Characters:
Ajax Karo - Gregarious Hunter and Aspiring Kostis, God of Death and PlaguesNeilos - Aspiring God of The Sun and Plants
Steidis - Aspiring God of Fire and Smiths
Ursula Bearclaw - Klutzy Woodswoman and Aspiring Chelak, God of Bears and Independence
Urbos
The morning the gods arrived in Urbos, the skies were cloudy, and as they disembarked, the scent of fresh rain filled the air. The blue domed roofs atop white stone buildings, as well as the deep blue water of the many hot springs around the city in the shadow of the volcano, convinced them that they'd finally found the Azure City. With Ursula carrying the mortally wounded Steidis, they headed off into the city, and soon came across a large gathering in a public square. On a raised platform, a man was kneeling in front of a wooden block, while a shirtless man holding a large axe stood nearby, and a woman in a bright red cloak with some sort of markings under her right eye read out the "crimes" of the guilty man.
Ajax opined that they should try to get the executioners to let him drain the condemned, while Ursula asked the nearest member of the crowd what was going on. In a fervor, the man responded that the Hunters had found another of Eniad's spies, who were looking to destroy the city with their "foreign ways". Ajax pointed out that the man on the platform looked to be from Urbos (he, like most of the crowd, had white hair, yellow eyes, and golden skin), but Neilos rebutted that this only made him the perfect spy.
It started to rain, and the executioner beheaded the accused; the crowd cheered, and the head rolled to a man close to Ursula, who grabbed it and held it up as a trophy while decrying the guilty "Eniadnan scum". Ursula got in his face and asked how he knew the man was guilty, and he stated that the Hunters had found him guilty, and they knew better than he did. She asked who those were, and he pointed up to the woman in the red cloak, who was now slowly walking away from the crowd, which also began to disperse. Neilos tried to find out if the people of Urbos disliked all foreigners or just Eniadnans; the first man he asked told him to "get away you foreigner" while grabbing the hilt of a knife, and that settled that.
The gods were confused, because what they recalled of Urbos was that it had a reputation for peaceful resolution, and not getting involved in wars. Further, they recalled that it was ruled by the Tetrarchy, four high nobles who claimed divine lineage. Eyeing the people of the city, they also noticed that most had painted on skin-markings, similar to their Metran tattoos. Ursula went to "the crowd two blocks over" and started questioning a vendor about the Hunters, but he just responded "Why should I help you?"; an attempt at philosophically answering that question did not win him over either.
Impatient, Neilos stepped forward, asked the man "Do you know of a healer?", then used his godly ability to Reveal Secrets. The man's eyes glazed over slightly as he informed them of several people who sold medicines and poultices and whatnot. A second question looking after the god of healing, found that he knew nothing of them, and a second use of Reveal Secrets learned only that the man viewed the Hunters as overzealous.
They went to the closest of the healers, a wizened old woman clothed in a variety of animal pelts and feathers, and threw Steidis up on the "operating table" and asked her to care for him. The healer croaked "He's alive?!", and examined him more closely. Ignoring the burn wounds after a word from Neilos ("You're sure they're not what killed him?" "No, he came like that"), the healer turned to the creeping black veins creeping up Steidis' neck, and declared them to be beyond her abilities.
Neilos asked if she knew of any others more skilled, but she insisted none in Urbos were, then started to mention that if they were really desperate, there might be another option, but cut herself off. Neilos again Revealed Secrets and the healer told him that the Oracle, at her temple at the base of Mt. Fotia, the volcano, might be able to tell them where to go. With that, the gods commissioned the healer's services to take care of their other, less-immediate wounds from the God Battle, then headed to see the Oracle after Neilos purchased a wagon and mule to haul Steidis around.
The Oracle's Temple
In front of the white stone temple was a shimmering blue fountain, with a white stone statue of a robed woman with her arms spread wide; the gods ignored this and headed in through the arched doorway. Expecting petitioners, the gods were surprised to find the entrance hall empty except for an extremely large, muscular woman with her hair covering her right eye waiting behind a wide stone desk at the far end. Ajax approached her to ask about the oracle, but was immediately interrupted as the woman explained that the oracle was very busy.
