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Post by ullarwarlord on Apr 4, 2014 10:28:41 GMT -6
You have a week of downtime before the audience, make the most of it.
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When you return from the Isles, the war seems...odd. Neither side is fighting with the fervor it once had. The crusaders are rebuilding their courage, but tempering it with caution, and the demons...seem to have fewer numbers and morale. Scouts tell you that the forces of Baphomet seem to have evacuated the Worldwound - it's down to Deskari to stop you now. However, there is a lull in the war while the Locust Host regains full control of the Worldwound.
This would be an excellent time to pursue other pressing, but less important goals.
As you go about your business in Drezen, you suddenly notice the light around you has been growing brighter - and slightly warmer. It is not a painful or uncomfortable light - it is one of warmth and comfort. None can see it but your fellow Heroes - not even cohorts can see. Just as it grows to what would be a blinding power, it fades.
And you find yourself in a sprawling cathedral.
The cathedral is enormous, the top spires going out of sight. Stained glass covers the windows, showing great deeds and battles throughout history. You can hear choirs of celestals singing throughout the temple, softly yet rousingly. There is a soft light throughout the place, and the brightest of these lights come to rest on a woman.
She is a humble-looking knight, with a breastplate and a blood-red cloak. She looks to be of Chelaxian ethnicity. Her sword is sheathed, and her shield is on her back. Yet none can mistake the power she wields.
"Well met, Heroes of Drezen. I am Iomedae."
She comes down the steps towards you - not as a superior, or a general, but one in need of aid.
"You have proven yourselves most worthy to strike back at the demonic host - to take from them what was stolen from me. My Hand is gone...taken into the Ineluctable Prison to have unknowable terrors visited upon him."
She pauses.
"Answer my questions, and be found able to take on the great task I would ask of you."
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I will be waiting on everyone to post before I continue. I will require everyone to post before I post what happens next.
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Post by starmanxl on Apr 4, 2014 11:08:15 GMT -6
Riqueza is in the Black Raptors base, managing repairs and expenses with Jekkajak when a strange sensation comes over her. A glowing light, and before she knows it it envelops her and she finds herself in a cathedral.
"What in the...?" she looks around, slightly on edge, but seeing this woman approach, she is calmed. There's something very comforting about her...and when she speaks her name, Riqueza relaxes.
"Wow, a visit by an actual goddess...er, is there like, standard etiquette for this?" She clears her throat. "Anyway, nice to meet ya; I'm Riqueza, but you probably already knew that." She folds her arms. "Hm...Baphomet said somethin' about this herald right before he was slain, but I had no idea what he was talking about...Ah, I'm getting ahead of myself. Shoot; what is it you wanna ask?"
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Post by LightWolf on Apr 4, 2014 11:25:24 GMT -6
I get on my knee and bow to her and silently await the question.
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Post by temperantia on Apr 4, 2014 18:26:04 GMT -6
"Well met, Inheritor. 'Tis is a pity... I hoped Baphomet's claims to be no more than a bluff."
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Post by General Spoon on Apr 5, 2014 12:31:34 GMT -6
Louise says nothing, nor gives any indication that she is going to say anything.
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Post by ullarwarlord on Apr 5, 2014 16:00:34 GMT -6
ginga has said that Ellena does what Timeor did, basically.
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"You all view me in your own way. And yet none of you fear me, and I favor boldness. When facing the darkest of demons, one must be bold as I was during my time as a mortal of the Knights of Ozem. Tell me, why do I think you might be worthy to carry that legacy of knighthood into the depths of the Abyss?"
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Post by ullarwarlord on Apr 5, 2014 16:13:19 GMT -6
17:09 ginganinja Ellena addresses her with the respect her station demands before begining
17:12 ginganinja We fought our way through the Midnight Isles, survived an audience with Noticula, and successfully put a stop to the plans of Baphomet, as well as slaying his Daughter. Our abilities might not be as advanced as yours, and perhapes alone we might not succeed, but as a group, I believe that the sum of our parts are worthy enough to travel into the deepest parts of the Abyss
For convenience
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Post by starmanxl on Apr 5, 2014 16:37:35 GMT -6
"Well...I wouldn't call myself the knightly sort, but I think we got what it takes. As Ellena said, we've already gone to the abyss and tussled with some powerful demons. Besides, we've already pissed off--er--invoked the ire of Baphomet, and I highly doubt he'd let that slide, so we might as well keep pressing on."
