Rise from the Ashes IC

[Kaiser Omnik]

The Battle of Hurler Barrow

Summoning spells conjured hundreds of massive thorny plant creatures and misshapen earth elementals on the battlefield. They appeared at random locations and started to attack immediately, bent on destroying everything in their path. Individuals with magical perceptions noticed some kind of mist slightly above the ground. Each time a combattant was badly hurt or killed, a wisp of energy shot from the body towards the clouds.

And the ground began to shake...

[Ipphli]

Children of Uso

The Councilors frowned at the sight of the mist. Having an inkling about what was going on, they pooled their abilities in effort to shield their people and their allies from the mist, and the summoned creatures.

[Kaiser Omnik]

Battle of Hurler Barrow

The Elder Sister notices the three humanoids flying back towards the city and the battlefield. They stop midair, not too far from where she is. Now that they are closer, the Sister thinks she recognizes the human female with them. She is of course much older than when she last saw her, many years ago in Memorial, but she is almost certain that it is her...Vivianne, the adopted daughter of the miracle worker, Daniel. She even has Daniel's darkwood staff!

She can hear one of them speaking:

"- This will not do. We are inflicting casualties, but reinforcements are coming from those portals, over there. We must complete the ritual."

The Lupine in the group is holding some sort of orb. He mutters something then blasts the orb with a spell. The relic cracks and shatters. Suddenly, a tear in the fabric of reality appears above the battlefield. A colossal monster appears. The repuslive creature is dark green, slimy and pustulent. A foul stench emanates from its body. The earth on which he is standing has become black and dead.

"I am Xezoggarr, herald of Infernus! Your puny world will be enslaved, as the master Calixstran wills it!"

The Lupine looked shocked.

"- A demon? No, that's impossible! We didn't... He...he must have slipped in the constructed body as we opened the gate!"

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The creature is basically a very huge Pod Demon.

[Johel]

Battle of Hurler Barrow, **the walls**

"-Vivianne !! Vivianne !!"

To ignore this monster, a iron will was needed. But the Elder Sister, like most of Narade's adepts, had been chosen for her strong nerves as much as for her kind soul. As destruction keep spreading around, she kept calling for the young orphan she had once read bedtime stories to, when Daniel was working at Memorial.

"-For Narade's love !! Vivianne !! What are you doing ?"

Somehow, everything became clear. The plague that had hit Suncliff had begun not long before Daniel's death. Was it possible that this child, this innocent child was the cause of such havoc ? But why ?

"-Vivianne !! Please, stop this !! This demon... and all of this madness !! You're playing with forces that are beyond your understanding !! Stop it !!"

Battle of Hurler Barrow, **the field**

All the while, the small army of adepts was caught into the confusion of battle. If at first, the naradians had stood their ground, the White Guards joining their spears so as to form a human chain none would break, they had been forced to break formation with the appearance of the various giant monsters and lightning.

Now, as the Lupines charged toward Hurler Barrow, the naradians were fighting the vegetal elementals. Their power over plants helped the Sisters to at least slow down the monsters while the white guards charged fearlessly. The less experimented of the Sisters carried back the wounded, healing them on the field so that they could join the melee once more. Nevertheless, it was clear that it would be a slaughter but at least the rest of the coalition could focus on something else...like the gigantic blobby demon who had just been summoned.

For some reason, even the fearless white guards were in no urge to face this one...

[Krrth]

Hradani

The Hradani were relatively neutral in the fight until the demon appeared. Once that thing arrived, they sprang into action. Over 100 of the best troops surrounded the thing and attacked in quick darting strikes. When a warrior became injured or tired, his place would be taken by one of the waiting warriors.

[Ipphli]

Children of Uso

The turtles moved into a defensive position, forming a line between the invading Lupines and the city. Snapping up and bashing with their feet and heads, they formed a nigh impassable barrier with the aid of the rangers they carried. Their allies were encouraged to seek shelter behind the turtles or on their backs should they need it.

