With a earth shattering voice thoku booms at the shaman "" thoku points to the swollen womb of the female
"that is the gift to our gods...the future and not the past "
Kern backhands the insolent female. "You've chosen poorly."
He then walks away from her unceremoniously.
"Also, note the tusks that Thoku carries. We killed many of their number, including one of their best warriors. This female is just a vessel for our sacrifice."
Thartor laughs and lowers his club. Well said, come! He leads the whelpling tribe into the maw of the giant, which closes shut behind them just as they pass into its throat. Deeper and deeper he leads the tribe into the corpse, until once more they stand in the chamber with the bone throne. The nameless warrior Thartor claimed from the Trial of Whispers crouches low beside the throne. Take the witch and place her on the table. The warrior grunts and stands. He clamps a metal collar around Gurtru's neck and tugs on the attached leash. She staggers after him as he retreats behind the throne.
The Voice of Zagresh takes the tusks from Kern and pulls out four before thrusting the rest back to the hunter. Thoku recognizes these as the ones he ripped from Gurtru and Shrogkar. You will be bound as one blood, one tribe. You will be brothers and sister. You will lose all ties to your former tribes. The shaman turns and leads the tribes behind the throne and into another room.
Large pieces of flesh dangle from the ceiling and support fleshy pods. Inside each, moan gaunt forms: emaciated orcs and slaves. In the center of the room stands an odd table: flesh and bone thrust up from the floor like a pile of fleshy severed heads that have been bound together by their massive tusks and unnaturally long tongues; atop this pedestal rests the table itself: an orc has been flayed and spread out, even it's skull and bones, and then flattened together and fused to the pedestal of blinking heads.
The pierced orc thrusts Gurtru onto the table and her down tight. Bones erupt from the table and clutch the witch about the ankles and wrists, binding her. The slave keeps a tight hold of the leash and crouches down by her head, pinning her neck to the table as well. Shrogkar cuts each of the tribe members' palms, letting the blood flow free into a hollow skull. He grinds three of the tusks into powder and mixes them into the blood. Then, he dips the point of the last tusk into the blood and scribes runes and pictures sacred to Zagresh on the witch's skin. He draws the sacred skull pile on the forehead of each of the tribe. Then, Shrogkar holds his bloodied hands out over Gurtru and continues his prayer.
Gurtru's stomach swells and pulses, and the witch thrashes, howling in agony. As her womb throbs, fleshy cords extend out from the pedestal and merge with the stomachs of each of the tribe. They can feel blood and power flow into their bodies, even as their faces being to subtly shift. Shrogkar takes the remaining tusk and slashes across the bulge, opening her belly to reveal her crawling whelp. The slave of Zagresh grabs the mewling whelp and pulls it free from the witch. He holds it aloft and utters a final guttural prayer, and dismembers the whelp.
Eat! Eat the spawn of Gurtru, take of its flesh and become one. He hands each piece to each of the tribe. Zagresh is pleased by your offering, and welcomes these to his Hoard. He claims you as his own. Serve him and kill! Make the orcs greater by culling our weak! Bring conquest and devastation to this world!
Gurtru, still somehow alive, screams as Shrogkar rips her heart from her chest, takes a bite, and then holds it above his head. Black flames erupt around his hand and reduce the organ to ash. The fleshy tendrils connecting everyone quicken and then detach from the pedestal, entering into each tribemember. As they look around, everyone can spot a kinship. Nothing physically has changed, but everything has changed. They are of one tribe!
It is done.
The slave drags witch's lifeless from the table and back to the throne room. The sound of chopping and sawing can be heard. Shrogkar licks his lips.
[
Choot delights in the delicate morel which tastes so succulent in his mouth, who knew!.
Choot dances and cackles with glee, "We are one mind and body and voice. The Destroyer is pleased with our offerings and with our deeds. Tell me tribe mates, what do you make of Gurtru's rantings during our passage here. Jas their tribe, which seems so weak, found a way to subjugate the Tall Ones?"
Kern takes the piece of flesh gingerly, hating every moment of the ritual but knowing it to be necessary. He takes a small bite, feels the surge of kinship fill him, and tosses the rest of the morsel behind him to Grell, who is sitting patiently a few feet behind him, knowing she will enjoy the taste much more than himself.
"I am proud to be one with you, brothers and sister. As for the Tall Ones, I doubt they would have more than a few weak specimens as slaves. Their tribe cannot be strong enough to own a full cadre of giants, I would think."
"Choot, let me utilize those scrolls for the greater knowledge of the tribe, I can then return them to you many fold over, it would be a good investment in the tribes future. Today is a great day indeed, we shall be a powerful tribe, Rull has blessed this gathering."
Choot nods to Kraq, "Yes Skysplitter. May you rain destruction upon our foes with them!"
Hakak tore a small morsel from his piece and fed it to Fleshripper before he feasted.
