Post by wanderingmagus on Jan 31, 2014 18:32:05 GMT
Sign-Up: innofwanderers.freeforums.net/thread/59/when-darkness-falls-sign
OOC: innofwanderers.freeforums.net/thread/68/when-darkness-falls-ooc
Assistant GMs: Silver Snake, Rundo
Theme: Adventure
One sentence summary: "Infiltrate the forgotten city and adventure, try not to get 'defeated', and stop the demon army with Celly's help."
Summary story:
Long story:
Starting tools:
Legendary Armor: defense against Legendary Damage
Communication device, indestructible, unlootable, allows sight/smell/sound/taste/touch/etc with team-mates.
A copy of the Records of Nameless, ask in OOC when consulting or feel free to make up descriptions.
Any personal items you think will be useful.
Note: All environments and creatures within Pandemonium are Immune to non-Legendary Damage types and deal Legendary Damage themselves, which bypasses normal defenses and armors. They are susceptible to Debuffs, Roots, Mesmerize, and other such non-Damage effects, however.
*****
Links:
See OOC or Sign-Up pages
*****
**Scene: The Castle of Canterlot, where the adventurers and gods are gathered**
The arguments raged back and forth between the three groups. Yang Shi, the goat-headed draconequus from the East, wanted to know more about the long-lost Prince before making what he considered unnecessary sacrifices. Med-we-kan-ka-tonk-a disapproved of the entire scenario; the buffalo-headed, eagle-winged draconequus advised weathering the storm, as his followers have always done. The zebra-alicorns from the South, as expected, refused to come at all, and in any case were mostly secure in their desert homeland.
Yet in any case, in the end Anelkisteras convinced all of them to agree to at least send in scouting parties and these brave adventurers. The Royal Sisters and the newly-redeemed Draconequus offered Their old Legendary Weapons to the adventurers to help in their travels, and the Council was disbanded.
-----
**Scene: the Gates of Pandemonium**
The door into the mountains was almost as tall as an Ursa Major, and was wondrously and terrifyingly beautiful in its construction. It seemed carved from the very mountain itself, which was indeed quite possible. Some ancient spell kept it silent on its hinges when the Princesses had spoken the pass-word, and the interior carvings still glowed with an eldritch light.
Of course, all this was irrelevant to the long, dark journey ahead. A few buffalo and goats and ponies were going to and fro at the entrance setting up a retreat station, and some were bringing in supplies. A few scouting parties had already been sent into the Depths, and at least most of those had sent back messengers, though a few were missing and some of the messages were rather terrifying in the descriptions they gave of the deeper sections:
Dragons and strange, burrowing creatures with skin like stone had taken residence in the ancient ruins. A few new creatures had come up from below as well, though a few were more or less "normal" creatures, meaning that they attacked only if provoked or hungry and were not altogether too dangerous to those who kept their cool.
There were active reptiles with ridges of sharp horn spiraling all the way around their bodies which the scouts called Toves; they excreted a caustic slime that helped them bore through the solid stone. They seemed to feed chiefly on the soft, porous fungus that thrived in the warm, moist regions of the ruins. Naturally, they sought out places where these fungi were most concentrated, and were seen practically swarming about certain structures that could have been clocks or sundials at one point long ago. There were also carnivorous, bipedal bird-like creatures without wings, with shovel-like beaks the scouts took to calling called Borogroves; they hunted in packs and were best avoided. A few omnivorous albino mammals with long hind legs and horns, affectionately called Raths because of their comically serious-looking expression, prowled here and there, bellowing their strange cry every now and then.
Then there were the more dangerous creatures, at least the ones that were given names. There was a flying creature, probably blind, that kept giving out a desperate-sounding "JUB JUB JUB JUB" sound whenever it moved for echolocation; it attacked ferociously and was only kept at bay with much difficulty. It plagued the large, cavernous chambers and preferred swooping in from above. Scouts called it the Jubjub bird, and warned that it was no easy fight keeping it away; whether it could be even defeated was another matter entirely. Then there were the swift, furious monster called the Bandersnatch; it had an extendable neck that it used to strike over a surprisingly long distance, and seemed always to go for the leader of any defending group first.
