Switching Roles - Angelo Chaucer

[yougi]

Character sheet, (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=419824) for ease of reference

During a dark and stormy night, in his own bedroom, Angelo wakes up in shock, partially awaking his wife in the process.

"What's happening, pumpkin? Having bad dreams?", she says, still half-asleep.

[Ahus]

No, honey it’s nothing. I… I just need to get some sleep. It will be ok.
The largeish, though not particularly well muscled, man lays his head back on his pillow, only to find it wet with sweat. Angelo, flips it over and turns it several times trying to find a dry spot in on the fabric to lay his weary head. Finally, in frustration Angelo hurls the soaked lump of fabric at the wall. It hits with a dull thump and slides down the wall sticking with the wetness on the plaster.
The voice of an elderly man rises up from the far side of the wall.
By the forges of Moraddin quit that blasted racket or so help me…
That’s it, I’ve had enough of your crap you old bastard, I’m coming over there. I’ll flay the skin from your bones and feed your organs to the cats.
Angelo rises from his bed. The lumbering over weight man fumbles through his drawers for a moment, and produces a long pointed dagger. Angelo, spins on his heels in a fervor and stomps his way to the door. Flinging the door wide the knob pierces the thin plaster wall.
Angelo,
Pipes up the soft female voice from the room.
Come back to bed and ignore the old coot, it is not worth it. Your just tired, he’s just tired, it won’t be that bad after a few hours rest.
Angelo, turns again to face his bride. Then pulling the doorknob from the wall he slams the door closed once again. He places the blade back in the bedside table, and lays down again. Without another word, Angelo’s drifts back off to sleep.

Almost instantly Angelo finds himself in a different world.

There are objects in the distance but none can be made out. In front of him stands a colossal statue of an exceptionally well built man with golden wings. The statue appears to be wearing a gigantic golden glowing breast plate and bracers. Angelo feels a hatred growing inside of him the likes of which he has never experienced. He feels that hatred giving him strength and power. His skin feels hot and as he tries to take off his robes the statue begins to move toward him. Angelo’s skin bursts into flames charring and blackening his robes, seering his flesh, and scorching the hairs from his body. In his great pain and anguish, the statue seems to have become smaller.
You shall not succeed this day ascendant.
The statue speaks, in a judgmental tone that further aggravates Angelo. However Angelo cannot respond with more than a scream. His scream is deafening to the statue, and causes it obvious pain. The pain subsides and Angelo’s scream becomes a whimper. In the background a faint distant rumble can be heard over Angelo’s blubbering.
The statue now only slightly larger than Angelo, speaks again.
Those whom follow you deserve no pitty and will be delt with as are you.
An oversized halberd forms in the statue’s hands as is moves closer to Angelo. The statue now glowing with divine might swings the halberd with its full might. It contacts Angelo’s shoulder and sends him flying back fifteen feet. The pain is like nothing that Angelo had ever experienced, and he let out another piercing scream. When his scream subsided the distant rumble from before had become a deafening roar.
In the distance in front of his Angelo saw what looked like hundreds of the statuesque men and women thundering toward him.
Now is your end.
The statue before him yelled struggling to be heard over the deafening roar, while closing the distance for another swing. As the final swing bore down on him Angelo let out another scream. With that scream the statue’s blade evaporated, and the statue shrunk further. The thundering roar from all around him stopped. Angelo and the now smallish statue were together surrounded, creatures significantly smaller than either of them. Behind Angelo’ a horde of tiny red and black creatures with flames spewing forth from their hands, behind the statue, pale humanoids with shining armor and glowing swords. Angelo grabbed the statue by the color of its armor and hefted it into the air.
Now is my end? Angelo said quizzically. I think not, Now is YOUR end.
Angelo drew a dagger from his belt, an pierced the statue’s breast plate clean through, growling like a dog. As he tossed aside the corpse of the statue creature a maelstrom erupted around him with creatures from both sides attacking the other.

After a few hours Angelo awoke and dressed in his priestly garb and packed his backpack for the day. Angelo shook his wife gently gave her a tender kiss and told her that he was off to work.

[yougi]

"Take care honey. Don't come back too late." says Helena while getting up herself to get ready for her own day of work.

"I probably won't be home today, Miss Goatmoon offered me a bit of coin to help her clean her attic, and then I have to go the market. I'll see you tonight, I'll make a good roast for dinner."

[Ahus]

That sounds fantastic dear.
Angelo gives his bride a soft peck of a kiss before tossing his pack over his shoulder and heading out the door.
Once out on the street Angelo makes his way to the home of his closest friend, Sera Phim. Uneventfully arriving on her stoop, Angelo knocks on the door.
Sera, hey Sera, come on we have to get the Library. Sera, Its time to go to work. Sera, I had the dream again, but this time I got back to sleep and it finished.

[yougi]

Sera eventually comes out: "It finished? HOW did it finish? Please, tell me!"

[Ahus]

It was wierd, I'll tell you on the way to the library.

As the pair set off. Angelo begins discussing his dream.

It started out as before. I was in the midst of that epic battle, somehow I took refuge in some wizards tower somewhere, surrounded on all sides by Pelorites. I don't know how exactly but I caled forth a Balor.

A What?

