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>>424564
Choose your preferred school of magic:
*All schools have some attack spells, utility spells and summons, but each has a speciality
[ ] Fire - Combat spells
[ ] Water - Amphibious utility
[ ] Earth - Construction and Protection
[ ] Air - Mobility and Stealth
[ ] Nature - Shapeshifting, Healing
[ ] Light - Blessings, Banishments
[ ] Shadow - Demonic pacts, double-edged spells
[ ] Arcane - Counterspells, enchantments

Choose a deity perk:
[ ] Artificery - You are particularly skilled in crafting magic items.
[ ] Necromancer- You are particularly skilled at summoning basic undead (zombies, skeletons, ghouls)
[ ] Aura of Brilliance - You are surrounded by a glorious golden halo that burns the eyes of unbelievers and inspires the faithful
[ ] Blade Aura - You can evoke at will a whirlwind of dangerous bladed objects centered on yourself that turns anyone nearby into mincemeat.
[ ] Item Lore - Able to absorb the lore from an object, learning about its past just by holding it. You can memorize the contents of a book by touch.
[ ] Weapon Mastery - Able to perfectly master any weapon just by holding it. Perfect aim with ranged weapons.
[ ] Invincible - Almost impervious to non-magical weapons and attacks
[ ] Suggestion - Able to implant ideas into the minds of mortals and lesser immortals (allows saving throw)
[ ] Regeneration - Rapidly heal wounds during combat (normally, it takes a period of rest to recover, especially if maimed)
[ ] Write-In - Come up with any ability, and as long as it's not too overpowered, I'll allow it.

2/3

Choose the character of your cult:
[ ] Purity Cult - Your people are taught to maintain purity of thought and deed, and to be ever-vigilant of witches, aberrations, and heretics. They are fanatically loyal to their deity.
[ ] Mystery Cult - Your people seek to unravel the secrets of creation, and your magocratic cult has a highly-tiered membership, where mastery of one tier guarantees promotion to the next.
[ ] Forge Cult - Your people see hard work as the highest virtue, and look upon idleness with disgust. To them, crafting and invention are acts of devotion and the priesthood are trained in smithing.
[ ] Ancestor Cult - Priests divine the will of the spirits and raise the dead to serve as laborers and soldiers. While accepted among your cult, outsiders may view necromancy as evil.
[ ] Horse Cult - Your people see the horse as an almost sacred animal, whose strength and endurance brings victory in battle. They train in mounted combat, and those who can, own several steeds.
[ ] Sun Cult - Your followers view the sun as the giver of life, and in the harsh deserts, nomad tribes navigate the trackless wastes by the sun and stars, led by astrologer-priests.
[ ] Warrior Cult - Your people are told that the highest afterlife awaits the warrior, thus they are eager for battle and glory, however, in times of peace, they raid and pillage neighbors.
[ ] Merchant Cult - Your people hold you as a god of wealth and trade, and pray to you for safe travels at sea. Your priests are trained as missionaries and navigators.
[ ] Fertility Cult - Your people hold you as a good of fertility and life. They pray to you for successful harvests, and for many children. Sacred prostitutes make up a part of the temple hierarchy.
[ ] Nature Cult - Your faith venerates nature spirits and advocates living in harmony with the wilderness. Your priests are trained healers and herbologists, skilled in mixing potions and medicines.
[ ] Serpent Cult - To your people serpents are considered sacred, and they have an affinity for poisons. They allow themselves to be bitten, building up an immunity and judging the weak.
[ ] Sky Cult - Your people view the sky as infinite and sacred: a place close to heaven. They have tamed wyverns, which they ride into battle. These rare beasts are available only to the most elite.
[ ] Write-In - Post an idea, and if it gets a lot of responses, I'll allow it.

Also choose:

[ Character Name ]

I'll choose whichever name is most popular.

3/3

P.S. Wonky captcha wiped out the namefield

>Chargen
>All these choices
What the fuck?

>>424640
I should have mentioned: this is a single-character campaign. The responses I get will be used to create the Player Character.

>>424564

>Pagan Deity

Gender
A rock doesn't really have a gender, but, Měihóu Niángniang does take after the feminine, for ease of anthropomorphism and relating to mortals.
[X] Female?

Background:
[X] Ascended Hero?
[X] Ascended Sage?
[X] Demigod?

Born of stone spilled with the blood of a god and basking in the glow of earths energies, Měihóu Niángniang was born more and differently than human, but much less than a god. It was only by fighting battles and war, slaying monsters, and participating in blood on the behalf of mortals did she gain martial prowess and cunning, while stealing secrets from wizards and gods a like, did Měihóu Niángniang steal secrets of power and gain immortality.

Magic School
[X] Earth
[X] Air
Shapeshifting at full strength, Protection and Mobility at half strength each.

Born of a body of magic stone in a valley of powerful earth energies granted the spark of consciousness by a god of air, Měihóu Niángniang is the mutableness of the earth, how it changes and transforms, and from it all things can be shaped and made. Basically, she's Earth and Air together, which ends up as Nature's Shapeshifting speciality, pretty much, and some leftover Protection and Stealth, albeit at less power.

Deity Perk
[X] Thief of Divinity

Měihóu's power has been stolen and cobled together from a hundred sources, first magic stone and a god's blood, later secrets of magic and immortality, elixers of dragons scales, and warrior hero's artifacts. It gives her the uncanny ability to do things she shouldn't be able to do, and make things work that shouldn't be able to work. She almost always meets the requirements for abilities that are supposed to be only used by those with certain prerequisites. To give an example, if there was a legendary blade destined only to be drawn by the heir to the god of the sun, or a secret to magic that would drive anyone not already mad insane... Měihóu could steal either and use it, despite not being an heir to the god of the sun or insane, without ill effect.

Character of Cult
[X] Trickster Cult - There is nothing you can posses that cannot be taken away by another. Therefore, steal every moment and enjoy every sight, before someone takes it away from you! See the world, lie in every feathered couch, taste every fruit, whether you paid for it or not. Aspire to whatever you see as great by any means you can, honor and virtue are written by the victors.

"All things are born from the Three positives;
The Truth of Heaven, The Beauty of Earth,
The Essence of Sun, The Splendor of Moon.
Lent a name so that the elixir may complete.
Looking inside, we perceive nothing of the formless,
Outside, we create visible things from our intelligence.
Men have always been like this:
Those who are called kings and sages just do as they wish."

In the city of Rosewood, the innkeeper Logran grumbled.

When his guest had entered, he knew immediately: the flashing eyes, the aura of authority... He was in the presence of a god. At first breathless, and then immediately humbled, he offered the guest everything he had: the finest wines, the sweetest fruits. He even expelled a foreign dignitary from his lodging to ensure his divine patron would enjoy only the finest luxuries. It is known, after all, that gods often visit mortals in human form, and that those who show them hospitality are richly rewarded, while those who disrespect them are forever cursed, for generation after generation.

Yet for eight months, he had served this guest with supreme generosity, to no reward.

The bell jingled once more. It is connected to a string that leads upstairs. As he poured another jug of aged vintage wine, for the first time in his life, he grumbled at the gods.

Without knocking, in a deliberate act of rudeness, he swung open the door. Saying in as pleasant a voice as he could muster "More wine, my lord?", bowing his head to conceal his curled lips and hateful eyes.

No response. The innkeeper looked up.
The room was empty. Sitting on a pillow in the center of the room was a note.

His heart in his mouth, he stumbled forward. After such a display of disrespect he dare not read it. Surely the god heard his grumbling. Surely nothing would await him but a lifetime of agony.

Sweat formed on his brow, and as he thought of his wife and his children, wetness started to well in his eyes, knowing that they too would share in his misfortune.

Blinking back tears, he slowly read the note, one letter at a time.

"Thank you for everything.
- Lady Měihóu"

Beneath the note was a small handful of gold coins.

Meihou sat on the roof, casually eating an apple as she listened to the man break down into hysterics.

A sudden rush of power filled her veins with new energy. Someone had made a sacrifice at her altar. It was easy to tell which one, as she only had one altar that was consecrated to her.

On the other hand, this was the first time she was allowed in the city in half a century. She had been driven out by the God Tyrren. Yet Tyrren was missing, his consecrations absent from the temple. Nothing could stop her from just walking in and taking some of the offerings laid out to him in vain.

Tossing the core aside, she mused what to do next.

HP: 100/100
Magic Skill: Earth 4, Air 4
Magic Gems: 10 Earth; 10 Air;
Gold: 100

[ ] Make sport of another wealthy innkeeper's hospitality
[ ] Return to your altar to meet the one who gave you sacrifice (-2 Air MP)
[ ] Other

>>425888
Forgot to include "Rob Tyrren's Temple" as an option.

