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Player DS
Character Name Type
Status/Notes Sex<br>
--
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FH.John Haight.......HY..Arawn.............Druid
.Normal/Al.. Ma<br>
...Kevin
Newark..........Dorhak............Warrior.Normal/Dwarf....Ma<br>
--.Tobie Bonahoom....YY..Fremea............Sidh....Normal/Faerry..
Fe<br>
W3.Mark
Murtha.......HN..Kell..............Trader..Normal/Human....Ma<br>
W2.David Sanders.....HN..Kiet.Sunan........Acrobat
Normal/Human ..Ma<br>
R4.Wout
Broere.......YY..Unali.............Ninja...Normal/Human ..Fe<br>
...Don.Kerr..............Maelorna..........Dancer..Normal/Human....Fe<br>
...Gilbert.Isla..........Mournath..........Sailor..Normal/Human....Ma<br>
R3
Panthera..............Pyandalgor........Hunter..Normal/Human....Ma<br>
R4.Alex
Koponen......YY..Z'leyra...........Healer..Normal/Human ..Fe<br>
Fake-Kell/Raki........Npc...............Normal..Normal/Shaper...??<br>
Z'layha
..............Npc...............Normal..Normal/Shaman...Fe<br>
Animals: Corona [Eagle] Z'leyra<br><br>
Game Web Site -
http:/nrgcomputers.com/pbem/<br>
Public posts/actions to
pnpgm@list.powersandperils.org (mailing list)<br>
Private emails (not public actions) to
pnpgm@comcast.net<br>
<br>
Game Update #135 sequence (file #925)<br>
----------------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>
Admin Notes: None<br>
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[Recap]<br><br>
From Mae: [Re: Actions]<br>
Maelorna continues
to walk away from the screams of pain.Â<br>
Then she can hear
Arawn's proclamation and almost hisses, "A..<br>
GM: Ack. <br><br>
------------------------------------------------------------<br>
[New Stuff]<br><br>
[Febris 9th,
1635TH]<br>
[Time: 5:01
pm]<br><br>
[Just after the
hallway collapses...]<br><br>
Arawn
was indeed deeply bothered by the passing of the<br>
shifters, their
sounds of suffering echoing in his mind long<br>
after the actual
noise had faded to silence. He did not know<br>
their history,
only what he had heard in his visions, did not<br>
know how and if
they had changed. In fact he did not know the<br>
start of the war,
only that representatives of all the known<br>
alignments had
converged to address the danger presented by the<br>
shifters. Well,
nearly all, for he had not witnessed the<br>
presence of
Kototh's court.<br><br>
Were
the shifters a threat introduced by Kototh or a force<br>
tricked or
corrupted by him?<br><br>
Whatever the case they lived as they felt was right and now<br>
they suffered for
it. Morals and ethics coming into conflict<br>
due to alien ways
and it, more often than not, ended in<br>
conflict. Was
there no hope for a better option? Or was this<br>
prison a chance
for their kind, the Key to their freedom<br>
enforced by the
forces of Chaos, but to what end?<br><br>
Unfortunately time and danger presented little opportunity<br>
for the party to
unravel such mysteries, all they could do<br>
was to run, to
survive. And Survival was the one thing they<br>
all had in common
right now - mortal, immortal and shifter<br>
alike.<br><br>
As the
group climbs what seems like endless stairs Unali<br>
comes near Fremea
to ask about the treasure they took earlier.<br><br>
Unali
asks Fremea, "Anything special? Any of these weapons<br>
stand out with
your sense?"<br><br>
But
Fremea shakes her head that nothing from the pile of weapons<br>
seem to have stuck
out. She wishes her and Arawn would've had<br>
more time to
inspect things.<br><br>
<br>
[Earlier before
Challenges start]<br><br>
Kiet
shows concern for Raki, especially as his skin begins to<br>
peel away from the
heat of the lava. But Raki tells him he'll<br>
be fine.<br><br>
Arawn
cast his eye in Raki's direction as Kiet voiced his<br>
concern over the
shifter. The physical damage was one thing,<br>
Raki's powerful
regenerative abilities likely to solve that<br>
problem rather
quickly, but it was the mental, emotional damage<br>