She nods, folding her arms and grinning. "We may not be gods, but we've faced every challenge thrown at us so far head-on and won as a team. Say the word and we're on it."
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Post by General Spoon on Apr 5, 2014 16:42:32 GMT -6
"We have already earned Baphomet's wrath. We have shown our abilities on the field of battle and in the Abyss. And whether you personally think us to be worthy or not, these and other reasons have placed us in the position where you think us best fit for the task at hand, all things considered," Louise finishes.
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Post by LightWolf on Apr 5, 2014 17:36:33 GMT -6
"Because we never gave up, we had our chances to leave, some of us wavered, but in the end all of us kept fighting for this cause. For different reasons, different motivations and different views of the whole war yet we stuck together and overcame impossible odds breathing hope into a cause that the demons have thought they were on the brink of completely annihilating. And because you know just like that we won't stop going till we reach the end of this."
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Post by temperantia on Apr 6, 2014 14:41:42 GMT -6
"We will find your herald and put an end to Baphomet if we have the chance. He was killed once, if we can do so again, he will not return. I and my benefactors simply cannot turn down an opportunity like that. Besides, Inheritor, even if we are not aligned in our goals, I have a great deal of respect for the tenets of law you uphold and so cannot abide by your power being compromised."
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Post by ullarwarlord on Apr 6, 2014 14:47:44 GMT -6
Iomedae nods and smiles as a bejeweled cup appears in her hands. "Take then this cup to hold the foul blood of the Father of Worms, for it is said his blood can melt any lock—this may be your key to the Baphomet’s prison." She offers the chalice to you, and upon taking it, you know its powers and its name - the Chalice of Ozem.
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This chalice is perhaps the last surviving
artifact from Sacred Ozem, now forever
lost in a tragic battle that ultimately led
to the foundation of the Knights of Ozem.
Made of shimmering mithral and studded
with dozens of rubies, the Chalice of
Ozem was carried from the ruins and handed down through
generations until it was finally given to Iomedae, who used it in
her fight against Erum-Hel during the Battle of Three Sorrows.
The chalice cannot be harmed by any substance it holds, no
matter how caustic. Further, any liquid placed within the chalice
will never spill unless the chalice’s carrier wills it. If the chalice is
held and the command phrase spoken (“Ozem for Iomedae!”), it
projects a globe of invulnerability. If a second command phrase
is spoken (“Her sheltering shield!”) and a scooping motion is
made with the chalice, a resilient sphere is created around the
carrier. Each of these effects can be called upon twice per day.
Once per day, a mythic character can expend one use of
mythic power while pouring a dose of holy water into the
chalice to immediately transform that dose of holy water into
a single dose of nectar of the gods ( Pathfinder RPG Mythic
Adventures 155).
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"You have a hero’s bravery. You have proven that you can survive the horrors of the Abyss, and this marks your courageousness as surely as any feat. But also you have learned that not all those in the Abyss are your enemies. Some are creatures whose nature can be used as a tool to defeat greater evils. So tell me, when evil assumes a fair form, and when weak villains beg for their lives, are they due mercy? Or are the wages of their villainy always death and oblivion?"
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Post by starmanxl on Apr 6, 2014 15:33:09 GMT -6
Riqueza reaches out and grasps the chalice, taken by surprise as the flood of memories belong to others come with it. "Whoa...so we just gotta kill the guy, pour his blood on a lock, and bust the herald out. Kinda macabre, but I'm game."
