Author Topic: Chapter 1: Attrition  (Read 30969 times)

Offline sirpercival

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Chapter 1: Attrition
« on: February 04, 2013, 07:21:12 PM »
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The Days of Ashes are over, and the Great Stone Stairs of Borean are a river of black and grey as the petitioners, dressed in traditional mourning, descend the mountain back toward their homes.  The holiday ended this morning with the rising sun, and Singorn's capitol city, filled to capacity these last 7 days, seems empty and strangely desolate despite the normal bustle of market-day preparations.

A light spring rain in the wee hours washed the grime away, and the city seems fresh and new in the orange morning light.  You had planned to leave hours ago, ahead of the crowds, and yet... in Borean you remain.  You can't explain why.  You can't even explain why you came here for the Days of Ashes -- you had no petitions to make to the God-king, and the Days are observed throughout the Empire.  You could have celebrated anywhere.

With no real plans, you feel the urge to wander the city in the morning, watching the hawks soar between spires, and housewives in their somber garb sweep their porches.  People walking the street watch you warily, but without comment; adventurers strange and exotic move through these streets often, and the denizens of Borean are used to it.

You find yourself in the Great Square before the Palace, looking up at the massive edifice.  The architects who designed it were incredibly skilled; the Palace is the epitome of power and grace, a suitable home for the mythic personage that inhabits it.  You look about you, and see other adventurers gathered around the fountain in the Square, each stranger than the last.  What is this?

Then the huge wooden door of the Palace swings smoothly open, and Singorn himself steps into the Square.

The force of just his presence is almost overwhelming, though after a moment or two you grow somewhat accustomed to it.  The God-king stands in a shaft of light which peeks over the buildings, flooding the Square with wan sunshine.  He is dressed in breeches of loose grey silk, and a grey tunic which leaves his arms bare, with his symbol in white emblazoned on the chest.  The morning chill seems not to bother him, but their is a hint of sadness and old pain in his eyes.

The God-king speaks, his voice soft and yet clearly audible.  "I know you.  You have grown in the past years... new memories, new skills.  This is my doing, and it is why you are here.  I have called you here to request your aid."

He takes another step forward into the square.  You notice that there are guards behind him in the doorway, but they seem superfluous.  How could anything threaten this man?

"Each of you has within you both the potential for greatness, and the memory of greatness realized.  It is my hope that these two things in combination will be sufficient for all of us to survive the trials ahead... for the portents suggest that we will need everything in our power."

Singorn beckons, and a group of clerks scurry out of the Palace, dividing the assembled adventurers into three groups.  "I will speak to each group of you in turn.  If it pleases you, follow my attendants to your respective staging areas.  There is much to be done."



The 9 of you are escorted by a group of guards, though they seem to be focused outward more than inward (protecting rather than corralling).  You are led down into the basements of the palace, deep into the mountain.  The passage remains wide and well-lit, however, and regal statuary lines the walls.

The procession ends in front of a wide door, unmarked and carved from dark stone.  Two of the guards unlock and swing the doors wide, grunting somewhat at the weight, but the slabs turn soundlessly, revealing a large, irregularly-shaped chamber.  The floor is unworked stone, though cleared of stalagmites, and the 20-foot ceiling seems natural.  In the center of the chamber is a perfectly-circular pool filled with some sort of liquid which is matte black, seeming to absorb all light that falls on it.  The rim of the pool has been roughly squared off, and on the far side the stone rises to form a large chair.  Veins of the same matte black substance run through the chair's body.

Once all of you are inside, the guards close the doors, leaving them unlocked.  For the time being, you are alone.
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Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2013, 07:29:48 PM »
"Not welcoming environs," Natsumi proclaimed, being the first to break the silence as she looked around the cavernous room. All the way inside the palace... and she'd so hoped to catch a glimpse of something worth seeing. Instead, this dark room and its dark pool. It seemed, then, that her attention would have to go to the others in the room; ignored in favour of paying the much greater divinity the respect he deserved.


She suspected that the most human person in the room was none other than herself. Stick all the odd ones down in the darkness, was it?

Offline ariasderros

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2013, 07:46:42 PM »
Elgin looks around at the surroundings. Darkness upon darkness. Nice. For taking action anyway, but as architecture, this seemed a bit more occultish than the god-king seemed to be.

Elgin... adjusted himself to being fully visible upon the ladies words. He took off his hood while moving to stand in front of her.

A small halfling, with skin that has darkened like a mine-workers, but with what first seem to be infected veins or thick black tattoos, until you notice that the darkness moves about upon his flesh, at times separating from his skin like an arc raising.

