Smite the Bay! (Worm X Smite Crossover Quest)

December 31, 2010

You stared numbly at the kitchen countertop, a copy of Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton sitting there. It was a gift. Your birthday gift. The birthday gift your parents were supposed to give you, and they didn't even bother to wrap it. You can't even remember the last time your parents even bothered to celebrate your birthday with you, but you had hoped that today would be the one time they actually bothered to make time for you. It was your 18th birthday, the day you would finally be considered an adult. You had practically begged them to remember it was your birthday and get them to agree to celebrate with you. It was the absolute bare minimum you could have asked for and you had expected them to have made it more of a priority so they could tell you how proud they were of you in person. Instead, you find yourself in the familiar quiet of an empty home. You had gotten used to having the house to yourself for long periods of time, but today it felt like a punch to the gut.

You shifted the book from its spot, noticing a note just under it. With trembling hands you picked up the note, beginning to read its contents.

Happy Birthday…

Who are you?
[ ][Name] Write-In

[ ][Sex] Male
[ ][Sex] Female

We just want to say that we are so happy that you've finally become an adult! It has been a long journey for you and now you are finally all grown up and prepared for the next step forward! It is unfortunate we couldn't be there to celebrate with you, but something had come up and we had to leave town for a bit doing damage control. You understand, don't you? In anycase, enjoy your gift! Feel free to invite your friends over!

-Mom and Dad

You chuckled bitterly, your hand balling into a fist and crumpling the note. This was just like them to leave a note rather than being with you. But they never really cared about you, so what else is new? Oh sure, in the days leading up to today they had done some cursory questions about mythology since you had expressed interest in the subject. It had gotten your hopes up, expecting them to suddenly care about your interests when they previously never did…

Hobbies! Pick 2
[ ][Hobby] Fencing — A hobby that you didn't pick for yourself. Fencing was something your father insisted you take up, which you suspect because several of his colleagues also forced their kids to pick it up. Still, you proved to actually be quite good at it and even enjoyed it as a hobby. Though it seemed after the initial push, dear ol' dad didn't take much interest in your actual interest in the sport. You start with the Swordsmanship skill at the Adept level.

[ ][Hobby] Gymnastics — You took up gymnastics as a way to get more of your parents' attention, but it also helped you get pretty agile, dexterous, and coordinated. You worked really hard to get as good as you have, even earning a few decent trophies from gymnastic competitions you've participated in over the years. Though it seemed your parents weren't as enthusiastic about your choice of hobby as you'd hope. You start with the Acrobatics skill at the Adept level.

[ ][Hobby] Karate — As a kid you remember being enraptured by old martial arts movies to the point you begged your parents to sign you up for lessons. Fortunately, it didn't take much convincing as your father signed you up for some local karate classes for kids. You were quite dedicated to the martial art for a good long while until you eventually earned the black belt. It was one of the proudest moments of your young life. Shame your parents couldn't be there. You start with the Karate skill at the Adept level.

[ ][Hobby] First Aid — When you told your parents you wanted to learn first aid it certainly got you some weird looks from them, but since you live in a city with a cape that turns into a fiery metal dragon and a gang of murderous superpowered Nazis it wasn't like they were going to object. While most people stuck with learning the very basics to get by, you bothered to go the extra mile and learn just about everything you could! If you ever considered getting a job as an EMT, you'd have a pretty good chance. You start with the First Aid skill at the Adept level.

[ ][Hobby] Crafts — You've always had an interest for art even at a young age. Over the years you've cultivated your talents in various pursuits, such as painting, paper crafts, needlework, and others. Despite your talents, your parents never did seem all that keen on the prospect you might pursue a career in any sort of art trade. But hey! At least people on the internet like your cosplay work! You start with the Crafting skill at the Adept level.

[ ][Hobby] Cape Geekdom — When you live in a world with superheroes, is it any wonder that you would be enraptured by the allure? You are an active member on PHO, your room is chalk full of various Protectorate memorabilia, you know the names of pretty much every cape in town by heart, and you even have a framed autograph from Legend himself! Your knowledge on all things cape is also pretty impressive and you can even name a few big names from other states. Trying to share your interests with your parents, however, only got them complaining about how you should be more focused on your studies. You start with the Parahumans skill at the Adept level.

