Gods and Monsters: Legends Reborn main campaign thread

[Ductus]

Do not try my patience

*Loki smiles through gritted teeth. He speaks quietly, but the low, simmering, anger he has felt since awakening is growing*

"I have never asked anyone to sing about me, friend. For me, certainly, but never about me. My true actions speak for themselves. I seek a bard, or skald, in order to obtain information. If you know who I am, you had best be strong enough to resist my wrath, or be useful enough to avoid it. Father has come upon some misguided notion that I have committed offenses against him, and the realm. Crimes of sufficient nature that, even I find them humorless. So, if I must work to clear my name, I will. Then, I shall extract the price from the person or persons responsible.*

"Should I grow bored, or my efforts prove fruitless, I may decide to vent my frustrations on this quiet little hamlet. I have previously considered injuring others boring, even wasteful. Yet, I find that I am very close to considering torture an acceptable method of locating the culprits. If I am permanently barred my rightful home, I will need to find new vices to distract me from my sorrow. I suggest you change your tone, and aid me in my quest."

*From the look in his eyes, anyone not yet gone to their cups would see he is through playing nice.*

 

[akahdrin]

I continue to walk into the pyramid, making sure to show respect to the pyramid. I will touch nothing other than just the floor with my feet.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Merlin will search the mummified remains, trying to ascertain whether or not there are any magical items anywhere on it. Merlin is NOT looking for "mundane" magical items; he is looking for ritualistic ones, such as fetishes, gemstones, or phylacteries. If the mummified man sacrificed himself to contain the entity, then he must have had some sort of magical charm that bound him and the entity together; Merlin's guess is that when the man died (starvation? old age?) the containment of the entity within him ceased. The force cage was the second layer, designed to remain after the man could no longer contain the entity within himself.

~I must find where this entity has gone, and seek to capture him once more!~

 

[Nezkrul]

Kossuth- As you yell for help, locals are quickly grabbing buckets of water, shovels for dirt, and blankets to smother the flames. You cast your create water spell above the rising fire, and to your surprise, it works perfectly. The water sticks to the wall and uses it as water would do with a surface to flow down, and literally pushes the fire right down and off the side of the building, into the cobble street, where it simmers, and splashes out. The unnatural fire has been quenched, and you feel a calm come over the area. Then you notice there are about 30 people standing around, that witnessed the event, including some more well-off merchants. A robed figure steps forward and asks you, "how did you put out a fire started with alchemists' fire, with just a simple cantrip? Water makes alchemists' fire spread, not sputter out." The gathered crowd looks on eagerly waiting for your reply.



Loki- The man's face slowly shifts into an unnatural dark grey and light grey color, with the darker side being a Jester grinning to the ear, the lighter side is that of a Jester so sad or angry you'd think his cheek would fall off. His eyes become pinpoints of red flickering light in darkness. The clothing replaced by a skin-tight dark grey and form-fitting but featureless suit.

This man stands from the chair, holds up his hands, and you see both sides of his face shift to a big ear to ear grin. He snaps both of his hands' fingers, and with that, all the people in the mead hall are suddenly silenced, frozen in place, as if they were instantly held where they were standing. Mead continues to poor out of a tankard, hot soup continues to sizzle in someone's mouth, and a dancer is literally defying gravity having been frozen in a mid-air spinning leap. The tall, lanky, jester looks you in the eyes with his red pinpoints, and the face returns to its happy/mad state. "The only friends I have don't live here, little mortal. You may be the Asgardian trickster, but I can see plain as daylight that your power is so far diminished, I would gamble everything on you having all talk and no bite." Suddenly you feel a heavy push in your mind, a presence that is scrambling your train of thought and trying to make it impossible for your to think.

