Adventures Assemble S3E3: The Great Brain Robbery!

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Psistrike
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by Psistrike »

Moonlight

Aranel has a smug look on her face, knowing this would be the result. "Lord Reizo Saito, I did warn you that you still haven't learned how to recognize the flaws in yourself when last we met. The arrogance to say that an ancient being like Seiryu, who knows far more about this universe and the way of things than you or I, made a mistake in choosing Kisai once more here in Shambala proves you still haven't learned this important lesson. Petty jealousy of your own son is so beneath someone who claims to be wiser than Seiryu."
Ysariel
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by Ysariel »

Nightbird
Shambhala - central keep
OOC

You succeed at the check. With 3 successes and 0 failures, you complete the skill challenge and receive 2 HP.
The Lemurian mages pause momentarily in the room. They hiss and sniff the air, tasting it with their tongues. Their lidded eyes slowly blink and sweep across the room. They look unfocused, and you have a distinct sense that they are attempting to use senses other than the 5 physical ones to detect something.

The wait is agonizing, but after what seems like an eternity they continue through the room and leave. You can see them proceeding down the battlements towards the tower you climbed up on the way here.

Suddenly, you hear a voice from behind you.

"What do you seek, little bird?"

You see a woman standing there, her head shaved bald, wearing a monk's simple robe. She is slight of build but her presence fills the room with an aura of awe. There is a smile in her eyes, though her lips do not move.

She is the same woman whose picture is on the urn of cremated ashes you just saw.

"Mages came to this city in search of secret knowledge. Conquerers came to plunder its treasures. Lost souls came seeking peace. A few hoped to find enlightenment. And those two," she nods in the direction of the departing Lemurians, "were searching for guests to entertain."

She turns her eyes back on to you. "Which are you, I wonder?"
Ysariel
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by Ysariel »

All (except Nightbird)
Shambhala - Hall of Divine Harmony

A tremendous uproar erupts in the great hall as Seiryu is summoned. Even the High Master of Shambhala looks taken aback. In the light of the silver dragon, the assembled mages variously cry out in shock and awe. But none among the gathered hundreds are more shocked and more awed than Reizo Saito.

His eyes widen, his jaw drops, and then his posture slumps, as all the strength goes out of his joints and bones. "This... is... impossible..."

Kisai's father topples over backwards and the members of his retinue scramble to support him and keep him on his feet.
Psistrike wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 10:25 amAranel has a smug look on her face, knowing this would be the result. "Lord Reizo Saito, I did warn you that you still haven't learned how to recognize the flaws in yourself when last we met. The arrogance to say that an ancient being like Seiryu, who knows far more about this universe and the way of things than you or I, made a mistake in choosing Kisai once more here in Shambala proves you still haven't learned this important lesson. Petty jealousy of your own son is so beneath someone who claims to be wiser than Seiryu."
"Oh he mad..." Gelert quietly comments.
One of the street samurai draws his vibro-katana. "Silence! You know nothing of our lord. Stop your slanderous tongue, or I will cut it out for you."

The High Master looks around, having regained his composure somewhat. "Are there any who would challenge Kisai and his retinue's claim to the seat of the Master Mage?"

The hall falls silent as if the entire assembly has been struck dumb.

Seething, the High Master shakes a fist. "What do the Keepers of the Northern and Western guardians say?"

Two mages, a Hindu priest and a Hermetic mage in rich purple robes, hurry to present themselves before the gathering.

"The blessing of the World Turtle was taken from us. Lucienne's agents launched a surprise attack from New Delhi--"

"The White Tiger of the West is lost! We were taken unawares by Lucienne's forces in Venice--"

The High Master throws up both hands in utter frustration. "Useless! Imbeciles! The failure of the hominid race will be the doom of this planet. You are one and all worthless!"

He storms out of the hall in a fury. "Father, wait!" Zhang cries, running after him. "Hang on!" Simon follows, and the two boys break into a sprint in pursuit.
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kenseido
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by kenseido »

Kisai

Well, there goes part of the surprise. But now what is her game? He'd thought she would try to have her agent 'win' the seat of Master Mage legitimately. But anyone with the other 3 Guardians will be known agents of hers. Of course, this does cast a guilty light on him being her agent.

Seeing Zhang and Simon run off, he quiety says "Qora, Aranel, please stay with them."

He doubts Qora even heard him before she was gone.

Philip then turns to Guardian behind him. Bowing his head, he humbly says "Thank you for this indulgence."

