death, and though I was too broken to imbue with life, she fashioned this silver tomb to hold me between living and dying."
   Kazren spread his hands, the simplest story of his death told. "Death can be a beginning to many things, but it is only the end of a life. Nothing less, and also nothing more. You wish to change the world, to make one without the Gods, and yet, as I said, the very action will raise your ideologies as Gods. Should you succeed, you create a world without class, without structure, without order. A world where what a man can do is limited by his physical capabilities, not the morality of his culture. The power of the Gods and the powerlessness of the people is an injustice, but if you birth your new world in the blood of the old... The child will be a monster, with a temper of the selfish savagery so peculiar to mankind's darkest side," Kazren said, letting his voice grow cold. "You say the settlers have no honor, no future, but they try! They are afraid; of Gods, of Nature, of You. Yet, these people continue. Is it honorless cowardice to plant the same field you've seen burn under the holy fire of Gods, freeze under the temper of the storms, and run red with blood of kin slain by Raider guns? No! Cowardice would be to run, to hide in holes and pray for another moment of life. These settlers you kill, that you call honorless, they have hope. Many have nothing more than a fingernail's grip on their existence, and the rest have lost even that, but they still hope!" Kazren shook his head, collecting himself. "You can kill champions, I have no doubt that you can stop raiders, and you wish for a new and better world. Yet you torture and kill when you could police and protect, you bring about a kingdom of pain and demean those who still believe! Tell me, friend Jago, when you had the man we found tortured, when you or those under you mutilated his body and desecrated his flesh while he still lived, what made you different from the Gods you despise? You stood over him, you stole his control, you claimed authority over his life, and you did as you wished despite his struggles. I believe that you want to create a better world, but can you not see that you are breeding the worst kind of Gods, that you yourself are becoming a dark God, with each bloody step down this path?"

((And I just made a lot of names up. I'll change them if you mind, DH.))
« Last Edit: September 22, 2014, 01:43:17 pm by Draignean »
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---
Q: "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"
A: "No, not particularly."

Digital Hellhound

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #169 on: September 22, 2014, 01:20:59 pm »

(No, please namedrop as much as you like. Long passionate speeches are also appreciated. :D)
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Draignean

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #170 on: September 22, 2014, 01:36:23 pm »

(No, please namedrop as much as you like. Long passionate speeches are also appreciated. :D)

((Oh Good, I can now be long-winded with GM sponsorship!))
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I have a degree in Computer Seance, that means I'm officially qualified to tell you that the problem with your system is that it's possessed by Satan.
---
Q: "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"
A: "No, not particularly."

Digital Hellhound

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #171 on: September 24, 2014, 08:02:00 am »

The Away Team

[4]

Jago proves to be very patient and, also likely, the product of a culture which values ritualistic exchange of views, while he listens to Kazren's speech. The rest of the Unbegot watch him in silence, with expressions ranging from confusion, to simmering hatred, to unreadable faces broken by a few frowns and whispers among themselves. A few, who seem to have been settlers in their pasts, nod and even smile when Kazren speaks of the settlers' bravery. His words are having an effect, for certain, but more than him they look to Jago. They do not seem like fanatics, but earned loyalty is not so quickly broken.

Kazren's final words are left to sink into the silence. Jago's eyes darken when Kazren addresses the others again, but he sounds calm when he speaks.

'I... know of your order, Preserver,' he says, after a while. 'A grim fate for you, if what you say is true.'

He looks to the other champions, eyes hard once more. He shakes his head at Kazren. 'I followed a captain once who spoke as you did - many words, when a few would suffice. I do not say you do not speak well. Perhaps with wisdom, too. But I am not the man you want,' Jago says. 'You speak of policing and guarding. Preserver, I have chosen my path, and it is not that of a lawman or some town guard. Our leader may be interested in what you say, but I...'

Jago trails off. After a moment, he nods, as if reaffirming his own opinion. 'But we will continue as we have. Do not speak to us further of these things.'

