The Light Side: We have Preats, Redcoats, Panzerrs and SEALs.
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Divine Intervention IV: The Wisdom of Pericles
- Thread starter PaulusIII
- Start date
TheForestAuro
Whisper in the Trees
The darkness of the void beyond the air, past the sky glittered brightly in the night. But even the emptiness that was space was not free of his grasp, and snaky black tendrils found their way across the multitudes of distance.
A great prophet awoke, trembling, for it was what he saw that he feared. The sky, raining fire..? And that name...that terrible name...Terror had screamed it, burnt it into his mind.
Ashus
A great prophet awoke, trembling, for it was what he saw that he feared. The sky, raining fire..? And that name...that terrible name...Terror had screamed it, burnt it into his mind.
Ashus
Spoiler NFPE :
In ver rest, the Lord of Shadows felt the God of Terror stretch his power out to the asteroid, nudging it. From the isolated state, the Realm couldn't determine if the nudge would cause an impact, but panic ensued.
OOC:
Let me correct this:
"The Light Side: We have Preats, Redcoats, Panzerrs SEALs, and enough air power and siege weapons to make any of them work."
OOC:
Let me correct this:
"The Light Side: We have Preats, Redcoats, Panzerrs SEALs, and enough air power and siege weapons to make any of them work."
@TheForestAuro (NFPE, but other gods can read it):
Spoiler :
Spoiler :
PaulusIII
Unholy Warlord
Pardon me for my lateness. University does that sometimes.
The bloody remains of Lucern lay on the sands of Athens. At stating his price and hearing Lancelot's distrust of Lucern, Leonidas became wary of his intentions and killed him straight away. He always was the 'kill first ask questions later' type of person.
...
"There are certain deities who want is to dispose of Ragnar." Pericles told Leonidas.
"Well then, let's not waste any time!" Leonidas grinned. "That young lady in strange armour will help us accomplish the job. Let us kill him!"
"Leonidas..." Pericles sighed, "think about it. Why would the goddess of love want us to go out and kill somebody? It does not make sense! Besides, listening only to Love instead of more prudent deities will only lead us to ruin. Remember the story of Paris, who had to choose which of three goddesses was the most beautiful, chose Love over the rulership of entire countries and wisdom, and by doing so led his city to ruin?"
Leonidas nodded. Every Greek knew that epic.
"But still... the opportunity is too good to pass up. Other deities do not like Ragnar either. Destroying him would earn us favour with other deities as well."
Pericles took another deep breath. "Very well. We shall send her out against the Vikings. Let us just hope that your scheme succeeds, Leonidas..."
....
As Lancelot was disposing of Lucern's remains, Leonidas walked up to her. "We have your first mission. You are being sent out to destroy the Vikings, led by a man named Ragnar."
As Ragnar's name fell, Lancelot's eyes flared with hatred. "That vile snake! I will send him to the Underworld he rightly belongs in!" Without speaking another word, she and her troops ran off into the night, leaving Leonidas in wonder what quarrel she had with the Vikings.
The battle was hopeless for the Vikings. The Viking archers might as well not have fired any arrows, for every arrow they fired was blocked the tower shields of Lancelot and her troops. Lancelot winced for every charge the troops took, with every strike of the gladius she landed. As the battle was wrapped up and thousands of dead archers were strewn along the battlefield, Lancelot was appalled by the destruction she had wrought. Taken aback by her deeds, she sat down.
Until she realized, that there was still a warrior alive in Nidaros - Ragnar. Taken over by hatred, rage, and most of all - vengeance, she sprinted to the palace as if the long march from Athens and the battle had not wore her down the slightest bit. She fought the immortal in a ferocious battle, ending it by striking Ragnar's battleaxe from his hands. With his last strength, Ragnar asked:
"What have I ever done to the Greeks? Have I wronged you in a previous life???"
"You are right." Lancelot spoke coldly, then stabbed her gladius in the stomach of the Viking. Gurgling blood, Ragnar fell to the ground. His eyes turned skyward, as if asking for divine help... then passed away. Lancelot wiped the blood off the blade, a look of satisfaction on her face that she had finally dealed with the man who had betrayed her... or so she thought.
