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Stitia, Plane of 13 Deaths (RPG Style Saga/My First Saga)
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The elves are completely silent as they escort you from behind. You notice that all of them have weapons of silver, and are on their guard.
You arrive back in Racrion. The last time you were here was a witch hunt, which only escalated into a far greater problem. You only hope that today goes better, and whatever news Brocara has isn't too bad.
A hush falls over the Hometree as you enter. The five guards stop at the entryway, and you are approached by ten heavily armed soldiers.
"Come with us. You are needed for a most urgent matter."
You are escorted to the throne of the High Dawnelf, but as you enter the room, you feel a heavy weight. You can sense it; everyone is watching you with cautious eyes.
"So... Verth Odbar. Before I tell you why I called you here, answer me this; why didn't your group report to me after dealing with Timothy?"
"I apologize for not informing you sooner, your Brightness. Despite my careful planning, we have all been deceived. Timothy was able to infiltrate our group under the alias of our supposed ally Joseph. The lycanthrope we slew a month ago was merely a decoy. Since then, Timothy has slaughtered many others, including my friend Uvras, who we were thankfully able to revive. Since then, I have been chasing him down to the ends of Stitia. I have even traveled to another dimension to track him down, aided by a power that is still unknown to me. Since then, I have decided to join forces with the Rootforged to finally track this villain before he can take any more lives." Verth hoped that his explanation of the past events would be enough to sway the High Dawnelf's suspicion of Verth's recent actions. After all, since his journey to New Tommia, he has cut off all communications with his allies, desperate to find any leads on Timothy's location.
As Ku'cho charges towards you, bewildered excitement fills his eyes, you brace yourself. However, his attack comes so quickly, you can't do anything about it except just barely dodge it. Feathers fill the air as you realize he scraped your arm. His eyes widen even more as he salivates at the sight of your blood.
"I'm hungry... hungry for your flesh! Thirsty for your blood! Sustain me!"
The floor shatters as the roof falls in from the force of a great blast. If the demon keeps making attacks like that, there's no way you're going to be able to keep dodging. The demon pulls his blade out of the ground and swiftly attacks again, but this time the blade falls twice. You fly into the air, now unrestricted by the ceiling, and attempt to summon a creature that will distract him.
"Where are you, bird? Where are you?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
You feel somewhat bad for endangering the wildlife, but it's better them than you. The demon turns, and sees the deer, which is spooked.
"Food... food..."
It seems like the demon has completely forgotten about you as it approaches the deer, seemingly in a trance. The deer runs through the cell door, but the demon pursues. You hear a blast, and the roof collapses. It's safe to say the deer should keep Ku'cho occupied...
You are now free to roam. You are above the dock area you came into port at, and there's only a limited amount of time before you are inevitably spotted. What will you do?
Suggestions:
Judging notes:
"This is quite an interesting little story you have. So, does the name... 'Nelson Borick' ring a bell?"
Uh oh. Nelson... the researcher you saw turn into a werehyena, who stepped in to interfere during the fight against the decoy. It would hurt just as much to lie about it as it would to tell the truth.
"Your face says enough. See, our people have been looking into what happened the night your group hunted Timothy, and I've come across some... rather shocking developments. I'm going to explain this carefully, and you're going to listen. Anything you say can and will be used against you. Is this understood?"
You hesitantly nod.
"Now, when we discovered the death of Joseph, we investigated the area for what may of possibly happened, and what we found was quite shocking. We talked to people in the local area, as well as two eyewitnesses. It hurts me to say what I'm about to say, Verth Odbar, and I hope you'll forgive me for doing what's best for the safety of our people." The High Dawnelf stands and claps her hands. Two men step from behind Brocara's throne. silver manacles in their hands. As they approach, you suddenly feel weak. "You were active at the scene on the night of the murders of Joseph Bigham, Nelson Borick, and three other individuals. All of them died from similar injuries, and all of their bodies were disposed of in the same fire. Only a werebeast could of caused the types of trauma we discovered, and that leaves only two suspects; you, and Vryx, as there were no reports of any other lycanthrope activity in the area that night. Again, I'm sorry, but you are under arrest."
Will you allow yourself to be arrested?
What a twisted turn of events. Timothy's twisted scheming has now manipulated someone as powerful and as influential as the High Dawnelf. Now Verth found himself framed for his bitter enemy's crimes. He told the truth before, but now it seemed as though even more of the truth needed to be told in order for him to remain in the fight against Timothy. He had his planeswalker's spark, but escaping would only lead to distrust between him and the Dawnelves. Indeed, only words would set things straight. And Verth knew he had to choose the right ones for the task.
