[Global] End Game.

[Tio Silver]

Off Topic

Sorry for the wait fellow competitors. Due to the nature of my post I was asked to hold it back until all three of you had gone.

I hope you'll agree that the wait was worth it though...

As his blood dropped to the floor that strange power, so like necromancy and yet so entirely different, kicked in again with a strength far beyond anything Tio had seen so far. If that last spell with Delroth's charm had been a strong wind this was a thunderstorm, and the yludih could feel half of the life left in him being ripped out of his very bones and absorbed into the ashen form of Avacer. It was as alarming as it was utterly incredible to behold! The very flesh meant for him to wear in his future, the body he was set to inherit as the arcs ticked on for him, was being clawed away, broken down and used to give new form to the once faded skeleton! The magician in him would have had a field day trying to understand how it worked, if not for the guttural dread that sat in his stomach like a stone. Those were his precious years bleeding away, the life he had invested into his lifelong gamble to reach immortality, and if that gamble didn't pay off he'd never get them back. Would he be a decrepit old man before he reached fifty? Or would he simply drop dead in the streets like an acrobat with their tightrope cut? Already he could feel a twinge of weariness no young man should feel in his step.

But despite the terrible price he'd paid Tio pushed any thoughts of regret out of his mind, focusing himself instead on the road ahead of him. Avacer was right, this sacrifice would make him stronger in the long run. And with the muscle-bound magician accepting his offer at least he wouldn't be making that long run alone.

At least that was what he thought for the span of twenty trills, until the sound of stone feet pounding against the dusty ground caught his attention. A set of golems, built from sleek black stone and carved into intricately human-like figures, melded their way from out of a nearby pillar and marched towards them. As Tio raised his cutlass in a fighting stance a voice like a grinding whetstone reverberated in his head. According to the golems Arlo had chosen to play the sacrifice game for himself by choosing to have Tio take his place on the throne of Gilgarod, and subsequently have the life drained out of him and fed to his subjects.

"Arlo ordered this?! That treacherous son of a..." he began, his eyes flashing a flaming amber as the mark of Syroa reacted to his fury. That backstabber! He knew that hat-wearing snake worshipped Cassion, but he hadn't expected him to go so far as to orchestrate people's deaths in order to impress him! Well fine! If it was a fight these stony fod-sacks wanted it was a fight they would get!

He levelled his sword, ready to fight, but halted as Avacer stepped forward and spat on one of the golems, declaring that as he now held half of Tio's life he would take his place upon the throne. The golems accepted his decision, and as they came to take him away Avacer clasped a hand on his shoulder and whispered to him the secret that he needed.

"I'll not forget this sacrifice you've made for me Avacer." Tio whispered solemnly, staring into his eyes with a steely gaze and nodding gravely. "I will come back for you. I will free you. And we will finish what we've started!"
The staircase that the skeleton key had directed him to led him up into a void of near utter darkness, but it wasn't long before light began to trickle into his vision. At the end of the staircase was the foyer from earlier, and as he stepped out into the light Tio noted that the other three contestants had all come out of different shaped exits at nearly exactly the same time as him. While all of them had survived, Tio was quick to note that only he and Arlo had been successful in securing a box. Did that mean only he and Arlo would take part in the last round? A brief lance of fury shot through his body as Tio caught sight of Arlo, smiling merrily as if he hadn't attempted to murder him, but he quashed the rage down behind a look of sly satisfaction the moment it came. Arlo would pay for his betrayal, but not yet. He couldn't allow his emotions to hinder his plan.

Cassion explained the final step of the challenge, and subconsciously Tio's hands gripped tighter and tighter on the box until his knuckles turned white. Everything was going as Avacer had said it would! Any moment now the time would be upon him to act! The others began to explain what they believed Cassion's prize to be, yet although they stood right next to him to Tio their voices sounded distorted and distant, as if underwater. His attention was focused within, desperately trying to sort out and squash down the tempest of myriad emotions that had sprung up to play havoc on his nerves! Damn it, he couldn't afford to loose focus now! What was wrong with him?

Doubt. I'm feeling doubt! He realized with a sudden clarity. No matter how unusual the circumstances, the fact was that he was preparing himself to do something he had always believed to be an act of true evil, something he had made a point of avoiding no matter how deep into the criminal underworld he sank. And why was it that he was committing himself to go through with his horrible deed? There were a million justifications he could make to himself that he knew his mind could genuinely trick itself into believing to avoid guilt. He could claim he was doing this for the sake of justice; to help free the world from the tyranny of the Immortals and give power to the races just like so many of the anti-Immortal believers did. He could claim he was seeking fair revenge, to pay Cassion back for manipulating him and all the other contestants into risking their lives in this contest so that he could avoid going into Gilgarod himself. He could even claim to do this for honour, to fulfil the bargain he'd made with Avacer. But in truth he knew that he didn't to this for any such noble reason.

He did this for greed.

Delroth couldn't have chosen a better person to represent him in this contest. It took a special kind of scum to undertake such a task for the sake of avarice, and if he went thorough with this Tio knew that he would always feel like that kind of rotten scum until the day he died. But despite knowing what kind of a deplorable person it would make him he still could not resist the lust for power in his heart. He was tired of being trapped in his mortality! Tired of looking in the mirror and seeing a face that wasn't his stare back at him! He wanted to be more than any yludih had ever been before! Perhaps even surpass the boundary of race entirely! Was it so wrong of him to crave the strength to rise above the station in life he'd been born into? No, it was not!

He gathered whatever determination he could muster as the other contenders finished speaking. It was not the steely determination of a courageous man staring danger in the face, but more akin to the rushed, panicked resolve of prey that'd been cornered by a hunter. His heart was pounding in his mouth, his throat was dry, and all the world seemed out of focus as Cassion's gaze finally turned on him. The time had come; it was now or never!

"What I bring you is a weapon; a blade wielded only by those who have sacrificed." He turned the skeleton key in the lock, jumping slightly as he heard the mechanism click open. "Long ago the king of a world long forgotten to us perished, and all his princes tore their kingdom apart trying to claim the throne for themselves. The people cried out for them to end their feud and stop ravaging the lands, but the heirs would not listen. Consumed by desperation, the citizens came together and decided that the only way they could save themselves was to create a weapon that could rival the prince's powers, that could remind them to fear those below them. But such a weapon could not be made with weak materials, and so each person sacrificed something precious to them, something that forevermore would leave their lives empty and gray, in order to give this weapon strength. Some gave honour, some pride, some love, and some even their lives. But it was worth it, for their hardships had forged for them a blade unlike any other."

He put his hands on the lid of the box, slowly prizing it open. "What they had made was a sword that separated names from names, a killing blade! And its name was Epilogue: the hateful thing that schisms all domains!"

As he spoke those final lines Tio flipped the box open and, in one fluid motion, drew the sword from within it and plunged it straight into Cassion's heart.[/color]

[/align]

[Plague]

Arlo, first to speak. The storyteller embellished, savored his words as he spoke them. Of the other contestants, his was the mantle of storytelling passed from tavern-whispered secret to bawdy sojourn on the open road. When Arlo spoke it was impossible not to listen, to angle ones ears to the words. Cassion, intimidating giant baptized in dust, nodded along to the tale with a smile barely contained across his broad face. When Arlo had finished and handed the staff to him, the god took it and ran his hands along its length. The Staff of Telling did not move, but it glistened with a simple inner light that stretched the length of weathered wood from butt to tip as the Immortal turned it over in his palms. Arlo had come far from the adventurer slipping from city to city collecting tales and experiences like souvenirs. Now he held something with a bit more punch, something with a weight to it. His own story had merit, not that it hadn't before, but emphasized by the places he had gone and the things he had seen. Gilgarod, the hungry realm of lessons, a telltale warning against ambition, it was another feather in his cap to be plucked and offered at any shadow-soaked tavern table or lonely, rolling deck.

The staff turned on his hands and then vanished, as though it had simply slipped between the air and into a realm beyond. Chuckling, the storyteller god clapped Arlo on the shoulder with enough force to almost send the adventurer stumbling. "Aye, Lad, Well Told." Turning his gaze out to the others the traveler god winked. "You Are All Victors In My Eyes, But Only One May Succeed This Trial. The Patron To Benefit Will Be Informed At The End Of These Things, And Their Champion...Well..." Cassion shrugged, "I Will Leave It To Their Patron To Inform Them Of Their Failure Or Success...As Is Their Pleasure."

Arlo nodded and stepped back, allowing Vivian to clear her throat and begin. Her story was not so powerful, rippling with well chosen words and the flow of narrative mastery Arlo seemed to so easily grasp. Vivian spoke shortly and clearly, laying out the facts and her vulnerabilities with solemn precision. The sword she held danced in the torchlight of Cassion's hall. None of her competitors had seen a sword of its like before. How easily it fit her, how perfect it whispered in the air. When she had finished, Cassion was already nodding. "Favored By Brunvalle, ForgeMaster Of Gilgarod. He Has Seen Smiths Of Countless Kingdoms Hammer Their Ambitions Into Steel And Stone. For Him To Recognize You? Ah, I Hunger For The Taste Of The Tales You Will Write With That Steel."