GM: You are being affected by a dazing aura, please roll a Will saving throw

~weather or not you succeed on the save, the figure before you speaks again~
"Your anger is best used to further your goals, not more anger. Your threatening to harm people because you are bored does nothing but make people hate and disrespect you. If you want to reclaim your lost power, you must beguile and trick them, not maim and kill them. The trickster I remember knew this, but now it is just a mortal wearing his face." He lifts his anger's hand and snaps his fingers, vanishing from sight and releasing everyone in the mead hall from their temporary frozen state.

GM: The dazing aura (and effect) vanishes as soon as he does. No one in the meadhall notices what just happened, as if it were but a moment to blip by them.

Zoser- As you make your way down the stairs in the side of the cylindrical tower going down, you notice that the rocks forming the stairs change in color and texture, being more coarse and dense than shale or sandstone. You go down about 100 feet to a small circular chamber. In the middle is the remains of a once-grand bonfire, and there are 6 stone doors in an hexagonal pattern around the outer wall. There are shelves and recesses on the walls full of masterwork alchemy kits- alembics, mortar and pestles, jars, tubes, beakers, and all manner of easy to make alchemical items and unfinished projects, as well as raw materials to make more.

GM: With Craft (alchemy), one could make about 50 various basic alchemical items from the PHB

Each door has a symbol inscribed upon it in old dried blood and dyes. Each is very intricate, a masterwork of art.
1. A golden disc polished to a mirror-like sheen.
2. A jagged red line enclosing drops of water.
3. A scorpion with its tail poised to strike.
4. A coiled cobra.
5. A jackal atop 9 bones.
6. A dust-filled tornado.
The remnants of the fire are very fine soot and ash, and cold as death.



Merlin- Searching the corpse wrapped in fur turns up three masterwork objects- a ring, a miniature platinum sword, and a strange looking 2-pronged fork made of pure black metal. You also note and feel, but do not find, that this corpse seems hollow, somewhat. As if something were missing, but not physically. Like it were cut off from the world completely. After spending a few minutes looking over the corpse in great detail, your diagnosis is that this man died from the inside out, of starvation and thirst, of broken heart and loneliness, of insanity and frustration. It was a most unnatural death. You look around thoroughly but you do not see any other presences or people/creatures. You do note that a bird bumped into the force cage above you and then flew off startled.

 

[Ductus]

Sure, pick on the guy with a limp...

*Loki places a hand against the nearby keg, vision swimming. He sways for a few seconds, before slowly regaining his balance. He gestures a sign of peace to the bartender, to show he is not attempting to sneak an extra cup. A moment later, he thumps his chest heartily to produce a painful burp. Shaking his head, he mutters to himself."

"Ríða. It's easy to judge others when you're an oskilgetinn oflati heiðnir who can't tell his fáviti from a bluff when he's standing in a midden. And, yes, I'm aware you can still hear me, and you are well amused by my current impotence. I'd like to see *you* do any better, with similar handicaps, you geðveikur pikk."


*Loki stumbles forward, his gait tilting slightly to mimic that of a drunken sailor rolling with the waves. Stopping at the table of gamblers, he looks about at the lot of them."

"Ish thish a private game, or can anyone with coin partici.. parti.. participate? Hmm? I'd shay I could win the shirt of your backsh, but it looksh like the daughter of Brünnhilde hash beaten me to it."

OOC: | Request - Diplomacy take 10 = 46 | Gambling - Bluff Take 10 = 39 | Sleight of Hand d20(14)+14=28 see below | If allowed to join 1)When dealing, use sleight of hand to slant the game towards the battle maiden while minimizing losses Result d20+14=28 (something about the link glitched, but the time stamp will show the roll in the main chat log) 2)Make small bets, play to win when there is a strong hand. (making money if possible, but not cheating to beat the woman) 3)If able to bring the table down to just her and Loki, try to beat her fairly. - The goal is to earn an ally with knowledge of the village. If denied permission due to no other seats at the table, or hostility to strangers (or just because my response below would be fun for you) "That'sh okay. It'd be really hard to beat him with thoshe magic glovesh on anyway. Between him, the guy with the magic dart, and the guysh cold reshistanshe ring in the tub, it'sh really hard to make an honest copper around here... I guesh that'sh what happensh when everyone abandonsh Loki... "

 

[gargoyleking]

Thaklor watches the after effect of his spell with a grim face. He had hoped only to temporarily mute the flames until help could be rallied to defeat them, not eradicate them entirely. Still, he would not argue with the will of Kossuth. Startled slightly by the questioning voice nearby, he turned to return the look of the robed figure.