"With all due respect, your Brightness," Verth interjected. "There is still a third suspect to consider. As I mentioned before, Timothy is still alive. His rampage continues across Stitia, and I am the only one who is actively seeking him out. I saw firsthand what that monster did to Nelson Borick, and I was unable to intervene. After Nelson gained possession of a powerful ring, Timothy, posing as Joseph, suffocated Nelson and ripped his soul clean out of him. Timothy was also the one to burn the bodies. If you care to know what he said, his words were as follows," Verth explained. Strangely enough, he had a picture-perfect memory of the first time he was suspicious of Joseph. This was most likely due to his improved memory skills as a wereraven, but the amount of trauma Joseph's betrayal caused was likely a suspect as well.
'Shame on me. I never expected anyone to break the cipher. But that means you have to die. And if anyone else knows, I’ll find out... and they’ll have to die too. My knowledge, is none of your business! This whole ordeal, you didn’t need to get involved in!' Verth's words left his mouth almost as if he was playing a recording.
"If you need any further proof that my stories and words are true," Verth argued, "allow me to show you this." Verth reached into his pocket, revealing a white stone with a glowing-gold hue surrounding it. The stone was partially protecting him from the silver shackles that were approaching him, and was emanating a protective field of white mana. The stone that Taylor had given him on New Tommia.
"I received this stone from the other dimension I visited. It was gifted to me after I received the trust of a law enforcement officer there," Verth paused. "If you still don't believe me, I understand. I left you completely uninformed about my whereabouts over the past month. But know this: ever since I gained my powers and embarked on this journey to save Delvad, I made a vow to never strike an innocent. If Timothy is to be defeated, I need your help. Trust me, your Brightness. For the sake of Stitia."
The Dawnelf seems to have been somewhat swayed.
"So, you say Nelson was... suffocated? Our investigators did find that his neck had been broken. If what you're saying is true, and perhaps it is, then it is possible he wasn't killed by a werebeast. But, in the same vein, this can also serve to further prove your guilt; only someone who witnessed the murder could of known such information. I am thoroughly understanding that the dead may come back to life, but we have Joseph's corpse, along with the corpses of the others, as well an eyewitness."
"I must confess, however, that violence, let alone of this magnitude, seems out of character for you. Your reputation is far reaching, after all. However, we also have evidence of a motive for at least three of the victims. Do these, perchance look familiar?"
The High Dawnelf reaches in her pocket and reveals...
No... that's impossible!
Two brownish rings, a mythril ring, and... Joseph's papers on reverse-engineering Uvras's rings. There's no doubt that these weren't faked or reproduced, but you clearly remember Joseph disposing of them. How were they here today? You're mixed with feelings. Anger. Dismay. Shock. And... there it is again. Temptation. The bronze rings...
"I can tell you're quite shaken. You thought you had disposed of these. But an eyewitness saw this disposal and was able to retrieve them. Then, when he got here, we restored them. The papers contain classified, ciphered info on reverse-engineering your best friend's rings. Obviously, when you found out Joseph was a werewolf, you saw him as a threat knowing such info. So you killed him. Normally, killing a werewolf would be smiled upon, but the person you killed was our protector, and ever since his death there's been a resurgence in the werebeast population. Our entire race was nearly erased from the map!"
"As for these rings, they were created though reverse engineering. The mythril one, which was reverse-engineered, gave Joseph the freedom to transform. The second belonged to Nelson, and was reverse-engineered using a different process. The third belonged to an elderly man, who also reverse-engineered it through this process. If this killer really was Joseph, why would he leave behind the ring that allowed him to transform? And if Timothy killed these people, how would he know the significance to these rings?"
"In any case, you are not guilty until proven so in the Elven Courts. We have no firm date for your trial, but in any case, we cannot give you the chance to flee, especially with the knowledge that your friend Vryx is a suspect too. If your faith be good, and your story true, then surely you will have no reason to resist your arrest..."
After hearing the High Dawnelf's outlandish claims, Verth was tempted to continue arguing. Why would the High Dawnelf let Timothy manipulate her like this? Timothy is Joseph. Verth proved that without a shadow of a doubt. Yet they still take the side of a murderer due to his deceptive actions in the past. Verth was frustrated with the Dawnelf's lack of trust in him, but here he needed to swallow his pride. Perhaps the Rootforged or his friends in the Duskwood could back his claims in court.
"While I strongly disagree with your theory on what happened, you are correct in your assertion that I will not resist arrest," Verth politely interjected, holding his arms up to be handcuffed. "But please be warned. Your former friend that you called Joseph is still out there, committing acts of unspeakable evil throughout Stitia. The more time I remain unable to track him down, the more harm that will come to Stitia."
