Dethroning The Old Death (A Riot Quest)(ALWAYS RECRUITING)

[We Just Write]

The old god of Death has got to go. For the last millenia, Zerrakh has been needlessly abusive and malevolent, going far into unacceptable territory. They have gleefully taken joy in the anguish created by ripping families apart, killed promising individuals before their time to cause stagnation, only permitted post-mortem communications for malevolent individuals, and even sent the occasional army of the undead rampaging across the landscape causing destruction and terror wherever they go. Zerrakh's priesthood are no better, at best gleefully spreading the message that Zerrakh will torment everyone after they die, and at worst being murderous necromancers.

It doesn't need to be this way however; ultimately, gods only exist because people believe in them and tell their stories. This presents an opportunity to bring about change; if you can bring a new, kinder deity of Death to prominence, you could banish Zerrakh to the status of lesser god, or even stamp them out entirely if you get his believer density below the critical threshold.

Your objective set, your group sets out for Roolan, a decently large nation containing five cities and enough fertile farmland to feed them all. You'd estimate the population at probably 5-8 million, around two thirds of which would be in the countryside as farmers. the country lies near the equator, and is bordered by ocean on the West, trackless desert to the north, nigh-impenetrable jungles to the south, and extremely hazardous mountains on the east. The fact that getting to or from Roolan is only really feasible by sea should therefore do a lot to ensure that outside forces don't disrupt your new religion's spread until you're ready to go international.

Mechanics

The Basics
-First and foremost, this is a Riot Quest, which means each player controls one prominent member of an organization (in this case a religion). As such, each and every action that receives votes is at least attempted.

-All actions are resolved using a d100 roll plus modifiers for number of characters participating, along with appropriate skills, divine gifts, and equipment. Each character involved in a roll adds a base modifier of +5 just for being there.

-By default, each turn represents one month.

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Result Ranges
Depending on what you roll, your actions can have a few different results. From worst to best they are
Failure: This occurs when your roll and all modifiers fall short of the DC by at least 35. In addition to simply not working, there's some sort of other detrimental effect that sets you back. In particularly high-stakes situations, the buffer between the DC and a Failure may get smaller. Failures cause doubled XP growth; learn from your mistakes.

Minor Failure: This occurs when your roll and all modifiers fall short of the DC by less than 35. You simply don't quite manage to achieve whatever you were trying to do; nothing more, nothing less. Minor failures cause doubled XP growth; learn from your mistakes.

Painful Success: This happens when you technically got a Minor Failure, but got close enough to the DC (within a few points) that I want to give it to you anyway. Thus, whatever you tried to do works, but there's some sort of negative effect as well. Painful Successes cause doubled XP growth; learn from your mistakes.

Technical Success: This indicates a case where an action would otherwise be a Success, but due to external circumstances isn't terribly useful at the moment. It varies whether the results of the action will be useful later or not.

Success: This occurs when your roll and all modifiers beat the DC. Whatever you were trying to do works with no immediate negative consequences.

Epic Success: This result has a few requirements;

1. the unmodified roll must be higher than 90
2. the total must exceed 100
3. the total must exceed the DC by at least 30
4. If the DC is exceeded by more than 125, the requirement for the natural roll to be 90 < is waived.

In terms of effect, an Epic Success not only works far better than expected, but it also provides some kind of side benefit that makes things easier on you.

Yes, these ranges are largely recycled from Havoc Squad.

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Stauses

Sometimes, bad shit happens to a character, which takes them time to recover from. This is called a Status, and restricts that character's actions appropriately to the injury or inconvenience that happened to them. Here are some example statuses.

Injured: An injured character has suffered some variety of wound that makes them less able to perform large-scale physical exertion. Their participation in combat or active Subversion actions is not recommended.

Concussed: This character has had their brain rattled around inside their skull. Having them participate in any action involving significant physical or mental exertion until they heal is an incredibly bad idea.

Soul Strain: This indicates a more metaphysical injury. While a character is suffering Soul Strain, their participation in any Mysticism-based action aside from pure research is an incredibly bad idea. Even then it's a bit risky.

Deceased: Under normal circumstances, this would equate to 'game over, make a new character'. However, you're making a god of Death, which grants some additional leeway. As such, once Morth's Divine Realm is fully extant, deceased characters will be capable of acting on metaphysical planes without issue, and can possibly return to the material plane as undead. On the other hand, they might decide to retire, in which case their player can make a new character at any time.

Gone: This character is deader than dead, their soul has been shattered far beyond the point of unrecoverability. Make a new character.

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Action Types and Stats
Each character has four stats, each of which corresponds to a specific type of action.

Preaching: Preaching is used for bringing people around to your way of thinking, be it giving a sermon to an assembled crowd, or convincing powerful individuals that your plan to overthrow Zerrakh is worth supporting.

Mysticism: Mysticism is used for doing magical things, whether it be arcane wizardry or applying the divine gifts of your deity. This is not only useful for magical research and rituals, but can provide situational bonuses for other types of actions.

Subversion: Subversion is used for less than legal hindering of your foes, ranging from melting down Zerrakh's holy symbol, assassinating prominent Zerrakhists, espionage, and other dubious endeavors.

Administration: The joys of managing records, raising funds, overseeing temple upkeep, and other simple bureaucratic tasks. This may not be the most glamorous of activities, but without it your entire scheme is doomed.

Stats have 8 levels, with each level adding +5 to the appropriate roll. Stats can be zero (in which case you get no bonuses), but cannot be negative.

Stats grow on a simple experience model; each action you take part in adds one XP to the relevant stat, with failures causing doubled XP growth. Taking part in an action with another character with a higher level of the relevant skill also doubles XP growth, representing the more experienced character mentoring their comrades. This doubling can stack. Reaching the next level in a stat requires you to accumulate double the level you're about to reach. For instance, going from level zero to level 1 needs 2 XP, while going from level 3 to level 4 needs 8 XP.

Aside from the basic stats, skill tags are also available. These don't exactly correspond to the stats, but can often be useful for specific types of actions. When a Skill Tag is relevant, it adds +10 to the roll. If multiple skill tags apply, they stack. Skill Tags are always in all caps, enclosed in square brackets, and have underscores in place of spaces. An example Skill Tag is [COMBAT_TRAINED], which provides +10 on rolls when physical combat is taking place.

Acquiring a Skill Tag during gameplay is fairly simple, but is not free: If you can find a teacher who already has the skill tag in question (either in the group or an NPC), then it's simply a matter of passing a DC 70 action to learn the skill; the teacher's Preaching stat applies to this roll, while the students only apply their bonuses for being present. If a teacher is not available, then it takes three consecutive DC 70 actions to self-train, using your Mysticism stat. This may be necessary if you want to invent a completely new skill tag, for example.

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Omakes
Omakes in this game fall into two categories. These categories are Scripture and Vignettes.

-Scripture is your in-universe tales of whatever deity you try to bring into being. It provides context for their motivations, personality, and other factors. This determines how the deity you bring into being will behave, and what sorts of divine gifts they are likely to bestow. Remember, your goal is to make a more benevolent death deity, and your Scripture should reflect that. In order for a piece of Scripture to take full effect, it needs to be spread to the religion's followers using Preaching actions.
Scripture is of critical importance! Without it, your deity will be whatever your followers make of it, and is highly likely to go rogue!

-Vignettes are your tales of your mortal characters and their activities. These can provide context for actions, and general approach to life. If you write an Omake about how you're going about a specific action, and the Omake fits how a good approach would work, you can get a bonus on the relevant roll.

Roster

Players will be sorted in alphabetical order, and characters will be sorted in chronological order by player. During character generation you have five stat points and a skill tag to distribute as you see fit.

available species for players (only matter for description)

-Human: Obligatory, you know what they are, won't be elaborated on. Humans are about 62% of the population.

-Beastkin: Minor animal features blended with humanity; these are your catgirls, birdfolk, and lizard people. Somehow all reproductively compatible with each other, but never blends more than one animal species. Beastkin make up roughly 37% of the population.

