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"Before today, I had assumed everyone failed at the first test ... perhaps I was incorrect. But, it is your test ... if you'd rather wait and see if the rakshasha fails, so be it." Kaurophon raises his hands in the air, but his tone betrays a hint of sarcasm.
Kaurophon frowns, "I am here to witness and encourage, but if you stop now, you are allowing this rakshasha to take the Test. If it succeeds, we may be answering to the new ruler of Occipitus ... and perhaps growing whiskers as it remakes the plane in its own image." -Posted with Wayfinder
Magma: Stuck there alone with Kaurophon, the planewalker looks at you and glances up the slope nervously, "Have you ever fought a Rakshasha? I have not run across them in my travels, and I get the sense we are closing on your destiny. A dangerous sorceror, it should be, I think ... if my recollection of the books I've read serves me well. Do you know anything of them?"
Kaurophon looks a touch nervous and clears his throat before agreeing, "Ah, yes, I can protect myself and help watch ... you will send someone strong with me in case these competitors Saureya mentioned lie in wait? Perhaps Magma?"
Kaurophon gasps when he sees the angel. "It's Saureya! I met this pitiful creature many years ago--and he said he knew many secrets about the Test of the Smoking Eye!"
An upright lion, powerfully muscled, emerges from behind the remains of toppled columns. He majestically walks on two feet, clad in simple robes that do not mask his strength. “Ah… you return Kaurophon. And what makes you think I shall let you pass this time? To what end has your lust to rule Occipitus driven you now.” Kaurophon calmly looks the lion in the eye. “Lady Agathion, I have long since realized I am not destined to succeed in such a quest. Yet Occipitus is rudderless without a leader. I have returned with those who may shift Occipitus’ future in Heaven’s favor. I am their guide. I must lead them to the Cathedral of Feathers.” The lion pauses to consider.
You have no issue gathering up the protean-slaadi bones.
You soldier on, emboldened by Nowzai's report. You have only traveled a mile or two after the encounter with the stampede when there is a change in the landscape. The flesh of the plane takes on colorful striations, veins of green, black, yellow. You stumble over lumpy, solid nodules that float just beneath Occipitus’ skin. Nearby, the ground rises and gives way to a ridge of worked marble extending for miles in either direction. “The Celestial Rubble,” Kaurophon exclaims. "We are close now – maybe just hours from the Cathedral of Feathers.” The field of celestial rubble is elevated above the surface of the Ossaic Forest. It is only when you crest the ridge that you grasp how vast it is. Terrain of marble reaches out for miles. The stone is uneven, latticed with cracks and fault lines, as if the entire mass was thrown down from a great height. Rubble lies strewn across the expanse, along with the remains of toppled columns and grand structures decimated by the impact. Miraculously, some buildings remain. There is a sad beauty to their classic and damaged facades, having survived the catastrophe that brought them here. Kaurophon looks across the field. “Heaven's great sorrow. Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, an angel opened a gate to the Abyss, allowing demon hordes to enter the sacred realm. This angel commanded the demons as an army. Through the shock of surprise they captured an expansive valley in Heaven. The horde opened more abyssal gates, and the demons continued to arrive. “By the time angelic defenders had regrouped from the initial assault, drastic action was required to excise the cancer. In a chorus of grief and sorrow the Heavenly Host expunged the valley from the face of Heaven. It plunged through infinite depths until it came to a final violent rest here on Occipitus. “This Celestial rubble we walk on resists being consumed by the plane. It is free of the abyssal taint. Still, we must be cautious. The ruins draw treasure hunters seeking unplundered tombs and the lost estates of angels. Powerful guardians from the time of the valley’s fall still protect these lands. So let us proceed prudently.” Kaurophon leads the party away from the entrance to the Celstial Rubble through your last leg of the journey. Walking across the devastated landscape, at times you must climb up or down ridges and across clefts of shattered marble. Despite the beauty of the distressed landscape, the desolation and isolation is undeniable. You pass ruin after ruin – some no more than mounds of crushed rock. Others provide a hint of their former stature – fallen plinths and obelisks, or majestic carved roofs now toppled to the ground revealing angelic bas reliefs. Occasionally, the party also sees stairways or shafts that lead beneath the surface. Kaurophon advises against approaching them for fear of alerting the guardians – many lead to the crypts of fallen archons and solars.