[ ][Hobby] Legal Code — In an attempt to bond with your mother you actually took time to study the law. In your research you picked up a lot of knowledge on various laws (and their penalties) in both your state and the nation as a whole. You are perhaps way more knowledgeable on these subjects than anyone else your age might be. Of course, beyond some brief conversations with your mother it seemed your efforts didn't make you any closer. Your father seemed impressed at least, saying you'd make a good politician one day. You are not sure how you feel about that. You start with the Legal skill at the Adept level.

[ ][Hobby] Let's Playing — Gaming has always been one of your outlets, so when the idea of recording yourself playing games crossed your mind you thought to give it a shot. You weren't really all that attached to the process of let's plays, but the thing that kept you into it was the people who watched your content. They genuinely liked the way you presented yourself and over time you've managed to bring your own unique style to the format, which helped you build a small but loyal online following. Of course, your parents are derisive of your hobby and think you should focus on your studies to get a real job. You start with the Charisma skill with the Adept level.

[ ][Hobby] Strategy Games — Since you were introduced to chess at a young age by your late grandfather, you've harbored a love for games that require forethought and strategy. Chess has long been your go-to whether online or in person, but you also have a catalog of video games you play if you need a strategy game that has a lot more complex elements to it. You've developed quite a keen mind for strategy as a result, letting you think ahead and plan things out. You start with the Tactics skill at the Adept level.

[ ][Hobby] Archery — One of your childhood dreams was to be an Olympic athlete, and to that end you hyperfixated on archery of all things. Your parents were kind enough to get you your first bow and some targets and over the years your skill sharpened and improved. You participated in junior archery tournaments in the state, proving yourself against other youths in your sport of choice. Though in the times your parents spectated they only seemed to feign interest at best and expressed total indifference at worst. You start with the Archery skill at an Adept level.

And then there was the bit about friends… What friends? You've been homeschooled since literally middle school, your parents hiring tutors to teach you. You haven't met anyone your age in months and if your parents actually cared they would have known that.

You are just alone. A lonely birthday and a lonely New Year's Eve to add insult to injury.

Tears began welling in your eyes, blurring your vision as the crushing weight of your loneliness made itself apparent as the last of your hope for someone caring about you was crushed. You dropped the crumpled note from your shaking hands before collapsing to the ground yourself as you tried to fight off the urge to breakdown into a fit of sobbing. Maybe it would be better if you were just dead. Not like anyone would actually notice you were gone. As you recall, your tutors had taken winter break off and you wouldn't see them again until at least the 11th. Barring your parents coming home in the next few days, you weren't expecting to see anyone for over a week.

The well of your emotions built up to a crescendo until it finally cracked. You began sobbing, a loud wail escaping you. You hate this! Nothing's changed, nothing at all! There was no reason to hope that things would change! The last remnants of your hope dissipated like errant dust getting blown into the wind. When you die at least your parents will get something to use for sympathy points.

You just wish…

You just wish that someone gave a shit about you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two titanic entities encircle each other, spanning multiple parallel spaces all at once.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wait.

What just happened? It felt like something was different.

You raised your head, sniffling as you collect yourself and-

There is someone standing in the room with you. Or perhaps something would be more apt. They looked like a humanoid falcon, dressed in golden armor and what looked to be Egyptian clothing, and wielding a polearm. And they towered over you! Not just because you were currently sitting on the floor, they looked massive! You got the feeling if you stood up your head would just barely reach their midsection.


You froze in place, staring up at them wide eyed. Was this one of those Case 53s you've heard about? Why were they in your house? The figure looked down at you, his beak mouth opening and, to your surprise, a human sounding voice spoke.

"Greetings, summoner." He said, his voice both confident and regal. "I am Horus, God of the Sky and rightful king to the throne of the Gods of Egypt."

You blinked.

