The Divine Blood of Heroes (FFH DI4)

Verdian · Nov 26, 2009

This thread will be for a Fall From Heaven Divine Intervention game. If you would like to join, please post in the thread which god you would like to play. Sign ups are open until all the slots are filled. It's recommended that you read a bit of lore on your god in the Fall From Heaven -> Lore forum.

Spoiler Current Quests :

Game Settings
Civ: Cassiel of the Grigori
Map type: Erebus Continent, Large
Time: Normal
Difficulty: (can't recall)
Opponents: 13, random.
Other settings: No Technology Brokering, Permanent Alliances, Vassal States, Living World, All Unique Features
Mods: Fall from Heaven II 0.41, patch j. No mod-mods.

The Gods

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Rules

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What Is a Divine Intervention Game?

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The Compact (the rules)

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Verdian's Additional Rules

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A Description of the Gods and their Followers

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The Good Gods

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Amathaon: God of Creation. His domain is that of novel concepts and ideas, and his Archangel is Maponos the Young. Amathaon doesn’t have a large priesthood, but is revered by artists, architects, inventors, and others who seek his inspiration. They are known as The Architects.
Followers of Amathaon celebrate new life, but less so for its own sake as for the creation of a new personality capable of novel thoughts and ideas. While sages will tend to follow Oghma, teachers will revere Amathaon. Unlike Nantosuelta, Amathaon isn’t concerned with perfect things, but with novel things that fill in a distinct niche in the world. Those who revere him are expected to be pushing themselves in new ways. They prize free exchange of ideas and being open and honest, especially with themselves. There is sometimes tension between Amathaon’s church and that of Kilmorph, who teaches holding fast to what is has proven good over the generations.

Sucellus: God of Life. Sucellus was formerly the god of nature. He was chosen to battle Mulcarn single handedly when Mulcarn broke the compact, in order to prevent a full scale renewal of the Gods' War. When Sucellus was dead he traveled the underworld with Arawn and convinced him to allow him to return to creation with the power of Life. This allowed him to be resurrected and to revitalize the world. In the process, he changed from a neutral god to a good god.
Basium was the Archangel of Life under Arawn, but he rebelled with the signing of the compact to continue waging war against the demons of the evil gods wherever they would go.
Sucellus’ church is known as the Unblemished. Among them are the most powerful healers and scholars of medicine. They teach a reverence for all life, especially young, but are not strictly pacifists.

Lugus: God of Sun. Lugus’ Archangel is Baelious, or Fortune. His domain is light, revelation, and redemption.
Lugus is worshiped widely, especially among the Malakim. His followers are known as the Empyrean. They emphasize mercy and consensus. Lugus’ followers sometimes have trouble discerning the details of his revelations; he communicates more in overwhelming insights, rather than carefully spelled out instructions as Sabathiel gives in Junil’s name, and the Empyrean prophets are usually more mystical in outlook than those of the other good gods. This influences their councils, as one vision may be given to all the temple priests, but they must discuss and contemplate it to understand beyond the immediate implications.
Lugus despises vampires, as the first vampires slew an early prophet of his to gain her powers. He is the enemy of deceptions and lies, and Esus followers must sue every trick they have to avoid being found and revealed by Empyrean priests. But few enemies of truth and light will not be given a second chance by the Empyrean. Redemption isn’t an easy path to walk, and full trust is not given easily, but some of the most ardent supporters of Lugus come from those once enthralled by his adversaries.

Junil: God of Law. Junil’s domain is that of loyalty, obedience, and justice. His Archangel is Sabathiel who is said to lead the Bannor Empire from a sealed vault between Junil’s heaven and Erebus.
The church of Junil is widespread in the Bannor Empire, and has branches in many nations. It is known as The Order, and emphasizes justice and discipline. Junil is the most rigid in his interpretation of the Compact. In fact, he has never set foot upon or spoken to a mortal in Erebus since the end of the godswar, and it was only once the Bannor people had become trapped in Agares’ Hell that he sent his Archangel Sabathiel to intervene on their behalf. When Sabathiel followed them back through the portal to Erebus, Junil intervened and created a vault just adjacent to Erebus for his servant to advise his people from, keeping their voices from impacting creation directly. If not for the devotion of their priesthood, who meet with Sabathiel in this vault, the commands of Junil would have no way to spread into the world.
Junil and his followers are relentless in preaching justice—a proper consequence for every action, be it reward or punishment—not because they lack compassion, but because they see law as the glue that allows a society of any size to function, and any special dispensation abrogating that law as a step towards entropy and chaos, in which man perpetually must be on guard against each other. In this way the order sees itself as allowing civilization to stand in a world where trust, hope, and foresight are broken beyond repair.

