Post by David on Jun 15, 2016 17:15:20 GMT -5
Esmerelda blinks her eyes and looks up into the face over her. It is Moorak Drake, her son, Rhom's, childhood friend, now a powerful baron as well as mage and warrior. The Green Witch then remembers recent events and realizes that Mikhail must have successfully moved through time back into the present where the young psi was able to find someone to cast stone to flesh and restore her. The plan had been to fix Esmerelda first so that she could use probability control to ensure the rest of the heroes had no problems returning to flesh and blood. With Esmerelda's help, Moorak then sets about restoring the rest of the heroes. Their mission a success, the heroes of Suendrako discuss their situation and recent events, discovering that not everything is as they remembered it. Esmerelda reaches for her tarot deck, her eyes wide as she looks at the cards and sees the truth...
Taarna the Huntress is the Queen of Hearts. It would seem that more than a decade ago, genealogists in the Scarlet Brotherhood publicly recognized her red, dagger-like tattoo and discovered that Taarna was the last of house Taarak. Further investigation revealed that she was also heir to a minor fief on the edge of the Theocracy of the Pale, the barony of Bloodstone. Taarna elected not to contest the fief, given that it had already been ruled by the same family for several centuries. When the Baron of Bloodstone and his daughter were both recently killed by undead and demons in service to a cleric of Orcus, however, rulership of the barony fell to Taarna. Given that she is the last Scion of House Taarak, the Theocracy agreed to grant her the more befitting title of Duchess and offer her any and all aid they could. Though she serves the Viking goddess Sif, Taarna is a recognized ally of the Suloise pantheon, one with the support of both lawful and chaotic factions, making her an ideal buffer state with unruly Ratik. Esmerelda can see in the cards that by order of Lendor, no clergy of the Suel are to act against Taarna in any way and are indeed to help her found and promote a new, vibrant Suloise House for the modern age. This makes the Duchy of Bloodstone a haven from the machinations of the Scarlet Brotherhood and their allies. Further, Taarna has her pick of Suloise clerics to for assistance. Further, Taarna's adoptive son, Martin, is revealed to also be of Suloise descent, making him an excellent heir to his mother's duchy. Though she remembers her time with Bart, the memory is faded, like the chapters of an old book from childhood.
Mikhail the Child of Destiny is the Eight of Diamonds. Since he was a boy, Mikhail has found himself involved with numerous world-shaping events and divinely-inspired webs of intrigue. Before puberty, he was among those that freed the Seed of Chaos which set in motion the events of the Apocalypse. Later, Mikhail was directly involved in gathering some of the Shards of Chaos. In the course of these adventures, Mikhail was pushed into null-time as part of an elaborate plot by Athena and Apollo to save Oerth. Mikhail later returned, saving Rufus' life and was used by the gathered Medegians to wield the Hesper, the Faces, and the Annulus in order to recover the Staff of Law from another reality and restore balance to the world. Doing so briefly made Mikhail a mad god. Later, after the world was saved, Mikhail was again part of Athena's plan to win the Panthiad and was brought to Carceri where the Well of Mnemosyne brought back lost memories of his time dominated by an ullitharid. After these event, the boy recovered and later wielded the Rod of Balance. He helped slay Diablo, gaining a fragment of godhood and allowing him to sense disruptions in reality. Later, Mikhail wielded the Rod of Balance against Necros and absorbed more of the primordial gods' power such that he was no longer bound by mortal rules. Now, having personally rescued his party from being lost in time and having helped save history as he knows it, the Suloise gods have granted Mikhail what he has always wanted, serenity and anonymity. Only his friends remember that Mikhail is the young man who has preformed all these actions. Nothing short of direct intervention from a deity will reveal anything about the young man and all attempts to see his future (or his past) are obscured as if he doesn't exist. This extends not just to precognition, but even to scrying, clairvoyance, retrocognition, and even general divination. Mikhail's is the lone member of the Tarot who is not instantly recognized by his card...
