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Hyde
2013-08-01, 12:29 AM
~Prologue~
The Hydra's heads twisted in fury and agony, reducing nearby mountains to mere rubble, yet the Warrior remained undaunted, ready for any retaliation his nemesis my bring to bear. As the Hydra thrashed in its death throes, the Warrior took a moment to appreciate the scope and scale of his foe.

The Hydra, the great Wyrm, the One God- Progenitus held many titles, most recently posing as a mere mortal in the guise of "The Collector" in a bid to reclaim is usurped throne at the head of all creation. The Warrior had led a team which had been personally selected by the Thirteen- the greatest of the current pantheon- against the creature. He accepted his role, but not fate's hand in it- his leadership evolved out of a hatred of the Collector and a desire for revenge after his sword and partner, Miroku, the King of Blades, had been "collected" as part of the Hydra's plot.

He gripped Miroku tighter as the familiar form of the Collector, albeit battered and bloody, materialized in the air in front of the dying god.

"You think you have won," The collector said. "You think you have achieved some great thing. That somehow the world will be better for your victory."

"Yes." The Warrior said, barely a whisper.

The Hydra roared even as the Collector laughed. "You think it's over."

"Yes." The Warrior said again.

The Collector lunged forward, grabbing the Warrior by the throat, its fading strength still enough to lift the hero from his feet.

A massive head crashed to the ground near them, the Hydra's thrashing settling. A titanic eye fixed upon the Warrior and the Hydra's own aspect.

The Collector's grip weakened, and the Warrior struggled free. The Collector stared at his hand with an expression of frustration that quickly turned to one of relief.

"It's never over." The Collector sat down on a rock and stared at his own monstrous body taking its last shuddering breaths. The Hydra itself stared through the warrior at the great egg beyond him, which began to tremble with the first signs of life.

"Your friends will reach the egg of the World Phoenix instead of me, and then what?" He scoffed. "They'll remake the world as they see fit, no doubt influenced by the Thirteen."

"They're not as reasonable, honorable, or as fair as you and I. Some of them aren't even sane."

The Warrior considered this for a moment, he would likely not reach the egg himself, especially if this was all a ruse to allow the Hydra one last move. "It's better than the alternative."

The Collector smiled. "It must be, mustn't it," he said. "Or else, this would certainly all have been for naught. Surely maintaining the status quo- or perhaps even changing it in your favor- would be better than the careful and calculated machinations of the being that got this whole little mudball rolling."

The Warrior stiffened with sudden realization.

"You see it now, don't you?" The Collector's smile became a savage grin. "I've run this world before. I started it. I've had countless reigns, in fact. Sometimes as myself, other times, as aspects of a pantheon. countless times, I've been usurped, and countless times, I've been the usurper. Yet for as terrifying a thing as my return to power is supposed to be, Everything's still spinning nicely along now, isn't it?"

The Collector and the Warrior watched in solemn silence as the great Hydra shuddered its final breath, and collapsed into the chasm from whence it came.

The Warrior's adversary addressed him one last time even as he faded into nothingness. The Hydra's fall heralded by a nova of fire and a rolling explosion as the World Phoenix began to hatch, bringing with it the power to remake reality itself.

"No. It will never be over. Enjoy your victory, Hero."

Hyde
2013-08-01, 12:30 AM
~The Setting~
[goes here]

Hyde
2013-08-01, 12:31 AM
~The Cast~
PCs
DuLac- A former underground fighter (barbarian) with a hatred of mages. Formerly a henchman of Pride and later sloth, Mathias DuLac has recently been thrust into a position of authority as the new Pride.

Mazrim "Just Maz" Cauthum- A Gunslinger Lawman and former mage hunter, Low Councilor Cauthum heads up special investigations for the High Council.

Jericho "Jerry"- A Paladin of the Church. Raised entirely in the walls of the church, Jerry is a little sheltered. Likes Quests. Wielder of Telos Lumin, the Sealing Sword.

The Rogue*- A master thief, usually tags along with the party because there's something shiny to steal.

The Mechagnome*- (Altered Summoner) A gnome adventuring in a re-purposed experimental mining robot.

Cenotaph (Deceased)- You'll see

Bannon "Banannanon" McLastname*- A hermit Witch, Bannon was rescued from the etherspider queen's lair along with his hermit-friend, Brenna. Has a raven.

Brenna- A hermit Oracle, rescued from the etherspider queen's lair along with her hermit-friend, Bannon. Does not have a raven.

*Not the character's real names. I don't remember right now.

NPCs-
Lin Sée, the Blind Witch- Not a witch, but a theurged Sorcerer/Druid. Once extraordinarily powerful, her strength has been significantly reduced after being ambushed while fleeing the Vyserax. Makes sight puns and (non) visual gags.

Youta "Itchy Joe" Ichijou- Owner of "Ichijou's", and a possible agent of the Whispered.

Rin Ichijou- Ichijou's daughter and sometimes lover of Lin.

Reina Hartfeild- A Paladin of the Church alongside Jerry. Slain by the Horrible, Unspeakable Evil in the same encounter in which Jerry obtained Telos Lumin, her soul resided in the blade until Jerry made a deal with the Devil Velisqua to ressurect her. After her rebirth, it became apparent that her body was much more resilient than that of the average mortal to the point of nigh-indestructibility. The price for her ressurection was that Jerry's soul would remain with Velisqua in Hell for a time equal to how long Reina lives.

The Horrible, Unspeakable Evil.- An ancient evil sealed with Telos Lumin, it had learned to exert its power on the world around its prison slowly, until it could manipulate a group of low-level adventurers (at the time) into freeing it. Often mistaken as being much more powerful than it is (at least in its current state). The H.U.E. is in no hurry to correct this misconception, at least until it finds a more suitable vessel.

The Whispered- Once a powerful warrior, the Whispered is all but forgotten by man, and serves as the ferryman of the dead. He makes his home in the veil between the mortal world and the netherworld, near the current incarnation of Tiamat. Tiamat herself has expressed a sort of grudging romantic interest in the god of death, if only because he's one of the few creatures capable of appreciating the full scope and scale of her life.

The Seven Sins-
Crime Lords of the city, the sin siblings all manage a different domain and work together to further their individual ends. Some have open alliances (Wrath and Sloth) while other only lend aid in the most dire of circumstances (Greed), but they do not work against each other.

(the former) Pride- Nicholas Korvay, a memeber of the high-council. Has been replaced by DuLac and all but disappeared.

Wrath- Michael Stone, a former laborer and pit fighter. Very strong, and smarter than he lets on.

Greed- DuLac's former "manager". Hasn't been met in-game.

Gluttony- ???

Lust- ???

Envy- A Master Thief and master of disguise, Envy is all but retired from thieving, and spends his time managing the guild and advising young rogues.

Sloth- Easily the most enigmatic, Sloth interacts with people via his agents or, when he must speak with someone, a magical projection. As such, no one has ever truly met Sloth. A powerful information broker, it's pretty much assumed he knows what's going on almost as it happens.