D&D II Act One Scene IV(a) - The Dead in Osinzir

OldGoat

Fourier wrote: »

The Cello and the others play a song of victory and the anthem of the North and East winds, in the Zassanite manner.

Subtle Orcish undertones weave their way through the music, heavy notes of conflict.

"North East eh? Alright, I'll take the stage and we'll have some a music-off."
Mags goes through the door and onto the stage where he sets himself up to play on his armour.
"Follow this if you can..."
He starts to run through the drumming rudiments, tapping the patterns on his thighs and shoulders with his light hammers.

Banjo

Fourier wrote: »

"Processed his application eight hundred years ago, that's about it. He used to rule a kingdom to the East of Osinzir, but died fighting them when they expanded. He knew their tactics as he had been a general with them in his youth."

Ooc : any further info available if I activate my powers of history / arcana?

"If you're talking about pretty boy, I know him well, who do you think comes grinning with the empty application forms.

What's his bloody job anyway, natural processes take care of death anyway and the dead are drawn here, he what? 'Guides them here', pffft just speeds things up a little, so what if they wander as ghosts for a decade or nine, I'll get them in the end"

She shrugs sheepishly. "Yeah, that's him. I guess if I could offload all the finer points of my work on someone else I'd have time for all that brushing and conditioning... I mean hair like that doesn't happen by accident, all the upkeep is a full time job for the best of us at the absolute best of times. Hey - I wasn't ways this way, I used to know! Yeah, I'll bet being able to push this ****work on you has opened up a world of follicle fecundity that mere mortals can only dream of. And I mean, take away the hair and what is he? Some undying deadbeat with chiselled cheekbones, eyes like a mountain spring on a crisp spring day, those teeth.... Sorry, what were we talking about?

Yeah... A decade..."
She looks at the piles of paper disappearing off towards non-euclidean horizons.
"...and the rest..."

"Okay, well the booster is your immortality, but I'm thinking of upgrading it"

"Hot damn! There's a level above immortality? Sweet Aurashnee's Overtures! Yeah
Wait, it's not 'undying clerk of the dead' is it? You're not planning on ditching me here and pissing off to pursue your dream of cultivating artisan minotaur cheese are you?"

Fourier

OldGoat wrote: »

"North East eh? Alright, I'll take the stage and we'll have some a music-off."
Mags goes through the door and onto the stage where he sets himself up to play on his armour.
"Follow this if you can..."
He starts to run through the drumming rudiments, tapping the patterns on his thighs and shoulders with his light hammers.

OOC: Charisma check with performance proficiency, i.e +2

OldGoat

Fourier wrote: »

OOC: Charisma check with performance proficiency, i.e +2

OOC:Crithit. Nat 20 +5
Autographs backstage in the Greenroom

Fourier

OldGoat wrote: »

OOC:Crithit. Nat 20 +5
Autographs backstage in the Greenroom

The instruments attempt to follow Mag's tune initially, but suddenly he begins playing on a different level, the music of the spheres radiating from armour. the instruments stop their cacophony, they are in the presence of a greater artist now and stand back to appreciate it.

With that, a portal, glowing white with strange sounds emanating from it, opens. The sounds are as those of a guitar but with a strange metallic edge.

OldGoat

Fourier wrote: »

The instruments attempt to follow Mag's tune initially, but suddenly he begins playing on a different level, the music of the spheres radiating from armour. the instruments stop their cacophony, they are in the presence of a greater artist now and stand back to appreciate it.

With that, a portal, glowing white with strange sounds emanating from it, opens. The sounds are as those of a guitar but with a strange metallic edge.

Mags bows from the stage after his performance.
"Awww yous guys are great. I love playing here. Helloooo ... (Checks name written on arm)... Holy music Temple! Merch in the foyer. Also, come play at the Woodshock festival for me."
At that point he notices the portal as being a portal rather than some elaborate stage lighting effect.
"Hang on, I'm getting a call. I gotta go now, a portal waits. I'll be back to chat about the race and the bonus and things."
Ever mercurial and with the curiosity of an innocent Mags waves to the crowd and walks into the portal.

