The Risen Goddess (Updated 3.10.08)

[incognito]

welll...at least it wasn't mini-me...



...and dammit. I can't belive Indy had nothing to say to the celestials. Sheesh, Indy: we're counting on ya, buddy.

good writing as always (contact), this update is appreciated!

 

[(contact)]

Taran says that Indy is just pouting because the party won't go back to Ratik to rescue Lady Evaliegh.

A more charitable fighter could say that even Indy has enough sense to shut up when Elder Eternal Servants are debating matters of High Dogma. The scene was very dramatic, and not really an appropriate place for his normal histronics.

(Plus, I was DMing at the time, and Indy was a lowly NPC. Generally, the adventures where he has a more central role are the adventures where I am on the player's side of the screen.)

 

[sheelba]

Excellent story, (Contact). Your best yet. The adventures on the elemental plane put me in mind of Cudgel. All in all, a very amusing read. Having just finished it after three days hard reading, I’m a little worried that things are about to end. I will just have to read on and find out, I suppose. Do they intend to avenge Rex? Didn’t someone tell them that there were three White Dragons?

While I’m asking questions, how did the book of feats work? They found it just before the trip onto the elemental plane, I think. Did it have a number of uses per day, or did the rituals take so long no one would use it frequently?

I’ll save my other questions until another time. But I’ll be keeping my eye out for Taran’s S. Dragon Soul Mate. We’ve probably already met her. Any of those elven women could be her.

Thanks for your time and hard work.

 

[(contact)]

Hey Sheelba, thanks for the kind words!

"The adventures on the elemental plane put me in mind of Cudgel."

What is Cudgel?

"All in all, a very amusing read. Having just finished it after three days hard reading, I’m a little worried that things are about to end. "

You're worried that the campaign is about to end? No way-- we've been playing the characters through four editions of the game! They've got a lot of adventuring to do.

"Do they intend to avenge Rex?"

No. Originally we did, but right after we lost Rex we went through the portal to Faerun, and then we got caught up fighting the drow and questing for the Star of Palatin Eremath.

Meta-game wise, the other Risen Goddess DM (Kyreel, Thelbar) expanded the Great Delve into a full-fledged campaign, and started running it for another group. It's a real gem of a campaign, and almost as deadly as his TOEE2 game was.

"While I’m asking questions, how did the book of feats work? They found it just before the trip onto the elemental plane, I think. Did it have a number of uses per day, or did the rituals take so long no one would use it frequently?"

No one knows . . . Thelbar has never used them! The book allowed its possessor to use Ritual Magic from the Scarred Lands setting (which is normally not avaliable in our campaigns), and substitute longer casting times for higher spell slots when casting meta-magic feats! You'd think (as I did) that such a treasure would be tops on Thelbar's list, but he's never once used the book!

"I’ll save my other questions until another time. But I’ll be keeping my eye out for Taran’s S. Dragon Soul Mate. We’ve probably already met her. Any of those elven women could be her."

Interesting you should say this-- a character shows up soon that could very well be her . . .

"Thanks for your time and hard work."

It's a labor of love, for sure. I'm glad that others enjoy reading these logs, and that we have a forum to share these stories.

Plus, with a story hour I don't have to stand around at conventions and say "do you want to hear about my 14th level fighter/ranger/sorcerer/spellsword?" anymore. I can just hand them a 125-page spiral-bound document, and save myself the time.

 

[Victim]

Cugel is character who adventures in Vance's Dying earth world. We see him in 2 stories. He's rogue and con artist who calls himself Cugel the Clever. He isn't.

 

[Vargo]

'Scuse me for a second while I hijack the thread here...

I recently hit up my library for any of Vance's "Dying Earth" saga. Unfortunately, the only bit they had was his "Cugel's Saga" - which, as I understand, was a sequel to his other Cugel book, and didn't really contain any good descriptions of "Vancian magic," which is why I was trying to get my hands on his writings in the first place.

I'd argue with the characterization of Cugel not being clever - he actually does pull off some fairly good cons from time to time, as well as noticing quite a few things that others don't. Where he falls down is in figuring out that OTHERS are also trying to con HIM - he's got high valuations in Bluff, Spot, and Search, but he neglected to put any points into Sense Motive. Oops.