Occasionally, there were terrified rumors of even worse creatures in the Depths, and the worst place by far were the Foundations of Stone, where there were creatures so horrifying that the scouts didn't even bother giving them names; one would know as soon as one saw one.
Such were the reports from within the ruins of Pandemonium. Nobody had found the Protectorate just yet, but it was suspected that it lay somewhere in the Foundations of Stone, and that the Nameless Creatures might be the accursed slaves of the Prince. Such were just rumors and speculation, though.
The stone doors stood wide, and the daylight filtered through the dust of the entrance-hall. Many, many steps descended into the shadows below, though the hall was lit with glowing crystal lanterns.
OOC: innofwanderers.freeforums.net/thread/68/when-darkness-falls-ooc
Assistant GMs: Silver Snake, Rundo
Theme: Adventure
One sentence summary: "Infiltrate the forgotten city and adventure, try not to get 'defeated', and stop the demon army with Celly's help."
Summary story:
There were a lot more Alicorns and Draconequui back in the day, but their civilization fell to corruption despite their power and knowledge, ultimately being destroyed when a mysterious creature called Sam-Uzu (aka Smooze) wiped out their civilization, leaving only a few survivors, including Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Discord, as well as a mysterious Prince. Now, however, relics and items are being discovered such as the Alicorn Amulet dating back to that time, and a portal has been discovered holding an ancient army of these Antedeluvian monsters and threatening to open at any time. At the same time, news of a protectorate ruled by an insane Prince in the long-forgotten city of Pandaemonium has reached Equestria, worrying those in authority still further. As Discord is cured of his madness and volunteers to help the Three Princesses keep back the hordes, you and your friends/partners are assigned or volunteered to help unearth and enter the long-buried ruins of the city of Pandemonium in order to find a way to stop the corrupted alicorns and draconequui, and their chaos, from escaping. You should also look into this "Protectorate" and the mad Prince, and see if you can do something about it before he tries doing something he'll really, really regret. You get special tools and can find new tools as you adventure. There's also "stations" to trade in or fix old tools.
Long story:
"Long ago, long before the continents were divided, or the mountains raised, Ponykind was a great and powerful civilization. In those times, there were no pegasi, or unicorns, or earth ponies, but only alicorns, and draconequi. Yes, thousands, millions, billions of them, each godlike in power. Their cities reached to the heavens, their wisdom surpassed that of any alive today save the Sisters.
"They grew proud. These gods were not content with what power their Parents, the All-Makers, blessed them with. They wanted more. They wanted everything.
"In those days, child, they went whithersoever they pleased, to the farthest star and back. They were powerful, and cruel. Simple art and philosophy no longer satisfied their thirst; they delved into dark arts, terrible arts. Do you wonder at the cruelty of the Alicorn Amulet? Or at the wretchedness of the Diamond Dogs and their ancestors, the Grundles? That was not by chance. In their pride, these gods of old grew proud. They sought to supplant the All-Makers, to bring their evil to all the universe and beyond.
"Such could not stand forever.
"The first sound was a roar unlike anything you or I could ever hope to imagine. A roar that tore at the very fabric of reality. They say it was as if the very sky were rolled back like a scroll, as though the stars were blotted out one by one. In a single day and night, it is said, all the majesty, the power, the glory, the wisdom of those days, all the cruelty and malice, was swept away by a living flood- Sam-Uzu, the God-Bane. In latter days when those of lesser races grew up to fill the void left behind by the deluge, this creature of destruction would be called the Smooze, and became a foal's tale to laugh and jest at. It was not at that time.