Horus… You were familiar with the figure from Egyptian mythology. He was a king of the gods, worshiped as a god of kingship, healing, protection, the sky, the sun, the moon, war, and righteous vengeance. It was said that the Egyptians believed the pharaohs served as Horus' avatars on Earth. So this Case 53's power made him look like a big bird man and chose to identify as — or was really crazy and believe he was — a mythological god before breaking into your house…

Horus snorted incredulously. "'Big bird man'... Hmph, I can assure you, summoner, I am no 'Case 53' as you put it."

Did he just hear your thoughts?!

"Of course I can hear your thoughts," Horus replies, his voice in your mind. "You are my summoner and I am the Warrior called here by your powers."

As you begin to freak out over hearing another person's voice in your head, your thoughts ground to a halt as you focus on a particular thing he said. He said you had powers. Powers.

Horus stood a little taller, wings flexing a little, seemingly pleased that you understood what that meant.

This was… a lot to take in all at once. Horus was silent as you thought about your situation, long enough to remember how empty your home was.

There is no way you have powers. It's just a trick of your mind brought on by your loneliness. No one cares about you. You don't matter. You are just alone.

"I don't want to be alone anymore…" You say aloud, shrinking into yourself a little.

Horus moves to kneel down next to you, placing a talon-like hand on your shoulder. "Fear not, summoner. With us by your side, you will never be alone again."

"Us?" You say, looking up to him.

He nods his bird head. "I am not the only God who will heed your call. Other Gods and Goddesses will answer your summons, though at present we are not as powerful as we could be. Now, dry your eyes and cease your self-pity. You are powerful, and you need not heed the whims of others. The only path left to take is the one that leads forward!"

You dry your tears with your sleeve and nod, getting up from the floor. He was right. You had powers now and you could do what you wanted with them. This was yours now and you don't have to confine yourself to others expectations like you did with your parents. But how you intend to use them is something you still need to figure out.

[ ][Alignment] — You have just been granted tremendous power, so naturally it comes with the responsibility to use it for the betterment of people. You are going to strive to be a hero. (You will aim to become a hero out of a sense of responsibility, or perhaps altruism.)
[ ][Alignment] — You don't owe the world a damn thing. You have power and you damn well going to use it for yourself, reaping the benefits. (You will aim to become a villain out of self-interest, or perhaps rebelliousness.)

The rest of your birthday is spent talking with Horus, who helps you understand the details of your power. From what you can gather you can summon at least god a day, each with their own unique strength and abilities, and they have a set range from you they can go before they disappear. It was good that you got this rundown on your power, it certainly saves time in trying to figure out on your own. Plus Horus was a pretty good conversational partner. This had been the most social interaction you've had in a long time and it was with a god of all things.

Eventually midnight approached, and for a moment you considered just going to bed since you had nothing else going on. However, before you could dismiss Horus you recalled that it was New Year's Eve! There was the countdown and the fireworks that no doubt would be fired off tonight!

You mentioned this to Horus, asking if he'd like to watch, but he gave you an apologetic look.

"I am sorry, summoner, but I'm afraid that may not be possible." He says.

You frown. "W-why not?"

"With the stroke of the midnight hour your summon from the previous day vanishes." He explains. "You will, of course, have the option of calling upon another at the start of the new day."

"I… I see…" You say, unable to hide your disappointment. "Will… Will I be able to see you again?"

"Rest assured, I do not doubt we will meet again." Horus replied. The confidence he exuded made you want to believe him, but even now you dared not hope.

"Okay…" You looked around awkwardly, taking in the empty house. You looked at him again and hesitantly asked, "Will you join me in waiting for the New Year?"

He seemed to smile, or at least what you assume might be a smile with his falcon head. "I will be by your side."

The two of you moved to the living room, sitting on your family's rather expensive sofa. Horus looked practically comical on it given his sheer size, but he seemed to make himself comfortable regardless.

You flipped on the TV, watching coverage of the New Year's countdown. Midnight drew close, the countdown began.

10.

9.

8.

7.

