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Yes, I've been having that problem too.
Given my two concepts, I'll retain Blood Magic. I'm ok with creating a new gameplay thread so those we've lost don't need to be deleted or keep getting notifications. Totally still interested. Thought maybe you were Paizoconning and didn't look too deep into the absence.
I think a reset could be accomplished while maintaining the current story line. Here's what I mean: The god of life has been killed -nearly killed on the material plane- much of his blood washing the land. His soul has been (temporarily?) banished or washed in with the souls of mortals. The god of death and judge of souls has in turn been murdered due to a misunderstanding of his words, his soul trapped (temporarily) in an evil dagger. What if Zakaz's death killed every living thing? What if Azrael's death as a flood of souls entered his realm caused the souls of the dead to be trapped with him? What if it becomes necessary to consume those souls in the process of rescuing him? We have a lifeless, ruined land, abandoned by its gods. We have a pair of gods remaining, who, if they don't kill each other, might eventually be able to restore the lost gods. One is the Goddess of Invention and the other the God of Blood. Surely, between the two, given time, they could find a way to restore Death and Life to the world. Even if Tissari kills Therien, she could probably find a way to do it eventually. But they will need to gather and spend a buttload of power to do so. Thus, the reset without resetting. The places and concepts you want gone were destroyed in the cataclysm, yet the land, moon, and sun remain. Tissari and Therien expend so much power they reset their Domains to the beginning, Zakaz and Atheos are restored as shells of their former self (ie reset) and the workings of the cosmos have shifted slightly to install whichever new rules we want to lay down. It'll take buy-in from the Dragon and the missing gods, but is doable. In regards to the reset, I'm fine with either continuing Therien or saying Tissari killed him for his transgressions and starting up a new god. I'm really happy playing Therien, and I think he strikes a good counterpoint to the other gods, but I brought him in due to a lack of villains in the game, and could run with something more constructive if needed. As long as the Sun hangs behind the Moon, I'll be happy to have left my mark. I, too, really enjoy the narrative freedom the game allows and just want a bit better communication before and during major events/clashes, and prefer the suggested proxy war of ideas over straight up sudden death battle.
Couldn't resist. :P
"You placed this dagger with the Thirdfather?" Therien asks, angry and misunderstanding. "To steal his soul?" Therien Attack Dice
Therien tears into Azrael, whip and dagger flying. The dagger absorbs the Soul of Death, creating a world-ending paradox.
Panther fries anyone?
"Fall, Zakaz, that you may rise again whole!" Therien whips at the Beastfather as he turns his back upon the Sungod. Therien Offense
The whip tears into his flesh, leaving smoking craters as its impacts rip chunks of armor and flesh alike. Therien, bathed in the blood of his Thirdfather, heaves a sigh of relief as the progenitor beast finally succumbs to the onslaught. He spies the offending dagger, pulling it from Zakaz's flesh.
How about a new rule titled Beneath my notice: No God may initiate a battle with another God of a lower tier. They have enough power to reverse/counter the actions of 'lesser beings'. If a lower tier God initiates combat with a greater God, the consequences are on them. That may force a little more creativity on the responses of the older Gods as well. Just a thought.
I know I made some mistakes with certain assumptions of what Therien would know about other gods actions when I started off; any further posts will reflect lessons learned there.
Well, that explains why you didn't reply. :) If you still want to work something out with the story, let me know here or by PM (being sure to cc Monkey) and we can handle it in gameplay still as flashbacks or something similar. I certainly didn't intend to wholey circumvent your story. Without you responding, I just felt I had to move forward.
The Sun is also another plane, although I don't see any special benefit to taking the fight there beyond getting it off the planet and the cool visual I get of a broken sun should Therien die there.
"His instincts are as sharp as ever <grunt> as are his claws." Therien bleeds smoke and heat, burning the lands near the battle. He lashes out once more. Therien Attack
"Even the densest metal will melt in the heat of the sun."he winces as he strikes the Thirdfather, feeling his pain both literally and figuratively. Still, he resolved to do what was needed.
