Semi-demi-mini gods [Godbound IC]

[ChaosArchon]

It's been a week since you entered the Bleak Reach and despite how desolate the region is continually purported to be, so far it has been surprisingly verdant. The trees, grassy hills, and soft soil are ubiquitous in such a way that the scenery feels oppressively green.

Now you walk through one such onerous forest, on the hunt for an old library which with any luck with contain a Xophate map to lead you to the capital city. The village you stayed in had told you the general direction of the library, but the last time any of them had even searched thicket was decades ago and the exact knowledge of its location had long since joined other ancient knowledge in a panoply of things man has forgotten.

Walking through the woodlands, the sheer amount of green that surrounds you almost clouds your vision entirely with that single color. But despite the life surrounding you, since you have entered the forest you haven't heard a single animal. Not a bird's chirp or a squirrel's chitter, even bugs seem few and far between.

[Kell_tamer]

Dog seems to be enjoying the greenery. Anytime the group pauses she crinkles her toes into the soil and just enjoys the freedom. "Gotta be loving this huh? She nudges Maui. "Fresh air, woodlands, plenty of places for you to do your shifty thing."

[shorewood]

Walking in wolf form Maui leaps towards Dog, shrinking midair, taking the form of a ferret as he lands on her shoulder. "I have missed it little one, although this forest seems odd, I've never heard one so quiet before"

[Kell_tamer]

She holds up a finger quite factually. "I'll take your word on that, but for now just enjoying not legion"

[shorewood]

"Can't particularly blame you" Maui replies shifting his long body to rest on both her shoulders "Keep an eye open anyway, Some strange force smothers these woods, it is.... disconcerting"

[josienoms]

Guinevere walks through the forest with her hands on her guns. The quiet was unnerving, and she was already annoyed about having to search for the ancient library. She was a godling of Journeys, dammit! Places that had passed out of all living knowledge were the only places she didn't know how to get to. However, she wouldn't let a little something like a location passing out of all living knowledge stop her from reaching the end of her quest.

"Best be on your guard. Whatever drove out the animals might still be about."

She began to mutter to herself, a ritual of comfort. She remembered her creed, the code of honor that the Line of Eld had recited for centuries, the one that set them apart from others. It was the difference between a gunslinger and a Gunslinger.

“I do not aim with my hand;
she who aims with her hand has forgotten the face of her father.
I aim with my eye.

I do not shoot with my hand;
she who shoots with her hand has forgotten the face of her father.
I shoot with my mind.

I do not kill with my gun;
she who kills with her gun has forgotten the face of her father.
I kill with my heart.”

[Obscurejones]

Cull moves at a slightly slower pace, having to run to catch up every few minutes. He keeps stopping to pick some new herb or flower, adding them to a hastily woven sack that he casually expands as he needs new space.
"Would you like me to check our path? It would take a good deal of effort, but I could discern the direction at least."

[josienoms]

Guinevere shook her head.

"I always know what direction I'm going, you needn't trouble yourself with such a burden."

[Kell_tamer]

Dog pats the ferret. "I'm not worried."

She really wasn't. Nothing yet has been able to step to her, and even when it gets a blade or claw in on her she heals fast anyway.

[ChaosArchon]

As the deafening silence presses against you while you move, you feel...something. Not quite noise but maybe it's something.

everyone make Wisdom rolls

[Kell_tamer]

The girl's ears are open and listening but she's still not worried.

goal number is 21 -13 so 8.

[roll0]

[josienoms]

The Gunslinger pauses in mid stride, her keen eyes scanning the surrounding area for any sign of movement.

Okay, so I'm adding a +4 for my relevant Fact, that being that I'm a tracker who's pursuing someone. My WIS is 14, so my target number is 7.

[roll0]

[shorewood]

The skinwalker scans the surrounding woods, his ears swiveling, searching for a sound.

[roll0] assuming my facts help otherwise remove the +4

[Obscurejones]

The Farmer meanwhile, relatively unperceptive in comparison to his fellows. Were he more perceptual he might have the wherewithal to make note that next time he needs to read the section on how his hedge magery works prior to having need of it. But such is life for a working demigod.
[roll0]Trying to get above a 7

[ChaosArchon]

While Dog walks as a babe, innocently and without the knowledge of danger; the others sense something is off. It wasn't anything extraordinarily obvious to most, but the slight sound of twigs being strained in conjunction with the increased foliage up head leaves no questions to the nascent gods as to what waits ahead.