Nantosuelta: Goddess of Enchantment. Her domain is that of bringing out the truest essence of things and people. Her archangel is Splendor is always clad in blue and yellow, and typically carries a golden lantern. He pursues his own agenda and is rarely on missions for Nantosuelta. Unlike the other Angels who have split from their lords Nantosuelta has no problem with his independence. Nantosuelta was the good goddess Kylorin betrayed Ceridwen to follow. Nantosuelta is said to be the lover of Sucellus and she was the one who helped make sure all the pieces were gathered in place so that the Godslayer could be reforged, as well as gathering his body so he could be reborn after being slain by Mulcarn.
Nantosuelta is worshipped in many lands, often alongside Kilmorph among craftsmen and alongside Oghma among wizards and alongside Lugus among the Empyrean, due to her focus in perfection.

Sirona: Goddess of spirit and wisdom. Her Archangel is Pelian the Suffering.
Where Oghma’s followers seek information for its own sake and Lugus’ followers eliminate secrets which cause discord in communities, Sirona’s preserve ancient knowledge to bring to those who would need it most. Sirona has many different orders that cooperate to ease the suffering of broken people and spread wisdom. There are the Sisters of Sirona, priestesses who tend to widows and orphans and the Order of the Elohim, a monastic order that guards sacred sites and provides healing, among others.
Sirona is a gentle and empathic goddess, and even among her own followers she tries to convince rather than command. Her priests are dedicated to leading by example, and even cities or provinces run by despots have let in organizations of her followers to minister to their people, only to later have their army converted and desert rather than conqueror.

The Neutral Gods

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Cernunnos: God of nature. He was formerly the Archangel of this sphere, but was promoted after Sucellus was killed by Mulcarn. He is known as the Great Horned One, and is revered by elves and satyrs especially.
His religion, the fellowship of the leaves, is widespread in human lands as well, though very diverse, with no unified creed save reverence and study of the natural world. Some sects are tender and caring, some devious and vicious. For example, the Fellowship in Elohim lands works to guide and protect alongside the monks who tend to the sacred sites in the world, while the Fellowship among the Calabim is a group of savage hunters who run down their own people in the dense tangle of woods around their cities. Neither group would care much for the other, but both would recognize the aspect of nature the other was emulating and would accept them as fellow priests.

Kilmorph: Goddess of Earth. Her Archangel is Goibniu. Her domain is stability, though not the stasis of Mulcarn, but a nurturing stability found in soil or a healthy tradition passed on generation to generation. Kilmorph created the Dwarves, when she gave life to the creations of an unjustly imprisoned sculptor. They revere her the most, but many human lands follow the teachings of her priests, scriptures known as the Runes of Kilmorph. It stresses fidelity to tradition, hard work and excellence in craft, and steadfast honesty, but is usually unconcerned with those outside the particular community or nation.

Dagda: God of Balance/Force. His Archangel was Cassiel, who grew disillusioned with the level of manipulation that the Compact allowed. He abandoned Dagda and travels creation trying to protect humanity from the wars of the gods.
It was Dagda who convinced the gods to cooperate on the creation of Erebus, rather filling the cosmos with worlds designed and created independently, and Dagda who brought them to the table to discuss a cease-fire. He is the most trusted among the gods, seemingly without an agenda of his own. He regrets Cassiel’s desertion, but did not disagree on principle. The compact didn’t go as far as he wished, but he knows that it is the strongest code that would be likely to be followed, Mulcarn’s breaking of it not withstanding.
Good gods, wishing to see evil’s influence minimized, often resent Dagda’s support of evil underdogs, of keeping balance in the affairs of men as well as the universe. Dagda realizes that evil gods have influence beyond their conscious actions and the work of their followers; they have twisted their domains, corrupting the divine spark inside man himself slightly. Evil nations and religions are required as an example for good ones to recoil away from, lest they in their power slide into the same position.

