- Location
- France
[X] Lapurras lay asleep. He is large and friendly, but you cannot say he is especially trained. You don't think he'd be very useful "for "survival" but... he has been your companion for many years. You choose him.
A Destiny in Bronze (Bronze Age Fantasy)
- Thread starter paebel
- Start date
- Mature Fantasy
[X] A mundane bow with a single arrow. You know how to craft arrows, if not extremely well, so you will not be helpless after loosing the arrow on something.
[X] A small golden statue of the Ophanim Ganal. Beautiful to look upon, but will it really help you survive?
It's metal so it seems useful enough as a tool and weapon. I'd guess from the tech level that it's impure gold and thus sturdier for both purposes. It's very valuable if we exchange it for goods or services. Idealistically it might offer magical/spiritual benefits.
It's metal so it seems useful enough as a tool and weapon. I'd guess from the tech level that it's impure gold and thus sturdier for both purposes. It's very valuable if we exchange it for goods or services. Idealistically it might offer magical/spiritual benefits.
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I suspect we're going on some sort of coming-of-age vision quest, so yeah, a religious icon makes sense.
Solarstream
It's all in the cards
- Location
- Zombie World
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] A single spear. No shield included. A useful tool of defense, if you have need of such.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] A mundane bow with a single arrow. You know how to craft arrows, if not extremely well, so you will not be helpless after loosing the arrow on something.
[X] A small golden statue of the Ophanim Ganal. Beautiful to look upon, but will it really help you survive?
[X] A mundane bow with a single arrow. You know how to craft arrows, if not extremely well, so you will not be helpless after loosing the arrow on something.
we need to take into account its easier to make a good bow than a good spear. bows, even masterful ones, were irl crafted by foresters in the wild at times. a spear requires either a forge, which we are unlikely to get, or shaping stone, which takes long and might not yield the best result. if we are counting on making another weapon, the spear is a safer bet
its also better, usually, to have a melee weapon than ranged when you don't know what you are up against. and a spear can be thrown if really neccessary
@paebel we are talking average bronze spear right? not something amazing but not low quality either
its also better, usually, to have a melee weapon than ranged when you don't know what you are up against. and a spear can be thrown if really neccessary
@paebel we are talking average bronze spear right? not something amazing but not low quality either
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- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- They/Them
It's a typical bronze spear with a wooden shaft.
Eternal_0bserver
(Unverified Bookworm)
- Location
- Earth, Northern Europe
[X] A single spear. No shield included. A useful tool of defense, if you have need of such.
13--Trial
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- They/Them
The bow is finely crafted. A masterwork by most standards. It is also entirely mundane. It simply is what it is. The arrow is similar typical. Still, you are skilled with the bow and think you can craft a crude spear if necessary. You can take a guess at what's happening.
One of your favorite stories, one told by your father, is that of Ruth. Not your cousin but a distant ancestor. She had been discovered far to the south, her mother devoured by sea demons and herself given as the next offering. One of the king's sons had discovered her upon his "trial."
You didn't know any of the details of the trial. You assumed the details were kept secret. But it clearly involved survival with limited resources. With this in mind, you choose the bow and single arrow. It will be useful for hunting and as a weapon. Arrows are not so difficult to make, certainly easier than a bow or a spear.
Your father is silent as you leave the small plaza. Even at night the streets have are full of people, if not nearly so much as the day. Guards patrol the streets on the watch for thieves. You pass through the Zepathan Quarter and enter the Dor Quarter, laying in the western half of the city.
It doesn't take long for you to reach the western gate. Just a day's walk beyond this gate lay the Protectorate, where slaves rebelled against their masters and created a new way of living. Your people had warm relations with them at this time. In the past that had not always been the case.
The guards at the gate look to your father and simply waves him out. They give you looks of pity.
Your father walks with you for about twenty minutes. Not a word is shared. The road is free of travelers at this time of night. Finally, he begins to speak.
"We are in foreign lands. That is what my father told me, and what his father told him. Ever since the Sea rose, we have been in foreign lands."
He pauses a moment to turn his gaze to the stars in the sky.
"In the ancient days, Labaras was born, far to the east of even the Kadmonim grasslands. He was stronger, swifter, smarter, and greater than other men. He left the tents of his father when he turned sixteen, for he could not stomach the practices of men in those days."