Between the godly candidates, Tetrarchs, and the Hunters, not to mention the normal people of the city, there was quite a long wait list; surely they wouldn't mind waiting several weeks? Neilos tried to offer assistance to the woman, but she just said that the best way to assist her would be to add their names to the queue and then leave. Ursula advanced, and asked the woman out to dinner that evening; after a moment's hesitation, she accepted, and introduced herself as Yianna, but explained that this wouldn't move them up the queue.
Ajax, in an effort to get Yianna out of their way, used his abilities to Create a Disease, aiming for a cold that would cause debilitating nausea, then suggested the gods leave immediately. As they turned, Yianna pointed out that they hadn't actually given her a name to enter into the queue yet, and Neilos gave his, then asked who else was on the list. As they'd come to expect, she retorted that it was none of their business, so Neilos again Revealed Secrets, and she began reciting a list of names: Natasa of the Hunters, Voula Raptis, Pan Metaxas, Arethusa Andreas, a woman going only by "Pyrren", and another twenty or so names which the gods weren't able to remember.
As they reconvened at the wagon outside, the gods noted a sculptor working to repair some of the reliefs on the exterior of the temple. A small girl in a pristine white robe walked out and pulled at his clothes, and upon noticing her, the sculptor patted her on the head and offered an apple from a pouch, which she happily accepted (Ajax: "Hey Neilos, can you Reveal the Secrets of this scenario?"). Shortly after, Yianna walked out, grabbed the girl by the wrist, and led her back inside.
Ursula's Hot Date
Ursula met up with Yianna after she was done with her temple duties, and after Ursula explained that she had just arrived in town, Yianna led her to an upper-class tavern. In an amazing seduction attempt, Ursula "asked her about her day and listened attentively", while avoiding any Klutzy mistakes. Yianna vented about how all these disgusting men keep trying to sneak into the temple to do unspeakable things to the oracle. Afterwards, Yianna shyly said that she'd see about moving them up the queue.
Meanwhile, Ajax had his own date: he wanted to Life Drain a pig from a farm nearby. As he broke into the pen, he woke it up, and it refused to be manhandled by this stranger in the middle of the night. Its squealing seemed to be attracting attention, so he got out of there and back to Urbos.
The Oracle
In a fit of bad luck, Ajax somehow caught the disease he'd created, and spread it to Steidis, so the pair were bedridden with nausea. Neilos and Ursula went back to the temple, where Yianna was waiting, in perfect health. After asking where the other guy was, she led them through to an audience chamber, where a bench sat across from a gauzy curtain which obscured a round pedestal, and told them that an oracle would see to them shortly (Neilos: "An oracle?").
Shortly, they heard light footsteps, and a deep adult woman's voice spoke from behind the curtain, addressing them as "uncles", then correcting itself to "uncle and auntie". The oracle claimed it was wonderful to see them again after so long, and asked what questions they had. Neilos started to ask about "seeing us again", but Ursula warned him not to waste his question on tricks. Despite their original intentions of tracking down Doros, the god of healing, in the moment, both were overcome by their Obsessions with obtaining divinity and asked after their own prophecies, Neilos first.
In the Azure City did He rally the Good in the Light, banishing the Wicked and their Terror.
In a noticibly higher-pitched voice, the oracle responded that the Wicked referred to those working for "the lightning" to undermine the city. He asked her to confirm that "lightning" referred to Eniad, but she responded in a shaky, childlike voice, that she didn't know, and asked him to hold on. A moment later, they heard more shuffling footsteps, then saw another figure arrive behind the curtain, and the oracle, now with the original, deeper voice, bade "Auntie Ursula" to ask her question.
Ursula asked what was meant by "The Trusted Beast", and, again in a higher voice, the oracle responded that it referred to either a pet, or an animal which someone trusted with their life. Ursula thanked the oracle, and asked if she could tell them where Doros was. The oracle asked to consult with "her elders", and the two figures retreated for several minutes, before one returned. The oracle stated that, though normally petitioners would not be allowed to to do so, they would allow the gods to view the source of their visions themselves.
They agreed, and an eight year old Urbosan girl in a pristine white dress opened up the curtain, beckoning them inside. Neilos noticed that her irises seemed to shimmer with prismatic light for a moment before fading, and the gods followed her in. They passed a waiting room full of chattering little girls, all clothed in the same white dress, and followed a rough-hewn natural cavern to a closed chamber housing a pool of slightly steaming deep blue water. The oracle instructed them to inhale the fumes when they appeared, and then left them to their visions.