6.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

As the countdown ended, you felt the sofa shift as Horus just popped out of existence. It stunned you for a moment, now being alone yet again. You didn't even get a chance to say 'Happy New Year' with him. But he did say he would vanish at midnight…

You were alone again, but you didn't have to be. You could feel your power urging you to reach out. You tried to call back Horus, but it seemed you couldn't call him specifically. Instead you had five words appear in your mind; different options to choose from. None of them allowed you to summon Horus directly, but you got the feeling that picking the Warrior option would give you the chance to call upon him again. After a moment you reach out and choose…

[ ][Deity] Warrior
[ ][Deity] Guardian
[ ][Deity] Mage
[ ][Deity] Assassin
[ ][Deity] Hunter

---

QM Notes:
Howdy, folks! Welcome to Smite the Bay! A while back there was a quest called Smite Quest which had the premise of a kid in Brockton Bay triggering and getting the power to summon the various Gods of Smite as projections. It was a quest I enjoyed a lot and recently I had been thinking about it, then had the thought of running a similar quest but trying my own spin at it! So this quest is a sorta reimagining or remake of the original Worm/Smite quest. Now I will admit this opening post is pretty similar to the first post of Smite Quest, though I don't intend to follow the original quest beat for beat. I do want to do my own thing here, starting with this post by giving the players a means to define their character. Moving forward I hope you all enjoy what I bring to this quest!

Weekly Planning

At the start of each turn players will create a plan for the in-game week. Week planning will consist of what god classes to summon on any given day and what actions will be taken on those days. At the start of the quest, players can summon one god and designate two actions per day unless otherwise specified.

When picking a god class, players must alternate which classes are summoned through the week as the same class cannot be used back-to-back and must have at least one day between uses. For example: If the Hunter class is summoned on Monday then it cannot be summoned on Tuesday, but can be summoned on Wednesday. When a class has been designated a roll will be made to see what god is summoned from a predetermined list of available gods.

Players will generally be given free reign on what actions they will take on a given day. Depending on what sort of actions players wish to take, rolls may take place to determine events or chances of success. Example: Patrolling will have rolls applied to it, determining what if anything you might encounter while out on patrol.

Talking with specific characters, unless stated otherwise, are generally free actions and do not count towards the action economy. Players may designate what characters they wish to talk to and what about on any given day of the week as a result.

Once the weekly plan has been formulated I will write out how events of the week play out.

Skills

Skills determine abilities or knowledge your character possesses. Skills will affect the narrative of the quest and determine how certain actions play out. For example: if your character gets into a fist fight, being trained in the Boxing skill is more likely to ensure they win the encounter than if they had no talent at all.

Skills have five levels:

Novice — Your character is just beginning to understand the skill and knows the basics at the very least.
Experienced — Your character has had some practice in the skill and is just now showing more advanced knowledge.
Adept — Your character can now be said to be truly proficient at the skill.
Expert — Your character now possesses even greater talent and knowledge in their skills and are head and shoulders above others who might be proficient in the skill.
Master — Your character is now uncontested one of the best, if not the best, when it comes to their skill. You know practically everything when it comes to the skill.

Skills can be learned or trained by taking actions to do so. When training or learning a new skill, a d20 will be rolled to see how much experience you've gained in learning. The number will then be added to your skill, and if your skill exceeds a certain numeric value it will level up and the excess experience will be added to the start of the next level. For example: to level up a Novice level skill you need to have over 20 experience. If you had a skill at Novice level with 15 points, rolling a 7 in a training roll will allow you to level up the skill to Experienced and you will start that level with 2 points already accounted for in the leveling numeric value.

The level threshold for each level is as follows: Novice 20, Experienced 50, Adept 80, Expert 100. After 100 you've mastered the skill.

In addition, skills can be improved or learned through experiences through the quest, though unlike with training these points added will have a fixed numeric value. Example: if you get into a fistfight and have the Karate skill, if you get into enough fights you'll eventually earn 5 points towards leveling it.

Though there are many ways to learn or train skills, the gods you summon will generally have knowledge in certain skills that they can impart onto you. What skills a god can teach you varies from god to god, though generally most gods have at least one skill they can teach.

