The Forgotten God (Table 5)

Game Master Rednal

"How were you able to transform the creatures into shadow beasts? I would have expected either flame or smoke, given the nature of your power. Also, could you replicate it without the machine? On a much smaller scale, of course."

Kozuri shook her head. "Unfortunately, I could only do it with the machine. I did it enough that I might be able to create it as a spell someday, but that would take a long time to research, and it wouldn't be quite as effective." she explained. "As for the beasts themselves, they kind of were smoke... really dense smoke. Past a certain point, solid smoke and solid shadow look like the same thing, and I was trying to give out as little information as I could about what they were and how they worked. Harder for others to counter." she grimaced a bit. "I, uh, had a lot of time to practice and think about my plans."

So she'd figured out how to create long-lasting smoke elementals. An interesting trick, to be sure, but the deception and strategic planning were rather more impressive.

"Well, you've done well thus far. After all, you're free now. Do you have a way of contacting your Uncle once we arrive?"

"Piece of cake once we get to the Plane of Fire." she said confidently. "If we can get to the City of Brass - won't be hard, it's the main city of the entire plane - I can send a message for someone to pick us up. Uh..." she looked you up and down a few times. "Can you, uh, hide your features at all? To, uh, not look like a Sylph? The people from my village aren't too bad, but most efreeti kind of hate djinni, so anyone even vaguely related to them could get in a lot of trouble if they show their face..."

Astoroth nodded. "I had considered that possibility. If the need arises, I can appear as something else. Perhaps a Human or an Oread. The more important question is, do you have a way of reaching the City of Brass? I no longer possess the ability to travel among the planes, unfortunately."

"Human would be best." Kozuri said, sounding completely confident in her assertion. "The Shaitan are temporary allies at best, and I have no idea how things are currently going. Humans, though, aren't a problem as long as you don't attract any undue attention. They won't take kindly to arrogance, but genies have always had a special bond with mortals, and Efreeti don't go out of their way to cause trouble for us unless they've got a reason to. And I'll be with you, too - that'll help. As for getting to the City, I'd bet my left horn that someone in Absalom can open the way for us..." she looked you up and down again. "And give you something for the heat." she added. "Failing a direct warp, we could probably head to Axis - you can definitely reach the City of Brass from there, but I'm not sure how many planar trips we can afford right now. I'll try to talk my Uncle into letting us take the short way home."

"I feel the same way. Unless there's an item you'd like to keep, I propose selling the items we found in the Engine to secure any necessary funds. I'll use any excess to secure a means of resisting the heat. Is there anything else I should be aware of? Either in regards to the City or yourself?"

"You rescued me - as far as I'm concerned, all the treasure is yours unless you don't want it." Kozuri said, smiling. "As for the rest, I don't think there's anything in particular..." That didn't stop her from cheerfully continuing to chat, though. It was going to take almost three weeks to reach Absalom at the ship's normal speed, and there was certainly plenty of time for talk...

We can continue on to Absalom if you'd like - or you can keep chatting or look around the ship!

During the journey, Astoroth will learn what he can about the ship and anyone else aboard.

Observation was one of the best ways of learning about a given subject. The ship you were on looked rather more advanced than the sailing vessels from your time, though just as clearly, there hadn't been any truly tremendous breakthroughs in technology. Nothing to render most of the old techniques obsolete, at any rate - and aside from your companion (easily the weirdest person aboard, excluding yourself), the crew was a fairly normal mix of humans, with a few half-orcs (for brute strength) serving as a backbone for the sailors. There were also a pair of gnomes down below who spent their time fixing things and dealing with the small but important details of running a ship. Most of the crew were friendly enough - you were paying, after all - and both you and Kozuri were regularly invited to dine with them, join in on storytelling, and play games of chance.

The ship grew louder as an island appeared on the horizon, however, and you could see quite a few other ships moving towards and away from a massive harbor. "Ah, home sweet home!" the Captain said, smiling. "We've been out for awhile, so we'll need to pick up a guide, but that's easy enough."

Although the sailors didn't reveal any world-shattering bits of knowledge, Astoroth was able to take the random conversations and piece together a fair bit of information as to how the world had changed. It seemed that Absalom was still a bastion of good sense, and wasn't currently under assault by hostile forces. The fact that it remained unconquered even after this much time was a good thing. Hearing that they were close and the remainder of the trip should be routine, Astoroth returned to his cabin and gathered his belongings.