"It is good this is done. Now we may take our own glory, to share with none."
In a swift motion thoku rips the heart out and eats it "now we are blood, and the future is ours I will not fail you as your chief. Now to a name
Shakraal likewise accepts her morsel orc-veal portion, and savers its ritual strength.
Shakraal screams and blood erupts from her mouth as the changes take hold. Her eyes scintillate her environment, cutting in and out of multiple fates and wyrd realities. Her thews bulge and her tusks jut even further than they had. Less human. More orc.
Kring would be proud, but Kring will also come to fear her. With her new tribe and led by the Bloodied One she will make the ground her caul to wrap her foes in.
She feels the cleansing cleave that finally frees her from Kring's power, no longer subjugated to her mother's whim. No longer Kringsdaughter, she is now Shakraal Bloodscreamer...
Nodding to Choot
"These will bring our tribe continued power and might, let me study them."
Absolutely!
The burning angel has yet to spread her birthing juices across the sky, and Thortar rudely kicks the tribe awake. Come! The Trial of Whispers will begin! Zagresh would honor you before the cursed sun lights the great cavern.
He leads the tribe to the same put as yesterday, his pierced slave in tow. There is already a small group of warriors ready to make the descent into the pit. Slaves stoke fires within, and churn pools of steaming mud with long sticks that end in burned stumps. The Warriors glare menacingly at the tribe, and snarl challenges. Each has been scarred by battle, and wear their bravery and strength with pride. As one, they strip, piling their weapons and armor before Thortar. Thortar smirks and paints their foreheads in blood and soil from the ground. Enter the home of the Destroyer, prove yourself against his might and rise strong and ready! Test yourself against pain and fear, that you may slay the weakness within you as easily as you slay your prey!
The Warriors nod and run off into the pit. Thortar anoints the new tribe in the same fashion and gestures to the pit.
Feeling that he has little to prove to anyone at this point, Kern will keep his armor and axe with him, though he will remove Grell's barding to make her a bit more agile.
Choot strips down and commands Thrull to stand still where he is and hold his belongings until his return.
Choot heads into teh tunnel a grin on his face ready to face the Destroyer's challenge.
Shakraal strips to her scarred flesh, and with great ceremony and reverence peels off her dreadmasque, laying it carefully on the ground. She makes sure to cast no witchery, dropping into the pit with her clan after blinking her third eye at those left as custodians of her gear - the baleful eye's meaning is clear - touch not the Bloodscreamer's belongings.
Once in the pit, shrouded by smoke and steam her scars ripple, forming her mystic scarshield.
Kraq walks down to the pit with the others, saying to no one in particular after so many accomplishments,
"Weakling tribes, I suspect we will have victory yet again."
Thoku flexes his corded mussels as he removes his armor, he roar's calling to the blood good. Thoku grabs a small cowering orc with a quick motion, he tares the arm off it covering himself with his blood. Then Thoku takes a bite out of it giving prays to the blood good. With a finale roar he jumps into the pit
Once in the pit the blood swarms around
No problem Dragon, these things happen, all PbP's are slow at the moment, the summer has that effect it seems. Even my own PbP was languishing a bit until a few days ago.
The tribe descends deep into the pit. The walls are covered in razor-sharp spikes curly hooked and serrated in every direction. They would be impossible to climb. Thick pillars of earth rise up from the ground at several points throughout the large pit. Beyond the first set of pillars is a bed of fire and coals further still, three pits (two of bubbling mud that release noxious fumes into the air) and a third of razor sharp spikes. After these, a row of pillars is strung up with sharp wires. Beyond the pits a group of four warriors are just extracting themselves from the razor wire.
The pits belch fire and smoke and gases into the air, it collects in a thick choking haze that fills the pit, clouding vision and burning eyes. Above, the crowd roars with glee and bloodlust as the tribe stands ready to make their way through the Trial of Whispers.
Thouku runs and leaps across the pit, landing safely on the other side
Kern thinks better of leaving his armor on, seeing what needs to be done. But he shrugs, points to Thoku and says "Follow."
He then starts climbing the razor wall.
Unfortunately, as Kern hears a snarl of pain from his companion as she lands with her back half in the flames, he stabs his hand clean through with a razor and gives out a roar of pain, which he is unable to mask.
Shakraal makes a runnng jump...
and just barely manages to make it to the other side.
She screams in exultation, attempting to hide Kern's cries.
Kraq continues to watch from the top, his tribe doing well in yet another trial.
Choot eyes the coals and grins calling out to the Destroyer, "Aid your faithful servant! I shall suffer the torments of the destructive force of nature in all of its glories!!!"
With that he delivers unto himself the Kiss of Death and walks across the coals.
Will save DC 15
He pauses for a brief moment to enjoy the warm feel on his feet and then steps across for others to follow smiling the entire way.