Oghma: God of metamagic and knowledge. His Archangel is Embarr, imagination. His domain emphasizes esoteric knowledge and study. His church focuses little on behavioral codes and more on research methodology and assistance, but they stress honesty, though not complete openness.
Oghma doesn’t grant inspiration the way that Amathaon does, new concepts or approaches to problems. He rewards careful research and synthesis, collaboration, and dedication with insightful connections that advance a field of knowledge further as a whole, rather than showing off the work of a particular genius.

Tali: Goddess of Air. Her Archangel is Leucetious (Bringer of Storms). Tali is impulsive and often wild.
Her church is the Foxmen. They favor self-sufficiency, though not to the extent of the agnostic Grigori. They seek to push the bounds of human experience not in search of philosophical enrichment, but out of an impulsive joy of life.

Arawn: God of Death. Until the Age of Rebirth he presided over the Life and Death spheres and was uncontested in his realms. Even now he ignores creation and consumes himself only with tending souls of those who have died or who have not yet been born. Gyra is his Archangel, the twin of Basium who was another of Arawn’s Archangels when he had both spheres. Both were created in same instant by Arawn to guard over his two dominions at the time. Basium was directed to guard the gateway through which all life comes into creation, and Gyra the gateway that souls take passing between creation and the netherworld. The twins were given different gifts and it is said that Arawn removed all compassion from Basium, as he never wanted any soul to return to the source of life no matter the cause. That compassion was instead gifted to Gyra and stories abound of the living entering the netherworld or souls returning for poetic causes.
There are many who worship Arawn, but since he pays them no heed until they die, and grants no special favors then, an organized priesthood has never developed.

Danalin: God of Water. Archangel is Condatis. Danalin was formerly a peaceful patron of sailors and farmers, but recently, since late in the Age of Magic, the seas have been largely unresponsive to the cries of his priests, and have brought froth great beasts.
Danalin is worshipped by two groups; the Undertow, who worship Danalin’s new more violent side through the intermediaries of the great undersea kraken. They have strange dreams in their sea-water filled temples, and search these prophecies for hidden meanings. Another group is called the Children of Condatis, who petition his archangel and seek the tranquility Danalin is alleged to have provided in ancient times. These groups are very much in conflict, with the Undertow in ascendancy since early in the Age of Rebirth. They are able to draw more power, and some suspect that Danalin has followed Bhall and fallen into Agares’ cohort, leaving the seas to be forever in the grip of the tempest.

The Evil Gods

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Bhall: Goddess of Fire. Bhall was the most recent god to fall to evil at the end of the age of magic. Her domain is that of rapid change and passionate emotions, epitomized by fire. Her fall twisted her closest followers, of which there were many throughout Patria battling wicked mages, into orcs and goblins. Her Archangel, Brigit the Shining, remained holy and lead a small group against Bhall when Bhall fell. Bhall couldn't bring herself to kill her most beautiful creation. Instead she trapped Brigit within the northern wastes, far from where any creature of fire could reach her. The strange colors in the northern sky are said to be the reflection of Birgits light.
Bhall is little worshipped outside the orc lands. Her worshipers are known as the Ember Legion, and have been known to sacrifice people by burning them alive.

Aeron: God of Body. Aeron’s domain is strength, rage, and desires of the flesh. His Archangel was Odio, who refused the truce of the Compact, and so was trapped in the earth by Kilmorph.
Aeron is worshipped widely in highly sexualized cults, and in much more secretive guilds of assassins known as Aeron’s Bounty.

Mammon: God of mind. Mammon’s domain is foresight and greed. His Archangel is Hastur, lord of nightmares.
Mammon is worshiped by merchants and corrupt rulers, but has few priests or church. He wishes to encourage selfishness, not community. Still, a few gather in his name to plot and scheme under the name Stewards of Inequity. Many commercial guilds are infiltrated by these merchant priests, who use underhanded tactics to drive away competition, often employing thugs and assassins. After a few years, the cartels tend to turn on themselves in bloody feuds, with survivors fleeing to start the destructive process elsewhere.
There is no formal ordination for priests of Mammon; after a particularly selfish and short-sighted act, he may bestow his blessing upon a chosen instrument of avarice, usually via material gainst that come at great cost to close friends or family, such as an opportunity to sell a son or daughter into slavery. Once the man or woman has started down this path they find it very hard to turn away, and the blessing Mammon sends their way ensure that. Followers of Mammon will often donate to other evil gods’ temples for protection after being hunted for cheating or swindling.

