Echoes of the Sephira

Game Master Red Velvet Tiger

HOLY DOT OF GODLY POWER!

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Here I am, rock you like a snowicane.

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Dot~

d-d-d-d-dd-d-dd-d-dot

CYCLE 0-1: SEVEN SHINING STARS

"I see the innumerable threads of fate, shining like stars in the dark tapestry of eternity, dragon, and I glimpse the future you fear. There shall arise The Seven whose light burns too brightly to be contained by the Loom. They shall band together, drawn by seven lanthorns of purest virtue and a redeemed daughter of Hell, to bring about the doom you seek to avert. Know despair, wyrm of a forgotten age, for this I have seen, this is what will be."
-Marasia, the Blind Seer

As the Lantern Archon flashes with a white light that encompasses your vision and makes your body go numb, your mind races over what it spoke of. What sort of work would the Seven Heavens have for you? What did it mean, the 'other six'? Why did it choose you? And why must you journey to the Heavens to meet with this 'patron'? You were promised your heart's desire by the strange Archon, but why would it make such a deal with you?

As the blinding flash of white light that the strange flying creature of light and gleaming metal emitted fades, you begin to regain your senses. The air is cool and crisp, though there is no breeze to be found and a choir sings some hymn of untold beauty and clarity, hundreds of glorious voices joined together in perfect unity. As your vision focuses, you look at your surroundings. You are in a massive cathedral, easily the size of a village on the Material Plane, made entirely out of some substance that looks like ice the color of gold. Light pours in the gemstone mosaic windows, bathing spots of the cathedral in prismatic light. Celestial beings of all sorts can be seen, sitting in pews made of the same material as the cathedral itself or born aloft on their majestic wings.

Your attention suddenly snaps to the area in front of you as several other people seem to materialize near you, six in number. Above each of you floats a Lantern Archon, presumably the ones that sent you all here. The Lanterns begin to speak in in unison, their voices like crystalline chimes in the wind, "We apologize for the rather rushed journey each of you just undertook, but our mistress wishes to speak with you on a matter of utmost importance to her. Ah, but where are our manners? Allow us to introduce ourselves..." The seven Lanterns swirl into the air in a spiral movement and rapidly swirl, trailing white light as they do so. With each pass by, the trails of light seem to become almost... solid. After a few moments, the pattern begins to take shape into a winged humanoid made out of glowing light. The Lanterns then embed themselves in the majestic being of light, easily twice the height of the tallest among you. The being looks at the seven of you with eyes that twinkle like stars and speaks in an echoing voice that seems to make the air vibrate with some great power, "WE ARE LUMOS, THE LANTHORN OF HEAVEN, SERVANT TO VERANA THE RISEN LIGHT. IF YOU HAVE ANY PRESSING QUESTIONS, WE ASK THAT YOU HOLD THEM UNTIL MY MISTRESS ARRIVES, FOR SHE CAN ANSWER THEM FAR BETTER THAN US. IF ANY OF YOU NEED ANYTHING, YOU NEED ONLY ASK ONE OF OUR BRETHREN, FOR YOU ARE GUESTS IN THE SEVEN HEAVENS. FOR NOW, WE MUST PART FROM YOU ALL, FOR WE GO TO INFORM HER OF YOUR ARRIVAL. WE SHALL BE BACK SOON."

You look at the other six beings brought here to this hallowed place, still somewhat confused about the events which brought you here.

You may now introduce yourselves and RP! Sorry for the delay!

Amidst those who were summoned to the chamber stands the nebulous form of a woman in a white mask. Shadows swirl about her as she stops to admire the ethereal architecture of the cathedral.

Letting out a small sigh, she reaches up to grab the nearly featureless white porcelain mask covering her face. As she removes it the shadows surrounding her seem to dissipate into nothingness, revealing her to be a young, raven-haired woman in a simple black silk robe and lacquered black and red haramaki. She gives the mask a quick look, and with a flick of her wrist it dissolves into shadows, vanishing from sight.

"So close," she says quietly. Her eyes close for a moment and she appears lost in thought. "Take Inki, return to the library and wait. I'll send word soon."

