Merry Winter Solstice, Good Paddy!
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Hermes darts down to Earth along a beam of solar radiation, careening to a halt in a dingy alley behind The Cave in Paris, a bundle tucked under his tan, muscular arm. He assumes the guise of an aging French scribe in black robe and cap, and totters into the tavern's kitchen through the back door.... Excuse moi, I guess I came in ze wrong way! Hohn Hohn hohn! Is zere a Mademoiselle Bettina working today? Oui? I must see her at once, if you please.... Ah! Zere she is! Mon Cherie! I have a bundle here, a gift for one of your regular clients, non? A Monsieur Paddy the Irishman? Oui, see that only he receives zis gift, mon Cherie.... The disguised god hands the confused wench the wrapped bundle, then turns and totters back out into the alley the way he came in....
What murks thy waters, dear brother? Are we playing games with mortals again? *Sigh!* I suppose I'll play along and choose my champion, as we always have.... That dapper gentleman Paddy seems to swagger the way I like it done, so I'll make a gift for him.... A surprise quite fitting to open one's eyes! Darting like lightning away to his errand, the Messenger of the Gods gathers up the feathers of the peacock that was once Argus the Guardsman to be woven into a magical robe that would allow its wearer to perceive all things as they are....
Meanwhile, Hermes visits Dr Hugo Grimm and delivers a boon to the Philosopher's Stone, granting it the power of continuous mind blank while it orbits the head of its possessor.... The messenger of the gods is so swift that he is all but invisible and goes almost unnoticed by the addled alchemist, favoring him with a wink and a grin.... Down with The Great Old Ones! They aren't so great, if you ask me! The encounter is more like a split second thought or daydream to Grimm, but he understands his artifact's newly-bestowed power....
Further, upon the altar, beside the severed head of the Daemon-Lord, lies the Caduceus of Hermes, and it suddenly seems to rise of its own accord, feathered wings beating to propel it across the room, where it hovers expectantly in front of Marcus! A slender, handsome youth of Mediterranean cast, clad only in a winged bronze cap, loincloth, and winged sandals, appears out of thin air before Marcus.... Fear not, Marcus! Thy bold deeds and clever ways hath pleased me, and I choose thee as bearer of this, my Caduceus, for the rest of thy days upon this Earth! I shall reclaim it when thy mortal clay expires, but until then, wield well the Caduceus, and may it serve thee well! Hermes, messenger of the gods of Olympus, and psychopomp who guides the souls of the dead to the banks of the River Styx, then grins mischievously.... One thing more.... I salute thee, heroes, and grant thee a boon.... Mighty, indeed, are the arms of the Fierce Ones.... Yet, mightier still shall Hermes make them! HAHAHAHAHA!! Head tossed back in boyish laughter, Hermes raises his hands skyward and a bright, golden radiance engulfs the god and all of the Fierce Ones for several seconds.... When it subsides, Hermes is gone, laughter faintly echoing and fading....and every weapon or armor in any of the FOs' possession gains an enhancement bonus of +1 if it didn't already have an enhancement bonus, or it's existing enhancement bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +6! (Note that this increase is already noted in the stats for the Caduceus below.) Caduceus of Hermes: +6 holy dancing light mace; CL 20th; At will--fly, invisibility, see invisibility, shield; 3/day--breath of life, confusion (DC 19), greater invisibility, haste, heal; 1/day--power word kill, plane shift, raise dead |