FACE DEATH (Artiga) - Weak Hit
FACE DEATH (Luiden) - Weak Hit
The pantheon of gods serves many races under many guises, but each deity is unique and distinct from any other. There is little difference in power and influence across them, save for the King of Death whose responsibility it is to lay willing spirits of the deceased to rest as and when their time for eternal repose comes. Each soul must be laid down in the kingdom of a particular deity and the King of Death facilitates this transition. In this way he is subservient to the pantheon proper, so they gave him the grandiose title of 'King' to appease him.
Artiga's fall did not result in bodily impact on rocks or chasm floor. Instead it simply ceased without warning and he found himself upright and stationary in a new place. Was the dream-realm playing more games with him?
He stood in a vast field with an indistinct horizon all around. To one side of him was a green and grassy orchard with countless trees in meticulously-spaced rows and columns, whilst to the other was an expanse of bare earth. At the border between the two he saw a boy bathed in the morning sunlight, digging laboriously. Artiga approached and introduced himself. The boy stopped his labour and looked up at the priest with eyes that spoke of aeons of wisdom, but said nothing. "What is this place?" Artiga asked eventually.
"The Sunlit Orchard of Erziya," the King of Death announced, resting on his shovel. "Or Ursha, as you would have it. This is to be your final resting place."
Artiga looked at the hole being dug and saw that it was a grave. What's more, each and every tree in the orchard was planted in a grave of its own and this grave was in the spot of the next tree to go in. "Not quite," said the King of Death, as though eavesdropping on his thoughts. "Each soul, once interred, grows its own tree and spawns fruit from their life's worth. And their taste is exquisite - Ursha herself frequently wanders her orchard to partake of her followers' piety and devotion. This is the final and eternal communion with her that you worked so hard for."
A tear welled and slid down the old man's cheek, getting caught in his beard. That she hadn't forsaken him and that he hadn't failed her was the most divine sensation he'd ever known. He looked down again. "But the grave is not even half-dug," he said, cautiously.
The King of Death mopped his brow and looked at the hole. "I wasn't quite ready for you, truth be told, but it's not a problem. You can keep me company while I finish, or..." he trailed off.
Artiga's eyebrow raised. "Or?"
"Or you can return to the mortal realm in servitude to me. There is something I would ask of you and if you swear me a vow to see it done then you can carry on with whatever mortal concerns you find interesting until circumstances deem we meet again." Artiga looked out at the orchard again. So close to paradise the temptation to relinquish the mortal realm was strong, but there remained a weight on his heart that he would see lifted before being laid to rest. The King of Death didn't need to hear the answer. "I would have a soul. So few seek my patronage and I have no kingdom in which to lay them, so I would have you find a fellow worshiper of Erziya and sacrifice them to me. I would have my own soul and a place in this orchard in which to lay it. This is the vow I ask."
Artiga drew his great sword and stabbed it vertically down into the soil. He then took the long hilt in both hands, furrowed his brow in gravitas and swore the vow.
SWEAR AN IRON VOW [Formidable] (Sacrifice a follower of Erziya to the King of Death) - Miss (Dead)
Maybe the King saw the aches in his bones, the lacerations in his flesh and the fatigue in his eyes and saw that he couldn't do it.
Maybe the King saw the resolute love and devotion for Erziya within the old priest and saw that he wouldn't do it.
Maybe the King saw Artiga in his entirety and his place in all the realms under the pantheon and saw that he shouldn't do it.
Artiga didn't get an answer. The boy simply resumed his digging and Artiga stood and waited.
Luiden regained consciousness on the outskirts of his home town of Thornfield. There was a familiar comfort in the swamp water chilling his feet and the moss smell clinging to the back of his mouth. He went to climb the stands of a dwelling to proceed via raised walkway, but found the wood so rotten it would not bear his weight. He tried more but found the same was true of every building here - each one dilapidated and uncared for and not a soul around to greet him on his return. He trudged through the shallow water to the long hall - a grand structure still standing proudly against the backdrop of mangrove trees. There was a woman waiting upon the landing at the hall's entrance. She was far younger than he remembered, but he recognised his mother instantly.