Forgot to add my tripcode.

Magic Gems = MP

>>425888
[-] Another Inn. Eh, once you've slept in the best in town, it seems doubtful any of the others will be better or have anything interesting. Merchants in the same town for long enough will always start to sell the same things for the same prices.
[x] Rob Tyrren's Temple. Now we're talking! That'll be great fun! Let's do it as soon as I'm free.
[X] Return to the Alter. Really? Someone sacrificed to us willingly? I mean, surely we earned that with one of our heroic deeds! Not that we've done many around here.. Maybe they need something from us? Grrr.... My curiosity will just not forgive me if I don't find out why!

(- for "nah, really not interested, don't bother again", x for "Oooh yes, bring it up again later", and X for "Yes, let's do this one right now.")

You move to a quiet alley and begin the windwalking ritual, humming the words of creation: ancient words of power known only to the gods; words used in the creation of the world itself. You crush two air gems and let them float on the wind. A fierce gust passes through Rosewood, knocking over vases and causing ceiling tiles to come loose.

In an instant, you are gone. In that moment, you are at the center of a hurricane of unimaginable proportions, passing through a plane of pure air, where the word 'ground' has no meaning. Emerging from this whirlwind, you arrive at your destination. For the sake of appearances, you maintain your composure in spite of your extreme disorientation.

You notice, to your great surprise, several things:

First, the simple stone altar, naked beneath the sky; the altar that you call home, has a dead body upon it. A young man, dressed in the finery of a noble. His chest is ripped open in a most visceral manner, as though ripped apart by beasts.

Second, the same man (although substantially more transparent and less gory) is standing next to the altar, wearing a morose expression. He is bowing deeply to you. The others do not seem to notice him.

Thirdly, there are around thirty commoners standing before you and your altar, with another noble at the front. While the noble kneels on one knee, with his hand over his heart, the peasants merely stand back in awe.

"My lady, I am Leofrick, heir to these lands. I offer you my brother Cedrick. We lay him at this altar to offer his soul to your embrace. He was one of your true faithful-"

You disguise your surprise. You weren't entirely sure you had any faithful.

"-Ever since the gods left us, he came to your altar every day to pray. He believed that you remained, and that you would be the one to save us."

The words "save us" ring in your ears. Of course, these people had not offered so much as a single coin to you for years, but now they are all standing here, asking for something. Yet the desperation and sorrow in this young man's voice is all but apparent.

>>426140
"From?" You ask sternly.

He looks down, speaking bitterly, "I was a fool... I did not believe him. Our lord... my father... has gone mad."

He pauses for a long time, as the words seem caught in his throat. "No, more than mad... Our mother passed away just a year past. Our father wished to contact her. He did not know if she made it safely into the arms of her goddess, or what afterlife existed for the followers of the lost gods. I believe he has sinned against the divine and against all creation... he attempted magic beyond his reckoning and has become an aberration."

You consider what to do:
[ ] Help them without asking anything in return, it is the solemn duty of gods to purge the unclean wherever they are found.
[ ] Demand offerings and subservience before helping them.
[ ] Don't help them. The villagers are weak in faith and have never shown you proper reverence; even now they do not bow as they should. You have better things to do.
[ ] Other

As for the body on your altar...
[ ] Bury it near the altar
[ ] Bury it anywhere else. You don't want your only shrine to become a graveyard

>>426147
"Sooooo, you guys haven't been doing anything for me. You just need me now. You think an appropriate offering is to kill a man who you claim is one of my faithful. I'm not sure if it would be better or worse if he was. You obviously don't have anything interesting to offer me, divine secrets or artifacts, or you would have used them to barter with me." Angry arms crossed, glare, give them the real talk down.

"I'll tell you what. If you can offer me enough sacrifice to restore the power I used to get back here to hear this pathetic excuse of a plea for help, I'll consider not personally feeding you to the aberration myself."

"While you muster that up, I'll be talking to my 'faithful'." Turn to ghost.

"So, you're dead. They can't do any worse harm to you if you were unwilling in this, so you might as well tell me the truth. If you're not one of mine, I can totally just dump you off at a nice dumb mercy goddess or something next time I see one. What's going on from your point of view?"

[-] Free Help. Ugh, we left Tyrren's temple for this?
[ ] Demand offerings. I suppose I could use followers, and the aberration might have something of value I could salvage... Still, this whole deal stinks.
[x] Don't help. I'm tempted... Stealing power from Tyrren's followers would be so much more fun.
[X] Other. Press ghosty boy there for some more info.

Body
[-]Here. Bleh, I don't like the idea, but maybe if this guy was truly devout and really wants it.
[x]Elsewhere. Unless he convinces me otherwise, I'm going this way.

>>426224
>"Sooooo, you guys haven't been doing anything for me. You just need me now. You think an appropriate offering is to kill a man who you claim is one of my faithful. I'm not sure if it would be better or worse if he was. You obviously don't have anything interesting to offer me, divine secrets or artifacts, or you would have used them to barter with me." Angry arms crossed, glare, give them the real talk down.
He looks at you in confusion and shock, "My lady, I think you misunderstand, this is my own brother, he was killed by our father. I merely brought his body here for funeral rites, to devote his body and soul to you for eternity."

>"I'll tell you what. If you can offer me enough sacrifice to restore the power I used to get back here to hear this pathetic excuse of a plea for help, I'll consider not personally feeding you to the aberration myself."
We have... all that my family has is at the castle... we have some gold from taxes, and I believe my father had been hoarding shadow gems. If you'd like, I can get the villagers to provide offerings of food and pottery."

>So, you're dead. They can't do any worse harm to you if you were unwilling in this, so you might as well tell me the truth. If you're not one of mine, I can totally just dump you off at a nice dumb mercy goddess or something next time I see one. What's going on from your point of view?"
He speaks to you, or tries at least, but there is only silence. Your sacred dead can only be spoken to via Light magic; wandering and unholy dead can only be spoken to via Shadow magic. The sacred dead of a minor god are bound to their patron's holy sites.

>>426244
Oh, so we can't talk even to our own dead? That sucks. Learn something new everyday. Never had one before.

"Uuuuuuugggh... So you really have nothing to offer me, keep your food and pottery, but if I kill the Aberration I might get some spoils of war..." Drag hand down face in frustration.

Ugggghhh... I mean, I don't want to be a total jerk, but these guys are obviously dirt poor and got nothing worth our time.. And with them having nothing to offer us as far as compensating for the trip, we've just wasted 4 gems, for the there and back.

But we're already here.. Might as well get SOMETHING to cover our sunk cost... And we should be at least enough of a hero to not get boo'd out of our own shrine location...

"Fine.. Whatever. Point me at it... I'll take care of this, then take whatever I want, then I'm gone. Do whatever you think Cedrick would like with his body."

~~

I realized after writing this that I'm pretty much writing full Tsundere goddess. :P

>>426244
Oh, and make sure we nodded and "Mmmhm'd." to Cedrick. Wouldn't want them to think we didn't understand him.

I'm heading to bed, but I've got no work tomorrow, so I'll pop back first thing in the morning. Great Quest OP!

"Everything we have is yours! Without you all that we have is lost anyways!" Leofrick exclaims with a trembling voice, dropping to his knees and lowering his lips to the ground, as if to kiss the holy soil. One of the village elders imitates this gesture, likewise kissing the consecrated earth, and then the rest of the villagers soon follow.

You need no directions, although you have travelled far in your life, this is the closest thing you've ever had to home, and you have never forgotten these forests and hills. You motion for the villagers to step aside. Although it would be far more dramatic to wind walk to the castle, the air gems are probably too valuable. You appropriate the nobleman's horse, a white courser, and set off.

The shadows of evening begin to fall as you approach Castle Hawkscrest. Yet as you approach the drawbridge, you also begin to sense a different kind of shadow. The door to the castle is open, the parapets are unguarded. A chill breeze blows from behind you, towards the castle's gaping maw, seeming to draw you in.

Leaving your horse outside the gates, you pass through the portcullis and instantly feel your connection with the land weaken, as though it were somehow distant. Walking forward into the courtyard, before you is the scene of a massacre. Guardsmen, torn limb-from-limb, along with servants and even the horses. Disgusting sacks of flesh appear to be growing out of their bodies, pulsating with the same rhythm as a beating heart.
You catch the glimpse of something, human-shaped, crawling along the wall to the keep. As soon as you notice it, it darts out of sight. You feel as though a million eyes are upon you.