"But the All-Makers were merciful. A few were spared the destruction. Among them were three Sisters, one Brother, and a Prince.
"Yes, my child. The very Sisters that rule us today were among the sole survivors of that great calamity. And with them was a fair and beautiful spirit of creativity and invention, of newness and innovation: Anelkisteras was his name. He was a Draconequus, young and bold and wise, though cunning and mischievous. There was also a great Prince who once ruled over a vast domain in the time before the Deluge.
"But in the hearts of those that come from such a past ever lay a seed of the malice of that time...
"The first to fall was Anelkisteras the Fair. Even as he helped to rebuild and repopulate the devestated world, his jests became crueler, his tricks ever more malicious. Soon he abandoned all civility altogether, and made war upon the Sisters, saying: "The world has ended, and this world is ours to control. Yet what is life without a bit of Chaos?"
"And they cursed him, and called him Discord, for that was what he brought everywhere he went. Soon, Luna Herself fell to jealousy, and Cadance to infatuation. The Prince fell to a madness akin to that of Discord, and went far into the North to the lost city of Pandemonium with his servants, with the intent of unearthing and ruling over the ruins as a god. But not all was lost. The Elements of Harmony were forged in the Fires of Friendship, and our ancestors helped Celestia to banish all three of Her Siblings and seal the Prince deep within the lost city. In time, Each Sibling,, as you know, were cured of Their madness. Anelkisteras was the most recent to be cured by the Element of Kindness, though he keeps the name of Discord.
"Yet with the curing of Their minds came the trouble you discovered. A gateway was found, an ancient holding cell. Tartarus it was called in ages past, but even now the seals are breaking. Soon it shall break completely, and not even Cerberus will be able to hold back the demons within, the ones who called themselves gods, the ones who sought to supplant the All-Makers. At the same time, rumor came of the mad Prince, now even farther from the grips of reality, leading an army of ponies empowered by the dark power of the city he found, seeking to break free of the darkness and take over all the land.
"Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Discord will hold back Their fellows as long as They can, along with the Elements of Harmony and the Crystal Heart. Your task is to find a way in the deadly city of Pandemonium to stop the door from opening, or if that is impossible, to stop the hordes that come out, and to stop the mad Prince. It will not be easy. Who knows what Nameless things dwell in the darkness, long bereft of the light of the world, gnawing themselves in the shadows and growing in strange ways. You will come to the uttermost Foundations of Stone and face terrors beyond your worst nightmares, but you will prevail.
"Take these swords and spears and bows. They were forged by Their Majesties and borne by Them before the Deluge. No other weapon will suffice in the Depths. As you go, you may find ever stronger Legendary Weapons of Ages past. I suggest that you use them as best as you can. We have already sent scouting parties before you into the Depths. They will do what they can to assist you.
Good luck.
"They grew proud. These gods were not content with what power their Parents, the All-Makers, blessed them with. They wanted more. They wanted everything.
"In those days, child, they went whithersoever they pleased, to the farthest star and back. They were powerful, and cruel. Simple art and philosophy no longer satisfied their thirst; they delved into dark arts, terrible arts. Do you wonder at the cruelty of the Alicorn Amulet? Or at the wretchedness of the Diamond Dogs and their ancestors, the Grundles? That was not by chance. In their pride, these gods of old grew proud. They sought to supplant the All-Makers, to bring their evil to all the universe and beyond.
"Such could not stand forever.
"The first sound was a roar unlike anything you or I could ever hope to imagine. A roar that tore at the very fabric of reality. They say it was as if the very sky were rolled back like a scroll, as though the stars were blotted out one by one. In a single day and night, it is said, all the majesty, the power, the glory, the wisdom of those days, all the cruelty and malice, was swept away by a living flood- Sam-Uzu, the God-Bane. In latter days when those of lesser races grew up to fill the void left behind by the deluge, this creature of destruction would be called the Smooze, and became a foal's tale to laugh and jest at. It was not at that time.