Somebody, likely some people, are lying in wait so that they can ambush whoever continues on this threadbare dirt path.

[Kell_tamer]

Dog continues her walk, blissfully unaware. Not that she looks like she has much on her, other than a couple weapons, but regardless, a ten year old girl would probably be an easy target for would be bandits. Any that tried would regret it anyway.

[Obscurejones]

Noting his friend's oblivious nature Cull calmly sings out a simple command at the foliage surrounding their possible ambushers.
"If you could be so kind as to pull back for a moment."
The plants recognize a master of their kind and spring out of the ground to dash away.
Committing effort to use a Fertility Miracle to command the greenery to retreat, creating a clearing where it used to be.

[josienoms]

Guinevere narrows her eyes, and draws her guns. She pulls back the hammers with her thumbs, ready to fire if whatever Cull reveals is hostile.

[shorewood]

Maui bunches up on Dog's shoulder, his haunches like springs ready to leap forward at a thought.

[ChaosArchon]

In an instant vines, bark, and greenery all shy away from the clearing, and where they once lay stand several very confused bandits.

[Kell_tamer]

Dog stops. She tilts her head at them.

[shorewood]

The skin walker leaps off the tiny godbound's shoulders, rapidly gaining mass, tough muscles and wicked claws as he rears up over the bandits as a full grown grizzly. Looming over them by almost four feet Maui looks down and growls deeply, shaking the dirt on the ground.

[Kell_tamer]

Dog looks at her companion. "Showoff...."

[josienoms]

Outlaws. Harriers. These men were desperate fools, who had fallen on hard times most likely. They had one chance. One.

"Don't even bother to fight. We are all of us Godbound, say true. If you value your lives, you'll bend a knee and hile."

[Kell_tamer]

Dog looks like she's about to playfully punch the bear's shoulder, but stops. She turns and looks at her other companion. "you could just say we're powerful....gets the point across, probably did beforehand, what with the bear." She points to him. "People and ferrets don't just do this every day"

[josienoms]

Guinevere looks at Dog.

"If it wouldn't just bounce off your thick skull, I'd shoot you right now."

[Kell_tamer]

"i'm just saying it comes off as overly elaborate when a 'hey, we're superpowered... stop it!', would be enough!" She has now turned completely away from the bandits in question.

[josienoms]

"You're undermining my point! Gods are supposed to talk like that."

Dog's just lucky Guin didn't throw in any thees or thous.

[Kell_tamer]

"How many gods have you met, and we're godbound, not gods, doesn't count!" she crosses her arms over her chest and taps her foot.

[josienoms]

"Thankee, for ruining this moment. I'm sure the outlaws are very intimidated right now."

[Kell_tamer]

"The bear has it! Answer me, how many gods?!" she points to Maui, then looks incredulously back at Guin.

[josienoms]

"I just know all the old stories."

She sighs.

"I've read many and many-a book in my day."

[Kell_tamer]

"I haven't. But i doubt they talked like that!"

[josienoms]

Guin arches an eyebrow.

"...can you even read?"

[Kell_tamer]

Dog thrusts a finger at her. "NOT IMPORTANT!"

[josienoms]

"When we have the time, I'm fixing that."

[Kell_tamer]

"not if it takes as long as it takes you to threaten bandits we won't"

[josienoms]

"That's it, time to show you who's boss."

Guin moves her gun to aim at Dog's face, and pulls the trigger. Thanks to their divine powers, the bullet bounces right off, of course. Guin is very intentionally not trying to hurt her, after all, just make a point.

[Kell_tamer]

Dog blinks. ".... did you just shoot me?" She looks shocked and appalled. "oh that is it!"

Dog grabs at a tree nearby and uproots it with ease. She holds it menacingly over Guin.

[josienoms]

Guin grins.

"Ah, but see? The outlaws are pissing their pants."

She gestures, with a playful smirk on her face, towards the bandits.

[Obscurejones]

"... To be honest I think they were terrified to start."

[Kell_tamer]

Dog blinks.... then sets the tree back in its spot.

[shorewood]

"you guys are ruining my moment" the skinwalker complains looking down at the squabbling divinities a woflish grin on his face "I mean did you see the look on their faces? scared ****less, now they are just confused"

[ChaosArchon]

The bandits all look really, quite truly frightened. With his heightened hearing the skinwalker thinks he hears one of them crying for their mother.

