Epik |
Epik will detect evil on the figure as he approaches.
"Creating Sir. Who are you and what brings you to this blasted land?"
diplomacy: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (11) + 17 = 28
Kaurophon *NPC* |
Dalamus, he is just shy of 7 feet tall ... picture added to your journals
As the figure closes, you sense him huffing a bit. He waves to Epik to indicate he heard and takes a small respite before muttering, obviously a bit winded, "Never quite get used to needing to breathe ... funny that."
He clears his throat and responds directly to Epik, "I am Kaurophon, sent by the power of the Smoking Eye to guide you from ..." he looks around ... "wherever you seem to have landed yourself, to the plane of Occipitus. You've been marked by the deities of good to cleanse this place of evil and return it to the light."
Muttering again, his hood looks left and right, "By the Gods, this place is atrocious ... a prison?"
Kaurophon *NPC* |
"Certainly, your suspicions are part of why you were chosen. Your ability to decipher right from wrong when wading through the gray is what drew the attention of the various deities who watch the plane of Occipitus. The Smoking Eye is the unharnessed power of that plane. The former ruler of the plane who disappeared years ago, created the Test of the Smoking Eye. Whomever passes that test gains the power of the Smoking Eye and becomes the new rightful ruler of Occipitus."
He notices your confusion and consternation and attempts to explain more, "I've been sent to guide you to that test ... you know that you've been watched by beings of great power and goodness in the region. They are affiliated with this plane and wish you to claim it for the cause of good."
Sama'el Val'varen |
Perception - 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16
Sense Motive - 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21
Knowledge Plane - 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (20) + 20 = 40
I will also cast Detect Magic and see what I can about him
Knowledge Arcane - 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (15) + 18 = 33
Sam looks over the newcomer carefully, "Where exactly are we now?"
Kaurophon *NPC* |
Occipitus was formed millenia ago when a fallen celestial named Adimarchus led a demonic host to attack the Mountain in Heaven. He was repulsed, but at great cost to the angelic host as they were forced to cast part of the Mountain into the Abyss, tearing apart the very fabric of Heaven. That massive chunk of Heaven landed in the Abyss and became Occipitus.
Occipitus is dominated by a half-buried skull, the size of a mountain from which perpetual flame spews from its visible eye socket. Surrounding it are parts of Heaven mixed with the original evil forming a strange, living landscape.
"I'm not certain where exactly we are, but I'm assuming some sort of demi-plane carved out of the Astral. I've seen places like this before, small in detail, infinite in size ... built to bind powerful entities like the one you defeated."
He or what he's wearing radiates several types of magic ... strong conjuration, moderate evocation, moderate transmutation, moderate divination. Sam can't discern more than that.
Nemoris and Sam sense no dissembling
Epik |
Epik sheathes his sword, "It appears we have little choice but to follow your instruction. Tell us of this test. What is it that we must do?"
Kaurophon *NPC* |
"I'm nearly as surprised as you to find myself here. I hears the prophet's voice in my head and found myself here. I suppose I am the Sign of the Smoking Eye.". He smiles ruefully.
"Let me explain a bit of my background to help you understand why this seems to make sense. I've travelled the planes for hundreds of years. I was born of a dalliance between a fallen angel and a mortal. As such, I found myself unwelcome anywhere. Eventually my travels and research brought Occipitus to my attention. It's struggle between Heaven and the Abyss appealed to mine own identity. I've spent many a year trying to understand this plane and the power that transfers from its ruler to whomever passes the Test of the Smoking Eye. That power is that of a god, but it is not a god itself."
He turns to Sam, "So to answer your question, no one sent me since no one holds that power, yet. I hope you may remedy that."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Sama'el Val'varen |
Always impress when you have that kind of a write up on Watfinder
Sam nods, "Fair enough, I too suffer from a mixed heritage that I had no control over"
"How would you suggest we get to Occipitus? We sadly do not have the means to shift planes ourselves without being able to research somewhere to create the focus needed."
Kaurophon *NPC* |
"I will take you and accompany you as a guide on your journey."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Epik |
Epik nods, "Lead on, then."
Epik |
Epik will change his spells as follows:
3rd—good hope, magic circle against evil
2nd—eagle's splendor, eagle's splendor, resist energy
1st—bless weapon, divine favor, divine favor, lesser restoration
Epik |
Good Point Sam. Epik will swap Eagle's Splendor with Protection from Evil, Communal.
Nemoris |
Better than sitting around here. Depending on what we'll face, I can create additional arrows as well.
How many days did we wait around before
Kaurophon arrived? I figure I spent at least a day exploring, but I can probably craft another 50-100 arrows depending.
Kaurophon *NPC* |
Questions
Kaurophon turns to Sam, "Occipitus is a living plane, filled with cysts and pustules, jets of flame and a flesh-like terrain. It's dominated by the half-buried skull. The first part of the test is within a ruined celestial cathedral .. .that is where I shall take you. I have been there before and stumbled upon the first test and the first guardian, but was not powerful enough to pass it."