You can almost see it. A man, larger and stronger than any others, leaving in the night. Did he feel fear at the unknown? Desperation to escape demons? Simply a thrill of adventure?
"You cannot conceive of what the world was like in those days. Few can. Parents offered their children upon altars in order to sate infernal appetites. Men and women were bound, body and soul, into the service of the most terrible of horrors."
In your mind's eye you see a vast body of water. It stretches endlessly and you can almost smell salt in the air. People live simple lives. But in the shadows are terrible and unspeakable things.
"Labaras did not know any other way. But he knew it was wrong and so he journeyed the world. At last he came to the Mountain and it was declared to him: 'You stand upon holy ground! The Sacred Mountain of the Creator who is El! Remove your sandals, anoint yourself with oil, and cut your hair to make yourself holy!"
You can hear the voice almost as if you were there.
"And so Labaras spoke with El and made covenant with Him. He learned the arts of men, descended the mountain, and made an altar. He named the place Baitel. From there he pushed back the borders of men. He married wives and had children. Together, with the aid of the Ophanim, he and his sons pushed the demons into the wilderness. Great cities were built and men were made safe. But not every demon was slain. They wait, still, in the wilderness of the world. They eye our borders with hunger, waiting for men to grow weak."
You understand where this is going.
"And so we did. Zepath grew weaker over the millennia. In its latter years, a resurgence of strength had come, but it was too late. Yet as weak as Zepath had grown, it was still mightier than any but the Great Cities. When Zepath fell, the entire region was lost. Only Old Kavodel remained untouched. And it is from Old Kavodel that all our people fled, rebuilding in these lands."
And so they are foreign to you. You suppose it is true. You rule these lands, but your people have mostly remained insular. They have not truly intermingled. Even in the village you grew up in nobody had befriended you. And you had not befriended them.
"We must not be weak. We must prove ourselves worthy of El's consideration and protection. My father left me in the wilderness. I was to find an offering worthy of El or not return. And so now, I do for you what he did for me. We will walk beyond Mishpat to the west, and I will leave you there. You are to find an offering and return. You will accept no aid from anyone."
He lets out a small laugh. It has a forced quality to it.
"The only two pieces of advice I have for you is this: one does not quit before hardship. And El most values that which was difficult to obtain; not gold, not jewels, not silver, not cattle, but those things which you sacrificed greatly for and hold close to your heart."
The two of you walk in silence for much of the night. As dawn approaches, you turn to him and ask your first question.
"Father, what did you offer to El?"
He doesn't seem to hear you at first, lost in his own thoughts. Finally he responds:
"I journeyed to Old Kavodel. The place still stands but it has become a den of demons. I snuck within it and claimed a stone from the Temple of El that had been raised there. It became my offering."
The two of you continue your journey. You avoid villages and cities, departing from the road to travel through the countryside. It is not especially difficult terrain for the two of you and the distance passes quickly.
Roughly two weeks later you find yourself in the foothills, near to the Mountains of Fare and well to the west of Kavodel itself and south of Mishpat. At this distance, you can barely feel the Presence that is in Kavodel. Mount Har still burns brightly in your mind's eye.
You are some distance from the lands of Zepa but a part of you greatly wishes to see those lands.
The journey would be difficult but you are well trained and capable. You could journey to one of the ruined cities and claim something for yourself. Or even travel through many cities.
Or you could go yet further. According to the stories, their are peoples that live in the far south. They are held by terrible demons. The story of Ruth has her being saved from one such place. Could you go somewhere similar?
Of course... there is also the Mountains. Fare is a terrible demon, worshiped by the Bnaimokt and minotaurs, and the father of harpies. He has made war upon your people since time immemorial. You could journey into the Mountains and find your offering there. El is said to greatly appreciate demon bits and monster parts as offerings.
[] You journey into the lands of Zepa and will decide your destination once there. You might go to a notable city of your people, travel through many cities, or even turn south from there and enter lands men have not walked in centuries. Of course, monsters and worse stalk these lands now...
[] You will enter the Mountains of Fare. They are near and he is an ancestral enemy. You are less sure of what to do once there, but there should be plenty of opportunities to find an offering. Very, very few people survive entering the Mountains, including well trained and equipped men.
One of your favorite stories, one told by your father, is that of Ruth. Not your cousin but a distant ancestor. She had been discovered far to the south, her mother devoured by sea demons and herself given as the next offering. One of the king's sons had discovered her upon his "trial."