Cymoril the Champion is the Six of Spades. The daughter of Wee Jas is now more than a mortal champion, but a divinely-recognized daughter of the goddess, granted extremely long-life and immunity to conventional death (disease, illness, and the passage of time). She bears a golden tattoo and can demand the support and aid of followers of Wee Jas as well as her divine sisters, Lydia and Osprem. As divine progeny, Cymoril is also protected from harassment or manipulation by the clerical factions of the Scarlet Brotherhood and the Theocracy of the Pale; only those who would turn against their gods would due her harm. Wee Jas asks of her daughter to found a new Suloise House for this new era and become the mother of a new nation. Tar'jar may be one of her mates, though she may choose to marry another if she wishes. Ideally, Cymoril and Tar'jar will help found a new Suloise people who will rebuild their lost heritage. Both can remember the times of old and yet both are bold and self-aware enough of the changes in the present to help protect the Suloise heritage without becoming a slave to it. And, as the daughter of the goddess of magic, Cymoril's powers blossom in unexpected ways...***
Brock the High Priest is the Six of Diamonds. He is the highest ranking priest of Kord as well as a recognized son of the Brawler. Turns out, one of his grandparents on each side was a child of Kord. Brock gains new abilities but also finds that his temple is nearly finished in the wharf district of Greyhawk, across from the Soggy Sailor. Only a few minor details remain before he can welcome his flock. Brock has the right to petition for a seat on Greyhawk's ruling council of oligarchs and he finds that due to a long-lost and obscure ruling from the ascended mortal, Zagig Yragerne, Brock also has a controlling interest in the Arena of Greyhawk as well as rights to the land on which the Ileserian Mystery House stands.
Tar'jar the Godling is the Six of Hearts. After 1300 years, Tar'jar is not only alive, but a living, immortal godling, enjoying all the benefits of being a true demigod. Unfortunately, the man lacks anyone convinced of his divinity, but that might only be a matter of time. Meanwhile, the gifts he inherited from his father are enhanced and he tasked with establishing another Suloise House to help repopulate Oerth.
Tolus the Companion is the Five of Clubs. Just before returning to the present, his body restored to its original form. Now, however, the ranger knows with confidence that any attempt to reincarnate him will not only succeed, but it will always produce the same results -- namely, that Tolus will return to life in a body very much like that he was born into, with only minor, cosmetic differences and even those slight enough to be overlooked by a stranger. Tolus is now poised to achieve heroic deed through a variety of lifetimes.
Esmerelda the Fortune Teller is the Three of Diamonds. The entire suite of adventures into the past was a result of the half-Rhennee witch incorrectly reading her tarot cards. For her entire life, the cards have been her hobby and a crutch for her divination spells, but the Green Witch has had no real talent at reading the future. She has practiced and learned tricks at interpreting prophesies in a positive light, but she has lacked any substantive abilities along these lines. That has now all changed. Esmerelda now enjoys the gift of true prophesy and can see events that will come to pass using her Rhennee tarot, both to cast divination spells and to simply gain a glimpse of events to come.
Each of the heroes may now attune a single deck of (replaceable) tarot cards. These cards can then be used to communicate with any of member of their suit (hearts, diamonds, spades, or clubs) or of their type (Kings, Sixes, etc). The communication takes the form of concentrating and gazing into the card -- if the other party wishes to respond, the image on the card comes to life and the two people may speak as if they were in each other's physical presence. In addition, each hero may choose ONE other person of their choice from the entire deck with whom they may initiate communication.
Each of the heroes also finds that they know all the abilities of their magic items, each of which has been recharged to full. Damaged items are restored to their pristine state.
There are other, more subtle changes...
Almost no one seems to know what a malenti is. In contrast, although supremely rare, there are at least legends of the idra, changeling ogres, and rumors abound that these creatures survive to the present day. More specific are a few other changes. A few years ago, while on a hunting trip, Anastasia was mauled by a bear and badly concussed. Since she recovered, the event has given her a new perspective on life and she's been a far more happy and positive person. Recently, Amora Dragonrose did NOT turn her back on her party in the Plane of Shadow and remains a loyal champion of Wee Jas to this day. In Greyhawk, the Cathedral of Istus is still controlled by Mirrana the high priestess who never fled Oerth during the Apocalypse. Similarly, though he disappeared for a time, Adam Malachitous has returned to the Foundation in Furyondy. Pope Hazem and the Theocrat Arlinoth have both taken a less strident tone with regard to witches and Queen Fanggrabber of the goblin nation of the Horned Society has proved to be a fine neighbor and trading partner with Furyondy and the Shield Lands. It would seem that plenty of butterflies were disturbed by the heroes' time in the past...