Meanwhile, a small group of scouts sought for the barbarian chieftain they had been ordered to seek.
"No, nothing here." the leader replied. "Just remains... of a city. They are not here. It would be foolish to look for them in this part. Head east, men!"
As many, many years later the Greek scouts finally reached the other side of the continent, where they found another peninsula, this time WITH a barbarian village...
"That's him all right, but we cannot get to him let alone interrogate him. The terrain is in our way!"
"Do you think so?" a smart-ass underling replied. "HEY!!!! WINSTON!!!! WE - NEED - TO - TALK - TO - YOU!"
"No... that did not help a thing. And because of those cursed mountains and cursed ice shelves, we cannot get there!" The leader threw his axe to the ground in frustration. "Pericles is not going to be happy."
Back at home, Pericles went about business. Sparta and Corinth were founded, new troops (the infamous Greek phalanx) were trained, and new leaders were met. The first to stop by were the Russians, led by a 'man of steel' called Stalin. Neither of them liked or trusted the other, though this was mostly Stalin's doing. In fact, Pericles suspected him of paranoia, which was not entirely unfounded.
He got along better with the English, led by a woman who shared his interest in philosophy. Her name was Elizabeth.
Technological advances were made and Greece, yet Pericles could not help but ask:
'Where are the wild men who were said to come and get us?'
The bloody remains of Lucern lay on the sands of Athens. At stating his price and hearing Lancelot's distrust of Lucern, Leonidas became wary of his intentions and killed him straight away. He always was the 'kill first ask questions later' type of person.
...
"There are certain deities who want is to dispose of Ragnar." Pericles told Leonidas.
"Well then, let's not waste any time!" Leonidas grinned. "That young lady in strange armour will help us accomplish the job. Let us kill him!"
"Leonidas..." Pericles sighed, "think about it. Why would the goddess of love want us to go out and kill somebody? It does not make sense! Besides, listening only to Love instead of more prudent deities will only lead us to ruin. Remember the story of Paris, who had to choose which of three goddesses was the most beautiful, chose Love over the rulership of entire countries and wisdom, and by doing so led his city to ruin?"
Leonidas nodded. Every Greek knew that epic.
"But still... the opportunity is too good to pass up. Other deities do not like Ragnar either. Destroying him would earn us favour with other deities as well."
Pericles took another deep breath. "Very well. We shall send her out against the Vikings. Let us just hope that your scheme succeeds, Leonidas..."
....
As Lancelot was disposing of Lucern's remains, Leonidas walked up to her. "We have your first mission. You are being sent out to destroy the Vikings, led by a man named Ragnar."
As Ragnar's name fell, Lancelot's eyes flared with hatred. "That vile snake! I will send him to the Underworld he rightly belongs in!" Without speaking another word, she and her troops ran off into the night, leaving Leonidas in wonder what quarrel she had with the Vikings.
The battle was hopeless for the Vikings. The Viking archers might as well not have fired any arrows, for every arrow they fired was blocked the tower shields of Lancelot and her troops. Lancelot winced for every charge the troops took, with every strike of the gladius she landed. As the battle was wrapped up and thousands of dead archers were strewn along the battlefield, Lancelot was appalled by the destruction she had wrought. Taken aback by her deeds, she sat down.
Until she realized, that there was still a warrior alive in Nidaros - Ragnar. Taken over by hatred, rage, and most of all - vengeance, she sprinted to the palace as if the long march from Athens and the battle had not wore her down the slightest bit. She fought the immortal in a ferocious battle, ending it by striking Ragnar's battleaxe from his hands. With his last strength, Ragnar asked:
"What have I ever done to the Greeks? Have I wronged you in a previous life???"
"You are right." Lancelot spoke coldly, then stabbed her gladius in the stomach of the Viking. Gurgling blood, Ragnar fell to the ground. His eyes turned skyward, as if asking for divine help... then passed away. Lancelot wiped the blood off the blade, a look of satisfaction on her face that she had finally dealed with the man who had betrayed her... or so she thought.
Meanwhile, a small group of scouts sought for the barbarian chieftain they had been ordered to seek.