[ ] Back away. There is something wrong about this place.
[ ] Cast Invisibility [-1 Air gem]
[ ] Walk forward, remaining silent and avoiding anything that looks unnatural [Roll 1d20]
[ ] Other

>>426319
Logging off for the night, thanks for participating, I'll be back tomorrow to see everyone's responses

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>426404
> Walk forward, remaining silent and avoiding anything that looks unnatural [Roll 1d20]

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Cautiously, you advance towards the keep, nearly making it to the door without incident. Your ears perk at the sound of movement. One of the corpses has started moving towards you crawling on its hands, having been cleaved apart at the waist, intestines trail behind it. The pulsating sack growing out of its chest seems to have increased in the tempo of its undulations, quivering rapidly. Its dead eyes look towards you expressionlessly. It opens its mouth, as if to speak, and suddenly, what appears to be its spine shoots out of its mouth, piercing into you like a spear as you stumble back in surprise.

Rolling for damage [dice+2d6]

A wound like this would be debilitating to a mortal, but you are a god, and such an injury can be easily shrugged off, though the pain surges through you, giving your body a burst of adrenaline.

The creature retracts its spine back into its mouth, in a single, swift, motion. You can see its bones bulging out against its back wrongly, like a bundle opf sticks tossed into a fleshy stack. It opens its mouth once more in preparation for an attack.

"Try me again" you mutter.

As the spine shoots out, you dodge out of the way, then leap towards the corpse, plunging your knife into the creature's back in a single fluid motion.

No effect, the creature retracts its spine and tries to turn to face you, grabbing at your legs. You kick it onto its back and stab at the alien heart.

For an instant, you have a vision of the guardsman whose body this creature possessed. His soul is trapped in this world, in agony. The parasitic heart feeds upon his life-force, like moths drawn to a flame. It is likely that all others who died here are suffering a similar fate.

An unnaturally high-pitched screech echoes through the courtyard, falling silent when you twist the knife then jerk it free. Black blood coats your blade.

The other creatures now seem to be stirring, a hundred at least in the courtyard alone. You slip through the doors of the keep and close them behind you.

As you enter into the castle's grand hall, it takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. The room is pitch black aside from a few strands of scarlet light shining in through the windows.

"Welcome! Welcome!" the walls echo with this eerie welcome, "You have come into my home, that means you are my friend! That means you are my guest!"

Before you is a banquet table arrayed with all sorts of dishes, at the head of the table, farthest from you, is a portly middle-aged man, dressed in fine robes, with a coronet upon his head. He is eating an unidentifiable meat from a plate. He puts down his fork and knife, stands, and bows courteously, extending one arm while doing so as if to gesture "make yourself comfortable".

When he rises from his bow, you notice his face: his eyes ooze a black tar, that runs down his face, and his mouth is widened into an unnatural, lunatic grin.

Rolled 6, 5 = 11 (2d6)

>>426854

"I had not expected any guests so soon! Much less a guest of your dignity! Your power! Your beauty!". His flattery only sets you more at edge. You wipe the blood from your knife.

"I hope those vermin out in the courtyard did not bother you. Please, do not be alarmed. I can tell from your demeanor that you are on edge. You have nothing to fear from me. I am certain you will find me to be as gracious a host as any you have ever met."

You look around the room, there are thick stone columns to the sides of the table. Beyond the table is a wooden throne seated beneath a large window that reveals a full crimson moon. Luring the enemy near the window would expose him to the sky, and make your offensive air magic more potent. On the other hand, you can hide behind the supports if things turn messy, and attack with ranged magic from safety. Destroying the supports with Earth magic would require all 10 gems and would bring the castle keep crumbling down, though it may be better if you can reclaim it intact.

He notices you studying your surroundings. "Don't just stand there! Please, have a seat! If the food is not to your tastes, I can have my servants prepare any meal you desire. I have much I wish to discuss."

[ ] Have a seat at the table, but remain at alert. Perhaps you can learn something about it or trick it into lowering its guard. You are the trickster god after all. [Note any particular questions you have]
[ ] Don't let it distract you with lies and flattery. Move to a more advantageous location while humoring it, remaining polite until it is time to strike. [Specify attack]
[ ] What the hell am I thinking? It is obviously trying to stall for time. I need to charge towards it and kill it immediately [Roll 1d20 for attack damage]
[ ] Keep your distance and blast it with magic [Specify]
[ ] Other

Gems:
10 Earth; 8 Air

Known Combat Spells:
Invisibility: Makes you invisible for 1 Air gem. This enemy seems far too keen to be tricked by such a simple glamor.
Stoneskin: +5 damage negation per earth gem burned
Earthgrip: Immobilize enemy. Roll 1d20, burn up to 10 earth gems for an extra die per gem (more powerful enemies have higher DCs--this one has a DC of 20).
Lightning Bolt: Roll 1d6 + 1d6 for each air gem burned
Thunderstrike: Roll 1d10 + 1d10 for each air gem burned. Requires open sky.
Shapeshift: Innate ability, can change form into a medium-sized beast like a wolf or an eagle, if you think it will give you some advantage.

Rolled 6, 7 = 13 (2d20)

>>426856
"Oh, thank you, thank you. Beauty is something I value highly. My natural form isn't very pretty at all, and it took some sculpting and some very nice skin lotions to achieve this beauty. Sadly, there isn't any in you or what you've done."

[X]Move to more advantageous location, while humoring.

Specifically, near a column closer to him, then, when you stop humoring him, roll a 2 gem earthgrip to immobilize him, run up the column, and earth magic boosted kick it near the top so that it falls on him. We don't need to break all the columns to kill this guy, one will be fine. Surely?

>>426932
Bugger.

Rolled 2, 1 = 3 (2d6)

You decide to humor him, vainly accepting its praise while moving around to one of the pillars.

Immediately, you cast Earthbind. However, the land does not yield to you and the hard stone floors merely ripple beneath the black-eyed lord's feet.

For a long moment, there is only silence. He wipes his mouth with a napkin and then turns to you.

"Excuse me." He intones calmly, "but just what do you think that you're doing?" A stern frown now replaces his wide grin.

"I just thought I would give you a foot massage." You respond.

"I see... " the abberration responds, his voice tense with annoyance. "If you are not going to be polite and have a seat, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

You drain an earth gem to launch an earthpowered kick at the column sending a chunk of stone hurtling towards him (rolling 2d6 for damage)

[Earth Gems 7; Air Gems 8]

The creature does not respond as the rock smashes into his head, mangling his face.

"You come into my home. You interrupt my dinner. You slap away my hand when it is offered to you in peace. How rude! How gauche! Very well. If you will not cooperate, I am more than capable of obtaining what I want by force."

With both hands, he takes his own head and rips it off of his body. His chest splits apart, and a writhing mass of insect legs, claws, and mandibles emerges, its many orifices dripping the black tar.

Still standing on two human legs, this unweildy mass of clawing, screeching creatures staggers towards you

>>427000
Forgot trip.

Options
[ ] Same as before (but the time for polite talk is probably over)

>>427000
"... I don't think I wanna touch any of that." Flee through the giant window, kicking up and hurling a chair through it then jumping through. Unless our innate defense as a god is boss enough to just ignore glass injuries.

He obviously wants something from us that he says he can obtain by force, so he might give chase.

Also, another question I've been wondering about is "How magical are we when not spending gems?"

For example, could we slam the ground with our foot to cause a couple pebbles to lift up into easy grabbing range to then throw?

Could we light a spark of lightning between our fingertips to light a candle?

Seeing the creature transform from a false veneer of civility to a twitching mass of claws and mouths unnerves you. As it lurches towards you, you begin to reconsider your situation.

You have always preferred stealth and guile to a direct fight. Especially now, you face an unknown enemy, in a place where your power is diminished and you are potentially surrounded by enemies. If you are going to risk your life, you are not going to do so in a place where the odds are so tilted against you.
You kick up a chair and throw it through the window, then tactically relocate yourself through the opening.

1/3

>>427547
The fall is a long way down, the keep having been built atop a cliff. Your fall is buffered by air magic, and as soon as your feet touch the ground, you feel the energies of the earth flowing into you once more. You are outside the castle proper.

Looking up to the window, you see the creature crawling out of it. It skitters along the walls like a centipede. It watches you, writhing in frustration, before returning back into the keep.

You retrieve your horse and start heading back towards your altar, trying to think of a way to tell the story that wouldn't make you look cowardly. The blood-red moon you saw in the castle, now shines a gentle silver and the journey back is peaceful.