that concerned the
alfar.<br><br>
There
were still questions to be asked, the history shared<br>
within Arawn's
mind still something examine for the sake of<br>
veracity. But,
good or ill, Raki was leaving his people behind<br>
to venture forth
to live in alien world... unless this was an<br>
issue of
sacrifice, sacrifice of a different nature.<br><br>
"How are you doing?," Arawn echoed. "I mean, handling
all<br>
this, your
people... the familiar... your sacrifices and what<br>
you're leaving
behind?"<br><br>
"I only leave those who I associated with." Raki looks
down<br>
at Kell in his
arms and glances at Kiet. "These two have more<br>
friendship than I
ever had with them. I leave little behind.<br>
I hope to make
better friends."<br><br>
<br><br>
[Earlier when Fuk
confronted Raki about the easy path out.]<br><br>
Two
more flights and Fuk speaks up. "This was all too easy.<br>
First we just by
chance end up from the statue area to here.<br>
Then dragged out
by only 4 of those Shifters? Why didn't Zin<br>
call a army to
watch? You'd think he'd want to show his people<br>
escape was
near. We just happen to survive the fight with just<br>
Kell dead.
Why didn't a Shifter just flee to get comrades?"<br><br>
Arawn
has been considering such things from the beginning but<br>
time for a proper
investigation has been limited for obvious<br>
reasons. With Fuk
pushing the questions for Raki to answer<br>
Arawn considers
the reactions closely and murmurs a few words<br>
of prayer for
answers in his mother's language.<br><br>
Raki
turns to Fuk, "My people are not one to have any form<br>
of emotion. You
must understand our brains are not set in<br>
stone like
yours. We can re-shape it at will. It could be<br>
large or
small. Our memories....our skills are inherent to<br>
our cells.
Things your kind may not be aware exist. We are<br>
as inhuman as one
can be. When I first saw Raki tortured and<br>
killed was the
first time I felt the various emotions. Some<br>
believe over time
being around others improve such states of mind.<br>
As to being sad
for the others. Sure. I have...had friends among<br>
my people.
Do I feel bad for them? At this time no. Emotion<br>
is a silly thing
to distract one's goals. Maybe later I shall<br>
explore those
emotions. Do I feel sad they will remain here<br>
for a very long
time? Not really. They decided I was a very<br>
abnormal shifter
and set me in that prison in the prison. Sure<br>
I could've walked
out at any time. But to be shunned and<br>
berated is not
worth the effort. So I resigned myself to<br>
the place I found
original-Kiet. Was this all so easy? I<br>
think we barely
made it out alive. I myself almost came<br>
close what
twice? Several of you got close to death." He<br>
glances at Kell's
body in his arms. "And we lost this one.<br>
Was that too
easy?"<br><br>
Fuk
nods and continues to climb.<br><br>
Arawn
senses the truth. His empathic powers are so distracted<br>
by Raki's being
that detecting any emotion from him is like<br>
figuring out
emotional state of drying paint.<br><br>
Aside
from anything gleaned from Raki's answers to Fuk's<br>
questions
Arawn will also ask as they move, "How did your<br>
people come to war
with the gods? Why were you cast out to<br>
the
fringes?"<br><br>
Raki
shakes his head and sighs, "it was well before Man<br>
became a
infestation in the middle world. Well before the<br>
ancient Sidh even
had any organization. We were free roaming<br>
and stayed clear
of trouble. That early history was ridden<br>
with monsters the
likes of would make Man cower in caves. We<br>
lived and dealt
with them. They were as plentiful as Man is<br>
in the Middle
World now. Millions and millions. The true<br>
event is unknown
or clouded in time. But it seems one day<br>
we killed the
pride of some God's creation. Some beast<br>
ugly to everyone
else but pretty to this god. Some suspect<br>
it was a Chaos or
the snake god's thing. The wrath of the<br>