"No, nothing here." the leader replied. "Just remains... of a city. They are not here. It would be foolish to look for them in this part. Head east, men!"
As many, many years later the Greek scouts finally reached the other side of the continent, where they found another peninsula, this time WITH a barbarian village...
"That's him all right, but we cannot get to him let alone interrogate him. The terrain is in our way!"
"Do you think so?" a smart-ass underling replied. "HEY!!!! WINSTON!!!! WE - NEED - TO - TALK - TO - YOU!"
"No... that did not help a thing. And because of those cursed mountains and cursed ice shelves, we cannot get there!" The leader threw his axe to the ground in frustration. "Pericles is not going to be happy."
Back at home, Pericles went about business. Sparta and Corinth were founded, new troops (the infamous Greek phalanx) were trained, and new leaders were met. The first to stop by were the Russians, led by a 'man of steel' called Stalin. Neither of them liked or trusted the other, though this was mostly Stalin's doing. In fact, Pericles suspected him of paranoia, which was not entirely unfounded.
He got along better with the English, led by a woman who shared his interest in philosophy. Her name was Elizabeth.
Technological advances were made and Greece, yet Pericles could not help but ask:
'Where are the wild men who were said to come and get us?'
BakingTheArt
His Evening Coat
((It just wouldn't be DivInt without a sea god, would it?))
The lord of the sea was angry.
After the fall of the last sea god, he had been called into existence. From where, he did not know. How, he could only guess. Yet this new sea god felt anger. He paced around his chamber, attempting to recall his memories. Failing this, he looked down into the world of the mortals, his playground.
The first thing he witnessed in this new world was the god NoDot freeing a soldier named Lancelot from the underworld. As he saw the deity of shadows, his heart beat into a frenzy. His anger welled up inside him like the waters of a storm at the mere sight of this deity.
The next thing he saw was Lancelot stabbing an immortal in the chest, killing him. Killing an immortal! The chosen of the gods! How dare NoDot unleash such a force on this world! Yes, he must be punished. But the lord of the sea had business to attend to. He must decide on a name.
"Volturnus," he said to himself. The name felt powerful on his tongue. "Volturnus".
((No save edits here, but a quest: Take Lancelot to Nidaros, and sacrifice him. If you fail, you will forever have earned the spite of the sea god, but you keep your über-strong praet. Choose wisely.)
The lord of the sea was angry.
After the fall of the last sea god, he had been called into existence. From where, he did not know. How, he could only guess. Yet this new sea god felt anger. He paced around his chamber, attempting to recall his memories. Failing this, he looked down into the world of the mortals, his playground.
The first thing he witnessed in this new world was the god NoDot freeing a soldier named Lancelot from the underworld. As he saw the deity of shadows, his heart beat into a frenzy. His anger welled up inside him like the waters of a storm at the mere sight of this deity.
The next thing he saw was Lancelot stabbing an immortal in the chest, killing him. Killing an immortal! The chosen of the gods! How dare NoDot unleash such a force on this world! Yes, he must be punished. But the lord of the sea had business to attend to. He must decide on a name.
"Volturnus," he said to himself. The name felt powerful on his tongue. "Volturnus".
((No save edits here, but a quest: Take Lancelot to Nidaros, and sacrifice him. If you fail, you will forever have earned the spite of the sea god, but you keep your über-strong praet. Choose wisely.)
The God of Luck and Dice looked across the world and smiled. Pericles had rolled straight sixes in his war against the Vikings but the God knew, that luck could change in an instant.
Across Greece, herds and crops failed, the animals dying in their thousands, the grains attacked by a malicious rot, leaving little available to eat. The people survived however, falling back to the traditional ways of survival but forming new communities, small groups of cottages forming across the land.
Pericles' luck had changed for the worse, yet someone else's had changed for the better...
Across Greece, herds and crops failed, the animals dying in their thousands, the grains attacked by a malicious rot, leaving little available to eat. The people survived however, falling back to the traditional ways of survival but forming new communities, small groups of cottages forming across the land.
Pericles' luck had changed for the worse, yet someone else's had changed for the better...