Opening her eyes again she glances about, looking over the other six standing within the room. "Petrikov, it's good you're here as well. Aelias just mentioned that you'd disappeared at the same time I did. This is a rather unusual turn of events, isn't it?"

A light tap on the floor signaled a staff coming to rest; for all of the phenomenal power that Mihrel possessed, it often saw use as a simple walking staff... and the young woman holding it seemed entirely at ease within the celestial realm. Camiel had absolutely no idea why their group had been brought here, but she was nothing if not able to adapt to circumstances, and she'd decided gamely to go along with what was happening. Of course, her own comfort was mainly a reflection of her heritage.

Connections between the celestial realms and the material plane weren't exactly unknown. Indeed, the servants of the gods were summoned on a regular basis, and that wasn't even beginning to consider the direct hand that many gods took in the lives of their followers. From visions and knowledge to the granting of spells, there was no shortage of divine action in the world. Still, even amongst all of that, there was no denying that Camiel was a little more connected to the heavenly realms than most. The power of two different gods was in her blood, defining who and what she was. After all of the experiences she'd gone through up until this point, and all the power she'd obtained, she was only slightly below the divine ranks of an actual demigod in her own right. At the same time, all of her divine magic was powered by her own internal energies, not the outside blessings of any member of the pantheon.

Acknowledging the request of Lumos, though, Camiel simply smiled cheerfully and waited, feeling no need to rush other celestial beings. After all, it wasn't like she needed to eat... or drink... or sleep... unless she really wanted to. She did lightly run her finger over some of the markings on her beloved staff, slightly grateful at the fact that this was happening in the day. The other part of her wasn't wrong, exactly, but... it could be a little socially awkward, especially in company like this.

"Wherefore is THOON summoned at the pleasure of archons?!" booms a voice in the head of all within one mile who are capable of receiving telepathic messages.

Among those summoned stands a male dwarf with grey skin and a stern expression. His white beard appears to start from sideburns that protrude from a crystal skullcap fashioned in the shape of a brain and follows his blocky jawline, framing his face before falling into four braids. His skin is tattooed with strange patterns that temporarily draw the eye, pulsing in an arrhythmic cadence. The man wears a fine greatcoat of exquisite darkleaf cloth, bedecked with brass-adorned mithral plates and links. Under the greatcoat, an inky black suit that seems to move unnaturally when viewed peripherally covers a host of odd protrusions that shimmer like an oil slick. He carries an extremely exquisitely-stained dark teak staff with finely-wrought gold and platinum coins pounded into it at regular intervals.

"Hm, isn't it more at the pleasure of their master?" Camiel mused after a voice sounded in her head. That kind of thing happened quite a lot if you followed a deity and were particularly close to them, though she tended to operate on slightly different terms than most. Judging by the words, though, it seemed to be coming from one of the others that had been called alongside her... though she wasn't quite sure which one... although at least they'd given her a name, albeit one utterly unfamiliar to her. With a shrug, Camiel raised her hand and tugged slightly.

It looked like a simple move, but to those with the power to see beyond the surface of things, it was so much more. It was also something of a habit of hers, because honestly, she didn't really like not knowing things. You never knew when it might be important...

Primordial Magic (Portend): Gain information (in this case, about a creature) by pulling it from the universe through the use of magical energy, as if doing a knowledge check. Spending a Level 5 magic slot (for a 20 point bonus). 6 5th level spells remaining today. Caster Level Check: 1d20 + 2d8 + 17 + 20 ⇒ (14) + (8, 6) + 17 + 20 = 65

And Camiel blinked, slightly, as the the universe essentially told her that it knew absolutely nothing at all about whoever or whatever this THOON fellow was. She'd... never had that happen before. Maybe it was the location... but at the same time, she doubted there would be much trouble here, so she merely shrugged and decided not to pursue it any further. Bad things happened when you twisted the universe too much.

I'm assuming his Barred Mind is active. XD

Yes, it would be active, although the wording of your power is interesting. It would be blocked by Barred Mind since it is a magic means to gain information, however it also says "as if doing a knowledge check", and Barred Mind does not block knowledge checks. If it were magic boosting actual knowledge, i would think it would work, but if it were magic pulling the knowledge from elsewhere and imparting it on you, it likely wouldn't work. Kind of an interesting set of powers. For instance, if you read someone's memories who had seen Thoon first-hand, i wouldn't imagine Barred Mind would come into play, whereas if you did a divination directly on Thoon, it would block it.