You could feel the ship slowing down as it got closer to a city, eventually coming to what was more-or-less a stop not far from a lighthouse you'd first seen the night before. A signal went up from the ship, and about ten minutes later, a small boat with a boarding party arrived. Two of the men checked the hatches belowdecks, noting the many crates there, and nodded in assent as the third member of their group took the helm of the ship. This was an age-old custom of the city, and the Captain simply passed over the required fees before seeing the men off. The actual passage through the enormous Flotsam Graveyard took quite some time, and the pilot took the ship on a complex course through the fields of debris before ultimately guiding the ship into port.

The city looked... bigger. It had been a large city for a long time, of course, but it looked at least half again as large as it had been when you'd taken the Test of the Starstone. Next to you, Kozuri was almost bouncing with anticipation.

Time has treated the city well, it seemed. It would be interesting to see how much of it was still familiar. Seeing Kozuri's excitement, Astoroth gives her a smile. "Once we've landed, what do you want to do first?" There was much to do, but the girl had been locked up for quite some time. Why not let her have a little fun?

"I'm probably going to go somewhere quiet and burn something." she said. "It's kind of hard to hold my fire back for so long... especially after having generated so much of it for all those years." You could already see a few small flames briefly flickering into existence around her hands. Efreeti didn't do so well with water, and as one of their descendants, she was clearly no exception... and she'd been at sea for weeks. There'd been no complaints - she was truly grateful for your help, and clearly regarded a trip across the water as a small issue in comparison - but difficult things remained difficult.

With a gentle shudder, the ship finally came to a stop, and several ropes were tossed onto the docks as men in the garb of port officials came over to inspect the vessel. They'd probably be able to direct you almost anywhere you wanted to go if you cared to ask.

When the captain becomes available, Astoroth asks the man for directions to the city's market district, a recommended place of lodging, and the location of a library. This done, he speaks privately to Kozuri.

"If you're going to play with fire, try to keep it small and contained. Getting arrested for arson would delay our journey. I'll work on getting us some funds."

The markets were just north from the docks - when time was money, nobody wanted to move things further than necessary. There were a number of different Inns in various places around the city, as well as Flathouses for somewhat more permanent stays. The best libraries were on the far northern side of the city - the Wise Quarter, which remained the center of education for the entire city.

Kozuri, meanwhile, just nodded. "Don't worry, I won't get us in trouble." she said. "I just need to stretch a bit after that voyage."

"Very well. Meet me in the Wise Quarter when you're finished." With that, Astoroth headed to the markets.

You're offered 60 GP each (420 total) for the rainbow gems. The broken rod seems worthless - at least, nobody wants to buy it. The books go for 100 GP each (300 total), bringing you up another 720 GP.

A little while after you separated from Kozuri, there was a wumph sound from behind you, followed by a bit of maniacal laughter. It took almost three hours to reach the northern part of the city - Absalom was big and bustling, though it got a bit less so as you passed the docks - and as you went further north, it was impossible to avoid having your gaze drawn towards the Starstone Cathedral, a place that had been very helpful for you once before. The Wise Quarter was further on, though - and the crowds thinned even further as you arrived. Unlike most of the rest of the city, this place only saw certain types of visitors, and the break in the crowds was more than a little helpful. More importantly, what did you want to do now that you'd arrived?

After purchasing a few essential items, Astoroth heads to the largest library in the Wise Quarter. That was an obvious location for Kozuri to find him, and he'd enjoy spending some time conducting research in a place that didn't utilize massive censorship as a matter-of-course. He began by reading about the City of Brass to see how it's changed since he was last there. (if there's time) Afterwards, he began to search for any information regarding failed or deceased deities. What happened to their followers? What become of their domains? How was the resulting hole in the Pantheon filled? Have any regained their godhood at a later date? Did any portions of their power remain unclaimed?

Purchases
cloak of the hedge wizard (abjuration) (2500gp)
add a +1 resistance bonus to all saves (cloak of resistance; +1500gp)
hat of disguise (1800gp)

~1600gp remaining

The City of Brass - like Axis, the Eternal City - was a place that tended to change only in superficial ways. There was a reference to a second attack on the city by Ymeri, the Elemental Lord of Fire, that had resulted in considerable damage and loss of life... and, of course, the city had gone through many rulers. The genies of fire were not known for remaining calm and quiet. The main information you could find on dying deities was related, of course, to Aroden - whose recent demise had apparently shocked everyone. Ydersius, the ancient deity of the serpentfolk, was apparently still not dead after having his head cut off, and probably wasn't going to perish for good anytime soon... not unless someone intervened there, anyway.