-Chemina: People infused with the essence of a single element of the periodic table. Ironfolk have metallic skin and handle high temperatures well, Radiumites glow in the dark, Heliumfolk can drift with the wind, you get the idea. Chemina make up around 1% of the population, and largely arise as the result of bizarre magical accidents, since very few are reproductively viable past the first few generations.

Character Sheet Template (including the sections in parentheses is a no-no)
Player:
Name:
Description: (Both physical and mental; please limit this to a few sentences and maybe a picture)
Backstory: (please limit this to a paragraph of reasonable length)
Stats:
Skill Tags:

Example Character Sheet (will not be used in-game)
Player: @I just write
Name: Crystal
Description: A diamond-form Carbonfolk, Crystal is a man who quite literally shines, both with determination and just from having a flexible layer of diamond for skin. He is incredibly driven, both in his studies, and in his dedication to bringing down Zerrakh.
Backstory: Crystal joined in with the project to overthrow Zerrakh after his child died, and said child was subsequently turned into a murderous vampire with a taste for sapient blood. As such, Crystal is driven to make sure no-one else ever has to deal with the Old Death ever again.
Stats: Preaching 2, Mysticism 2, Administration 1
Skill Tags: [MAGIC_PROFESSOR]

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Player: @Aeternus
Name: Robert Pass
Description: A short, small man with a very forgettable face and voice. Very fond of order, yet apathetic to chaos and disorganization he has not decided to work on resolving.
Backstory: After the last group he worked for collapsed, Robert ended up joining what seemed to be a group with a lot of growth potential. He seeks to find a niche in the org and keep it running as well as possible.

XP: (Lv. 6 Administration | 2/12)
Stats: Preaching 0, Mysticism 0, Subversion 0, Administration 5
Skill Tags: [PAPERWORK_EXPERIENCE], applies to repetitive tasks involving paperwork, such as updating records and duplicating the text of documents.

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Player: @always_confused
Name: Alamgir Khan
Description: Tall, but generally hunched over out of habit. A thin, hideously scarred and disfigured rat-folk as in the image above, bells and all and garbed in rags. They speak in a raspy tone, with a thick scar on their neck standing out amidst it all.

Mentally, they're somewhat fatalistic and extremely pessimistic. Having said that, they also take great mirth in playing up those aspects of their personality and annoying others by being a stereotypical doomsayer. All jokes aside, their fatalism and pessimism is mostly focused on themselves, as they see their survival of the acolytes' plague as just living on borrowed time. Time where they have to work as much as they can to bring down the current God of Death and their cultists. At heart, Alamgir is a kind hearted individual, if socially awkward, and deeply protective of their fledgling flock.

Backstory: Living with his extended family and relatives on a large farm located on a pleasant seaside village, Alamgir looked like he had a comfortable, if quiet life ahead of him. That was until a foul priest of Zerrakh intentionally infected his village with a modified strain of an old plague in order to observe its effects. The villagers all died painfully. Alamgir however barely survived but became a carrier and every moment was living torture. What happened between then and his joining the Cult isn't entirely clear. Alamgir remembers meeting a skilled doctor, who managed to bring some relief to his body and making sure he was no longer a carrier, but beyond that is just a pain wracked haze...

XP: (Preaching Lv. 4 | 2/8 XP)(Lv. 3 Subversion | 2/6)
Stats: Preaching 3, Mysticism 0, Subversion 2, Administration 0

Skill Tags: [PLAGUE_MONK] - Works like COMBAT_TRAINED for all intents and purposes, the difference is in the fluff. Rather than a combat bonus due to skill and experience, the bonus comes from being a crazy, constantly in pain plague victim fanatic inured to pain.

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Player: @Ardent_Dreamer
Name: Laelas Qiguan
Description: A young man of reliable character, his parentage was often the talk of the matrons of his former home, an orphanage, due to its almost feathery spikes and bright rust color. He affects a shy persona around others, not helped by his autumn hooded cloak, only for it to crumble when a subject of his interest rises, speaking passionately and wildly. He wears his sister's feathers in his hair as a reminder.

Spoiler: Without his cloak

Backstory: Although he is kind and was always the peacekeeper among his friends, whenever the Death God Zerrakh was mentioned, the boy's kind eyes became predatory. He would speak quietly against the god, almost uncaring about the consequences, even before his first caretaker, a crow beastkin he saw as a sister, died to protect him from a priest of Zerrakh that went on a... rampage, commonplace in the city he used to live. It was traumatizing, it was horrible, and many of the people he knew died. He was never the same after, yet he continued to hope for his sister and friend's happiness in the afterlife; a foolish hope with Zerrakh around.
When the Eternal Candle-Bearers came to Greenvale, Laelas saw his opportunity, and joined as fast as he could. While he knew his sister would disapprove of his inner reasons, he wanted some form of revenge; and getting rid of the subject of his nightmares and its god would be a cause he'd kill for if he had to: for his sister, for the friends he lost, there were many that the Old Death killed for no reason other than his own satisfaction.

XP: (Lv. 3 Preaching | 1/6)
Stats: Preaching 2, Mysticism 1, Subversion 2, Administration 0
Skill Tags: [PHOENIX_ASHES] - It is easy to give up when all seems lost, when the anchor of your life disappears in front of you. Happenings like that often bring people to the brink of despair, yet you continued to rise above your challenges. One day, you might not be able to win against the odds, but until then, you will rise and rise again until you burn out like your sister.

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Player: @ConfusedPotato
Name: Thaumus Flash, The Crystal Mage
Description:
A crystalline chimera spellcaster made up of precious gems Thaumus lives up to his name as the crystal mage. The patterns on the gems that make up his body are thousands of tiny runes he has carved into his skin. They form patterns of larger runes and spell and ritual circles on his body allowing him to cast powerful spells with a thought. Casually casting magic has become second nature to him, especially after he carved his entire spell book onto himself. A deeply studious individual he can usually be found reading or experimenting with magic with his owl familiar Minerva perched on his shoulder. It should be noted that Minerva is also make entirely of crystal, both victims of the same magical accident.

Backstory: (please limit this to a paragraph of reasonable length)
Born an ordinary human Thaumus was a prodigy at the magical arts. Studying under some of the best spellcasters known, he quickly mastered every spell he was taught. Despite his teachers telling him he was not ready to learn more spells he did so anyway, attempting to cast spells that he was physically unable to channel enough magic for. He continually drove himself to exhaustion trying to cast ever more powerful spells heedless of the danger. It was this recklessness and impatience that would lead to the magical accident that would change his life. Attempting to perform a ritual on himself that would allow him to channel more magic, he lost control of the forces involved. He had done everything possible to make it so that the ritual would succeed and it did, far too well. Rather than simply allowing him to channel more magic temporarily, it instead permanently transformed his entire body into crystal, a substance with one of the highest magical capacities in existence. Such was the power involved that it affected and changed his familiar as well through the magical bond they both shared, his first friend, Minerva.

After this incident he gained a sense of caution and respect for the forces used in spellcasting. With the changes caused by the accident his personality finally mellowed out, as no longer was his ability to channel magic holding him back but rather his lack of understanding. He would have been content to spend the rest of his days reading and studying magic but eventually the rumours of his crystalline body and skill with magic spread. And with the rumours came the greedy and the unscrupulous. As a powerful spellcaster made of gems he would fetch a high price alive or dead. Whether it be for his skills or for the use of his remains as magical reagents. Whilst most of them could be discouraged by the fact that he was very good at magic there was one group that just wouldn't give up, the priesthood of Zerrakh. Performing atrocity after atrocity in an attempt to capture him the final straw came when he returned to his home city to find they had killed everyone there in an attempt to get him. Killing his friends, family, teachers and co-workers and razing his lab and home to the ground in the process. Realising that fighting would just lead to his death, he turned around and swore that he would get vengeance for his family and everyone he had cared about. The priesthood of Zerrakh and all they stood for would die for this crime, and if he had to kill a god to do it? Well then, so be it.

XP: (Lv. 6 Mysticism | 1/12)
Stats: Preaching 0, Mysticism 5, Subversion 0, Administration 0
Skill Tags: [I_AM_MY_CASTING_FOCUS] - There are many ways of casting magic but the stronger the spell the more a casting focus is needed. Anything can be used as a focus but the best ones are crystals of personal significance with runes carved into them. Of course this means that being disarmed is a threat when casting powerful spells. But Thaumus doesn't need to worry about either of these problems, after all can you get an any more powerful and hard to disarm focus than your very own rune carved crystal skin.