The Dragon whips around and returns back through the portal. Once gone, Kisai turns his attention back to the crowd. One of them is Lucienne's agent. and he is most interested in taking the Dragon away from Philip.
Insight check: 1d20+8 19
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kreuzritter
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by kreuzritter »

To Kisai's surprise, Qora is there just long enough to hear his instruction and nod with respect to him, before she takes an initial warpstep to catch up with the boys before her naturally long strides are all that will be needed
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by Gilliam »

Nightbird
HP: 4 > 6 LP: 1
Condition: Normal


Unsure exactly what the snakemen wanted or were looking for Imogen waited until they were out of sight before she returned to the floor of the room.

At the sound of the woman's voice behind her, Imogen turned round to face her, what was visible of her face under her mask remained impassive even though she was very surprised that someone had snuck up behind her without making any sound.

Seeing that the woman in front of her was the same as the picture she had seen earlier, all Imogen could put it down to was "magic", obviously the woman was a mage of some sort and the sheer force of her presence was impressive to say the least. Now the question was this room a tomb or something different again.
"What do you seek, little bird?"

You see a woman standing there, her head shaved bald, wearing a monk's simple robe. She is slight of build but her presence fills the room with an aura of awe. There is a smile in her eyes, though her lips do not move.

She is the same woman whose picture is on the urn of cremated ashes you just saw.

"Mages came to this city in search of secret knowledge. Conquerers came to plunder its treasures. Lost souls came seeking peace. A few hoped to find enlightenment. And those two," she nods in the direction of the departing Lemurians, "were searching for guests to entertain."

She turns her eyes back on to you. "Which are you, I wonder?"
"That is a difficult question to answer ..." Imogen started to say feeling that it was more serious or important that she answered as honestly as possible, it was an instinctive gut reaction but in the past Imogen had came to rely on that feeling.

" ... firstly I and my friends want to stop the Lightbringer and her schemes and ... well I want to be worthy of my teacher my mentor. You may have known him as he use to live here years ago before he left. His name was ... well he told me it was Killpatrick."
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kenseido
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by kenseido »

Kisai

Philip sighs again as he looks down at his father. Despite all the grief and anguish, despite years of hardship and attempted manipulations, he was still Philip's father.

He walks forward, brushing off anyone who would get between him and his dad.

He kneels down and places his hand on his Father's shoulder.

"Father. I still need you. Please?"

He might be able to muddle through the nonsense still to come, but his Father could be very helpful in navigating what was to come. He would have been there for Grant.
Ysariel
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by Ysariel »

Kisai
Shambhala - Hall of Divine Harmony

As you turn to scan the crowd, dozens of mages rush up before you. They offer you favors, secret knowledge, martial aid, all in exchange for your allegiance as the premier candidate to become the next Master Mage and thus, a major player in the magical world.
Insight: 1 success

But above the sounds of their despicable politicking, you notice one thing.

There are no Lemurians among those currying for your favor.

The words of the High Master ring in your ears: "The failure of the hominid race will be the doom of this planet. You are one and all worthless!" You cannot help but notice that both he and Lucienne saw no salvation for Earth in the hands of superheroes. If the High Master does not trust a human Master Mage, if Lucienne has three of Earth's guardian spirits to your one, where do you think he would turn to for the strength to resist the Incarnate of War?
Father's retinue are retreating as you push forward to him. You are followed by the gaggle of pretenders and favor-curriers but they hesitate as Father's escort of razorgirls and street samurai draw their swords and guns.
"Father. I still need you. Please?"
He laughs.

"Too late... you have seized his destiny. Grant's... destiny..." Father coughs.

"You will die, like he did, in the fires of the war to come. Both sons... dead. Both my sons. Ahh..."

He laughs deliriously.

"Back off! You are causing him distress!" one of Father's guards is screaming at you. You notice that while Lemurian mages mingled with others in the hall prior, a group is now peeling away from hall in haste.
OOC

You can follow the group of Lemurian mages. (Make a Stealth check or use a suitable power if you want to do so unnoticed.)

Alternately, you can head in the direction the High Master left.

Alternately, you can continue to try to speak to Father.

You can also do anything else you consider reasonable.
Ysariel
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by Ysariel »

Qora
Shambhala - Underground
kreuzritter wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 3:08 pm To Kisai's surprise, Qora is there just long enough to hear his instruction and nod with respect to him, before she takes an initial warpstep to catch up with the boys before her naturally long strides are all that will be needed
You reappear besides the boys, one Grue and one Lemurian, who are hot on the heels of the High Master as he walks deep into the fortress of Shambhala.

"Father, what do you mean? Father, they are heroes! Heroes! Not the pretenders who crowd the hall --"

"Sir -- I don't know you very well but -- my friends are very good people and I promise you they can help --"

"Leave," says the High Master in a subdued voice. "Leave. I need silence... I must ponder this development."

