Age of Ice and Blood: A Pathfinder System Heroic Fantasy Quest
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
-
- Tags
- pathfinder open voting
- Location
- St. Petersburg
[x] Give it over to Aina intact
-[x] Claim the right to study it and use it in non-nefarious purposes
This is one of the clan's ancient treasures that's been here since Unke's first reign, possibly much earlier. The decision should be Aina's. It could be an important asset to her reign if she manages to learn how to use it, and demons have been banished from this land for the time being, so I feel reasonably safe leaving it in her care, especially since we take the glove and the armor with us. No turning Aina into Unke's vessel for the fourth time that way.
-[x] Claim the right to study it and use it in non-nefarious purposes
This is one of the clan's ancient treasures that's been here since Unke's first reign, possibly much earlier. The decision should be Aina's. It could be an important asset to her reign if she manages to learn how to use it, and demons have been banished from this land for the time being, so I feel reasonably safe leaving it in her care, especially since we take the glove and the armor with us. No turning Aina into Unke's vessel for the fourth time that way.
Welp, good vote. You know part of me wonders if I should just do one update per day. Maybe I can make them longer, so you guys all have the time to vote and discuss.
Arc 13 Post 23: Of Priests and Gods
Of Priests and Gods
Fifteenth Day of Elnu-Hamba (Elnu Descendent), 1349 A. L. (After Landfall)
You have seen many emotions fly across Esha's face, anxiety, concern, focus and fascination, you have seen her in the midst of battle and you have seen her in the depths of meditation... you have never seen her mouth pop open in shock. The bit of worn wit about the flies comes to mind... and the fact that she still looks beautiful doing it, but you do your best not to think of that. Thankfully her next words do nothing but help:
"Empires would fall over this."
Dead silence falls, so deep that you can hear the blood thudding in your ears.
"Imagine if you will immortal princes whose time upon this earth even the Powers could not lightly cut short, men and women who bestrode the universe and in garb of living silver were like onto gods," she continues. "This is not fantasy, but fact, old memories from a time when the black kin of my father's line were no more than vermin under the boot of the Ile Hkan..." It takes you a moment to realize she had not said Ile Pfan, Priest Kings of which you know had ruled even in Orinilu until a generation past, but God Kings.
"Well they do not seem to have helped the last would-be immortal," Zaia's dry whit breaks the hieratic mood. He swirls a vial filled with half-congealed tar for emphasis.
"Well he was sacrificing his children wasn't he... that s hardly how you are supposed to use this, if you pay a price than you are still playing by the rules of mortals still trading like for like. The God Kings of old just were as they were, graven images given life and fel purpose."
"So maybe they were a bit like you..." Inge offers hesitantly, not wanting perhaps to give offense.
Far from it Esha laughs: "Hardly, I am just so close to death that Her sight slides off me as one might miss a spider hiding under the threshold. The God Kings of old were very much alive and filled with the passion of it, too filled perhaps, for it is said they sired and birthed many sons and daughters, taking mortal lovers and as the blood grew thin their progeny grew jealous and bitter of them. Thus they were overthrown in the far mist of ages when the world was new and the seas were clear."
"How do you know they weren't killing them as Unke did to his own children?" you cut in. "That seems to me a part of the tale that might have slipped though he cracks."
"No," she shakes her head. "That seems too glib an answer for what I... have been told. You have to understand my father's pride was kin to madness and he saw the children of men even those whos souls were kindled in silver fire as little more than worms wallowing in the dirt, yet he never spoke of the God Kings of old as anything but great and dreadful beings, he used to lie on his back and look at the sky and dream eyes open at what it would be like to drink the life of such a one."
"Where did they come from then?" Zaia asks.
"Ah... as to that you might go into a dozen towns and get two dozen answers, one for every tavern morning and evening," Esha laughs. "To claim they even had a beginning would hearken back to a time so remote that the warp and weft of legend frays to naught. Still there remain in some of the cities of the south and of the east crumbling stones and prized reliquaries, copies of copies of vessels such as that, but I have never seen such a glow with the eyes of the mind... that is no replica and no remains, but a relic all to potent."
"Or a pile of silver we can melt down and spend," Tom says, practical as ever, drawing startled laughter even from Esha herself.
"It should be safe enough to just melt the thing down yes... but if you want to claim it, a bit of paint goes a long way and it would be easy enough to disguise it as some less precious thing as long as we keep it out of Ohun's sight."
Inge shifts uneasily, but she does not speak against the notion.
What do you do with the sarcophagus now that you know more?
a
[] Give it over to Aina intact
[] Claim it intact
[] Break it for the silver
-[] And give the pieces to Aina
-[] And claim a portion of it: Write in how much
[] Write in
OOC: I know it's repetitive, but it is the nature of the vote since you guys asked for more information.