gods was
swift. They sent thousands of these monsters at<br>
our living
areas. We died in great numbers until we<br>
started to
cooperate and unite. Then Zin who was second<br>
in command then
found a portal to the upper world. Our<br>
armies invaded and
we fooled even the great gods. We could<br>
infiltrate the
courts and take intelligence as well as<br>
divine
lives. It was centuries before the gods united<br>
themselves and
turned on us. Creating great mythic Heroes<br>
and Champions with
magic that would make your magic look<br>
like a card
trick. Then some god...who I have no idea<br>
killed the leader
and Zin took over. The Gods had a way<br>
to send the entire
lot of us here. In a blink of a eye<br>
at the sacrifice
of thousands of these Monsters as energy<br>
they sent us
here. This is why there are far less monsters<br>
in the Middle
Plane now."<br><br>
"What are your plans once we escape from here?" Arawn
asks<br><br>
Raki
stops and considers. "I've been here for so long well<br>
before any of your
ancestors were born. I just want to be<br>
free...like
Mae...like Fremea. After that I would like to<br>
learn as much of
the Middle World as possible. See if I can<br>
fit in there or
should go elsewhere. There are quiet rumors<br>
one or two of us
escaped to the place you call the Lower World.<br>
But I just don't
think it's true.<br><br>
Fuk
stops and watches, "so you have no intention of taking<br>
on the
gods?"<br><br>
Raki
laughs, "one of me against them? It would be
suicide."<br><br>
Fuk
nods, "one last thing. You said all were captured here<br>
but you implied
earlier of the one out there."<br><br>
Raki
nods, "when I touched Arawn's mind. I saw the events<br>
before you were
sent here. The one that attacked Arawn at<br>
the statue reveal
had to be him. He only needed his head and<br>
then to get close
to the Pylon to be transported here and<br>
then free the
others. Zin says that the gods never found<br>
him through some
magic. Some say even a god gave him that<br>
magic."<br><br>
Z'layha looks shocked. "Gods can be killed?"<br><br>
<br><br>
[During and after
Pyan's Challenge]<br><br>
Fuk
asks what is going on.<br><br>
"A test, I believe," Arawn answered. His eyes were
narrowed<br>
as he watched the
scene, searching for some means to allow Pyan<br>
and the party to
bypass the magic if it proved more trap than<br>
test.<br><br>
But
Arawn and Fremea sense no magic on the walls or area.<br>
So how the magic
is being done is unclear. The magic devices<br>
must be well
cloaked.<br><br>
"I think it may be to measure our character. Or to see if we<br>
would choose a
route separate from what a shifter might take."<br><br>
The
first test included the significance of sacrifice of self.<br>
Was this the case
here as well, of choices for the greater good<br>
and the long-term
impact of those decisions? It wasn't going to<br>
be easy - the
village may survive without death, another source<br>
of food found. But
a murderer let go will kill again. Or could<br>
another way be
found, choices existing beyond one or the other,<br>
beyond what seemed
set before the hunter?<br><br>
<br><br>
[Just before Mae's
Challenge ends]<br><br>
Maelorna continues to walk away from the screams of pain.<br>
Then she can hear
Arawn's proclamation and almost hisses, "A<br>
gift?" she
asks incredulously, "You have done nothing more than<br>
remind me that I'm
a mistake and a toy for other's amusement,"<br>
she states through
tears falling down her cheeks, she didn't<br>
care if it was
from anger or sadness.<br><br>
Arawn
whispers as Mae steps through the wall, "ahh I could've<br>
given you the gift
of forgetting the past. But you are stronger<br>
if you recall
it. No. My gift will help you in the Hunger to<br>
come."<br><br>
She
steps through the wall and stops as she looks at Fuk,<br>
"Lust, Greed,
and Desire. The first male who took me, there<br>
was no virginity
to take, as for my bitch of a mother, she<br>