After a moment, the walls sighed, and multicoloured vapour danced above the pool. Neilos and Ursula inhaled deeply, and both received visions. Ursula tried to envision "The Trusted Beast", and saw a lion wearing a silver harness. Neilos first tried to envision "The Wicked", but saw nothing, so he changed his thoughts to Doros, and received a dual vision, one in each eye. The left showed a man in a filthy sackcloth lusting over heavy tomes, while the right depicted a pudgy bejewelled man in the depths of some sort of catacomb. The two visions then zoomed out until they both resolved into an image of the Great Library in Metros.
The Hunter
Puzzling over their visions, the gods returned to the entrance chamber, where they found the woman in the red cloak from the execution waiting on a bench; evidently this was Natasa of the Hunters. Cheerfully, she noted "you children are finally done? Fantastic!", and stood. Neilos turned to Ursula and muttered "Children? How old is she?", which Natasa apparently overheard, as she replied "Oh, don't worry about it" and moved to hug Ursula. Ursula held her at range with a Wrestling parry, and noted that up close, the red marks under Natasa's eyes were fifteen painted teardrops.
Exasperated, Natasa explained that she wasn't going to hurt her or anything, and sighed. She had important work, and was certain "you doodles" did too, so she wished them luck and moved again towards the hallway to the oracle's chamber, only for Neilos to ask to speak to her. Despite them already having "delayed her so much" (Ursula: "Have we?!?!"), she agreed to speak after her appointment with the oracle, and waved goodbye, promising to see them soon.
During their wait, a regal-looking, beautiful woman with long flowing hair and wearing a flowing silver dress took one step into the entrance hall, but immediately retreated upon seeing the gods. Neilos and Ursula went out to see what she was up to, only to find a veritable wall of soldiers wearing pale-blue tabards with a silver crescent moon blocking their way. Despite Neilos' attempts to engage them in conversation, the soldiers did not respond, and as Ursula was noting that they'd miss their appointment if they waited outside, a wide man in something approximating temple robes approached them.
Despite the robes, the man carried himself as a soldier, and wore a shortsword on his hip. He advised them that this didn't concern them, and asked them to go back inside the temple. Ursula went to ask Yianna what that was all about, and she informed them that the woman was Voula Raptis, one of the Tetrarchs, who claimed to be descended from Evenia. She'd just given birth to a son two weeks ago, only for her husband to be assassinated days later, so she was understandably jumpy.
It took an hour or so for Natasa to finish her audience, but once she emerged into the hall, she invited Ursula and Neilos back to her estate to chat. Along the way she brought up many different mundane topics such as their hometown and happenings in other cities, and without a break in the conversation, the gods found themselves on a balcony overlooking the harbour, with Natasa uncorking a bottle. She mentioned that though she didn't much care for of foreigners in general, she had to concede that "you Metrans" could make a fine wine.
Ursula finally interjected and asked what the deal was with the public execution the day prior, and Natasa replied that, as they may have heard, spies from Eniad were trying to undermine Urbos. Given the assassination of Voula Raptis' husband, it seemed they were taking a more active role, so the Hunters were doing their best to root out the infiltrators and protect the city. Neilos offered his services as an interrogator, and Natasa accepted, asking him to return later that evening once she'd had time to "track down a lead".
In return, Natasa asked what information he was interested in, and he checked that she knew of the ongoing situation with the gods. She was well informed, but lamented that the gods she'd met so far had been rather more wrapped up in their own business. Neilos clarified out that he didn't actually need anything in particular, because his prophecy involved helping the people of Urbos anyway. Claiming that wouldn't do, Natasa implored them to ask a favour of her, but both gods were content that they didn't need any more information.
Ursula asked her if she knew about people "wanting to be her", to which Natasa only stated that being a Hunter wasn't as glamorous as some believed. Neilos inquired as to the nature of the Hunters, and was informed that they were nominally subservient to the Tetrarchy, but in reality they could ignore or delay any requests from them; after all, even the Tetrarchs were not above suspicion. Natasa regretfully moved to leave, and suggested they wait there until she was done with her work, but Neilos insisted they had to check on their friends, who were ill.
Curiosity piqued, Natasa asked after the sickness, though Neilos "clarified" that they had been wounded in a battle with other gods previously, and she was surprised that gods could be so easily wounded. Natasa asked which gods they'd fought, but Neilos declined to answer. With that, she smiled, gave Ursula a big hug, and started towards the door, when Neilos asked why she only hugged Ursula (and even activated Reveal Secrets). Natasa chuckled, mentioned that she just thought it looked like Ursula needed a friend more, and gave him a big hug before finally leaving with a "buh-bye!".
