Path to Godhood Session 22: A Lion Slain

Characters:

Ajax Karo   -   Gregarious Hunter and Aspiring Kostis, God of Death and Plagues
Neilos   -   Aspiring God of The Sun and Plants
Steidis   -   Aspiring God of Fire and Smiths

Betrayal

Suddenly remembering that they'd agreed to help Punished Evenia, Ajax asked her what aid she wanted.  She bluntly stated that the other Evenia candidate had the Still Harp, and they just had to take it back.  When he asked if she had a plan, she grew frustrated that he seemed to think she'd just been twiddling her thumbs while they were gone.  She had built up a veritable army of spies who were tracking the other candidate's every move, but she'd gone into hiding for now.

Neilos didn't care for any of this, because he had places to be, and could not be convinced to help her.  Keti insulted them for going back on their word, at which Neilos retorted that he'd said that he would offer aid in return for aid; as Evenia had done nothing to aid them, she would receive none.  The gods went to find the "local smartman" only to remember halfway there that Steidis had bullied Atlas into going to Metros.

They attempted to translate the text on the walls of the black stone ruins on their own, but only Neilos succeeded at translating  part of a prophecy (which he kept a secret).  As they continued on to the docks, Steidis noticed some men tailing them.  Figuring them to be Circle's End agents, and not worth dealing with at the moment, the gods just ignored them for now.  Once they'd boarded the God Galley, they argued over where to go next for some time before finally setting sail for Syrinth.

Path to Godhood Session 21: The Dead Kings

Characters:

Ajax Karo   -   Gregarious Hunter and Aspiring Kostis, God of Death and Plagues
Neilos   -   Aspiring God of The Sun and Plants
Steidis   -   Aspiring God of Fire and Smiths

The Lionesses

As the gods journeyed southwest with Keti in pursuit of the Ouranoi, Ajax hunted a deer and drained it.  After several days of passing through farming villages and asking after the beast, they came to a wooden fort flying banners of a golden lioness on red (which Ajax determined was not the flag flown by Lady Pirrus in the highlands of Urbos), and gained entry by declaring their godhood to the women guarding it and Neilos making a promise of aid.

The gates opened, and one of the guards, a young Eniadnan woman, came down to escort them through the fort.  On the inside, it was apparent that there were only perhaps 30 people, all Susaean, and that all of the women wore armour.  As they walked to a central tent, Ajax observed that their escort had a back tattoo of a lion.  They were introduced to Calypso, an old yet fit woman in a bright red tunic with ritual scars on her face, who still wore armour and had a spear in arms reach.  She dismissed their escort, her "daughter", before welcoming the gods to their home.

When asked what aid they might want, Calypso, entreated the gods to make a deal with the three princes that had declared war on the king of Susae.  The kings had often been at odds with the Lionesses, who claimed independence, but since the old king's death, they had reached an agreement, one of their number having become a concubine of the new king.  The princes, however, didn't care, and had all but declared war on them, raiding them and the villages they protected for supplies before taking them back to their camp in the northwest.

Path to Godhood Session 20: The Orca Crown

Characters:

Ajax Karo   -   Gregarious Hunter and Aspiring Kostis, God of Death and Plagues
Neilos   -   Aspiring God of The Sun and Plants
Steidis   -   Aspiring God of Fire and Smiths

The King

After thinking about who else might have information they needed, the gods decided to go visit the King Ioannis IV of Susae to see if he could tell them about the Ouranoi.  They easily obtained a meeting, and found the palace in chaos.  The king had just returned from the latest battle of the civil war, against the armies of his three younger brothers and their supporters.  A hundred crises had exploded during his absence, and each needed his attention.  When the gods found him, the King, wearing a plain crown depicting a seahorse, was looking over a map of the countryside while trying to determine which nobles were supplying the traitors with soldiers.

Ajax interrupted, and after introductions were made, asked after the Ouranoi.  The King replied that it rang a bell, but he couldn't remember any details; he turned to his mob of advisors and one squawked that he would find the lore they sought.  Apparently the information wasn't going to be free, as the King remarked that Susae could use the aid of powerful patrons.  As the gods could surely tell by the fact that the Seahorse wasn't a god, the Orca Crown had been stolen ten days earlier, and he was having to make due.  The lack of legitimacy that came from losing the crown, and the blessing of the Orca, queen of all the gods, was undermining his rule, and he'd appreciate if the gods could get it back.

The Thieves

While they had discovered who had taken the crown, the culprits had vanished, and their patron was a mystery.  There were many possibilities; in addition to the nobles who had openly declared for his brothers, there were many more who might take this opportunity to try to gain more personal power.  Further questions and Steidis' ability to see the past of objects pieced together how it had happened: while the king was on campaign, three soldiers guarding the throne room had beaten one of their compatriots unconscious, then grabbed the crown from where it and the rest of the royal jewels rested, before leaving the city by means unknown.