Meanwhile, the Councilors turned their attention from the summoned troops to focus on the demon. All of them together began focusing their effort on banishing the thing, attempting to send it back to whatever hell it came from.

[Krrth]

Hradani go to war!


With the aid of the turtles, combat became slightly easier. The Hradani no longer had to worry about containment, only offense. So they darted in and out of the turtles, never actually engaging the demon directly. A small cut here, a small cut there: no blow was meant to be decisive. Over time however, they added up.

Elsewhere in the battlefield, half the remaining Hradani flowed into combat to help the ogres. 500 Algai’d’siswai steadied the line.

The remaining Hradani waited for an opening.

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Just so I don't forget before the next turn:
Tech:Archery (more specifically, javelin throwers. Hopefully the strength of the Wychwood helps with this.

Expansion: North. The Hradani are patrolling the borders of the Sea of Slime
Religion:None.
Combat:Heal, unless combat is needed to fight the demon
No creation this turn.

[Ipphli]

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Yes, actions, before I forget.

Technology: Mysticism
Battle: Heal
Expansion: Settlement due north of Aceria, near the coast
Creation: Grand Cathedral in Aceria (hopefully to aid Religion rolls in the future)

[ArlEammon]

Saradites

Meanwhile the Al Makim consider devoting themselves toward's learning the Knowledge of the Ether. . . Being wizards, they needed all the magical knowledge they could acquire. The Wisemen busily practiced their mystic ways until they would make a breakthrough.

The Al Makim also consider looking toward's the Al Saradin for advice and comfort. Thus it would ever be that the Al Makim Wisemen constructed a mystical shrine where they could hear the voice of Methuselah and the others and ask for advice and counsel from their wisdom. As they worked on the Oracle they constantly felt a spark from the Al Saradin's own energy.

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Expansion: None
Battle:Fortify
Creation:
Tech: Knowledge of the Ether
Creation: Create Oracle of the Al Saradin: Oracles help those who come to the Al Saradin for guidance to become better skilled.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

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I believe I took my actions before I left for vacation last week.

[Johel]

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Turn 8
Start Essence : 385
Start Devotion : 530
Battle : yes. If the demons don't count, then we'll fight the Lupines, as they are the murderous ones here. BUT ONLY IF THE DEMONS DON'T COUNT.
Creation : Cloud Tower (will right about it soon)
Heal : no (I'm fighting so...)
Expansion : Western Wastland
Religion : bolster followers
Technology : Writing
End Essence: -
End Devotion: -

[Kaiser Omnik]

The Battle of Hurler Barrow

Vivianne looked down and saw the Elder Sister. She seemed confused.

"- The demon...a miscalculation..."

Her facial expression darkened.

"- This is not madness. This was already planned long before you were born, Elder Sister. I have taken this form to live among your people. I was slightly changed by that experience...but I still remain a archdruid of the Circle of Uvithile. My mind is intact. I am not happy to do this. But as long as the balance of the natural world is broken, we will be there. We bring rot and pestilence, the gifts of the long gone Uvithile. We bring death so life may flourish. You humans, just like the ogres, have went too far. If we don't stop your development now, the planet will never recover."

Meanwhile, the demon known as Xezoggarr spew forth numerous oozes that transformed into tiny versions of itself. It then resumed bashing the puny mortals who approached and conjuring waves of caustic slime.

OOC: Ok, now time to roll your attack and defenses. I'll let you do it, it's more fun that way. If you participate in the battle, you can't use the heal action this turn (although those with an healing artifact will recover 25 essence).
Roll Battle d100, specifying which enemy you are fighting (demon, summoned monsters, lupines)
You may use your Ethic or Moral score instead, if you wish to use an Aligned Attack (see a few posts below)
Roll Willpower d100 to determine your magical defense and
Resistance d100 to determine your physical defense

[Krrth]

Hradani

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Fighting the Demon, rest of the troops are bolstering the others
Battle 5 (5d100)[248]
Will 4 (5d100)[387]
Resist 4 (4d100)[121]

edit: Well....I guess that's ok. I don't know if having Wychwood weapons gives a bonus (or penalty), or what any modifiers will be (like having combat as a domain)

[Kaiser Omnik]

Hradani

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Fighting the Demon, rest of the troops are bolstering the others
Battle 5 [roll0]
Will 4 [roll1]
Resist 4 [roll2]

edit: Well....I guess that's ok. I don't know if having Wychwood weapons gives a bonus (or penalty), or what any modifiers will be (like having combat as a domain)

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Don't worry about it, I'll add the relevant bonuses myself.