You didn't know any of the details of the trial. You assumed the details were kept secret. But it clearly involved survival with limited resources. With this in mind, you choose the bow and single arrow. It will be useful for hunting and as a weapon. Arrows are not so difficult to make, certainly easier than a bow or a spear.
Your father is silent as you leave the small plaza. Even at night the streets have are full of people, if not nearly so much as the day. Guards patrol the streets on the watch for thieves. You pass through the Zepathan Quarter and enter the Dor Quarter, laying in the western half of the city.
It doesn't take long for you to reach the western gate. Just a day's walk beyond this gate lay the Protectorate, where slaves rebelled against their masters and created a new way of living. Your people had warm relations with them at this time. In the past that had not always been the case.
The guards at the gate look to your father and simply waves him out. They give you looks of pity.
Your father walks with you for about twenty minutes. Not a word is shared. The road is free of travelers at this time of night. Finally, he begins to speak.
"We are in foreign lands. That is what my father told me, and what his father told him. Ever since the Sea rose, we have been in foreign lands."
He pauses a moment to turn his gaze to the stars in the sky.
"In the ancient days, Labaras was born, far to the east of even the Kadmonim grasslands. He was stronger, swifter, smarter, and greater than other men. He left the tents of his father when he turned sixteen, for he could not stomach the practices of men in those days."
You can almost see it. A man, larger and stronger than any others, leaving in the night. Did he feel fear at the unknown? Desperation to escape demons? Simply a thrill of adventure?
"You cannot conceive of what the world was like in those days. Few can. Parents offered their children upon altars in order to sate infernal appetites. Men and women were bound, body and soul, into the service of the most terrible of horrors."
In your mind's eye you see a vast body of water. It stretches endlessly and you can almost smell salt in the air. People live simple lives. But in the shadows are terrible and unspeakable things.
"Labaras did not know any other way. But he knew it was wrong and so he journeyed the world. At last he came to the Mountain and it was declared to him: 'You stand upon holy ground! The Sacred Mountain of the Creator who is El! Remove your sandals, anoint yourself with oil, and cut your hair to make yourself holy!"
You can hear the voice almost as if you were there.
"And so Labaras spoke with El and made covenant with Him. He learned the arts of men, descended the mountain, and made an altar. He named the place Baitel. From there he pushed back the borders of men. He married wives and had children. Together, with the aid of the Ophanim, he and his sons pushed the demons into the wilderness. Great cities were built and men were made safe. But not every demon was slain. They wait, still, in the wilderness of the world. They eye our borders with hunger, waiting for men to grow weak."
You understand where this is going.
"And so we did. Zepath grew weaker over the millennia. In its latter years, a resurgence of strength had come, but it was too late. Yet as weak as Zepath had grown, it was still mightier than any but the Great Cities. When Zepath fell, the entire region was lost. Only Old Kavodel remained untouched. And it is from Old Kavodel that all our people fled, rebuilding in these lands."
And so they are foreign to you. You suppose it is true. You rule these lands, but your people have mostly remained insular. They have not truly intermingled. Even in the village you grew up in nobody had befriended you. And you had not befriended them.
"We must not be weak. We must prove ourselves worthy of El's consideration and protection. My father left me in the wilderness. I was to find an offering worthy of El or not return. And so now, I do for you what he did for me. We will walk beyond Mishpat to the west, and I will leave you there. You are to find an offering and return. You will accept no aid from anyone."
He lets out a small laugh. It has a forced quality to it.
"The only two pieces of advice I have for you is this: one does not quit before hardship. And El most values that which was difficult to obtain; not gold, not jewels, not silver, not cattle, but those things which you sacrificed greatly for and hold close to your heart."
The two of you walk in silence for much of the night. As dawn approaches, you turn to him and ask your first question.
"Father, what did you offer to El?"
He doesn't seem to hear you at first, lost in his own thoughts. Finally he responds:
"I journeyed to Old Kavodel. The place still stands but it has become a den of demons. I snuck within it and claimed a stone from the Temple of El that had been raised there. It became my offering."
The two of you continue your journey. You avoid villages and cities, departing from the road to travel through the countryside. It is not especially difficult terrain for the two of you and the distance passes quickly.