"I don't know, I kind of... agree, with the decorations."

Then returns himself to the shadows of his own self, fading into the realm of near-view, and replaces his hood.
« Last Edit: February 04, 2013, 07:48:23 PM by ariasderros »
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Offline Kuroimaken

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2013, 07:55:31 PM »
"I don't mind them one way or the other. The choice merely seems odd." Yan noticed none of the others seemed to have much trouble with the relative lack of lighting. His own eyes glinted in the dark, though they held no malice of their own. His irises, however, seemed slitted like a cat's.

"It clearly has a specific purpose." He nodded towards the black pool.
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Offline Greybender

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2013, 08:24:45 PM »
Yuuko seems like innocence incarnate, a long black haired girl in a short yukata, smiling with a wide grin changing the direction of her head towards everyone gathered, one at a time,  until her eyes fall upon the visage of a gigantic crab in the room, she turns her head towards her sister with fully open eyes and her mouth in a position suggesting she wants to say something. She squints her eyes and redirects her gaze towards the giant crab and takes a deep breath before speaking:

"Hellou I'm Yuuko want to be friends?"

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Offline Valixes

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2013, 08:50:03 PM »
"Curious." Klaus gives the others gathered in the chamber a once over - and for the enormous crustacean, a twice over. "An aberrant group. Gathered by king and god both."His heavy tail coiled and relaxed behind him as he tentatively took a few weighted steps closer to the pool. "What do you think of Singorn's sudden interest in gathering this little entourage, Mauthe?"

Offline Geigan

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #6 on: February 04, 2013, 10:35:26 PM »
Mauthe sits perfectly still on top of one of Klaus' bony pauldrons. He is surprisingly hard to notice despite this odd position and his strangely dark canine form, but he is making no effort to conceal himself. His eyes slowly scan the area as he considers  the others in the room.

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Mauthe switches to scratching behind his ears idly with what looks like a bored expression.
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Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2013, 02:52:19 AM »
"I believe that introductions are in order," the princess said after a pause, once again glancing up at the crab. How had the crab managed to get into here? Giant crabs were known for neither their maneuverability nor their small size, after all.

Grasping her fans in either hand, the goddess considered how much to go about introducing herself. Given what a motley crew this was, she was doubtful that 'princess' would appease anyone. Honesty was the best policy. "Natsumi, princess and goddess of funerals, entertainment, and the moon."

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Offline Kuroimaken

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #8 on: February 05, 2013, 06:36:33 AM »
"Never heard of you."

Taking a deep breath, the hideously tall man shrugged. "I'm Yan Ba-Zhe. Just a travelling monk."
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Offline Clanjos

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #9 on: February 05, 2013, 07:26:01 AM »
Mentak ordered the skeleton in his armor to gesticulate with appropriate fervor as electricity arced across his lobes, transmitting his voice into people's heads with a feel like a thousand sledgehammers against the back of their eyes.

"My name is spoken of in hushed tones throughout this world and the next, for to speak it in insult is to invite the wrath of my undead hordes and unfathomable psychic might! The heavens and earth quake at the very mention of I, MENTAK, THE MAGNIFICENT!"
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Offline Kuroimaken

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2013, 07:46:41 AM »
Yan peered at this newfound example of humility, then looked down at the ground, and up to the ceiling, as if evaluating any potential quaking.

"Never heard of you, either." the monk replied. "I guess the land isn't feeling cold today."
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Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2013, 09:00:42 AM »
 "Are you sure that isn't because of how loud you are?" Natsumi asked, wincing at the sudden noise. A psychic brain with no indoor voice--brilliant. She was rather loud herself, but this was something else entirely. "Much like I wouldn't expect an itinerant monk to know of royalty, I know little of the undead. They aren't big on funerals, as a rule "

Offline Clanjos

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #12 on: February 05, 2013, 09:36:06 AM »
"LOUD?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I, MENTAK, AM BROADCASTING AT A PERFECTLY REA-" The brain in the jar shook a bit, seemingly out of anger and realization. "...JEFFREY YOU DOLT, I TOLD YOU TO ADJUST THE VOLUME!" Mentak shouted again, the armor beneath the jar reaching up to adjust a dial. on the front. "Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3... The Skeletons of the Black Sands bought seven skeletal seashells... There, much better. Quite sorry, the volume on this jar is rather fidgety."
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Offline ariasderros