Camulos: God of Chaos. Archangel is Wrath. His domain is war and discord, formerly peace.
His church is the Harbingers, which only promote from battle hardened warriors who have lost body parts in battle. His worshippers are scarce in peacetime, but most armies will have soldiers muttering prayers to him before battles. Camulos is seemingly a simple god with simple goals, similar to a those of a small child—build things up just to watch them collapse spectacularly.

Cerdiwen: Goddess of dimensions and connections between people. The gods has agreed not to teach man how to use magic. That was to be the province of the gods alone. And through all of the Age of Dragons that was true. But the defining moment of the Age of Magic was when she broke that and taught Kylorin how to use magic. Cerdiwen alone has no heaven or vault, but exists in the spaces between worlds with her angels. Her Archangel is Kanna, Mistress of Pain.
Her worshippers are known as the Emyrs, who focus on manipulating others and fomenting petty misery.

Esus: God of Shadow and deception, formerly of trust. Archangel is Iaegus. Esus’ vault is a shadowy copy of Erebus known also as the Shadowfell. Those trying to escape the lower hells often get trapped here, and broken down by its cruel lies.
Esus has no temples and no known priests. It is unknown if he has spoken or acted on Erebus since the Compact whatsoever, but the Council of Esus acts in his name; it is a shadowy organization of the ambitious and the shameful who seek a cover of darkness to their actions. They employ assassins and often work with Aeron’s bounty.

Agares: God of Entropy. The former god of hope is now the lord of entropy and despair. His Archangel is Hyborem, a dark copy of Cernunnos from a time when he attacked Agares directly as an Archangel.
Agares is worshipped by the Ashen Veil, a secretive and somewhat rare cult. The initiate seeks power, more quickly than through the council, and of course with fewer restrictions than any good religion. Later, they have gotten their power, taken their revenge, but it is quickly coming time to pay the piper, and lest they be taken by the demons they bargained with, they need to find others to fill the ranks. Finally, the very upper echelon serve the same cause as their god—corrupting the world. So they seek to justify themselves by damning the rest of creation.
Needless to say, they aren’t very nice to be around, feeling no remorse for any sort of cruelty or coercion; but this isn’t to say that they can’t work together towards their goals, even civilly. Most do not pursue cruelty for its own sake, though it would certainly not offend them if their peers were.

Mulcarn: God of Winter. His domain was stasis and cold. He was slain at the close of the Age of Ice by the Godslayer weapon. His Archangel is Taranis the Unchanging, who was also slain in the Age of Ice by one of Kylorin’s children.
Mulcarn’s worshipers were known as the White Hand. They emphasized stasis, abhorring technology. There are a few such still around the lands of the old Illian empire, but they have no divine powers.

Remember, if you don't want the player or another god to see something, use spoilers. And if possible, keep out of character information in spoiler tags labeled as such.

This game will be updated by me once a week (usually). The gods will have five days (Monday-Friday) to update the game save. I will take it Friday afternoon, play over the weekend, and post the new save on Monday morning. My time zone is Japan, so bear that in mind (it is currently 1:30pm on Friday, so check your own time stamps to see how it differs).

Game on!

Verdian · Nov 26, 2009

Chapter 0: Settling

The ceremony was almost finished. Twenty-one Grigori danced around in the warm evening air, each donning a mask of a god. The play, normally reserved for New Year's festivities, was a reenactment of the creation of Erebus and of Man. A plain looking god, Nemed, stood in the middle of the rest of the gods, as they danced and chanted out blessings to bestow upon mankind. Agares, with his golden wings; the beautiful and delicate mask of Sirona; the wise, wrinkled visage of Kilmorph; the calm, closed-eyed face of Danalin, all of the gods were present. At the moment, two Junil's danced with stern faces, no doubt the work of Esus, who had changed masks many times tonight.