Erika gathers up the other piles of papers and puts them into a drawer.
"Very well. I hope you've got your sea legs for this one, because you'll need to be leaving ASAP. See, we have a hunch that a group of ruffians are also onto the treasure. We need to keep them out of the picture, and if you end up running into them, show them no quarter."
Erika sets aside multiple pieces of paper.
"You will be given a crew of 3 for this mission. The captain and two angels. The ship ain't much, but it's our own." Erika whistles. "Captain Sperling!"
You hear a hobbling from around the corner. Slowly but steadily, a rough looking man with long sandy hair in his late 30's approaches you. His left leg is a peg from the knee down, and he's supported by a cane.
"So. This is the great merchant Alfred? It is divine to meet you!"
Sperling is adamant on shaking your hand. As you finish the shake, you notice a bit of muck has been left on your hand, and it smells.
"I'll get the ole' ship ready. Meet me by the bay when you want us to go."
Sperling walks back out of the room, and you look down at what appears to be a map.
"So," Erika begins. "The route is quite simple. You'll go from the bay past Reighart to O, one of the Isles of Aesthr. We cannot guarantee O is uninhabited, however. You may come across Merfolk."
"The treasure you're looking for is a golden skull. It's said to be part of the remains of a powerful demon named Yivame, and will sell for a fortune on the Black Market."
You thank Erika for the info and set out to find the ship. However, as you go upstairs to the main cathedral, someone runs towards you, panicked. They have an arrow in their chest.
"Alfred, sir! Your carriage! Someone just rode off with a bag full of stuff! I tried to stop them but they shot me!"
You are faced with a dilemma. If you don't leave for O, the ruffians may get to the Skull before you. However, if you don't get back your stolen goods, they could be lost forever. Which will you prioritize?
You cloak yourself from sight as you make your way into the port. The ship you took is still there, but everything of value was taken. Two guards block the only door inside, and there's two paths that lead back outside. It's pretty clear you have no choice but to go straight in.
As you approach the closed door, you notice two guards standing at its sides, with two more on patrol. The door is locked with a simple padlock.
Make a card that will either deal with the four 2/2 Black Soldier creature tokens or allow you to slip through undetected. The target is 10 points.
As you are shackled with the silver cuffs, you feel a sudden surge of immense pain. You almost feel like every ounce of energy has been taken away from you, sans the power of your spark.
"Take him away, then find Vryx. He must be captured as soon as possible!"
You are taken down to an open-air prisoner holding area. There aren't that many other inmates, for better or worse. A well built shirtless man in his early 20s with a tattoo and a scar from an arrow. A rough looking wolfkin with several stab wounds, who appears to need medical attention. A scantily clad girl in her teens, who smiles at you as you pass. The man you visited who turned out to be an infected werewolf, writhing in agony as they hang from the wall. A black cloaked male angel with a missing wing.
You are put into an empty cell. There is absolutely nothing in this cell except a small puddle of water on the floor... and a set of silver chains on the stone wall. You see a view of the forest above through the foot of space between the roof and the top of the trench which was dug to make this prison before you are placed inside. You are forced against the wall, bound by chains of silver that sap every single ounce of your wereraven power. The guards then exit the cell and lock the door with a heavy silver padlock with no keyhole.
"Don't even think about escaping. With your charges, we have permission to kill you on the spot if you attempt to do so."
You glumly oblige. As they leave, an elf in a black trench coat approaches your cell, somewhat solemn. His white hair waves from the draft in the prison area, his pale, poreless face cold and expressionless. You see a set of keys on a ring at his side, and it's apparent that he's the warden.
The words that leave the wardens mouth are accented by noble elvish heritage, and yet, somehow, they express no emotion but sorrow. "So... what are you in here for?"
You explain your situation, and a tear runs down the elf's face.
"So, yet another inmate taken in by mistake? I can see the innocence through your eyes. As capable of murder as you are physically, you don't have the emotion. The will. My name is Leper. You could almost say I'm just as much of a prisoner down here as you are."
The man holds his hand against the padlock, and it unlocks. He comes inside, and undoes all of your restraints. You already feel your power coming back, and it already feels like you haven't had it in forever.
"There's no need for you to be treated like this. Come with me."
You are taken to a much more spacious cell. The bed inside is incredibly soft, softer than your own at home, in fact. A lantern rests in the corner, flickering in the wind, along with a small personal latrine that has never been used. Leper is staying in the room with you, and is making no effort to block the door.
