(More debate and theorycrafting than agreed upon suggestions. I think there is enough that I could do a proper turn, but I think right now it is time for a mini-turn, and then a dump on gods.)
2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 31st and Final Day:SaturdayWrapping up your conversation with the succubus, you call Tivavarav back, and explain the situation with Trance and Clan Ivy. The demon considers the situation for a second, before promptly changing the discussion into a conference call with all his major minions, each kin to you by blood in their mortal lives. The five of you talk deep into the night, with father and Talcutta occasionally dropping out of the discussion to consult with other mortal members of the family. The overall reaction to the proposal is positive, but there are some concerns.
-Tivavarav notes that the Bonedusts aligning with both Trance's organization and the mighty Clan of Ivy would likely benefit his business in the long run.
-Talcutta can't prove this, but he strongly believes that Chieftess Ivy's Orcish blood makes her a poor negotiator by demon standards. The intention of the test of faith is to prove that you are just as desperate for the alliance as she is, and thus on equal footing. It could also be leverage, using demonic soul modification to render the chosen victim a slave to Trance's will until Chieftess Ivy gets the terms she wants.
-Yaugur actually figures he knows where to find Yukprong, and is positive he would win a straight fight. If you want to have the demon intimidated into behaving, held hostage for leverage, or hurt for revenge, the founder of House Bonedust would be willing to do so if you spread his curse ten times for the duration of time service is rendered, and some small payment to Tivavarav for the time of his enforcer.
-Since Trance is allowing descendants by marriage, father suggests having Dean elope with somebody you don't care that much about and is willing to risk their soul for power, and then feeding your new Daughter-in-Law to the demons. He adds that you could get married instead, but as Duchess that would have much heavier implications. You were considering having Dean produce heirs anyway, so this isn't a bad idea.
-Uncle Truman reminds everybody that Tivavarav is unlikely to have the resources to protect another ascended Bonedust for several generations, and that protection and employment under Trance to establish the kinship might be the safest way for Dean or himself to eventually ascend.
-Mother has little to contribute, but adding on to father's plan she mentions she knows some girls who might be willing to go through with it if Dean wouldn't mind marrying a distant cousin, and you could figure out how to get the bride to North Bank City.
-Your eldest son Farquad makes you a decent offer; If you publicly acknowledge his marriage and offspring as legitimate, make him next in line should something happen to Joy, and otherwise give him a County to rule if one becomes available, he will offer one of his children for the test of faith.
It is quite late by the time you finish your little meeting. You warn the goblins of what is to come, and offer to denounce your share in the Knifehouse for your troubles. They decline, suggesting that hauling troops through the basement may be inconvenient, but that having Clan Ivy, who are also loosely their allies, in town will benefit their interests in the long run.
You then spend a few hours tracking Gregory down, before finding him at what you presume to be the home of his mistress who you recognize as one of the nice looking young 'guards' from his office. He is annoyed at the interruption, but quickly snaps back into busniess mode when he hears what you have to say.
"F-four thousand? Hoooooly crap. I'll see what I can do. Some clans on bad terms with them will flee town when they hear Ivy is coming back, so we can use their Mead Halls, and most of the other clans will be honored to host soldiers in whatever spare space they have. Depending on how many beds we get that way, I may have to confiscate some property and set up some temporary barracks for the rest..."He then slaps his mistress on her bare bottom, before instructing her to get dressed as they are going into work.
The next turn will last until Thursday, when the Orcs Arrive---
On the Gods:The recipe to ascend to godhood is simply extremely high skill in one of the soul control arts such as Hex Weaving or Drowish/Demonic Modification plus extremely high skill in one or more of the nature magics plus means of reaching a non-mortal realm. Humans cannot achieve this without first becoming demons, or being heavily modified by another being, as the level of magical talent required is significantly above the race's normal ceiling for the requisite skills.
The vast majority of gods active in, under, and around the human kingdom come from one of three sources.
The Giants were a race capable of ascending to godhood who lived in what would become Godtouched County. When humanity crossed the sea, they were embroiled in a generations long war with an aggressive and genocidal race called the Grey Orcs. Eventually the Giants formed a shaky collation with early man and drowish surface settlers and saw to the extermination of their long time foes. When the dust settled, however, less than a hundred of the slow to reproduce giants remained. Noticing that their allies against the Orcs hungered for their land, and knowing that war with the humans and drow would mean their extinction, the remaining Giants chose to ascend en-mass and vanish from the realm forever. Three of the four members of the human pantheon are
Ascended Giants. Most of the remaining ascended giants renounce their own worshipers and serve the kingdom's pantheon or distant titans as angels, while others are worshiped by dwarven cities. A rare few freelance like the Deep Pantheon does.