The Interrogation
Neilos and Ursula returned to the room where they were staying and apprised Ajax and Steidis of their new revelations. They discussed what to do until enough time had passed for the healthy gods to return to Natasa's estate. She was waiting out front, reading a book, and complimented them on their puncuality before leading them inside and down into a dungeon, where a nude man was hanging from a set of manacles attached to the ceiling. On closer inspection, the man was missing several fingers; the wounds seemed fresh, though they had been cauterized.
After referring to her book for a moment, Natasa, cheerful as ever, instructed Neilos to ask him what he was bringing to Venetia (Neilos: "What the fuck is Venetia?" Natasa: "Who the fuck is Venetia"). He repeated her question, and activated Reveal Secrets. The man's eyes glazed over, and he stated that they were to bring a warped mirror to her. He knew it was very important, but did not know why, and that it was in some way broken. Neilos asked after Venetia, but the man only related that he had been part of the group that would be taking the mirror.
As Neilos was about to ask what "group" he was referring to, Natasa ended the interrogation, saying she already knew that but just hadn't been able to get that last little question answered. She led them back up to the balcony, where she informed them that Voula Raptis was making deals with what Natasa believed to be Eniadnan spies. The deal was that Voula would bring the mirror, and in exchange she would receive "protection" from the spies; a reasonable request, given her husband's recent violent death.
Natasa asked if this dealing interested Neilos, since it did concern the "wicked" in the city. Neilos confirmed that he was, so she told them where the meeting was taking place: an abandoned mansion in the "foreigner's" district. Helpfully, it was close to a cliff overlooking the Bay of the Dead, if they needed to dispose of any bodies. Neilos asked for clarification on how this would proceed, and she replied that they'd be working together. She gave them a location in the countryside to meet at in 7 days, when the deal was to take place.
At this point, Neilos realized that, despite the size of the estate, they'd seen noone other than Natasa herself, which he took to be an active effort on her part to keep them in the dark about her associates. Ursula hugged her goodbye, and the gods stood to take their leave, when Neilos remembered that Ajax could heal Steidis by Energy Draining the captive and brought it up. Natasa, playing idely with a dagger, requested another day to ask him questions, which Neilos agreed to; Ajax was still incapacitated by his sickness anyway.
Recovery
On their way back to the inn, Neilos expressed his desire to ask Natasa more questions while Revealing Secrets, but didn't want to risk gaining a powerful enemy, because people did seem to realize that they'd told him their secrets. While so far most people had just been confused, the stakes had been lower, and Natasa seemed pretty quick-witted. The next morning, Ajax was still not in adventuring shape, so they all rested for the day to have their wounds taken care of by the wizened healer, and by the second day, Ajax had recovered.
Over breakfast, Ajax contemplated how his Energy Drain actually worked, and remembered that he could drain it to himself, or to a third party, though he'd have to lay hands on both. In addition, a human sacrifice would be enough to cure Steidis' mortal wound, or to postpone his own death (currently only 9 days away) by a further 7 days, while an animal would be worth less. They carted Steidis back to Natasa's Estate, and a slave woman answered the door.
She explained that Natasa was busy carrying out her Hunter duties, but they were welcome to wait for her on the balcony where she'd entertained them in the past. After several hours of waiting, Natasa finally arrived, and removed a pair of gloves which she tossed onto a stone mantle, leaving a smear of blood where they landed. Though initially annoyed at their tardiness, she was understanding, and led them back to the dungeon. On the way, Ursula succumbed to her Claustrophobia and feinted, slamming face-first into the stone floor and breaking her nose.
Though Neilos insisted "she'd be fine", Natasa asked the slave to fetch "Euclid and Paris" to carry her back to the lounge. The rest of them proceeded to the dungeon, where the slightly-gaunter captive was still hanging, unconscious, from the manacles; Neilos thought he might have been missing some more fingers, but wasn't sure. Natasa invited Ajax to proceed, and then stood in a corner to observe, but he requested that she gather some more people, because it would really make it easier if he had more people to talk to.