[Kaiser Omnik]

OOC: I knew I forgot something... If you want, you may use your Ethical or Moral score instead of your Battle score to attack with pure divine energy. The Naradians, for example, may unleash a wave of pure good to either fight back the demon's vile influence or heal their allies on the battlefield. Some people are more vulnerable to aligned attacks, while others may be resistant or even immuned.

[Johel]

The Battle of Hurler Barrow

Intimidated by the towering demon at first, the naradians assumed a defense stance against the various monsters, letting the more martial Hradani handle the hellspawn.

But after seeing Xezoggarr reap warriors like crops, the hearth of Narade's followers bleeded. Their sorrow was felt by all through the Spellsong. Their sorrow...and also their rage against this thing that was against nature and life itself !!

When the demon spawned tiny selves, the naradians abandonned their defensive stance to resume a more active role in the battle. Thrusting the charm spells of the Sisters, the white guards charged all at once to open a short breach into the demonic ranks. It was more than enough for the Order's adepts to release a sonic wave that overwhelmed the demons with love, compassion and other "nasty" feelings.

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Let's kiss Xezoggarr's slimy as-s !!
Holy Attack : Good 5 (5d100)[126]
Magical defense : Willpower 8 (8d100)[376]
Physical defense : Resistance 5 (5d100)[238]

[Ipphli]

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Battle 3 (3d100)[261]
Will 5 (5d100)[202]
Resist 5 (5d100)[303]

[Kaiser Omnik]

Battle of Hurler Barrow

The demon is starting to loose much of his substance. The Hradani dealt it serious wounds, cutting the spawns open as soon as they showed up on the battlefield. The holy energy of the Naradians burned Xezoggarr, but it retaliated by flooding their minds with horrible and terrifying images. A few of them were completely overwhelmed by the sense of dread and died on the spot. Finally, the efforts of the Children were successful, and the creature was banished from this plane. Xezoggarr issued this warning before disappearing:

"You will make other mistakes! You will seek power outside your pathetic little sphere! And then Calixstran will come, harvesting the souls of every living being...INFERNUS WILL NOT BE DENIED!"

Now, everyone could see what only a few detected before. Wisps of energy were released by combattants who fell during the battle or were dealt painful wounds. The energy became visible as it formed a bright beam that shot towards the sky.

More portals opened. It was the Athanasians, Dynean's people. The dispatched psions conjured creatures of their own, mighty constructs of ectoplasm. The ghostly troops tore through the remaining elementals, sending them back to the earth. The archdruids of the Circle didn't feel like staying longer and fled. Vivianne looked into the Elder Sister's eyes before she departed. The Lupines, having lost many soldiers, decided to retreat.

Finally, Dynean herself appeared on the scene. She saw the devastation and was greatly saddened. Then she looked upwards, at the storm clouds. Her expression changed.

"I should have known! Only an Immortal could have hid from me for so long. And this is your doing... You are collecting this energy for...(Dynean looked disgusted) You wish to distill the essence of pain! You monster! I will not rest until I see justice served!"

The demigoddess flew towards the floating fortress. Soon, the clouds dispersed, but neither the fortress nor Dynean were visible.

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The archdemon Xezoggarr is defeated! Each of the participants gain 750 XP!
The Children of Uso are level 3! They gain +1 to any one domain.
The Hradani loose 71 essence, the Order of Narade loose 62 essence and the Children of Uso loose 35 essence from the battle.