"Hurry along son," she bade him, matter-of-factly but with a warm smile. "Everyone's waiting."
He climbed up to her and she was already leading him inside. There he found a large crowd standing expectantly in a semi-circle. They were all about the same age and looking fit and healthy and happy. This was a warm and loving place and he felt a wave of homesickness wash over him. He went to hug his mother but a sudden and forceful hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned to see a muscular man with many tattoos and talismans and recognised him as a great and revered leader of the town from many years ago. They'd never met but his likeness was a common sight in Thornfield.
"You are not yet at home here, son of Thornfield," the King of Death said. "Eternal rest among one's ancestral kin must be earned. We are to determine your worthiness here and now."
Luiden was made to stand at the focal point of the semi-circle and listen to each and every member present - many of whom he knew, but more he did not. Each one recounted an aspect of his life as evidence for communal consideration - his marriage, his service to the town, his worship of his ancestors, his purity of heart, his struggles with the veil between life and death, his failings as a son, his failings as a warrior. They went on and on until every person there had spoken. Luiden didn't think he could have added anything even if invited to. The room fell still with everyone just staring at him. Luiden looked to the King of Death who explained for him - "They are deliberating upon your worthiness to join them. This is a very serious consideration and the verdict must be unanimous." Luiden looked to his family in hope of some positive sign, but they regarded him with the same vacant expression.
As one the congregation bowed their heads and silently dispersed, disappearing before his eyes leaving just him and the King of Death in an empty hall. "The verdict was not unanimous," the King told him, gravely.
"What does this mean?"
"Your soul may not find rest here and another eternity will be found for you, unless you swear a vow in service to me. Do that and your mortality will be returned to you so that you may continue your efforts to deserve a place here."
Luiden didn't even want to know about the alternatives.
"What I ask of you is the destruction of an artifact that is a bane to me. You seek it already, for it is the Moonshard Stone of which I speak. Destroy it and your vow and servitude to me will be complete. This is the vow that I ask."
SWEAR AN IRON VOW [Formidable] (Destroy the Moonshard Stone) - Weak Hit (Cursed)
Luiden swore the vow, mustering all the earnestness he could and waiting with baited breath. The King of Death looked upon him with penetrating eyes and he felt scoured by them. Eventually the King smiled and clapped his hands twice in quick succession.
As Luiden regained consciousness in the temple of Erziya his mind was a whirl of apprehension. How was he going to both give the stone to the elves and destroy it? What would it take to destroy it? What ramifications might the King of Death have kept from him? He resolved to consult his wife at the earliest opportunity and hope her calm grounding would restore his resolve.
Luiden was being dragged across stony earth. He opened his eyes to see the red and traumatised face of Bjorn.
"He's back!" the scout shouted and soon Luiden was sat up and surrounded by the other three of the party. They filled him in on what should have been his last moments and confirmed that the hollow was gone for now. He asked after Artiga's body. Williarth explained that the forest had swallowed it up and it was nowhere to be found in or around the temple. Kabeera was fighting back the tears and insisted that they scour the tanglewood for him, but the others were more accepting - their path so far had proven highly perilous and to deviate on what was almost certainly a lost cause was undeniably suicidal. Bjorn tried to comfort her with the suggestion he he might simply turn up, but Luiden remembered that he still had the old priest's severed finger. He brought it out and unwrapped it from the soiled rags. He stroked it gently with his eyes closed and a meditative hum escaping his lips, then after a minute or two re-wrapped the appendage and shook his head sadly. Artiga, Priest of Ursha of the Hard-won Peace, was no more.