When you arrive at your altar, you notice it is decorated with flowers and offerings of food. The villagers are all gone, but Leofrick kneels there, praying, alongside an elderly man in white robes. Cedrick's ghost is still there as well, bowing his head to you, invisible to everyone but you.

Upon hearing your aproach, the two men stand and offer gestures of respect.

"Greetings my lady, I am Gamon", the old man introduces himself. "I was a priest of Tyren, but now... I am not really anything anymore".

"I take it the mission was..." Leofrick cuts in.

You shoot him a glare.

"The situation is far worse than I had expected" you state.

"Ah, of course, my lady. It was wrong of me to let you go in alone. As long as you are safe, there is still hope. I can raise the levy, we can storm the castle. Gamon is a Light Mage, maybe he can perform a cleansing ritual. The darkness always parts before the light." Leofrick seems more desperate than ever. His eyes wide in worry, and he speaks in rapid sentences without pausing, as if he expects you to just fold your arms and walk away before he can finish.

2/4

>>427552
"Just get out of here", you wave them away. "I'm tired. We'll convene in the morning and I'll tell you what I've decided"

As they depart, you turn to Cedrick's ghost. His expression is one of profound depression. He probably expected more from the afterlife than guarding a rock for all eternity.

"If you'd like, I can release you. You can become a wandering spirit. See more of the world than this place."

He looks surprised, then shakes his head no. Without a deity to protect him, he could be attacked by evil spirits or enslaved by a sorceror.

"This is the place where I was born." you mention idly. "It's a very good story actually. It might make you feel better about being here."
"I was born from an ancient duel between two titans: the treacherous serpent Godormr, who, in his vast and unsatiable greed, betrayed first the primordials, and then the gods; and the noble wolf Freki, the All-Father's loyal companion. The serpent, having poisoned Freki, wrapped around the wolf, in order to crush and devour it; but with its final breath, the wolf tore into the serpent with fang and claw, disembowelling it. As the two mortal enemies died in eachothers' grasp, a deep crimson washed over the sky, and the heavens rained with blood. As the blood soaked into the stones on this very mound, the winds sang a song of mourning, carried by the spirit of the sky, Neha. Freki was her good friend, the wolf and the wind would howl together. That song was the first thing I ever heard. It awakened me."

"Some day, you'll have something better than this. We both will" you offer. He nods.

3/4

Options:
[ ] We need to learn more about what we just encountered. We should find a mage (maybe Gamon), who knows something about aberrations.
[ ] Tomorrow we marshal the men and storm the castle
[ ] Forget the castle. I'm not a god of justice or war. I was never meant to protect people.
[ ] Other

>>427072
Right now we are level 4 in Earth and Air magic. That is not exactly earth-shattering power, but it is probably more than any mortal can ever achieve in their lifetime.

We can "cantrip" weak spells basically at will. So we can light sparks, fire a handful of loose pepples as a flak burst, and do all these things.

We draw our powers from the earth and wind, and as long as we are connected to them, we get 2 damage dice per attack. If we drain gems for their power, we get an additional 2 dice per attack. However, in the castle, all forms of magic that we were capable of were tainted, and only half as strong.

We can either cast spells that we have trained in, or we can cast spells from raw magic. You can do basically anything you want with raw magic, though it is far more difficult to control, and requires gems to be effective.

The damage dice is anywhere from d4 to d20 and depends on the nature of the attack. IE, does it reflect the enemy's weaknesses; does it make good use of the environment (it is easier to summon thunder from the sky than from your fingertips); is it AOE or single target, etc.

4/4

I really wasn't intending on running away completely. Just luring him outside his home ground advantage.

>>427629
So
[X] Other. Protecting you guys will just hold me back I'm not a straight up slug match fighter. I just need to lure him outside his castle, guerrilla warfare him and his minions to death. Got a bow or a sling I could use?

>>427717
It seemed either unwilling or incapable of leaving its lair, but you could easily acquire common weapons from the local militia. You could even take a day to craft magical weapons and armor, taking whatever crafting supplies you need from the village.

You can consume 5 earth gems to create a relatively mundane, but sturdy full suit of heavy armor or an equally-strong shield; 5 air gems to create a shirt of weightless chain armor, or a magic bow or spear charged with lightning.

Minor trinkets magic artifacts in general cost 5 gems

>>427769
Nah, I'm thinking we use like, the sling or bow, maybe both, to start sniping the guy's minions in the courtyard from an elevated position. Start making him taking casualties if he doesn't come out to fight.

Maybe atop the one of the walls so it's not so outside of his territory that he won't attack, but still close enough to the edge that we could back out if we needed to.

You eat one of the meals left by the villagers then go to sleep.

In the morning, Leofrick approaches you. Before he can speak, you dismiss his expected offer of help, "I've decided to assault the castle once more. I don't want anyone following me in there, you would only get in my way."

"Is there anything at all I can do to help?" he asks.

"Bring me a bow... or a sling. Both, in fact." you request.

Once more, you approach the castle. This time, it is mid-day, the sun bright overhead. Yet instead of passing through the gate, instead you climb up the walls. As you get higher up, the sky seems to dim until you again find yourself in a cursed world of perpetual twilight.

You look at the lands outside the castle, and notice that they have transformed. Everything is the same as it was before, but dead. The trees are barren, and there is no life. Even the wind itself is dead, there is only an unsettling stillness in the air.

You move silently along the empty ramparts, targeting the infested corpses with your ranged weapons, taking them out one-by-one. The majority of them appear to be in a relatively dormant state, and don't respond to their surroundings unless directly hit or roused by noise. You are able to kill all of them in one or two shots by imbuing your arrows with wind cantrips for better accuracy. The bow appears to be the better weapon for the job, as they only die when the tumorous heart is pierced. If killed quickly enough, they do not rouse their kin.

You manage to clear all of the aberrations in the courtyard without incident, 23 in total. Your drawing-arm has begun to ache and you find yourself wishing you had enough air gems to simply incinerate them all with lightning.

Though there could be more lurking out of sight, you have surely killed the greatest bulk of them. The thought puts you somewhat at ease, but you remind yourself that these were only what the lord referred to as "Vermin".

The skittering mass that was once the castle's lord is nowhere to be seen. You enter the darkened hall, intending to draw him out into the courtyard where you will be able to fight him with greater mobility. Yet the grand hall is empty.

The crimson moon shines through the window onto an empty throne, casting the room to a bloody hue. One of the pillars is badly damaged from your surprise attack earlier.

A door near the entrance to the hall opens to a narrow spiral staircase that leads upwards, probably to the lord's living quarters.

Earth Gems: 7; Air Gems: 8

Options:
[ ] Cautiously advance up the staircase, intending to push forward if attacked
[ ] Cautiously advance up the staircase, intending to fall back if attacked
[ ] I know there is an ambush awaiting me, I'm going to bring this whole place down. (10% chance of success per earth gem burned)
[ ] Blast a hole in the ceiling big enough for me to fit through (5 Earth gems)
[ ] Other [Specify]

>>428332
[X] Most towers have windows, even if only slits to fire arrows, let's clamber about the outside and see if we can spy out an ambush.

>>428350
Considering your options, you realize that you can scout out the enemy by peeking through the guard turrets.

You enchant yourself with cantrips of earth and air, making your frame lighter and your fingertips as hard as stone, and begin clawing your way around the outside of the tower.

You approach the arrow slit and peek inside a second-floor room connected to the spiral staircase. The odor emanating from the keep is palpable. Through the open doorway of the guard room, you can see that the walls are covered in mucous, making the hallway appear as though it is the insides of an intestine. Three servant girls are huddled in the corner, their clothes dirty and bloodied, their faces pale and gaunt. They stare blankly forward. When you rap on the stone, they do not respond; but you catch an eye-stalk emerge from the mouths of one of the girls, then quickly retreat.

Approaching the window on the third floor near the staircase, you hear something moving. When you get near, a thin, chitinous scythed arm shoots out of the window, slashing in all directions then retreating.

You hear the creature skittering away, and look through the window in time to see which room it went into.

You climb up onto the roof and find that this was the site of a few of the guards' last stands, their bodies torn to shreds. You notice a very large trapdoor leading to the room where you were attacked from.

[ ] Specify the plan of attack

>>428698
Eh, it's a bit disrespectful, but it's not like we're a mortal, and the enemy seems to use bodies. Throw the guards bodies over the sides, but grab one of their spears to pry open the trapdoor from a little ways away. I bet the monster'll try and break through or slice around as soon as I try opening it, so be ready to jump back onto the parapets and throw the spear into it.