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Player: @djehuty3

Name: Danaal Atiktus

Description: Human, mid-fourties, skinny, dark haired (with a ragged beard and a mad thatch of head hair), pale skinned (windchapped with a few dozen scars), and almost universally poorly dressed. Danaal has a manic kind of energy about him- in conversation, he comes across as something half-way between a prophet returned from forty days in the desert, and a particularly eloquent but still definitely crazy homeless guy. The bags under his eyes suggest a worrying lack of sleep. The exception to this is anything to do with his daughters, Jem (14) and Scurra (9); all that fire and madness is swiftly replaced by a calm, easy-going but occasionally stern manner that makes for a remarkably good dad.

Backstory: Born to working-class parents, Danaal thought himself destined for a life of menial labour and grinding poverty. Things changed when he found himself the subject of a bet between two nobles; one believed that the poor were inherently incapable of rising above their status, and the other felt that it was only lack of education that caused their poor morals. To prove his point, the second noble arranged for a boy picked at random to be taught to read and write. In so doing, he gave Danaal a way out of poverty- and won his bet handily when Danaal married his sweetheart (Betha) and gave her a fine home on a scribe's salary. It was only a few years later, however, when tragedy struck; Betha was caught by priests of Zerrakh and sacrificed. Danaal swore revenge, and now he and his daughters walk the path of a new deity.

XP: (Lv. 5 Preaching | 2/10)
Stats: Preaching 4, Mysticism 1, Subversion 0, Administration 0
Skill Tags: [STORY_TELLER] Whether committed to paper or spoken aloud, Danaal is a master of crafting narratives.

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Player: @Drepson
Name: Sarah
Description: Short, thin, always in black funeral garments, often cloaked, pale skin from lack of sunlight, sickly, dark hair that mostly fallen out, forlorn look, usually found watching over children when not working, emotionally distant and watchful of others, kind and caring,
Backstory: Born to a family of scribes, after a relatively happy childhood she and her twin sister grew distant as Sarah went on to continue the family tradition while looking after their parents her twin left to find work outside eventually returning one day while Sarah was away working to sacrifice the twins parents, after walking in on her sister raising her parents as undead Sarah ran.

XP: (Lv. 3 Administration | 2/6)
Stats: Preaching 2, Mysticism 1, Subversion 0, Administration 2
Skill Tags: [Village_Scribe]: Sarah's family always worked as aides to the mayor and such a job has taught her how to prepare events and festivals for the community well.

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Player: @FatedBread
Name: Soppo Anguis
Description: A green-haired human female with a perpetual smile on her face and crinkled eyes

Spoiler: Image

Backstory: A former spymaster from a foreign land, Soppo was part of the original rebels that overthrew the countries tyrannical nobility — only for her comrades to become even worse. Cue organising more rebellions only to get the same results.
With the number of deaths (friend & foe) that she has been responsible for, along with the fact that they ultimately amounted for worse than nothing, Soppo doesn't take life too seriously anymore. She has joined the project mainly for fun (or so she says) and wonders if history will repeat itself.

XP: (Lv. 2 Mysticism | 2/4)(Lv. 6 Subversion | 1/12)
Stats: Preaching 0, Mysticism 1, Subversion 5, Administration 0
Skill Tags: [DEATH'S_ JESTER] Expert skill melded with a playful mindset and an undertone of sadism, Soppo has a particular talent for 'trolling'.
E.g. Acts of mischief & subterfuge. Actions that could get a rise out of people (her allies included) or cause people distress.

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Player: @HammeredApple
Name: Khaliss Silungue
Description: A somewhat thin Lizard-person that speaks with a thick 'bayou' accent. Always finds joy in his work and is tries to share that joy, regardless if it's cleaning out latrines or preparing ritual sacrifices to empower spells or cast an augury.

Backstory: Khaliss was born in the jungles and swamps of his homeland, raised by his tribe to find revere his ancestors and to respect the natural order of things.
Now Zerrakh, that be some bad juju, tormenting the spirits and denying them a final rest by animating their bodies, this just won't do. As such Khaliss has volunteered into this plan to birth a new god, to cast down the desecrator of the dead.

XP: (Lv. 4 Mysticism | 1/8)
Stats: Preaching 0, Mysticism 3, Subversion 2, Administration 0
Skill Tags: [VOODOO_DOCTOR] Khaliss is adept at finding and producing various substances from unlikely ingredients, ranging from healing salves to deadly poisons. +10 to the research/creation of potions.

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Player: @JbeJ275
Name: Jake Baxter
Description: Young Human Male, brown hair blue eyes, Carries a Mandolin, Wears oranges and reds, Seems cocky but is given to fits of melancholy when he drinks
Backstory: As a boy, a solider of no particular rank or renown but one who saw the same horrors. He was a musician in the army and so took up the trade on his discharge. Since then he has been a wandering bard, serving as a friendly face and a source of music. He never forgot the dead though and when he came to a village that pledged to improve these lives he embraced the faith with an open hand.

Stats: Preaching 2 Mysticism 0 Subversion 3 Administration 0
Skill Tags: [FREINDLY_FACE]: Play music for a man and you may well have known him for a month. Wherever he goes he's treated like a local which helps conversion, information gathering and general travel.

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Player: @Lizard Knight
Name: Allister Lovewood
Description: An elderly beastkin Vulture man. He is clad in armour, a black cloak and carries a shovel with him (representing his days as a soldier, a doctor and a gravekeeper).
Allister is a man of stories and introspection, telling stories of his past while studying the mask his actions build up.
Backstory:
Born to a simple village, Allister became a soldier to protect his country.
The Vulture became fed up with killing in lock step, and became a doctor. To heal, not kill.
However, in the end he started to experiment on humans, because what is one live against many?
Allister started to realise what monster he started to become, again, and decided for a simpler live.
Taking care of the dead...until Zerrakh's goonish cult invaded his graveyard.
The old man hid, knowing he stood no chance while the necromancers raised the dead.
That is when Allister decided, no more.
Oblivion to the god of dead, as death is to god for a tyrant like him.

XP: (Lv. 4 Administration | 2/8)(Lv. 3 Preaching | 2/6)
Stats: Preaching 2, Mysticism 0, Subversion 0, Administration 3
Skill Tags:
[HEAL_KILL_BURY] to know how to repair a body, is to know how to destroy, is to know how to take care of a lifeless body.

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Player: @Mr BreaksIt
Name: "Old" Harry Woltan
Description: An old sulphurkin. He smells of matches, sweats red, and cleans anything he wears. His usual outfit includes a professorial tweed jacket that looks thoroughly overwashed and a pair of round wireframe glasses. His hair, like his jacket, is grey and fading to white. He has a warm smile and deep laugh lines, but his jovial demeanour and odd burning odour can be offputting to some.
Backstory: A lesser scion of a minor noble family, Harry Woltan spent a life as expected for one of his station. Some years in a religious university where he passed with little fanfair, followed by a career as a civil servant where he failed to excel or wash out, a knighthood, all the while attending all the social functions expected of him, and retirement to a little village on the coast.
After retirement, he settled himself into a deeper study of magic as a hobby. It would have been easier without the dogged insistence of his new neighbours to interact with the community more, but he persevered with his isolation and it was likely that that saved him. The village had been infiltrated by a cult of Zerrakh at some point, and those social gatherings soon became hunting grounds for new recruits and new sacrifices. The air of the peaceful village changed slowly into one of quiet dread as an ever-shrinking population of retired lesser noblemen and their servants lived in terrified obedience to a growing band of ever more vital seeming geriatrics until one late-Autumn morning, Harry awoke to find the village completely abandoned. After gathering up the courage to explore, he confirmed that the cult had seemingly run too short on its food supply and, after one last exceedingly fatal bingo night, simply packed up and moved on, leaving behind an empty village and a selection of entirely drained corpses in the local pub.