Gerran looked at his people with satisfaction. He had allowed this special celebration in honor of the end of the Grigori's long journey. Tomorrow, if all went as planned, they would begin a new life here. His scouts reported good farming land, plus enough wild pigs to make the (now mild) winters more than comfortable. There had been reports of multiple ruins spotted in the west and far southwest as well, so perhaps this land had been settled before the ice sheets of the Age of Ice had covered it. Gerran could certainly see why; it was a beautiful area.

Gerran had personally selected each person in this group from his followers back in Midgar. Each had come faithfully to his service every Seventh Day for years now, and each had something to offer to a new community. Not that he could afford to be too particular. Gerran's tentative plan to start a new colony far away from the Plains of Grigori, to give proper worship to the gods, was met largely with contempt and ridicule. Strangely, some of the greatest help came from Cassiel himself, who provided simple ships to get to this new land, as well as the stores necessary to get started. He wished Gerran luck, but warned him of the dangers that awaited him.

But Gerran was confident in his people and in his plan. While he greatly respected the wisdom and rule of Cassiel, it had always seemed wrong, perhaps even foolish, to not honor the gods. The gods had created Man, had guided him and helped him in every way possible. Should not a child always respect a parent, regardless of the harshness that must sometimes be meted out? Finding such thoughts to be ignored or, on some days, persecuted, this group of like-minded individuals was gathered with freedom of thought and freedom of religion as their highest priority.

This ceremony was in honor of that ideal: A sign of respect to the gods of why they had gathered, and a plea to be guided and protected by their divine will.

Let them dance tonight, Gerran thought. Tomorrow we shall begin.

OOC

Spoiler :

Ravus_Sol · Nov 27, 2009

Camulos - God of War :nuke:

Gerran, the leader of the new colony of the Grigori slept after the revelling of his people. He dreamt the dreams of a leader, peaceful and full of hope.

Untill he was awoken suddenly.

The smell of blood is insidious, it sparks of warnings in the most animalistic parts of a mans mind, even when asleep. As Gerran realised he was not alone in his room he heard the throaty laugh and felt the divine essence permiating the darkness.

"Oh don't worry mortal i'm not here to kill you, not yet at any rate. What nice little people you lead. All happy and peaceful. The Grigori right? I hear Cassiel was very wise when he first fell to earth, He saw in Nemed's children the ability to become so much more without the shackles of Gods. Shame how it all turned out really. But now i'm sure you're wondering what is going on?"

The Warrior that strode out of the shadows didn't merely sound the part, he looked it too. Tall, Strong, and scared from head to toe from many battles.

"I am a Harbringer and i was sent here because My God says that you are going to help me bring about a war to end all wars. Oh yes Gerran. You might think you are being wise accepting the God's back into your life. treat them all equally, honour them like parents, those were your idea's were they not? Well, my friend, there is no peace on the path you tread. How long do you think that you can keep ALL the Gods happy with your little civilization? In the game of Worship it is all or nothing, please one God too much and upset the God's rival. Don't pick a side and upset them both. Then it all comes tumbling down."

The warrior laughed, turning to walk away while fiddling with an artifact of some kind.

"You might want to worry about comparing the God's to parents as well. After all parents raise their children to one day replace them. A child has the power to slay his parent one day when they are grown."

The Harbinger dissapeared to darkness. And peace settled once more onto Grigori lands, that the last sentence could have been a whisper on the wind.

"It's much easier for a Parent to Strike down a child before they grow up"

Spoiler for Mortals

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Spoiler for Gods

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Lade · Nov 27, 2009

Spoiler :

Junil looked down on Erebus from his vault.

The age of ice is over, and that despicable Mulcarn got what he deserved for breaking the compact...

Yet, the evil gods have manipulated the compact. They have left themselves enough room to manipulate this realm. They are breaking the law that was set up so long ago; they must be punished.

Soon my sons who remain loyal to me shall strike out and break those who plan to turn this place to hell, and they will be rewarded. Soon. But for now, I shall wait. I will wait to see who will be the hero's who will lash out at them who defy the will of justice.

And now we wait.

