Scion - Petro Campaign - Session 95
Last time, I left off after we killed off the last of the Helmenth on the death titan's tomb island, which I'll be calling The Reaper's Necropolis from now on, for reasons that will become apparent later. I couldn't wait to explore the place on foot, so we set the Valkyrie down to have a look around, starting with the vast coliseum complex in the island's center.
Unfortunately, Adam had to leave abruptly. I'm not even sure, why, exactly, except that he received some sort of telepathic message about an emergency in Vanhiem or something...he just quickly explained that he had to go and teleported away, taking Hrimsa with him. I hope everything's okay. >_<
Well, I missed having Adam with us as we explored, but the ruins themselves were enough to occupy my attention. they were made of a strange ivory white material that wasn't quite stone and wasn't quite bone...it was fascinating! And the relief carvings that covered the walls of the coliseum were awe-inspiring! They depicted images of the gods and the titans from all pantheons.
Eventually, we found our way to center of the coliseum, which was a vast pit formed from the crater made when Zeus struck the death blow on the death titan. I don't know whether the ruins somehow conformed themselves to the pit or were built onto its edges later, but somehow they all fit together, and unlike many places on the island, which had been ravaged by the Helmenth, the ruins around the crater and coliseum were more-or-less intact.
But they were not unoccupied. You can imagine our surprise when we began to descend into the crater-pit and were greeted by the gigantic form of a Hecatonchire. And lemme tell ya, they really do have a hundred arms and fifty heads, which is...weird. Echo assures me they make great lovers, but I think I'll take her word on it. I'm not even sure how that would work anyway, given the size difference...but Echo talks about a lot things I'd rather not ask about. >_< I love her, but the is definitely such a thing as TMI. ^_^
The Hecatonchires was named Criatis, and I took the lead in speaking to him. It turns out he was placed there by Zeus to guard the death titan's relics, and he's been at his post since before the war between the gods and titans broke out. I had the unenviable task of breaking the news to him and filling him in (as briefly as possible) on the millennia of divine history he has missed.
I also had to convince him to leave his post, which ultimately involved telling him the Zeus hadn't exactly played it straight with the Hecatonchires. He hadn't given them a place on Mt. Olympus, for one thing. But I assured him that the newest generation of gods were working to remedy that. I remembered that Storm has been trying to build connections with the Hecatonchires, recruiting them for the war against the titans by helping them to acquire their rightful place on Mt. Olympus. I mean, seriously? They were denied their place on Mt. Olympus because they look freakish? That's hardly a good reason. I should see if I can't help Storm out somehow.
Anyway, I called up Storm on Charles' magical relic phone, and chatted with him about Criatis. He agreed to meet up with the Hecatonchire, and told me to send him to an island in the Mediterranean to meet up with another Hecatonchires named Geros who is already working with Storm. After all of our explanation, Criatis was feeling a bit bewildered, and was more than happy to leave the death titan's treasures to us and go seek more of his own kind.
I wish the big guy luck! I'm sure I'll see him again before too long. ^_^
So, we were then able to descend into the depths of the pit and open the vault that held the death titan's relics. And that's when we realized something we probably should have figured out much sooner. The death titan was the Grim Reaper! O_O I mean, how cool is that!? All the imagery out there of the Grim Reaper came from this now-dead titan! Kinda ironic, really. I guess he still lives on in legend. Hell, I'll eventually be able to take on the form of the Reaper once my understanding of Death is complete!
Anyway, we acquired the Grim Reaper's relics. Altogether, they are definitely too powerful to belong to one person. They're all quite dangerous. Charles and I were able to piece together what they did from the myths and legends we know, and I only knew as much as I did because of my obsession with and affinity for death itself. Naturally, all of the relics provided access to the purview of Death.