It is around this point Harry truly became concerned about Zerrakh. He was the one that got away, after all, and even if he was below Zerrakh's notice he was not terribly long for this world and what awaited him afterwards? More than anything, he began dreading failing to wake up one morning and finding himself at the mercy of one those neighbours he scorned and cheated out of a meal.

XP: (Lv. 3 Subversion | 2/6)
Stats: Preaching 0, Mysticism 2, Subversion 2, Administration 1
Skill Tags: [CONTRACT_MAGIC] Harry's university studies and following career in the civil service directed him down a very specific path of magical study. Harry Woltan is adept at forging magical contracts; hanging clauses and effects that depend on the consent of multiple parties. While the most obvious and least ethical use is the collection of souls for services rendered, magical contracts have many more benign uses in practice, from transferring vitality or illness from one party to another, to magically binding them to a course of action under pain of magically enforced penalty. Contract magic is a fairly powerful school, hindered by its insistence on balance, and that everyone effected by a spell consent to being effected.

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Player: @Nedben
Name: Uzorkh Nemach, occasionally uses 'Death' as either a title or alias

Description: Brown hair, hazel eyes, some generic flavor of fitzpatrick-III skin tone, slightly taller and thinner than average, somewhere in late 20s most likely, a bit shifty but in that quirky-intelligent way rather than hiding-their-life-story. Believes firmly that if the gods themselves can be reshaped by faith, it is the job of all life (and death, and inanimate objects for that matter) to work toward a better world...but that's 'big theory' stuff and it's plenty fine to commit some trickery along the way. Tends to have roughly three major moods: ecstatic-fantasy writer-socialite with hedonistic elements, 'don't mess with me I am WORKING on the THING', and a more serene state of guiding that is either a comforting friend or a rather measured debatemaster. Open outrage is more in the second category: confronted with atrocity he tends to move toward furiously preparing emergency response. For some reason, has a thing for dressing up in dark robes, skull mask, dramatic reaping implements and magic decor, looking like some creature of the netherworld.

Backstory: Claiming to be death, even as a joking persona, gets you in the bad graces of a death god's priesthood, to say nothing of the actual undead. Uzorkh has spent much of his life trying to write something powerful enough to remake the world one way or another by a mix of belief and shamanistic possession, mixed with offending various undead spellcasters of various power in the process, and came to the conclusion a new god was necessary after ending up in something between an adventuring party and a scholarly warband of people similarly run out of towns at varying levels of torches-and-pitchforks by Zerrakh's priesthood and the odd lich or vampire. Drawn to the Roolan affair by the idea of raising a new god at the expense of an annoying one, it was a chance for a fresh start.

Status: Soul Strain (2 months)
XP: (Lv. 2 Administration | 2/4)(Lv. 3 Mysticism 2/6)
Stats: Preaching 1, Mysticism 2, Subversion 1, Administration 1
Skill Tags: [AESTHETICSMANCY]: Paraphernalia matters. This is a magic of 'talk the talk, walk the walk', in that the aesthetic, mindset, and/or equipment of some activity/job can be used to gain a temporary passable mastery of the skill while so disguised. Dress like an artist and you can paint, dress like a priest and you can preach, dress like a doctor-mage and you can cure wounds. Essentially, a +10 to 'use tool/magic item' or 'pretend to be a profession and get away with it' as contextually appropriate, provided you can look the part.

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Player : @paradoxdragon
Name: Palstat Dresen

Description: Lizard person with the generic green skin colour, somewhat taller and stronger then average, somewhere in the Early 20s. Is somewhat shy, but can be surprisingly charismatic. Book Smart but not Street Savvy

Backstory: Had a close encounter with a undead army as it rampaged through his town, everybody had already been evacuated but the experience stayed with him ever since and after much research, came to the conclusion that a new god was needed.

XP: (Lv. 3 Mysticism | 4/6)
Stats: Preaching 1, Mysticism 2, Subversion 0,Administration 2
Skill Tags:[EAGER_RESEARCHER],Palstat loves learning new things, and this translates into a bonus for learning and discovering New Things

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Player: @theflyingbiscuit
Name: Elisa Roten
Description: Human, early 20s, Blond, pretty, above average female height, wears red. Is a firm believer in her and other's right of payback. Has a black sense of humor. Wanted for vandalism and murder elsewhere.
Backstory: Daughter of two cleric of a minor god, she grew up as normal as one can expect becoming a priest when she came of age. She was in the temple when Zerrakh killed her parents and much of the flock, removing the faith and killing her god.

Now she seeks vengeance on Zerrakh. What else can you expect of a priestess of a god of vengeance?
it would be appropriate scripture to bring him back. 'For when the god of death killed him, he kill back.'

XP: (Preaching Lv. 4 | 4/8)
Stats: Preaching 3, Mysticism 0, Subversion 2, Administration 0
Skill Tags:[SHOULDER_PRIESTESS], as a priestess to a dead god of retribution she has skill in encouraging people to seek retribution for wrongs.

---

Player: @The Froggy Ninja
Name: Hermes Trismegistus
Description: Hermes is a Mercurial, and as such has no set form, often reverting to a puddle or blob of silvery liquid when frightened or surprised. He often forms clothing in the form of a lab coat and goggles, made from his own silvery "flesh." Mentally, he has a habit of getting distracted from practical matters with his experiments, and not really having a solid grip on what's dangerous to someone who is always solid and capable of being poisoned.

Spoiler: This but silver colored and sometimes lacking legs

Backstory: Hermes was created by his "mother" Allagí Lógios in the hopes that the naturally alchemical nature of quicksilver would make him a good assistant. She was right, and they shared a silent bond of love and trust until the day that a cultist of Zerrakh broke into their home and ritualistically murdered Allagí, with Hermes only escaping because the cultist took a while to figure out how to kill or contain a person with no organs and the ability to flow through cracks. From that day, he swore to enact vengeance on Zerrakh and to find a better way for death.

(Lv. 6 Mysticism | 1/12)
Stats: Preaching 0, Mysticism 5, Subversion 0, Administration 0
Skill Tags: [MAD_ALCHEMIST] Hermes has a knack for mystically combining the traits of things, whether it be herbs and animal bits into potions, creating mystical materials or even, theoretically, making a new Chemina.

---

Player: @trekbook
Name: Normaund Broskermaneus

Description: Human male, mid-thirties. Tall, lanky with muddy brown hair. Very meticulous, precise, and wordy.

Backstory: Having completed his studies in magic, he wanted to create enchantments that would help the common man: Every-clean water pumps, continual torches and the like. He was content to be a minor enchanter when one of Zerrakh's atrocities occurred nearby. He has since dedicated himself to stopping the mad god.

XP: (Lv. 6 Mysticism | 1/12)
Stats: Preaching 0, Mysticism 5, Subversion 0, Administration 0
Skill Tags: [METHODICAL_ENCHANTER] He makes sure to cross every t and dot every i when enchanting. He may work slower than some, but he rarely makes a mistake in creation

---

Player: @wrecksalot
Name : Buck
Description: a cesiumfolk whose features are always obscured by his waterproof Plague doctor outfit, which he never removes.

Spoiler: image

Backstory: his parents died not long after he was born, and in his youth he made some poor choices in friends and was a petty criminal for a while until a close call suddenly made him very aware of his own mortality. upon hearing rumors that some people were making a kinder death, complete with afterlife, he decided to join up, his newfound faith making him a decent preacher.
Stats: Preaching 3 Mysticism 0 Subversion 2 Administration 0
Skill Tags: [PASSIONATE_SPEAKER] Buck is good at convincing others to get more involved in the things he is passionate about, which, currently, is just this religion.

---

Character Sheet Template
Player: @Zedalb
Name: Donavin patterson
Description: Donavin is a sharp witted young human man who dresses sharply to fit his thin tall frame. With slick black hair and a roguish smile he screams businesses man to most people. He tends to keep himself very clean and clean shaven with green eyes being the most colorful thing on his person most of the time.

Backstory: Donavin was supposed to be a priest of Vervant, but never quite finished his schooling, his faith in her never quite pure enough so he found another good who lit a fire in him, but that only lasted so long before he found himself running free again. Until he heard of a new god and deiced maybe he had simply been in training, maybe the reason none of the gods sounded right was because he destined for another. So he joined and now he seeks to lead them to new heights.