But one bandit is not so frightened...or if he is he's doing a remarkably well job at not showing it. He walks up towards the squabbling gods with exaggerated movements, his arms moving all over the place and always pointing up and down with his fingers.

"Yo people, why you gotta be like this. You're ruining my boys confidences. Could have just said you were strong but nooooooo. You gotta shoot eachother and throw trees and become bears and chit. It's just indecent."

[Kell_tamer]

"Look i'm sure to others you are very scary.... but you just picked the wrong people...." She seems sincere.

[josienoms]

"Yes, well... Leave us be and you won't need to see what we're like when we're actually angry. What we had there was just playful bickering."

[Obscurejones]

"Actually, if I could ask, why are you attacking people at all? The countryside is at once lush and, by report if not our experience, deadly. Anyone venturing here is likely more trouble then simply harvesting the bounty of these wilds."

[ChaosArchon]

The apparent leader looks at you with incredulity,"Yo man uh...I don't know how to tell you this...but most people ain't gods. Like...sure they may have a weapon or two, but my boys have something better. Quantity!"

And at this his "boys" cheer and their spirits seem lifted, if only a little.

"Anyway listen so um...you guys can go your way. Although I guess it is incumbent on me to tell you you're like...in the Hanging One's territory... so chill."

[Kell_tamer]

Dog shrugs and beings making her way through.

[shorewood]

Maui drops to all fours staring the bandit chief in the face, his breath knocking off the bandit's cap "Since you seem to be in a cooperative mood you can tell us who this hanging man is. Unless you'd prefer we remove your men's primary strength" He grins, baring his razor sharp teeth.

[Obscurejones]

"Well there's hardly any need to threaten them. They've done us no harm and appear to have just warned us of an actual danger. The least we could do is be polite."

[ChaosArchon]

At Maui's words the leader leaps back, a surprising distance in fact, but for all his effort lands on his rear. His men circle, or perhaps huddle would be more accurate, around their leader. Maui's ursine senses are sure at least one of them has already wet themselves, perhaps more than one even.

The leader eventually stands up, slightly reassured by Cull's promise of non-murdering-them-ness. "Yeah, what he said. Look the Hanging One is the god around these parts. In case you haven't noticed...there's no animals around. But if you sacrifice chit to him and stuff, he'll bless you with food. And thus the banditry."

[josienoms]

Guinevere frowns. The Hanging One doesn't sound like a very benevolent god, but he also serves as a distraction to her quest. Then again, these sorts of strange happenings always seem to precede the Man in Black. Perhaps it wasn't so unrelated after all.

"Tell me, what does he look like? This Hanging One."

[Kell_tamer]

Dog stops when her friends don't come with her. She waits to hear the explanation.

[ChaosArchon]

The leader blinks,"Erm...I'm not actually sure. We just...drop off our sacrifices at his temple and eventually our food comes to us in one way or another. Sometimes from like...one of his priests, sometimes it appears in the trees, and like....if we're really good an actual animal will lazily move towards us and we can kill n eat it."

[Kell_tamer]

"That seems horribly inefficient.... how do you know he is even a god? like my old master would make other slaves do weird things just to get our food." She clasps her hands behind her head as she looks at them. up at them.....

[ChaosArchon]

The leader looks around panicked,"Yo man, don't say chit like that. You gods might be able to handle a smiting...but me and the boys cannot... Listen good luck, you'll need it out in the Reach but we out."

And with as much bravado as they can muster with some of their member now requiring brown or yellow pants, the gang of bandits marches away.

[shorewood]

Maui snorts, his form shrinking, powerful muscles and hardened bone being replaced by feathers and fragile bones as he takes the form of a robin and flutters back to Dog's shoulder. "This hanging man sounds like a parasite" he chirps, pruning one of his feathers

[Kell_tamer]

Dog frowns. "Sounds like a tyrant. Acting like he owns people. Not a fan." She cracks her neck a bit and then looks to the others. "Shall we?"

[Obscurejones]

"Certainly. It shouldn't delay us long enough to effect our quest. And if we can do it quickly I can reverse it's effects on the land."

[shorewood]

Maui bobs his head chirping in agreement.

[josienoms]

"This seems familiar. I have a suspicion that The Hanging One may be someone I've met before. If he is, don't let him speak. Kill him."

[Obscurejones]

"...Well I mean that's more your wheelhouse. But by all means, do your... Pew pew... Thing..."

