The Gods' Game

[airborne92]

What did Hymeana mean when she said "Welcome back, Kellan. I see Migni has guided you back to our homestead." Were we really from this world? I got up to pay the barkeep for the food and wondered about what Hymeana had to tell us. As I turned around from the bar I noticed that the cloaked figure was still lurking in the shadows. What was that person up to.

 

[ARaynes]

Andrea followed Zack and the other's to Hymeana's room. "Are you sure this safe?" She asked Zack.

On the way up there a dwarf put his hand on her, grabbing her. "Whas a doll like you doing in a place like this?" He said sitting Andrea down on his lap.

Instantly a dagger came to his throat. "It wouldn't be a good idea to keep me here to long."

After voicing this, three lonswords came out of their sheathes and pointed at various positions around her head. "An' why is that doll?"

"Uh, because of the fact that the necromancer and the rest of those fellows are with me."

 

[BadForm]

Hymeana

Hymeana paused halfway up the stairs and turned to look at the people threatening Ishkama. She made a simple pass through the air with her hand and muttered a three-word phrase. At once they slumped forward into sleep. The half-nymph shook her head and turned to lead them back upstairs.

Her room, when they arrived, turned out to be a large bedroom. A sturdy bed took up one area of the room, dresser and mirror against another wall. But half the room was taken up with a large, circular pool of crystal-clear water. This was where Hymeana suggested they should sit as she went to sit at its edge nearest the window.

"Now," she said softly, "Tell me, what do you mean that you are not who you appear, that you are from another world?"

 

[Memnon]

Brian/Katlinel

I sighed as my familiar vanished into the Inn, and paused to think about where I'd found myself. Hymeana, I recalled, was Katlinel's superior, the head of her coven. If she was nearby that was very good news. Meanwhile, what was I?

Definitely female, I could feel that under the clothes. I glanced down and was distracted again - this girl was carrying a lot of jewellery! A heavy gold necklace carrying a huge gem - I knew what both those symbols meant and smiled, this world was safer than the old in that respect at least. A long silver bracelet in the form of a snake coiled up my left forearm, two tiny blue stones representing its eyes. On my other wrist, and on the long, delicate fingers, was a wealth of gold and gems. On my back, the familiar weight of a backpack, and another weight, less familiar. I reached behind me, and felt a cold hilt - ahhh, that would be Flames' Bane, my sword. My belt carried a flask - evidently we had been hiking, that would fit with the modest green tunic - a jewelled dagger, a small bag like a dice bag, and a satchel. I remembered most of these things from the character sheet, but not the satchel, so I opened it. On top was a silver hand mirror - I took it out to look at my face, and received yet another shock! For while the long, narrow cheekbones might have been human, barely, the pupils in the eyes were vertical slits, like a cat's in the daytime. Oh my, oh my. I brushed back the long, golden hair with my other hand, and yes, the ear was pointed.

Christi
Christi flew down the corridor, searching for Hymeana. There she was! leading most of Katlinel's companions into the pool room. Christi darted around the door and perched the dresser, scattering various sticks and unguents in her agitation. "Hymeana, Hymeana!" she chirped. "Katlinel's sick, you've got to help!"

 

[Kelson]

Brandon...or would Kelson be more appropriate now?, remained standing just inside the door to the inn looking at his friends. This wasn't right...everyone was exactly as they left it in the last session...even his shattered Longbow of Sight! Fingering a sliver of the broken weapon, Brandon thought over what had happened...always the calm one, he was sure they could find a mage here to restore them. In the game they could do anything, and since this seemed to reflect the game...

Fixing his embroidered tunic of a black-winged white tiger, Kelson heard the reassuring rustle of his elven chainmail below the armor. If nothing else, at least few creatures in this world could threaten him or his party.