He beckoned to her and Vivian stepped around the table hesitantly, already lifting the sword to present for inspection. But Cassion did not take the sword, instead grabbing her forearm and pulling her close. He brushed where the key had melted into her arm and although Vivian instinctively drew back, the god was much more powerful than her mortal muscles could strive against. "SteelBlooded." Cassion told her grimly, "Another Blessing From the ForgeMaster, I Think. Ambitious To Believe He Could Forge A Living Art." One long index finger tapped the burn on her wrist. "Yours Is Not A House That Is Made Through Marriage, But Through Promise And Sacrifice." His other hand held a knife that none had seen him draw before. Placing it against the mark he pressed in slightly, enough to nick the skin. The blood that pooled there was red and dark, but glistened with a metallic gleam. "Those Who Share Their Blood Will Share Your House. But You May Only Adopt These Wayward Kin Into A Family Worth The Price Of Battle. For Each True Enemy Of Your House That You Best, No Mere Cur Or Brigand, But True Foe, One More Kin May Be Named To Shiryu. Take Your Prologue And Create For Me An Epilogue Worthy Of It." Pushing her arm back, Cassion released her and Vivian stumbled back. Bringing her sword in close she nodded and stepped away, allowing Nauta his chance to speak.

The Aukari stumbled through his story, broken common clumsily vying against words of his unfamiliar tongue. Still, the spy spoke them as well as he could. Much of the context was lost in translation, but Cassion seemed to follow without difficulty. Several times he even leaned in, nodding along as Nauta struggled to express the dangers he had faced in PrisonKeep and how he had managed to escape. When his hands flew together, miming wings, Cassion laughed once, a bark of laughter that was surprised amusement. Finally, as Nauta presented the coin out to him, the god reached out and plucked it from his palm. Up and over the coin went, dancing between knuckles as the storyteller considered it. For a small while he did not speak, enough time to prompt Tio to clear his throat but it was silenced with a palm out signal from Cassion.

Finally, he spoke.

"Emberling. Your People Were Called Emberlings Once, The Vain Shadow Of Sparks From Faldrun's Own Ruinous Pride. Aukari. You Chose The Name For Yourselves...A Surprising Step For Supposed Sycophants Of Your Forefather." Nauta could feel his grandfather roil within him, stung by the words but too cunning to make it known. A shade of discomfort easily swallowed on Nauta's calculating face. "You Are More Than Faldrun Made You To Be. You Know This, You Champion This, And Perhaps You Will Live to See Its End If You Learn The Value Of Companionship." Cassion held up the coin and flipped it, the trinket vanishing the same way as the staff. "I Accept Your Story And Your Offering. I Have Seen You, Nauta. I Do Not Often Lose What My Eyes Have Seen. Show Me, With This New Knowledge, What You Will Do To Change Our World In This Time Of Prophecy." He takes a breath, draws the blade of the knife in his other hand across his stubble and grins. "A Word Of Prophecy For You, Courtesy Of My Kin. When Flames Burn Cold And Greatest Traitor Becomes Savior, Even The Sun May Be Blinded For A Crucial Moment."

He repeated it again in Nauta's native tongue carefully watching the spy ingest and consider the words. Finally, Tio spoke, clutching the box as though it were a precious metal. His story was like Arlo's, starting at a beginning none could see and that stretched beyond the scope of their challenge, their task. Cassion listened raptly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Vivian watched suspiciously, her eyes on the way Tio moved, how he held himself. She couldn't rectify why his muscles seemed to coil, why his body was poised and his feet slid across the floor looking for the best purchase. If she had been pressed to explain, she might have suggested Tio was preparing to attack...but who in their right minds would attack a god?

The thought had honestly not crossed her mind before, there in the presence of the ForgeMaster it had never seemed prudent to simply attack the thing. Dreams were wove of symbols and metaphor, and any child could tell you that. What danger could there be in a phantasm such as this? Still, something within her quivered as Tio continued his tale and the sword in her hand grew cold, as though in dull warning.

As Tio named the weapon, drawing it from the black, bone-dusted box he had wrested from the tombs of Gilgarod, the torchlight guttered suddenly. Around them, wild silhouettes and half-shapes were flung across the wall and the table. Tio felt the blade, poisonous treason in his hand, press through the chest of Cassion in his chair and slide so far as to embed within the back of the chair behind it. Pain, sudden and agonizing in the dark before the torches caught on some signal and flared bright again, flooding the chamber with light.

Tio reeled away, loosing his grip on the blade and drawing a hand to his face where a long, wicked mouth of red wound had opened. Cassion had leaned forward in the moment of Tio's thrust and slashed the dagger in his hand across the shapeshifter's visage. Had he leaned any farther, the wound may have been fatal, but instead it had simply neatly crossed from his forehead, through his right eye, and on across his cheek. Agony was instant and Tio hissed as illusory blood sprang between his fingers. The Yludih had no blood to spare, of course, but in cruel jest, Aelig's magic made it feel real even to the victim as it wet his hand with warm, pulsing viscera.

"Crafty Mortal," Cassion growled, the knife clattering from his hand as he tried to pull the blade from his own chest, "Wound Me With A Story? Ah, The Balls On You!" No sooner had Cassion's hand settled around the handle of Epilogue did it burst into brilliant shards of colored light and energy. The hand around the blade now was no longer the thick grip of the storyteller god but a smaller, lither hand, delicate and feminine. Cassion blinked, seeming almost surprised as bright scars cracked across his skin from Epilogue and his damaged arm. He turned, once, looking toward a wide-eyed Arlo and shrugging as best he could while nailed to his seat. "Not The End I Had In Mind," the god admitted hoarsely, "But..." And a wide, toothy grin stretched across his shattering face, "Ah The Pluck You Mortals Have!"

And Cassion burst, his image dancing away into splinters of color and many-voiced whispers all proclaiming at once, garbled in unison, then silence.

Left behind, bright silver blood ran grey-glimmer down the woman's chest. She was middle aged, with black hair mottled with strands of white and grey. Seashells bound up and tied, dangling and chiming gently against her weak struggles. She wore the garb of a sailor, loose and marked with the passage of sea-salt and many suns. She was pretty, a rugged sort of beauty that emanated from her sea-blue eyes and across a face scarred with adventures untold and yet somehow still compelling, attractive. She lifted the hand around the blade slowly to her blood-glistening lips and looked at the silver that came away with it. Tears stung the corner of her eyes and her smile was soft and relieved.

"I am." She said, whispering, "I am me. No more the god, no more the traveler. Me. Me. Me." Lifting her face up toward the endless ceiling of the feasting room she called his name. "Cassion." Then again, louder. "Cassion! I am going on ahead now. This is enough, isn't it? Surely this is enough." Weakness drew her head down to lull and her words tumbled out over her lips thickly, "Do not hate me, Cassion, my love. I cannot take you where I am going." Turning her head up, the effort shaking her body, she fixed Arlo with surprisingly clear and tranquil eyes.

"Will you be him next, I wonder? Treasure your road for now, while it is still your own."

And then she fell limp, clear blue eyes staring out into nowhere, into nothing.

Tio's hisses of pain the only sound among the crackling of the flames.

!

Message from: Plague

Alright all, thanks so much for this! I enjoyed the adventure and hope you all equally had a good time. For one of you, Tio, feel free to PM me about the eye. I figured since Yludih are shapeshifters, you could make it appear as undamaged as you'd like...and we have a plot for that eye anyways. If I need to adjust anything, please let me know. I opted not to write in too many actions for this scene save what you've done and I hope you enjoyed the little twist Tio and I planned out for the ending. It was great writing with you all and I hope I get a chance to do so again!

[Pegasus]

2nd Cylus 718

There are moments in life which define you. Those moments will resonate in the narrative of your story for the rest of your life, they will be what you remember when you have forgotten your name and what your dreams whisper to you as Vri's touch forces the final breath from you. For some, very few, but some, there will be moments like that.

And then, there will be Moments Like This.

Undefined. Unable to be defined. The merest blink of an eye which resonated through a hundred lifetimes and changed Everything Yet To Come. Those Moments, they were not of narrative and story, they were far far beyond such mortal terms. And in this place, in this Moment, everything changed.

It was not just the Moment where The Blow was struck, though. No. They watched, the Immortals involved in this and their interests were as many and varied as them. Jesine, who had been the Guide, watched each of them avidly. She was joined by the Immortals who had laid a claim in this Gambit, in Cassion's Game. None of them knew what the Storyteller did, or why he did it, but all of them who watched had decided that they would rather be on the inside looking out, than the outside looking in. Had it been the right choice? Fortune, fate and the bitch of luck might whisper one thing to them, but each agreed that yes. Better to be part of it.

