seasong's Light Against The Dark II (May 13)
- Thread starter seasong
- Start date
seasong
First Post
Depends on the summoning. The mud doll is sufficiently far below sentient (or even "aware") that there's essentially no relationship at all.
Of course, Greppa may summon more than one giant sun hawk, and then I'll have to explain it away, like, "Yeah, well, you know, Uripedas has friends - when Greppa said he needed help, they all lined up outside the circle, hoping for some of this 'fun' Uripedas is always screeching about".
edit: ezCodes fixed
Of course, Greppa may summon more than one giant sun hawk, and then I'll have to explain it away, like, "Yeah, well, you know, Uripedas has friends - when Greppa said he needed help, they all lined up outside the circle, hoping for some of this 'fun' Uripedas is always screeching about".
edit: ezCodes fixed
Last edited:
seasong
First Post
A complete ego moment: I just realized that we hit 3,000 page views sometime since Friday 
. That's about 40 page views per day that ISN'T me 
Yeah, it's true - about a 1/3rd of those are just me. I view every time there's a post by someone else, and about 3-5 times in the morning when I'm prepping my post, and and a miscellany of other times due to my own posting.
Oh well, anyway, my ego moment is done, now. Deep breath. Yup, all done.
To make this post worth reading, a few teasers:
- 100% of adventurers agree: Huge Elementals are NOT CR 7!
- Uripedas is one insane bird.
- An excellent non-combat use of a summoning spell*.
* And just one more example of why Greppa's going to be the best arcanist 3V4R!!1!
. That's about 40 page views per day that ISN'T me Yeah, it's true - about a 1/3rd of those are just me
. I view every time there's a post by someone else, and about 3-5 times in the morning when I'm prepping my post, and and a miscellany of other times due to my own posting.Oh well, anyway, my ego moment is done, now. Deep breath. Yup, all done.
To make this post worth reading, a few teasers:
- 100% of adventurers agree: Huge Elementals are NOT CR 7!
- Uripedas is one insane bird.
- An excellent non-combat use of a summoning spell*.
* And just one more example of why Greppa's going to be the best arcanist 3V4R!!1!
seasong
First Post
Militant Ascendance
Uripedas burst through the portal, wings flaring with nascent flames and eyes gleaming with the might of Allas. Flexing his mighty talons, he glanced around for whatever enemy of Greppa he was summoned to destroy (or at least harry). It had been a week since last he'd been summoned, and he was ready for some glory.
There was no battle.
Greppa was standing on the mountainside, flanked by Agina and a handful of arcanists. Greppa stepped up to Uripedas and patted him on the side of his feathered shoulder, "Greetings, Uripedas! I was hoping to try something new with you today!"
"New fight?"
"More like new flight."
"Fight?"
"No, no fight today, just trying some things out with flight."
"No fight?"
Greppa laughed and hugged Uripedas, "Life is not merely a series of battles, friend. But I promise, if this works, it will be used in many battles in the future."
Uripedas considered this deeply, before replying, "But no fight?"
"Flight"
"Okay"
Greppa's idea, in essence, was this: Uripedas would carry Greppa in his talons, high above the field of battle, occasionally dipping to bring Greppa in range for attacks, then rising back up and out of range. He needed to know how much Uripedas could carry, and with what agility, and how quickly.
Agina had immediately suggested seeing if Uripedas could carry other arcanists, and the tests had been scheduled.
After the initial disappointment, Uripedas decided it wasn't so bad. He got to clutch a bunch of screaming ninnies in his claws and do horrifically death-defying loops, dives and banks. The ones who cried, passed out or vomited up the contents of their stomachs were kicked out of consideration, while those who passed then began working with Uripedas to learn to cast while flying.
Uripedas took it as a personal challenge if someone didn't cry, pass out or vomit up the contents of their stomach. It was fun.
Eventually, after complaints about painful shoulders, a kind of harness was devised, and Uripedas carried them around by that. It was even better, in his estimation - now he could grip as tight as he wanted, and with the new "swing" factor, he could try all sorts of new tricks.
When it was narrowed down to a mere four arcanists who could stomach Uripedas' enthusiasm, Agina called an end to it and Greppa, exhausted from continually renewing Uripedas' conjuring, hugged the great bird in thanks.
Uripedas didn't know it, but his performance had impressed Theralis captains enough that Kyriotes and every other summoner capable of managing giant birds were being approached for similar tests.
Uripedas burst through the portal, wings flaring with nascent flames and eyes gleaming with the might of Allas. Flexing his mighty talons, he glanced around for whatever enemy of Greppa he was summoned to destroy (or at least harry). It had been a week since last he'd been summoned, and he was ready for some glory.
There was no battle.
Greppa was standing on the mountainside, flanked by Agina and a handful of arcanists. Greppa stepped up to Uripedas and patted him on the side of his feathered shoulder, "Greetings, Uripedas! I was hoping to try something new with you today!"
"New fight?"
"More like new flight."
"Fight?"
"No, no fight today, just trying some things out with flight."
"No fight?"
Greppa laughed and hugged Uripedas, "Life is not merely a series of battles, friend. But I promise, if this works, it will be used in many battles in the future."