"Hey!" The shirtless man yells from across the room. "This dude's in here for murder! Why are you treating him like this?! He could kill you!"
"I know he's innocent. I bear the eye of my ancestors, a gift I am both grateful for and shameful of. I sought to become the warden of the Dawnwood not because it was the best thing for me to do. I did it because of what happened to my sister." More tears run down Leper's face as he wipes them away. "I could sense it by looking into her eyes. She was innocent, but alas, she was executed for a crime she didn't commit. I tried to tell the courts, but my words meant nothing. And then, a week later, the evidence we needed to prove the truth surfaced... it was too late..."
You apologize to Leper for his loss.
"I'm... I'm sorry for bothering you. You remind me so much of my sister. She, too, was a werebeast, framed for murder. Her eyes had that same resolve and innocence. The same... color too..."
Leper's tears now fall in droves. He puts his hand on your shoulder and looks into your eyes.
"Please... promise me... promise me you're really innocent... promise me you can prove it..."
Leper leaves in tears as he locks your cell. You're glad to no longer be bound by the silver, but you can still feel a powerful influence from that lock. It's meant to keep you from escaping.
Several hours later...
A chilling wind blows through the prison. You're awake in your bed, but you can't move. You know this feeling all too well. Another visit from Timothy. However, this time, you're completely awake. What you're seeing is reality.
"You're getting quite perceptive, aren't you? I can't even surprise you in your dreams anymore. In fact, you surprised me. By falling for such an obvious trap."
You rise up in your bed, and Timothy is using the latrine, the cell door open and the lock on the floor. Your instincts call for you to kill him where he stands, but you quickly realize that you're bound again by the hands and feet.
"Tck tck tck. I wouldn't attack me if I were you. See, those chains are the same ones that were being used to bound... what was once the most powerful werebeast on the plane. He'd been at it for almost 1000 years, trying to break out of them. If it weren't for me, he would never escape! So to say the least, you won't be escaping them anytime soon. And... if you do decide you want to attack me anyways," Timothy turns around and clenches his hand, blood dripping from it onto the floor, "then I can't guarantee the safety of any of the inmates in this prison." His hand turns into a talon as he begins to take your form. "And it would be a damn shame if I added more victims to the list, and more incriminating evidence to be used against you."
"Hold up!" The shirtless man is awake. "How are there two of you?! What's going on?"
Timothy turns back to normal and leaves the cell for the one the man is in.
"It's quite simple... I can take the form of anyone I've met, but if I get a good taste of their blood or a trace of their soul, it's quite accurate. Shockingly so-"
"So you must be Timothy."
Timothy turns to see Leper, eyes empty and staring straight forward.
"I knew with one glance that you're the man trying to frame Verth."
"Ohohoh! This got really interesting, really quickly."
"Surrender yourself. You're under arrest."
Timothy laughs hysterically.
"I said... surrender!"
Leper flicks out a small rod from his pocket, and it extends into a full sized staff made of silver.
"Hey! What's going on down here?!"
The two guards from earlier rush down, weapons drawn.
"Look at all this fresh meat." Timothy licks his lips. "Delightful."
"This is none of your business, gentlemen," Leper yells out. "Step aside!"
"That eye of yours is interesting. But is it really incapable of letting you see how worthless you are?"
"What-"
Timothy appears in front of Leper as though he had teleported, grabbing his cuff. A wind whips past you, Leper's staff breaks, cut clean, and the guards fall dead. The marks are the same kind left by your talons.
"Listen carefully, Leper. You are the warden of this prison, yes?"
"F*** off..."
"Oh... did I hurt your feelings?"
"I said f*** off!"
Leper kicks away from Timothy and his cuff rips, allowing him to escape.
"You're quite brave, aren't you? But I want you to listen. Nothing you saw tonight happened. You never saw me, and Verth is the killer."
"You lie!"
"Nothing you saw tonight happened..."
"You... what?"
"You never saw me... you don't know who I am..."
Timothy grabs the corpses of the guards and begins to walk out of the room. Leper is suddenly dazed.
"Verth killed those five people. He is guilty as charged. Now put that lock back on his cell..." Timothy stops in his tracks. "Unless... Verth here decides he wants to come along."
What?
"I'm giving you a chance. You can come with me. You'll be cleared of all of your charges and be able to walk in the streets again. And if you do decide to take my offer, I can make you a promise. No harm will come to you as long as your stay the hell out of my way and make no attempt to stop me from accomplishing my goals..."
What will you do?