XP: (Preaching Lv. 6 | 1/12)
Stats: Preaching 5
Skill Tags:[PREACHER_TRAINED] +10 to preaching rolls

Assets

Magical Rituals

---

Magical Device Blueprints
-Indiscriminate Belief Collector: A device that sucks up ALL loose belief energy in its immediate area, using this would be a good way to starve a god of energy. Unfortunately, you're trying to MAKE a god.

-Targeted Belief Collector: This improved belief collector is able to specifically exclude belief aimed at a god, meaning that its use shouldn't cause any problems for Morth.

-Godfeeder (Morth): This device is designed to convert unformed belief energy into a state that Morth can safely feed on. This could be used to significantly amplify Morth's divine power level.

-Astral Projection Candle: In addition to dulling the pain of those breathing in its fumes, users of these candles can explore metaphysical planes in a trance state if they so choose. This isn't always the safest of activities.

---

Special Equipment Stocks
-Indiscriminate Belief Collector *1

-Targeted Belief Collector *1

-Godfeeder (Morth) *1

-Astral Projection Candle *1

---

Finance

Money Reserves: 37

Persistent Income: 0

Persistent Expenditures: 0

Religion Status

Deity: Morth, Endless Matron of Candles
Divine Power Level: Faerie
Gestation Status: 3/18

basic tenets

-A Goddess who is able to take forms as she desires and can occupy multiple locations at once.

-Morth cares greatly about the mental well-being of those she escorts to the afterlife, appearing in the form of her charges to comfort them.

-Makes absolutely certain that people get a nice afterlife.

-They like architecture that is both practical and looks nice, particularly for cemetaries and other tombs.

-Is completely and impartially fair to everyone. Morth does not care if you are young, old, rich or poor. She will embrace you all the same.

---

Followers:

Greenvale: 560/1,250

Follower Beliefs
-The Endless Matron of Candles is a kind caretaker for the dead who brings them to a relaxing afterlife.
-The Matron can exist in multiple places at once, and appears to each deceased person in a form they find comforting.
-Morth will occasionally confront the living in the guise of a mask seller in order to change their ways.
-Morth will not command the living, but will occasionally empower them to do good in the world.
-The Endless Matron also has an identity of the Inferno, who will confront the wicked dead with all the suffering their actions caused until they understand why their misdeeds were wrong and change their ways.

---

Church: Endless Candle-Bearers

Temples
-None yet

NPC Priesthood:
-Missionaries: 0
--Deployed Locations: None

Holidays:
-Starmaking Eve: Happens in Month 2 of each year, takes the form of a sky lantern festival with music, storytelling, and food.

Rites (NOT YET POWERED)
-Mortality Reading: A basic Augury which tells if a course of action will be fatal.

Intelligence

Public Information

-The Union of Roolan is a bizarre hybrid of a monarchy and an aristocracy; the cities generally follow the rule of the current reigning monarch (Queen Retta the Second, at the moment), but in the countryside the monarchial decree is often 'interpreted' by the various counts and dukes to mean all sorts of things.

-Lineage and inheritance in Roolan is matriarchal; there will only be a ruling king if no female heirs come into being.

-Birds carry the mail, for the most part. With a bit of magic from Vervant, it's easy enough to talk to them and explain that food and nesting sites will be provided in exchange for carrying messages and the occasional small package between towns.

-Aside from Zerrakh, there are three major gods active in Roolan.
--Vervant, Goddess of nature and life; she's mostly nice, but is absolutely ruthless when angered. Among other things, she provides fertilizer magic and stresses the importance of biodiversity.
--Ashblower, God of crafting and progress. Largely a neutral figure; he just provides tools and cares only that they are used, not necessarily by who. Is also associated with fire, thanks to the furnaces involved in smelting and glassmaking.
--Cerulean, Goddess of the sky and sea. Almost entirely neutral with a hint of malice; is known to occasionally capsize ships or strike those who annoy her with lightning, but also provides lifegiving rain.

-Technology is mid-renaissance. Flintlock firearms exist, as do complicated clocks, high-quality metallurgy and glassmaking, the printing press, and other techniques. Electricity is in the earliest stages of being discovered as a scientific phenomenon instead a manifestation of divine anger. In specific rare cases, magic and technology can be hybridized to create devices that do truly amazing things, but such devices are invariably incredibly expensive and temperamental.

---

Location: Greenvale

A town of about 1,250 people, Greenvale is a community in the middle of a dent-sized agricultural county containing several small farming villages and the manor of the local noble family. You'd estimate that the entire county has a population of around 25,000 people scattered throughout, most of whom live in small farming villages of about 100-200 people. The town's role in the local economy seems to be one of specialized crafts and a local cultural hub, both providing luxuries to the nobility and the occasional peasant, and replacing any specialized tools that the smaller village's smiths are unable to replace themselves.

Given the town's role and location, it is entirely unsurprising that Vervant and Ashblower are actively worshiped here, with each having a moderately large temple in the town square; in the outlying villages, both gods often share temples and priests due to low population. This does result in rather drab temples, though.

The town's recent history has been... difficult. Apparently Zerrakh unleashed a plague here about a year ago, while also manifesting a skeletal avatar to torment the populace; this killed about ten percent of the population. Currently, there are a string of disappearances in town happening every week or two. No-one's quite sure who's responsible, but most are blaming Zerrakh.

The local nobles, the Corren family, have a very good impression of you.
For that matter, most of the people here like you.

---

Strategic Intelligence

Zerrakh
-They exist
-They're a malicious psychopath, as are most of their priests
-Apparently, they're behind some of the disappearances in Greenvale

The Black-Cloaked Man
-They're trying to root out the Zerrakh cult.
-They have a tendency to abduct, interrogate, and presumably kill random people in their attempt to find the cult.
-They think the Eternal Candle-Bearers are a front for Zerrakh.

Actions

Misc. Decisions (don't count as actions, still need to be voted on)
Where will you first establish your operations?
[] Ironkeep, capitol of Roolan. (High population density for easy recruiting, likely to be noticed by Zerrakh, may attract the attention of the Queen. Whether that last one is good or bad depends on what you make of it)
[] One of the peripheral cities. (High population density for easy recruiting, likely to be noticed by Zerrakh, unlikely to draw direct attention of monarch)
[] The Countryside (Low population density makes recruiting harder, much easier to escape notice.)

What will you name your deity, and what's the general personality you're aiming for?
[] Write-In

What will you name your religion?
[] Write-In

Preaching
[] Recruit followers
[] Spread Scripture [ERROR: NO SCRIPTURE]
[] Liaise With Authorities
[] Write-In

Mysticism
[] Research Wizardry
[] Perform a Ritual [ERROR: NO RITUALS]
[] Craft a Magic Item [ERROR: NO BLUEPRINTS]
[] Write-In

Subversion
[] Spy on people
-[] Who?
-[] How?
[] Assassinate Someone
-[] Who?
-[] How?
[] Sabotage
-[] Who?
-[] How?
[] Write-In

Administration
[] Raise Funding
-[] How?
[] Get a temple built
-[] Where?
-[] How?
[] Write-In

 

[We Just Write]

To be clear, are we playing against each other then or can a player support another player's deity?

@Lizard Knight I See you. OwO

Click to shrink...

ALL OF YOU ARE ON THE SAME TEAM! THIS IS A COOPERATIVE GAME!

 

[We Just Write]

There's basically three ways to do it.

1: Get a bunch of people to believe in a God, then get that god to hand out superpowers. (the Cleric model)

2: Gather up leftover belief energy from random thoughts people have that don't go to any divine entity and use that to make your own spells. (the Wizard model)

3: Believe in yourself so hard that you kick reason to the curb and go beyond the impossible (the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann model)

NOTE: Method 3 requires either an absolutely MASSIVE ego or sufficient mastery of Methods 1 and 2 that you don't even question thoughts like "Oh, I'll just fly over the wall" or "That fly is annoying, let's zap it with lightning".