>>428720
Wary of the bodies, you throw them off the keep. You warily open the trapdoor with a spear, intending to impale the aberration with it when it appears.

The trapdoor swings open to reveal... an empty guard room. Empty except for puddles of inky black drool on the floor.

The creature seems to have skittered away, but you recall having spotted the room it is hiding in.

Earlier, it had seemed completely oblivious to danger, as though you were hardly a threat. Now, it seems very cautious, setting traps, taking attacks of opportunity and then retreating.

Perhaps it was being influenced by the lord's personality while it was still alive. Or maybe it wants to lure you in too deep, to make sure you do not have the option to escape again.

[ ] Specify action

>>428830
"Damn, it's getting craftier... Well, let's see if it's more patient than stone."

Wait it out a bit, 30 minutes or so for starters. These horrors still seem biological, and maybe it'll get antsy, or forget you're here, or the boss's focus will slip.

>>428890
Being made from stone, you figure that you can simply wait it out. Without moving or making sound, you remain in position with your spear aimed at the trapdoor.

You can hear something similar to the rustling of the wind, from all around you, too faint to notice at first. Yet the air is still.

You glance around. You are not in any danger, everything is quiet. However, a sense of otherworldly dread washes over you. Something was still watching you, you were sure of it. As if the castle walls were alive.

You get the feeling that this is not a castle, but the stomach of some giant creature. The chitinous thing that attacked you, was merely some appendage of it, like a tongue... or more likely... teeth.

Your environment seems increasingly oppressive, as though the sky is closing in on you. You consider whether to keep waiting.

[ ] Specify

>>428961
"Fuck, there's probably some dark ritual going on. Nothing for it. I'm probably spending every single gem I have today. Ugh." Rush down into the deep, find evil ritual, apply stabbing.

Rolled 19, 1 = 20 (2d20)

>>428993
You jump down through the trapdoor into the bowels of the beast.

Hearing a deafening screech, you look up. The creature is on the ceiling of the hallway, just in front of you. It slams down to the ground. From one of its orifices, a prehensile frog-like tongue wraps around your leg and tries to pull you towards it.

"Damn, so you did leave your hiding place after all, didn't you?"

(Rolling for grapple)

Rolled 6, 5 = 11 (2d20)

>>429245
The creature's tongue pulls you off your feet and drags you towards it. It digs into you with claws and teeth. You cut off the creature's tongue with your knife and manage to struggle away.

Divine ichor oozes from your wounds.

(Rolling for damage, player HP at 100/100)

[ ] Specify action

>>429260
Leap towards the beast, knife ready.

>>429260
These beasts seem to be very durable unless you hit the right spot. Try to keep it at bay with jabbing spear thrusts and dodge until you spot something suspicious.

Rolled 12, 10, 1, 2, 8 = 33 (5d20)

>>429335
You leap at the ravenous mass of slavering maws and twitching talons, hoping that bravery and force of will will carry the day. You plunge the dagger into one of its 6 heads. It screeches in agony, but the other heads continue the attack unfazed, ripping into your flesh and injuring you grievously. You try to withdraw, but your position is too near to it, too exposed. It advances into you and continues tearing into your flesh.

(deal 1 damage die, take 2, one of its six heads is crippled)

>>429336
You grab the spear and force it to back off, momentarily. But the mass of creatures gathers itself and surge forward and impales itself in an effort to get to you.

While fighting it, you realize quickly that it does not move or attack as a single entity. It is made up of multiple creatures that each claw and bite at eachother almost as much as they do at you. They all constantly vie with eachother, in a blood frenzy to be the one to next taste your divine blood. The larger heads appear to be more dominant than the smaller ones, and the largest head seems to be the most coordinated with the movement of the beast, and all other heads and limbs yield to it.

(deal one damage die, take one, gain information)

*Damage done to monsters is always rolled first. First 2 = damage to monster. Last 3 = damage to player.

Current HP: 89/100

>>429414
Aim for the largest head! Maybe that'll cause more infighting! Even if both the spear and knife are buried in its flesh, reach around it's neck and wrench it off.

>>429414
Player HP: 78/100

As you ready yourself for another attack, you see the servant girl you had seen earlier walking up the stairs. You are sure the other two are behind her. Her mouth opens slowly.

[ ] Specify

>>429424
Nothing we can really do about the girl right now, while we're grappling with the monster.

Rolled 16, 9, 5, 17, 19, 7 = 73 (6d20)

>>429420
You jump once more into the mass of frenzied tooth and nail. This sort of punishment would kill a mortal, but you are no mortal. You grab at the most dominant head and attempt to snap it off. An effort worthy of song and saga. It bites off half the fingers of your left hand as you struggle with it in vain. You don't have the kind of strength to kill it with your bare hands. You retrieve your dagger and stab at the head repeatedly until it goes limp.

The corpse girl by the stairway launches a blast of caustic sludge at you. It hits both you and the beast.

The heads of the creature begin behaving erratically. As you back away, it simultaneously bites at you and itself. Along its body, its many bladed arms start plunging into its own bulk. The two slain heads are gnawed at and devoured by the others.The smallest head is also torn apart and devoured.

(first 3 die for monster, second 3 for player, 3/6 heads crippled)

>>429457
Lets run into the girl, and hurl her into the beast so that the clawing maws burn themselves with the caustic. Then slam the door on the two behind her.

Rolled 18, 10, 3 = 31 (3d20)

>>429500
The beast lashes out in every direction, slashing at the walls and floors, catching you as well as everything else nearby. It flails about ineffectually. Each of the three heads is vying for dominance.

You decide to add to the chaos, and hurl the zombie onto the beast.

The beast rips it apart, while the zombie spews a toxic vomit all over itself and the monster in self-defense. The creature's heads screech in agony, each with a different voice, and it severs the zombie's head from its neck. A large slug-like creature emerges from the dead girl's mouth, but it is impaled on one of the creature's many arms as it crawls away.

The other two zombies on the narrow staircase grope towards you. You kick them down the stairs then slam the door on them and bar it.

The largest remaining head rips the throats out of the other two. It now appears to be the sole remaining head in control of the monster's main bulk. It rears back, protecting its head with a wall of bladed arms. All of its other arms are aligned to strike into you.

Player HP: 35/100

(First 2: monster damage, last 1: player damage)

>>430888
Player damage at 32/100

Monster damage at 80/?
1 Head remaining
Guarding and readying a major attack

7 Earth Gems, 8 Air Gems

Weapons: Spear (embedded into monster's body), Dagger; bow; sling

>>430891
Forgot to mention:

Player's left hand is maimed and disabled.

I think that should be an adequate summary of the situation.

[ ] Specify plan of attack

>>430891
Poke at it with our lance and try to stay a good distance away.

Rolled 16, 11, 1 = 28 (3d20)

>>430903
You lunge for the spear at the same time as it lunges into you. Six bladed arms impale into you, and it reveals its jaws, which bite into your shoulder and begins gnawing at your flesh.

You grab onto the spear and twist it into its flesh, then pull it out and withdraw away. It continues to advance on you. You are now backed into a corner.

(1st die = damage to monster, next 2 = damage to player---will make another post upon getting results)

>>430907
Monster HP: 4/100
Player HP: 20/100

You are badly bloodied, but so is the monster. Black blood oozes from its every orifice, and it appears to be in a frenzy, writhing and slashing wildly in an attempt to kill you before you can kill it.

>>430903
We don't have the lance at the moment.

Spend an air gem, drawing out one of our arrows, and imbuing it to swerve around and through the bladed arms and pierce the monster's last head before it can strike.

>>430910
Ah, too slow on my part.

>>430908
It's thrashing, jump backward and throw the dagger into it for the finish.

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>430913
>It's thrashing, jump backward and throw the dagger into it for the finish.
Rolling for damage

>>430919
The battle is at its end. As the knife plunges into the creature's head, it rears back, screeching and clawing. Its bulk thrashes into the castle walls, causing the building to shudder. It tries to crawl away, escaping down the hallway, but it doesn't make it far before collapsing into a pathetic, twitching mess.

You slump back against the wall. Your breathing is ragged. Your lungs have been punctured and your ribs and many bones have been crushed. You are bleeding heavily from every limb, and you hold up your hand. Half of it is missing. You are exhausted, and on death's door, but still standing.

((Now that the main threat is dealt with, you can assume that all remaining minor enemies can be dispatched without trouble))

[specify action]

Continue onward, we must make sure that this house is cleansed of these creatures.

>>430942
You hear the two zombies pounding on the heavy wooden door and remind yourself that this is not the place to rest.