I probably could abuse loopholes until Camiel found out enough information, but for now, she has no reason to expend quite that much effort. XD Besides, it feels like it'd be breaking your character's theme, and I'd rather not do that right now.

As Thoon materializes and booms his telepathic message, a figure descends from the vaulted ceiling. The being seems to be a featureless angel like a starry void in the shape of a man, six golden rods protruding from it's back covered in dozens of trailing scrolls that are etched in golden runes Celestial script, for those who know it that seem almost like wings. The angel focuses on Thoon, stretches it's arms wide, and bowing for a moment, as if a gesture of respect.

Camiel, you receive all the high points of Thoon's history, as under his background, though not his motivations or internal thoughts. Your magic taps into the Akhashic memory that exists in the universe, not targeting Thoon himself.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, the universe gave up its secrets to her - though delayed longer than she'd been expecting. Camiel blinked slightly - though, at the same time, she was perfectly aware that the knowledge she received through her power, while true, tended to lack context. In this case, she was also seeing a celestial being interacting with the... THOON... and perhaps more importantly, she was a guest, intentionally or not, in their home. Doubtless they were aware of things, and if they felt no trouble was needed, then she certainly wasn't going to go out of her way to cause it. She'd let it be for now - after all, she was rather more interested in finding out why they were here.

Moments before the initial scene...

The divine realm of the archons stood tranquil and silent, as the few heroes who had been gathered first got their bearings after a most disorienting teleport.

The choir sang out, peaceful and serene, echoing through the cathedral's golden passages, immaculate and still; a true haven of tranquility.

... and then Trazzle happened.

With the thunderous quiet of a discordant trumpet blast, and all the practiced agility of a rampaging aurochs, the figure of a begoggled goblin in a makeshift skullcap and an old ratty longcoat came tumbling through the aether, scraping to a stop with the skin-crawling noise of teeth against divine marble, leaving in his path a trail of crimson dust of some sort.

Lost within the fracas, the blurred figure of a small fey soared through the air, propelled with all the mastery of the average village idiot, her own momentum stopping against the side of a finely chiseled column. Against expectations, the column seemed to suffer more from the impact.

... back to the present.

Trazzle picks himself up and dusts himself off, apparently no worse for wear, if winded. He looks around, confused. Moments later, Nocturne picks herself up, skittishly backing away from the dent her head put in the structure and rejoining her leader; hovering behind his shoulder and taking in these strange new sights.

Huh. Trazzle notes, confirming that he is no longer chased by what must now be an infuriated Frost Empress, and admiring this new place. Guess that really was an archon, then.

Taking note of the powder line, he winces. "Heh, uh, sorry about that, shiny ones!" He fumbles for an instant through his back, and produces a set of flint and steel. An instant later, the powder goes up in smoke and bright green flames, leaving the floor as pristine as before.

Though he listens to the archon's words without answering, Trazzle seems very fidgety and impatient. Moments after his arrival he sits down on the ground. On closer inspection, his movements seem bizarrely quick, as though time were flowing faster for him that those around.

After everyone is properly introduced and has had a spot of RP, I will advance things. I of course will respond to anything the PCs do that a GM should respond to, obviously, but am letting everyone come together for now. ^_^

"Are you all right?" Camiel asked Trazzle, looking moderately concerned as he cleaned himself off after... something happened. It certainly seemed to be a rougher and more violent experience than she'd arrived with, and she knelt down in front of him to check him over. All of these new visitors were quite interesting as people, and they probably wouldn't have been brought together unless it was rather important. After all, the gods didn't play practical jokes... well, not TOO often. Mostly. Depending on who they were. She was rather looking forward to the reason for gathering such a disparate group of individuals together.

The dark old dwarf looks to the angel, likely in an attempt to read the script hanging from the rods on its back.

"I'm better than before I came here, that's for sure." Trazzle replies, looking himself over. "...and there are certainly less angry elder great wyrmses here, so that's a plus."