When asked this other question, though, she pauses, tail swishing back and forth as she thinks. "Hm...well...It's hard to say. We've met a lot of cultists and demons, and not many have tried to turn from their path...However, I know people can change. Nurah and especially Rue are proof enough of that. You gotta understand, I'm not a paladin or judge or anything; I make my living as a bounty hunter. Winning is my concern, not passing judgment, so if someone has the good sense to give up before we put them in the ground, I'll give them a second chance. If a demon could be redeemed before, why not again?"
"However...there's some that I won't forgive, no matter what. I'm sure you can understand."
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Post by ginganinja on Apr 6, 2014 16:37:11 GMT -6
Ellena hesitates a little before answering. "I prefer to think that it depends on each situation, Evil can change, and redemption should be offered to all of those willing to take it. On the other hand, sometimes...sometimes creatures refuse redemption and in such cases, I would rather strike them down, than have them hinder us. I am willing to give chances to those that are willing to take them, but am unwilling to give out mercy to those to refuse redemption, or are beyond its reach who still seek to stand in our way and continue doing evil.
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Post by General Spoon on Apr 6, 2014 16:38:11 GMT -6
"The circumstances of each individual must be considered," Louise says, saying nothing further.
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Post by LightWolf on Apr 7, 2014 7:14:51 GMT -6
"Even evil can be used for good, on our journey we have proven that many a times. Be it someone redeemed, or someone who simply benefited from our actions. We could have blindly tried to defeat Nocticula to stop their alliance, but it'd have been simply foolish. Blind justice would only doom us in this crusade, even with having paid a price already for not passing judgement instantly."
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Post by temperantia on Apr 7, 2014 15:32:47 GMT -6
"Tactically, it isn't sound to make enemies with everyone. As much as I don't wish to see a demon go unpunished, even I can recognize that."
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Post by ullarwarlord on Apr 7, 2014 16:19:17 GMT -6
The radiant knight smiles. “Your words bring me great relief, for you understand the central conflict before us all. True heroism is neither the sword that strikes nor the blessing of redemption, but the ability to know which is the proper judgment. Even in the depths of evil, some unlikely souls may yet be saved from their own lives of malice, as some villains may come to be forgiven. Do not forget this, even in the most unlikely places.”
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Everyone gets a boon - the use of atonement as a 1/lifetime SLA, at CL 20th. This is used as a standard action, and requires no material components.
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“Honor is my soul and life, justice is the passion that stirs me to war, and yet the cause of the true and the righteous is beset on all sides by evil. Tell me, how does one outwit and defeat a demon lord in his own domain? For let us not pretend, this is what I ask you to do.”
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Post by General Spoon on Apr 7, 2014 17:43:38 GMT -6
"Gain as much knowledge of your enemy as you reasonably can in your circumstances," begins Louise, "and plan around what you know of your enemies. When considering how they will act against you, assume that they are more competent than you."
"Knowing your opponents advantages and disadvantages and how to overcome them is important, but just as important is knowing your own advantages and disadvantages. When you know your own, you can plan for how your advantages will be negated, and how your disadvantages will be used against you. If the demon lord or his forces are able to surprise you, they may have already won."
"Additionally, in this situation the longer that a group can keep the focus of the forces of a demon lord off themselves, the better. Those forces will be unrelenting; the longer their focus is kept off the group, the better. Though the group should be ready to move and act quickly and decisively once they have been taken notice of."
"It is better to overestimate one's enemy than to underestimate them. Just because a situation for which a plan is made never arises does not make the plan a wasted one; it can only take one oversight to bring failure."
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Post by ginganinja on Apr 8, 2014 2:02:25 GMT -6
Ellene steps forward.
"Louise is our tactician expert, so I find it hard to speak after her, but I do agree that together, as a group we are an exceptionally formidable team, covering our individual weaknesses, while reinforcing our strengths. Personally, in combat I always saw force of arms being a central part of combat, and its an area that I myself, am particularly skilled in, so if it came to combat, that would be my area of strength. I also think that saving your Herald, or if that is not possible, simply removing him from Baphomet's control would hopefully hinder the demon lords plans in any case.
(Also worth nothing that Ellena is still wearing revealing clothing as per Arshea's boon, but Iomedae just...doesn't care?)
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