First, there was the Reaper's Scythe. Criatis told us not to touch it, and that's because once it's attuned to someone, any time they summon or wield it, they must kill something or the scythe will turn on them, twisting its lethal powers onto its wielder until its hunger for death has been sated. That's bad, because the Scythe is an incredibly lethal weapon, and those killed by it aren't just killed, their souls are destroyed. There's no bringing them back. We agreed that Elisa or Pierre should take the Scythe, and I think that between them they decided that Elisa should have it. It might be more appropriate to Pierre, but he prefers to fight with his fists, and I think he was a bit frightened by its power. Furthermore, Elisa is responsible enough to use it only when absolutely necessary. Or I hope so, anyway. I'm a little worried about what she might do when the screaming fanaticism take hold of her. O_O
Second was the Reaper's Cloak. It was a ragged, black, hooded cloak just like you would expect to see the Grim Reaper wearing. Its wearer is protected from death effects, and it provides some small measure of armor against attack. It also enhances one's ability to use powers of Death, and makes it a simple act of will to transform one's divine appearance from beauty to terror. However, the wearer cannot use positive social magic or life-based effects, like bolstering one's comrades. I suppose that makes sense. The incarnation of death only steals life and joy, it never gives them. And when wearing the cloak, one is indeed an incarnation of death, and no magic can tell otherwise.
Honestly, the cloak seemed perfect for me, so I asked if I could have it, and the others were happy to let me take it. I'll have to be careful, though...if I die while wearing it, my soul will be destroyed, and resurrection will be out of the question. O_O.
The third relic was the Reaper's skull mask. Any death effect that targets the wearer of the mask is automatically deflected onto someone else nearby instead, and the wearer can exert some control over this with an effort of divine power. More importantly, though, the mask allows someone to sing the Song that Ends the World. I don't even want to get into exactly what the effects of that are, but basically the song starts summoning Helment, which run amock in the area, and if the wearer is killed, even more Helmenth come out to consume everything in sight. The wearer isn't safe from the Helmenth either, and might not even be able to stop singing the song once it's begun. And when it ends, if the wearer isn't attuned to death somehow, he dies. O_O How is this relic in any way a good idea? >_<
Honestly, I think the mask should be hidden somewhere and forgotten. But somehow T-Bone ended up taking possession of it. Somehow it seemed appropriate, like fate wanted him to have it. Or maybe he worked his magic on us somehow and convinced us to let him have it. The more I think about it, the more terrible the idea of his actually using the thing seems to me. I mean, seriously. I trust T-Bone...the real T-Bone...but he's a god of chaos and madness and may not even be in control of himself. What the hell were we thinking? If Adam had been there, I don't think T-Bone would have gotten it...
Anyway...
The fourth and final relic of the Grim Reaper was a toy horse made of ivory white marble. It can be used to summon Death's Pale Horse. The horse itself is an incredible mount capable of bearing its rider swiftly across any battlefield. Attacking it or its rider is suicide, for simply doing so invites death. And nothing can live or grow on ground upon which it has trod, at least not for a few centuries. As our most skilled horseman, Charles laid claim to the Pale Horse. It fits; his father, Guan Yu, is known for his mount, Red Hare...I guess now Charles has Pale Hare! LOL ^_^.
Okay, I shouldn't joke about that horse. It's a thing of terrible power. O_O
Once we had laid claim to those relics, we moved out to explore more of the island, and in the process found a few lesser relics, including a coin that helps the dead pass on into the underworld, a small onyx skull that helps command or manipulate ghosts, and an ancient gambling token that can preserve one from a single deathblow (unless one is wearing one of the Reaper's relics). There was also a legendary chunk of ruined marble left over from the battle between Zeus and Death, which Charles took, and one of Zeus's unused lightning bolts, which we plan to give to Storm next time we see him.
Oh yeah, there was also an ancient stringed instrument similar to a cello that was attuned to Death and allows its player to enhance death powers with her mastery of art. We resolved to give it to the Queen of Air and Darkness in return for her help (I did swear an oath to that effect). I'll be sure to take care of that as soon as I can.
But aside from the Reaper's relics, the ruins were the real discovery! There were ruins associated with all the pantheons, themed to the ancient aesthetics of each! And there was so much to learn about the history of death and the funerary practices of the pantheons. It was absolutely inspiring!
And the good news is that the island is salvageable. We can even sink it below the waves again, and the magic that preserves it should keep any renovations we make from being flooded or destroyed; it was mostly the Helmenth that ruined what's left of the island anyway. We've already begun making plans to preserve what ruins we can (there's a lot of history there!) and level what's beyond saving (which, sadly, is a surprisingly large portion of the island. Before long, we'll have made the place our own, though I don't know if we'll be able to do so within the next year. I know I have a lot going on in the next few months, and I imagine the others do as well. But as long as we have the bone coins, the Reaper's Necropolis is ours!