He pauses for a moment before continuing, "Few creatures live there. Even demons regard it as haunted, because the light of good still shines there. Yet the evil is so strong that the angels of Heaven count it as lost forever. Unfortunately, some demons and other creatures have moved there, trying to pass the Test of the Smoking Eye and expunge what good remains there."
Planar transport
Feel free to continue to ask questions, but I will assume all memorized spell casters (Nowzai, Epik, Jenya, Sam, Magma) are frozen on their lists as of the next time they post. i.e. you can change your list on your very next post, but that's it!
Kaurophon asks you all to stand in a circle and hold hands. With a couple of arcane words, an amulet around his neck glows and the world spins in a tight spiral, making you all dizzy and nauseous. It seems an eternity, but in reality mere moments pass before he releases your hands and states, "Behold, Occipitus ..."
Looking around, the sky seems to be made of flame, bathing everything in a reddish glow. Off in the distance looms a massive skull: a white monolith the size of a small mountain. Clouds of flame stream from the skull’s single exposed eye socket and up into the sky. About a half-mile ahead stands a cluster of gently curving white pillars, almost as if giant rib bones had been stuck in the ground. In the distance looms a steep mountain ridge whose top seems to touch the fiery sky. It stretches around the entire horizon - as if you were standing inside a vast bowl with a fiery lid. The ground is spongy and wrinkled. It’s more like skin than dirt.
Peering around, Kaurophon states "Based on the landmarks, I believe we are roughly 10 miles from the Cathedral of Feathers. It's that direction." He points toward the rib cage looking affair.
Image added to your Journal ... map coming later ... not terribly important right now
Epik |
Epik studies the protruding white pillars in the distance, "Tell us what you can Kaurophon of the inhabitants of both the cathedral and the skull. What god is worshipped at this cathedral? What was the first test and the first guardian that you faced?"
Kaurophon *NPC* |
"The only inhabitants I know of in the Cathedral are the proctor and the two guardians. The proctor for the first test, the Test of Judgement, is a decrepid mummified royal of some sort. You will have a choice to fight and slay either a bebilith or an avoral."
You may make knowledge rolls or use player knowledge if you have it for either creature as Kaurophon can give you details on both (generically)
"The cathedral was once of Heaven ... I did not see any signs of a specific deity, but remnants of Heaven still manifest there."
"As for the skull, Ive never been in it."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Epik |
Epik rubs his chin, "The avoral is an angel of sorts, if I recall correctly. We of course would slay the bebilith."
He turns to the others, "Shall we proceed?"
Sama'el Val'varen |
I changed some spells up and dropped Tentacles for Slow
Spells Prepared
Cantrips -
- Dancing Lights
- Detect Magic
- Read Magic
- Mage Hand
- Touch of Fatigue
Level 1- 7 Total
- 4 - Intensified Shocking Grasp
- 2 - Long Arms
- 1 - Frost Bite
Level 2- 6 Total
- 1 - Brow Gasher
- 2 - Frigid Touch
- 1 - Ablative Barrier
- 2 - Mirror Image
Level 3 - 5 Total
Level 4 - 2 Total
- 2 - Dimension Door
Arcane Pool
Sama'el - Arcane Pool Power Points – 14
Arcane Pool Power(s)
- Throwing Magus
- Flamboyant Arcana (Ex)
- Arcane Deed - Precise Strike (Ex)
Mord'ael
Scimitar +3
Int - 14
Wis - 10
Cha - 10
Ego - 14
Special Abilities
Alertness
Black Blade Strike - 1 AP for +3 Damage for 1 Min
Telepathy
Unbreakable
Teleport Blade
Arcane Pool - 3
Wands
- Shield - 44Charges
- Protection from Evil - 49 Charges
- Obscuring Mist - 48 Charges
- Weapon Wand - 48 Charges
Darkness - 1/Day (1 left)
Pearl of Power 1/day (1 left)
Nemoris |
Nemoris looks around, searching for any tracks, clues, and also available food or water to restore the parties diminished supplies:
Survival 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (14) + 18 = 32
Edit: As long as we only move half of my overland speed (and there is food/water to find), that will feed up to 12 people for today.
Kaurophon *NPC* |
You set off on your journey and within minutes, you reach the pillars observed upon your arrival. They appear as the gigantic remains of a skeletal rib cage, exposed to the blood-red sky and thrusting out of Occipitus’ skin.
A closer inspection reveals that what appears to be bone turns out to be a chalky white rock, some of which crumbles on contact. The ‘ribs’ are easily 20 feet thick, arching to a height of 90 feet.
Past the skeletal cage, the flats continue unbroken as far as your eye can see. You notice sporadic variations – long stretches where thick, hair-like fibres spring from the ground; patches of earth reminiscent of scales; and undulating stretches that resemble wrinkles.
You travel slowly and for what seems like several hours but with no sun to rise or set on Occipitus it’s hard to gauge. Occasionally you see flashes of light in the direction you are traveling and dark shapes moving in the distance to the right or left.
“These are the flats. Herds of fiendish creatures and thunder beasts roam here. Make no mistake, while fierce, they are tame compared to the hunters.”