I know right. I mean summoning fiendish animals is pretty cool and I have read about some whom could control minor demons, but a Balor.
So anyway, I ordered the Balor to guard me form the Pelorites. Thats right I ordered the Balor. But they collapased the tower, I guess I must have died in the dream and woke up. When I went back to sleep things just kinda continued. There was this collassal statue, I've seen it in a book before but I can't place where. We exchanged threats and it smacked me around some. As it smacked me it kept getting smaller, until I picked it up and ran it through with my dagger. Hordes of Demons and Devils alike formed up behind me and attacked the Army supporting the statue.
Oh, and before I killed it the statue called me the Ascendent.
I have to get to the Library to find out where I saw that statue before.

[yougi]

Sera is simply slack jaw staring: "What... what do you think it means?"

[Ahus]

I don't know yet, but I mean to find out.

Upon arrival at the library Angelo heads immediately to the planar sciences section and starts thumbing through the books trying to recall where he had seen the statue before.

Pages and pages of factoids on planar denizens, mostly fictitious as few whom had actual experience with them survived to tell of it.

After hours of searching Angelo found a tome, dusty such that he could only assume that it had not been touched in a century. The cover read "The Aspects" and there was an image covered in dust. A deep breath and blow removed enough of the grime as to see the outline of a figure in gold leaf. A gentile swipe of a finger revealed a man in golden armor emblazoned with the holy symbol of Pelor. The man towered over the other creatures in the image just as the statue had in Angelo's dream.

Angelo intuitively knew what that image and title meant in the context of his dream. In awe of the revelations spinning in his mind Angelo dropped the weighty book which fell open in a cloud of choking dust.

What, did you find something?
Sera, asked knowing the answer, but hoping that Angelo would elaborate.

Coughing in the dust cloud, Angelo recovered his senses, and picks up the book to see that it has serendipitously fallen open to a chapter start "Prophecy of the Ascendants."

Several versions of the prophecy of the ascendants exist but in generic terms it tells of mortals whom at the time of their death may transcend their bonds with reality. Unlike per usual upon the passing of a humanoid from the mortal realm the souls of the ascendant do not spend eternity in rest or torment in the home of their patron. Their souls become one with their existence. Contrary to popular interpretations of the prophecy, Ascendants do not become, what summoners refer to as, outsider, nor do they become deities, however, that is a closer interpretation. While deities derive their power from the worship of their followers, Ascendants are the personification of a particular mortal experience, concept, or emotion. While they may have similar capabilities to deities, Ascendents derive that power from those whom experience, that which they represent actively or passively.

I know what causes the war in my dreams. I know the identity of the statue figure. I know why the creatures that no one has yet been able to command responded to me as their lord and master. I know that we are not safe discussing it here.

Angelo holds the book out for Sera to read the page onto which it fell open.

I am to become an Ascendant. Sera, I have to find out more about this. I have to find the original prophecy text. I cannot ask you to come with me.

Angelo shelves "The Aspects" and packs up his bag.

As he prepares to leave Angelo is scolded by another Librarian.
Just where do you think you are going? I'm docking you a days pay you marginal twit.
A fire bellows up in Angelo's heart.
A days pay, #^@% you. You've no idea what... Dock me a week, I've no regard for that now. You've no right to treat me in such a rude manner, I QUIT. And MARGINAL, MARGINAL, we shall see who is marginal, whose existence proves to be of more import on the days of our judgement. Yours shall come before mine I suspect.
Angelo, exasperated, rolls one of the stacks of romantic adventure novels from its base and leaves the library in a mass of flying textual smut. Slamming the door in his wake, the glass portion of the door explodes under its own inertia. The shards cover the strewn pages making following him a painful exercise in futility.

As he storms off, Angelo can hear the head librarian.
Sera, get the broom wench, and clean up this infernal mess.
Quietly Angelo's responds.
Sorry, Sera, but I do believe that you will be getting a promotion soon, very soon.

As Angelo walks through the streets of Hammersburg the fires subside and Angelo's mind begins to ruminate the events as they took place in his dream. The war, was it was was that truly the clerics and paladinary of the church of Pelor, mobilized in a massive assassination attempt on his person. Demons standing with Devils following his command in difference to the age old blood feud. The statuesque figure, was that truly the Avatar of Pelor, and with its slaying would the god be destroyed as well.
His aimless wandering through the city brought him to the steps of the temple of Pelor. The temple where he had come twice a tenday with his parents, the temple where the other youths had so mercilessly tormented him, the temple that may now hold a clue to his destiny. Angelo ascended the staircase and struck the door with a resounding thud. After waiting a seeming eternity, Angleo entered the temple of the sun, his grey priestly garb in stark contrast to that worn by the clerics present in the main hall. Angelo went through the motions as he had learned as a child, he approached the alter, he knelt, he ignited a candle, thought anyone viewing could see that the ritual held little meaning for him.

One of the clerics of the temple approached, it was somewhat obvious that he regarded Angelo's less than half hearted performance of the rituals as an insult.
May I help you with something parishioner?
The cleric asked in a somewhat judgmental tone.

Likely not, Angelo, half-snorts half-chuckles to himself.
Angelo approaches one of the clerics of the temple. I would like access to the archives of the church. I was once a member of the church of Pelor but I had turned away in search of a greater knowledge. I have recently ended my affiliation with the Great Library of Hammersburg, and I believe that an Avatar of your god has visited me in a dream. Through fate I have found myself once again in his temple.

[yougi]

The Cleric rolls his eyes: "Yes, the great Sun God sent his essence to visit a library clerk. Anyways, the archives are definitely off limit to you. If you really want, we have a member who specializes in analyzing dreams."

[yougi]

Over 5 days without activity, I will not visit this thread anymore. If you want to resume this game, please PM me.