[Kaiser Omnik]

OOC: Reposting this to make sure that Zousha didn't miss it.

Baradans

Some Spriggans do settle with the Baradans, but they are a minority. However, many decide to visit the grove to pray and receive the teachings of the elder druids. The spriggans are naturally shy, aloof and somewhat savage, but they make serious efforts to fit within baradan society.

After some time, the Baradans learn that the ancestors of the spriggans were dwarves who were cursed by the savage god Tion, bane of all intelligent life and father of the mythic Tarrasque. According to legend, another god named Barin, rival of Tion, granted intelligence to beasts; deers and wolves. Tion, greatly angered by this bold move, devised a plan to get vengeance. He created a curse that would slowly transform the dwarves natives to his jungle into mindless animals. To this day, most if not all spriggans show bestial features, yet they usually retain their intelligence. However, it happens that an adult spriggan looses all control over himself and turns into a rampaging monster. In those cases, all humanity is lost and it is impossible to restore the creature's old self.

The spriggans can sense that the transformation is going to happen, but they can never be sure when it will happen. It could days, weeks or even months away. Many have been found dead in Bevidia's Forest since the meeting with the Baradans; all suicides. Now, the Baradans have an explanation. The spriggans prefer to kill themselves as soon as they know and not put their family and friends in danger.

The spriggans believe that there is no way to lift the curse, but some believe that druidic magic can save them from this horrible fate.


On the shores of the Naram-Suen

Those tribes who have patrols or even bases in the area have noticed an increase in Ensi activity on the Naram-Suen. The Crimson Claw has built many forts on its shores and has even sent expeditions to the other side of the river to establish mining camps. This is a first, since historically, the troops of the Demon God, Sesketh, never crossed the Naram-Suen to build permanent settlements.

[Kaiser Omnik]

Actions

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Baradans - Creation - Race - Killoren - (creation+1/2 nature+1/2 fertility) (9d100)[363]
Baradans - Religion - Convert Killoren - ({willpower+primary domain-creation strength}/2) (9d100)[432] - 529 /2 change to creation str = new devotion 481
Baradans - Heal - (10d10)[62] - 100 = -38 essence
Children of Uso - Creation - Location - Grand Cathedral in Aceria - (creation+water) (9d100)[418]
Children of Uso - Expansion - Settlement due north of Aceria, near the coast
Children of Uso - Battle - 35 (battle) - 50 (actions) = -85 essence total
Hradani - Expansion - Exploring the shore of the Sea of Slime to the north
Hradani - Battle - -71 essence
Order of Narade - Creation - Location - Cloud Tower - (creation+1/2 health) (7d100)[491]+(1d50)[15] = 506
Order of Narade - Religion - Bolster - ({willpower+primary domain-creation strength}/2) (11d100)[591] - 530 /2 change to creation str = new devotion 560
Order of Narade - Expansion - Western Wasteland
Order of Narade - Battle - 62 (battle) - 100 (actions) = -162 essence
Saradites - Creation - Abstract/Class - Oracle of the Al Saradin - (1/2+creation +1/2 willpower+magic) (14d100)[613]
Saradites - Battle - Fortify
-50 essence

Technology

Baradans - Way of the Forest (big bonus since this is essentially the one that describes your society)- (152d10)[829]
Children of Uso - Mysticism- (50d10)[269]
Hradani - Javelin Throwing (archery) - (41d10)[215]
Order of Narade - Writing - (53d10)[264]
Saradites - Knowledge of the Ether - (90d10)[456]

Order of Narade

One of the remaining gatekeepers and the lupine known as Jarek returned to the Elder Sister. They were willing to act as mediators and help the ogres and the lupines agree on a non-agression pact.

Baradans

While the Killoren recognized the Baradans' role in their creation, many wished to remain far away from any civilization, deep in the woods. Some returned with Spriggans to their homeland in the southeast, in order to discover what lies in Tion's grove.