More recently, however, someone had also killed Arazni - Aroden's herald, and a demigoddess in her own right. This had apparently been done by a mortal - in fairness, Tar-Baphon wasn't just any mortal - and had in turn this had lead to the creation of Achaekek. Information on this deity was limited, but the sources seemed to think that the Mantis God was a sort of anti-usurper intended to kill those who sought to slay the gods.

There were no records of any deities losing, and then regaining, any divinity. The only known mention of remaining power was in the area claimed by Milani, a minor demigoddess who had staked out a claim to part of Aroden's territory in Axis, and was apparently in the midst of growing stronger.

Finally, after quite a bit of research had finished, your companion arrived - and she looked rather better than before, having apparently gotten over the long trip at sea. There were no more stray wisps of fire around her, but she still looked a bit nervous about being in a library. "There you are!" she said cheerfully. "We need to go buy some gems."

According to these books, what the strange woman (he thought of her as "Lady Death") was telling the truth. He'd been forgotten. Astoroth allowed himself a few moments to sort through the surge of emotions. He'd had a vital role in the Pantheon, but his exit hadn't even been noticed. Although Lady Death claimed to have good reason for causing this forgetfulness, it was still depressing and more than a little irritating. And, of course, a multitude of new questions were raised. Mainly, how many more of these powerful entities existed, and did they likewise see fit to meddle in the affairs of the gods? Unfortunately, that entire inquiry would have to be tabled for a later date. First, he had to regain his rightful place in the Pantheon.

Astoroth's musings were interrupted by the entrance of Kozuri. "Gems? What for? Are they a spell component or a method of payment?"

"Gold has a low melting point, and we're going to the Plane of Fire." Kozuri said. "I know most people on this plane like it because it's shiny, but they honestly prefer gems as a method of payment there. At best, trying to pay with metal'll make you look stupid - at worst, they'll take it as a personal insult, and our best defense will be not getting noticed at all." she explained. "You're pretty safe as long as you stay in the Galley District and the Suq al-Azzmir - er, the Great Bazaar - and don't do anything stupid. Fortunately, those're the only places we need to be."

imbecile! Astoroth gave a mental reprimand. He'd fallen into the trap of tunnel vision. His hyper focus on protection from the harsh environs had clouded his judgement, and he'd completely forgotten about that vital bit of information. He quickly calmed, though. "Of course. It seems we must find a moneychanger, then. Will we need to worry about guards searching for an arsonist?"

Kozuri looked slightly offended. "I only burn things that deserve to be burned." she said. "Besides, I didn't engineer an escape from a Hell-built prison just to attract attention from other people who'd put me in a cage." she shuddered slightly, and for just a moment, a truly nervous expression crossed her face. "Getting gems shouldn't be hard - lots of jewelers and such will have them, and they should be accepted at their true value pretty much anywhere in the City of Brass. How much you got left, anyway?"

"I heard explosions and laughter shortly after I left you, so I felt the need to make sure. Regarding wealth, I have a little over 1500gp. That should be more than sufficient for a one-way trip - especially if we hire a cleric instead of a mage."

"It IS nice when people have reasons to not charge you more." Kozuri said agreeably. "Are you done here, or...?" she peered around the library, clearly at least a bit interested in the place. If you were done, you'd have to head down past the Ascendant Court to return to the shops and start exchanging coin for other sorts of valuables, but that would be straightforward enough. Finding a cleric able and willing to transport you to a Lawful Evil city would be... slightly harder.

What time of day is it?

Early afternoon.

"I have one topic left to research, but it shouldn't take more than a couple hours. Should I meet you somewhere, or would you like to stay here? On an unrelated note, while I've taken precautions to protect myself inside the City of Brass, I have no way of shielding myself from the environment outside its walls. Is there a way to keep me from being burnt alive if our transportation end up off-course?"

"Yeah, push the ship's master into protecting you." the Ifrit girl suggested. "They usually charge a bit more for it, but they know that they're going to get a lot less business if their transport vessel isn't visitor-friendly. I'm going to look for a prideful captain, the sort who takes his duty to protect passengers seriously. Worst-case scenario and he messes up, you Wish for protection from the heat until you leave the Plane. You'd usually have to pay with money or service to get a genie to do that, but if they fail in their obligations to you, you can demand help in that way as repayment of their debt - especially if it's written into an agreement before you leave port. I'm not really expecting anything to go wrong, though - they're pretty competent at what they do."

