Champions of Existence (A)

[FlamingKobold]

You are all, in your respective locations, on the prime material plane. It is night, with a full moon lighting up the darkness. As you are looking at the stars, thinking, everything goes black.

You are in a purely white room, devoid of anything but you. Your possessions, except for your clothing, are all gone. You have no idea what’s coming. From behind you comes the voice of an old man, “Hello, my name is irrelevant, before you ask, as there will be no need for you to address me, or to talk at all.” You turn around and see a venerable looking human with a long white beard, a gnarled staff and golden jewelry walking towards you. “All you need to know is that, though your power may rival some gods, you would be… unwise, to attack me. I am more powerful than the gods, or even this universe. I cannot exist within it, as is the depressing nature of being an overgod. I call upon you now because I myself cannot intervene. I request the help of you, along with two others, not to save the world from some mortal evil, for the gods, as my creations, would do that for me. Nay, I need you to save the world from a great power, older than the gods, as old as I. I cannot give you any more information here, as my time is fleeting, but it will all be explained in time. All I will say is this: the choice is yours. You may either save the multiverse, or you may choose not to, knowing that, when time itself is unraveling, you had the power to prevent it. I pay no attention to the moral character of those who I summoned, so your compatriots may not share your precise ethical viewpoints. However, in the interest of the multiverse continuing its existence, I ask that you put this aside and work together as best you can. Should you choose to comply with my wishes, you must go to the chapel at Ark’s Landing, where all will be explained.”

The vision fades and you are again washed over with darkness, before the brilliant stars of the night sky enter your vision once more.

[Slamexo]

Joland

Blinking back to reality, Joland realised he was sat back in his study, looking out the window whilst polishing his darling Linda, her gleam reflecting back at him as the flickers of the nearby fireplace danced around.

Save the multiverse? That doesn't sound very appealing.

Then again, if I don't then I won't be able to fight anything anymore.

Nodding wisely as he continued the situation, Joland beckoned his slave at hand over to him.

"Take a note of this, Beaverland. Go look up where Ark's landing is, and then prepare me a stage coach there. It seems I might have something to do for a while, after all."

As he tossed his slave out of his way with a flick of his wrist, Joland dragged Linda behind him (adding more scars to his carpet, evidencing this habit of his) whilst heading off to his room, beginning to gather up his battle gear.

Of course, he did mention two other people; if he picked them to work with me, maybe they'll put up a good fight in the end.

His rest that evening was rather mediocre, his mind pondering the situation and whether he had just had himself one too many drinks before he had gone to sleep. However, considering that the vision didn't involve him atop a mountain of corpses, this was most likely not the case.

Besides, even if it was, he didn't have much better to do.

The next morning after a healthy breakfast, Joland reminded all his slaves the consequences of leaving whilst he was gone, before hopping into his stagecoach and beginning the journey to Ark's Landing.

This should be interesting.

[Temotei]

That's new.

Raynil looks around the path he was just on in the woods. Wildlife is abound. Wolves howl, owls hoot, and a number of other creatures look out of their respective homes at him.

There's no reason to not enjoy the last scenery I'll see in a long time...

He starts to jog lightly toward his underground home. When he arrives at the entrance, he pulls his greatsword from his back, touching it to the ground. A faint rumbling noise hints at what's to come. Raynil jumps preemptively as a hole opens in the ground.

As he falls, he looks down at the ground, where a magic symbol lies. He grabs the wall his body is facing, slowing his fall, and eventually, he comes to a stop near the bottom of the same wall. Raynil quickly throws himself onto the ceiling connected to the wall. Looking down (up?), he sees the floor he had his late friend Uriel imbue with a magical nature. Covered in symbols and waving magic lines, he's glad for his training in the specific nature of leaves, allowing him to walk on horizontal surfaces.

Focusing on his right index finger ring, Raynil slowly falls to the ground, where he starts to focus on his other ring, drawing power from a particular magic symbol attuned to this very ring.

Ah, Uriel...thank you.

Raynil starts toward Ark's Landing.