When Timothy made his proposition to Verth, he began to laugh just like Timothy. A mocking, bitter laugh that rang through the room like the bells of a cathedral. "What kind of fool do you take me for?" Verth cawed. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Timothy, but you are in no position to be making deals with me. Because unfortunately, you fell for my trap." As if on cue, every scratch, bite, and tear that Timothy inflicted on the guards appeared on Timothy's body, wracking his entire body in unbearable pain, the same pain he supposedly inflicted on the prison guards. Much to the surprise of the prison guards, they stood up unscathed, albeit with several rips and tears to their clothing. "I knew you were going to pull a stunt like that, so while you were busy inflating your ego, I placed a protective ward around every person in this room," Verth sneered. "Looks like you can't guarantee your own safety either, Timmy."
(This card should be good to go now. I had it put through two different custom card discord servers.)
*Another grin joins the ones on Timothy's and Verth's faces*
Vin looks at the girl, confused as to why she isn't terrified of him, and then decides to not care. He's had too much of people trying to kill him over the past few days, and is glad to finally have someone who at least appears to be a genuine, non-murdery friend. He gives his best attempt at a non-threatening smile, and says, "My name's Vin. Thanks for not running away or attacking me. I've been getting a bit too much of that lately, so it's nice to find someone nice. Anyways, what's your name? And why are you out here all alone?"
Despite the obvious damage to Timothy, the sickening grin on his face has somehow grown as he walks back to your cell.
You can tell Timothy was damaged by the attack, but he's too powerful for you to accurately size him up.
"HAHAHA! So, what kind of fool do I take you for? Well, if you can answer my next question quickly, I can at least say you aren't completely bird-brained, Verth Oddball. Tell me... what good did you accomplish by putting these perfect, talon-shaped marks on my body?"
Also... I guess that means that whoever was at the carriage was kidnapped as well.
Will you still prioritize the mission after learning this information?
Back at the Northern Cathedral...
The last preparations are being put into place. The dead and the demons are added to the offering to Conse. Finally, all six torches are lit; the one which belonged to Nohel is now taken by a pinkish flame, and the one for Sprot is occupied by a brown one.
"The deserters have been usurped," a voice echoes from above.
"K-Kia?!"
"The new gods have been chosen," Conse announces. "Kia will replace Nohel, and Arne will replace Sprot. Both of them have great potential."
"They grow up so fast..." Isguia jokes. She was alive before Kia was even born, and now, she would worship her. It was ironic.
"All arrangements have been made on our end. We are ready to bring down our judgement."
"Then I shall be the bearer of your torch." Isguia stands in the center of the courtyard and yells. "The ritual is about to begin! Everyone to the courtyard!"
Clerics begin funneling in from the interior of the cathedral. Hundreds gather in the courtyard, and raise their Triscepters to the air.
"Oh, gods above us! Today is the day! Our world is dying! Khantsievth is rising! It is high time for you to take back the world that's yours!"
*RAAAAAAAH!*
"What was that?"
Murmurs are heard among the crowd. Whatever just roared was loud enough to shake the air. A thumping noise can be heard in the distance, followed by another cry. Soon, the noise becomes distinct; wingbeats.
"DR-DRAGON!"
Suddenly, a shadow falls over the Cathedral, followed by a rain of fire. All of the people run into the cathedral to hide from this newfound threat.
"Conse!" Isguia cries. "There's a dragon here! What's going on?!"
"An interloper," Conse scoffs. "Focus on the ritual."
Soldiers focus bow fire at the dragon. A few arrows hit, and Gladoise is visibly injured, but they continue on as-
*WHOOSH!*
More fire falls as a sonic boom shakes the cathedral. Movements a blur, another has joined the fight against the summoners."We're being ambushed!" One of the soldiers calls out. "No confirmation on what we're dealing with he-" Then, he looks down from the roof, and notices a small group headed towards the cathedral. "Cultists!"
"Reman the cannons! We can't let a single one of them i-"
"LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!" One of the cultists calls out. "We're not the enemy! We're here for the ritual!"
"They are telling the truth," Conse's voice rings. "Let them in."
The cultists make their way into the building to join the ritual, all the while Gladoise and Theirin attack the building. Gladoise would attempt to crush the building, but if he gets too close, he risks Conse getting the jump on him. All the while, however, a different chase is underway...
@MonkeyPirate2002
As you follow the essence of Foritu, you make the realization that it's rushing straight for the courtyard below. You could feel their power when you slew them; with power like that, the summoning could end right here if you can't do anything about it...
Make any spell that flavorfully represents an attempt to stop the ritual, no matter what it does. Gladoise and Theirin made your job slightly easier, reducing the score required to avoid any consequences to 13.