When Arlo spoke, U'frek could not resist the grin which crossed his face. Delroth's sneer was apparent. "How do you expect a Sojourner to do?" Vanity spat and U'frek chuckled. "Against the rules was it? No. Not at all. You're just irritated that you didn't think of it." Delroth tossed his hair slightly, an air of knowing something U'frek didn't clear on his countenance. It unnerved U'frek, in truth. He didn't trust the slippery bastard.

But then, it had been a damn fine story.

Yet they all breathed in at Vivian's sword. It was a thing of beauty, there was no doubt. But it was more than that. It was an item of import and when Cassion declared her Steel Blooded, Ilaren smiled but said nothing. There was no need to gloat, but it was obvious to all concerned that Vivian had more than carried herself well. Ziell, standing quietly and watching, whispered in a voice which resonated with Prophecy. "And so begins the House of Shiryu. Long may She Reign.". No one asked but Jesine glanced at the Winter Lord who smiled and said no more.

Though, his touch could be heard in Cassion's voice in the Adventurer's next words to the Aukari. Faldrun seemed far, far from pleased and yet, he said nothing here. Nothing which would tell of the fury and rage, yet all here knew. They could not see him, for he was not where they were, but still he watched and he knew. As the coin flipped in the air, a low rumble shook and yet, Edasha smiled in pleasure and turned gloating eyes to her brother. The gathered Immortals felt the rumble and Ziell gave a low chuckle. U'frek looked at him and Ziell smiled. "Congratulations," the Lord of Prophecy said, "yours won. You have Cassion's favour."

And then, there was Delroth's chosen.

Tio spake his tale and he took his weapon and plunged it, tearing the heart of the Immortal in twain. Yet, even as he did - and everyone save Cassion and Tio found themselves unable to move - Cassion struck back. Every Immortal who watched gasped in, sucking in breath they did not need to breathe in shock.

Except, of course, for Delroth. His wings lifted and his smile widened.

And Cassion burst, his image dancing away into splinters of color and many-voiced whispers all proclaiming at once, garbled in unison, then silence.

In the place where the Immortals watched, there was silence. Any of them inclined to violence would find themselves unable to move as an aura of Peace itself, courtesy the Immortal of it, washed over them. No violence here, for there would be Ripples, and deaths would be more difficult. The woman spoke, and Arlo found himself able to answer her, to speak to her. To interact with her. The biqaj woman who had once been but a humble follower of the Immortal and who had become So Much More spilled silver blood and clear tears in that place between the worlds.

And in that Moment?

In That Moment, Everything Changed.

Ripples floated out to the waking world and, while they settled the mortals here would not remember. Not know what had happened. And then, on the 1st Ymiden 718, on the Dawn of the season named after the Immortal of Rebirth, they all knew. What they had done, gained and lost. Who they were and what they had seen.

In a very real sense, on the 1st Ymiden 718, it began.

!

Message from: Pegasus

Oh. Em. Gee. You guys ROCK and you did it. Well done! You have the opportunity for one more post. It will make no difference to who wins or other outcomes like that, but it might have an impact on your rewards / knowledge etc. The results are as follows: The winner as decided by Plague is Arlo. Consequence in the review (follow up thread available) Tio has killed one of Cassion's Eagles. This will have a Major Consequence for Tio in the review. (follow up thread already arranged!) Nauta has made a very significant decision, and has a place in Prophecy. "When Flames Burn Cold And Greatest Traitor Becomes Savior, Even The Sun May Be Blinded For A Crucial Moment" (follow up thread available) Vivian has become SteelBlood and this will be the start of a new House / Bloodline (follow up thread available) Whether you post or not, I will post the review on or before Thursday 31st May, 2018. I'm going to do this because you need to have that review in order to be able to start the new season with the memories etc. If you want to - please pm the knowledges you wish for this threads. They should be in line with the number of posts you have made as per the "request your own" rules. If, however, you are happy for me to review the thread on your behalf, you might get more knowledge, but they won't necessarily be the ones you wanted. This is a seven page thread - I'm doing one or the other. If you want specific knowledge, pm me, they're what you're getting. If you don't mind, I'll review it with what I see and if I miss something, tis what tis. Thanks Thank you to Plague for his portrayal of Cassion and a repeated thanks to Whisper, Maltruism and Muse for the other Immortals.

[Arlo Creede]

One of these trial Arlo would be better prepared for that slap to the back or shoulder and it wouldn't send him back on his heels or forward onto his toes as a result. On the other hand, maybe he'd choose to play at being caught unaware. Cassion seemed to enjoy the response as much as he did anything else. Nonetheless, he dipped his head and smiled in response to the Immortal's appreciation for his tale, and sat back to hear as the others stepped up. No matter the content or style, t was Arlo's nature. Who he was. In his opinion most any story told was better than no story at all. He appreciated them all to one extent or another.

When Tio began his tale, at first Arlo thought nothing of it. But as the other man went on, a deep and curious frown settled into his features. There was something there. Something bothersome and later he'd curse himself for not realizing it till it was too late. If even he could have. But if he had, he'd have attempted to intervene, even if it put him in the direct path of the blade instead of Cassion. He'd have made the sacrifice without a thought. And at the middle or the end he still would have leaped forward, except by then he couldn't. He could only watch the scene play out with horror and something akin to rage.

Cassion was quick and dealt a debilitating blow but it hadn't been quick enough and still he could only watch, fixed in place by something or other. He couldn't even speak or ask why, though why didn't really matter. He was confounded by the transformation, the silver blood, the woman pinned to her chair and looking back at him. Arlo was marked by Cassion himself, and yet the nature of it was only revealed as it happened. As for what the future held, the whys, the hows, he only knew what he knew when he knew it. She was Cassion and yet she wasn't. And would he be him next? That too confounded him, and yet intuitively he thought he understood.

It was just as well he was fixed in place. Unable to speak or act. Mostly act. Tio had been wounded in such a way that he was as vulnerable as he might ever be in that instant. The transformation he'd just witnessed was one thing, but the intent of the other man remained the same. And that was the part that mattered. The inability to do anything more than watch, no matter who was responsible, was probably in keeping with a want for the lack of violence or killing in this place...even if the other party deserved it in spades.

Wasn't it even Cassion's own wish? He'd told Arlo that once before after all. Arlo respected that, and in general he wasn't the violent sort. On the other hand, at the end of the trial he was human, and he vowed it would never be forgotten or laid to rest. Ironically it would be forgotten shortly. Completely. Only to be remembered much later. Which, at the end of the trial was just as well. Once regained, Arlo's memory was long and there were some things that just wouldn't stand. And in a sense, maybe it was for the best. It went along with his generally non-violent nature. He wasn't the type to run a man through when he wasn't looking. It just wasn't sporting. And besides, for this? When the time came, whatever it turned out to be, he'd rather the man saw it coming and remember why.

[Tio Silver]

A flash of immense pain flared across his face, and for a moment Tio, so focused as it was on dealing the death blow to Cassion, failed to register what exactly had happened. For less than a trill pure light spilled forth from the wound as his unconscious mind failed to kick his natural illusion into action. Then all at once reality came crashing back down upon him, and Tio streamed in pain and fell backwards to the floor, clutching at his now missing eye as false blood was instantly conjured into reality around it. His eye! He couldn't see anything out of his right eye! It had been carved out, replaced with a burning agony more painful than any wound he'd ever felt before! If he rushed to a doctor would they be able to fix it, or would he never be able to see out of it again?! Tio had felt dread before, but the sheer density of the black despair that clung to his heart now was of a completely different nature. He'd had possessions broken or feeling hurt before, but to have a part of his body taken away from him! It was a whole new kind of terror altogether!

With his one good eye he looked up, prepared to glare daggers at Cassion, but froze in shock at the sight before him. From where Epilogue touched him cracks formed across Cassion's body, splintering away to reveal the form of a woman beneath it. Strangely enough with his last few moments Cassion grinned, looking strangely accepting of the outcome, and then burst into a brilliant array of vibrant colours and voices that seemed to echo out like a shockwave. And sitting in Cassion's place...

Had Tio any blood, it surely would have turned cold at the sight that lay before him. A biqaj woman sat there, eyes glistening with unshed tears as she stared at the silver blood on her hand; blood that'd come from the wound where Epilogue... no, where he had stabbed her! No, this couldn't be right! This wasn't what he had wanted! Cassion had been the target! Cassion was the one Avacer had said needed to die in order for him to be free! So why... why was this unknown, innocent woman sitting in his place?! Why had the blade meant to end the road god's life taken her's instead?!

Why had he taken an innocent person's life?!

"I... I..." I'm sorry, he tried to say to her, but in the shock his throat wouldn't obey him. All he could manage to do was croak out the beginning too quietly for anyone else to hear and stare in horror. He watched numbly as she spoke, softly calling out to Cassion in the tone of a lover, and then looking at Arlo and using her last breath to whisper to him a final warning before the light in her eyes faded into nothing.