You set off on your journey and within minutes, you reach the pillars observed upon your arrival. They appear as the gigantic remains of a skeletal rib cage, exposed to the blood-red sky and thrusting out of Occipitus’ skin. A closer inspection reveals that what appears to be bone turns out to be a chalky white rock, some of which crumbles on contact. The ‘ribs’ are easily 20 feet thick, arching to a height of 90 feet. Past the skeletal cage, the flats continue unbroken as far as your eye can see. You notice sporadic variations – long stretches where thick, hair-like fibres spring from the ground; patches of earth reminiscent of scales; and undulating stretches that resemble wrinkles. You travel slowly and for what seems like several hours but with no sun to rise or set on Occipitus it’s hard to gauge. Occasionally you see flashes of light in the direction you are traveling and dark shapes moving in the distance to the right or left. “These are the flats. Herds of fiendish creatures and thunder beasts roam here. Make no mistake, while fierce, they are tame compared to the hunters.” Kaurophon turns to Dalamus to answer his questions as they travel, "Occipitus is populated (albeit sparsely) with what I'd call 6 distinct groups of beings. The first are the Natives, a group that includes some demons (the few that have survived centuries after the casting down of Celestian land), chaos beasts, and abyssal greater basilisks. You could likely incorporate the dead into this group as well. The demons speak Abyssal, the others don't talk". "Next are The Abandoned, these are the followers of Adimarchus who were left behind after his disappearance and survived the onslaught of the subsequent demon horse. The Abandoned include demons brought to Occipitus by Adimarchus with no means to leave the plane after his departure, as well as other minions and creatures drawn to serve under Adimarchus’ banner. This group includes a large number of protean in the mountains, the various fiendish creatures Adimarchus used as shock troops (and their descendants), as well as a few unique allies (a dragon or the like). Abyssal, Draconic, Protean should help ... but you probably wont get a chance to speak to most of them." "Over the years, factions have formed with turf wars and infighting reducing the ranks of the Abandoned. Those who remain are either powerful, wily, or both." "An army needs food. To satisfy this need, Adimarchus stocked Occipitus with fiendish cattle and other beasts forming the low rung of the Occipitus food chain. This includes the fiendish bison, and for the hearty, thunder beasts. I call this group, The Livestock. These creatures now roam the flats, and are preyed upon by other fiendish creatures, and the slaadi. While demons have no need for food, they often wade into the flats to shed blood and cause devastation when the mood strikes. They don't speak" "Group Four, The Usurpers, those who've come or wish to escape by passing the Test of the Smoking Eye for selfish or altruistic reasons. They could speak anything depending on where they're from" "The next group is The Lost Celestials, the poor souls (and their progeny), caught in crush of conflict with Adimarchus’ demon hordes at the precise moment the land they were defending was torn from the fabric of Heaven and cast down into the Abyss. Those who remain lacked the means of planar travel to return to their home plane, or who elected to stay and protect the sacred ground left on Occipitus. Guardinals, some couatl, and golems created by the Heaven fall into this group. Celestial should help here ... you may be able to talk with most of them, if you can convince them you're not hostile and evil." "And finally, us, Visitors ... although you may be more accurately classified as Usurpers now. While Occipitus is far from a tourist hot spot, the plane does attract some visitors. The layer is also occasionally visited by celestial and abyssal creatures seeking to discover the fate of the realm, hoping to rescue their lost brethren or hunt for treasure and lost artifacts. Any language is possible here, depending on the visitor." Kaurophon pauses as he looks around, "Perhaps things have shifted, it seems further than I originally thought. We may have to camp for the night." As if to accentuate his point, the skull in the distance spits a massive blob of fire into the sky where it coalesces briefly and then floats away. A quick glance around, and you note these amoeba-like blobs of fire are all over the sky. Kaurophon glances at Sam meaningfully, pointing at the moving fire mass, "Plasms ... they're safe as long as you stay close to the ground. Flying is OK, but get too high and you'll attack the plasms' attention and be destroyed in a conflagration of fire and absolute evil." Nemoris is incapable of finding anything resembling water or food here ... the landscape is unatural and flora and fauna don't seem to exist. A couple times he spies some hoofed beasts until he realizes they're about 30 feet tall ... not the typical hunted prey.
"The only inhabitants I know of in the Cathedral are the proctor and the two guardians. The proctor for the first test, the Test of Judgement, is a decrepid mummified royal of some sort. You will have a choice to fight and slay either a bebilith or an avoral."