Fourier

OldGoat wrote: »

Mags bows from the stage after his performance.
"Awww yous guys are great. I love playing here. Helloooo ... (Checks name written on arm)... Holy music Temple! Merch in the foyer. Also, come play at the Woodshock festival for me."
At that point he notices the portal as being a portal rather than some elaborate stage lighting effect.
"Hang on, I'm getting a call. I gotta go now, a portal waits. I'll be back to chat about the race and the bonus and things."
Ever mercurial and with the curiosity of an innocent Mags waves to the crowd and walks into the portal.

As he enters the gateway his mind expands to take in the world around him, for Mags himself is no longer made of crude matter, but music, a vibration in the music of the spheres himself.

Then the god of music appears before him, composed not of crude matter but most righteous and triumphant chords

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQE1Q1NILfQ

"Behold dude, take this axe, for I have crafted in myself to be most excellent and resplendent."

Mags is returned to the physical world with his axe of great power.



OOC: The axe allows one of Mag's spells to be cast with one and a half times normal damage

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

Ooc : any further info available if I activate my powers of history / arcana?

Retula recalls that this was around the time of the last dwarf-elven war, when many human kingdoms expanded in the vacuum of power left behind by the absence of dwarf or elven cities.

Banjo wrote: »

"Hot damn! There's a level above immortality? Sweet Aurashnee's Overtures! Yeah
Wait, it's not 'undying clerk of the dead' is it? You're not planning on ditching me here and pissing off to pursue your dream of cultivating artisan minotaur cheese are you?"

"Again, it'll only work here, but...."

He leads her through multiple corridors into a cave through which flows a river. Downstream Retula can see the river splits into over hundred streams which flow through a space like void with floating islands within it.

"Behold, the multiple afterlives of Osinzir, I will do what I have done to only two before..."

He takes a cup of water from the stream, douses her over the head and touches Retula on the shoulder.

"...you're like me now"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3Aq_Yd1Hj4

OOC: In Osinzir, Retula can write afterlife contracts, binding the ghosts of those she has killed to her service

Banjo

That... That is a lot of afterlives. I mean I knew there were a lot but it's just, like, a number and stuff? When you see it....."

As the water cascades from her smooth bonce, Retula looks askance at the Oni.

"'i don't mean to sound ungrateful' is something ungrateful people say. And I am gateful. But aren't you just digging your hole a little deeper if I'm out there moving souls around? Tell you what, you got a pamphlet that explains all the different islanda down there, I promise I'll try to only take fresh ones and send them to the right place when I'm done with 'em? You chip away at the bottom, I'll try to chip away at the top?

Hey, who are the other two?"

Retula prepares to take her leave and, if the light allows, head south to Zhulugal

OldGoat

Mags feels himself go a little weak at the knees as he caresses his new axe and he acknowledges the God of Music reverently with a thumbs up and adds him to the VIP list for the festival.

To the axe he whispers "You shall be called 'Joepaz'* and you shall drink the blood of our enemies, or whoever."
He tucks Joepaz into the bindings of his backpack and turns back to the instruments.
"Thank you all for this. We should jam sometime again. Now, am I right in thinking that this race booster thingy is won by playing on stage or did I miss something?"


*If you only ever listen to one jazz guitar player then make it Joe Pass.

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

Hey, who are the other two?"

He sighs.

"One was supposed to be my assistant, another Oni, unfortunately a major shift in the belief system four hundred years ago got rid of that.

The other was a long long time ago, over a thousand years ago, she was a mage, the less about that the better."

Hearing Retula's plan he finally say

"I'm sure whatever you do will help, I've got a good feeling about this.
Good luck my friend."

Banjo wrote: »

Retula prepares to take her leave and, if the light allows, head south to Zhulugal

Only an two hours later she arrive in Zhulugal, the village is built into and expands out of an old looking Ziggurat, which is kept in incredible condition, its sky blue faces shining bright in the jungle sun. The top of the Ziggurat depict a laughing female figure clad in leaves.

The path Retula took leads straight into the market.

Fourier

OldGoat wrote: »

Mags feels himself go a little weak at the knees as he caresses his new axe and he acknowledges the God of Music reverently with a thumbs up and adds him to the VIP list for the festival.