You blast the door open with earth magic. While they are off balance, you dispatch them one before the other with your spear.

You do a brief sweep through the castle. There are a few dead guardsmen who tried to hole up in the armory, and a few servants scattered here and there. You offer them funeral rites with a spear to the head, to make sure they don't start moving.

There may be some aberrations still lurking, but due to the size of the place, it would be almost impossible to check every crack and crevice by yourself.

>>430927
We are not leaving without grabbing the loot! That said, maybe some bandages are in order until.

>>430948
we get the chance to rest up.

Rolled 59, 49, 66, 84, 90, 91, 77, 82, 66, 4, 78, 4, 34, 43, 11, 74, 65, 89, 6, 96 = 1168 (20d100)

>>430948
You tear pieces of cloth from the banquet hall table, and use them as makeshift bandages.

While sweeping through the castle for aberrations, you had found the castle treasury behind a locked door that was easily forced open.

You return to the treasury and find a pile of gold in a chest. You grab what you can, but you will not be able to carry it all at once.

You also find the mad lord's inner sanctum on the lower floor. A ritual circle drawn on the floor, various occult books, and a diary.

Flipping to the end of the diary, you come upon this page:

"I have tried three times now to summon my wife's spirit, with no results. I do not know what answered my call, but I felt a presence. I had my priest banish it. I will have him bring me all of my magic gems. We will consume them in the biggest ritual this land has ever seen. Gods be damned. Gods be damned, what have you done with my Nora!"

You find 10 shadow gems scattered about.

((Rolling for gold))

>>430958
You leave the castle, and rest under a nearby tree. Your hand is still maimed, but your lesser wounds have time to heal, and you aren't bleeding as badly.

Seeing the birds and hearing the wind, feeling the earth and the grass and the roots beneath your bare feet fills you with new energy, and does much to shake off the anxiety and dread you felt inside the castle.

>>430976
Bury the chest somewhere, we'll come back to it if we need it. But anything that can be bought with gold, we can probably just steal.

Inform the people "Hey, I killed a lot of the monsters. If you want the castle back, be sure to come with plenty of weapons and purification magic, just in case I missed a few beasts. I took everything I wanted, so bye."

Then get back on the road to steal from Tyrron's temple!

As for the shadow gems, I'm half tempted to see if we could learn whatever blight spell that was. Halving an opponents magic would be impressive, if we ever face an opponent with more magic than us. Perhaps a wiser choice would be to enchant ourselves with an immunity to such blight in the future. But that all is probably moot, as we don't know shadow magic. And we probably don't want to learn it from books that lead to this mess.

Probably the safest thing to do with them is just trade them for air/earth gems if we ever find someone interested.

Rolled 96, 60, 45, 90, 65, 22 = 378 (6d100)

>>430989
(Whew, that's a lot of stuff at once)

You bury the chest and then inform Leofrick and his people that the castle has been purged (and looted, but they don't seem to mind). They bow down to you, many of them crying. You can feel your divine powers growing.

They offer to hold a festival in your honor, which you refuse. However, they all bring tribute to your altar--a pitiful offering of local crafts and a few pocket-fulls of silver, but probably the best they can manage.

Leofrick kneels down on one knee and swears himself to your service.
(Lord of Hawkscrest and its surrounding lands; 10 HP, Level 1 Commander)

The local priest Gamon approaches you as a convert from the dead god Tyren; and offers to be your priest, if you will absolve him of all his sins.
(10 HP, Level 1 Holy Mage)

((Rolling for gold and new followers, first die = gold, next 5 = peasant followers, 1/4 of which are militia men))

Leofrick gathers the militia and they purge the castle of whatever aberrations remain. However, while it is cursed, more will only return in time, and it is not safe for anyone to live there. Gamon offers to cleanse it, but his powers are too weak without a patron God.

Decisions:
[ ] Absolve Gamon, gain a priest
[ ] Banish Gamon

[ ] Cleanse the Castle
[ ] Keep the castle cursed... you want to learn more about the Shadow world

[ ] Burn the mad lord's occult books
[ ] Try to learn something about Shadow magic from them

>>431037
Current Situation Summary:

HP 100/100 (Maimed Hand)
Gold 1364
Gems: 10 Shadow, 7 Earth, 8 Air
Followers: Leofrick (1 Cmd), Gamon (???) (1 H)
70/282 Militia/Total Peasants

Known Combat Spells:
Wind Walk: Teleport any open-skied area in the world you have visited before for 2 Air Gem
Invisibility: Makes you invisible for 1 Air gem. Doesn't work against powerful enemies
Stoneskin: +5 damage negation per earth gem burned (reduces from total, not per die)
Earthgrip: Immobilize enemy. Roll 1d20, burn up to 10 earth gems for an extra die per gem (more powerful enemies have higher DCs)
Lightning Bolt: Roll 1d6 + 1d6 for each air gem burned
Thunderstrike: Roll 1d10 + 1d10 for each air gem burned. Requires open sky.
Shapeshift: Innate ability, can change form into a medium-sized beast like a wolf or an eagle. Can also change appearance at will, but cannot impersonate another divinity without incurring corruption (very bad).

>>431095
Made a mistake: lightning bolt and thunderstrike have double damage dice, now that you aren't in a tainted area.

>>431037
Banish, Keep, Burn

>>431037
Absolve
Cleanse
Burn

Now that I've put my votes out so I don't get ninjad.

Gamon, he wasn't us to "absolve his sins". That means, in this case, pretty much absolutely nothing to us. We're a thief god. We don't care about his sins. And if he's worried about the afterlife, well, we've got nothing but a nice shrine for him to hang around.

Let Gamon and Leofrick rule this area in our name for the power, it doesn't cost us anything, and we don't want to be tied down in one place. Let's go adventure!

>>431210
*want's

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>431199
>>431204
Okay, since we have a tie, I'll roll a die to see which one wins.

(1 = first post, 2 = second post)

>>431199
Gamon bows before you, "My lady, my life is yours, I will gladly serve you, if only you will release me from my oaths to Tyren and forgive me for my doubt; and for all my sins".

The last entry of the lord's diary seemed to implicate a priest in the calamity that befell the castle, and now this suspicious declaration of faith has you questioning his motives.

"Just what sins in particular do you wish to be absolved of?" you probe.

"Ah.... " he starts sweating, "Various things... selfish thoughts, moral failings, mostly of a personal matter..."

"Were you involved in the ritual at Castle Hawkscrest?" you ask pointedly. As a god, you have the ability not just to execute your own followers, but also to damn them to Tartarus, to an eternity of suffering. Lying to a god is considered a mortal sin.

"Ah.... A.... Eh.... " he stammers.

"Then begone from these lands. The blood of all these innocents is on your head, and I will not be the one to wash your conscience clean. May you bear the burden of your guilt until the day you die, and long after."

And with that, you exile him from your lands.

Without a Light Mage, you don't have the ability to cleanse Castle Hawkscrest, so it will remain cursed for now, and poor Lord Leofrick will have to live off the hospitality of his subjects for a little longer.

However, you determine that at the very least, there should be no more shadow rituals on your lands, and you order all occult material from the castle to be gathered into a pile and burnt.

With Gamon gone, there is an empty shrine to Tyren in the village, with no priest and no god. You feel a twinge of jealousy inspecting it. It is a circular pavilion with a roof and an ornate altar. You could claim it for yourself, but it would be awkward to have two shrines so close together. You could have the pavillion dismantled and reassembled over your altar, and all the ceremonial gear brought over. This might offend some of the holdouts who still believe Tyren will return. Also, you will probably want to find a priest to watch over it.

You can do all of these things now, or later. You did want to loot the cathedral at Rosewood, and there will probably still be an empty shrine and a haunted castle when you come back

>>432157
Loot the cathedral

>>432157
Loooooooot.

>>432338
>>432400
You slump down on your altar after a hard day of work, and turn to Cedrick's ghost.

"Gah, followers are such a headache. First, they wanted me to kill a demon. Fine, demon slain. That sort of thing I'm good at. Well, I've never killed a demon this big before, but I think I did a pretty good job." You rant at Cedrick. You like the fact that he doesn't talk. "But now that they worship me, they expect me to hold their hands and figure everything out for them. Can you believe that priest was involved in that ritual? And the nerve of him, trying to hide under my skirt for protection!" Cedrick's eyes open wide in surprise.

"Well, not literally. I don't even wear a skirt, I prefer pants. I meant he wanted to trick me into pardoning him." you point out. His eyes are still wide. He probably understood what you meant in the first place.