[FlamingKobold]

As you begin leaving for Ark's Landing: (spoilered in case Chris doesn't want to go)

As soon as you leave for Ark's landing, the strange blackness sweeps over you once more. When your vision returns it is still dark out, but by the position of the moon you can see that you have moved significantly. You are in the middle of a forest and, over the edge of the treeline you can see the top of a chapel that you immediately know to be Ark's Landing

[Temotei]

Raynil approaches the chapel, then stops at the entrance. He never had been at ease with the gods. While he had, overall, been a very good person, solving nearly half the world's evil problems...deities set him off a little.

Bah.

Raynil determinedly walks into the chapel.

[Slamexo]

Joland

Looking at the sky, Joland blinked as he realised where he was: somehow, he'd managed to save himself what would promise to be a very long, boring journey!

Hopping down from his stagecoach and commanding his servants to stay put for now, Joland proceeded to make the short journey through the woods to Ark's Chapel. Looking at the building, he began to wonder what again waited for him inside.

Well, standing out here won't reveal that.

Moving up, Joland stepped inside and through the doors.

[FlamingKobold]

Wait for Vaynor? Or assume he's there?

[Slamexo]

I'll wait.

[Temotei]

Hold position.

[Vaynor]

((Ah! Sorry guys, completely did not realize this had started.))

Christopher Carrion awakes from his vision, deciding that to take over the world he must save it from the competitors, and makes his way to Ark's Landing. After his vision resumes in a now familiar fashion, he takes a look around and calmly walks into the chapel.

((Sorry again for the delay guys.))

[Temotei]

Raynil continues his walk into the chapel, waiting for something to happen.

No problem. :smallamused:

[FlamingKobold]

Yeah, it's okay :smallsmile: By the way, I think that, instead of an OOC thread, any unlabeled spoiler is either mechanics or OOC, unless labeled with a player name.

As you near the front door of the chapel, a large slab of ivory decorated with gold, they swing open soundlessly and weightlessly and you see the inside of Ark's Landing. It, like the outside, is all brilliantly white Ivory. You see that the temple consists of two levels: the one with the doors is a large, forty footwide ring along the perimeter of the walls and a lower level, the middle of the circle, which is about 100 feet down with a diameter of approximately sixty feet. There is a massive white column of flames that reaches from the center of the lower level on up to to the stained glass ceiling portraying a battle scene between gods of both present and past. There is thin walkway that extends from the edge of the upper level directly in front of you that leads out towards the flame, stopping a few yards short. At the beginning of this path you see an elderly, grey-bearded man in brown robes and with a gnarled staff. At the same time, you notice the presence of the other two chosen beside you, for somehow you had all arrived at the same time.

[Temotei]

...hey guys.

Raynil shuffles his feet a little bit on the ground, reaching back to make sure his weapon is still present.

[Vaynor]

Christopher, ignoring the columns of flames around him completely, as well as any other ornaments of the room, turns to his newfound companions and looks with at them with a blank expression. He wears a long black cloak, which seems to go beneath his feat without touching the ground. His cloak is composed of bits of differently colored dark cloth stitched together haphazardly. The cloak seems to make up for his pathetically slight frame, but even with his weak physical stature he is oddly intimidating, his force of will making up for his lack of physical power.

On his shoulders is a large tank of what looks like grimy water, connected directly into his skull via tubes. Inside the tank swim small, snake-like creatures whose bodies ebb in size, and don't seem quite corporeal. The snake-like creatures are flowing slowly, and one even comes through the tube from his brain. His face itself is hideous, shrunken and misshapen, his hair a wilted stubble atop his painfully emaciated skull. His eyes are sunken into his skull, black circles radiating from them. His skin sags slightly, and seems to have lost the will to stay on his feeble frame. His nose is ingrown, small, as if it was smashed as a child. His mouth completes the image, chapped to an alarming degree considering the water that surrounds him, but maybe his skin has just shrunken so much that there's not enough mass to fill out his skin.