"Hm..." He ponders, noting that Camiel looks much closer to the shiny ones as any of the other travelers do. "Do you know where this is?" He asks, before realizing that his thinking cap might actually hold such a fact and focusing on it, watching one of the dangling strands of leather wobble as he attempts to recall.

Knowledge(Planes): 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (20) + 29 = 49 First roll of the campaign. Natural 20. Good omen.

"We're in the Seven Heavens, one of the holy planes of the gods." Camiel said, smiling at the small goblin. After a moment, "Don't worry, I'm fairly sure you're not dead." she'd have to do a much more serious examination to be entirely sure, but her overall feeling was that all of them were still alive, and just visiting instead of being, er, slightly more permanent guests of the plane. Still, it was probably best to clarify that now, just in case. There had been that one time where she'd been nursing someone back to health, he'd woken up and seen her, and... w-well, that wasn't too important now. Besides, the city had a lovely new church building after everything that happened, so it had turned out just fine. Right? Right. Moving on!

A chill, biting wind begins to blow through the chamber. It picks up speed and amazingly, snow beings to fall, swirling around and around. It starts to gather in a particular spot, not too far from Yukio, quickly piling up. As it continues to snow, a form takes shape and eventually resolves itself into a small man, with pale blue skin, and white hair. He wears a crown on his brow, bedecking with jewels, and an exquisite knife hang at his belt.

He looks to Yukio "I'm glad to be here too, at least, I think I'm here. Or am I there? I could be there. That happens sometimes."

Yukio looks over the rag-tag group assembled in the room. Quite a menagerie that's been assembled here. Something serious is afoot, all those assembled look like they're not minor players. And this being before us is most certainly not one. It'd be good to have Inki along to get his take on this. Not here though, he'd be miserable here.

Striding confidently to the front, she addresses the group and the being floating before them. "Perhaps introductions are in order. While I'm well acquainted with my icy friend here, I must admit that I'm unfamiliar with the rest of you or our host. I shall endeavor to remedy that. I am Yukio, practitioner of shadow-magic, planar traveler and collector of sorts." she says with a smile and a small but respectful bow.

Scaled fingers drift through tome after tome, his eyes scanning the dusty pages with an intensity not found in most mortal eyes. This tome was about the study of stars and their impact, and perhaps their original source as divine creations. Of course, none of this told Charis what he needed to know. None of this told him what he needed to know. A glowing stone hung from his neck, shifting between colours so quickly that it would seem to emit a faint white light to all but the most keen of senses.

"You do know that it's unlikely anyone has come across something like that." The familiar voice, raspy from a slashed throat, rang out in the library, and Charis placed down the seventh tome that he'd read since coming to this place. "So what makes you think that it'll stop me from finding it?" The two kobolds had this conversation almost weekly now, and the answers were always the same. It was almost like routine, except this time...

it ended differently.

"Look, I don't want to tinker with this thing's magic before I know what the hell it is!" The white kobold's eyes looked upon Katima, his red-scaled companion. "But without tinkering we may never know what it is? It was spoken like a question this time, but they both knew it was a...

A single flash, a change of scenery, and Katima had disappeared. Charis' blade flashed out of his scabbard as he looked around wildly. The glowing lights around him failed to calm him, and his eyes locked on each individual. A man of ice, two strange women, and one that he recognized? The kobold backed up, keeping himself on the edge of the group and sheathing his blade as he looked at the goblin. Could it be... "Trazzle?"

Camiel wasn't used to being the largest person in a given group, but at the moment, she was actually feeling a little on the tall side. It was... interesting. She nodded slightly at Yukio's words, mulling over how to best introduce herself. Considering where they were, choirs of angels singing an introduction probably wouldn't even be noticed, so that was out. On top of that, though, honesty did compel her to be straightforward, and she lightly clasped her hands behind her back. "My name is Camiel, and I run a small church on the Material Plane. It's a pleasure to meet all of you." I think.

A large pile of snow forms underneath the blue man, rising him up so he's above all the others. It takes the shape of a throne which he stands on to be even taller "I AM THE ICE KING!, LORD OF THE FROZEN CITADEL!, MASTER OF THE FROSTFELL! I AM PETRIKOV!"