Quest & Boons

Throughout the quest you can ask the gods you summon for unique items, abilities, or skills, at which point they will offer you a quest for you to complete. What these quests are depends on the nature of the god you are receiving the quest from, but generally these quests should be doable. You don't need to complete the quest while the god is summoned (unless specifically stated otherwise), but if the quest is complete while they are absent you will not get the associated boon until they are summoned again. Boons themselves are generally related to the domains of whatever god you get them from, so attempting to get a boon unrelated to your god's domain is impossible.

Heroic Accomplishments & Power Upgrades

Over the course of the quest your character will participate in various events and slowly build their reputation with their deeds. Notable accomplishments such as taking down powerful capes or participating in Endbringer battles will result in an upgrade to your power. When a Heroic Accomplishment is achieved, players will be given a choice from a list of potential power upgrades to choose from, such as being able to summon more gods or being able to see through their senses. Once selected, your power is permanent altered to include these upgrades.

Name: Elizabeth Pendragon
Cape Name: Mythos
Age: 18
Affiliations: Independent

Power: You can summon and control autonomous and seemingly self-aware projections that resemble gods, heroes, and monsters of various mythologies.

Summoning I — You can summon one god per day.
Range I — Your gods can operate within a 150ft radius around you. If a god leaves this radius they will vanish.
Respawn I — If a god is destroyed in battle you can summon them again after 90 seconds.
Communication — You can communicate mentally with your gods and vice-versa.
Boons — By completing quests given to you by your gods you will be rewarded with unique items, unique abilities, or have unique skills unlocked.

List of met Gods

Skills:

Mythology (20/50, Experienced) — You've become quite familiar with various myths of legends across the world. (Gods requiring the Experienced level of this skill can be summoned. Gods have access to more of their abilities.)
Legal (18/20, Novice) — You have a general knowledge of what is and is not legal.
Parahumans (30/50, Experienced) — You are pretty knowledgeable when it comes to capes, to the point you are familiar with a handful of obscure ones and maybe some out of towners. You are also a little more familiar with the mechanics of the power system.
Charisma (3/50, Experienced) — You are pretty comfortable in most social situations. Most people would describe you as pretty charming.
Driving (5/50, Experienced) — You have a driver's license.
Swordsmanship (32/80, Adept) — You know your way around a blade, far more than most in the modern day.
Acrobatics (46/80, Adept) — You are pretty nimble on your feet and are capable of doing some pretty impressive flips, rolls, and balancing acts.
Crafting (1/20, Novice) — You can create some stuff. Nothing particularly good, but everyone's gotta start somewhere!
Athletics (44/50, Experienced) — Your are capable of running, jumping, climbing, and swimming for a good while before needing a rest.
CQC (3/50, Experienced) — You've had some proper hand-to-hand combat techniques drilled into you.
Botany (6/20, Novice) — Your green thumb is a work in progress.
Cold Reading (1/20, Novice) — You can sort of tell what people are feeling.

Relationships:

Jonathan Pendragon — Your father. A Republican Senator for New Hampshire and spends most of his time out of state.

Linda Pendragon — Your mother. The DA of your county and a massive workaholic. Rarely spends time at home despite not needing to leave the state like your father.

Inventory:

Burner Phone — A prepaid cellphone that will be useful in contacting law enforcement without risk to your secret identity.
Blade of Mythos — A boon granted to you by Vulcan. A gladius that never dulls or breaks. It is attuned to you and you can recall it back to your hand if it ever removed from your grasp.
Kinetic Aegis — A boon granted to you by Vulcan. A scutum that is enchanted to be able to absorb and reflect kinetic energy, enabling it to withstand impacts that would break any normal shield.
Armor of the Warrior — A boon granted to you by Vulcan. Modeled after the armor of the legendary Amazons, this armor has complete resistance to bladed weapons and small arms fire. It is also enchanted to grant the wearer a Mover ability to allow superior reflexes and a minor Thinker ability to have superior reaction times to work in tandem with the reflexes.
Practice Sword — A wooden sword for practicing swordsmanship.
Training Weights — A vest capable of being fitted with several pounds in weight.
Death Detecting Crook — A boon granted to you by Anubis. A handheld crook that will point in the direction of the nearest most recent death.