"The cathedral was once of Heaven ... I did not see any signs of a specific deity, but remnants of Heaven still manifest there." "As for the skull, Ive never been in it." -Posted with Wayfinder
Kaurophon turns to Sam, "Occipitus is a living plane, filled with cysts and pustules, jets of flame and a flesh-like terrain. It's dominated by the half-buried skull. The first part of the test is within a ruined celestial cathedral .. .that is where I shall take you. I have been there before and stumbled upon the first test and the first guardian, but was not powerful enough to pass it." He pauses for a moment before continuing, "Few creatures live there. Even demons regard it as haunted, because the light of good still shines there. Yet the evil is so strong that the angels of Heaven count it as lost forever. Unfortunately, some demons and other creatures have moved there, trying to pass the Test of the Smoking Eye and expunge what good remains there."
Kaurophon asks you all to stand in a circle and hold hands. With a couple of arcane words, an amulet around his neck glows and the world spins in a tight spiral, making you all dizzy and nauseous. It seems an eternity, but in reality mere moments pass before he releases your hands and states, "Behold, Occipitus ..." Looking around, the sky seems to be made of flame, bathing everything in a reddish glow. Off in the distance looms a massive skull: a white monolith the size of a small mountain. Clouds of flame stream from the skull’s single exposed eye socket and up into the sky. About a half-mile ahead stands a cluster of gently curving white pillars, almost as if giant rib bones had been stuck in the ground. In the distance looms a steep mountain ridge whose top seems to touch the fiery sky. It stretches around the entire horizon - as if you were standing inside a vast bowl with a fiery lid. The ground is spongy and wrinkled. It’s more like skin than dirt. Peering around, Kaurophon states "Based on the landmarks, I believe we are roughly 10 miles from the Cathedral of Feathers. It's that direction." He points toward the rib cage looking affair.
"Bring Occiputus out of the Abyss and back to Heaven would be there desire, I should assume. Or rather, I should hope." The large man shrugs, "But who knows the desires of the divine?"
"I will take you and accompany you as a guide on your journey." -Posted with Wayfinder
"I'm nearly as surprised as you to find myself here. I hears the prophet's voice in my head and found myself here. I suppose I am the Sign of the Smoking Eye.". He smiles ruefully. "Let me explain a bit of my background to help you understand why this seems to make sense. I've travelled the planes for hundreds of years. I was born of a dalliance between a fallen angel and a mortal. As such, I found myself unwelcome anywhere. Eventually my travels and research brought Occipitus to my attention. It's struggle between Heaven and the Abyss appealed to mine own identity. I've spent many a year trying to understand this plane and the power that transfers from its ruler to whomever passes the Test of the Smoking Eye. That power is that of a god, but it is not a god itself." He turns to Sam, "So to answer your question, no one sent me since no one holds that power, yet. I hope you may remedy that." -Posted with Wayfinder
Sam or Knowledge Planes DC 35:
Occipitus was formed millenia ago when a fallen celestial named Adimarchus led a demonic host to attack the Mountain in Heaven. He was repulsed, but at great cost to the angelic host as they were forced to cast part of the Mountain into the Abyss, tearing apart the very fabric of Heaven. That massive chunk of Heaven landed in the Abyss and became Occipitus. Occipitus is dominated by a half-buried skull, the size of a mountain from which perpetual flame spews from its visible eye socket. Surrounding it are parts of Heaven mixed with the original evil forming a strange, living landscape. "I'm not certain where exactly we are, but I'm assuming some sort of demi-plane carved out of the Astral. I've seen places like this before, small in detail, infinite in size ... built to bind powerful entities like the one you defeated."
"Certainly, your suspicions are part of why you were chosen. Your ability to decipher right from wrong when wading through the gray is what drew the attention of the various deities who watch the plane of Occipitus. The Smoking Eye is the unharnessed power of that plane. The former ruler of the plane who disappeared years ago, created the Test of the Smoking Eye. Whomever passes that test gains the power of the Smoking Eye and becomes the new rightful ruler of Occipitus." He notices your confusion and consternation and attempts to explain more, "I've been sent to guide you to that test ... you know that you've been watched by beings of great power and goodness in the region. They are affiliated with this plane and wish you to claim it for the cause of good." Knowledge Planes DC20: You recognize the name of the plane of Occipitus as a layer of the Abyss that most demons regard as cursed or haunted. Depending on your knowledge check, you may know more.
Epik:
He is not evil
As the figure closes, you sense him huffing a bit. He waves to Epik to indicate he heard and takes a small respite before muttering, obviously a bit winded, "Never quite get used to needing to breathe ... funny that." He clears his throat and responds directly to Epik, "I am Kaurophon, sent by the power of the Smoking Eye to guide you from ..." he looks around ... "wherever you seem to have landed yourself, to the plane of Occipitus. You've been marked by the deities of good to cleanse this place of evil and return it to the light." Muttering again, his hood looks left and right, "By the Gods, this place is atrocious ... a prison?" |