To the axe he whispers "You shall be called 'Joepaz'* and you shall drink the blood of our enemies, or whoever."
He tucks Joepaz into the bindings of his backpack and turns back to the instruments.
"Thank you all for this. We should jam sometime again. Now, am I right in thinking that this race booster thingy is won by playing on stage or did I miss something?"


*If you only ever listen to one jazz guitar player then make it Joe Pass.

The instruments converse with Joepaz for a while, among their society he is obviously a bit of a celebrity.

Then they play a song of praise and give Mags a hug as best as instruments can.

Banjo

Fourier wrote: »

He

Only an two hours later she arrive in Zhulugal, the village is built into and expands out of an old looking Ziggurat, which is kept in incredible condition, its sky blue faces shining bright in the jungle sun. The top of the Ziggurat depict a laughing female figure clad in leaves.

The path Retula took leads straight into the market.

"Okay guys, you know the drill. Eyes and ears. Hetyaro, snap me some memories of the face of chuckles up there, I'll see if she's familiar. Then get me a flyby of the market for layout"
Retula wanders around with her traveling zoo, looking for stalls of interest to ooh and aah over.

OldGoat

Mags heads back to the portal near the fields of berries, waving to the 'saur owner as he passes. He uses 'Magehand' to snag a fistfull of berries that he eats with relish.
At the portal he plays a short piece of music on the flute that in his mind is "Retulas Song" and hopes that wherever the portal takes him it will be near to her.

Fourier

As Mags steps through the gate he feels a change come over him, a final gift from the music god.

Retula notices a bright light appear behind her and a stream of music suddenly rush through the air, pipe music, flute, percussion, near anything.

The light comes from a glowing sphere vibrating with song.

Out steps Mags with a strange instrument around his shoulder. His hair transformed closer to the typical Orkish style, the Mohawk, though of brighter colours. The instrument crackles slightly with lightning.

"Hey shadow dude" the instrument says to Retula, a touch of heavy chords following it.

OldGoat

Fourier wrote: »

As Mags steps through the gate he feels a change come over him, a final gift from the music god.

Retula notices a bright light appear behind her and a stream of music suddenly rush through the air, pipe music, flute, percussion, near anything.

The light comes from a glowing sphere vibrating with song.

Out steps Mags with a strange instrument around his shoulder. His hair transformed closer to the typical Orkish style, the Mohawk, though of brighter colours. The instrument crackles slightly with lightning.

"Hey shadow dude" the instrument says to Retula, a touch of heavy chords following it.

OOC:

Banjo

"who are you calling dude, harpsichord? Hey drummer-boy. You look.... Different. Retula preserve us, I may have to start using your real name. Oh yeah, I'm some kind of keeper of the dead now, so remember to be respectful and bow an' ****? If the boss finds out she'll kill me. Again and again. But needs must, y'know?"

OldGoat

Banjo wrote: »

"who are you calling dude, harpsichord? Hey drummer-boy. You look.... Different. Retula preserve us, I may have to start using your real name. Oh yeah, I'm some kind of keeper of the dead now, so remember to be respectful and bow an' ****? If the boss finds out she'll kill me. Again and again. But needs must, y'know?"

Mags brushes his new hairdo.
"Ya don't think it makes me look a bit camp?
This is my new instrument axe, it's called Joepaz. Apparently it talks which is news to me.
Wait till you hear what happened to me. I met a bunch of people and dinosaurs. I fell in with a radical orchestra of sentient instruments, I was a vibration for a while and I got to meet with a freaking MusicGod!
Oh and I found out that the Temple of Music is a treehouse and that,you just have to play well onstage to get the race booster powerup magic bean thing, I think.
Right, whats left on the list?

The Honey Pagoda (in Zhulugal)
The Light Lake house (0207)
The Arch of old Osinzir (0707)
The Kingdoms beyond Gate
Merculin's Townhouse (In Osinzir)
Temple of the Music God (in Zhusarrum)

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

"Okay guys, you know the drill. Eyes and ears. Hetyaro, snap me some memories of the face of chuckles up there, I'll see if she's familiar. Then get me a flyby of the market for layout"
Retula wanders around with her traveling zoo, looking for stalls of interest to ooh and aah over.

Hetyaro lands back, having picked up conversation from the locals, the woman was an old queen of the region from over a thousand years back. This place was once the capital of a separate nation before being conquered and even still not all of the people speak Osinzite.