His voice cracks out vehemently in his response. And as his ire rises, so too does his aura, dazing all within range who are weak of will.

"This fire was no more than a perversion of the Firelords gift. Through my simple spell he has smote it from existence. Praise Kossuth!"

With that last he forms the sign of Kossuth with his hands and bows over them in prayer.



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using EN World mobile app

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Merlin- Searching the corpse wrapped in fur turns up three masterwork objects- a ring, a miniature platinum sword, and a strange looking 2-pronged fork made of pure black metal. You also note and feel, but do not find, that this corpse seems hollow, somewhat. As if something were missing, but not physically. Like it were cut off from the world completely. After spending a few minutes looking over the corpse in great detail, your diagnosis is that this man died from the inside out, of starvation and thirst, of broken heart and loneliness, of insanity and frustration. It was a most unnatural death. You look around thoroughly but you do not see any other presences or people/creatures. You do note that a bird bumped into the force cage above you and then flew off startled.

Merlin will pocket all three of the items, for later study. Realizing that the force cage is still in effect, a thought occurs to Merlin:

~The fog lifted, the entity and his followers gone, but the force cage remains? I had assumed that the force cage was down, which would have explained my solitude. But now, it appears that it indeed remains. So where have they gone to? Perhaps they are not as tied to this plane as I had imagined? Was the entity a remnant, a mere haunting of this place? Perhaps the cage only held him in life, and as a spirit, he mimicked his actions in life, despite being free to leave at any time? Perhaps he and his followers, if they were all hauntings, faded with the rising of the morning sun?~

Knowing that he needs his full reportoire of spells in order to escape the cage, Merlin lies down in the grass to rest. He does not sleep; he uses a meditation technique to slow his heart rate, calm his mind, and relax his body. He lies perfectly still, glancing only occasionally at his surroundings, not concentrating on anything, other than resting.

OOC: Is meditation / total relaxation enough to regain spells? Or would I need to actually sleep. Merlin doesn't like the idea of falling all the way asleep in this place, but he will do it if he has to.

GM: Resting doesn't mean sleeping, it just means 8 hours of straight rest to regain spell slots, but it will take at least 9 hours of complete rest/sleep to completely remove the exhaustion and fatigue.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

Dreams of Previous Incarnations...

Merlin spits in disgust when he realizes that he may have to sleep in this place. ~If only my old companion, Archimedes, were here to give me warning. But that beloved owl is long dead, at least 120 years ago, now, in my previous incarnation... Hmmm. I wonder if I could call a new owl? If I could, then he could at least warn me of danger, if anything approached, or appeared inside the force cage. I must try! Not to do so would be to leave my fate to the whims of chance, which I CANNOT abide!~

With that, Merlin sits down, crossing his legs, and folding his wings behind him. He holds his staff horizontally across his lap for balance, and closes his eyes, forcing a wave of magical energy to emanate from his body, rapidly expanding across a radius of several miles in a single instant. It is the call of the Druid, to animals that are willing to answer; it is a call of companionship. It is the call for an Owl, wisest of birds, to lend him aid. It is a call for friendship and counsel, one which Merlin hopes will be swiftly answered.

​

OOC: Merlin will pray uninterruptedly for 24 hours, as per the PHB; the description above is merely for roleplay purposes; the way I imagine it happening is that the first pulse emanates when the prayer is begun, and it gets the attention of potential candidates. Each hour, the pulse repeats, and with every repeated pulse, the power intensifies. Finally, at the end of the prayer, the call is so strong that one animal answers it.