Yeah, even if I were to search out missing blood (if it isn't all in the torture chamber, which is how I read your post), I would wait till you told me what I found since you know where it is and I don't.
Pretty sure since you haven't spent points to hide it and it's my Domain, I could find the blood pretty easily. Too bad I'm not looking.... Yet.
"Idiot goddess, whatever is controlling him will use him to destroy you. Huh. Maybe I should sit back and let that happen. Then, once we're subdued and restored hin, I can ask what you tasted like.". Therien looks to Azrael. "Help me, cousin. He has been enchanted as well as ensorcelled."
As Zakaz's claws rip into him, Therien's fiery blood sprays across the land, setting anything it touches ablaze. In the midst of the assault, Therien reaches out, grabbing a particularly volatile stream of blood as it flies through the air. As he grabs it, it remains intact, a whip formed of fire and blood and pain.
"We must subdue him before he destroys this place, erasing what he has made." Therien lashes out with the whip, attempting to keep the Lord of Beats' attention firmly on himself. Therien Attack
The whip lashes out, leaving smoking boils and burning flesh as its mark.
Therien steps forward again to make his offer. "Thirdfather, I can feel the depths of your pain. I smell your blood soaking the land. Give your pain to me, and become what you once were again. Be as you are meant to be. For, I was born of your blood and pain, and will find a way to bear it, or willingly succumb to it in order to restore you." He stands near, his posture on of submission, but ready to place himself between Zakaz and the others should he lash out.
Hmmmn.. he's not here." Therien moves low to the ground, sniffing about for the lost god's blood. Putting himself in touch with the beast in his blood, he catches the scent of his Thirdfather's pain and blood. Moving at the speed of light and heat, he follows the scent.
To be fair, that's about all you would feel if he were stalking you,right? But, OTOH, I could probably sense the lack of his blood & pain.
I figured you had more in mind. The one God Therien actually respects is Zakaz. The blood connection is strongly felt on his end, and in a twisted bit of irony, this is Therien's first truly compassionate action. It's perfect if it gets rejected. :)
As he meditated in the Sun's plane, Therien began to have his godly awareness restored. A flood of pain washed over him, and he smelled the blood of his Thirdfather in the lands below. Pain and blood, these were familiar to the God of both. The creatures of the land had turned savage during his sojourn as a human. At the time, he had thought his Thirdfather might have been angry with him for his refusal to appease Tissari's. Now he knew how foolish, how human such thoughts had been. No, Zakaz had been wounded, bled, made to suffer. The source of this suffering was still hidden, but the God of Blood could smell his Thirdfather's blood somewhere deep in the land. He was, for the first time, unsure. Tentatively, he joined Zakaz at the Shard. "Thirdfather, I can feel the depths of your pain. I smell your blood soaking the land. Give your pain to me, and become what you once were again. Be as you are meant to be." Therien exposed his throat to the Father of Predators.
Time passes, Tissari's quest to reform Therien into something more palatable fails. Therien returns to the Sun. Therien gazes down at the mortals below. His efforts to ward off Tissari's aggression and to re-ascend had left him with few options. He waited, gathering strength. He would not let the mad goddess define him any longer. At least my creations have found their places without the Spark driving their hunt.
"You wield your power to enforce your will, same as me." Therien says, bloodied and battered by the furious storm. "Only you choose to blind yourself to your own nature. You're more powerful than me, I've known that since my birth. So, enforce your will as a superior being. Strike me down to show me I'm nothing in your eyes. If there's one thing I care less about than the lives of those below, it's your opinion."