[Kell_tamer]

"I can do that." Dog nods. Wouldn't bother her any. Bad people are bad people.

[ChaosArchon]

Of one mind, the gods march towards their unlucky target. Through Guinevere's omniscience, you find a route towards she knows will lead to the Hanging One's temple.

Despite the path being overrun by vegetation which seeks to choke out anything not its kin, the road remains visible to her eyes and mind. As she walks across the moss, roots, and fungi; she feels the road and it responds to her. The road begins to repel its invaders and patches of the road emerge so that even the least perceptive of Her party can view Her subjects.

The road is strange, not gravel or dirt, but a strange, smooth rock that is uniformly black. Every so often a line of yellow peaks out from beneath the overgrowth as the party strides across this ancient path.

Eventually, after an hour of travel they arrive. The temple is far from ornate; its walls in disrepair and attended by alien adornments such torches nailed into the stone. The part of the original decoration that seems to remain is a sign reading "ANK".

But while the building is in evident disrepair, it is not in disuse in the slightest. You see petitioners trickle in and out occasionally, some old and some young but all with the same famished look on their faces. Outside, attending the entrance, are a pair equipped with some basic weaponry and armor. But even from this distance, you can tell neither is in the best condition and has clearly either been inexpertly made or looted from fallen foes. While their equipment look dull, the same cannot be said for the two wielding it. Their eyes burn with a zeal shared only with the insane or the zealous, an intensity that burns away all self-doubt and hesitancy.

[Kell_tamer]

Dog looks at the armed men. "welcoming..."

[Obscurejones]

Cull walsk up as cheerfully as he can, letting his scythe rest easily against his shoulder.
"Good morning! We were hoping to speak to the Hanging One."

[shorewood]

Maui hops once or twice on Dog's shoulder absorbing the scene with his beady avian eyes.

[Kell_tamer]

Dog glances at Maui before watching the events unfold.

[ChaosArchon]

The two guards look at eachother before turning back to face Cull. The taller one looks blankly, almost sardonically at him and says,"You may come in and make your offerings but only the Hanging One's priests may request an audience. All others must wait until the day they are called by him."

[Obscurejones]

Cull sighs and turns back to his companions.
"It would appear that a polite request will not suffice. Thoughts or actions?"

[Kell_tamer]

Dog looks at the guadsmen then at her group. She looks back at the guardsmen. "I could break the walls and we just walk into his chamber.... I mean its a wall..."

She looks back at the group. "Sorry not that good at dip... dip..... talkin to folks"

[josienoms]

Guin grins, and draws her guns.

"Subtlety is overrated. Some men only understand the way of the gun."

She glances down at Dog.

"Take down the wall."

[shorewood]

Maui hops off the small godbound's shoulder and flutters to a nearby tree, to better survey their surroundings, and to get some distance between him and Dog's distrurctive wrath.

[Kell_tamer]

Dog cracks her knuckles. She gives them a single other chance to let this by. She was the smallest of the group, but she was definitely strong visually.

Figure since no one is making a teasing behavior to her, and taking her seriously she could back up her strength for intimidation +4 since she was always skilled at that in the pit just by being scary among the kid. feel free to append a -4 since she is still you know a kid.

[roll0]

[ChaosArchon]

Before Dog has a chance to crack her knuckles, when the pair see the group draw their weapons they do as well. Anger contorts their face as they charge at those who would attack their temple and their god.

combat joined!

[Kell_tamer]

Dog sighs and just bops the first one who comes close upon his head. She pulls her punch so as not to kill him, but it will still leave a redness and swelling. She doesn't even use her weapons.

+5 damage is 1d10+4

total attack = 1d20 + 5 + Enemy AC attempting to hit 21.

Also the Fray Die equal or less levels than me means i get to roll that.. chart follows the same.

[roll0] Fray Die

[roll1] Attack

Damage if roll hits. [roll2] Damage if Attack hits

Chart for damage
1 = no damage
2-5 = 1 HD
6-9 = 2
10+ = 4

If damage would overflow, it passes through to any enemy in range so long as the attack would have beaten their AC
Fray die overflow is also a thing.

[ChaosArchon]

As they draw their swords, Dog rushes up a upcuts one and then left hooks the other...in a friendly, bop-like manner. The duo drop to the ground, with welts on their faces but still lightly breathing. As the dust settles, the party can hear chattering from the temple. It hasn't risen or fallen since their assault on the guards, perhaps nobody heard anything?