And very loud for such a small being. Camiel idly thought to herself, nodding slightly. Honestly, she wasn't really that big on royalty, considering the way so many of them acted. Of course, anyone here was likely to be a fellow of an entirely different type, but still. When a few dozen kings, princes, and grand lords of various sorts all ended up acting the same way, it made a bit of an impression. She did smile, though. "Greetings, Your Majesty. I hope we'll get along well."

"and I am THOOOOOOOON!" comes the proclamation in the form of a booming voice from the dwarf at the back, coupled with a telepathic voice stating the same. "Thought made legion, seer of the unseeable and scholar of the unknowable! "

Glancing around at the others, Charis glared at the two yelling individuals. No need to be so loud right now, especially with the circumstances of their arrival... The dwarf was interesting however. Charis had heard of telepaths before, but had never had the pleasure of meeting one in person. This one seemed to be a bit prideful however, but regardless...

The kobold glanced over to the strange woman who had initiated the conversation. "Charis Brightstar." he said, leaving nothing more than his name. While they had all been brought by Archons, (at least Charis assumed so), there was no reason to trust them with anything more for now.

"Friend Charis!" Trazzle exclaims, when the Kobold calls out to him. An instant later, barely in the time to blink, Trazzle is standing in front of Charis, and shaking his hand. "Nockie! Look! This is Charis I told you about; from when I became chief."

As Petrikov booms and rises on a big throne of ice, Trazzle looks on with great big amazed eyes, like a wyrmling in a gemstone mine. "Ohhh! That's the second most impressive thing I've seen someone do with ice!"

Then, as Thoon booms as well, Trazzle grins. "Introductions, huh? Hmmm."

Trazzle spends a few seconds mixing a handful of reagents from the satchel at his belt, then downs the powdery mixture, before booming with an alchemically-amplified voice.

"This one is Trazzle Glimmerfang of the Wyrmtaunter tribe, slayer of sixteen dragons, wielder of two goblin magics, and friend of the Moonlake fey!"

"Ooo!" Nocturne exclaims, flittering around the Kobold. "Nice to meet you, Charis," She adds, offering Charis a handshake.

Despite the image she often projected to others, Camiel was actually the kind of person who had a hard time controlling herself. The dual sides of her nature constantly tugged her in different directions, and it wasn't unusual for her to be strict when freedom was a good choice, or improper when she should have been firm. Natural charm tended to smooth it over, but... well, if jokes could be made, it was often tempting to try and make them. Sigh. Part of her was wondering if she should have done that thing with the chorus again after all, since the others appeared to be getting into a competition of who could be the loudest. At least it was fun to watch... "Sixteen dragons, hmm? What types were they?" she asked Trazzle, honestly interested. Slaying one was a feat worthy enough to make a man into a hero in her church, and if someone here had done much more than that, well...

"Greedy ones, not shiny ones." Trazzle declares. "Dragons steal stuff and keep it in their cave; that means there's less stuff for everyone else. My Wyrmtaunters steal the things back and spend them all around, so things return to world. I got separated from my Wyrmtaunters, but I still do it when I can. Some of those dragons were big, others were small, but I only hunt the greedy ones... I did make a really big, really greedy one angry, though," he adds nervously.

Wyrm... taunters? That sounded exceptionally dangerous, and even a little bit insane. Or a lot insane, depending on the size of the dragon in question, though it was true that sitting on a huge pile of wealth could do bad things for a local economy... "Your Wyrmtaunters sound like wonderful fellows." she told Trazzle, making up her mind on the issue. "One of the best ways to judge someone is by the quality of their enemies, and many of my greatest knights would be honored to have such a foe angry at them."

"That sounds like quite the pastime, although it sounds like the taunting might have gotten a bit out of hand," Yukio remarks to the goblin.

"I have slain a dragon or two in my time..." she said, pausing to think back for a moment. The fight against Aeliastraza was certainly a rough one, if we hadn't spent so much time preparing we'd likely not have survived. "I prefer not to provoke them unless absolutely necessary. If they're hoarding something specific that is needed, sometimes it's easier to... borrow the item. Sometimes confrontation is unavoidable though."