More later! See ya ^_^.
Unfortunately, Adam had to leave abruptly. I'm not even sure, why, exactly, except that he received some sort of telepathic message about an emergency in Vanhiem or something...he just quickly explained that he had to go and teleported away, taking Hrimsa with him. I hope everything's okay. >_<
Well, I missed having Adam with us as we explored, but the ruins themselves were enough to occupy my attention. they were made of a strange ivory white material that wasn't quite stone and wasn't quite bone...it was fascinating! And the relief carvings that covered the walls of the coliseum were awe-inspiring! They depicted images of the gods and the titans from all pantheons.
Eventually, we found our way to center of the coliseum, which was a vast pit formed from the crater made when Zeus struck the death blow on the death titan. I don't know whether the ruins somehow conformed themselves to the pit or were built onto its edges later, but somehow they all fit together, and unlike many places on the island, which had been ravaged by the Helmenth, the ruins around the crater and coliseum were more-or-less intact.
But they were not unoccupied. You can imagine our surprise when we began to descend into the crater-pit and were greeted by the gigantic form of a Hecatonchire. And lemme tell ya, they really do have a hundred arms and fifty heads, which is...weird. Echo assures me they make great lovers, but I think I'll take her word on it. I'm not even sure how that would work anyway, given the size difference...but Echo talks about a lot things I'd rather not ask about. >_< I love her, but the is definitely such a thing as TMI. ^_^
The Hecatonchires was named Criatis, and I took the lead in speaking to him. It turns out he was placed there by Zeus to guard the death titan's relics, and he's been at his post since before the war between the gods and titans broke out. I had the unenviable task of breaking the news to him and filling him in (as briefly as possible) on the millennia of divine history he has missed.
I also had to convince him to leave his post, which ultimately involved telling him the Zeus hadn't exactly played it straight with the Hecatonchires. He hadn't given them a place on Mt. Olympus, for one thing. But I assured him that the newest generation of gods were working to remedy that. I remembered that Storm has been trying to build connections with the Hecatonchires, recruiting them for the war against the titans by helping them to acquire their rightful place on Mt. Olympus. I mean, seriously? They were denied their place on Mt. Olympus because they look freakish? That's hardly a good reason. I should see if I can't help Storm out somehow.
Anyway, I called up Storm on Charles' magical relic phone, and chatted with him about Criatis. He agreed to meet up with the Hecatonchire, and told me to send him to an island in the Mediterranean to meet up with another Hecatonchires named Geros who is already working with Storm. After all of our explanation, Criatis was feeling a bit bewildered, and was more than happy to leave the death titan's treasures to us and go seek more of his own kind.
I wish the big guy luck! I'm sure I'll see him again before too long. ^_^
So, we were then able to descend into the depths of the pit and open the vault that held the death titan's relics. And that's when we realized something we probably should have figured out much sooner. The death titan was the Grim Reaper! O_O I mean, how cool is that!? All the imagery out there of the Grim Reaper came from this now-dead titan! Kinda ironic, really. I guess he still lives on in legend. Hell, I'll eventually be able to take on the form of the Reaper once my understanding of Death is complete!
Anyway, we acquired the Grim Reaper's relics. Altogether, they are definitely too powerful to belong to one person. They're all quite dangerous. Charles and I were able to piece together what they did from the myths and legends we know, and I only knew as much as I did because of my obsession with and affinity for death itself. Naturally, all of the relics provided access to the purview of Death.
First, there was the Reaper's Scythe. Criatis told us not to touch it, and that's because once it's attuned to someone, any time they summon or wield it, they must kill something or the scythe will turn on them, twisting its lethal powers onto its wielder until its hunger for death has been sated. That's bad, because the Scythe is an incredibly lethal weapon, and those killed by it aren't just killed, their souls are destroyed. There's no bringing them back. We agreed that Elisa or Pierre should take the Scythe, and I think that between them they decided that Elisa should have it. It might be more appropriate to Pierre, but he prefers to fight with his fists, and I think he was a bit frightened by its power. Furthermore, Elisa is responsible enough to use it only when absolutely necessary. Or I hope so, anyway. I'm a little worried about what she might do when the screaming fanaticism take hold of her. O_O
Second was the Reaper's Cloak. It was a ragged, black, hooded cloak just like you would expect to see the Grim Reaper wearing. Its wearer is protected from death effects, and it provides some small measure of armor against attack. It also enhances one's ability to use powers of Death, and makes it a simple act of will to transform one's divine appearance from beauty to terror. However, the wearer cannot use positive social magic or life-based effects, like bolstering one's comrades. I suppose that makes sense. The incarnation of death only steals life and joy, it never gives them. And when wearing the cloak, one is indeed an incarnation of death, and no magic can tell otherwise.