"Where was this righteous indignation when the Cull swept through humanity and the irtara? My Thirdfather's creations have killed so many others without so much as a peep from you." Therien raises his gaze to meet Tissari's. "Is it that you fear Zakaz? Or do you just see me as weak and susceptible to your charms? Could it be that I have given you this impression by being merciful? You want to know how I feel about these people?" Therien looks down upon the moon's sunward side and scorches it, turning the moon's surface (on the sunward side) to desert. () "They'll adapt, or they'll die. Azrael will collect, measure, and weigh their souls, you'll weep at their loss, forgetting them as you create more, and I will be the monster in their fevered dreams. They will come to pray for the mercy I once showed them." He looks deeply into Tissari's eyes, the hatred burning between them. "And they will be praying to me."
Well, I guess we were never gonna be friends, Tissari, but ...
Therien's s meditations upon himself interrupted by the visiting Goddess of Invention, he gazes enraptured by her rage and beauty. Somewhat amused by her emotional troubles, he nonetheless finds her pleas insufferably ironic. Therien's face forms a grin as he simply says "No." Giving her half a second to take in his response, he then says "You do not get to judge my creations. You do not get to judge me. I have thus far withheld my most destructive urges out of deference to you. Everything I have done, I have done seeking to become what I was meant to be." His anger rises, and radiant heat flows from the sun. "I have been merciful. I have been patient. I have not directed any direct harm to your creations, and yet you come here making demands and accusing me of horrors. No more, Tissari. I will not tolerate your judgement, your trespass onto my plane, nor your insufferable, sanctimonious self-righteousness. Begone!"
Therien further contemplated his nature. I am thirst. The driest of desert heats, the lust for blood.
Blood is Life!
And I am the Drinker of Life.
That will certainly ease the burden of being a newborn. Thanks. EDIT:Looks like the game started on 3/18, which means 6 weekly upgrades at 4 each week would be 24, and half of that would be 12.
Therien had spent much time in becoming and in shaping the worlds below more to his liking. He felt his identity growing, and knew it was time to declare something about himself anew. He had a few choices, but how to define the newness? Ah.... 3 AP Gain Domain: Supernatural (Conflict) {Blood Storm, Blood Magic, Hypocrisy of the Gods, Erienae}
updated with this week's actions
From among the dozen score of Erienae Therien has created, he gathered the strongest twelve. "Among my children, you have proven the strongest. You will be known as the Chosen of the Sun among your kind. I will elevate you above your kin. You must spread the word among all peoples of the power of the Eternal Eclipse. I give you gifts to mark you as superior to them."
Therien looked upon the creations of the other gods, feeling a stirring among his thoughts. While he had gifted the Irtara and Humans with new ways of thinking, none had yet come entirely around to his way of thinking. He sat in silent contemplation, the rays of the sun washing over him. I am the blood of gods. I am the sun, the eternal eclipse. I am the son of predator, of logic, and of civilization. My very nature is the struggle between instinct and logic, between nature and nurture. Nothing born of the world shares my struggle. He whispered "Until now." And in that instance, a dozen score of the dying people in the world and on the moon gave up their last breath, only to have their bodies rise afterwards, transformed by the sun god's will into a new form of life. Their souls departed, their bodies yet moved. Retaining the memories of their former lives, they had become something more and something less. A struggle between their old lives and their new need... to prey, to consume blood, to expand their breed. The need to hide among those they resembled, yet being something entirely new and different. Soulless monsters disguised as people. Dead disguised as living. The children of the sun, eternally cloaked in the moon's shadow or the dark of night, moved among the people of the world and the dark side of the moon. For if they became bathed in the light of the sun, they would join it in fire, igniting into plasma and burning to nothingness. For though Therien called them Erienae, they would be known as Vampire. 3 AP Create Greater Life: Erienae, the Vampires
Therien appears in human form to a village near where one of the volcanos was raised. Already, these pitiful creatures struggled with such a minor change in the landscape. No matter, he would show them the way to appease, a way to lessen the burden they faced. At length, he showed them the way the ash of the volcano helped fertilize the soil. He showed them how to harness the volcano's heat for their homes and their forges. Then he spoke of the Eternal Eclipse, and how he had raised the volcanos as a sign of his presence, his watchfulness. He spoke of appeasing the god, and how the blessings would continue... in exchange for acknowledgement of the gift in the form of blood sacrifices. The people were to drain the sacrifice into the volcano, roast its flesh with the volcano's heat, and then eat it to become one with the great god's glorious gifts. He then repeated this at every little village or town along the sun's path. 1 AP: Mundane Concept: Blood Sacrifice
Therien looks down upon the moon's surface and beyond to the world below. He begins to mark the world, raising volcanos from the ocean and land alike, marking his passing across the world's sky, creating a chain of fire across the world to mark his daily passage. On the moon, he creates a ring of them on the edge of the division between daylight and shadow. 0 pts Alter Land several times (modified by Elemental Mastery)
Therien's smile fades as Azrael comes to his decision. "Well, that's settled, then. I shall return to my domain. The sun needs expanding. Since souls will remain with you, cousin, it seems they have little value to the rest of us. Enjoy your playthings."