*** == Jason, ping me so we can do her new, divine abilities. For starters, your stat max all go up to 20...
Taarna the Huntress is the Queen of Hearts. It would seem that more than a decade ago, genealogists in the Scarlet Brotherhood publicly recognized her red, dagger-like tattoo and discovered that Taarna was the last of house Taarak. Further investigation revealed that she was also heir to a minor fief on the edge of the Theocracy of the Pale, the barony of Bloodstone. Taarna elected not to contest the fief, given that it had already been ruled by the same family for several centuries. When the Baron of Bloodstone and his daughter were both recently killed by undead and demons in service to a cleric of Orcus, however, rulership of the barony fell to Taarna. Given that she is the last Scion of House Taarak, the Theocracy agreed to grant her the more befitting title of Duchess and offer her any and all aid they could. Though she serves the Viking goddess Sif, Taarna is a recognized ally of the Suloise pantheon, one with the support of both lawful and chaotic factions, making her an ideal buffer state with unruly Ratik. Esmerelda can see in the cards that by order of Lendor, no clergy of the Suel are to act against Taarna in any way and are indeed to help her found and promote a new, vibrant Suloise House for the modern age. This makes the Duchy of Bloodstone a haven from the machinations of the Scarlet Brotherhood and their allies. Further, Taarna has her pick of Suloise clerics to for assistance. Further, Taarna's adoptive son, Martin, is revealed to also be of Suloise descent, making him an excellent heir to his mother's duchy. Though she remembers her time with Bart, the memory is faded, like the chapters of an old book from childhood.
Mikhail the Child of Destiny is the Eight of Diamonds. Since he was a boy, Mikhail has found himself involved with numerous world-shaping events and divinely-inspired webs of intrigue. Before puberty, he was among those that freed the Seed of Chaos which set in motion the events of the Apocalypse. Later, Mikhail was directly involved in gathering some of the Shards of Chaos. In the course of these adventures, Mikhail was pushed into null-time as part of an elaborate plot by Athena and Apollo to save Oerth. Mikhail later returned, saving Rufus' life and was used by the gathered Medegians to wield the Hesper, the Faces, and the Annulus in order to recover the Staff of Law from another reality and restore balance to the world. Doing so briefly made Mikhail a mad god. Later, after the world was saved, Mikhail was again part of Athena's plan to win the Panthiad and was brought to Carceri where the Well of Mnemosyne brought back lost memories of his time dominated by an ullitharid. After these event, the boy recovered and later wielded the Rod of Balance. He helped slay Diablo, gaining a fragment of godhood and allowing him to sense disruptions in reality. Later, Mikhail wielded the Rod of Balance against Necros and absorbed more of the primordial gods' power such that he was no longer bound by mortal rules. Now, having personally rescued his party from being lost in time and having helped save history as he knows it, the Suloise gods have granted Mikhail what he has always wanted, serenity and anonymity. Only his friends remember that Mikhail is the young man who has preformed all these actions. Nothing short of direct intervention from a deity will reveal anything about the young man and all attempts to see his future (or his past) are obscured as if he doesn't exist. This extends not just to precognition, but even to scrying, clairvoyance, retrocognition, and even general divination. Mikhail's is the lone member of the Tarot who is not instantly recognized by his card...