Last edited:
- Location
- United States
Yeah, definitely want to keep this. This just points to Unke or his Daemon benefactors not knowing how to properly use the relic and instead creating an ad hoc solution to immortality.
If nothing else I don't trust Aina with it; not because she is incapable or untrustworthy but because it's all too easy to steal something from under her right now. I can think of few places safer than the Marcella on the other hand.
[X] Claim it intact
If nothing else I don't trust Aina with it; not because she is incapable or untrustworthy but because it's all too easy to steal something from under her right now. I can think of few places safer than the Marcella on the other hand.
[X] Claim it intact
- Location
- Germany
[X] Break it for the silver
-[X] And claim a portion of it: Between 33% and 50%, depending on how much Aina wants to claim
My opinion has not changed. Roland is not a demigod to use this artifact to its fullest potential, so we are likely still stuck with the sacrifice-issue, which I don't want to play into.
Fact remains, we have many good uses for money and Aina has too.
-[X] And claim a portion of it: Between 33% and 50%, depending on how much Aina wants to claim
My opinion has not changed. Roland is not a demigod to use this artifact to its fullest potential, so we are likely still stuck with the sacrifice-issue, which I don't want to play into.
Fact remains, we have many good uses for money and Aina has too.
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
I fucking see you, you Le Shay expy [That's Not Nice Snowfire].
Travler66
Let her name echo in song!
- Location
- Beyond
What's a Le Shay?
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
True Immortal Fey with the sort of powerset that would make Elder Wyrms run away screaming. Back in the ASWAH days, I considered a single, bored Le Shay quite possibly the most dangerous threat we could ever face.
And one that we'd probably have lost incredibly hard to because they're ancient, smart, don't play fair and have a base HD of over 50 and are expected by lore to have multiple classes well past level 20.
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Yeah, I was right. This is way too hot to handle. It's practically radioactive, as in just being near it too long could get us and everyone we know killed if the wrong person learns it exists.
Sure, it would be great to have if we could safely hide it (hint, we can't) and knew how to use it properly. Unke never learned how to use it to its full potential despite having it in his possession for decades if not centuries, so assuming we can do so without an instruction manual is a bit much, IMO.
[X] Break it for the silver
-[X] And claim a portion of it: Between 33% and 50%, depending on how much Aina wants to claim
Sure, it would be great to have if we could safely hide it (hint, we can't) and knew how to use it properly. Unke never learned how to use it to its full potential despite having it in his possession for decades if not centuries, so assuming we can do so without an instruction manual is a bit much, IMO.
[X] Break it for the silver
-[X] And claim a portion of it: Between 33% and 50%, depending on how much Aina wants to claim
I think he's talking about these scary SOBs. In a P6 setting, they would be unto gods, utterly invincible forces of nature who could only be opposed by avoiding them entirely or appeasing them in whatever manner they desired.
- Location
- Texas
- Pronouns
- He/Him
@DragonParadox is this silver aligned? Like the precious metals reward from the Fire Demigod that would have been earth aligned ?
Silver is the metal of magic generally, of celestial power (in the sense of the sky not necessarily good), that is why certain magical beings are vulnerable to silver.
- Location
- Texas
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Break it for the silver
-[X] And claim a portion of it: Between 33% and 50%, depending on how much Aina wants to claim
How valuable would this silver be as crafting material for the Tinker Fey?
-[X] And claim a portion of it: Between 33% and 50%, depending on how much Aina wants to claim
How valuable would this silver be as crafting material for the Tinker Fey?
- Location
- Germany
They are pretty close to gods in a regular D&D setting.
In P6 a CR 13 Fire-Elemental can count as godlike, while these things are beyond most epic characters.
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
I mean there's some ancient, spotty lore implying that they're the last remnants of the greatest civilisation of the last multiverse and potentially responsible for the Far Realms having not eaten everything.
So @Goldfish being scared of them would make sense
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
I don't want to destroy, I just think we need to. It's got a lot of potential, but potential can go both ways.
The amazing plot device can end up causing us to flee for our lives aboard Marcella, leaving behind our contacts and wealth and ending up in Not!North America with no friends or supplies, with an ever looming threat of being discovered. And that's a relatively good outcome...
Like Esha said, "Empires would fall over this."
No comment! 🦑I mean there's some ancient, spotty lore implying that they're the last remnants of the greatest civilisation of the last multiverse and potentially responsible for the Far Realms having not eaten everything.
So @Goldfish being scared of them would make sense
- Location
- Argentina
To be fair, I would totally read that story. Maybe that is why I want to keep this
- Location
- United States
We could also just…hide it? Esha knows this because she's a super old mage that can understand all languages and has gathered knowledge from around the known world. Most wouldn't truly understand what this is; and those that would would have to see us get it (assuming we don't hide it somehow) board the Marcella, and sneak it out somehow.
It just seems like such a waste to find such a powerful artifact and break it out of simple fear.