"Anyway, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Trazzle, Camiel and Charis," she says with a smile and slight nod to each. "And you as well Thoon."

"And a notable experience to have encountered you all, small ones. Odd that such a disparate group should manifest here nigh-concurrently." Thoon replies telepathically. You get the idea that the dwarf's normal speech was more of a rare occurrence; while the telepathic voice, alternating as it did between imperious and serene, was the primary means of communication.

i imagine THOON's telepathic voice, depending on content, to alternate between a serene, HAL-9000-like voice and an imperious, Megabyte(from ReBoot)-like voice

A smile crept across Charis' face as he shakes hands with Nocturne, the fey intriguing in its appearance. "So you must've disappeared to the Fey?" Charis asks, glancing at Trazzle with an odd look on his face. It had been a long time, almost twenty years perhaps? It was like an eternity in kobold years, their race short-lived compared to most others, and Charis had accelerated his own aging comparitively with his creation...

But no talk of that. "I do not have much to say in accomplishments. I too have faced dragons, and Proteans from the outward planes. But combat is not important to me. Only the aiding of my race."

"Oh, no, no, nothing of the sort. I'm just out there following Trazzle; he's a good friend to my court, you know? You could say I'm an ambassador. Proteans, you say? Tell me about them. What are they, again?"

By the way, Thoon, do you have any form of alignment masking active, or would Nocturne's Detect Evil pick up on your alignment?

"Well... I have to admit it is funny seeing her get angry every time I get away." Trazzle cackles. "So..." He ponders aloud, still taking in the various sights.

"Do you know what the archons have called us all here about? I'm always up for an adventure, but some information would be great."

As he speaks, Trazzle casually draws an empty vial and begins mixing up some components. As he does, his coat, which had been up to now draped over his shoulders like some makeshift cloak, comes to life; its sleeves rummaging through his bags and handing him flasks and satchels at his request.

Trazzle punctuates his sentence by gulping down the resulting mixture. At once, he seems to stand straighter and looser, as though he'd been relieved of some matter of soreness.

i keep Barred Mind on each day, so detect evil is thwarted. it should also keep people from reading his mind and taking all kinds of WIS damage

"The gods never bring people to their realm for small matters." Camiel mused. "There are much faster and easier ways of contacting people if they simply want to talk... or even ask them to do something." It could be a way of showing respect, but considering the makeup of their little group, that seemed a little unlikely. On the other hand, even she couldn't truly fathom the minds of the gods, and she was a heck of a lot closer to them in nature than the huge majority of beings. It probably wouldn't be too long until they found out what was going on, though, and she was mentally taking notes for reference.

Chari nods at Camiel's remark. However, there was one other idea that she had perhaps missed. "It's possible that the task this being may want to talk in secret." Magic like sending or those similar could be intercepted by a sufficiently powerful mage, and even deities would not be above spying on their counterparts' magical messages. "Meeting in person, utilizing Archons, it means that our caller wishes this to be quite secret." The kobold glances at the dwarf and other odd individuals, clicking his teeth together lightly. Whatever this was for, any commonality they shared would have to be something a bit broad. Perhaps they were all...

No, they couldn't all be like me...

The glowing orb around Charis' neck glistened, changing to a light blue then returning to the same white as its 'master'. Perhaps it was true... Were they all the same kind of unique being? "Do any of you have experience with stars? The kobold asks oddly, trying to keep his tone neutral as he asks the odd question. Perhaps they did? Maybe they didn't...

yes, to call us to their seat of power. Control the situation. THOON concurs.

hey, sorry, It wasn't updating for some reason. I am here now though! just gotta get caught up.

"Well, there was this one time I was traveling..." Camiel began thoughtfully, recalling some of the events of her past. It had been fairly crazy at times, particularly once she'd began to uncover the true depths of her inheritance. She shook herself a bit a moment later, though. Stories like that needed to be told properly, and she considered the words of the others. Controlling the situation, hm? "As for why we're here, specifically... wouldn't it have been better to use a pocket dimension if they truly wanted to control things?" Camiel asked. "This place isn't exactly private, and that kind of place would probably be much more secure if it was made correctly."

"TRUE" echoes THOON.