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #13 on: February 05, 2013, 10:09:10 AM »
The mass of shadows that the halfling had seemed to become stops moving around (having been inching toward the pool), and addresses the request for introductions:

"I am no Magnificent entity, nor a goddess, nor royalty. Just a traveling sell-sword, or rather, bow. There is power in names, to be sure, and you may call me 'El'."
Then, addressing the jarred curiosity:
Self-awareness is a powerful trait, be sure to use some of that, which you have in abundance,  to monitor your 'volume', so as to not cause pain to those who may aid you."
And finally, to Natsumi:
"I must confess that I am most glad to have you here out of all thus far, Lady Natsumi, for the circumstances of the situation being what they are. Since we do not, on the whole, seem to be here for peaceful purpose, and it is one of such power that has gathered us, I suspect that we shall have much to be thankful for having a goddess of funerals with us. Or, more accurately, any who oppose a group such as thus."

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Offline Greybender

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #14 on: February 05, 2013, 11:39:24 AM »
Yuuko turns from the giant crab, hearing the sounds of a dog scratching his ears, she approaches Klaus, carefully observing his stature, noticing a little dark ball of fur sitting on his hand, she proclaims:

"Awww what a cute little doggy, hey doggy are you hungry? I have some cookies with me, want one?"

She reaches into her yukata, drawing out a bag of cookies and presents one to Mauthe.

Offline Kuroimaken

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #15 on: February 05, 2013, 01:31:44 PM »
The monk gazed from the self-proclaimed goddess down to the girl in the yukata, and back to the "doggie", before noting idly, "...not the most worried girl in the world, is she?" nodding towards Yuuko. "Though I suppose innocence is a treasure all its own."

"Indeed, there does seem to be a lot of firepower between those in this room, if half of us are what they claim they are." Yan spoke, apparently including himself in the count. "And particularly moreso if the God-King himself is responsible for these newfound endowments. I don't recall having any new specific memories, though."

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Offline Geigan

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #16 on: February 05, 2013, 06:06:51 PM »
Mauthe looks at the girl for a moment and looks himself like he's looking at something that doesn't smell right, before taking on a sudden change. Claws lengthen visibly, teeth grow until they force Mauthe's mouth open, and tentacles sprout from Mauthe's back. Aside from this he does not make any movements until he speaks in voice that could only be described as raspy but articulated.

"Sure."


One tentacle reaches down and wraps around the cookie bringing it back up to where Mauthe can grab it with his surprisingly dextrous front paw, which he then uses to rub the cookie on something among his shadowy coat and then eat it.

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"My name is Mauthe and this is my associate Klaus. Pleased to meet you, as well as the rest of you. Thank you for the cookie."

He flashes a toothy grin to the girl.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2013, 06:09:11 PM by Geigan »
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Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #17 on: February 05, 2013, 06:27:51 PM »
Natsumi smirked at the canine that seemed to be trying to intimidate her sister. He'd definitely made a friend like that, whether he wanted one or not. Maybe Yuuko wouldn't bring up wanting a pet now; there were certainly enough animals in here to befriend if she decided she wanted one.

"I almost forgot: feel free to die, just remember to leave a body," Natsumi added brightly, then turning to look up at the monk. Tall, certainly; much taller than herself, but that was easy: towering over a short human took little effort at all. "I don't know if innocence is the right word. My sister has certainly seen more than this lets on."

Offline Kuroimaken

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #18 on: February 05, 2013, 07:36:07 PM »
"It's still innocence if it has weathered the world, I presume." The monk politely replied. "Or maybe she just genuinely wants friends. I've known her for all of less than a tenth of an hour, so I suppose you would know best." He doesn't look particularly disturbed at Mauthe's transformation; whether repressing his reaction or not remained to be seen, but perhaps the monk was just as outlandish as present company without letting it on as much.

"I don't suppose any of you would know what has the God-King to worry about? From his tone I expect it to be something he cannot handle by himself, though it is probably less a matter of inability and more of physical presence."
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Offline Valixes

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Re: Chapter 1: Attrition
« Reply #19 on: February 06, 2013, 10:27:53 AM »
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With a sound thudding of bone against stone, the Pit Fiend takes a knee with the knuckles of one gauntlet pressed into the stone - the ends of his wings trailing along the ground. "It is a pleasure to work with you all, regardless of the circumstances. Natsumi. Yuuko. Yan Ba-Zhe. Mentak. Elgin. I propose that we be open about what we are capable of, in lieu of certain expectations of us to function as a team."
« Last Edit: February 06, 2013, 10:36:41 AM by Valixes »