 

[We Just Write]

I fully intend to blend all the various suggestions for your god together into a single coherent entity. It's not an 'either-or' so much as it is various traits from the different suggestions.

 

[Lizard Knight]

Spoiler

Welp, here is my first omake, of the scripture kind.

The old vulture beastkin brought his hands together "Gather round friends, let this old man tell you a tale. A tale of good intention leading to a downfall, and the being that helped him rise above his nature.'
===The Tale of Three Masks===
There once was a man, of simple birth
He wished to do good in the world, and so he became a soldier.
He cast off his simple ways, and became a man of the blade.
He fought with passion, fighting to protect his kingdom from its enemies.
The Simple man, became a protector.

Until he crossed his man with a mysterious man, wearing simple clothes and a weeping mask "Greetings traveler, I am but a simple mask salesman, care to try my wares?"
The soldier was confused, and replied "Tell me then, Mask man, where are your wares? I only see your own mask."
The salesman let out a good natured chuckle, and reach into their coat. "Why my friend, you are already wearing a most fetching mask." the salesman showed the soldier his reflection, showing an emotionless stone face covered in blood.

The soldier stepped back, and drew his blade demanding "What trickery is this?" the salesman tutted "How quick you are to show your true face, drawing a blade for a small scare? You show your true nature, murderer." The soldiers stance faltered, and he replied "You are wrong, trickster. I am a guardian of this land, a proud solider?" the salesman let out a sigh and replied "Yet you are only a cog in the machine, bringing terror to the innocent. The mask of the guardian has long since broken, leaving only a bloody soldier."

The soldier lowered his blade "Then what now then, trickster? Are you here to punish me for my sins?" the salesman shook their head "I am warning you that you have lost your way friend, and hope you find it again." With that, the salesman left, leaving the soldier to his thoughts.

=======
There once was a soldier, with a saddened heart.
He wished to do good in the world, and so he became a doctor.
He cast off his bloody ways, and became a man of healing.
He worked with serenity, and strove to protect his kingdom from sickness.
The Soldier, worked to be a protector.

However, the sickness became hard to defend against, their knowledge so lacking.
So, using his strength and cloud of experience, he started to experiment.
Forcing folk into infection and injury, so he could undo it.

It was like this, the salesman found him again.
His mask ever blank, his clothes ever tattered.

The Doctor looked up, irritated he was kept from his work "Begone trickster, I no longer have need of your advice. I have found a way to protect."
The masked man chuckled, and said "But you seem so lost my friend, maybe you might want to sample my wares once more."
The Doctor looked up to glare, looking into the mirror of the salesman.

A sterile, white, cloth skull covered their face. It weeped blood and covered in cuts and bruises.
The Doctor jumped back in fear and screamed "What trickery is this?" and hugged his research close.
The salesman tutted "How quick you are to show your true face, panicking while hogging your work. Born from the suffering of others."
The Doctor tried to stand, but the salesman was not done "You caused others to die from sickness and wounds, you are no healer. Murderer."

The Doctor sagged, and asked "Then what now trickster, how can repent for my crimes?" the salesman shook their head "I cannot save you, I can only warn you that you have lost your way friend. I hope you find it again." With that, the salesman left, leaving the soldier to his thoughts.

======
There once was a doctor, with blood on his hands.
He wished to good in the world, and so he became a Gravekeeper.
He cast off his cruel ways, and became a man of rest.
He worked in the gloom, working to protect the dead in their rest.
The Doctor, gave up on being a protector.

When burying a recently corpse, a familiar voice rang out "You seem weary friends, wish to see my wares."
The Gravekeeper sighed "Very well, old friend, lets see your wares." The Gravekeeper numbly turned, and looked into the mirror.
Staring back at him was a golden helm, a soft light coming from it.
The old keeper gasped, but did not pause in its duty.
"What trickery is this?" asked the Gravekeeper in revelry.
"This is your true face, my friend. Your intended path." There seemed kindness behind that blank mask. "You picked up the blade to beat back the evil, but battlefield bloodied you."
The Gravekeeper finished his duty, and stared at the Salesman "You saw your folley, and picked up healing to beat back death, but ambition bloodied you."
The Salesman spread out his hands "Then you decided to take up the thankless task of taking care of the dead, making sure they do not spread sickness by decaying in the street. You gave them rest, and protected them form a worse fate."
The Gravekeeper stared.

"So...what now?" The Gravekeeper asked.
"Take my hand, old friend, I have much wonders to show you."
The Simple man took Deaths hand, gently walked into the night.

 

[BadAtScreenNames]

*cough cough*

A scripture omake!

---
Once, in the darkness, there was a nest, and from it came a thousand birds. These birds filled the black and shadowed sky, until the world echoed to the sound of their wingbeats, and thrummed with the noise of their song. They were kings of that darkness, the birds. Unchallenged in their excellence.

Then, one day, a chick looked up from the nest and saw- something.

"What was that?" It asked its mother, but she shook her head and laughed. "Nothing, little one. Go to sleep."

But that was not enough for the little chick. It hopped out of the nest, and spread its wings and flew to the very top of the tree, where its father was singing.

"What was that?" it asked its father, but he shook his head and laughed. "Nothing, little one. Go to sleep."

But that was not enough for the little chick. It leapt from the top of the tree and flew up, high into that dark sky until it found the first bird, ancient and powerful beyond imagining.

"What was that?" it asked the first bird, but they shook their head and laughed. "Nothing, little one. Go to sleep."

But that was not enough for the little chick. It flew up still further, and further again, where no bird had ever gone.

"Wait! Wait, little chick!" screamed the mother, and the father, and the first bird. "You go too high!"

But the little chick would not be stopped. It saw-

Something.

And as it climbed and climbed, higher and higher, it at last recognised this strangeness.

Light.

It beat its wings and at last punched a hole in the darkness. The sun and moon saw its fledgling wing beats, and were delighted.

"Welcome, little chick!" they said. "You are the first bird to ever come to our part of the sky! Let us fetch you food and drink."

"Thank you," said the little chick, and ate and drank. It conversed with the sun and moon on many topics; life, health, power , kindness- all were considered with all due wisdom and consideration. Then, the little chick rested, for it was tired after its long journey.

It slept, long and deeply, and when it awoke, it prepared to return to the darkness. The sun and moon waved goodbye, and sang songs of praise for the little chick's bravery and wisdom. But when at last the little chick found itself on the edge of the darkness, it stopped.

Could it really go home? It had seen the great and beautiful face of the sun, and the silver serenity of the moon. How could it dive back into the darkness of the world, and shut its eyes forever? No. No, it could not.

In deciding this, the chick learnt the first great wisdom of the world. Once you have gone forward, you can never come back.

The little chick made its way back to the sun and the moon, who were overjoyed to be reunited with their new friend. They paid it many honours, and installed it in their court as the first star.

But back in the darkness, the mother and the father were inconsolable. "Our precious chick!" they wailed. "Our dear, sweet fledgling is gone from us! Never again shall it look upon our faces!"

They dwelt still in the dark. They could not know of the honours and majesty bestowed upon their child, for they had never passed into the light. Then, at last, the father took to the dark sky and flew up, out of the darkness, where he met the little chick and was awed by what it had become. Then too came the mother, and soon, all birds came, one after another, into the light of the sky. Thus were born the stars in our sky- each one magnificent and beautiful. Each one an example of the first great wisdom. Perhaps, if you learn it, you might one day light the sky too.
---

So yeah. Thinly veiled death metaphor. Seemed appropriate.

 

[We Just Write]

A/N: So. Apparently you all like the countryside. On the other hand, your ideas about your god, and even what to name your religion are all completely incoherent. I'll have my work cut out for me blending these ideas together into a compromise deity. I will be weighting more detailed deity suggestions more heavily, simply because they give me more to work with than 'generic death god who isn't a jerk'.

Also, that roll for Action 1.

---

Decisions

Location
Countryside: xxxxx

Deity
Grandfather Endless-Hands: x
Morth The Silent God: x
The Eternal Matron: x
The Gravekeeper: x
The Lady of Candles: x

Resulting Compromise Deity: Morth, Endless Matron of Candles

-A Goddess who is able to take forms as she desires and can occupy multiple locations at once.