The market is basically two North-South streets cut by two East-West ones. Apparently the Honey Pagoda lies around the other side of the Ziggurat.

Banjo

"what, you didn't think you looked camp before?" She replies. "So we have a magic talking panther, I'm an immortal ghost binder, you're a magic guitarist, this day just keeps getting better. Ears and eyes open for the pagoda."

Retula looks for ink, a quill (or a bic if that's an option) and a suitably gothy noteboik to be her osinziri Deathtome

OldGoat

Mags looks around in all directions for a pagoda.
"Pagoda, pagoda, pagoda...it must be here somewhere..."
As he is turning and scanning he very quietly asks his axe what a pagoda is.

Fourier

OldGoat wrote: »

Mags looks around in all directions for a pagoda.
"Pagoda, pagoda, pagoda...it must be here somewhere..."
As he is turning and scanning he very quietly asks his axe what a pagoda is.

"Layered building, I was there once before, when the big Music dude in the sky made one of his physical tours."

Mags is told to head around the base of the Ziggurat by a kindly stall owner, who tries to push some fried mini-dino shish kebab on him.

OldGoat

Fourier wrote: »

"Layered building, I was there once before, when the big Music dude in the sky made one of his physical tours."

Mags is told to head around the base of the Ziggurat by a kindly stall owner, who tries to push some fried mini-dino shish kebab on him.

"Euh! I have 'saur frends and you expect me to eat this? I'll not let it past my lips, at least not without a sprinkling of lime juice and perhaps some pickled vegetables."
Mags takes the proffered food, pays for it and wanders happily in the indicated direction munching on the Kababosaur.
"Now then, ziggurat, ziggurat, ziggu...Joepaz, djuknow what a ziggurat is?".

As he plays the role of clueless tourist Mags watchs the crowds, notes merchants of interest and any likely venues where bards might gather to pass news.

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

"what, you didn't think you looked camp before?" She replies. "So we have a magic talking panther, I'm an immortal ghost binder, you're a magic guitarist, this day just keeps getting better. Ears and eyes open for the pagoda."

Retula looks for ink, a quill (or a bic if that's an option) and a suitably gothy noteboik to be her osinziri Deathtome

The ink and quill are easy enough to find for the standard prices in the Market place from a scribal stand.

For a well constructed notebook, she is directed to the scribal guild on the Ziggurat's Northern face.

Banjo

Ooc : forgive me, I don't have the standard market prices to hand. Sconto?

Retula begs her leave of Mags "yeah, I know it's unnecessary, but if I kick off another murder spree this could pay off HUUUUUUUGE and I kinda wanna do it classy!"

She scales the zig, familiar dismissed, raven running point.

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

Ooc : forgive me, I don't have the standard market prices to hand. Sconto?

OOC: 11GP

Banjo wrote: »

Retula begs her leave of Mags "yeah, I know it's unnecessary, but if I kick off another murder spree this could pay off HUUUUUUUGE and I kinda wanna do it classy!"

She scales the zig, familiar dismissed, raven running point.

The locals look at Retula scaling the Ziggurat and begin to shout at her. Some roaring quite aggressively.

Banjo

Ooc : have I misunderstood what you meant by north face?

"What? Have I misunderstood what you meant by north face?" She calls down.

Ooc : oh, she thinks so too

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

Ooc : have I misunderstood what you meant by north face?

"What? Have I misunderstood what you meant by north face?" She calls down.

Ooc : oh, she thinks so too

OOC: No you have it right

The man in the stall shouts up.

"Ignore them, just head on!"

Banjo

She shrugs and heads on. If anyone is particularly mouthy she makes a mental note of their face and general location, as well as those of the stall owner.
Hetyaro still on point looking for potential issues up ahead.

Fourier

Banjo wrote: »

She shrugs and heads on. If anyone is particularly mouthy she makes a mental note of their face and general location, as well as those of the stall owner.
Hetyaro still on point looking for potential issues up ahead.

She reaches the scribal guild's entrance, half way up the Northern Face. There is no door as such, just and open corridor into the Ziggurat, with a bunch of people seating and writing.

Retula then notices her hand turning a dark inky black.