"But the All-Makers were merciful. A few were spared the destruction. Among them were three Sisters, one Brother, and a Prince.
"Yes, my child. The very Sisters that rule us today were among the sole survivors of that great calamity. And with them was a fair and beautiful spirit of creativity and invention, of newness and innovation: Anelkisteras was his name. He was a Draconequus, young and bold and wise, though cunning and mischievous. There was also a great Prince who once ruled over a vast domain in the time before the Deluge.
"But in the hearts of those that come from such a past ever lay a seed of the malice of that time...
"The first to fall was Anelkisteras the Fair. Even as he helped to rebuild and repopulate the devestated world, his jests became crueler, his tricks ever more malicious. Soon he abandoned all civility altogether, and made war upon the Sisters, saying: "The world has ended, and this world is ours to control. Yet what is life without a bit of Chaos?"
"And they cursed him, and called him Discord, for that was what he brought everywhere he went. Soon, Luna Herself fell to jealousy, and Cadance to infatuation. The Prince fell to a madness akin to that of Discord, and went far into the North to the lost city of Pandemonium with his servants, with the intent of unearthing and ruling over the ruins as a god. But not all was lost. The Elements of Harmony were forged in the Fires of Friendship, and our ancestors helped Celestia to banish all three of Her Siblings and seal the Prince deep within the lost city. In time, Each Sibling,, as you know, were cured of Their madness. Anelkisteras was the most recent to be cured by the Element of Kindness, though he keeps the name of Discord.
"Yet with the curing of Their minds came the trouble you discovered. A gateway was found, an ancient holding cell. Tartarus it was called in ages past, but even now the seals are breaking. Soon it shall break completely, and not even Cerberus will be able to hold back the demons within, the ones who called themselves gods, the ones who sought to supplant the All-Makers. At the same time, rumor came of the mad Prince, now even farther from the grips of reality, leading an army of ponies empowered by the dark power of the city he found, seeking to break free of the darkness and take over all the land.
"Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Discord will hold back Their fellows as long as They can, along with the Elements of Harmony and the Crystal Heart. Your task is to find a way in the deadly city of Pandemonium to stop the door from opening, or if that is impossible, to stop the hordes that come out, and to stop the mad Prince. It will not be easy. Who knows what Nameless things dwell in the darkness, long bereft of the light of the world, gnawing themselves in the shadows and growing in strange ways. You will come to the uttermost Foundations of Stone and face terrors beyond your worst nightmares, but you will prevail.
"Take these swords and spears and bows. They were forged by Their Majesties and borne by Them before the Deluge. No other weapon will suffice in the Depths. As you go, you may find ever stronger Legendary Weapons of Ages past. I suggest that you use them as best as you can. We have already sent scouting parties before you into the Depths. They will do what they can to assist you.
Good luck.
Starting tools:
Legendary Armor: defense against Legendary Damage
Legendary Bow: infinite Legendary Damage arrows, up to 3 shot at a time.
Legendary Staff: changes spell and summon/pet damage to Legendary
Legendary Spear: mid-range Legendary Damage
Legendary Hammer: short-range Legendary Damage
Legendary Sword: mid-range Legendary Damage
Legendary Claws: very short-range Legendary Damage
Legendary Staff: changes spell and summon/pet damage to Legendary
Legendary Spear: mid-range Legendary Damage
Legendary Hammer: short-range Legendary Damage
Legendary Sword: mid-range Legendary Damage
Legendary Claws: very short-range Legendary Damage
Communication device, indestructible, unlootable, allows sight/smell/sound/taste/touch/etc with team-mates.
A copy of the Records of Nameless, ask in OOC when consulting or feel free to make up descriptions.
Any personal items you think will be useful.
Note: All environments and creatures within Pandemonium are Immune to non-Legendary Damage types and deal Legendary Damage themselves, which bypasses normal defenses and armors. They are susceptible to Debuffs, Roots, Mesmerize, and other such non-Damage effects, however.