-Morth cares greatly about the mental well-being of those she escorts to the afterlife, appearing in the form of her charges to comfort them.

-Makes absolutely certain that people get a nice afterlife.

-They like architecture that is both practical and looks nice, particularly for cemetaries and other tombs.

-Is completely and impartially fair to everyone. Morth does not care if you are young, old, rich or poor. She will embrace you all the same.

Religion Name
Endless Hands: x
Seekers of Silence: x
The Eternal Pack: x
The Followers of the Spade: x
Candle-Bearers: x

Resulting Compromise Name: The Eternal Candle-Bearers

Actions

Action 1: Fundraising
@Nedben
@Lizard Knight
@Aeternus

Action 2: Research Wizardry (Unspecified)
@paradoxdragon
@FatedBread

Action 3: Recruit Followers
@always_confused
@djehuty3
@theflyingbiscuit

We Just Write threw 3 100-faced dice. Reason: Actions Total: 178

 

[We Just Write]

RULES CHANGE: If two characters with different levels of a stat take part in the same action, the one with the lower level has doubled XP gain, representing the more experienced character mentoring them on the job. This stacks with the doubled XP gain for failures.

Also, I will not be fleshing out your Goddess any further; that's your job.

---

Location: Greenvale

A town of about 1,250 people, Greenvale is a community in the middle of a dent-sized agricultural county containing several small farming villages and the manor of the local noble family. You'd estimate that the entire county has a population of around 25,000 people scattered throughout, most of whom live in small farming villages of about 100-200 people. The town's role in the local economy seems to be one of specialized crafts and a local cultural hub, both providing luxuries to the nobility and the occasional peasant, and replacing any specialized tools that the smaller village's smiths are unable to replace themselves.

Given the town's role and location, it is entirely unsurprising that Vervant and Ashblower are actively worshiped here, with each having a moderately large temple in the town square; in the outlying villages, both gods often share temples and priests due to low population. This does result in rather drab temples, though.

The town's recent history has been... difficult. Apparently Zerrakh unleashed a plague here about a year ago, while also manifesting a skeletal avatar to torment the populace; this killed about ten percent of the population. Currently, there are a string of disappearances in town happening every week or two. No-one's quite sure who's responsible, but most are blaming Zerrakh.

---

Deity: Morth, Endless Matron of Candles, Religion Name: The Eternal Candle-Bearers

-A Goddess who is able to take forms as she desires and can occupy multiple locations at once.

-Morth cares greatly about the mental well-being of those she escorts to the afterlife, appearing in the form of her charges to comfort them.

-Makes absolutely certain that people get a nice afterlife.

-They like architecture that is both practical and looks nice, particularly for cemetaries and other tombs.

-Is completely and impartially fair to everyone. Morth does not care if you are young, old, rich or poor. She will embrace you all the same.

---

Action 1: Fundraising
Roll: 97 + 15 (numbers) + 45 (stats) + 30 (skills) = 187
Epic Success

Between the three of them, Uzorkh, Allister, and Robert manage to successfully raise funds to a degree that defies even the best of expectations. Apparently, being responsible for the near-miraculous recovery of a noble's daughter from what would have normally been a lethal illness is worth quite a lot of goodwill. Distributing healthcare to others and charging only what they can afford without hardship is also quite worthwhile.

Meanwhile, Robert helps several of the local craftsmen get their finances in order, which is amazingly helpful for them. Apparently the local tax collector died from an inexplicable house collapse last year, and the replacement had proven rather inept at explaining how much was supposed to be paid, and for what reasons. This not only lets Robert bring in quite a large amount of money, but also earns him the gratitude of quite a few skilled tradesmen.

All in all, your nascent religion has managed to acquire not only a sizable amount of money for a month of work, but has also acquired quite a bit of goodwill from relatively influential parts of the community.

Results:
-You now have a significant amount of money, easily enough to finance the construction of a basic temple and a set of holy paraphernalia.
-You have significant goodwill from the local noble and several skilled craftsmen. Probably many of the peasants too, considering that this may be the first time they ever had access to effective healthcare.

XP
@Aeternus (Lv. 6 Administration | 1/12)
@Lizard Knight (Lv. 4 Administration | 2/8)
@Nedben (Lv. 2 Administration | 2/4)

---

Action 2: Research Wizardry
Roll: 35 + 10 (numbers) + 10 (stats) + 20 (skills) = 85
Painful Success

Well, Soppo and Palsat certainly seem to have had quite a bit of fun tinkering with wizardry, though they were rather unfocused in their efforts. As a result, for the entire month, they only managed to create a single notable invention. Namely, they created a device that collects and stores ambient belief energy for later use. Unfortunately, it won't be useful to you for quite some time, since it can't discriminate what belief energy it's absorbing. It would therefore quite severely retard the formation of your new god, which would rather defeat the purpose of hauling yourselves out to Greenvale in the first place.

Results:
-Blueprint Gained: Belief Collector (currently counterproductive)

XP
@FatedBread (LEVEL UP!)(Lv. 2 Mysticism | 2/4)
@paradoxdragon (Lv. 3 Mysticism | 2/6)

NOTE: If you'd specified what sort of wizardy thing you were trying to research you might have gotten something more useful. You didn't, so I was left scratching my head over what to give you. That's the only reason you got a Painful Success instead of an outright Success.

---

Action 3: Recruit Followers
Roll: 46 + 15 (numbers) + 50 (stats) + 10 (skills) = 121
Success

While Alamgir's appearance was slightly alarming for many of the townfolk, the presence of Danaal and Elisa greatly smoothed things over long enough for Al's impassioned preaching ability to make itself known. After that, it's fairly simple to explain that you are affiliated with the now much-beloved Doctor Lovewood, and that you are prophets of a new god named the Endless Matron of Candles.

The fact that the Matron is a goddess of Death does put a few people off the general idea, but emphasizing that her role is as a caretaker, rather than a killer does much to counteract that. By the end of the month, you've managed to get at least 200 people in Greenvale to go along with your plan... which is much less than the bare minimum 3,000 believers required to sustain a divine being with significant levels of power, but everyone needs to start somewhere.

Results:
+200 followers!
+Going by the standard model of deity formation, the Endless Matron of Candles now exists in a nascent state, but has not yet experienced her first moment of consciousness.

XP:
@always_confused (Preaching Lv. 4 | 2/8 XP)
@djehuty3 (Preaching Lv. 5 | 1/10)
@theflyingbiscuit (Preaching Lv. 4 | 2/8 XP)

---

Actions

Preaching
[] Recruit followers
-[] Select Location (Greenvale/Small Villages)
-[] Select Rhetoric (WARNING: WILL HAVE IMPACT ON NATURE OF DEITY!)

[] Spread Scripture
-[] Select Scripture

[] Liaise With Authorities

[] Write-In

Mysticism
[] Research Wizardry

[] Perform a Ritual [ERROR: NO RITUALS]

[] Craft a Magic Item
-[] Select Blueprint

[] Write-In

Subversion
[] General Information Gathering
-[] General Objective?
-[] Method?

[] Spy on someone specific
-[] Who?
-[] How?

[] Assassinate Someone
-[] Who?
-[] How?

[] Sabotage
-[] Who?
-[] How?

[] Write-In

Administration
[] Raise Funding
-[] How?

[] Get a temple built
-[] Where?
-[] How?

[] Acquire Equipment
-[] Mundane
--[] Specify
-[] Religious
--[] Specify
-[] Magical
--[] Specify

[] Write-In

 

[Nedben]

My first instinct is to use it against Zerrakh somehow, but for now let's keep it inactive if possible and away from the people in a known location if not: save it as a prototype magical battery.

Hm...We've got a magical device that would be counterproductive, but what about one that serves as a belief gathering tool?

[X] Research Wizardry (magic item recipe, mass-producible/minor)
-[X] Painkiller Candles
Uzorkh has an idea about aromatherapy and the candles market. What if we infused calming and pain relieving herbs or something into scented candles, then stamp them with a religious symbol (a tunnel with a lamp-bearer inside, perhaps), and make them into a sign of peace with a secondary element of peaceful passage for those who can't be helped with anything less than release? We could get brand recognition in hospice and at funerals if the project works out, but let's definitely safety test before serious production or any selling.