Of the many sub-races of drow, a select few are capable of obtaining godhood, but those individuals who do make the ascension are faced with a conundrum; As their own race is incapable of performing divine magic, finding followers is difficult.
The Deep Pantheon is a catch all term to describe the hundreds of deities ascended from either drow or demons of drowish creation. During the reign of the Underoot Dynasty, which lasted from the dawn of the age of man until the rise of the Gulf Dynasty, the deep pantheon was legally worshiped by human commoners. Since that practice was banned, the deep pantheon have gained a reputation as gods for hire; Many deep gods will provide support to any cause that can offer them a few hundred followers and doesn't radically oppose their values. Other deep gods align themselves with demons, providing them with services in exchange for the worship of the undead and lesser demons they create. One of the four members of the human Pantheon is a Deep God.
Gods will breed with mortals on rare occasion, and of course the resulting offspring is often capable of obtaining godhood itself. Usually an ascended demigod will claim the origin of its divine parent (for example a child of an ascended giant would consider itself an ascended giant), but if that offspring's mortal parrentage is orcish, and it becomes part of orcish society for any significant amount of time, it will usually retain its loyalty to its clan and consider itself an
Orcish God. Although few in number due to constant in-fighting, the extinction of several of the races responsible for their creation, and the rare set of circumstances required to birth one, the Orcish Gods are relatively strong as individuals and have many followers.
On Religion:The human kingdom keeps a pantheon of four gods. Each member of the human pantheon enjoys good relations with the other three members, his or her own large and well organized priestly order, and a surplus of worship created by a ban on other religion within the kingdom. These factors make them by far the strongest four deities active on the continent, and they can each fend off attacks from about a dozen deep gods at once in their own realms. Members of the Kingdom's Pantheon have been destroyed before, but they are quickly replaced with the newcomer receiving control of his or her predecessor's priestly order, which is usually only subject to only minor changes. By tradition the Kingdom's Pantheon is made from two gods and two goddesses, with each of the goddesses married to one of the gods.
The gods of the Jungle Orcs are mainly Orcish Gods, but any deity willing to abide by the rules of Orcish worship and society, and strong enough to survive the in-fighting, may endorse a clan and reap the benefits. There are presently eighteen, but that number is constantly in flux. The four gods who endorse the mighty clans are half to three quarters as strong as a member of the Kingdom's Pantheon, and as group the eighteen are clearly superior to the four in terms of power. Only the disharmony between them and the inferior numbers and technology of their followers stop them waging open war against the Pantheon of the kingdom. The two holdovers from the Savannah Orc days have priestly orders to their names, but as priestly orders go against the clan system of the jungle orcs, they are weak and practiced in secret.
The dwarves of the Ironheart Mountians live in a cluster of independent city states, each worshiping a single god in a monotheistic fashion. These gods typically compare to the eighteen in power as individuals, and some possess priestly orders rivaling those of the four in terms of structure and prestige. As they lack allies, Dwarven Dieties are often slain by marauding members of the eighteen, or ganged up on and picked apart by large gangs of envious deep gods. The death of a dwarven god usually signals the birth of new dwarven cities when the population splits over picking a replacement.
Goblins have little talent for divine magic, and drow have none at all, but both races will occasionally worship members of the deep pantheon, who in turn grant divine magic to their more loyal slaves or half breeds. Drow are also notorious for infiltrating the nobility of other races, and introducing the worship of deep gods they consider ancestors or allies to the population. Even now several highborn families in the western counties privately maintain the worship of various deep gods.
You are not well versed in exotic lore, but understand the human homeland of the Rising Isles maintains a small but powerful pantheon much like the Kingdom, and that the wild magic of Titan Rock is fueled by the seven Titans, each supposedly several times more powerful than the human pantheon combined.
God Relevant to the Game So Far:Mikael, the Order Keeper:Domains: Intrigue, Law, The Hunt, Loyalty
Origin: Ascended Giant
The four deities of the kingdom are equals in theory, but Mikael is the oldest, most respected, and likely the most powerful as an individual. He is the only member of the Pantheon to have survived since the dawn of the age of man, and has done so by learning to mistrust and despise all other deities. He is the only member of the pantheon to ever officially take a side in a human civil war, having endorsed the upstart Gulf Dynasty over the reigning Underoots in exchange for the former's promise to end the worship of the Deep Pantheon by commoners.
He is married to the Goddess Weneth, and between her and his three previous wives, all killed during the Underoot Dynasty, he has eighty seven acknowledged ascended offspring, the vast majority of which serve as angels to the Kingdom's Pantheon.
Mikael's priestly order, the inquisition, is tasked with hunting threats to the kingdom, which Mikael primarily defines as practitioners of illegal magic and religion. Members of the inquisition typically work as members of the police force in cities and towns, in small groups of 2-4 that roam the countryside protecting villages and hamlets, and in large packs of 15-20 that typically work out of fortresses and protect a large territory from a particular threat such as a dangerous cult, contagious state of undeath, or werebeing outbreak.