He holds a gnarled black staff in his right hand, the wood twisting around a skull on the top (you notice the eye sockets of the skull seem to be staring at you). At his slim belt, as haphazardly crafted as his cloak, a small quiver of miscellaneous wands and rods is fastened. A wispy, dark kukri is loosely attached to his belt, which seems to be made of shadows themselves. Although you didn't notice it at first, as you look more closely he seems to be flickering in and out of vision, as if he is only partway there. Behind him a steed the color of night, and hooves that seem to waver as the air moves, wispy and smoke-like. It appears as if it was a horse once, it does not move as a horse would when standing still.

As he stares you feel a presence entering your mind, reaching out to you and speaking without words, but only ideas and thoughts.

"Greetings. I assume you have arrived under the same pretense? My name is Christopher Carrion, Prince of Midnight. And you?"

[Slamexo]

Joland

Joland only gave Chris the slightest of interest: no weapons apart from a stick, and nothing close to being called armour. He must've been one of those uninteresting bookish types that were so unpleasant to go up in a fight against.

Now Raynil however, he had a sword! And armour! He would definitly prove to be an interesting match!

Walking up and looking at Raynil straight in the eye, Joland reached back to retrieve his trusty spiked chain Linda.

"I challenge you to a duel to the death."

[Temotei]

Raynil shrugs and raises an eyebrow slightly.

Now? Don't you think the world might come before ourselves? Perhaps once I...deem it necessary...to fight to the death...I will. For now, though, I see no reason to get each other killed. Who's to say you're not trying to cheat me in this contest? Who's to say you're not with this apparent spellslinger, waiting until I'm vulnerable to kill me? I would rather not.

[FlamingKobold]

The man in the brown robes furrows his eyebrows and says "Stop. There shall be no fighting in Ark's Landing. I could bring you back from the dead, yes, but that is a large waste of time. You were all told to come here, and at that you have succeeded. However, you were also told not to fight amongst one another. At that, you have already failed. If there is any hope for the continued existence of the multiverse, you will have to put these petty squabbles behind you and focus at the task at hand. If you can do that, step forward. If you cannot, depart now."

[Temotei]

Hmph.

Raynil walks forward, nudging Joland slightly as he passes by him.

[Slamexo]

Joland

Lifting up his hat to scratch his head in confusion, Joland looked at the mysterious figure.

"I'm pretty sure we were only asked to co-operate; you didn't say anything about not having a duel to the death to test each others' skills."

Looking at the robed man with confusion, Joland unconciously edged slightly closer in the process.

[FlamingKobold]

The man sighs, "I would assume that cooperation and killing each other are, for the most part, mutually exclusve."

[Temotei]

As would I, but one should never act on assumptions.

Raynil shuffles a bit.

Such as...assuming I would want to fight another warrior.

He looks up to the robed man.

What is it you want of us, then?

[FlamingKobold]

"I only wish for the multiverse to be preserved," the man replies. "If you can work together for that purpose, follow me." He walks towards the large collumn of fire.

[Slamexo]

Joland

Joland shrugged: he was already here, so he might as well see what the old fart wanted. That, and he still needed to duel the other warrior there sooner or later.

He stepped forwards and followed the stranger into the column of fire.

[Temotei]

Fire usually hurts...alright.

Raynil follows Joland and the robed one.

[Vaynor]

Christopher follows the group, moving calmly yet briskly, as if he is aware of the urgency but doesn't really care all that much.

[FlamingKobold]

You enter the flame and feel yourselves rising upwards. You see the man in the grey robe turn to the three of you and say, "This is something unlike what any mortal has seen before. I need your word that you will not doi anything that I don't explicitly allow. Is that understood?"

[Temotei]

And if you die?

[FlamingKobold]

"I really doubt you'll have to worry about that," he says with a smile. "Now, promise me you will heed my words."

[Slamexo]

Joland

Joland shrugs in acceptance: he doesn't have much else to do anyway.

[Temotei]

Alright.

Raynil nods.

[Vaynor]

Christopher nods belligerently.



((Sorry didn't realize he was talking to all of us))