Uripedas considered this deeply, before replying, "But no fight?"
"Flight"
"Okay"
Greppa's idea, in essence, was this: Uripedas would carry Greppa in his talons, high above the field of battle, occasionally dipping to bring Greppa in range for attacks, then rising back up and out of range. He needed to know how much Uripedas could carry, and with what agility, and how quickly.
Agina had immediately suggested seeing if Uripedas could carry other arcanists, and the tests had been scheduled.
After the initial disappointment, Uripedas decided it wasn't so bad. He got to clutch a bunch of screaming ninnies in his claws and do horrifically death-defying loops, dives and banks. The ones who cried, passed out or vomited up the contents of their stomachs were kicked out of consideration, while those who passed then began working with Uripedas to learn to cast while flying.
Uripedas took it as a personal challenge if someone didn't cry, pass out or vomit up the contents of their stomach. It was fun.
Eventually, after complaints about painful shoulders, a kind of harness was devised, and Uripedas carried them around by that. It was even better, in his estimation - now he could grip as tight as he wanted, and with the new "swing" factor, he could try all sorts of new tricks.
When it was narrowed down to a mere four arcanists who could stomach Uripedas' enthusiasm, Agina called an end to it and Greppa, exhausted from continually renewing Uripedas' conjuring, hugged the great bird in thanks.
Uripedas didn't know it, but his performance had impressed Theralis captains enough that Kyriotes and every other summoner capable of managing giant birds were being approached for similar tests.
mehrkat
First Post
Ha Ha Finally caught up
Seasong,
I finally caught up. It has definately been a good read. Don't think I will let you avoid running this world some time at a time when I can play
You even did posts on beer. Jon Aston you should be so proud.
Mehrkat
>>>>>
Everyone thought they were safe until they saw the meerkat warparty.
Seasong,
I finally caught up. It has definately been a good read. Don't think I will let you avoid running this world some time at a time when I can play
You even did posts on beer. Jon Aston you should be so proud.
Mehrkat
>>>>>
Everyone thought they were safe until they saw the meerkat warparty.
Attachments
seasong
First Post
Hey everyone, work's busy today and I didn't wake up until pretty late, so I may not get anything written today. I may manage something over lunch, or this evening, but don't hold your breath 
.
Caliber: Thanks! I like Uripedas - he's a bit crazy, especially since "death" just means "respawn back home" for him.
Mehrkat: Good to see you here! I don't know that I would run another campaign in this setting, though. The eventual goal of this campaign is to turn the world on its ear... and like the Ell'jaret campaign, that kind of makes it more difficult to run anything in afterward.
Esiminar: Hm... I kind of like that. I'm hoping to have Uripedas more fully described in his celestial glory by the time Greppa has a reason to summon him more than once, so I'll have a better answer by then. Of course, I'm hoping to have that better defined by the time Greppa's casting interplanar travel spells, so I'd better get cracking!
.Caliber: Thanks! I like Uripedas - he's a bit crazy, especially since "death" just means "respawn back home" for him.
Mehrkat: Good to see you here! I don't know that I would run another campaign in this setting, though. The eventual goal of this campaign is to turn the world on its ear... and like the Ell'jaret campaign, that kind of makes it more difficult to run anything in afterward
.Esiminar: Hm... I kind of like that
. I'm hoping to have Uripedas more fully described in his celestial glory by the time Greppa has a reason to summon him more than once, so I'll have a better answer by then. Of course, I'm hoping to have that better defined by the time Greppa's casting interplanar travel spells, so I'd better get cracking!
seasong
First Post
Preparing For War
The message went out before Olympiad ended. The decision had been made before Athan fell, but the Generals behind it had waited until the fervor was at its height. The content of the message was simple, an invitation to serve a second year of Service for all citizens, young or old, and an assurance that no one was required to do so. There was a further assurance that those entering Service for a second year would be given very generous time off, particularly if they had crops to maintain.
But what it said was more complex than the mere content. It meant Theralis was no longer fending off raids, training their youths, or driving off the occasional monsters of the wilderness. Theralis was going to war. A war they would win, possibly at grievous cost in lives.
In addition to the basic message, Captains from all over the valleys were sent basic qualification tests for arcanists, espers, healers, illusionists, and careful instructions on what qualified. They were told to test everyone they saw, and to be generous in their estimates. In the normal course of events, only the most talented would be allowed to join the ranks of each spell casting clique, but what Theralis needed now wasn't immense talent but immense numbers.
Merideth signed up for a second year of Service almost immediately. Not because she particularly relished being in a command structure again, but she relished being in a command position within in a command structure - Merideth and two others were given the task of training the next batch of espers, the other two for their long history of excellent apprentices, Merideth for her immense talent.
Nor was she considered a healer on the front lines, anymore. There were plenty of healers, almost one per ten soldiers, but espers were few and far between... and Agina had been very insistent with the Generals that espers were a priority now.
As she tested and taught, and both children and adults, eager to learn how they could help Theralis by casting spells, looked up to her for her wisdom and knowledge... Merideth began to find something akin to happiness.