Cymoril the Champion is the Six of Spades. The daughter of Wee Jas is now more than a mortal champion, but a divinely-recognized daughter of the goddess, granted extremely long-life and immunity to conventional death (disease, illness, and the passage of time). She bears a golden tattoo and can demand the support and aid of followers of Wee Jas as well as her divine sisters, Lydia and Osprem. As divine progeny, Cymoril is also protected from harassment or manipulation by the clerical factions of the Scarlet Brotherhood and the Theocracy of the Pale; only those who would turn against their gods would due her harm. Wee Jas asks of her daughter to found a new Suloise House for this new era and become the mother of a new nation. Tar'jar may be one of her mates, though she may choose to marry another if she wishes. Ideally, Cymoril and Tar'jar will help found a new Suloise people who will rebuild their lost heritage. Both can remember the times of old and yet both are bold and self-aware enough of the changes in the present to help protect the Suloise heritage without becoming a slave to it. And, as the daughter of the goddess of magic, Cymoril's powers blossom in unexpected ways...***
Brock the High Priest is the Six of Diamonds. He is the highest ranking priest of Kord as well as a recognized son of the Brawler. Turns out, one of his grandparents on each side was a child of Kord. Brock gains new abilities but also finds that his temple is nearly finished in the wharf district of Greyhawk, across from the Soggy Sailor. Only a few minor details remain before he can welcome his flock. Brock has the right to petition for a seat on Greyhawk's ruling council of oligarchs and he finds that due to a long-lost and obscure ruling from the ascended mortal, Zagig Yragerne, Brock also has a controlling interest in the Arena of Greyhawk as well as rights to the land on which the Ileserian Mystery House stands.
Tar'jar the Godling is the Six of Hearts. After 1300 years, Tar'jar is not only alive, but a living, immortal godling, enjoying all the benefits of being a true demigod. Unfortunately, the man lacks anyone convinced of his divinity, but that might only be a matter of time. Meanwhile, the gifts he inherited from his father are enhanced and he tasked with establishing another Suloise House to help repopulate Oerth.
Tolus the Companion is the Five of Clubs. Just before returning to the present, his body restored to its original form. Now, however, the ranger knows with confidence that any attempt to reincarnate him will not only succeed, but it will always produce the same results -- namely, that Tolus will return to life in a body very much like that he was born into, with only minor, cosmetic differences and even those slight enough to be overlooked by a stranger. Tolus is now poised to achieve heroic deed through a variety of lifetimes.
Esmerelda the Fortune Teller is the Three of Diamonds. The entire suite of adventures into the past was a result of the half-Rhennee witch incorrectly reading her tarot cards. For her entire life, the cards have been her hobby and a crutch for her divination spells, but the Green Witch has had no real talent at reading the future. She has practiced and learned tricks at interpreting prophesies in a positive light, but she has lacked any substantive abilities along these lines. That has now all changed. Esmerelda now enjoys the gift of true prophesy and can see events that will come to pass using her Rhennee tarot, both to cast divination spells and to simply gain a glimpse of events to come.
Each of the heroes may now attune a single deck of (replaceable) tarot cards. These cards can then be used to communicate with any of member of their suit (hearts, diamonds, spades, or clubs) or of their type (Kings, Sixes, etc). The communication takes the form of concentrating and gazing into the card -- if the other party wishes to respond, the image on the card comes to life and the two people may speak as if they were in each other's physical presence. In addition, each hero may choose ONE other person of their choice from the entire deck with whom they may initiate communication.
Each of the heroes also finds that they know all the abilities of their magic items, each of which has been recharged to full. Damaged items are restored to their pristine state.
There are other, more subtle changes...
Almost no one seems to know what a malenti is. In contrast, although supremely rare, there are at least legends of the idra, changeling ogres, and rumors abound that these creatures survive to the present day. More specific are a few other changes. A few years ago, while on a hunting trip, Anastasia was mauled by a bear and badly concussed. Since she recovered, the event has given her a new perspective on life and she's been a far more happy and positive person. Recently, Amora Dragonrose did NOT turn her back on her party in the Plane of Shadow and remains a loyal champion of Wee Jas to this day. In Greyhawk, the Cathedral of Istus is still controlled by Mirrana the high priestess who never fled Oerth during the Apocalypse. Similarly, though he disappeared for a time, Adam Malachitous has returned to the Foundation in Furyondy. Pope Hazem and the Theocrat Arlinoth have both taken a less strident tone with regard to witches and Queen Fanggrabber of the goblin nation of the Horned Society has proved to be a fine neighbor and trading partner with Furyondy and the Shield Lands. It would seem that plenty of butterflies were disturbed by the heroes' time in the past...
*** == Jason, ping me so we can do her new, divine abilities. For starters, your stat max all go up to 20...