He had killer her.

He was a murderer.

A Murderer.

Death was no stranger to Tio. He'd seen it a number of times now, played around with it using his spark, and even held a woman in his arms as she died once. But never had he been the cause of it before. He couldn't stand, couldn't stop his hands from shaking, couldn't do anything but mutely lie there and watch as the sight of silver blood pooling up around the floor burnt itself into his memory forevermore. Why had it turned out like this? This wasn't what he wanted... so why?

It was then that the meaning of her parting words to Arlo truly sank in.

She hadn't just appeared out of thin air, she'd been Cassion all along! He'd been possessing her, wearing a living person like some cheap two-piece suit for god knows how many arcs! That was how they lived forever! That was the great secret behind the Immortal's eternal life! Their marks were tools used to prepare people to be their vessels, and when it became convenient for them to take mortal form they just hopped right into their follower's flesh and took control, leaving the real owner a prisoner in their own mind?! That was... monstrous!

The mark of Syroa on his back heated up in response to the anger setting alight inside him, painting the blue of his eyes with a intense amber light, and for the first time Tio felt fear towards the normally euphoric power. Could the same thing happen to him? Could Syroa just waltz into his body and take over whenever she felt like it?! By the spirits his mother was one of her most devoted followers, could it happen to her?! He had to get this mark off! He had to let people know what the beings they looked to for protection were really like!

He had to fight the Immortals!

Emea seemed to be collapsing, the dream and this whole contest having finally reached its dark ending, and with it Tio found his consciousness slipping away as he began to wake up. He did not know it, but he would not truly wake up from this dream until the stroke of midnight on the first day of Ymiden. All the things he'd gain, lost and learned, the shame of taking a life and a newfound hatred towards the Immortals, would all return to him in a flash at the same moment his eye was suddenly carved out of reality. But when he woke up Tio would be a very different man.

And he'd have work to do.

[/align]

[Vivian Shiryu]

Vivian approached Cassion at his gesture, listened as he explained the nature of the Forgemaster's gift, grimacing as he pricked her arm to draw blood. But the name, Brunvalle, she committed it to memory. She owed the Forgemaster for his gift and she would have to use it, both of them, well in the future. She nodded at Cassion's direction to craft an epilogue to match her prologue and smiled confidently, the expression coming as naturally it had in her younger days, something that hadn't happened as Zvezdana had died. "I intend to, but I have to make the main part of the story before I can make the ending, and that should be as good as the rest." she said, her tone matching her newfound confidence.

She sat down and listened to the hothead and the charmer tell their tales, but her attention gradually focused more and more on the charmer. Something was wrong, his behavior was off. She recognized the way he tensed, the way his feet looked for purchase, he looked as though he was preparing to attack. Surely he wouldn't be that foolish though, would he? But he was, and has Epilogue came from it's chest, Vivian drew her blade and made to rush the other contestant. But she found she couldn't move, couldn't even finish drawing the sword she had crafted, held still by some outside force to watch Cassion die, leaving behind a...Mortal in his wake.

Vivian could not pretend to understand what had happened there. Had Cassion changed places, did the Immortals need bodies to anchor themselves to in the Mortal world, had they even been talking to the real Cassion? It was a mess and a blur and before she could react or ask questions, she felt herself falling, as if the world had crumbled away beneath them with Cassion's passing.

And when she woke up, she had only spotty memories, bits and pieces of the competition, past entering Gilgarod she could remember nothing. Yet she found her desire to forge Shiryu into a great house reforged, her joy in life restored, and her resolve to become a great knight rekindled. She assumed she had Ilaren to thank for it and redoubled her efforts to serve new liege. Then, come Ymiden, her memories were restored and she remembered the charmer, remembered the man who had slain Cassion, remembered the threat he posed to Ilaren. For if he would kill one Immortal, who was she to say he would not attempt to kill others. There was a threat to her liege, and she would not fail again.

[Nauta F'mos Geey]

Truly the best for last. If Vivian had a sword, Tio had the sword! She may have had that impressive name with his history to back up her blade and well... shiny blood may be a new one but it was no Epilogue which was being offered to Cassion. If a person was going to bring up a weapon, obviously the aukari had to pay attention to the point he did not even realize he had started to help himself to Cassion's feast during the narration. Funny that it had the same name as something mentioned in the immortal's commentary of Shiryu but at the time, Nauta did not care too much to think of the similarities.

The aukari would have to admit, Tio's offering by far was the most impressive- and he had to say that as someone competing against the man. The origins of Epilogue sounded even more interesting than this time of prophecy as the latter sounded more worrisome to the aukari as he heard it. Too bad it turned out Tio and the other participants were not even playing the same game as it became evident there were two different goals. Save the best for last was probably right. As much as Nauta disliked the powers, even he had not considered stabbing one of them. This was becoming a dangerous sort of trend he felt.

But at the time of the strike, Nauta just thought it was another performance to go along with the tale Cassion wanted, like the many performances back in Etzos of the famous Doran. The strike returned by the immortal along with the comment of Tio wounding him told the aukari differently. It became good to watch and his seat was the best place to be, no reason for him to get in the middle of that. Perhaps Teesdat was the same as the man became strangely quiet which Nauta thought was good until he heard the scream. To look at a dying god seemed to be a pretty bad idea though such an incident probably did not come often enough for everyone to realize that.

At first Nauta thought Tio accomplished the deed. That certainly would warrant a commendation. And then, the man became a woman. 'Ooookkkkk...' Nauta thought to himself; maybe Cassion was never a man to begin with. Many stories of the age often did not have a woman in the leading role so changing him- herself just a little bit might be prudent. Orrrr from the dramatic performance which followed, it could be someone else wearing Cassion's skin. Would explain why 'Cassion' could not get into Gilgarod himself. Alright that was dumb. The best explanation was normally the most obvious.

Which Nauta confirmed when for the last time, he loo- listened into the whole spectacle. More accurately to the woman who was no longer Cassion. While she shared the same frequency, like Arlo but only a little bit stronger, it was quite obvious it no longer had the same intensity the vessel once had. Wherever he ended up,

"Cassion had left the building..."

to no longer rock the scene with his dread-full presence.

Not really attached to Cassion either way, Nauta headed over to Tio to spur him into some action but the man seemed to occupied by his musing of the horrid act he committed to notice him. With nothing else to do, Nauta headed to the discarded weapon which was still embedded into the corpse and body. "You might want to treat lady nicely maybe?" he asked instead of leaving the gruesome scene as it. His true goal of course was to see if he could retrieve the god killer but it was stuck fast that any attempt to remove it would have to desecrate the body, which would ruin his excuse in the first place.

Instead he just cleaned up what he could and covered it up so no one would have to be reminded about Tio's bloody murder, keeping what could probably be the only thing of value to him out of the way. So much for Cassion's banquet.

[Pegasus]

The Review

Tio

Points

!	Message from: Pegasus
	XP: 20 (may not be used for magic) Renown: 20

Rewards, Injuries and Losses

► Show Spoiler

He came from the South:	In your belongings you find a small silver coin with an intricately carved S on it.
Ilaren's Cup:	A cup. carved from bone, as if a great boar had been defeated, and this was a trophy for the magnificent, fearless hunter who defeated the animal.Even in the waking, this is no ordinary vessel. When filled with alcohol during a celebration, the cup will not remain empty. So long as it is being emptied through being imbibed, it will always refill. Only works for Tio, only on non-magical, non-alchemical drinks.
He chose.... poorly:	This consequence was negated by one of Delroth's charms.
I made her smile, Ma!:	A bonus of + 3 knowledge to either acting or etiquette
Delroth's Charms:	The remaining charms on the necklace will each provide you with one minor healing - similar to the Favored Sevrath ability. This is a one time deal and will work with minor wounds only.
Good questions 2:	A bonus +2 XP to either your interrogation or investigation skill.
The Book of My Life:	Dreamers up and down Idalos remember seeing snippets of your exploits throughout this series of threads. Many are inspired to write tales of these dreams. +5 renown
Luminescent Tear:	Your luminescent tear reverberates with the echoes of the Leviathan. It allows Tio momentarily to upgrade his skill in strength two competency levels for a single break. It will not grant him capstones, or take him to grandmastery and is a one-use power only.
Edasha's Gift ~ a small grey stone, weathered and smooth, with a small circle cut on the inside.:	This too maintains a taste of Edasha's touch upon it in the waking world. Once only, Tio is granted the ability to see through the eyes of another person. This ability can be activated if he has secured uninterrupted eye contact with the individual for at least five trills, and is holding the Edasha-granted item - the ability may be used any time within that same trial. Using this ability incapacitates Tio as he moves into a trance-like state where he is unable to see his surroundings - only what his target is seeing. This makes using the ability when in the presence of others somewhat risky. The target does not lose their own sight when the ability is activated. This lasts for one break and my be used once only before the item loses power.
Gold and Seeds	From Delroth's challenge. Some bird seed and tiny bits of gold. Value at about 10gn, nothing remarkable

Thanks to your actions in this thread, Syroa is pleased with you, and awards you the following:

Thespian

While some other gods would demand their followers master their emotions, Syroa favors a more elusive approach to the solution of the human heart.With this blessing, the bearer is able to adopt and discard feelings and emotions as he or she sees fit, turning the human heart from a liability into one of its greatest, most controlled assets. This ability is even somewhat effective against Empathy, although experts and masters can overtax a Sesser just as fast as they discard. At the end of the trial, however, the bearer has to feel again; everything 'real' comes rushing back in their sleep as a jumbled mess. Syroa's chosen don't have nightmares; they simply face the ugly reality of their mindscape in their dreams.