Spoiler NFPE :
TheForestAuro
Whisper in the Trees
Got it.
XCL
XCL
TheForestAuro
Whisper in the Trees
The rain from the heavens came.
Streaking down with terrible columns of unearthly, grey fire, the rain came to the earth, rocking the ground with such force that within miles men could not keep their footing. Breaking up over the sky, a huge meteor came in many pieces, but two were clearly the biggest.
One, the greeks saw, impacted the mountain near Winstown. There clearly could not be any mistake - it was demolished, destroyed, completely wrecked! The path was open, it would seem, but the greeks had other things on their mind.
The second piece, half of the ungodly meteor touched by Ashus, inspired a horror much greater. Many prayers were uttured, and the terror was great - he absorbed all the screams, the cries - unanswered as they were - for mercy, and the pain and suffering as the streaking iron from the sky hit Corinth dead on. Those that survived the initial blast, those that made it out alive ran screaming all the way to the other greek settlements, and Pericles himself heard the stories of ravaging unearthly black horses, Nightmares, heading straight for civilization.
It was going to be a disaster if somethign wasn't done quickly.
Streaking down with terrible columns of unearthly, grey fire, the rain came to the earth, rocking the ground with such force that within miles men could not keep their footing. Breaking up over the sky, a huge meteor came in many pieces, but two were clearly the biggest.
One, the greeks saw, impacted the mountain near Winstown. There clearly could not be any mistake - it was demolished, destroyed, completely wrecked! The path was open, it would seem, but the greeks had other things on their mind.
The second piece, half of the ungodly meteor touched by Ashus, inspired a horror much greater. Many prayers were uttured, and the terror was great - he absorbed all the screams, the cries - unanswered as they were - for mercy, and the pain and suffering as the streaking iron from the sky hit Corinth dead on. Those that survived the initial blast, those that made it out alive ran screaming all the way to the other greek settlements, and Pericles himself heard the stories of ravaging unearthly black horses, Nightmares, heading straight for civilization.
It was going to be a disaster if somethign wasn't done quickly.
Spoiler NFPE :
Gooblah
Heh...
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2007
- Messages
- 4,282
The Fire Lord surveyed the chaos before him.
The Terror God had gone through with his threat, and humanity had paid the price. The Greeks seemed to be condemned by the Pantheon to a fate worse than death due to their support of the Immortal Pericles. The Fire Lord reserved judgment, however. Many of the beings who inhabited Corinth were added to the souls within the Elysian Fields, free to pursue their pleasure. Only a few joined the ranks of the demon hordes within Tartarus.
The impact had proved devastating not just to human construction and property, however. A hole had been nearly ripped into Erebus itself, and the Fire Lord had been forced to spend much of his low energy into sealing the rift. The patch was shaky, and could be reopened at any time if the Immortals did not do something. Sadly for the gods, it was up to humanity to resolve this crisis.
The Terror God had gone through with his threat, and humanity had paid the price. The Greeks seemed to be condemned by the Pantheon to a fate worse than death due to their support of the Immortal Pericles. The Fire Lord reserved judgment, however. Many of the beings who inhabited Corinth were added to the souls within the Elysian Fields, free to pursue their pleasure. Only a few joined the ranks of the demon hordes within Tartarus.
The impact had proved devastating not just to human construction and property, however. A hole had been nearly ripped into Erebus itself, and the Fire Lord had been forced to spend much of his low energy into sealing the rift. The patch was shaky, and could be reopened at any time if the Immortals did not do something. Sadly for the gods, it was up to humanity to resolve this crisis.
Got it. 
PaulusIII
Unholy Warlord
(On a side note: For the deities who do not know this yet, Pericles is only related to Pavlos in that he carries Pavlos' undying essence. Pericles has no knowledge of Pavlos or the past, and 'Pavlos' has no mind of his own and is Pericles for all it seems.)
Hubris - thinking oneself good enough without needing gods, or even placing oneself above them or challenging them. It was so easy to give into when an opportunity presented itself. And that opportunity had come - a great warrior with a strong hatred for the Vikings, and even a deity demanding his doom. And Pericles had simply not cared about the deities who cherished the Vikings.