 

[Weasel699]

Shane
well while everyone was heading down that odd street shane was hitting on a woman who had a short skirt on and she gave him her number and he got yelled at by the others to hurry up "come on Shane you can get all the numbers you want later "
so shane grumbled and hurried with the group and then when they went through the light and into this new world type place shane blinked a few times haveing the smells of the streets hit him pretty good and haveing to blink a few times since his eyes needed to adjust " whoa.. what's that smell?" held his nose and thats when he seen the fur on his hand and left out a gasp " this sint right... i'm the felpur from our game..." then he spotted one of the maidens walking down the street and left out a purr and then blinked again " hmm bet i can get laid here...." then he realized that everyone else was going in the inn and all was their characters from the game and though to himself" well if this is the game..i need to cover up since i'm what i am... " reached back knowing if this was his char he'd have a hood on the back of his cloak and he did so he pulled it over his head to hide his cat ears then though as he felt his tail swish back and forth in the pants he wore" hmm least the tail isnt out yet.... " made his way in the inn with the others and got himself a drink after slideing on his gloves and checking to see if he had his weapons and such and he did...his trusty guitar ,his trusty sword wich since he wasnt playing long in the other world he never got to get a good weapon like everyone else had but he did have a cloak of shadows packed away in his small backpack so when he needed to go stealth in a fight " guys...this is odd but its cool too just..how are we gonna get home " he gave a soft purr watching the wenches surve the drinks to people and then looked at the group knowing he should have stayed outside or something since he didnt fit in here inside the inn at all then when they went up to the room with the nymph he silently followed them keeping his hooded head down some so no one would notice his cat face and want to start a fight or even kill him

(( how's that so far?))

 

[Starphyre]

Grimly I watched the three longswords get pulled on Ishkama.

I took a step back, and cast holding magic on the three, grimacing as the power flowed through me and out my fingertips.

"YEOWTCH! That hurts more than I expected!"

Gasping a little, I saw that two of the swordwielders had indeed frozen.

 

[BadForm]

Zack/Kellan Harnstein

Hymeana glanced up as Araelle entered the room. "Impressive, my child," she said. "Now they are asleep and paralysed. I doubt they will be much trouble to anyone for a while."

She turned her attention back to the group as a whole and waited for a response to her question. Zack was the first to speak, and had the definite impression everyone was waiting for him to do so, as though he had more knowledge of what was going on than they did.

"Look," he said finally, "I don't know how to say this without sounding crazy, but just an hour ago or less, we were sat in my apartment, playing a game called Crowns and Skulls. Well, it's a game I invented and it's set on Darras-Mor... only I just made the name up - I made everything up... or at least I thought I did."

Hymeana took a deep breath as she slipped into an easy trance. "You are not crazy, Kellan," she said softly, her lips barely moving. "Although there are things hidden which even I cannot see. You did not create this place from your imagination - rather you were receptive to the flow of energy in the universe. I see..." and as she did so, the pool before them began to change, to show the images which she was speaking of. "I see a man. And old man. He sits in his workshop and prepares an experiment. I see the books before him. His own words, writ to make sense of the world. I see the gods upon the Godspire, furious. I see corruption of this world, a crack in the universe unseen since the magewars. This is the man who has brought you here, albeit unwittingly. I can not identify him, Kellan, but I can tell you he has enraged the gods. Seek the gods, if you would seek answers."

And as the pool faded, she opened her eyes and looked at the group. "I am sorry," she said with a shrug. "Migni sometimes clouds things behind the veils of sleep. I can see that something magical has happened on this world, and it may be enough to destroy the world. It was certainly enough to open a crack to... the other world that you came from. Your souls are here, but in the minds and bodies of those you thought were myth, were game. I am afraid I can show you no more."

 

[airborne92]

"Well, if we are going to be here a while we had better start thinking like our characters. Otherwise we maynot survive long enough to get back home" I say to the party as a whole.

 

[Weasel699]

Shane gave a soft purr watching the nymph do her thing and grins listening as the others talked to each other after she was finished and the he looked to zach " i agree man if we're going to be here and survive till we figure a way home..we should explore this town some...though ..i dont know how good i'm going to be in town here being as i am my Char now.." kept his hood up and just slid off one of the gloves with the tiny spikes on..off and showed his furred hands " i dont think the towns folk would like me here if you know what i mean" he then slid his glove back on and watched them with his feline eyes " its up to you guys on what i should do..though i would like to help out how ever i can maybedo some survalance from the shadows see what the talk of the town is? " smirked some remebering his tail swishing back and forth in the back of his pants hopeing they get out of town soon so he could fix his pants to let it out to move

 

[ARaynes]

Andrea/Ishkama

Andrea blushed. She had listened to everything that was said and didn't know what to do. "How am I supposed to act like Ishkama. I don't ha-" She stopped realizing that now she did have the body. "I have never been able to dance." She sat down and looked at her rings, Ishkama's rings.