Wrathling Forge

The spirits of rage live where there is spilt blood and broken bones. The marked call them Wrathlings, small orange-red miasmas with gibbering mouths and formless spines. Alone, these spirits are but the scavengers of fury, wafting through battlefields and taverns, in abusive homes and alleyways. However, Syroa's marked have learned how to make use of these creatures for their own gain. When a Sesser motivates violence from fury, either self perpetuated or as the result of their manipulations, they attract these relatively common spirits. While most cannot perceive Wrathlings, a Sesser can uniquely mark their shape. When found, a single Wrathling can be taken and bound to a weapon in the Sesser's possession. This weapon will hit with more force, pierce deeper, and slash wider than any other ordinary weapon of its class. Weapons with bound Wrathlings tend to manifest unique reddish stains and wear out much faster than ordinary. Fury gives no regard for the damage done to it, caution abandoned for raw, furious power. A Wrathling can never be taken from a weapon. When the weapon breaks, and it most often will wear itself out within the first few bouts it is used, the Wrathling dissipates with the shattering. For whatever reason, magical items cannot have Wrathlings bound to them.

On the 1st Ymiden, when Tio awakes, it is to discover that Delroth, too, is pleased with his not-so-humble servant. Tio has been granted Tarouz and gets the first three abilities

Feathered Friend	Immediately granted when blessed by Delroth, Feathered Friend takes the form of a bird companion that is tied mentally and emotionally to the Tarouz. At this level, the bird may be of any species of a Medium size, which is roughly 9-16 inches tall. The bird need not eat or sleep, but will often to mimic other birds to avoid suspicion.At this level, the Tarouz can communicate with the bird familiar through flashes of mental and emotional signals, which each interprets flawlessly. The bird can be used to scout, to offer a distraction in combat, or at this level, is mostly used for companionship.
Wings of Steel	By using this ability, the Tarouz can grow organic steel feathers all along his or her arms, allowing them both a weapon and armor at a moment's notice. The feathers are as durable as steel, and offer resistance to piercing and bludgeoning damage. They are also razor sharp, though at this level, they must be wielded as melee weapons, as they can't be thrown from the Tarouz. The biggest drawback is that the feathers each weigh a moderate amount, slowing the Tarouz considerably unless well practiced with the ability.
The Charismatics Toolbox	The Tarouz may add 3 skill points to any of the following skills: Appraisal, Cosmetology, Falconry, Flying, Persuasion or Seduction. These points may be used to surpass the 100 skill points of the skill chosen.

However.....
Cassion, perhaps, takes your actions differently and Tio has gained the "Despised" (Level 2) level of the Curse of Sojourn Scarred: Cassion has marked you with his blade and stolen the sight from your eye. Although you can hide this scar on your eye as a Yludih, it will always manifest in any form you hold. A notable scar somewhere visible on your form, as if mocking you. And although it may at first seem that you have lost all sight in your eye, that is not the case. Tio can ONLY see those who have a strong current of ‘narrative’ around them. His eye will see them as ghosts in the pitch darkness, swaddled with colors and patterns he does not innately know or can recognize. He can begin to recognize that sharp, jagged patterns in oranges and reds often denote a violent story, or a strong inclination to be violent in story, and I invite you to make other interpretations of themes as you use this eye. Not everyone is blessed by story, or living in accordance with narrative. All PC’s (By virtue of being PC’s) are and many important NPC’s, but most ‘normal’ people would just be part of the blackness to Tio. LifePact: You have sworn an oath. Half your life to the man you brought from the Sepulcher. He is bound to you inextricably and when you dream, you will see him. Always, in your dreams, he will be manifested in some way. Always he will be out of reach and always he will be slumped on a golden throne. HOW that manifests (Inside a snowglobe, on a distant hill, under the sea, in the eye of a dragon) is up to you, only that he will ALWAYS be present in your dreams going forward, and you will never be close enough to reach him. To free him, we will have to have another modded quest at some point. No one else is able to see him if they wander into your dreams UNLESS you point him out. If so, communicate that they to will begin to see him in all their dreams distantly. This will be a point in the plot later on. Loss: Please deduct 1 onyx nel from your ledger

Knowledge

Player chose to have mod decide knowledge.

► Show Spoiler

Acrobatics: No matter how good you are, the cats are better
Acting: Pretending to be hurt by something someone says
Acting: Pretending you know someone
Blades: A killing blow
Brewing: The taste of Ilaren’s wine
Cooking: The sweet taste of Edasha’s fair
Discipline: Acting when you are speechless
Discipline: Continuing on when you are in a place of doubt.
Discipline: Not allowing yourself to give in to a real downer
Discipline: Noticing things about people who are very distracting
Discipline: Speaking what you need, not what you want
Endurance: “It will kill you” extremes of cold weather.
Endurance: Being pelted by balls of hailstone
Endurance: Long walks through Emea
Endurance: Pain like no other
Endurance: Phenomenal Cosmic Power!! Wheeeeee!
Endurance: Shocks from a Leviathan
Endurance: Standing against a whirlwind
Endurance: The blow from Cassion which took your eye.
Etiquette: Introduce yourself to Immortals
Etiquette: Some things are just beyond any rules of etiquette.
Intelligence: Someone can interfere without being present
Intelligence: Understanding the nature of teamwork is important.
Interrogation: Rapid fire questions.
Investigation: Coming to a conclusion in a "whodunnit"
Investigation: Consider each of your competitors
Investigation: Know your own strengths, and weaknesses
Investigation: Noting differences in triplets
Investigation: Work out the flaws in an argument
Leadership: Being a glory hound is not being a leader
Leadership: Being a loner is not being a leader
Leadership: Being a team player is being a leader
Resistance: To drink from the cup of the Immortals
Seduction: Flirting with a Mortalborn
Seduction: Flirting with an Immortal
Stealth: Whispering so no one else hears
Storytelling: Telling my story to Jesine.
Storytelling: The initial story to Cassion
Storytelling: Where this story begins for you
Strength: Holding on tight!
Strength: The feeling of enormous strength
Swimming: Through difficult waters
Tactics: Consider the importance of every question, every step
Tactics: It’s important to know the rules
Tactics: It’s not a better idea just because it’s yours.
Tactics: Recognising the difference between a really good plan and a rubbish one. Cassion: The final, and true, test
Cassion’s Gambit: A game among the Immortals
Cassion’s Gambit: You were seeking a key
Daia: Her tale
Delroth: His Domains are Birds, Wind, Vanity and Greed
Delroth: Sponsored Tio in Cassion’s Gambit
Delroth: The second of four
Edasha: Her Domains are Sight, Adultery, Beauty and Jealousy
Edasha: Sponsored Nauta in Cassion’s Gambit
Edasha: The fourth of four
Emea: Gilgarod: Where dreams of kings go
Emea: Jesine’s Real
Emea: The Realm of Dreams
Epilogue: The Sword Which Killed Cassion
Ilaren: Her Domains are Alcohol, Lightning, Brawling and Sound
Ilaren: Sponsored Vivian in Cassion’s Gambit
Ilaren: The first of four
Jesine: Can appear to be a crow
Jesine: Dreams of rest
Jesine: Your Guide
Jesine: Kissed you
Location: The Meeting Place
U’frek: His domains are Navigation, Water and Auroras
U’frek: Sponsored Arlo in Cassion’s Gambit
U’frek: The third of four
U’frek: Won Cassion’s Gambit