Someone should probably investigate those disappearances, though.
----

Retreating to the privacy of the immigrants' encampment after a long few days of consulting with herbalists, texts, candlemakers, farmers, and various others, Uzorkh has at least a promising model of the mundane product, and now wants to test the component of faith. He enters a dedicated tent for magical research and clears some space, and is seated on the floor. Clearing his mind and tabling thoughts for later, a moment of autohypnotic purity arises: he dons the mask of Death, because he is speaking to the new matron of death, hand puppets to hand puppets. The intersection of mysticism and solidity, aestheticsmancer's grace kicks in. The mindset and power of Death...but not Zerrakh's fouled slaying, instead the serenity of Morth. Guidance, that is the will.

First, a deck reading to divine the auspiciousness...Three of Wands. Speculation, enterprise, investment in the unknown. Research and distribution. An optimistic expansion into new diversity, initiative.

Perfect.

Sliding the card back and shuffling for later, Uzorkh sets a test candle on the table. Then, he closes his eyes and lets his mind sharpen, order, and loosen. Immense focus to reach the ardent will of faith, only to release into the vision of dreams: a mind palace technique practiced by wizards and believers who wish to see their own faith. But this is not a personal thought, no. It is trying to listen for the womb in which lies an unborn goddess. A memory of amber metabolism and violet secrets of inspiration dances past him...candles. Candles floating in the void: golden flames above wax.

A flit of gold not from the fires (more like a butterfly) attempts to annoy him, but whispers only guidance in quiet riddles and friendly jokes instead. Small drums beat intermittently: a woodwind whistle or few like and with the hum of water in glass: the space of a crystallized vision not his own flows through willed illusion.

The tunnel, but no-one is passing out, so the doors have been politely closed (left unlocked, of course, for later walking). Sparse spirits flow by, clouds of color and drawn outlines. Birds and gravekeepers (some like paper creations waiting to unfold, the others waiting to become real): the space resolves into a sandstone temple by candlelight at the wave of a hand. Windows to grey graveyards and chambers in skies surround this place, the tunnels to living and dead weaving back and forth, off into distant waveforms, too afraid to see in one line. Trees fruiting with lines of colorful liquid light-mana, the odd soul of the dead that was believed to have run from Zerrakh's grasp finding hope in this distant place. But this vision is by the living to see the unborn, by Death to visit both mother and daughter, not by the dying to become the dead. In the space of illusions, a man dressed like a reaper is already one.

The gold comments "This is the exact opposite of your job, you know."

"Good thing this is parental leave, then." Uzorkh shoots back with a smile that's more the contortion of the overlayer of a skull than his own face.

To the center and then the side he turns, the gold spinning about him in slow circles, trailing fairydust of all-too-dangerous trust, but also the sign of self-sacrifice and donation. The side-center dais is at once coffin and womb, deathbed and midwife's theater, a coordinated equation of life and death, and thus the space of neither for this inbetween. Afterlife meets prelife. Nascent, a little girl, sleeping soundly, head upon a pillow and body under a blanket. That this is all illusion, wishes made so hard they might be a window into the truth, the delusion of a zealot father made from magic and hypnotism, dissuades no-one, least of all the man and his incomplete goddess (the latter of whom is probably taking form notes in unconscious shape). Alive, just barely, from the collective faith of a community willing to believe someone better can take up the role of death from madmen and tricksters.

From black robes, living hands with a backing of bone-signs draw a new candle, this one cylinder a sign that sleeps in peace compared to the floating symbols about them. With merely sight and a silent prayer to the girl who isn't yet made, the sign of the future is carved into that sweet-smelling gift: the hooded figure bearing light in the tunnel.

With will, a moment turns to many moments, a concentration of well-wishes and intents flowing from priest to goddess. The candle lights, and he sets it gently afloat near the windowside as the room feels ever so slightly more at peace than it is waiting for completion.

"May you wake in glory, sweet Morth." Uzorkh says quietly with another bony smile. The gold, seemingly satisfied, flits out a window and leaves the goddess to rest and the priest to take his leave.

The man who is at once Death and a man quietly walks out the door to the world of the living, and wakes up there. The sigil is carved: one can only hope that it is the assent of divinity rather than a waste of both belief and power. He rises, takes this drafted candle, and brings it to another lab for testing. Idly, he wonders if he should write this down as some form of scripture: he elects to journal it as a personal experience instead and share that around to the other priests in case they wish to take his dream-vision further. Maybe they could formalize a prayer of blessing out of this, once Morth wakes up...

 

[Lizard Knight]

(Time for some good ol' warning stories.)
(Death is not all sunshine and skelletons, folks.)
(Alternate version of my omake that always confused posted, I did not want to double post)
(How ever, some alternative bolding and italics in this version.)
=====
Kendrik Malstrom, was a bad man.
He was a bandit, a murderer, a reprobate.
Why did he do this?
"Death, does not matter."

Either you end up in the hands of undeath or you end up in the candlebearers paradise, he believed.
He believed his actions in live did not affect his death.
Which is why, he bleed out with a smile.
====
"Kendrik Malstrom" A kind, heavinly voice said.
Ken was not afraid, as he stared at the cloaked form of the candlebearer.
She was a woman covered in beautiful white robes, golden inscriptures of skulls and graves upon it.
Her skin was ashen, almost like wax, and her eyes were flames.
The skin around her eyes drooped, like melting was, only to regrow.
She didn't seem to mind.

"So, what now candleholder?" Ken asked, as his hand snaked to the goddess behind.
After all, he was already dead, what could she do to him?
She was only death, afterall.

The goddess flowed out of the way like smoke, and held up a golden candleholder.
It was stylised like a skull, and it lit up when looking at him, producing a grey candle.
The candlebearer brought it up to her eyes, lighting it.
While the bearers eyes were a beautiful flame shifting between all colors, this flame was merely black.
"So candleholder, what do I get for my after life. I would like some wine and women." Smiled the foolish murderer.

The space SHIFTED as the candle bearer changed. Her legs and arms were covered in armor of burning oak, her form surrounded by a cloak of ash.
Her belly was replaced by a giant skull, holding a burning flame. Her chest was a crystal eye staring into him.
Her head was skull covered by an iron helmet, covering her eyes.
"My previous mask was the Matron, mortal. The one who gives mercy."
Ken moved back, as her voice was like fire talking now, and sickening like ash.
"But right now, I am bearing the mask of the Inferno. I am the judge, as your candle shows how you lived your life."

Goddess head turned up side down and asked "Tell me Kendrik Malstorm, son of Alias Malstorm and Serid Falls. What is the purpose of life? What is the purpose of death?"
Ken moved back "I did what you should do with life, life as you want!"
"Wrong." The goddess said, moving closer.
"Life is about fulfililng our life and those of others. Hurting others, just to help yourself, is to hurt life itself." The Inferno slowly approached.
"Death is where souls can release their burden of life. Those who lived good, get eased into it. Those who lived while harming others, those who lived selfish."
The Inferno leaned in "Get handed to me, to burn away their sin."
Kendrik turned around and ran, but the goddess appeared before him in a wave of ash and stench.
"Burn, Kendrik Malstrom." She reached out to the soul, turning it into a candle.
And then lit it to her burning belly.
===
Kendrik ran, as the soldiers chased him.
Kendrik hurt as spears ripped him apart.
Kendrik screamed, as he was eaten.
Kendrik cried, as what he loved was torn apart.
Kendrik, felt regret.
As the dead cannot die, but they can suffer.
===
The Matron of endless candles cried her wax tears, as placed another candle holding a poor, misguided soul with the stone chamber within her mausoleum palace.
She always cried, as the fates of those misguided souls saddened her.
But it was required, it was good.
The Gravekeeper maintained the cycle.
The Inferno punished the wicked.
And Morth, the endless maiden of candles, could only offer comfort those she could.
As Morth was endless, endless masks and endless voices, all into one form.
The kind matron with eyes of fire and skin like wax, crying wax for the souls of the lost.