Turn 32
"Oh. Alright. Well, I'll wait here then."
Wait for the tea, and then commune with the 'God of Metal'.
The shrine maiden brings a tray in one hand and a folding table in another. She sets down the table, flipping it down onto the ground, and watches as a spring-loaded mechanism inflates the table into a metal cube with a flat top, setting the tray on top.
Chairs follow shortly. They're carved out of a spotted wood, and you can see small bits of fungus growing out of the edges.
Afterward, the shrine maiden disappears and the God of Metal, Dregadeth, climbs into the shrine (from... below?) in a plated suit of armor emblazoned with an inverted cross, a shield coated in bloodstone, and a two-handed sword in its scabbard, with a hilt similar in style to Peacemaker. Bundles of metal chains hang from his wrists and feet, rattling as he walks with heavy gait.
"WIDE IS THE PATH THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION..." screeches a voice from deep within the armor, a sound that inflicts visible pain on those gathered in the crowd beyond the gate.
"LET US HOPE, THEN, THAT YOU WALK THE PATH OF JUSTICE AND TRUTH. I SEE ONLY DEATH IN THE EYES OF THOSE WHO COME TO MY SHRINE, AND ASK FOR WEAPONS OF WAR. THEY ARE BOUND BY CHAINS WHICH WILL ONLY DRAG THEM DOWN THAT PATHWAY INTO THE PIT OF DESPAIR."Kneel before her.
"I am Halcyon Adhil, m'lady.
I'm not as well off as I appear, I'm quite sad to say. I come from a place too far away to see and so difficult to enter that my colleagues and I almost died getting here.
In my homeland, there is no magic. No gods or goddesses. Only technology which would mimic this world's magical properties. I am here with naught but the clothes on my back and some coin from back home. Aside from a wayward man tiger, you are the first being of this world I have met.
But. I digress. I have sought you out for help. The bridge crossing the chasm is missing. There was a sign that shewed me that if the bridge is out, I need to seek the Goddess for help."
The Goddess covers her mouth, and giggles briefly, her eyes fixed on yours.
"There is a reason that bridge is made of rope and wood. My abilities cause the Earth to grow and lend its bounty to the people."She takes two steps toward the shrine gate.
"As a matter of fact, you are not alone. I also grew up in a land without magic, long ago, but now I work it all the same. But I'm not human.
You mentioned a Wayward man-tiger?"She raises an arm, and fungi emerge from the dead soil, showing their bright colors and forming a sort of diorama depicting Guark in his human form, surrounded by Terran animals.
"This is him, correct? His name is Guark. I would not trust him, for he is of the host that take the form of animals. They eat humans to steal their life-energy."This is a great opportunity to learn about this black-hole world! I should be careful with what I ask.
Ask about what creatures and races live in this world.
"That's a great first question, since it worth two questions."She sits up in the water, as if on a chair.
"This is a world of Gods and Men. Men live their lives and die. Gods live forever, and there aren't that many of us worth talking to so we do get a little lonely. Hmmmph.
The other things that live here are bioforms, human life-energy twisted into forms that manipulate earth-energy. Those are 'plants' I guess. Maybe animals, too. I haven't seen any."She seems to remember something important.
"Also, be careful if you go fishing. Those fish belong to someone.""So you want me to stab myself?" Réoris says with a curled lip.
Comply.
He speaks truth! The knife produces a spray of purple, which fills your vision as streamers which gravitate back into your body, except for some freed portions which are drained into fishman, who then redirects a torrent of water from the lake and inflates the soul-blob. There is a cold mist and a blast of fire, followed by a pillar which extends into the sky and into the bunker below, carving a hole into a candlelit apartment filled with decora and scrolls.
The new creature is born as a thirteen-year-old girl in blue modern clothing (TheMoonlitShadow), her big brown eyes and expression betraying extreme nausea. She is strangely unharmed by the blaze. (TheBiggerFish is inside)
"I have proven myself! Bestow me a name, that I may return to your calling. The knife is yours; as my master, it will slay all but you."It hurts. It really does.
Who knows how long ago it started.
As you lay on the beach, bones broken from a great drop, an old man came to your assistance and promised you healing. He did not heal you. Rather, he broke every bone in your body and used you as a test subject for all sorts of alchemical experiments. None of these had a lasting effect on yourself; it seemed as if we was using you as a power source insidead. But you could do little to help yourself, drained of any ability to help.
Until now. With a crack of thunder and a blaze of light boring a hole in chamber just , you find yourself invigorated with a burst of energy. Your bones have healed and your body reinvigorated. For now, though, you lie in your bed as the Hermit prepares another cocktail at his slate desk.
You come to your senses in a blaze of light, wondering what happened to you that kept you out for so long. You recall being in pain a short while ago, but are unable to form any particular picture of what happened. Your memories of this world since then? Not at all. But you remember your past before the plunge.
In front of you stand: a friar in black garb (Wunderkatze), and a towering man made of living fish, riding a typhoon of seafood across the ground like a gross sort of levitation. The fishman shouts to the friar:
"I have proven myself! Bestow me a name, that I may return to your calling. The knife is yours; as my master, it will slay all but you."You find yourself nauseous, sitting next to a hole in the ground: a clean circle cut into a bunker below by something you don't remember. You feel chilly. Your equipment is also missing.
Each player has a trait in caps that gives wide-ranging bonuses.
DISCOVERY applies to actions that involve searching, scouting, looting, basically anything with "look for" in the description. It does not apply to passive actions like detecting stealth.
VENGEANCE applies to getting revenge on others. Can involve combat (provided the enemy is shooting at you this turn, or has shot in the past) or just pulling pranks.
JUDGEMENT applies to actions concerning serious ethical decisions. It actually gives a bonus to any choice, not just the 'good' one or the 'evil' one, but it only applies once per decision so it won't help throughout a fight if you decide to murder people randomly.
MERCY applies to actions helping right wrongs, including medicine, repairing something, or even just comforting someone.
WISDOM applies to actions involving memory, such as recalling locations.
REFLEX applies to involuntary actions, such as your EMP and also reflexive actions such as retaliating to a sudden attack.
Brann Montoya's Status: Frostbitten finger (minor)
Items:
Flashlight (full charge)
Serpentine Whip
x3 Hat Drone (HP: 4/4, 4/4, 4/4)
Modifiers:
DISCOVERY: d8 (2/8 XP)
Items:
Flashlight (full charge)
Books ('Tales of the Beyond')
Candles + Matches
Modifiers:
JUDGEMENT: d8 (0/8 XP)
Diplomacy (1/6 XP)
Crafting (1/6 XP)
Items:
Flashlight (full charge)
Medical Wrappings, Sutures, and ¿disinfectant?.
PEACEMAKER (+1 to edge attacks) (glows when "life is lost")
Modifiers:
MERCY: d8 (0/8 XP)
Pistols: d8 (0/8 XP)
Scavenger: d6 (1/6 XP)
Halcyon Adhil's Status: Temple gash (minor)
Items:
17x Neo-Adamantium Coin
Dead Lantern
Dead Gem
Crystal Eye (lets you see in the dark)
Razor Claws (rolls d8 for unarmed melee) (0-handed)
Modifiers:
VENGEANCE: d8 (0/8 XP)
Survival Skills/Crafting (2/6 XP)
Mobility (2/6 XP)
Items:
Flashlight (full charge)
Spacesuit
Tablet of Knowledge (d8 to intellect rolls)
Glasses
Modifiers:
WISDOM: d8 (0/8 XP)
Items:
EMP Blood
Space Clothes (+1 to defense)
Razor Claws
Modifiers:
REFLEX: d8 (0/8 XP)