Domains: Math, Labor, Creativity, Loyalty
Origin: Ascended Giant
One of the original ascended giants who fought alongside humanity and the drow during the war against the Grey Orcs, Auburn was said to be the being responsible for teaching humans the basics of both astrophysics and astralphysics in his mortal life. After ascension, he served as an angel to the lineage of gods tasked with lording over human intellectuals. After outliving three masters, he was given a shot at godhood himself halfway through the reign of the Underoot Dynasty, and changed the prestigious Order of the Grand University into the High Masons, a priestly order focused more on applied magic and science than abstract though and philosophy.
He is married to the Goddess Ukara, and between her and his two previous wives, one killed during the Underoot Dynasty and the other killed during the collapse of the dynasty of the five houses, he has fifty five acknowledged ascended offspring, including the Goddess Weneth. Many of his offspring served as angels to the gods of the Savannah Orcs during the Gulf Dynasty, and were killed along with the worshipers of their masters when the Gulf's fell.
Auburn's priestly order, The High Masons, is tasked with designing and building that which is critical to the defense and maintenance of the kingdom, which is typically broken down into weapons, tools, buildings, and infrastructure. Members of this Order are largely independent, and find work as architects, smiths, preachers, teachers, and heads of guilds and academic institutions. They may work in groups to excavate archeological sites, design complex structures, build particularly powerful artifacts, and reverse engineer foreign magic or technology.
Domains: Honor, Courage, Hope, Loyalty
Origin: Ascended Giant
The second-eldest child of Auburn spent her youth as an angel in the service of Mikael, and was gravely wounded in a valiant but failed effort to save her master's second wife, then Goddess of Hope Navidia, from assassination near the end of the Underoot Dynasty. When she recovered, she was given Navidia's position and spouse as a reward. Following Mikael's refusal to protect her siblings in the service of the Savanah Orc Gods when the Gulf Dynasty fell, Weneth began to regularly spite her husband by sleeping with various foreign goddesses, although since the rise of Ukara, she has mainly limited her extramaritial affection to her mother-in-law.
She is married to the God Mikael, and has thirteen acknowledged ascended offspring, all of whom serve as angels to the Pantheon of the Human Kingdom.
Weneth's priestly order, The Steel Sisterhood, is tasked with bringing hope to the subjects and allies of the Kingdom. Members of this order often fight in groups of five to fifteen on the battlefield, and are often tasked with leading troops when the kingdom is on the defensive. Outside of battle, members of the Steel Sisterhood find work as doctors, preachers, midwives, providers of end-of-life care, guards, and diplomats to people on good standing with the Kingdom.
Domains: Terror, Diversity, Monsters, War
Origin: Deep Pantheon
When the Demon Allies of the goblins and House Skorn struck down the War Goddess Martha following the Collapse of the Dynasty of Five and the rise of the Emmit Dynasty 300 years ago, the decision was made not to appoint an angel in her place, but to bring in a ruthless foreign goddess to strike fear into the heart of the goblin threat. Over her short reign, Ukara has so far proven to be both pitiless and unconventional; Gone were the horsewomen of Martha's Black Knights, and in their place was founded the co-ed priesthood of monster riders known as the Dread Knights.
She is married to the God Auburn, and has six acknowledged ascended offspring with him, all of whom serve as angels to the Pantheon of the Human Kingdom. Scholars of the Deep Pantheon estimate that she was responsible for the birth of between twenty six and a hundred and two demons and deep gods before joining the Kingdom's Pantheon
Ukara's priestly order, Dread Knights, is tasked with spreading fear among the Kingdom's foes. Members of this order often fight in groups of five to fifteen on the battlefield, and are often tasked with leading troops when the kingdom is on the offensive. Outside of battle, members of the Dread Knights find work as jailers, headsmen, mercenaries, aids and bodyguards to members of the inquisition, criminal enforcers, and diplomats to people on shaky political ground with the Kingdom.
Domains: Demons, Espionage, Sabotage, Religious Fanaticism
Origin: Deep Pantheon
Trance is considered third strongest among the eighteen orc deities, but the most feared. Seventeen hundred years ago, Trance sent demons to clear out the residents of Current Castle and claim the gate for herself. She then invited any who would offer her unquestioning devotion to live in the castle, and endorsed her followers as Clan Ivy. In doing this, Trance became the first deity to enter the Orish Pantheon by endorsing a mighty clan, and Clan Ivy became the first and only clan to control a castle, and thus possess mighty status, from its inception. Two hundred years later, she named a half-demon, believed to be one of her own descendants, as Chieftess Ivy.