Honestly, the cloak seemed perfect for me, so I asked if I could have it, and the others were happy to let me take it. I'll have to be careful, though...if I die while wearing it, my soul will be destroyed, and resurrection will be out of the question. O_O.
The third relic was the Reaper's skull mask. Any death effect that targets the wearer of the mask is automatically deflected onto someone else nearby instead, and the wearer can exert some control over this with an effort of divine power. More importantly, though, the mask allows someone to sing the Song that Ends the World. I don't even want to get into exactly what the effects of that are, but basically the song starts summoning Helment, which run amock in the area, and if the wearer is killed, even more Helmenth come out to consume everything in sight. The wearer isn't safe from the Helmenth either, and might not even be able to stop singing the song once it's begun. And when it ends, if the wearer isn't attuned to death somehow, he dies. O_O How is this relic in any way a good idea? >_<
Honestly, I think the mask should be hidden somewhere and forgotten. But somehow T-Bone ended up taking possession of it. Somehow it seemed appropriate, like fate wanted him to have it. Or maybe he worked his magic on us somehow and convinced us to let him have it. The more I think about it, the more terrible the idea of his actually using the thing seems to me. I mean, seriously. I trust T-Bone...the real T-Bone...but he's a god of chaos and madness and may not even be in control of himself. What the hell were we thinking? If Adam had been there, I don't think T-Bone would have gotten it...
Anyway...
The fourth and final relic of the Grim Reaper was a toy horse made of ivory white marble. It can be used to summon Death's Pale Horse. The horse itself is an incredible mount capable of bearing its rider swiftly across any battlefield. Attacking it or its rider is suicide, for simply doing so invites death. And nothing can live or grow on ground upon which it has trod, at least not for a few centuries. As our most skilled horseman, Charles laid claim to the Pale Horse. It fits; his father, Guan Yu, is known for his mount, Red Hare...I guess now Charles has Pale Hare! LOL ^_^.
Okay, I shouldn't joke about that horse. It's a thing of terrible power. O_O
Once we had laid claim to those relics, we moved out to explore more of the island, and in the process found a few lesser relics, including a coin that helps the dead pass on into the underworld, a small onyx skull that helps command or manipulate ghosts, and an ancient gambling token that can preserve one from a single deathblow (unless one is wearing one of the Reaper's relics). There was also a legendary chunk of ruined marble left over from the battle between Zeus and Death, which Charles took, and one of Zeus's unused lightning bolts, which we plan to give to Storm next time we see him.
Oh yeah, there was also an ancient stringed instrument similar to a cello that was attuned to Death and allows its player to enhance death powers with her mastery of art. We resolved to give it to the Queen of Air and Darkness in return for her help (I did swear an oath to that effect). I'll be sure to take care of that as soon as I can.
But aside from the Reaper's relics, the ruins were the real discovery! There were ruins associated with all the pantheons, themed to the ancient aesthetics of each! And there was so much to learn about the history of death and the funerary practices of the pantheons. It was absolutely inspiring!
And the good news is that the island is salvageable. We can even sink it below the waves again, and the magic that preserves it should keep any renovations we make from being flooded or destroyed; it was mostly the Helmenth that ruined what's left of the island anyway. We've already begun making plans to preserve what ruins we can (there's a lot of history there!) and level what's beyond saving (which, sadly, is a surprisingly large portion of the island. Before long, we'll have made the place our own, though I don't know if we'll be able to do so within the next year. I know I have a lot going on in the next few months, and I imagine the others do as well. But as long as we have the bone coins, the Reaper's Necropolis is ours!
More later! See ya ^_^.