Kaurophon turns to Dalamus to answer his questions as they travel, "Occipitus is populated (albeit sparsely) with what I'd call 6 distinct groups of beings. The first are the Natives, a group that includes some demons (the few that have survived centuries after the casting down of Celestian land), chaos beasts, and abyssal greater basilisks. You could likely incorporate the dead into this group as well. The demons speak Abyssal, the others don't talk".
"Next are The Abandoned, these are the followers of Adimarchus who were left behind after his disappearance and survived the onslaught of the subsequent demon horse. The Abandoned include demons brought to Occipitus by Adimarchus with no means to leave the plane after his departure, as well as other minions and creatures drawn to serve under Adimarchus’ banner. This group includes a large number of protean in the mountains, the various fiendish creatures Adimarchus used as shock troops (and their descendants), as well as a few unique allies (a dragon or the like). Abyssal, Draconic, Protean should help ... but you probably wont get a chance to speak to most of them."
"Over the years, factions have formed with turf wars and infighting reducing the ranks of the Abandoned. Those who remain are either powerful, wily, or both."
"An army needs food. To satisfy this need, Adimarchus stocked Occipitus with fiendish cattle and other beasts forming the low rung of the Occipitus food chain. This includes the fiendish bison, and for the hearty, thunder beasts. I call this group, The Livestock. These creatures now roam the flats, and are preyed upon by other fiendish creatures, and the slaadi. While demons have no need for food, they often wade into the flats to shed blood and cause devastation when the mood strikes. They don't speak"
"Group Four, The Usurpers, those who've come or wish to escape by passing the Test of the Smoking Eye for selfish or altruistic reasons. They could speak anything depending on where they're from"
"The next group is The Lost Celestials, the poor souls (and their progeny), caught in crush of conflict with Adimarchus’ demon hordes at the precise moment the land they were defending was torn from the fabric of Heaven and cast down into the Abyss. Those who remain lacked the means of planar travel to return to their home plane, or who elected to stay and protect the sacred ground left on Occipitus. Guardinals, some couatl, and golems created by the Heaven fall into this group. Celestial should help here ... you may be able to talk with most of them, if you can convince them you're not hostile and evil."
"And finally, us, Visitors ... although you may be more accurately classified as Usurpers now. While Occipitus is far from a tourist hot spot, the plane does attract some visitors. The layer is also occasionally visited by celestial and abyssal creatures seeking to discover the fate of the realm, hoping to rescue their lost brethren or hunt for treasure and lost artifacts. Any language is possible here, depending on the visitor."
Kaurophon pauses as he looks around, "Perhaps things have shifted, it seems further than I originally thought. We may have to camp for the night."
As if to accentuate his point, the skull in the distance spits a massive blob of fire into the sky where it coalesces briefly and then floats away. A quick glance around, and you note these amoeba-like blobs of fire are all over the sky.
Kaurophon glances at Sam meaningfully, pointing at the moving fire mass, "Plasms ... they're safe as long as you stay close to the ground. Flying is OK, but get too high and you'll attack the plasms' attention and be destroyed in a conflagration of fire and absolute evil."
Nemoris is incapable of finding anything resembling water or food here ... the landscape is unatural and flora and fauna don't seem to exist. A couple times he spies some hoofed beasts until he realizes they're about 30 feet tall ... not the typical hunted prey.
Actions? Push on or camp?
Epik |
Epik watches the floating plasms with concern, "Yes, if you believe it is safe to camp, then I too defer to your judgement Kaurophon."
DM Fflash |
For future potential evening random encounters, either post a default watch schedule in Discussion or I'll just roll randomly to see which 2 of you are awake ... your choice
Based on your first hours in Occipitus, you could be forgiven for feeling unwelcome. It is hard to sleep under the claret blisters that pool and congeal in the alien sky, burning with an arterial glow.
But somehow, you are given a reprieve. You are undisturbed, even if the absence of attention creates a building tension. Kaurophon is eager to resume the journey once everyone has rested.
“Today we traverse the flat lands, the food basket of Occipitus. Our goal is to find a furrow that will allow us to travel unnoticed.”
As Kaurophon takes the lead, you see the occasional black mass wandering in the distance. “Bison herds,” Kaurophon explains. “Fiendish bison.” Not long after, you see a half-eaten carcass, its visceral cavity exposed. The cadaver is being swallowed up by Occipitus, its head and torso half-submerged in the amorphous ground. Kaurophon keeps up the pace.
Seven hours into your trek on this second day, you have a first-hand encounter with the bison.
From the direction of the mountains, you notice a herd approaching. “They are being chased,” Kaurophon informs you. “We don’t want to find out by what.”
Even at your quickened pace the cloud of bison get closer, until you can see individual beasts, and then the spikes that thrust from their fiendish backs.
Actions? Will upload a map shortly ... put it's pretty much open plains ... just squishy, flesh-like plains that nothing grows on
Epik |
Epik draws his sword and faces the herd, "Nowzai, Sam, do you have any means of teleporting us, hiding us, or erecting a barrier between us and the bison?"