There's a sort of tremor in the listeners. There seems to be a slight easing and increase in tension at the same time. A few faces look unsure. An ex-settler hesitates, seeming to want to step forward and speak. Others whisper to eachother, eyes darting between Kazren and Jago. They do not seem to consider using their weapons on either of them. For a while, there's silence, with the waste wind brushing gently against the cliffs.

***

(You know, the other champions are free to act as violently as they wish while another is diplomaticizing. Any approach is fine, but, just saying, there's no 'team' in 'CHAMPION'! :P)
« Last Edit: September 24, 2014, 08:04:05 am by Digital Hellhound »
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Draignean

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #172 on: September 24, 2014, 08:43:20 am »

Kazren cursed internally, he was getting somewhere, but not fast enough. "Then, friend Jago, we are at an impasse. I am here to bring justice to the dead, and if I cannot do that by saving the living then I must take another route. Yet an eye for an eye is the least form of justice, and I want nothing less than bloodshed. You have heard me speak, at some length, of my ideas for what must be done. It is only fitting that I listen to yours, should you have a resolution that minimizes unnecessary pain." 

((When did I address the others? I intended to stay focused on Jago to keep things calm, and does that 4 include my bonus?))
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Digital Hellhound

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #173 on: September 28, 2014, 06:37:29 am »

((It seems I imagined that. Apologies. Consider that removed from reality. The others can still hear what you two are saying, though.

The 4 includes your bonus - I'll start marking it clearer - but that roll is mainly for the audience. It affects Jago's response, but only slightly - I want to mainly stick to what you're saying and doing instead of rolls with important NPCs. Still, a 1 and a 6 would have very much noticeably different outcomes.))

Kazren Alash, Warbreaker

Jago nods at Kazren's words. He glances around, at the gathered warriors and the champions. His eyes dart to the waiting Myrmidon in the distance, silent and perhaps empty. This man invited you here for an ambush in the first place, and that outcome is not so far off. Perhaps there is some hidden sign he may give to bring all fire down upon their guests... but Jago seems to content to speak, still. He is not the simple raider he would claim to be.

'A simple offer, champion,' he says at last. 'You leave here, unharmed. We go our separate ways - the waste is vast, and we may never see again. I will ask our leader to meet with you. And then... what comes will come. We have eyes with the blind in their villages... if he wishes to meet, you will hear of it.'

After a moment, he gives a grim smile. 'A dead man looking for justice for the dead. The world is cruel, sometimes. I would seek justice for myself first, champion, than for those you do not know.'

***
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IronyOwl

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #174 on: September 28, 2014, 07:00:52 am »

(You know, the other champions are free to act as violently as they wish while another is diplomaticizing. Any approach is fine, but, just saying, there's no 'team' in 'CHAMPION'! :P)
((Stalking newbies with troubled pasts is a patient sport. Still...))


"Is that what you do?" Dust interjected quickly, before Kazren could respond with something sensible instead. "If so, I could take that Ganna off your hands for you. A hundred coins, perhaps?" she all but crowed.
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A hand, a hand, my kingdom for a hot hand!
The kitchenette mold free, you move on to the pantry. it's nasty in there. The bacon is grazing on the lettuce. The ham is having an illicit affair with the prime rib, The potatoes see all, know all. A rat in boxer shorts smoking a foul smelling cigar is banging on a cabinet shouting about rent money.

Digital Hellhound

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #175 on: September 28, 2014, 07:25:57 am »

Dust

All credit to the champion of the Weaver - she actually gets some reaction out of the dour man. Jago flinches as if struck. His attention darts from Kazren to Dust, as if trying to make sense of their game. A moment later he meets Dust's gaze with his eyes as hard and still as ever.

'How... fitting, champion. Her 'owner' also liked to mock and laugh. Now? He is buried deep,' Jago replies. He does not even glance at the girl behind him - Ganna stares at Dust, nails digging into her palms - before continuing. 'Ganna will show you she is free herself, should you try to take her. She has no need of me.'

There's more defiance than conviction in his words, though - the girl looks terrified.