REACH A MILESTONE (Acquire the remains of legendary warriors to oppose the doom) - [1/10]
Williarth put forward the case for giving up on the Moonstone Shard. There were other ways to complete their vow to Mayatanay - if even that vow was still worth pursuing to conclusion - and, given the lethality of the corrupted weald, to proceed would be to invite death upon them again. But his proposition was not supported. Luiden took him aside for a pep-talk, instructing him to 'think pure' and 'have faith' for only such positivity can see them with a chance of success regardless of the choice of direction. Williarth was unimpressed with the condescension and put it to him that those were pretty lofty ideals for a man whose business was to interfere with the deceased, decrying Luiden as the villain of his own vow. Luiden smiled, patronisingly, and returned to the others to prepare for the next leg of the journey. Williarth came with and insisted on taking the lead, trusting his wits above those of any other present. Kabeera muttered a quiet farewell to Artiga and followed sullenly.
The path away from the river started well but soon became overgrown and unclear. Williarth proceeded cautiously, peering into the darkness all around every few feet. The torchlight bounced around the tanglewood from trunk to trunk and the flickering shadows had his nerves right on the edge.
DELVE THE DEPTHS [2/10] (Williarth, Wits) - Strong Hit [3/10]
FIND AN OPPORTUNITY - A secure area
For all his previous pessimism, Williarth did a good job. They proceeded at a careful rate and the bard was able to spy a hidden structure not far from the path which turned out to be a derelict shelter of some kind from long ago. Raised on a deep bed of earth and with much of the walls still intact it would afford them much-needed sanctuary for a time.
MAKE CAMP - Strong Hit
All of them tended to their wounds communally and only when all had been dressed did they relax and reflect. Kabeera spent much of the next few hours staring at the dark forest canopy above, slowly coming to terms with the loss of her champion. Luiden took himself away from the others to huff incense under a blanket, cursing the loss of his hammock. Bjorn made small talk with Williarth and was somewhat put out that whilst he had been sparing with his consumption of rations the bard was eating like a horse. He chided the reckless greed, but mildly enough to avoid an unnecessary confrontation. In fact Williarth noticed Bjorn's wounds were perhaps more serious than first thought and to appease him tried his hand at improving his healing prospects.
HEAL - Weak Hit
The bard's efforts were helpful and appreciated, though seeing the bodily damage up close dampened his spirits and fed his pessimism.
When they broke camp the scout was feeling more capable for the rest and took the lead again, though his strategy differed to Williarth's. In his mind moving faster meant fewer dangers not more and he set off at quite a pace. Hurrying through the sinister forest they soon came upon a huge stone wall stretching far off in either direction. It was heavily overgrown with ivy and large tree roots and much of it had crumbled away into debris at the base. At a particular point nearby there was enough of a gap and enough chaotically-heaped masonry for them to attempt a tricky climb.
DELVE THE DEPTHS [3/10] (Bjorn, Edge) - Weak Hit (Burn) [4/10]
REVEAL A DANGER - You face an architectural hazard
The scout was nearing the gap above them when a large slab of stone dislodged under his weight and toppled away, bringing itself and more tumbling down upon them.
FACE DANGER (Kabeera) - Weak hit
FACE DANGER (Luiden) - Miss
PAY THE PRICE (Luiden) - It causes delay (-3 Momentum)
FACE DANGER (Williarth) - Weak Hit
FACE DANGER (Bjorn) - Weak Hit
ENDURE STRESS (Williarth) - Strong Hit
Kabeera, Williarth and Bjorn each managed to throw themselves clear of the falling stones, taking only minor scrapes as a result, but Luiden was not so quick and was sent falling to the bottom. Though unhurt he was trapped and as the dust cleared all that could be seen was a single hand making various angry gestures, presumably aimed at Bjorn. As the others worked to free him Williarth scornfully announced that the working title for his ballad was now "Somehow Bjorn will fuck it up"!
With the skirmisher freed and the climb completed in silence they gathered on the other side of the barrier. Not far ahead they saw a large network of structures in the trees, presumably some old forgotten elven outpost from the war.