Befuddled for a moment, she called upstairs for three slaves to come down to the dungeon. They arrived shortly: a middle-aged woman in a heavy apron, a man in red livery, and an Eniadnan tough, wearing a military uniform and a shortsword at the hip. Drawing in some excess energy to make sure it worked, Ajax activated his power and sent the captive's life energy into Steidis, healing his mortal wound and fully reinvigorating him. With a bit of luck, he was even able to take some excess vitality for himself.
The Eniadnan was noticeably uncomfortable, and Natasa inquired as to whether the spectators could leave now; the moment it was confirmed, he was up the flight of stairs. She reminded them of their rendezvous in 5 days, hugged Ajax before he could get out of the way, and escorted them back out of the estate. Neilos suggested that Ajax and Steidis go see the oracle now that they were able. Ursula pointed out that this assumed she was still willing to exploit her relationship with Yianna, but conceded that she wanted to visit her anyway, so they headed to the temple.
Prophecies
At the temple, Yianna showed off a new painting of grain on her bicep, which moved when she flexed. Not to be outdone, Ursula pointed out her broken nose (Ajax: "She got it in a fight with the entire world"). After chiding her to not do that again if she could help it, Yianna agreed to let them skip the queue, though she mentioned that she couldn't have stopped the oracles from seeing them even if she tried. Yianna led Ajax and Steidis into the audience chamber, then returned to the entrance hall to flirt with Ursula.
The oracle greeted them as "uncle and uncle", then asked for their questions, and the two asked after their prophecies. Ajax asked for clarification on one prophecy in particular:
The Lion, who envied His domain, would Thrice Cry for His Aid in the Azure City, and would be Thrice Denied
The oracle, in an ever-higher pitch, stated that there were in fact three Lions, and that each would cry once, and each would be denied once. Steidis asked for clarification on the the meaning of "Mortal Life" in the phrase "burned his Mortal Life to Ash", and learned that it referred to all ties to his past life being destroyed, meaning that he would lose more memories, and his family and other close relations would die.
The oracle offered to allow Ajax and Steidis to inhale the sacred fumes, as the others had, and they accepted, and were led to the spring. After a short while left alone in the chamber, the stone sighed, and the dancing multicoloured steam emerged from the pool. Steidis focused on the "the most Ancient Alliance" mentioned in a prophecy, and saw images of his family torn apart and divided by lines of fire.
Ajax, after some thought, meditated on the Lion(s), and received a three-perspective vision of what he realized were the candidates of Pirus, the god of war. First, a short soldier in bronze breastplate depicting a rearing lion walked down a line of troops inside an earthwork fortress. Second, an elderly man oversaw construction of heavy stone fortifications. Third, a woman pored over a map within a great stone fortress. The visions zoomed out simultaneously, soaring over plains, until they resolved into one image, centered over Mt. Fotia, the volcano of Urbos.
Back in the entrance hall, Neilos tried asking Yianna if she knew a Venetia, but she deliberately ignored him. Rephrasing the question to pretend that Ursula would really like to know, he was told that while it was a common name, Yianna didn't know of anyone of note who used it. A while later, some woman in a cloak that hid her face and wearing riding heavy gloves and boots that left no skin exposed came into the hall and sat as far away from the gods as possible. Neilos tried to greet her, but she pointedly turned the other way.
After another attempt to grab her attention likewise failed, he walked up and shouted "WHO ARE YOU?" while activating Reveal Secrets. She repilied in a monotone that she was Arethusa Andreas, the Scion of the Thief, then stood up and ran away. As she left, Neilos said "nice to meet you".
Notes:
Prophecy Scoreboard:
Neilos 2
Ajax 1
Steidis 1
Ursula 1
Missing Memories:
Neilos Family, Mortal Name
Ajax Mortal Appearance
Steidis Mortal Name
Ursula The Last 5 Years
My inital description of the executioner in the town square was "he looks like a dude", which the players found insufficient, for some reason. Ursula's player pointed out that I describe a lot of people as some variant of "beefy" or "muscular".
In this game, there's a Will roll to resist falling in love; Ursula made hers with Yianna, so she's not required to care about her, though she has referred to it as a "committed relationship".
There's an HT roll when inhaling the dancing smoke, but so far nobody has failed.
I had made a mistake in my character notes, and gave Ursula the Philosophy skill, when she's supposed to have Prophecy. This has been corrected.
Ajax has Gregarious, hence the asking for more witnesses to his Energy Draining.
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