***
« Last Edit: September 28, 2014, 07:27:46 am by Digital Hellhound »
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IronyOwl

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #176 on: September 28, 2014, 07:57:09 am »

"Is that so!" she crowed, a thoroughly unsavory smirk on her lips. She began stalking slowly, methodically, loudly towards Ganna. "Tell me, Ganna. What weapon do you prefer to use to remain free?"
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Quote from: Radio Controlled (Discord)
A hand, a hand, my kingdom for a hot hand!
The kitchenette mold free, you move on to the pantry. it's nasty in there. The bacon is grazing on the lettuce. The ham is having an illicit affair with the prime rib, The potatoes see all, know all. A rat in boxer shorts smoking a foul smelling cigar is banging on a cabinet shouting about rent money.

adwarf

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #177 on: September 28, 2014, 06:05:24 pm »

Sighing Fenrik stood up, and walked away from the weapons console headed for the Altar, talking to Seeker he said,

"Seeker prepare those pictures I had you take for me, and have them sent to Nilvath. I must consult with him so I'll be away for a bit, please notify me if these bandits make a move."

Go to the Altar. Send Nilvath the pictures I took, and attempt to contact him.
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Digital Hellhound

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #178 on: September 30, 2014, 08:43:25 am »

The Away Team

Dust advances; Ganna yelps and backs away until her back hits the wall. Her hands go fumbling for something in the slung bag over her shoulder, but with her wide eyes fixed on Dust she can't even get it open. Dust continues, taking slow, stalking steps, exactly like a predator confident her prey is well and fully caught.

'Enough,' Jago says, voice low. He rises, eyes harder than steel. 'Enough!'

Ganna stops trying to reach whatever weapon she has on her. Her arms fall to her sides as her entire body goes rigid, backed into the rock wall. Her features twitch, mouth opening but no words coming out, breathing growing quick and shallow. Her brown eyes stay locked to Dust for a few moments more - and then she turns her head to the side and shudders, silent.

Jago stares at Dust's back, hands in fists and nails digging into his palms. He left his spear in the ground - but it's patently obvious the rest of the Unbegot, very much armed, mirror his feelings.

***


Spoiler: The Everchild (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Dust (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Arlia the Shaman (click to show/hide)

Fenrik

Back in the Myrmidon, Fenrik decides to call upon his patron. He kneels over at the Altar, asking Seeker to send the taken pictures to Nilvath. Poor-quality as they are, they should be enough for a god to recognize them. [6] It only takes a moment or two to get through to Nilvath. Unlike the simple projection of the Warbreaker's goddess, Nilvath sees fit to manifest as a god should.

The sound of beating wings fills the Myrmidon in force, as if carried by an invisible wind, and all lights dim to a minimum. Light, reddish and unnatural, erupts from the altar in bursts like lightning. Nilvath begins to take shape, crimson eyes boring down from a towering giant in a cloak of winged horrors swarming around his body. Fenrik falls to his knees more on instinct than any conscious decision. The familiar, terrible voice seems to come from everywhere around him.

'Fenrik... speak quickly, assassin.'

***
Spoiler: Fenrik (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: The Myrmidon (click to show/hide)
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adwarf

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Re: Elysium - A World of A Thousand Gods (Chapter I: The Long Red Road)
« Reply #179 on: September 30, 2014, 11:47:12 am »

"Forgive me for disturbing you Master, but I believe you would wish to know of another potential piece with which you could weave chaos on this world, the Unbegot seem largely consumed by hatred so manipulation should not be hard for such a powerful being as yourself. The Unbegot despise the Gods, but that makes it all the easier for them to become a piece in your game if you wish to make them one. I thought you might want to know that and ... and please forgive my ignorance Master, but I have come to wonder just which God was it that supplied the Myrmidon for this alliance?"

Fenrik spoke as clearly as he could, when he had first come to the Compound he had stuttered and paused thinking, trying to avoid harm but that had incurred Nilvath's wrath many times and he had learned quickly to speak fluidly in his presence. Yet even with that he could barely conceal the slight shaking he felt, a shivering caused by fear at the monster in front of him. Keeping his head low Fenrik waits for the Dark God's reply, expecting punishment no matter the value of his words ...
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