rutted with one of
the Princess's strongest Incubi and<br>
fulfilled her
greed, finally there is Master Gniled, who<br>
desired an exotic
bedroom toy and companion and acquired me<br>
after several
months' as the village males found what I was<br>
capable of,"
she offers flatly and wipes at the tears on her<br>
face.<br><br>
Fuk
nods and realizes Mae must've heard his question even<br>
in her
challenge.<br><br>
Fremea
considers coming toward Mae as they both share a very<br>
similar fate being
a ex slave. But while her plight was<br>
more stealing and
mundane tasks, Mae's was pure torture. She<br>
wonders if she
should even give a hand of sympathy or if Mae<br>
would even like
that.<br><br>
It was
hard not to notice Mae's struggle and Arawn paid<br>
attention to her
struggle even as he focused on the path ahead.<br>
When Fuk leaned in
to whisper his concerns Arawn replied in<br>
kind.<br><br>
"No, she's fine. Just struggling with something deeply<br>
rooted in her
nature. We can help her when we can, most likely<br>
by not adding
extra stress on to her shoulders for the time<br>
being. And further
answers she may share when our current<br>
predicament has
passed."<br><br>
<br>
[Presently...]<br><br>
The
party ascends for what seems like hours.<br><br>
Arawn
couldn't help but wonder what the consequences would be<br>
to his sacrifice
even as he eyed his own image being projected.<br>
Diminished or
blessed, his face and lineage would now linger for<br>
the shifters and
any future travelers to witness. Would this come<br>
back to haunt him
some day, his image and name burnt into the<br>
minds of the
shifters? Or would some aspect of his own nature<br>
come to address
and counsel those here, hopefully altering the<br>
future for the
better, however far forward this might be?<br>
<br>
Arawn
wonders if the group was a Chosen one with Chaos ties?<br>
Would the
projection forever be tainted to torment the shifters<br>
to prolong the
Chaos doctrine?<br><br>
Z'layha comments again on entering the fortress, "I hope<br>
they will not just
slay you guys for being in the fort. It<br>
will be a delicate
situation."<br><br>
"We'll deal with that when we come to it. First things<br>
first - surviving
long enough to reach there," Arawn answered.<br>
"And we
should remember, the Moss Fortress was built on top of<br>
this place for a
reason, likely the hands of the gods<br>
themselves
allowing mortals to do so for some great purpose."<br><br>
"But if you have thoughts to share on how to deal with the<br>
issues we might
encounter in the Moss Fortress, please speak<br>
up."<br><br>
Z'layha shrugs, "depends on how and where we end up. At
what<br>
level. Some
are restricted access." She sighs. "But to think<br>
we fed
these..." She glances to Raki. "No
offense." Raki<br>
shrugs as if none
taken. "For a very long time. ON some whim<br>
that we were
giving tribute. I guess the gods felt they needed<br>
food and
drink?"<br><br>
Raki
nods, "we can live without such for a long time. But<br>
we still need
nutrients and such."<br><br>
<br>
Actions?
Comments??<br><br>
Next
Update....Wednesday...<br><br>
GM: A short catch
up update with a post from Mae and emails<br>
from Arawn to fill in gaps. So this is a special update<br>
release. I think I have Arawn's challenge results in email<br>
so will see if its final. If so will post it Wednesday<br>
and if so we could move on by Saturday's update.<br><br>
GM:
Challenges<br><br>
Player
Sent Progress<br>
Dorhak * Done Completed<br>
Fremea * Done Completed<br>
Kiet * Done
Completed<br>
Unali * Done
Completed<br>
Pyan * Done
Completed<br>
Z'leyra * Done Completed<br>
Mae * Done
Completed<br><br>
Z'layha Next Next
update<br>
Kell
Next Will type up next update<br>
Mournath Next Next update<br>
Raki
Next Next update<br>
Arawn Sent
Awaiting response<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
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