He keeps walking, and you and the boys follow. He goes down flights of stairs, through the halls of the fortress that had alternately served as stronghold, palace and spiritual retreat. Massive gates and iron doors open at his approach as the magical spells warding them admit him.

The air is cooler here, and you notice the surroundings are less well-furnished. You are going into deep parts of the fortress that have rarely been visited.

"Father, just because they are hominids and outsiders does not mean they are untrustworthy," Zhang says. "They saved me when I was attacked --"

Somehow, this seems to provoke something in the High Master's psyche. He turns around. "Is your loyalty so easily bought?"

Only then does he notice you following. His eyes widen in surprise at finding one of the heroes here, before narrowing again.

"Very well," says the High Master of Shambhala to all of you. "If you truly believe this, let us see how well that belief holds after you know the whole truth." He gestures with one arm. "See! See for yourself the truth of this planet's history."

Torches flare to life all about him. You are in a deep underground hall, and the architecture here is distinctly different from that of the Tibetan-style dzong fortress above. Faint murals, thousands of years old, decorate the walls. The one directly ahead of you looks somewhat like this:

Image

If you have looked at illustrations of scenes from human religious texts, you would recognize it as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, being tempted by the Serpent. Except that here, the mural before you does not depict a snake, but a serpent-man. A Lemurian, giving the Fruit of Knowledge to the ancestors of humanity.
Ysariel
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by Ysariel »

OOC

I wanted to post for Nightbird too, however I ran out of time. I will post ASAP and make a serious effort to post for Nightbird during the weekend so she does not fall behind the others in the scene.
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by kreuzritter »

Ysariel wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 3:50 pm Qora

Image

If you have looked at illustrations of scenes from human religious texts, you would recognize it as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, being tempted by the Serpent. Except that here, the mural before you does not depict a snake, but a serpent-man. A Lemurian, giving the Fruit of Knowledge to the ancestors of humanity.
"Ah," Qora says, "Precursor civilization or first contact gone wrong?"
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Psistrike
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by Psistrike »

Moonlight

Aranel had to fight to hold back her temper, the next time one of the street samurai or one of Kisai's father's guard dared to insult her in such a way she might not be able to hold back the flame of her fury. Distracted by the threat, she took a moment to react to Kisai's request and flew off on a ball of flame after Qora.

[ooc: Sorry for not posting in so long, brain has felt like it is filled with cotton for a while now especially whenever I try to think of what to post.]
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by kenseido »

Kisai

Philip notes the lemurians leaving. He would love to be a fly on the wall in that meeting.

And the High Master is also concerning. If he loses faith, then he might think our only chance is Lucienne. At least Q'ora and Moonlight went that way. With luck, Nightbird would be able to spy on the Lemurians.

He looks back at his father. He points his cane at the guard, only it has transformed into a katana. He looks at the guard with a death stare.

"Stay out of family business," he says in a low voice.

He then turns back his father but leaves the sword where it is.

"Is this how a former chosen of the Dragon acts? You fought on Seiryu's behalf for decades. Have you forgotten what it feels like to be a guardian?"

"Father, we will defeat Lucienne and the Incarnate of War, with or without your help."

He kneels down and places his hand on his father's shoulder.

"I would prefer with."
Ysariel
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by Ysariel »

Qora
Shambhala - Underground
Qora wrote: Sat Mar 14, 2020 6:35 pm"Ah," Qora says, "Precursor civilization or first contact gone wrong?"
"Both. Follow me."

He leads you, if you follow, down the ancient hallway. The air is cold and dry; the stone floor under you smooth and spotless like polished marble. As the High Master walks, glowing crystals light up one by one on the walls, illuminating murals thousands of years ago. You see images of a mighty civilization, towering ziggurats and sprawling temples rising from tropical rainforest, ruled over by serpent-men...

"Once upon a time, saurian life reiged supreme upon this planet. The Lemurian Empire achieved unparalleled heights in culture, sorcery, science and philosophy. But the Empire grew decadent, content to stagnate in its mastery of the world."

Another image is illuminated. Strange stars appearing in the sky, evoking wonder and terror from the masses below. Alien vessels of physics-defying size hover above the clouds. The ovoid ships bring humanoid figures to the planet, shaped like Venus figurines of titanic size, miles tall. You cannot help but notice the similarity to the image that Gelert saw of Pandora in the memory contained in his ring...

"Were the gods displeased at our arrogance? Did they see fit to bestow upon us punishment? From outer space came the Preservers, deiform servitors of ancient star gods. They ignored our every prayer and supplication, and raised up humanity from the great apes. They gave unto humankind the fruit of life."

You walk into view of a third mural. Lemurians, directing humans in fields, reading to them from tomes, showing them geometric shapes: the Fruit of Knowledge...