[josienoms]

Guin looks down at the soundly humiliated guards.

"...welp."

She holsters her guns, and strides confidently past the defeated defenders of the temple. She's the first one inside, her hands twitching at the slightest sign of danger.

[Kell_tamer]

Dog follows in. She had no real worry on her what with being godbound and all. Her feet make a slapping sound as they transition from dirt roads outside to a carved and worked floor.

[shorewood]

Maui flutters down from his branch, stretching out his claws as fur ripples over his avian form as he takes the form of a wolf as he hits the dirt, padding across the dirt behind the others.

[ChaosArchon]

A gun-slinging princess, wolf, smol-swole child, and hippie walk into a temple...to find that their fight hasn't disturbed its inner workings. A small group of people are gathered at the far end of the room, waiting in lines to give their offerings to the priests who sit behind a counter. Behind the priests is a massive, circular steel door with a dizzying amount of steel rods forming an axis jutting along the center. Every so often the door is opened and the offerings are brought inside.

To the left and right of the room are two long hallways which extend for some distance and both terminate in slightly smaller rooms as near as any can tell.

But the pièce de résistance, what really ties the entire scene together is a tree in the middle of the room. It has utterly dominated the room, its roots extending even into the stone floor and jutting out occasionally before diving once again into the depths. Its branches are bare of leaves but are hardly bare. Instead they are adorned with men and woman hung from its branches, all dead but none who have started to decay yet save one. The corpse appears to be beginning its final dissolution, but even as you watch, the decaying corpse is pruned from the tree by one of the priests.

[Kell_tamer]

Dog utilizing all the tact that comes with being an unkempt slave girl with a penchant for fighting.... looks at the tree then says.... "That's some sick **** there..."

[shorewood]

Maui's Hackles rise a primal snarl echoing through the chamber. "I say we hang this creature on his on his own tree"

[Obscurejones]

Cull frowns at the corpses hanging on the tree, walking forward to examine one of the bodies. He reaches past the body and lays a hand on the tree itself. He waits a moment as buds and leaves begins to sprout from the branches. The branches bow slightly as they become laden with fruit more natural. He turns to his friends.
"Could we cut them down now?"
Committing effort to use Unending abundance. Fun side effect, every plant in ten miles just got the same effect.

[josienoms]

Guin nearly wretches at the sight of the hanging corpses, but forces it down. She's seen worse things in her journeys. She takes out her guns, and levels both barrels at the priests.

"Take us to your god."

In an aside, she adds to Cull,

"There's nothing we can do for them now. We can give them proper respects once this is over."

[ChaosArchon]

Even as the priests begin to sweat under the barrel of Guinevere's gun, the ground begins to shake. Nowhere does it tremble more than by the corpse tree, and the hung bodies begin to shake erratically.

Leaves and fruit begin to fall off the tree and a loud voice fills the ancient bank. "HOW DARE YOU DEFACE MY FORM!" The tree's branches begin to curl and with a swift swing the last of Cull's blessing fall. "PRIESTS, KILL THEM FOR THEIR IMPUDENCE! AID ME!"

battle joined, if I recall the rules right, it's your guy's turn first. Targets are the Hanging One and a group of priests with assorted weaponry as well as miscellaneous guards

[Kell_tamer]

So much for nic... wait she had no intention of being nice. Grabbing the large planklike sword from her back, The small one charged forward. She would be ready to split this tree wide open. "Time to trim the hedges!"

Fray Die for any minions nearby.
[roll0]

Attack against the tree.
[roll1]

Damage if it hits
[roll2]

[josienoms]

Guin wastes no time, and turns both her guns onto the Hanging One.

It wasn't what she expected, but she was sure that, in time, her descendants would certainly sing ballads of how she'd once shot a tree.

...on second thought, maybe she'd leave this part out of her tales.

Okay, so I'm committing a point of effort to use Bolt of Invincible Skill. This attack automatically hits unless I roll a natural 1, and automatically does maximum damage.

Fray Die: [roll0]

Attack: [roll1]

And damage, should I roll anything other than a 1, will be 13.

[Obscurejones]

Ducking low Cull lets the scythe lazily swing up off his back, the black handle rolling down his arm till he catches it with a sudden jerk upwards, snapping out the silvery blade as he swings it up and across the monster's branches.
Attack roll [roll0]
Damage [roll1]