DELVE THE DEPTHS [4/10] (Williarth, Wits) - Weak Hit [5/10]
There were no ladders left intact so they proceeded beneath the ghost town, wary of anything that might drop down upon them from it. Ill will towards the scout made for a tense atmosphere to the point whereby he insisted on redeeming himself. The rest reluctantly agreed, but Williarth deployed his raven to the task of watching over their progress so that they may be alerted of danger in good time. Kabeera engaged Williarth in conversation about the relationship he had with the bird - since she had the rare gift of speaking to crows and hearing their replies - and the two appreciated the common ground they'd found.
As they probed deeper into the tanglewood they hit another large swathe of dense thicket and were forced to hack their way through. Bjorn was persuaded to proceed with caution rather than his usual reckless haste.
AID YOUR ALLY (Williarth) - Weak Hit
DELVE THE DEPTHS [5/10] (Bjorn, Wits) - Weak Hit [6/10]
REVEAL A DANGER - Hostile denizen
Bjorn stopped suddenly and raised his hand to indicate the others do the same. Only then did they notice the quiet but steady rustling all about them. A moment of fear held them to the spot and then they saw the spiked vines of a bloodthorn slithering at their feet like murderous serpents.
ANOMALY - [Formidable]
A vine whipped free of the undergrowth and came slicing through the air at Bjorn.
FACE DANGER [0/10] [0] - Strong Hit with Opportunity (3) [1/10] [0]
He threw himself forward and slid beneath it's arc. As he rose back to his feet he thought he spotted the centre of the blood-sucking plant - a pod half the height of a man buried deep within the vegetation.
Williarth uncovered a small horticultural blade on his staff and went to clear away the more aggressive vines in his vicinity.
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE - Miss with Complication (3) [1/10] [1]
ENDURE HARM - Miss
The tool proved quite ineffective, in his hands at least, and he became quickly snared and dragged off his feet.
Luiden came to his rescue with the slice of his chipped spear.
FACE DANGER [1/10] [0] - Weak Hit [2/10] [2]
ENDURE HARM - Strong Hit
His efforts were far more effective and though he took a few deep scratches from the two-inch thorns the bard was quickly freed and back on his feet. But the vines were steadily closing in.
Meanwhile Kabeera, dagger in each hand, was in full-on hack and slash mode.
FACE DANGER [2/10] [2] - Weak Hit (Burn) [3/10] [3]
She was a whirling frenzy of blades and severed tendrils, quickly removing a swathe of the bloodthorn's tentacles, but in her zeal lost track of her positioning and soon found herself cut off from the others by circling vines.
Bjorn readied his bow and prepared to shoot at the pod - he knew he couldn't spare a single second on the aim so went by pure instincts. With the vines closing in all around them the shot had to count.
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE (Archer) - Strong Hit with Opportunity (2)
FACE DANGER [3/10] [3] - Weak Hit [4/10] [4]
OPPORTUNITY - Knocked clear
RESOLVE ANOMALY [4/10] - Miss
PAY THE PRICE - Lose all supplies
Bjorn loosed the arrow before he'd even really comprehended the path required, but it flew true and struck the pod centre-mass. All its vines recoiled and thrashed out its pain spasmodically - a particularly large one struck Bjorn and knocked him clear of the danger. He feared the shot was insufficient, that the others would be torn apart regardless, but he was wrong. They came crawling, scrabbling and hacking through the needle-sharp thorns to reach him - he'd secured enough of a reprieve for them all to escape but not without cost - to a one they had lost their supplies to the bloodthorn: packs ripped open, trappings torn from belts and torches snatched. They'd escaped with nothing but their lives, two remaining torches and the weapons they carried. But the hungry thing was not dead and starting to creep in their direction once more, so they hastily forged on regardless.