 

[Liltroll2]

Sheela nods, "I shall, I will take my leave if you all would have it." She offers quietly. A bright smile comes to her face. "Your lure is natural, I will be able to resist." Sheela stands quietly. "If you excuse me. I shall take my leave and investigate this man." If there is no objection, sheela heads to Mortimer.

 

[Nezkrul]

Loki- Your insults cast to an unseen target, you hear in your mind a small chuckle, and the words "Verily, succeed and prove yourself right."

At the poker table, the players allow you to buy-in and take a seat. The man that appears to be holding his own against the woman says "I'll take your coin and have some more fun tonight," as he winks toward some of the dancers. The woman scoffs at him, "The only fun you'll be having is the luxury of losing all of that coin to me!". One of the nearly naked men at the table deals you in. After a few hands, some of the men are now completely naked and coinless, and it is just you, the man with the magic gloves, and the woman warrior. In the next hand, you briefly notice something off about the cards in the man's hand, as one of them has a small discolored dot on the back of it where previously there was no dot. You call him, and when his hand is laid out, you can see that the card is an Ace of Hearts. A few more hands later, and purposely giving up your shirt so as to not appear to be cheating, you and the woman now have less clothing on than the man. In his next hand, you again notice that one of his cards goes from not having anything remarkable on it to suddenly having that same discolored dot, and after the hand is laid out for his win, it is again the Ace of Hearts. You are very sure he is cheating, and probably with the aid of his magic gloves; that you know are actually invisible over his hands when worn, due to your invocation, and detecting a strong illusion aura on them.

GM: You can continue playing here, and the woman will likely lose with just you and the cheater left, or you can try something else at this point. You also gain 1,000xp for good roleplaying. You also currently have 4 Worship Points (WP) recorded near your Qxp

Kossuth- Murmurs in the crowd around you are akin to "who is Kossuth?" and "did he say Firelord?" Some clap for your miracle, some are silent, but no one is doubting that you managed to stave off a potential disaster in the quarter. One of the innkeepers gathered asks you, "Thank you for your help, Mesere. Perhaps a free night's stay at my inn would be accommodating for one such as yourself?" The man gestures toward the nearby inn at the gate, "The Hearty Hearth". Some of the people gathered start spreading information that a miracle man that prays to Kossuth just stopped a fire from spreading.

GM: Thaklor gains 20 Worship Points (WP), recorded near your Qxp; as well as 500xp

Merlin- Your meditation takes you into a tall tower in the sky, surrounded by silver shining clouds. Beyond the deepness of the sky, are stars. The roof of the tower shows a cosmological wheel slowly turning, and a brightly lit green gem appearing inside the prime material's marker. Around the battlements, about every 4 to 5 feet, is a bell with a chord hanging. On the floor below each bell is a symbol. There are 18 bells in total. It is difficult to discern the symbols inside the dreamscape, but you manage to work out their meanings. Each symbol corresponds to one of the seven goodly virtues, seven deadly sins, and the four elements. You are focusing on your companion, and so your dreamscape is asking you to sound the heavens for him, to bring him to you. And you must do this by defining him with the bell rings. You can also feel an uneasy prescence around you, as if you are being watched.

GM: The order you sound the bells in, which bells you sound, and how many you sound, each play a role in defining and finding your desired companion. Merlin gains 1,000xp for his troubles thus far.

Sheela- The nymph bids you farewell, "Good Journey, Sheela. And may nature always have your back." The other Fey gathered echo her bidding, "may nature always have your back!" The crowd clears and allows you to mount Mortimer, who seems extremely well fed, is wearing some vines in the shape of laurels, and seems to have a flowery scent now. You take flight and head in the direction as asked, the journey will take most of the night to complete.

GM: Sheela has about 5 hours of "downtime" while riding Mortimer. She gains 1,000xp.