Arlo

Points

!	Message from: Pegasus
	XP: 20 Renown: 20

Rewards, Injuries and Losses

► Show Spoiler

He came from the West:	In your belongings you find a small silver coin with an intricately carved W on it.
Silver From The West:	You have a small silver necklace with a beautifully carved silver pendant, as described by Arlo. It's exquisite.
Ilaren's Cup:	A plain pewter mug, similar to any other common mug found in the average tavern all over Idalos. No doubt all had sipped from these vessels before. Even in the waking, this is no ordinary vessel. When used, although it saves one from inebriation, it imparts an even stronger thirst for the alcohol imbibed. Used without moderation, it can easily addict the user to the very drink they sought to save themselves from. This only works with Arlo and only with non-magical / non-alchemical alcohol.
Delroth's Charms:	The remaining charms on the necklace provide Arlo with a one-time boost to either running or flight. When used, if his skill is novice, it moves to competent, competent to expert etc. It will last for one break and then his skill returns to normal.
He asked good questions:	A bonus +3 XP to either your interrogation or investigation skill.
Respect is necessary:	A bonus of + 3 knowledge to either etiquette or leadership
Good questions 2:	A bonus +2 XP to either your interrogation or investigation skill.
The Book of My Life:	Dreamers up and down Idalos remember seeing snippets of your exploits throughout this series of threads. Many are inspired to write tales of these dreams. They also dream of the specifics of what you expanded on +10 renown
Luminescent Tear:	Your luminescent tear reverberates with the echoes of the Leviathan. Your Luminescent Tear allows you to travel instantaneously to any place Arlo has been before within the city he is located in. He may take at least one passenger if they are held, after which the item no longer functions. This ‘anywhere in the city’ can be used in any city or any structure.
Edasha's Gift ~ a metal-wrought, jewel-encrusted amaryllis, symbolising worth beyond beauty:	This too maintains a taste of Edasha's touch upon it in the waking world. Once only, Arlo is granted the ability to see through the eyes of another person. This ability can be activated if he has secured uninterrupted eye contact with the individual for at least five trills, and is holding the Edasha-granted item - the ability may be used any time within that same trial. Using this ability incapacitates Arlo as he moves into a trance-like state where he is unable to see his surroundings - only what his target is seeing. This makes using the ability when in the presence of others somewhat risky. The target does not lose their own sight when the ability is activated. This lasts for one break and my be used once only before the item loses power.
Gold and Seeds	From Delroth's challenge. Some bird seed and tiny bits of gold. Value at about 10gn, nothing remarkable

As the winner of the Game, Cassion is pleased with Arlo's journey here and tale at the end. Arlo is awarded:

Feast

A universal tongue is one of hunger. All living beings consume to survive and most take great gusto in consuming the delicious. Cassion, a god of Hunger, knows well this link between all and imparts an ability on his chosen to encourage that link, grow it, and exploit it. When a Sojourner prepares a feast (5 or more participants), they can choose to impart this ability. While enough food must be prepared, realistically, for everyone to eat to their fill, the meal will be remarkably delicious. Regardless of the cook’s skill, the food speaks for itself. Much like the previous ability involving meals, the user of this power must describe the food’s origin or their preparation of it, allowing the story to take shape and augment what they have prepared. While dining, any who partake in the feast will be unable to directly lie to the Sojourner. While they can avoid answering questions, they are compelled to remain honest unless a power is used at a higher tier of mark. Moreso, all who eat at the Sojourner’s table will instantly feel that the host is one who can be trusted, that all at the table can be trusted, and be drawn to speak their deepest and most forbidden secrets. While this does not force them to, they do feel compelled to be honest, open, and vulnerable in front of everyone at the table. The Cassion Feast imparts a desire for comradeship, closeness, friendship, and understanding. So long as all participants are engaging in the meal, everyone will understand the words of the others as though spoken in their own native tongue. A Cassion Feast can only be prepared twice per cycle.

Flesh Son

The Blood pounding in the Sojourner’s veins grows strength at this level. Once again they change. Any natural infirmity they were born with or damaging imperfection is wiped away in a single evening of agonizing transformation. So long as the Sojourner bares the first mark of Cassion, this infirmity will never return. Their appetites become voracious and they are drawn increasingly more to dangerous circumstances and adventures. A Sojourner’s natural strength and endurance are always half again as good as it should be for those of their skill level and species and they find their skin more resilient to being cut and their bones less prone to breaking. A Sojourner at this state can naturally feel manifestations of ether, like static electricity, and while it may not pinpoint a mage...it may allow them to know a mage is casting in the area. They say that the appetites of a Sojourner are boundless, and many Sojourners become hedonists for a time, lost to the sensation of more. A Sojourner with this ability can eat without end, but will only benefit from a full meal, never more. This can sometimes be a curse as a Sojourner will devour all their supplies a few days into the journey and must scrounge for more along the way.

U'frek, too, is pleased with how Arlo represented him - by winning, Arlo has earned U'frek a favour of some kind from Cassion. This makes U'frek happy. Arlo now has:

Sliding Current (Minor)

The ability allows the user to manipulate a small area of water to move at running pace, the size of a large ship. This ability is particularly useful in calm winds. The ability will work for a full trial. The ability can also be cast on bodies of water of other ships, given they are within 400' (121m), to speed them up, slow them down and if there is little wind, send them backward. This is especially useful during pursuits. This can be used once a trial.

Healing Aurora (Minor)

The user who uses this ability will find a blue aurora streaming out from their body to encompass, either an individual in need of healing. The aurora will surround the individual and slowly heal minor wounds. The same ability can be used to repair small holes in the ships hull. This can be taxing on the user, making them feel drowsy after use.

The Shattering: The death of this White Eagle has lasting effects for Arlo and all other Sojourners globally. For the remainder of this Arc, Arlo will have intensely vivid dreams of the White Eagle that was slain. You are welcome to be open with your interpretation of how these dreams manifest, but they will include certain key details. Ikimi was the name of the woman who died in that chair when Cassion had left her, the fourth most recent Champion of Cassion. She was a pirate, a scourge along the sea, and her flagship The Gull, struck terror into the hearts of merchants throughout the sea. Several times she and her fleet sacked coastal cities, with the audacity to do so to Scalvoris and Rynmere both. She spared the third most recent Champion of Cassion’s life as a child after killing those aboard her ship, and she eventually grew to defeat Ikimi in combat before Ikimi became a White Eagle of Cassion’s. Cassion does not discern between hero or villain, only those who live lives emboldened and emphasized by narrative and story. If this causes some unrest in Arlo, I invite you to play that out. The shattering was like a physical blow to Arlo, but one that is not reflected on his body. His psyche will feel the aftermath for as long as he dreams of Ikimi. You are welcome to interpret how that manifests...I only invite you TO interpret it. A single pale white feather will be left behind when Arlo awakens. He may utilize this as an additional Souvenir as noted in the Cassion abilities that does NOT count against his limit.
Loss: 1 semi-functioning compass

Knowledge

Player chose to have mod decide knowledge.

► Show Spoiler

Acrobatics: Catching coins
Brewing: The taste of Ilaren’s wine
Cooking: The sweet taste of Edasha’s fair
Detection: The nuances of an Immortal
Discipline: Forcing yourself to think clearly
Discipline: Make an offering which is worthwhile to you
Discipline: Speaking what you need, not what you want
Discipline: Try not to get distracted by the glittery things
Discipline: Watching when you really want to act
Endurance: “It will kill you” extremes of cold weather.
Endurance: Being pelted by balls of hailstone
Endurance: Cassion's Greeting
Endurance: Continuing on when exhausted
Endurance: Long walks through Emea
Endurance: Phenomenal Cosmic Power!! Wheeeeee!
Endurance: Shocks from a Leviathan
Etiquette: Introduce yourself to Immortals
Etiquette: Polite means different things to different people
Etiquette: Reverence to your patron
Intelligence: Someone can interfere without being present
Intelligence: Understanding the nature of teamwork is important.
Investigation: Consider the history of an item.
Investigation: People's answers give you clues about their personality
Leadership: Being a glory hound is not being a leader
Leadership: Being a loner is not being a leader
Leadership: Being a team player is being a leader
Leadership: Sometimes, someone has to go first
Logistics: Prepare for all eventualities
Psychology: Seeing what's underneath the finery
Psychology: Understanding what you regret
Resistance: To drink from the cup of the Immortals
Storytelling: My tale is one of mystery
Storytelling: Telling my story to Jesine.
Storytelling: The initial story to Cassion
Storytelling: The Staff of Telling
Storytelling:Emphasis on the dramatic
Strength: Holding on tight!
Swimming: Through difficult waters
Tactics: Consider the importance of every question, every step
Tactics: Exploit strengths, and weaknesses
Tactics: It’s important to know the rules
Tactics: It’s not a better idea just because it’s yours.
Tactics: Recognising the difference between a really good plan and a rubbish one.
Tactics: Tactical choices can have unforeseen consequences
Tactics: Understand your own weaknesses Cassion: The final, and true, test
Cassion’s Gambit: A game among the Immortals
Cassion’s Gambit: You were seeking a key
Delroth: His Domains are Birds, Wind, Vanity and Greed
Delroth: Sponsored Tio in Cassion’s Gambit
Delroth: The second of four
Edasha: Her Domains are Sight, Adultery, Beauty and Jealousy
Edasha: Sponsored Nauta in Cassion’s Gambit
Edasha: The fourth of four
Emea: Gilgarod: Where dreams of kings go
Emea: Jesine’s Real
Emea: The Realm of Dreams
Epilogue: The Sword Which Killed Cassion
Ilaren: Her Domains are Alcohol, Lightning, Brawling and Sound
Ilaren: Sponsored Vivian in Cassion’s Gambit
Ilaren: The first of four
Jesine: Can appear to be a crow
Jesine: Dreams of rest
Jesine: Your Guide
Location: The Meeting Place
U’frek: His domains are Navigation, Water and Auroras
U’frek: Sponsored Arlo in Cassion’s Gambit
U’frek: The third of four
U’frek: Won Cassion’s Gambit