*****
Links:
See OOC or Sign-Up pages
*****
**Scene: The Castle of Canterlot, where the adventurers and gods are gathered**
The arguments raged back and forth between the three groups. Yang Shi, the goat-headed draconequus from the East, wanted to know more about the long-lost Prince before making what he considered unnecessary sacrifices. Med-we-kan-ka-tonk-a disapproved of the entire scenario; the buffalo-headed, eagle-winged draconequus advised weathering the storm, as his followers have always done. The zebra-alicorns from the South, as expected, refused to come at all, and in any case were mostly secure in their desert homeland.
Yet in any case, in the end Anelkisteras convinced all of them to agree to at least send in scouting parties and these brave adventurers. The Royal Sisters and the newly-redeemed Draconequus offered Their old Legendary Weapons to the adventurers to help in their travels, and the Council was disbanded.
-----
**Scene: the Gates of Pandemonium**
The door into the mountains was almost as tall as an Ursa Major, and was wondrously and terrifyingly beautiful in its construction. It seemed carved from the very mountain itself, which was indeed quite possible. Some ancient spell kept it silent on its hinges when the Princesses had spoken the pass-word, and the interior carvings still glowed with an eldritch light.
Of course, all this was irrelevant to the long, dark journey ahead. A few buffalo and goats and ponies were going to and fro at the entrance setting up a retreat station, and some were bringing in supplies. A few scouting parties had already been sent into the Depths, and at least most of those had sent back messengers, though a few were missing and some of the messages were rather terrifying in the descriptions they gave of the deeper sections:
Dragons and strange, burrowing creatures with skin like stone had taken residence in the ancient ruins. A few new creatures had come up from below as well, though a few were more or less "normal" creatures, meaning that they attacked only if provoked or hungry and were not altogether too dangerous to those who kept their cool.
There were active reptiles with ridges of sharp horn spiraling all the way around their bodies which the scouts called Toves; they excreted a caustic slime that helped them bore through the solid stone. They seemed to feed chiefly on the soft, porous fungus that thrived in the warm, moist regions of the ruins. Naturally, they sought out places where these fungi were most concentrated, and were seen practically swarming about certain structures that could have been clocks or sundials at one point long ago. There were also carnivorous, bipedal bird-like creatures without wings, with shovel-like beaks the scouts took to calling called Borogroves; they hunted in packs and were best avoided. A few omnivorous albino mammals with long hind legs and horns, affectionately called Raths because of their comically serious-looking expression, prowled here and there, bellowing their strange cry every now and then.
Then there were the more dangerous creatures, at least the ones that were given names. There was a flying creature, probably blind, that kept giving out a desperate-sounding "JUB JUB JUB JUB" sound whenever it moved for echolocation; it attacked ferociously and was only kept at bay with much difficulty. It plagued the large, cavernous chambers and preferred swooping in from above. Scouts called it the Jubjub bird, and warned that it was no easy fight keeping it away; whether it could be even defeated was another matter entirely. Then there were the swift, furious monster called the Bandersnatch; it had an extendable neck that it used to strike over a surprisingly long distance, and seemed always to go for the leader of any defending group first.
Occasionally, there were terrified rumors of even worse creatures in the Depths, and the worst place by far were the Foundations of Stone, where there were creatures so horrifying that the scouts didn't even bother giving them names; one would know as soon as one saw one.
Such were the reports from within the ruins of Pandemonium. Nobody had found the Protectorate just yet, but it was suspected that it lay somewhere in the Foundations of Stone, and that the Nameless Creatures might be the accursed slaves of the Prince. Such were just rumors and speculation, though.
The stone doors stood wide, and the daylight filtered through the dust of the entrance-hall. Many, many steps descended into the shadows below, though the hall was lit with glowing crystal lanterns.