Hradani

Hradani witness strange occurences around the area of the ruined temple and the Tomb of Heroes. Some believe that the spirits of the fallen have become resteless and manifest in this world as ghosts.

Saradites

After years of hard work, the Al-Makim mystics believe that they have made an important discovery. They think they have the necessary ingredients and incantations to travel to other planes, where they would be able to manipulate raw elemental power as well as the subtler energies of the outer planes. However, they have also found that a strong magical barrier seems to be blocking any effort to travel the planes. It affects both those inside the magic field (on the planet) and those outside.

The Children of Uso

While moving through an uncharted region of the ocean (near the southeastern coast), the Children's scouts discovered some strange specimen of animals and kelp: giant two-headed sea snakes, jellyfish-like plant creatures, manta rays capable of invisibility, among others. They seemed not quite of this world, or at least strangely mutated. But the most surprising was the discovery of sleeping giants at the bottom of the ocean, near a ruined merfolk outpost. They were around 12 feet tall, with mottled froglike skin, globulous eyes, stringly black hair and webbed fingers and toes. There were at least 20 of them, partially covered in mud.

[Krrth]

Hradani

The battle had taken it's toll. While the demon was gone, the dead and injured were not. Those who wished to die were allowed to, while those who wished to live were cared for. Those who were slain fighting the demon were interred in the Wychwood grove, so that the essence of their sacrifice was transferred.

Geros and his wife went to investigate the rumors of ghosts personally. After all, they had known most of the supposed haunts personally.

In the meantime, much was debated about the fight with the demon, the nature of right, wrong, good, evil, order, and chaos. While much of this was done among the Fili, the rest of the Hradani were not immune.

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Expand:Consolidate current territory. The Valley has now become a (for the Hradani) major city and even the nomadic branch has established semi-permanent campsites.
Religion:None
Battle:Heal
Tech:Philosophy

[Kaiser Omnik]

Hradani

That night, at the Tomb, nothing out of the ordinary happened. However, the atmosphere of the crypt is even denser than one would imagine. The Hradani were pretty much fearless, but another Man would have certainly felt a sense of dread. Around the tomb, the darkness seems somewhat deeper than usual.

(How many nights before the two return home, if nothing happens?)

[Krrth]

ooc:Well, it's not exactly out of the way for them, since they currently live in the area. I figure they'll come by every night for a minimum of a week, and more likely for a full moon. Even then, if the rumors continue, they'll mount a semi-permanent watch.

[Kaiser Omnik]

Hradani

On the sixth night, Geros and his wife saw shadows moving around the tomb, some sort of specters. As they followed them, they came upon a luminescent cloud, floating only a few feet above the ground. Slowly, the mist coalesced into a being...

Tor Gunderson.

The ghost bowed before them.

You are more beautiful than ever, my daughter. And you Geros have grown into a strong leader.

[Ipphli]

Children of Uso

The scouts looked at each other. After a brief discussion, one was sent back to the capital to report on what they'd seen and to request more support. The others moved forward cautiously until they were within speaking range of the giants. Then, their leader moved forward slightly. "Greetings! We are the Children of Uso! Who might you be strangers?"

[Kaiser Omnik]

Children of Uso

The giants do not respond.

[Ipphli]

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Are the giants moving at all? or just standing there like statues?

[Kaiser Omnik]

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They really look like they are sleeping on the bottom of the ocean. They seem to be "breathing" (they have gills).

[Krrth]

Geros and Jola


Father? Is that you? What are you doing here?


*sigh*

Forgive me if I don't weep with joy, but we've been having a bit of trouble with shapeshifters lately. Even so, It's good to see you again.

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Just as an aside, Tor wasn't really Geros' father. Geros was an orphan that Tor more or less raised. Also, Tor's natural daughter Jola is Geros' wife. Don't know if that was an error, or that's not really Tor.

[Ipphli]

Children of Uso

The lead scout swims up and attempts to wake the giant by gently prodding its foot with his spear, ready to swim away at the first sign of the giant waking up.