The Tragedy of Hero's (Inactive)

Game Master fnord72

Hase sits, stunned, through most of the presentation.
"Do we need to stop both sides using their capabilities, or just one?"

"Both sides have independently developed the capability to bring an end. Stopping one side may keep the other side from using their device.

I doubt that anything less than an unconditional surrender would be acceptable, and which side would you favor to give in? "

"Obviously, we will support the side of Desna and her allies," Xara says.

"What are the sides?"

"It is not so easy, as simply picking one deity. As far as I can tell, most of the major deities of your pantheon have been making choices for the last few centuries that are placing them on one side or the other, some unwittingly.

Your universe operates with some unusual and rather rare aspects of its underlying @#$%@. At the extremes, this is a battle between law and good, represented by heaven, and evil and chaos coming from the abyss. Not sure where your hell is fitting in though."

"And Desna is on the side of heaven?"
Hase asks, all too aware of how often those he thought were on the side of the angels had turned out to have a different agenda.

Gelein speaks his eyes purple.

"Nethys is on no ones side, he is neutral. Unless he directs me otherwise I see no point in choosing one over the other. You cant destroy a fundamental aspect of existance. If you did it would throw things out of balance, the reaction could be a worse outcome or even the very destruction sought to be avoided but in a different way."

"It seems what our host is trying to say is that the gods themselves, by destroying our beloved world, are throwing the universe out of balance. As for sides, I'm not sure fighting for one or the other is the right thing to do, To the overseer Do you think being independent of either side is an option?"

"What I think is immaterial. I have expended nearly all my energy to bring you here so that you may know what may happen. There are several roads before you. Which path you choose to follow, or even if you choose to follow no path, will have consequences." turning to Gelein, "even your god has already made choices in this crisis. Standing on the fulcrum is a balancing act that frequently ends in catastrophe."

"It would appear that Desna's best interests were with heaven."

"Alright - so we want to help heaven, or stop the war. Are you allowed to enumerate paths that have these goals?"

"Too many to discuss. Each has built a device, a super orrery. The timing of the solar alignment is very precise. Each will be working to control the event with their own device while trying to disable or disrupt the other.

It is not likely that you will be able to talk them out of activating their orrery. Disabling the devices are options. As is building your own to counter theirs."

Gelein mostly ignored his words, Nethys knew all. It was why not even other gods crossed him as he would already know and deal with them as such. Nethys would remain even if others fell.

"You have yet to speak on the purpose of these orrery's or what they have to do with the as yet unknown event. Not to mention what activating them would do, could you not simply create a protection around the target to render the device useless. Seems it would be a easier task, as well as keep the current balance as is."

He considered it short sighted, removing two fundamental aspects of existance. Wasn't good defined by evil, did law not grow from chaos.

"I have found it is usually easier to destroy than to create"

Nonplussed, Overseer responds to Tathor, "Each believes that when the material plane experiences the upcoming solar alignment, they will be able to open a rift in the very fabric of their universe. Through this rift they believe they will be able to harness energy that will effectively allow them to completely eradicate their opposition. Should heaven win they plan to remove evil from your universe. And the denizens of your Abyss plan to reciprocate.

As for projecting a field, that is unfortunately, not an option. I am unable to isolate the positions of either orrery as they are not currently located on your material plane. My sensory apparatus has low resolution on sub-universal #$%^%#& planes. The energy required to bring you here used nearly all of the storage capacity I had available."

Another earthquake rocks through the building, this one is more severe than the last one, lasting a full minute. A muted alarm is heard in the distance and goes silent several seconds after the end of the quake.

"Another option would be to assemble a third orrery to counter theirs. I do not have the technical plans for such a device. The physics involved are not the same as this universe."

So the options are to build a contraption, destroy or wrest control of the other devices from gods, or blow up the stars that plan to align, or would that third option even work? Not fond of the idea of destroying stars myself, but they are just kind of sitting there."

"Chances are that once we start doing anything, the forces of heaven and the abyss are going to both come after us, unless we can convince both sides simultaneously that we're trying to undermine the other."

"Overseer - is there a way to avoid detection by the sides? Is my normal preparation sufficient?"Mind Blank is up

"Xara, I would not recommend attempting to destroy a star, I am unable to calculate the consequences of such an action, though it may be a viable option of resort. Your universe has many deities. And while many are aligning themselves with one side or the other, you may also be able to suggest a third stance as well."

Overseer turns to look at Hase, a moment later a beam of light stabs out of a recess in the ceiling and expands into a curtain of light that plays back and forth over Hase several times. "I am not having any problem detecting your presence." Overseer stops abruptly for a moment, then continues.

"My calculations have been revised, your departure window is approaching faster than anticipated. Guide will show you to the launch bay.

The door you came in opens and Guide is standing before the door, "this way please."

Sustos stands and bows, not quite grasping the task at hand but determined to do his duty.

When Sustos bows, Hase shakes himself
"Thank you for warning us." he bows and moves to the open door.

Xara motions Fritz to follow. "I assume you'll send us back together?" she asks Guide conversationally as they walk.

"There will only be power for one transmission, you must return together."

As the party starts back the way they came, they re-enter the section of corridor with the orange glowing light coming through a section of transparent wall.

The view through the window shows what you can only describe as a devastated landscape. No plants or animals of any kind. The ground is broken rock, greyish in color with massive crevasses crisscrossing the surface.

The source of the orange glow, the giant orange and yellow object taking up nearly two thirds of the visible sky. Several black spots are visible streaking across it's image.

"What happened here?" Hase asks the Guide.

"Overlord is preparing to generate energy sufficient to return you to your universe."