Now, he had to reap the divine punishment. Whether a punishment was fair or not was not his call. As Pericles had well known, a great deal of divine punishment seemed way out of proportion to mortals.
He recalled the exact story he had told Leonidas about - the story of Paris, who chose the wrong goddess and in doing so doomed his city. Pericles suddenly saw a great deal of similarity between that story and his personal situation... had he too given into the easy temptation and in doing so doomed his city - or worse, his civilization?
It was too early to tell. Troy had deities on its side as well, who tried their best to keep Troy from its dreadful fate.
Hubris - thinking oneself good enough without needing gods, or even placing oneself above them or challenging them. It was so easy to give into when an opportunity presented itself. And that opportunity had come - a great warrior with a strong hatred for the Vikings, and even a deity demanding his doom. And Pericles had simply not cared about the deities who cherished the Vikings.
Now, he had to reap the divine punishment. Whether a punishment was fair or not was not his call. As Pericles had well known, a great deal of divine punishment seemed way out of proportion to mortals.
He recalled the exact story he had told Leonidas about - the story of Paris, who chose the wrong goddess and in doing so doomed his city. Pericles suddenly saw a great deal of similarity between that story and his personal situation... had he too given into the easy temptation and in doing so doomed his city - or worse, his civilization?
It was too early to tell. Troy had deities on its side as well, who tried their best to keep Troy from its dreadful fate.
Spoiler :
"Bring him to us."
@Paulus:
Spoiler :
Spoiler :
TheForestAuro
Whisper in the Trees
The nightmares of Pericles returned, distorted visions of tentacles and of lightning. But the grey angel came again, and fought the beasts and the storms off, shielding Pericles' huddled form from the rain, the battering rain and the wind as she spoke.
"Pericles! Great Ashus speaks, and he roars, but I will protect you from him!" yelled the angel, as Pericles opened his eyes, seeing himself no longer tormented by the visions. The angel retracted her wings, standing and looking down on him with caring eyes.
"You have a demon in your midst, Pericles. The Lady Lancelot and her troops are almost unearthly in combat, are they not? I know that Ashus is a terrible sight to behold, but unlike the petty overlords that will plea and ask for your attention, you must recognize that he does not seek your approval, or even demand action from you."
The angel smiled, stroking Pericles's cheek. "You ought not to listen to such voices spurred by revenge and thoughtless audacity. If I may offer once piece of advice...," she said straying away from the Greek leader, "Lord Ashus cares nothing of these vikings that you have rightfully eliminated. What you ought to do is accept a gift from those who offer it - and when in conflict, look for the power. Do you think that this Lady Lancelot's Lord is more powerful than Ashus? Search out the ruins of Corinth when you doubt it."
The angel smiled. "Exile this Lancelot - do not kill her, for she is a worthy woman - and place her second in command in charge. His name is Lucern."
------
[Quest: Rename Lancelot's Praets to Lucern, the Phage.]
"Pericles! Great Ashus speaks, and he roars, but I will protect you from him!" yelled the angel, as Pericles opened his eyes, seeing himself no longer tormented by the visions. The angel retracted her wings, standing and looking down on him with caring eyes.
"You have a demon in your midst, Pericles. The Lady Lancelot and her troops are almost unearthly in combat, are they not? I know that Ashus is a terrible sight to behold, but unlike the petty overlords that will plea and ask for your attention, you must recognize that he does not seek your approval, or even demand action from you."
The angel smiled, stroking Pericles's cheek. "You ought not to listen to such voices spurred by revenge and thoughtless audacity. If I may offer once piece of advice...," she said straying away from the Greek leader, "Lord Ashus cares nothing of these vikings that you have rightfully eliminated. What you ought to do is accept a gift from those who offer it - and when in conflict, look for the power. Do you think that this Lady Lancelot's Lord is more powerful than Ashus? Search out the ruins of Corinth when you doubt it."
The angel smiled. "Exile this Lancelot - do not kill her, for she is a worthy woman - and place her second in command in charge. His name is Lucern."
------
[Quest: Rename Lancelot's Praets to Lucern, the Phage.]