Vivian

Points

!	Message from: Pegasus
	XP: 20 Renown: 20

Rewards, Injuries and Losses

► Show Spoiler

She came from the East:	In your belongings you find a small silver coin with an intricately carved E on it.
Ilaren's Cup:	It could barely be described as more than a block with a hole in the top, and multiple markings from where someone had obviously been trying to hack away at it. It would even seem out off place in the room of a slave, and barely fit for purpose. Even in the waking, this is no ordinary vessel. Whenever Vivian drinks from it, it makes the contents more to her taste. Not overly so, but noticeably. It works well with any drink she doesn't like or which has turned sour. This only works for Vivian, only on non-magical, non-alchemical drinks. When one other than Vivian drinks from this cup, the contents change. If the drinker has ever made claim to or owned a human being as slave or otherwise (If they considered themselves the ‘owner’) the contents will be as the most bitter of brews. Should they have ever freed someone from ‘ownership’ in their past, it will be a delightfully sweet drink. Each act overshadows the other. Should a slave owner have freed their own slaves and taken no other, it would taste sweet whereas if a freer of slaves recently took one of their own, it would be bitter. If a person has done neither, the contents are the same as the contents that were poured in to begin with.
Respect is necessary:	A bonus of + 3 knowledge to either etiquette or leadership
Delroth's Charms:	The charm on the necklace provide Vivian with a one-time boost to either endurance or detection. When used, if her skill is novice, it moves to competent, competent to expert etc. It will last for one break.It will last for one break and then her skill returns to normal.
Good questions 2:	A bonus +2 XP to either your interrogation or investigation skill.
The Book of My Life:	Dreamers up and down Idalos remember seeing snippets of your exploits throughout this series of threads. Many are inspired to write tales of these dreams. +5 renown
Luminescent Tear:	Your luminescent tear reverberates with the echoes of the Leviathan. It allows you to breathe underwater for twice as long for one break, once a trial
Edasha's Gift ~ shard of glass, sharp around the edges, spanning around 10 inches long and no more than three inches at its widest point.:	This too maintains a taste of Edasha's touch upon it in the waking world. Once only, Vivian is granted the ability to see through the eyes of another person. This ability can be activated if she has secured uninterrupted eye contact with the individual for at least five trills, and is holding the Edasha-granted item - the ability may be used any time within that same trial. Using this ability incapacitates Vivian as she moves into a trance-like state where she is unable to see her surroundings - only what her target is seeing. This makes using the ability when in the presence of others somewhat risky. The target does not lose their own sight when the ability is activated. This lasts for one break and my be used once only before the item loses power.
Gold and Seeds	From Delroth's challenge. Some bird seed and tiny bits of gold. Value at about 10gn, nothing remarkable

Ilaren is very pleased with Vivian and how she performed in this thread. Therefore, Vivian is rewarded:

Rolling Thunder	The character is better able to understand the motions of combat and the rhythm of skirmish. Seeming to roll with their enemies blows, the character is able to mitigate some of the damage and redirect the force back at their opponent. A balanced level of alcoholic intoxication is needed to use this ability.
Three Sheets to the Wind (Minor)	The Favored is blessed with an increase to their physical capabilities depending on their stage of intoxication. When the Favored has had little to nothing to drink, their reaction speed is increased greatly, allowing them to react at speeds nearly impossible to keep up with, making it hard for them to be hit - though arrows and bolts still travel too quickly for them to stop. The more the Favored imbibes, the more they trade speed for strength until all reaction speed is lost and replaced with strength, allowing them to hit with greater force. Able to generate enough force to splinter wood and dent metal.
Bottomless Wineskin	Any container the Favored drinks from never empties. This ability only functions if the contents of the container are alcoholic.
Rising Lightning	The Favored is able to direct a bolt of lightning beneath their feet, giving them an added boost to a jump. The Favored is able to use this ability to increase the height of their jump equal to one half the distance of the Manipulation distance. Alcohol intoxication diminishes the power of this ability.

Steel Blood
Vivian is now Steel-blooded, there is metal in her veins. This is a quality only for her and those who share her bloodline, detailed below. As she progresses in this plot, abilities related to this power can be gained with Storyteller approval.

Kinship: By sharing blood willingly with another mortal, (Both parties must agree and be aware that it will induct them into your ‘house’) they will gain the same blooded trait as Vivian and be ‘family’. Each new family member Vivian introduces (Must be either a PC or specialized NPC) will introduce a new shared ability for her ‘House’ and strengthen the sword Shiryu. Kinship can only be achieved when a significant enemy or obstacle for the Shiryu House is overcome (up to storyteller and player discretion). When five have been inducted into the House, Vivian and her family will need to return to Gilgarod to reforge the Shiryu Sword.

Passive ability for Steel-Blooded- Vivian has an innate sense for the emotional weight of a weapon. When touching another weapon, she may ‘intuit’ how it has been used. She will ‘sense’ if it has been used to brutalize for greed’s sake, or used to protect, if it is lovingly sharpened and cared for or simply used without concern.


Shiryu: Shiryu is a sword that can only be properly used by Vivian or those of her bloodline. It is a perfectly balanced longsword in their hands, that weighs remarkably less than it should. In the hands of anyone else, it treats their skill with the blade as an entire tier lower when used. Shiryu cannot and will not cut anyone of her family line. The sword is remarkably durable, but if damaged it will ‘heal’ using the vitality of the weilder afterward, often mirroring its damage on their physical form to be healed before it is whole again. So long as even a single piece of it remains intact, it can heal to its original form.

Currently it is enchanted with Warrick blood. Against those who have Warrick blood, this blade will always hold a dangerously sharp edge and more easily cut through mundane armor. The wounds inflicted by this blade on a Warrick take twice as long to heal and almost always will become infected. With each new Shiryu added to the line, a sacrifice of blood must be made to the sword. The sword, in turn, will ‘hate’ any who carry that blood within their veins. Should someone with that blood be in close proximity, the current wielder of this sword will feel immense rage and hatred coursing through them. Expert or higher discipline can withhold an outburst, but it will become harder the more of that bloodline there are in close proximity.

Should Shiryu be stolen, it will communicate its location and current wielder in dreams to the most recent ‘accepted’ wielder.


Loss: Please deduct 1 onyx nel from your ledger

Knowledge

Player chose for mod to assign knowledge

► Show Spoiler

Brewing: The taste of Ilaren’s wine
Cooking: The sweet taste of Edasha’s fair
Detection: Watching non verbal communication.
Discipline: Do not give in to panic
Discipline: Face your fears, truthfully
Discipline: Maintaining control in a phobia-provoking situation
Discipline: Sheer, bloody minded, pure determination
Discipline: Speaking what you need, not what you want
Endurance: “It will kill you” extremes of cold weather.
Endurance: Being pelted by balls of hailstone
Endurance: Long walks through Emea
Endurance: Phenomenal Cosmic Power!! Wheeeeee!
Endurance: Shocks from a Leviathan
Endurance: Stabbed through the heart
Endurance: Washed up and out of control
Etiquette: Be polite, even to your enemy, when under terms of a truce
Etiquette: Do not show your distaste of a fool.
Etiquette: Introduce yourself to Immortals
Intelligence: Someone can interfere without being present
Intelligence: Understanding the nature of teamwork is important.
Investigation: Consider the most important details
Investigation: Noticing clues to odd behaviour
Investigation: Noting the differences in triplets
Investigation: Pay attention to your surroundings
Leadership: Being a glory hound is not being a leader
Leadership: Being a loner is not being a leader
Leadership: Being a team player is being a leader
Leadership: Sometimes, people won't like you because you are strong.
Leadership: State your point and do not deviate
Leadership: Understand what you give to others
Leadership: Understand what you have been given
Logistics: Prepare for all eventualities
Resistance: To drink from the cup of the Immortals
Smithing: The forging of a sword
Storytelling: Telling my story to Jesine.
Storytelling: The initial story to Cassion
Strength: Holding on tight!
Swimming: Through difficult waters
Tactics: Careful choices lead to wise decisions
Tactics: Consider the importance of every question, every step
Tactics: Consider what you know, and do not know.
Tactics: It’s important to know the rules
Tactics: It’s not a better idea just because it’s yours.
Tactics: Recognising the difference between a really good plan and a rubbish one.
Tactics: Sometimes, you have to have a best guess Cassion: The final, and true, test
Cassion’s Gambit: A game among the Immortals
Cassion’s Gambit: You were seeking a key
Delroth: His Domains are Birds, Wind, Vanity and Greed
Delroth: Sponsored Tio in Cassion’s Gambit
Delroth: The second of four
Edasha: Her Domains are Sight, Adultery, Beauty and Jealousy
Edasha: Sponsored Nauta in Cassion’s Gambit
Edasha: The fourth of four
Emea: Gilgarod: Where dreams of kings go
Emea: Jesine’s Real
Emea: The Realm of Dreams
Epilogue: The Sword Which Killed Cassion
Ilaren: Her Domains are Alcohol, Lightning, Brawling and Sound
Ilaren: Sponsored Vivian in Cassion’s Gambit
Ilaren: The first of four
Jesine: Can appear to be a crow
Jesine: Dreams of rest
Jesine: Your Guide
Location: The Meeting Place
U’frek: His domains are Navigation, Water and Auroras
U’frek: Sponsored Arlo in Cassion’s Gambit
U’frek: The third of four
U’frek: Won Cassion’s Gambit