"Despite the Preservers' favor, humans were feeble in body, mind and spirit, short-lived and stupid. We looked upon them with the compassion of superiors, and taught them all we knew."

You see two cities depicted on the fourth mural. One is the paradisal civilization in the lush rainforest, home to the serpent empire of Lemuria. Another rises from the middle of the ocean, jagged spires and battlements ready for war. Countless legions march forth from both to join an apocalyptic war...

"But for all the things humanity lacks, it wants not for greed, ambition and hatred. The hominid empire of Atlantis grew mighty on our knowledge. It craved more, and what we would not give, they would take by force. The war that followed ended that beautiful, glorious age forever."

The fifth mural is incomplete, consisting of only crude sketches, the worksmanship and detail far inferior to the previous four. Fire rains from the skies, oceans boil, mountains crumble, and the great rainforests turn to ash...

"My people were destroyed. Many survivors fell into barbarism and degeneracy, becoming little more than beasts. Some hid underground, selling themselves to eldritch powers and forgotten gods for the strength to do so. And we... we came to Shambhala."

The High Master turns to you.

"We came to forge a peace. To try and forgive the bitterness of the terrible injustice done to us. To try and teach humanity to correct its errant ways. The last time I tried was decades ago. When Shambhala last opened its gates, and sent forth its wise men and women to a world on the brink of nuclear warfare. But the leaders of the human nations were deaf to our pleas for a world of compassion and justice. They one by one allowed themselves to fall under Lucienne's influence. I have lost my faith in human champions."

He slumps against the wall. For the first time, you see the terrible weight of ages that he bears, and he is utterly exhausted.
Last edited by Ysariel on Fri Apr 03, 2020 5:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ysariel
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Re: Adventures Assemble S2E3: Call to Arms!

Post by Ysariel »

Nightbird
Shambhala - central keep
Nightbird wrote: Mon Mar 09, 2020 5:16 pm "That is a difficult question to answer ..." Imogen started to say feeling that it was more serious or important that she answered as honestly as possible, it was an instinctive gut reaction but in the past Imogen had came to rely on that feeling.

" ... firstly I and my friends want to stop the Lightbringer and her schemes and ... well I want to be worthy of my teacher my mentor. You may have known him as he use to live here years ago before he left. His name was ... well he told me it was Killpatrick."
She reaches out and touches your cheek. Her hand is cool to the touch.

"You are young. Full of promise. Just as Killpatrick and White Rose once were, when they left Shambhala, determined to change the world. But can you do what they cannot?" the woman asks with a piercing gaze.

"The High Master of Shambhala, Szzarvak, is not an evil man. When I stepped down as High Master, none of the human factions could agree on a successor, and thus it was he who ascended to the seat. But he is very old, and very weary. He has seen much of the treacherous ways of humankind and has little faith left in this world. Thus Lucienne tempts him."

"She cannot speak to him directly - yet. The wards of Shambhala still keep out her agents, for now. But she wears away at his resolve like glacial streams cutting through the mountain stone. Here, she reveals the incompetence of humanity's wisest and oldest magi; there, she goads those hungry for power to reveal their greed and lust. Beyond Shambhala's walls, she has fomented a world deaf to its message of wisdom and spirituality. And so, the High Master loses hope, day by day, and when Lucienne finally whispers, he will listen..."

She gestures to a mirror. You look into it, and see not your own reflection, but images from the future. Qora, walking through the murals that tell the history of war between Lemuria and Atlantis. A Lemurian dressed in resplendent robes of scarlet and gold, standing amidst the burning buildings of Shambhala. "Hominids are why War has come to Earth!" he roars. "My people treated yours with compassion, but you made war upon us. Sins of the father must be borne by the sons. This is what you deserve. This is JUSTICE!"

The woman looks on sadly. "Killpatrick and White Rose learned the barest hints of the Lightbringer's presence years ago and left to change the world. They sought to defeat her with their fists, with physical force. But this world will only be saved by faith."

She turns to you. "Be a worthy successor to them. Do what they could not. Save the High Master from the Lightbringer's clutches. Then only can you carry the battle to her. And remember: you cannot defeat War with war."

She smiles.

"I have faith," she whispers. "In you."

The mirror catches your eye. You look into it, and see Zhang, his eyes full of tears. "Let me go!" he screams. "Sins of the father must be borne by the sons. My sacrifice will seal the Akashic Library, and humans will remember that a Lemurian died to save them. This is the only way we can live together in peace again! Let me die!"

When you look back at the woman, she is gone. And when you look at the mirror again, it shows only your reflection.

OOC
Your scene ends here. You can return unseen to the Hall of Divine Harmony where Kisai, Gelert and Moonlight are without any further checks. In-character, you also see what Qora did deep underneath Shambhala.
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