The gold looked so bright and shiney. One thing Ishkama prided herself in was her beauty. She didn't feel there was anyone ever that was more beautiful. Yes, Andrea had never felt that way. She was only plain if that.

Andrea felt overwelmed. "OK, so how do we go about finding the gods?" She asked out loud hoping someone had the answer. "I am willing to fight and steal to get there. After all. In this world my God will protect me. I worship him, he has faith in my beliefs so I shall seek and find."

 

[Starphyre]

I walked over to Ishkama and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ish, I think you will find that you can do anything you need to do, and that is within your ability, if you just don't think about it, and let your body do it. That's how I was able to cast my spell."

"The same goes for everybody. If it's an ability your character has, just don't think about it, and you can do it."

 

[SuppleKisses]

Lyf had silently trailed behind the group as they ascended the stairs and filed into the room. Her curiousity was in full swing once again. What was this strange clan up to now? With emeralds eyes wide she knelt against the wall just a few feet from the door. She then pressed her tiny ear against the wooden planks and listened with all her might. Only bits and phrases could reach her ears, but it was still enough to increase her interest in these creatures greatly.

She had recognized the name by which the giant had called the woman. Hymeana. She had heard the name spoken by the older creatures of the woods. What type of creature was she to be in such a dank, dirty rut.

Not satisfied with her spot in the hall, Lyf stood and wandered into an empty room, adjacent to the one the group occupied. There she fortune had granted her some luck. A tiny knot-hole was missing in the wall that both rooms shared. Grinning to herself she hurried over to it and knelt, leveling her eye to see through. Now she could see and hear the events next door.

 

[airborne92]

Juran

"We had better find some work if we want money to live off of until we find the gods" I say to the party. How could we be here, there was no reasonable explanation, yet we were here. Given the circumstances we need to accept the fact that we are here and are our characters I thought to myself.

 

[Weasel699]

Shane
Shane stood watching the others waiting to see what they desided to do..his cat eyes looked around the room takeing in the objects in the room and then the window..he slowly moved to the window and glaced out it onto the street giveing a small purr as he seen the women walking down below doing their daily shopping for whatever they might need " this might not be such a bad place" he head the noise in the room next door but shrugged it off as just another person getting a room...yeah he was a horny guy but knowing how some towns people maynot like him for being what he was he was a little jumpy but wasnt going to let it show" sooo anyone here the joke about the guy who walked into a bar?...no?..ok..a guy walked into a bar..he rubbed his head and said ouch!" ok so it wasnt his best one but he needed to lighten the mood even if it was his own

 

[BadForm]

Zack/Kellan Harnstein

Zack looked around at his confused companions and sighed. They were as unable to think of anything logical as he was. That would be a problem. The idea of finding work appealed to him, but appalled Kellan, a shaman devoted to nature who would rather spend as little time as possible in a town. What Kellan was insisting to him though was ridiculous. They should travel to Godsholme and speak to the gods directly.

"Hymeana," he said, his voice drawn in reluctance. "If we need to speak with the gods... how can we do that? Perhaps the priest or I might be able to converse with our gods, but... I'm not sure. I... Well, the only thing I can think of is travel to the Godspire and visit Godsholme - but how can we do that? The Breachland is several nations away from Gordelharne here, and... even if we were willing to make the trip - it's through the Forbidden Lands and the Wyrd Forest. That's magically twisted land..."

She nodded. "You wish to know if I could teleport you?" she said. "I could but I will not. If the dreaming pool is correct, then someone is meddling with magics unseen since they warped the lands in the magewards. Powerful magics at this time could be devastating to Darras-Mor. I would suggest you travel to Yearsend and find a ship. That is only a weeks travel from here. The ship will let you cross the Northsea and..."

"But if the way I saw the world is true... what about Gersh-wa, the gateway whirlp..."

She laughed. "Many ships manage to avoid Gersh-wa, Kellan. I suggest you ensure yours does too."