Trance is one of only three members of the eighteen to have an agenda beyond 'protect and provide for the clan she endorses and its allies'. It is believed she gathers the souls of all in her clan upon their deaths, uses some to form new demons, some to buy favors from outside demons and dark mages, and others to perform strange experiments on the gate. Her Shaman preach that once the gate has been modified to serve its true purpose, and the creatures beyond are strong and numerous enough, all the orcish clans will bow to Clan Ivy, and all the Orcish Deities will bow to Trance. Then, the gate will forever change the rest of the world to make it trivial for Clan Ivy and its kin to conquer.
Trance is said to employ eight notable demonic minions:
Traaaacieant is said to be Trance's direct descendant and the probable father of Chieftess Ape. He is charged with protecting the Chieftess, and attending to her every whim. On rare occasion, he is charged with creating half demons worthy of sharing the blood of their goddess.
Danzielipip is said to train and watch over Trance's priests and shaman. Said divine casters can tap into his might like a trained manifestation, and can summon and command his lesser underlings without using Dark Magic.
Yukprong is said to raise and train half demons, and father the multitude of such beings that will serve Trance without sharing her blood. He is also charged with preparing the souls of those deemed faithful enough to join Trance's priesthood willingly.
Curcot is said to be in charge of reforming those who commit crimes and transgressions against Clan Ivy by changing their soul to hold only unyielding fanaticism for their goddess, and preparing it to perform her divine magic.
Drechael is said to be in charge of friendly dealings with other demons and dark mages, and extraplanar trade.
The twins Viishel and Tooshel are Trance's direct descendants, spies, agents, and enforcers. They prefer to work as a pair, but when opperating alone, Viishel prefers to work in the mortal realm, and Tooshel elsewhere.
Nuxhidieon is in charge of secret research and engineering, which mostly regaurds the gate and whatever Trance's organization is building beyond it.
Domains: Disaster, Tragedy, Death, Prophecy
Origin: Deep Pantheon
Tetha was one of the few drowish surface colonists to have fought alongside the humans and giants against the grey orcs to later ascend to godhood. Although a gifted warrior and mage, Tetha was often mocked for having seizures and visions. At a public banquet, she famously suffered and recovered from a mighty seizure, lifted her glass, declared that it had been poisoned, drank anyway, and, once it was clear to all present that she was indeed being killed by poison, ascended to godhood in front of everybody.
Back during the Underoot Dynasty, when lowborns were permitted to worship the Deep Pantheon and partake of their divine magic, Tetha was a wildly popular goddess. Her prophets saved many lives with their predictions, and her condemnation of the Highborn Pantheon for not providing their subjects a proper afterlife was a favorite talking point of lowborn preachers. She attracted a harem of divine husbands, a band of angels, and was one of many commoner deities whispered to be planning a rebellion against the highborn and their gods. Unfortunately for Tetha and the other deep gods, the Underoot Dynasty was undone not by rebellion, but by the Gulfs, who banned Tetha's worship and let loose the inquisition to slaughter her prophets and burn their writings.
Without followers to gain strength from, Tetha has since fallen on hard times. Some say she has become a pitiful being, begging and prostituting herself to other gods, angels, and demons to make ends meet and support her few surviving followers. Others say she has become cynical, and now relishes the disasters and tragedies she once tried to protect people from. Others still argue that she has become outright evil, associating herself with demons, and allowing them to corrupt her soul.
The truth is difficult to track down; There have been few confirmed sightings of or interactions with her by mortals or credible immortals since the Gulf Dynasty rose. The group that likely knows the most is House Teather, one of the old matriarchal houses in the Hollowground Duchy that still clings to drowish tradition. House Teather claims to descend from Tetha and her sisters, several of whom also ascended, but their library, which is said to contain the only surviving tomes of procedure for Tetha's Priesthood and likely has the most accurate records of her activities since falling from power, has never been open to outsiders.
You first got in touch with Pogpugrooog because you had read in a recently published goblin tome of demon lore that she has an exact copy of House Teather's library as it existed 170 years ago. Although the demon's asking price to transcribe the rare documents for you was far too rich for your blood at a hundred and fifty souls, she did confirm for you that there was nothing to indicate Tetha was planning anything big that far back. The Succubus did claim, however, that one of Tetha's few remaining angels was a client of hers, and that going off of tidbits she picked up from him, it seems likely that the Goddess is going to do something drastic within your lifetime.
You berate yourself for not considering a possible link between your husband's death and Fortune's situation when Charlie told you of Denzel's involvement weeks ago. The young prince's mother, the Queen Consort, was born a Teather.
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Topic: (SG) The Redleaf Epic (Formerly Widow: A Duchess Scorned) (Read 66543 times)