Okay book, nothing too spectacular. Bunch of people on a world that could die at any time, with nobody too concerned about what happens tomorrow, all trying to rip each other off.

 

[(contact)]

. . . sounds like where I grew up. Heh.

How does the Cudgel character relate to the adventures in the Plane of Air?

 

[Victim]

'Scuse me for a second while I hijack the thread here...

I recently hit up my library for any of Vance's "Dying Earth" saga. Unfortunately, the only bit they had was his "Cugel's Saga" - which, as I understand, was a sequel to his other Cugel book, and didn't really contain any good descriptions of "Vancian magic," which is why I was trying to get my hands on his writings in the first place.

I'd argue with the characterization of Cugel not being clever - he actually does pull off some fairly good cons from time to time, as well as noticing quite a few things that others don't. Where he falls down is in figuring out that OTHERS are also trying to con HIM - he's got high valuations in Bluff, Spot, and Search, but he neglected to put any points into Sense Motive. Oops.

Okay book, nothing too spectacular. Bunch of people on a world that could die at any time, with nobody too concerned about what happens tomorrow, all trying to rip each other off.

Yeah, I liked the ones with the wizards better. Nothing beats the 'Spray. Well, actually, it seems that the Omnipotent Sphere provides a defense, as does Lacodel's Rune, but, hey, close enough.

But the reason I call him not clever is because he has a rather low total mental value. Because he has no WIS and sense motive, usually any clever ideas he has usually turn out to be a disadvantage. He'll come up with clever idea X, and it won't be half bad except the the downsides he never seems to notice, or the fact that someone is manipulating him. His wit usually seems to let others use him more effectively.

The relation to Indy's PoA adventures is that Cugel is always thrown into the weirdest and most fantastic situations that he fumbles through.

 

[sheelba]

Hi (contact), thanks for the reply. Guess I don’t need to tell you who Cudgel is. The first half of the story reminded me of “The Eyes of the Overworld” and “Cudgel’s Saga” because:

1) He has some funny and scary adventures in a floating boat. It only flew because he kicked it with boots covered in magic boot polish, (Indy’s kind of magic item I feel).

2) There are radical changes in the circumstances of Cudgel. Like in your game, he is transported to unknown (and unknowable), places. Rapid changes of location and pace. The different characters he travels with allow different aspects of his own character to develop/be displayed.

3) The Cudgel Sagas can be very funny.

Just occasionally I was put in mind of Cudgel. Mere hints – and not for some time. I didn’t think anyone would comment on it. I’m a big fan of “The Dying Earth” books. But I can well understand many are not.

The other Dying Earth, non-Cudgel, books are “the Dying Earth” and “Rhialto the Marvellous”.

So the Rise of the Goddess is not the end. (Your game isn't called "the Rising of the Goddess", after all.) Glad to here it. I think that little miracle might turn out to be easier than reconciling the various good faction.

It seams that a degree of P.C. ownership has developed. Did this evolve or was it planned or even based on whom the character belonged to in 2e? I only ask as you said that there was no ownership of NPC’s or PC’s in your first post. You have overcome all the negatives of only two gamers as far as I can see. I wonder how it’s done.

Good gaming and keep posting. I'm eager to find out more.

 

[(contact)]

Oh, ok-- gotcha. Yes, it sounds like Indy and Cudgel have a lot in common.

So the Rise of the Goddess is not the end. (Your game isn't called "the Rising of the Goddess", after all.) Glad to here it. I think that little miracle might turn out to be easier than reconciling the various good faction.

And that task just keeps getting more and more difficult, as the next couple of chapters will show. There are some skeletons in the closet, and they are Size H . . .

It seams that a degree of P.C. ownership has developed. Did this evolve or was it planned or even based on whom the character belonged to in 2e?

I meant at the time that we would alternate who runs the characters based on expediency-- but generally, when I DM, I keep Taran and Indy as NPCs, but when I play, I pick up Kyreel. And even when I'm DMing, I will 'speak' as Kyreel sometimes if I think the Lawful and Good point of view is not present.

We recently cut the group down to three PCs, to make our life a little easier, as well as for story reasons.