BakingTheArt
His Evening Coat
@Eldarion
Spoiler :
NonPrayinMantis
Warlord
Pericles had a lot on his mind. His people had adequate land that supported them, but it did not seem to be enough. It seemed that his people had the growing concern of finding enough food. In the past years it had not been a problem, but now there never seemed to be bountiful harvests like there had been years ago.
While surveying his lands, Pericles heard a voice he had not heard in a long while.
"Pericles, it is me, Mantis. I see that we have a mutual problem."
"How can mere insects help my people? Our harvests have not been as great as they once were and now some go hungry! You make the problem worse by eating our harvests!", Pericles responded, angrily.
"Do you not know? Do you not sssee? Insectz although sssmall, are quite powerful. We control the cropsss."
"How?!?"
"Through the processs of pollination we decide ..."
"Wait a minute, Polly-what nation? What are you talking about?" Pericles asked dumbfounded.
"When a bee vizits a flower, it doesz not just take nectar. It leaves behind something for the flower in return. After a vizit, the flower will grow more vigorouzly and produce much ssseed. Alssso the bee decidez which flowerz to vizit, making only the bessst grow.", Mantis explained. "Therefore I control the beez, ssso, I control the flowerz and the harvest!"
"So help my people!", Pericles pleaded.
"You mussst do something for me in return. I sssaid we had a mutual problem. My insectz require a place to live, full of plantz and life... a garden! The civilizzzation that builds thiz 'Hanging Gardens' will be rewarded with my blesssing, and a gift."
"My people will give it their best.", Pericles responded.
"There iz sssomething elze.", Mantis continued, "You have not used the full bounty of the silk that I provided your capital accesss to many years ago. Why not?"
"Our people do not know when to plant these mulberry bushes that the silkworms require, and some do not grow at the right time for the caterpillars to feed upon." Pericles explained.
"Then perhaps you should discover how to measure time. If you discover how to do this before we speak again, then you will be further rewarded.", Mantis answered.
"We will get started as soon as we can, Mantis." Pericles answered. "Mantis? Mantis?"
Only silence answered.
Quests: 1) Build the Hanging Gardens and you will be rewarded and receive my blessing.
2) Discover Calender before the next 50 turns and receive another reward.
NPM
While surveying his lands, Pericles heard a voice he had not heard in a long while.
"Pericles, it is me, Mantis. I see that we have a mutual problem."
"How can mere insects help my people? Our harvests have not been as great as they once were and now some go hungry! You make the problem worse by eating our harvests!", Pericles responded, angrily.
"Do you not know? Do you not sssee? Insectz although sssmall, are quite powerful. We control the cropsss."
"How?!?"
"Through the processs of pollination we decide ..."
"Wait a minute, Polly-what nation? What are you talking about?" Pericles asked dumbfounded.
"When a bee vizits a flower, it doesz not just take nectar. It leaves behind something for the flower in return. After a vizit, the flower will grow more vigorouzly and produce much ssseed. Alssso the bee decidez which flowerz to vizit, making only the bessst grow.", Mantis explained. "Therefore I control the beez, ssso, I control the flowerz and the harvest!"
"So help my people!", Pericles pleaded.
"You mussst do something for me in return. I sssaid we had a mutual problem. My insectz require a place to live, full of plantz and life... a garden! The civilizzzation that builds thiz 'Hanging Gardens' will be rewarded with my blesssing, and a gift."
"My people will give it their best.", Pericles responded.
"There iz sssomething elze.", Mantis continued, "You have not used the full bounty of the silk that I provided your capital accesss to many years ago. Why not?"
"Our people do not know when to plant these mulberry bushes that the silkworms require, and some do not grow at the right time for the caterpillars to feed upon." Pericles explained.
"Then perhaps you should discover how to measure time. If you discover how to do this before we speak again, then you will be further rewarded.", Mantis answered.
"We will get started as soon as we can, Mantis." Pericles answered. "Mantis? Mantis?"
Only silence answered.
Quests: 1) Build the Hanging Gardens and you will be rewarded and receive my blessing.
2) Discover Calender before the next 50 turns and receive another reward.
NPM
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