Spoiler Changes for gods :

zacman · Nov 28, 2009

Spoiler :

Vandal Warlord · Nov 28, 2009

Arawn stood, examining those who passed before Gyra. Many were misshapen, crippled and bleeding. But now, they had no pain, no suffering. Then, the God of Death watched three men go by, each in states of disrepair. All of them, left puddles of blood when they walked, their faces ripped to shreds, nearly no skin left. One of them even had an axe lodged into his split skull. As they passed Gyra, the Archangel stopped them.

"What has caused such misfortunes upon you?" Gyra asked, slightly shocked by their state. No one had come through here this injured since the beginning of the Age of Ice. But all three men simply looked away, one even began to cry. So the Archangel simply waved his hand, amazingly, the three men were returned to their normal states. Immediately the men began to embrace one another, and thank Gyra before passing. Inquisitively, Arawn appeared before his Archangel in the form of a young man, darned in a black cloak. After Gyra bowed before his lord, the God of Death asked his angel a question.

"Why did you return them to their normal states?" He asked, placing his hand on his chin, stroking a small beard. Gyra chuckled slightly and looked out over the line of beings entering their domain.

"You gave me compassion, and this is what I use it for." The Archangel said and then his gaze returned to Arawn, who stared at Gyra emotionless.

"Yet their are others who have died without much physical pain who recieve no assistance. Those who have been raped, abused, tortured or forced to take their own life. And you only give relief to those who are physically disabled." The guardian opened his mouth to object, but was silenced when Arawn threw up his left hand. "I gave that gift for a reason, now use it wisely." And with those words, the God of Death changed to the form of a raven and flew away. As his master flew away, Gyra shook his head and looked back to those who had fallen from Sucellus' grace.

"I will try." He said as the angel returned to his post.

FOR GODS:

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Verdian · Nov 28, 2009

OOC

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FireBlaze · Nov 29, 2009

Bhall, Goddess of Fire

As she laid in hell, demons wondering around her, jets of flames erupting next to her, disappearing as soon as they appear. One of her eyes cracks open, and two particularly large jet of flame spurs forth from hell, reaching to the underbelly of Erebus, warming the area under them.

For the gods-

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OOC-

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thomas.berubeg · Nov 29, 2009

Fireblaze, want to post your save?

Vandal Warlord · Nov 29, 2009

Never mind...

FireBlaze · Nov 29, 2009

thomas.berubeg said:
Fireblaze, want to post your save?

Check the OOC :lol:

Lgaard · Nov 30, 2009

OOC for gods

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FireBlaze · Nov 30, 2009

God OOC

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Ravus_Sol · Nov 30, 2009

OOC for gods

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Onionsoilder · Nov 30, 2009

Cernunnos, Angel of Growth :xtree:

A second chance to preserve that which had fallen in the Age of Ice...

Secullus was far too lenient. He let our lands be ravaged by fire, then wiped out by ice...

This time would be different. This time nature would fight back. She would guard her holiest places from those who would exploit them for their own gain. Only those who prove themselves will gain the Blessing of the Trees.

Spoiler Actions(OOC for Gods) :

Spoiler OOC Chat(For All) :

A strange creature peered out of the woods near the Grigori camp. It stepped out of the trees and approached Gerran. "I am a Fawn, one of the guardians of these forests. I was sent here by Cernunnos, the Great Horned One. Much tragedy has befallen our lands, yet us forest kin are not without power. We will share that with you, should you prove your strength to us."

The fawn paced for a while, then looked out to the forest.

"It takes a great deal of strength to conquer a creature larger than you, and a great deal more to befriend it instead of killing it off. Capture a bear as your first trial. We shall know when this has been done."

Lade · Dec 1, 2009

Spoiler OOC :

Onionsoilder · Dec 1, 2009

My bad.

Lgaard · Dec 1, 2009

Spoiler OOC for everyone :

Verdian · Dec 1, 2009

Spoiler OOC :

Lgaard · Dec 1, 2009

Spoiler OOC for all :

The Divine Blood of Heroes (FFH DI4)

King

King

Attachments

God-Emperor of Mankind

Prince

Attachments

Chieftain

Nazgûl

Attachments

King

King

Wandering the World

Nazgûl

King

King

King

God-Emperor of Mankind

Reaver

Prince

Reaver

King

King

King

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