"And the worst of all.... look at what these worshippers have done to my home!" you gesture to the base of the altar. All around your sacred mound are assorted offerings of peasant goods, crafts and other junk. Most of it will probably be ruined next rainfall, and you will have to be the one to clean it up.

"Tomorrow, I'm going back to my old life. I have a score to settle. Hopefully a wandering paladin will come by and cleanse Leofrick's castle for me." You murmur as you drift off into sleep.

1/2

File: cathedral.jpg (380 KB, 1033x774)

380 KB JPG

>>432985
You wake up and perform the windwalking ritual, returning to Rosewood. (-2 Air, Current Total Air Gems: 6).

Rosewood is the largest town in the region. It was originally a lumber camp located next to a river, but it grew over time due to the importance of that river as a major trade artery. Tyren, a god of Law and Order, was one of the most prominent deities of the region. His coffers grew fat with tithes from the locals, but he almost never left the celestial realm.

Rosewood was one of your favorite haunts, until your... well... let's say "patronage", caused the locals to petition Tyren to drive you out. Since you were both gods, Tyren had no direct authority over you. He did, however, have an army of angels. And that wasn't something you were willing to contest.

You consider briefly if what you are doing would be considered graverobbing. After a few seconds, you decide that these are merely reparations. You are only reclaiming what you would have earned if you had not been driven out.

The massive whitewashed temple is easy to find. It is easily the largest structure in the city. You hop along the rooftops to make your way to it. A few townsfolk yell at you for damaging their tiling. They are probably too stupid to realize you are a deity.

You jump down into an alley and plan your approach:
[ ] Walk boldly in and demand everything they have. As a god, you are free to take what you want from any mortal, and even execute them if you desire. As they are not under any god's protection since Tyren's death, nothing can stop you.
[ ] Sneak in. Mortals are no threat to you, but you don't want to cause an uproar. Many mortals still believe Tyren will return. To be honest, you aren't entirely sure yourself that he won't.
[ ] Shapeshift. Take the form of a priest or a nun and scout around. (Taking Tyren's form breaks divine law)
[ ] Other

2/2

>>432991
Walk boldly in, making sure to show our godly aura.

>>432991
Graverobbing would be fine. What do the dead care?

Let's do a sneaky approach. It's more satisfying that way if we get away with it without them ever knowing we were here.

Can we transform into a butterfly or moth and flit in, or is that too small?

Otherwise, transform into a big eagle, scout around for a side entrance, and stealth in.

>>433036
Well, when they're not getting up and trying to eat our brains, that is.

>>433036
((Last post for the night, will resume in the morning.

You can't take any shape smaller than a cat or larger than a human, at least not without nature magic))

>>433122
Eagle was included in the list of specifically allowed things, though, so I included a caveat for if that was the case that involved eagle transforming.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>433023
>>433036
Rolling

>>433181
((Yup, eagles are pretty damn big, so it's no problem. Maybe not as big as a cat if you're not including wingspan, but still big enough.))

>>433036
You transform into an eagle in order to scout around the cathedral, but due to your crippled hand, your bird form manifests with a crippled left wing. You can only maintain flight for short bursts of time, but you are able to hop around the rooftops and scout out the place.

There are 3 main wings:
1. The Sermon Hall, an extremely spacious chamber where the faithful of Tyren congregate (to hear his priests ramble on about how important it is to do as they are told)
2. The Monastery and Cloister, where the monks live (what you can only imagine are dull, meaningless lives)
3. The library and ritual hall, which is one of the largest libraries in the world on law, foreign law, and law-related magic (it might be best to just burn this wing down)

There are entrances from basically every angle. There are also large stained glass windows you can jump through, if you wanted to make a dramatic entrance or escape.

>>433677
You also notice that there is a sermon in progress in the sermon hall, though you cannot see through the stained glass who is delivering the lecture.

[Specify Wing to Enter, and Tactics]

>>433678
We might want to try to burn the library down and use that as a distraction while we try to find the loot.

>>433978
Although initially considering burning down the law-magic archives as a joke, you actually begin to consider it seriously: aside from Shadow magic, the type of Light magic Tyren's followers practice is probably the most disgusting and reprehensible form of magic there is: it is designed to rob people of their free will. Curses to force people to tell the truth for the rest of their life, spilling out every embarassing secret until they kill themselves; compulsions that cause mortals pain if they try to break an oath; curses of insomnia that forbid them from sleeping for weeks at a time if they do any "bad" deed... Truly, mankind would be better off without such hypocritical moral absolutists trying to control the way they live their lives.

However, you don't know fire magic, and you are going to need to find a way to start a fire big enough to catch the entire wing on fire. You could try throwing a gem-empowered lightning bolt at it, but that is not entirely reliable, and is extremely conspicuous at that.

>>433989
We shall attempt to throw the lightning bolt.

Rolled 1, 7, 9, 11 = 28 (4d20)

>>433993
You burn an Air gem (5 air gems total remaining)

Rolling. Success on a 40 or higher.

>>433997
You turn back into a human, and stand where you hope no one can see you. Your air gem disintegrates into pure magic and you call upon the Words of the Air, delivering a mighty thunderbolt crashing into Tyren's library. Although impressive-looking, it does little damage aside from leaving scorch marks on the stone walls. A lot of people standing in the square watch this happen, and seem to have been startled by it, running for cover and causing a commotion.

[ ] Try again (-1 air gem)
[ ] Try somrthing else
[ ] Wait for the commotion to die down

>>434001
Try again.

>>434001
(Can also burn more air gems for 2 damage dice per, DC remains the same)

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>434005
Rolling for the Air gem vote.
1 = Only 1 Gem
2 = Use 2 Gems

Rolled 2, 8, 19, 12 = 41 (4d20)

>>434003
You try again

(4 air gems remain)

>>434009
You are not satisfied with the last thunderbolt's pitiful results. The law archives must burn, as a symbol to the city and to the world that Tyren's age has ended.

Once again, you summon the powers of wind and sky, delivering an empowered thunderbolt at that bastion of tyranny.

The thunderbolt crashes into the building and ignites a fire on some wooden scaffolding that was being used to perform routine maintenance. Although not very large right now, you expect the fire to grow.

Various doors to the building swing open, and people start running out. In the square, people are running for cover and fleeing the area. "The temple is under attack!" You hear someone screaming. It appears you have caused a panic.

[Specify action]

>>434011
Transform into a cat and attempt to investigate the wing for any possible loot.

>>434015
The library wing or one of the other wings?

In either case, you try to transform into a cat and sneak up to the temple, but there is such commotion in the cathedral district that nobody is paying attention to what is beneath their feet. You are kicked and battered a few times by stampeding commoners. You can also tell, as you get closer, that something very bright is making its way out of the sermon hall. A second fire? No, that wouldn't make any sense.

>>434031
Investigate the second fire.

>>434034
You sneak up to one of the windows of the sermon hall, hopping up onto the ledge in cat form and peeking cautiously inside. What you see is the single worst thing you could have possibly imagined aside from Tyren himself: a Cardinal Virtue... an angelic prince. Her eyes burn with the intensity of the morning sun; her floating golden hair; her golden armor, resplendent and ornate; her flawless visage, showing no emotion, yet you are certain that deep inside, she is burning with a searing hatred beyond all rationaity, for whoever is attacking her god's sanctuary.

You had dealt with both angels and demons before, and frankly, you prefer demons. Angels are created beings, summoned into existence by a powerful god to be the perfect servant: never disloyal, never compromising, never asking for mercy from their enemies or offering any. Despite being extremely intelligent, their only purpose and ambition in life is to serve their god as fanatically as possible. It had always seemed to you that the celestial gods relied far too much upon angels, and that one day they would all go crazy and turn on their makers. That is probably what already happened.

Angels have a distinct caste system:
-Soldier Angels are the lowest caste, but still formidable foes. They were created to hunt demons and serve as shock troops in holy wars.
-Archangels were created to lead squads of soldier angels into battle, and if you were to fight one in your current situation, you would be evenly matched.
-Virtues are heavenly generals, leading entire armies of angels, mortals, and holy dead against demonic incursions and enemy gods
-CARDINAL Virtues serve as the voice of their gods, ruling entire heavenly kingdoms in their deity's name as a viceroy. They almost never leave the celestial spheres. A Cardinal Virtue could slaughter horrors like the one you encountered at the castle without breaking a sweat.
-Seraphs, the highest caste, are beings more powerful than even many major gods. They serve as the right hand of any deity powerful enough to summon one.