Lol. "I am the soul of honor, kindness, mercy, and goodness. Trust me in all things." -Corwin of Amber
"For souls to evolve, Thirdfather, they will need environs, predators, and struggles. Whether one wish to evolve them into 'good' as Tissari initially thought, or stronger and more capable beings regardless of morality as is your way, they will need to be tested. Azrael has declared himself judge, but has not set the parameters by which he will judge them." "Perhaps," says the smiling Therien "The souls should be set to trials by our dear Azrael, and judged based upon their performance during these tests by him. Freed as they are from mortal needs such as food and shelter, their true worth can be made to be shown and Azrael may choose which among us shall determine their new form on an individual basis. If he determines a soul should be given over to a god, that god is responsible for what happens to the soul next. Some may sit eternal, others returned to their mortality for a cycle, or whatever other fate the god determines for those souls which have been entrusted to them by Azrael."
Yes, very geocentric of her.Well you created such a little sun that it seemed like the only option.... I like that the world is more fantastical than ours, even physics-wise. Thirdpapa Atheos may disagree, but as for me, I like it.
"Everything craves power, not just 'evil'. Power is what keeps other beings from hurting you. Power is what gives you freedom to make your own choices. Cruelty can be as useful a tool in this pursuit as bravery, love, or any others which encourage others to subvert their power to yours." Therien says, glancing towards Azrael "And any fool who subverts his power to another being without gaining benefit for himself deserves suffering much more than those marked by some arbitrary measure of 'goodness'."
"Ah, the Emptiness speaks. Hello, Thirdfather Atheos. Order and peace and timelessness. Do they not already have all those things in your Realm, Azrael?"
"I am sure many of the gods will have their own opinion of what should happen to these souls. Araneae, whose decree of the mortality of creatures could be said to be your mother, if you truly were born from the first death. My Thirdfathers will each want different things. Zakaz will be determining a predator of souls, most likely, at some point. Maybe you will need to guard the souls from such a thing. You have claimed souls as yours for Judgement, and should be wary of attempts, such as Tissari's, to chip away at that declaration." Therien smiles "I would ask that you make your decisions with due consideration."
Yeah, did a quick edit. I was typing at the same time, I guess.
"So you want me to spend eternity in a hell you designed, brainwashing souls to become more like you?" Therien scoffs. "Punishing those who dare to live a life of choices you disagree with. See, this is the kind of thing I was talking about." He looks towards Araneae "And this one would use her power to push me into an eternal orbit around the flyspecks below. I have no power of my own to fight it now, but in the fullness of time, she may come to regret the choice." "Soon, cousin," he says to Azrael, "you will gather your power and exercise it over the souls who swim in the depths with you. Will you allow for an alternative plan as to what may happen to them
Yes, very geocentric of her.
"Too much to hope for,I see." Therien sighs, with a sound of steam escaping firewood. He enters a pouty silence. |