Nauta

Points

!	Message from: Pegasus
	XP: 20 (these 20 points may be used for Domain Magic: Attunement) Renown: 20

Rewards, Injuries and Losses

► Show Spoiler

He came from the North:	In your belongings you find a small silver coin with an intricately carved N on it.
Lucky Last:	The 2 onyx nel from the offering plate is yours!
He asked good questions:	A bonus +3 XP to either your interrogation or investigation skill.
Respect is necessary:	A bonus of + 3 knowledge to either etiquette or leadership
Good questions 2:	A bonus +2 XP to either your interrogation or investigation skill.
The Book of My Life:	Dreamers up and down Idalos remember seeing snippets of your exploits throughout this series of threads. Many are inspired to write tales of these dreams. +5 renown
Silent Warning:	Nauta experiences uncomfortable dreams for the next season. Not bad, exactly, just the kind of dream he wakes up from feeling unsettled and not quite rested.
Ilaren's Cup:	The seventh was blown glass, transparent and colourless, cut with a fine pattern and composed with such precision that it was evident no mortal’s, even a master artisan, skill could have created it. Even in the waking, this is no ordinary vessel. When Nauta drinks from it, for one break after he increases a skill level in either his detection or stealth skill. This only works with Nauta and can only be used once a trial. By "a skill level" I mean he gains enough of a boost as though he was at the very beginning of the next level of skill - so novice to competent, competent to expert etc. This cup does not elevate a user to supernatural ability and will not confer Grandmastery or greater than Grandmastery. Nauta may make a gift of this object to someone else to allow the effect to them, but will cease to be owner of the cup in doing so.
Delroth's Charms:	The remaining charms on the necklace provide Nauta with a one-time boost to either discipline or resistance. When used, if his skill is novice, it moves to competent, competent to expert etc. It will last for one break and then his skill returns to normal.
Luminescent Tear:	Your luminescent tear reverberates with the echoes of the Leviathan. A charm that allows him to cast a one-time illusion on any object or being in his line of sight, magnifying them to a giant’s size. The illusion will be convincing, but only an illusion and last for up to one break. This is a one use only power and then the item is simply a crystal tear.
Edasha's Gift ~ a gold-plated necklace with a simple jewel pendant at the bottom:	This too maintains a taste of Edasha's touch upon it in the waking world. Once only, Nauta is granted the ability to see through the eyes of another person. This ability can be activated if he has secured uninterrupted eye contact with the individual for at least five trills, and is holding the Edasha-granted item - the ability may be used any time within that same trial. Using this ability incapacitates Nauta as he moves into a trance-like state where he is unable to see his surroundings - only what his target is seeing. This makes using the ability when in the presence of others somewhat risky. The target does not lose their own sight when the ability is activated. This lasts for one break and my be used once only before the item loses power.
Gold and Seeds	From Delroth's challenge. Some bird seed and tiny bits of gold. Value at about 10gn, nothing remarkable
Sand	From U'frek's challenge, you get a small jar of sand. There's nothing special about it, but it's a memento.
Blood	From the final scene, you have some blood. However, it is mortal, biqaj blood and has no unusual or alchemical properties.

Nauta has been initiated into the Domain Magic of Attunement
For his part in this Global, Edasha is pleased with Nauta and has given him her blessing:

Pygmalion	A physical representation of Edasha’s blessing, the Pygmalion is a golden statuette of the Elindria’s likeness, fashioned to an otherworldly degree. This statuette is immensely important to the Elindria, and just being in its very presence inspires envy in others, even if they don’t know why. Often, this is the target of many heists and elaborate schemes, because those who are in possession of the Pygmalion are immune to the Elindria's abilities for the length of their possession of the statuette. However, while the Elindria is in possession of the Pygmalion and are in the same city, they are conferred a significant bonus to their resistance to Empathy magic and abilities that affect their emotions, especially when it comes to trying to manipulate their jealousy or physical attraction. This level is equal to Competent and below at Favored, Expert and below at Adored, Master at Exalted and Revealed at Champion. Also, by laying hands on the statuette once per trial, the Elindria is granted perfect hygiene for the entire trial.
Divine Opulence (Minor)	The ability to permanently beautify the Elindria’s possessions, allowing Edasha’s Blessed to truly live a life filled with beauty, regardless of their income. Use of this ability improves the aesthetics of any item that the Elindria owns - clothing, furniture, pots and pans, etc. The only exception at this stage is buildings. Living beings (ie. animals, plants, and mortals) are not affected by this ability. In order to channel this ability, the Elindria must have the object within his or her line of sight and focus on it. While the object that is affected is selected by the Elindria, the outcome of the aesthetic change is dependent on the Elindria’s individual personality, as well as their mood when using the ability. He or she is unable to predict what will occur from the change, though the changes will always be aesthetically pleasing to the Elindria’s eyes. When changed, the object will always keep its original function (ie. a vase will only ever turn into a more beautiful vase). For example, a simple, homespun dress may be turned into a flowing silk ball gown with a delicate strap made of fabric flowers and a straw mattress may be turned into a soft bed filled with high-quality goose feathers. The ability may be used once per trial. It is important to note that the item memorizes its owner and will always revert back to its original aesthetic once it leaves the Elindria's ownership through sale, gift, theft, or other means.
The Beautician's Skills I	The Favored of Edasha may add three extra skill points to any one of the following skills: Appraisal, Cosmetology, Disguise, Seduction or Design. The points added may allow the Favored to exceed the 100 point skill point cap.

Stone Blade: Nauta will awaken with the blade in hand. For all intents and purposes, it appears to be a blade of porous, black stone that defies classification. Any wound inflicted by this blade heals almost immediately and no lasting damage can be given by this blade. Treesdat: Your Grandfather, inside of you. Eventually he will emerge and go to do his own goals, but for a small time you may self-mod this NPC IN A TEACHING CAPACITY ONLY for use of training your Attunement. He will be reticent and unwilling to give you many more details of his mission or his findings and further plot with Treesdat will need to be moderated outside the conditions he has been set with.

Knowledge

Player opted to choose their own knowledge

► Show Spoiler

Chemistry: Glass containers allow detection of contamination
Cooking: "Rharne's best wine"
Etiquette: Always greet the host
Discipline: “Dignity’s overrated.”
Leadership: No one wants a better plan
Flying: Push with the air
Endurance: Timely rest helps a long campaign
Endurance: Smothered in a wall
Flying: Winding up the narrow space
Detection: Echoes of presence in the walls
Endurance: Cutting yourself open
Attunement: The Sound of Initiation
Attunement: Perceiving Frequencies
Attunement: A Kind of Telepathy
Cooking: The Immortal of Hunger's spread
Attunement: The link between an Immortal and his marked
Attunement: The link between an Immortal and his domain
Attunement: Impossible to hide even from an immortal
Attunement: An immortal is the most 'real' representation of its domains.
Attunement: The difference in frequencies between two distinct entities which shared the same vessel Cassion: The final, and true, test
Cassion’s Gambit: A game among the Immortals
Cassion’s Gambit: You were seeking a key
Delroth: His Domains are Birds, Wind, Vanity and Greed
Delroth: Sponsored Tio in Cassion’s Gambit
Delroth: The second of four
Edasha: Her Domains are Sight, Adultery, Beauty and Jealousy
Edasha: Sponsored Nauta in Cassion’s Gambit
Edasha: The fourth of four
Emea: Gilgarod: Where dreams of kings go
Emea: Jesine’s Real
Emea: The Realm of Dreams
Epilogue: The Sword Which Killed Cassion
Ilaren: Her Domains are Alcohol, Lightning, Brawling and Sound
Ilaren: Sponsored Vivian in Cassion’s Gambit
Ilaren: The first of four
Jesine: Can appear to be a crow
Jesine: Dreams of rest
Jesine: Your Guide
Location: The Meeting Place
U’frek: His domains are Navigation, Water and Auroras
U’frek: Sponsored Arlo in Cassion’s Gambit
U’frek: The third of four
U’frek: Won Cassion’s Gambit