She paused for a moment to let you digest that information. "What'cha studying, anyway?"

Astoroth gives a faint smile. "I'm researching the nature of divinity. How gods gain their powers, what happens when one is replaced, and how others deal with the resulting fallout." How Kozuri responded to this academic-sounding topic would prove enlightening - especially as she'd previously claimed to be unaffiliated with any deity. How knowledgeable of the divine was she?

"Uh..." the Ifrit girl looked out of the library, and towards the distant peak of the Starstone Cathedral. A moment later, she shrugged. "Magic rocks, I guess." she said. "I mean, we still don't even know what they are. Gods like Pharasma have been around pretty much forever - assuming you believe what they're saying - while others were previously mortal or just popped out of nowhere one day. They may not even be the same kind of being, and most of them don't even bother to answer questions when people ask. They just smirk, because they know things you don't and want you to follow their teachings without asking questions. 'S why I don't really follow any of them."

"Ah, yes, the ivory tower philosophy. That's something I'm not too fond of, myself." Quite the understatement. "'If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.' That's my rule, anyway." Astoroth considered for a moment. let's probe a little... "I take it you're speaking from personal experience? I know you're too intelligent to believe that all deities are like Asmodeus and the Infernal Dukes." He gave the Ifrit a serious look. "I've spent the majority of my life studying the divine. If you have questions, I probably have answers." is she anti-religion or simply indifferent...

The corner of Kozuri's mouth tugged up in a smile at your fire-based reference. "As far as I can tell, deities have every opinion imaginable. I think it's hard to say that any of them are truly 'right' - it's more that they're all correct from a certain point of view... usually whichever way people are already biased, so they just start assuming that they're correct because a god agrees with them, and they start emotionally rejecting other thoughts and ideas." she sighed and shook her head. "I just want to hear from a god - or some sort of Outer Lord, at least - who encourages actually thinking about things and trying to resolve them properly, not just promoting one idea like having everyone believe in only that would somehow make the perfect society."

Astoroth nods in agreement. "'No matter our wishes, inclinations, or passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.' If the divine pantheon is complete, there's sure to be a god who ascribes to that philosophy. And that is the one I'd feel the most kinship with." He smiles inwardly. one day... As pleasurable as this conversation was, he unfortunately had something else to research - and doing so in front of Kozuri could lead to awkward questions.

"I apologize for changing the subject, but perhaps you could help speed up my research? If you don't count Aroden, four mortals have achieved godhood via the 'magic rock' in this city. I've studied Iomedae, Cayden Calean, and Norgorber. The remaining one isn't commonly known, and I'm beginning to suspect that worship of him may have fallen out of favor. The so-called 'library' in Westcrown had no mention of him, but I haven't checked here yet. Would you mind looking for information on the Test of the Starstone - and particularly this mystery fourth ascendant?"

i doubt she'll turn up anything, but i'll be able to search for possible soul shards without suspicion ... if she somehow finds something about me, so much the better ...

Kozuri blinked. "Razmir?" she asked. "I heard some people talking about him back in Westcrown - being Aroden's city, they were always interested in the Starstone and its succeses - but they didn't seem to know much. Something about personal wealth..." she shrugged and started wandering through the shelves of the library, trying to figure out where information on the name she'd mentioned might be.

who? Astoroth blinks in surprise as Kozuri leaves. He knew he'd missed a lot, but the ascending of a new deity? have i really been replaced this easily? ... This fact was rather more difficult to put aside, and it took some time for Astoroth to finally resume his research.

Looking for information regarding possible fragments of his soul. Powerful artifacts, regions that suddenly became bastions of logic and reason, that sort of thing.

Several hours of searching later, the sun was starting to set - and you had managed to study many, many different reports of items and powers. Unfortunately, there was nowhere in particular that seemed to have become excessively intellectual, unless you counted the sudden growth of Andoran into a democratic and almost aggressively free-willed nation.

Nearby, however, the Blakros Museum was a location known to have a truly impressive number of items of antiquity - reportedly second only to the Grand Lodge of the Pathfinders. Of course, only one of those locations was ever open to the public...

Returning the small mountain of books to their respective shelves, Astoroth goes to find Kozuri. "It's getting late, and we have quite the journey ahead of us. Shall we retire for the night?"