Roughly two weeks later you find yourself in the foothills, near to the Mountains of Fare and well to the west of Kavodel itself and south of Mishpat. At this distance, you can barely feel the Presence that is in Kavodel. Mount Har still burns brightly in your mind's eye.
You are some distance from the lands of Zepa but a part of you greatly wishes to see those lands.
The journey would be difficult but you are well trained and capable. You could journey to one of the ruined cities and claim something for yourself. Or even travel through many cities.
Or you could go yet further. According to the stories, their are peoples that live in the far south. They are held by terrible demons. The story of Ruth has her being saved from one such place. Could you go somewhere similar?
Of course... there is also the Mountains. Fare is a terrible demon, worshiped by the Bnaimokt and minotaurs, and the father of harpies. He has made war upon your people since time immemorial. You could journey into the Mountains and find your offering there. El is said to greatly appreciate demon bits and monster parts as offerings.
[] You journey into the lands of Zepa and will decide your destination once there. You might go to a notable city of your people, travel through many cities, or even turn south from there and enter lands men have not walked in centuries. Of course, monsters and worse stalk these lands now...
[] You will enter the Mountains of Fare. They are near and he is an ancestral enemy. You are less sure of what to do once there, but there should be plenty of opportunities to find an offering. Very, very few people survive entering the Mountains, including well trained and equipped men.
[X] You journey into the lands of Zepa and will decide your destination once there. You might go to a notable city of your people, travel through many cities, or even turn south from there and enter lands men have not walked in centuries. Of course, monsters and worse stalk these lands now...
[x] You journey into the lands of Zepa and will decide your destination once there. You might go to a notable city of your people, travel through many cities, or even turn south from there and enter lands men have not walked in centuries. Of course, monsters and worse stalk these lands now...
Honestly either option sounds sufficiently ambitius, but we did just give a passionate impromptu speech about reclaiming the homeland.
Honestly either option sounds sufficiently ambitius, but we did just give a passionate impromptu speech about reclaiming the homeland.
[x] You journey into the lands of Zepa and will decide your destination once there. You might go to a notable city of your people, travel through many cities, or even turn south from there and enter lands men have not walked in centuries. Of course, monsters and worse stalk these lands now...
- Location
- Denmark
[] You journey into the lands of Zepa and will decide your destination once there. You might go to a notable city of your people, travel through many cities, or even turn south from there and enter lands men have not walked in centuries. Of course, monsters and worse stalk these lands now...
But one person has gone to the mountains and returned, and we're not Ruth.
But one person has gone to the mountains and returned, and we're not Ruth.
Eternal_0bserver
(Unverified Bookworm)
- Location
- Earth, Northern Europe
[X] You journey into the lands of Zepa and will decide your destination once there. You might go to a notable city of your people, travel through many cities, or even turn south from there and enter lands men have not walked in centuries. Of course, monsters and worse stalk these lands now...
[x] You journey into the lands of Zepa and will decide your destination once there. You might go to a notable city of your people, travel through many cities, or even turn south from there and enter lands men have not walked in centuries. Of course, monsters and worse stalk these lands now...
- Location
- In the closest Zoo
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
[X] You will enter the Mountains of Fare. They are near and he is an ancestral enemy. You are less sure of what to do once there, but there should be plenty of opportunities to find an offering. Very, very few people survive entering the Mountains, including well trained and equipped men.
GO BIG OR GO HOME
GO BIG OR GO HOME
[X] You will enter the Mountains of Fare. They are near and he is an ancestral enemy. You are less sure of what to do once there, but there should be plenty of opportunities to find an offering. Very, very few people survive entering the Mountains, including well trained and equipped men.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] You journey into the lands of Zepa and will decide your destination once there. You might go to a notable city of your people, travel through many cities, or even turn south from there and enter lands men have not walked in centuries. Of course, monsters and worse stalk these lands now...
[x] You journey into the lands of Zepa and will decide your destination once there. You might go to a notable city of your people, travel through many cities, or even turn south from there and enter lands men have not walked in centuries. Of course, monsters and worse stalk these lands
also worse noting, our special abilities are much moreuseffective in Zepath, especially the talk to dead
also worse noting, our special abilities are much moreuseffective in Zepath, especially the talk to dead
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[x] You journey into the lands of Zepa and will decide your destination once there. You might go to a notable city of your people, travel through many cities, or even turn south from there and enter lands men have not walked in centuries. Of course, monsters and worse stalk these lands now...