The way grew less densely-vegetated to their relief, but something in the air had been growing in strength - some kind of portentous magic was afoot and it wasn't long before their next challenge struck. It began slowly at first, a small and disconcerting motion in the earth beneath their feet, like a great beast awaking from centuries of slumber, but it grew in magnitude until visible and then pronounced. They soon found themselves battling forward against undulating waves of earth that threatened to throw them off balance and engulf them. Luiden led them on with Bjorn hurrying to his side to help him stay upright.
AID YOUR ALLY (Bjorn) - Miss
PAY THE PRICE - Lost balance (-3 Momentum)
DELVE THE DEPTHS [6/10] (Luiden, Wits) - Weak Hit [7/10]
FIND AN OPPORTUNITY - Unearthed bones
Bjorn was no help at all as he lost his own footing and had a hard time regaining it, caught and buffeted by the rolling earth. Luiden pushed on and the rest kept pace as best they could, but something distracted him - the motion of the soil had unearthed old bones of fallen warriors and was tossing them about like macabre confetti. He went to grab at some.
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE - Weak Hit
He managed to clutch a few to him, but all were too small and fractured to be of any use. He discarded them but with renewed hope of finding more useful ones ahead.
It was a slow, hard slog with plenty of clutching at tree trunks and a bit of vomiting, but eventually the waves in the earth subsided and they were on firm standing once again. Up ahead something glinted in the torchlight and on careful inspection it transpired to be water. A great lagoon opened up the trees into a huge and perfectly calm clearing. Though the canopy must have broken too the sky remained dark and lightless and they couldn't sure if it was night or if the day was being kept from them. Luiden proposed that they cross rather than circumnavigate and set about constructing a primitive raft, barking orders at the others for assistance.
AID YOUR ALLY (Bjorn) - Strong Hit
AID YOUR ALLY (Kabeera) - Miss
PAY THE PRICE - Lose spirit (-3 Spirit)
SECURE AN ADVANTAGE (Luiden) - Weak Hit
Bjorn proved the master apprentice, securing good wood and plenty of it, but Kabeera collapsed on the muddy shore as the magnitude of the peril they had faced, and might yet face, finally sank in. The many horrors of the forest and grief for her lost companion crushed her there and then and she wept openly and loudly as the others lashed the wood together as best they could. The result was buoyant but flimsy and only big enough for two. Williarth and a tearful Kabeera mounted it awkwardly in the shallows and Luiden and Bjorn slowly pulled it as they waded out. They all kept deathly silent and slow-moving for fear of disturbing some aquatic terror or other dark force.
DELVE THE DEPTHS [7/10] (Bjorn, Shadow) - Strong Hit [8/10]
FIND AN OPPORTUNITY - More remains
They were dismayed to find that very soon their torchlight didn't reach a bank in any direction and feared for losing their bearing. The scout and the skirmisher were swimming now but still and slow reaped a reward for nothing else disturbed the silky surface of the lagoon. A little further out a light became visible from the lagoon bed ahead of them. As they neared it they found the water in the light to be crystal clear and they could see the lagoon floor in perfect detail from twenty feet above. There, at the centre of the illumination was the light source - a smooth rock held aloft by a single, skeletal hand protruding from the bottom.
Luiden dived down to retrieve the hand as well as the stone it clutched.
FACE DANGER - Strong Hit
REACH A MILESTONE (Acquire the remains of legendary warriors to oppose the doom) - [1.5/10]
The water was colder than death (which he could confirm) but perfectly fresh and pure. Luiden made it down to the hand and pulled it free with a few forceful tugs.
LOCATE YOUR OBJECTIVE [8] - Weak Hit
He gazed upon the Moonshard Stone with wonder - it was a beautiful, incandescent thing and surely of an importance beyond the mortal realm. That he must destroy something so incredible was both daunting and saddening. That what he held before him was a concern to Death himself was outright terrifying. He sprang off the lagoon floor to ascend to the surface, but found the stone quickly gained in weight as he rose to the point that he wasn't sure he could get it all the way up. What the hell were they messing with here...?