"Nn, sounds good." she said, stretching. "Oh, I found the stuff on Razmir. Apparently, he's a living god in Razmiran - renamed a country after himself not too long ago - and they say he's pretty stingy with his spells. Would-be priests have to travel and meet him in person before getting any spells at all, but he does teach that people can become wealthy and successful in life." she shrugged slightly. "Bet he's never been where we're going. The Suq al-Azzmir's one of the three greatest markets in, well, anywhere. And most Efreeti aren't too big on deities anyway."

"To be honest, he sounds like he could use some lessons on how deities operate. He's making at least three major mistakes - one of which could potentially lead to the destruction of everything. How long ago did he ascend?" As they talk, Astoroth keeps an eye out for an inn that doesn't look too seedy. They're only staying the night, so there's no point in renting a set of rooms at one of the more expensive places of lodging, but he definitely didn't want to get his throat slit during the night.

"He showed up in 4661 - so a little over fifty years ago, according to the books." Kozuri said. After a moment, she added, "So I've been alive longer than he's been a god. ...That feels weird, now that I say it." There weren't too many places to rest in the Wise Quarter of Absalom - that wasn't why it existed - but the Ascendant Court to the south seemed significantly more welcoming to guests of all types. It wouldn't be too hard (or expensive) to find some rooms there.

"He's quite young, then, and is doubtless still learning the intricacies. Still, if he doesn't make some fundamental changes soon, there will be problems. This isn't opinion talking; just simple fact." Astoroth continues making his way to the Ascendant Court as he spoke.

Kozuri listened as you spoke, nodding occasionally - and finally, the two of you arrived in the district of the Starstone. Even at this hour, the district was busy, with people passing in all directions. The two of you were given a bit of room, though, mostly by people who saw the horns on Kozuri's head and decided to stand slightly further away. As you passed by, though, one door caught your eye - a large stone structure with an open door that nobody seemed to be going in or out of. It looked vaguely familiar, like a building you'd seen before... but the city had changed too much since the last time you were here.

Stopping in his tracks, Astoroth stared at the structure, racking his brain for why it stood out to him. After a minute, he flagged the nearest local. "Excuse me, what is that building's purpose?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (13) + 15 = 28

The passerby glanced over, and shrugged. "That's the Shrine of the Failed." they said. "All the hopefuls we know of who tried to reach the Starstone and failed are remembered inside. Most people don't visit more than once."

i wonder... Thanking the informant, Astoroth enters the shrine. "I'll just be a moment, Miss Kozuri." As (to his knowledge) the only individual to take the Test of the Starstone more than once, there was a chance his name was still in here. In his numerous attempts, he'd spent hours in here recording the names of the Failed, meditating on their mistakes, and vowing to do better. On his eventual ascension, he made sure his name remained in the Shrine to serve as inspiration for others. let's see how thorough Lady Death was....

The shrine was considerably larger than the last time you'd made your way through it - but the air inside hadn't changed at all. This was a quiet place, and even the busy street outside seemed more distant than it should have. Name after name covered the walls, most attended by no more than a few ancient items of import - the holy symbols they would have powered, letters, scraps of cloth. A few other visitors were here as well, all of them silent and contemplative. This was not a place where many people spoke. Finally, about two-thirds of the way inside, the names within started to look familiar - and in the place where yours had once rested, there was another name entirely, in an unbroken chain of memorials that looked as if it had never been different.

So, he hadn't just been forgotten. History itself had been rewritten. If Lady Death's stated reason for doing this was accurate, this meant that Astoroth's fall had been caused by either another deity or a member of Lady Death's kind. Either way, this was extremely troubling. who would benefit the most from my death? ...

Mulling over this question, Astoroth exited the Shrine and continued looking for an inn.

Kozuri was waiting for you outside, though she didn't notice you'd stepped out onto the street until a few seconds later - her gaze was on a group of men in the garb of Asmodean priests, who were passing by. They didn't seem to be paying any attention to her, but white flames licked around her fingers until they were gone, and her hostility towards them was impossible to misinterpret. Still, at least she hadn't made a scene - and she managed a smile as she finally saw you.

A few minutes later, you'd managed to find a mid-sized Inn just off one of the streets - for some reason, it (and several other buildings) only had an entrance in an alleyway, and a sign in multiple languages out front stated that the Inn was officially agnostic and all religious conflicts were to be left outside. Given the density of places of worship in this area - including several churches that were sworn enemies - the posted rules made several kinds of sense.

"I talked to some people while you were looking around - they recommended this place." Kozuri said, clearly trying to figure out how you'd react to suggestions like this.