 

[airborne92]

John/Juran

"Sounds like as good a plan as any other" I say to my companians. I look around the room at each one to see their reactions to this new idea.

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Arzat Vandree

ok, enough was enough. First i'm thrown here in fairytale land in the body of a race that inspires townsfolk to gather dry wood & pitchforks, & i'm here with Andrea's annoying pointy-eared nympho ( well , at least nobody played a openly homosexual Dwarf with a taste for dark meat), & now we were supposed to find the gods & ask them "whats up?" I /Arzat was getting angry, & that was the most annoying thing of all. I couldn't tell where we seperated anymore.
" S, we are supposed to traipse our way over & talk to the Gods??? You do remember what happens to poor little gamers that get caught up in a divine chessgame?? They usualy meet an unwelcome fate!"

 

[Weasel699]

Shane

shane listened to arzat then looked to the othere " hey man i'm in the same boat as you when it comes to haveing rocks and things thrown at...hell be my luck..and would be really cool..that i get caught some where along the way and made slave to a really horny young queen or something....but look at me " slid his hood down showing his cat ears and the fur and whiskers" think i'm going to stand out much? " purred watching them as he slid his hood back over his head and fixed it so the shadows covered his face then sat on the windowsill enjoying the sun that shined in

 

[airborne92]

John/Juran

"Well either we start playing in this divine chessgame or we are going to be here for a very long time" I say. "Which do we want, either way we could end up getting killed or worse."

I lean up against the wall as I wait to hear what my companions decide.

 

[BadForm]

Zack/Kellan Harnstein

Zack looked at the group as they began to argue. Tony had a good point, even in the body of a Shaman he didn't feel really up to meeting with his goddess and asking for information, let alone meeting with several, but what else was there?

"John's got a point, Tony," he said. "I don't have any other answers... but if you do I'd be more than happy to listen to them. I just want to get out of here and back home."

 

[SuppleKisses]

Lyf's wide eyes only grew more as she gazed through her tiny knot-hole. She gave a slight jump, a gasp breeching her lips as the cloaked man dropped his hood. Most certainly not a man. More like a...What exactly would someone call a creature like that. It shared many traits with a cat, but was definately built like a man as well. She shook her head. What stranger sights there were outside of her wooded home.

Moments later her view was abruptly blocked. She huphed and clenched her teeth in frustration. Now what would she do. She sat back on her heels, away from the hole. As the light from a window hit the hole she could see the slight glint of chainmail. She grinned to herself, although she was still rather miffed about her blocked peeking aperture.

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Arzat Vandree

'OK Shane, you got a point, you did get thrown in a more exotic body than mine. Anyway, this is silly. I'm standing here think of some way to get us home, & I can't think of a single spell, device, or legend that could cause us to be ripped from our bodies back home & dropped in here. are you sure we aren't all on some weird-assed acid trip back in your gameroom?"
I began pacing in the room, hood down, hair flying behind me. Skryytch detached from my shoulder & floated up to the cieling, like a huge manta-ray hanging in the air.

Master, are you well? You are very upset, & I thought these were your friends? Has someone attacked us? do you need help?

I look up at my familiar, my companion for over 150 years. I can remember my past, & Arzats tortured past also.
*No my friend, all is as well as it can be. *

" Well Zack, lets start planning our trip. Anyone know how to get there?"

 

[airborne92]

John/Juran

"No, but no matter which way we go it will be a long and dangerous journey" I say.

'At least we are making some progress here,' I think to myself, 'but what if we end up wanting to stay?'

 

[BadForm]

Zack/Kellan Harnstein

Zack was having the same thought as John, though he didn't know it. What if they wanted to stay? It was crazy. On the game they'd just been playing the party had nearly been picked apart by a roc, and that was before getting to the necromancer's castle. It was suicide to stay here and he knew it. Yet there was that pull, and he could only presume it was the mind of Kellan, trying to stay in the land he was aware of, and as afraid of their success as he was of their failure.

Hymeana meanwhile was coversing with the drake, reassuring it that her mistress was not unwell, but extremely confused. She told the drake to go bring her mistress to be with the rest of her companions. That way, she could learn what they knew, and they could work together.