"Just what the HELL is a Cardinal Virtue doing HERE!?" You think to yourself. If it finds out who you are, it will hunt you down and execute you.

[Specify action]

>>434050
Run away.

>>434057
"Fuck it, I'm not going to deal with this today. Not ever." you say to yourself, and slink away. It would be far, far risky to try to loot the temple under the Cardinal's nose.

You retreat to a safer part of the city and watch the chaos. The Cardinal takes to the air, and flies around the cathedral district like a hawk hunting for prey. The Temple Guard take to the streets and begin questioning witnesses. The fire is put out, but the city is in an uproar like you have never seen before. You have definitely poked the hornet's nest.

[ ] Specify goals/action

>>434063
Attempt to escape.

Sneak up closer to the cardinal

>>434067
You flee through the streets and alleyways in cat form. The Seraph passes overhead and your heart skips a beat. Can it see through your magical disguise? You hide behind a corner as it circles overhead. You feel like a mouse being hunted by an eagle.

The Cardinal passes, and you continue your escape. Hands of justice are storming the city, barring off every exit. During the commotion, nobody on the ground pays much attention to a scared cat bolting through the streets, and you manage to slink outside the city gates before they can be sealed.

[ Specify actions/goals ]

>>434081
Examine the surroundings.

>>434086
The Cardinal continues to circle over the city, soaring on 4 massive wings of pure white feather; but you are outside of the city, and outside of its search radius. Nonetheless, you remain hidden and in cat form, in case it somehow spots you from the distance.

Guards are standing at alert at the city walls. All gates are barred. Nobody is getting in or out for the next little while.

Tyren's temple, still stands, taunting you.

>>434092
Change our form back and run.

>>434094
You decide that there is no distance too small to put between you and the Cardinal. You run and run until the city and the hunting Cardinal Virtue are both out of sight. You are in the middle of the woods, far away, and it is more than reasonable at this point that you are safe.

[ Specify goals/actions ]

>>434100
Turn into a hawk and get closer to see what the Cardinals are doing

>>434100
Let's look for some adventure NOT guarded by a Cardinal. If it was a normal Virtue or Archangel, totally, let's try our luck. So, let's just find some other place, maybe a lesser god's shrines.

>>434103
You sneak back to a safe view f the city to see if things have calmed down. The Cardinal is still circling the city. She will probably do this all day until she is certain beyond all doubt that the one who attacked the temple has fled. Then, you imagine, in her fury, she will unleash an inquisition like the land has never seen before upon the countryside, shaking every single person down for the tiniest bit of information that could lead to her identifying the attacker.

You also realize that, while you were in bird form, a crippled eagle hopping around the rooftops near the cathedral is probably something someone would have noticed.

>>434116
Welp, let's run and try to gather our thoughts since we fucked up tremendously.

>>434116
Yeah, let's like, leave. Just, go somewhere else. Let's turn into like a fox or wolf and just travel through the wilds. Say hi to druids or whatever, look for something to do as we get further and further away from Her Highness Lady Smiteypants

>>434113
You decide to look for easier targets. There was no way you could have expected that such a powerful angel would be at Rosewood, especially since the gods went silent.

You travel around the countryside, listening to rumors. Everyone is talking about the attack on the temple and the Cardinal Virtue appearing in public.

You spend the rest of the month taking various forms and chatting to people. Your hand heals during this time.

You hear a few rumors about minor gods in the region:

[ ] A demigod of knowledge has a private library on a clifftop.
[ ] A warrior demigod has established a castle the mountains, trying to establish his own kingdom
[ ] A god of mischief is harassing shopkeepers (they may be talking about someone other than you)
[ ] A gravedigger has been caught and hanged for selling corpses to an unknown deity
[ ] There are various local spirits with minor shrines like yours, that travellers sometimes leave offerings to
[ ] There are other lands you can explore where you might hear other news and opportunities

>>434128
A warrior demigod.

>>434128
I feel kinda disappointed in our fighting skills, after that horror nearly toasted us. We need to have more than just cunning and divine resilience, we need some skill.

Maybe we can offer our services to the Warrior Demigod, in return for training.

[X]Warrior Demigod
[x] Library
[x] Mischief

Hmm... Can we disguise ourselves as like, a heroic mortal? Or do gods see through other gods disguises easily?

>>434179
((Last post before I take a break until evening:

Light magic is good at discerning the truth. Arcane magic is good at dispelling enchantments, but not necessarily detecting them. Most major gods and all angels practice light magic (the most powerful gods are skilled in 4 or 5 different schools). Lesser gods are usually only skilled to varying degrees in 1-3 schools, depending on their area of interest. Demons have a natural talent at seeing through tricks while in their own dominion).))

Eh, suppose our best bet is to just play it straight then, unless we wanna try scouting him out to see if he has Light/Arcane.

>>434130
>>434135
You decide to investigate the warrior demigod.

Enclosed in the mountains near the kingdom of Therawen (the kingdom dominated by Tyren) is the Narrim Basin, a geographically small area that acts as a local trade hub for caravans to the east. The region is also a natural fortress, where an outnumbered army can fight off an invader many times its size by occupying the mountain passes.

The region once consisted of 10 small towns, ruled by 10 minor trade princes. In name, they were loyal to Tyren, but their decadence and corruption was well known. When word spread that Tyren had gone silent, the demigod Grant and his small but elite band of loyal warriors slaughtered the trade princes in a series of well-executed surprise attacks. In effect, Grant set himself up as the region's sole despot, and immediately began construction of castles at each of the major passes.

You approach his castle, the first to be completed so far. The castle itself is little more than a wooden fort overlooking the road. You are a bit disappointed, hoping that it might have been some awesome display of Earth magic that had raised a castle so quickly. However, the soldiers at the fort stand at alert, and their guard shifts and patrol paths are well-regulated.

You had considered asking him to train you in personal combat, but along the way, you also saw several merchant caravans passing through the region, with only a handful of human guards for protection.

[ ] Approach Grant for training
[ ] Rob the caravans (essentially a declaration of war on Grant)
[ ] Leave the region. It's more backwater than I expected.

>>435052
Forgot trip.

Also, as always, accepting any write-in responses.

>>435052
Rob the caravan

>>435052
Approach Grant for training

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>435084
>>435091
Rolling

>>435084
You lie in wait near a patch of road that borders on a ravine.

It is several days before a caravan arrives, but you have the patience of a mountain. They are traders from the east, nomads, dragging mules loaded with trade goods.

When they are in position, you spring the trap, blasting away the road with earth magic, and causing a rockslide. About half of the caravan tumbles down the cliff, the other run away. A few mules run off into the wilderness.

You inspect the packs they were carrying: salts, spices, various herbs. These things would be valuable if the mules were still alive, or you had some other way to carry it.

You could move to a different location and set another ambush, or try chasing the surviving pack mules into the wilderness, if you think you can catch the beast. Or, you could simply grab what wares you can, change your appearance, and try to sell them nearby.

[Choices]

>>435122
((Eh, don't want to slow things down too much with petty banditry))

You turn into a wolf and round up the scattered mules. You load them up with everything they can carry and sell it at a nearby town. You hear some people talking about the rockslide. Nobody seems to realize that it wasn't an accident, but attacking again would be trying your luck.

((Rolling for gold))

You revert to your true form and approach Grant's castle. The guards halt you and send for him. He meets you at the gates, arms crossed. He is not as tall as you expected him to be but he is well-built, his once-handsome face is now covered in scars. He carries about a dozen weapons of various types strapped to his body anywhere there is room to fit without impeding movement: from daggers to swords, to a halberd across his back.

"State your business." he barks tersely.

"I've come to train with a demigod of war" you respond.

He smirks. "Do you even know who I am?"

"The king of this land" you state flatly. That is about the extent of what you know about him.

"So you are looking for a mentor, and you decide to just ask the first person you meet huh?" He starts laughing rudely.

"I am a god of weaponry, an expert in every form of martial art by the Names imbued into my soul from birth. I am exactly the person you should come to for training. But the question is: why the hell should I help you?"

[ Response ]

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>>435413
Crap, I think the thread is auto-saging

>>435422
Going to archive this thread and star a new one tomorrow.

State that you too are of godly power

>>435408
"I'm not as good as you. Not nearly. But I can still help. Surely, there's something you could put a demigod to use for, even one weaker than you? I'm never going to match you in martial art, but I don't want to be an embarrassment that gets pushed around all the time either." Reveal self as a heroic air aspected weaksause demigod. Let him know about all of our air powers other than windwalk, but hide the fact that we have earth and shapeshifting powers.

NEW THREAD

>>437679