Bellos, swiftly manipulated into proving himself as a slinger (Agina and Greppa had asked if he would be willing to learn "a real weapon" in the form of a spear, so he could join the fighting), but not a citizen, nonetheless worked closely with the slingers he had competed with in Olympiad. It took a week to convert them to beer, and three more weeks to teach them moderation.
Despite the havoc he'd wreaked on their sense of order, Bellos was swiftly grasping the fundamentals of Theralis strategy, and was soon given an outside leadership position as advisor to Lykos, the almost invisibly average-looking slinger's Captain who'd hunted the wilderness in his youth with the same sling that served him now. The two, despite their wildly variant appearance, seemed as well matched as any soldier and Captain could be, and Bellos and Lykos were soon matching stories of monsters and places.
Greppa was in charge of numerous things, enough so that he was having a tough time of it just to run back and forth between them. Not skilled enough in any particular field of arcanist to be a full teacher, but having the most solid grasp of arcane theory of anyone in the valley (including Kyriotes, who was hopelessly specialized in just one aspect of it), Greppa was a natural for testing and teaching the basics to the hundred or so citizens who had tested "adequately" on the arcanist tests.
Plus he was attempting to teach flying to every arcanist who could learn it, and every illusionist they were paired with... and working with Agina on his Uripedas bombardment ideas. Only a generalist like Greppa would have thought of summoning something to help him as an evoker - bombardment was useless to a summoner, and largely impossible for an evoker.
And, just to add to the mess of his duties, Merideth and Bellos were pushing him to look for "ancient places we can loot during our promised vacation". That last, he'd already put off for weeks, and the month of time off was looming.
He put it off another day, and went back to explaining fundamentals of magic to an sharp-minded elderly gentleman who had somehow (Greppa had no idea how) been missed by any arcanist in his youth.
The message went out before Olympiad ended. The decision had been made before Athan fell, but the Generals behind it had waited until the fervor was at its height. The content of the message was simple, an invitation to serve a second year of Service for all citizens, young or old, and an assurance that no one was required to do so. There was a further assurance that those entering Service for a second year would be given very generous time off, particularly if they had crops to maintain.
But what it said was more complex than the mere content. It meant Theralis was no longer fending off raids, training their youths, or driving off the occasional monsters of the wilderness. Theralis was going to war. A war they would win, possibly at grievous cost in lives.
In addition to the basic message, Captains from all over the valleys were sent basic qualification tests for arcanists, espers, healers, illusionists, and careful instructions on what qualified. They were told to test everyone they saw, and to be generous in their estimates. In the normal course of events, only the most talented would be allowed to join the ranks of each spell casting clique, but what Theralis needed now wasn't immense talent but immense numbers.
Merideth signed up for a second year of Service almost immediately. Not because she particularly relished being in a command structure again, but she relished being in a command position within in a command structure - Merideth and two others were given the task of training the next batch of espers, the other two for their long history of excellent apprentices, Merideth for her immense talent.
Nor was she considered a healer on the front lines, anymore. There were plenty of healers, almost one per ten soldiers, but espers were few and far between... and Agina had been very insistent with the Generals that espers were a priority now.
As she tested and taught, and both children and adults, eager to learn how they could help Theralis by casting spells, looked up to her for her wisdom and knowledge... Merideth began to find something akin to happiness.
Bellos, swiftly manipulated into proving himself as a slinger (Agina and Greppa had asked if he would be willing to learn "a real weapon" in the form of a spear, so he could join the fighting), but not a citizen, nonetheless worked closely with the slingers he had competed with in Olympiad. It took a week to convert them to beer, and three more weeks to teach them moderation.
Despite the havoc he'd wreaked on their sense of order, Bellos was swiftly grasping the fundamentals of Theralis strategy, and was soon given an outside leadership position as advisor to Lykos, the almost invisibly average-looking slinger's Captain who'd hunted the wilderness in his youth with the same sling that served him now. The two, despite their wildly variant appearance, seemed as well matched as any soldier and Captain could be, and Bellos and Lykos were soon matching stories of monsters and places.
Greppa was in charge of numerous things, enough so that he was having a tough time of it just to run back and forth between them. Not skilled enough in any particular field of arcanist to be a full teacher, but having the most solid grasp of arcane theory of anyone in the valley (including Kyriotes, who was hopelessly specialized in just one aspect of it), Greppa was a natural for testing and teaching the basics to the hundred or so citizens who had tested "adequately" on the arcanist tests.
Plus he was attempting to teach flying to every arcanist who could learn it, and every illusionist they were paired with... and working with Agina on his Uripedas bombardment ideas. Only a generalist like Greppa would have thought of summoning something to help him as an evoker - bombardment was useless to a summoner, and largely impossible for an evoker.
And, just to add to the mess of his duties, Merideth and Bellos were pushing him to look for "ancient places we can loot during our promised vacation". That last, he'd already put off for weeks, and the month of time off was looming.
He put it off another day, and went back to explaining fundamentals of magic to an sharp-minded elderly gentleman who had somehow (Greppa had no idea how) been missed by any arcanist in his youth.
Similar Threads
