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Author Topic: The Rise of a Demon (Number of ritual wedding duels: 1)  (Read 50841 times)

Urist Mc Dwarf

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #15 on: January 26, 2019, 07:35:08 pm »

He stands on an endless plain of flesh. The plains of his home, it looks like. Almost, at least. He turns to the hill, and drawn to it by some invisible force, he begins to walk. His feet sink into the flesh. He feels a brief sting, but pays it no mind. All his attention is focused on the hill. The skin on it is carved with symbols. They spell a name, but his mind flees from it, refusing to understand. Something animal awakens in him, and he tries to flee. But all he can do is continue walking.

The skin splits. But it’s not skin, it’s an eye, and the symbols carved into the flesh are carved into the eye. He shudders. The eye splits open, and he sees hands waving from the center, like those of a man drowning in quicksand. He rushes to them, grabs them. They grab him too, with strength that seems impossible. Whatever enchantment held him drops away.
He turns to run, but now the hands hold him fast. He looks down, and sees his feet. They are gone, the stumps encased in a metal shell with symbols on it. Not the same as the ones on the eye, but they still make his guts twist and squirm. The hands have pulled themselves out.

There are four in all. He won’t understand how they connect. He knows in his bones that realizing the truth of this thing will destroy him. Just these glimpses have already torn great shreds into his mind. The thing with the four hands and the vile symbols begins to speak.
Klx.Drykl.Fx.

The man wakes screaming. “Klx-Dryklfx!” He howls, as for a brief moment his arms twist and split, wracking him with impossible agony. His wife awakens in a panic, sobbing in terror. She stares at him, blinks, and then he is back to normal. Meanwhile, to the south, a desert nomad looks up from his night wanderings to see a new star suddenly blaze across the heavens. He feels a sudden dread. And throughout the world, even in the most isolated villages and distant kingdoms, people awaken remembering bad dreams of twisting flesh and foul symbols. They do not know what the cause is, but they will. One day they will tremble at your name, and bow before your glory.

The star vanishes from the sky, as you land on a grassy knoll, the only bit of high ground for miles. The force of your landing is enough to make a deep crater within it, and the grass begins to wither and die as it feels the evil of your presence. The beasts of the land stir, an instinctual terror gripping them. Even the stone tremble and crack as they sense the touch of a demon. It has been millennia since one last arose, but they remember.

You stand, rejoicing in the sensation of walking a world of mortals once more. You can feel a village nearby, full of low-grade resentment and malice, with a few minds which brim with piety and goodness. Disgusting. You can also sense their dreams though, and you know they dream of you. And it fills them with fear. To the south is a vast desert, rocky and windswept. What few rivers make it this far die soon after reaching it, leaving only empty riverbeds. The wasteland is mostly empty, with some scattered tribes of nomads the only things the only sapient life you can sense from that direction. To the east and west are plains, only somewhat wetter than the desert. You suspect there are more nomads as well as more villages in this also empty land. To the north though…the north is where the river flows from.  The land grows wetter and more hospitable, and more populated as well.

But there is time enough to consider distant lands. For now, you have a village before you, vulnerable and unsuspecting. You have a vast multitude of options – you could even go elsewhere if you wished, although before too long hunger would force you to find somewhere. What do you do?

You could...
[] Corrupt the village from outside
[] Call people out to you
[] Enter the village yourself
[] Search for someplace you like better

Spoiler: Current status (click to show/hide)

chubby2man

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #16 on: January 26, 2019, 09:30:19 pm »

Call people out to you.

Call the susceptible people to us. We can corrupt them and gather information about the village and surrounding area. We could probably get away with a direct approach, but with more information on vulnerabilities in the village we can make our initial strike more effective. 
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Liquefied Spleens

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #17 on: January 27, 2019, 04:10:31 am »

Call people out to you

But do it with some modicum of care. Don't show yourself just yet, and try to remain hidden for a moment as you lure them over. If they show interest, or the corruption is working, then you can show yourself. Not that I think they'll be able to defeat us in any way, shape or form, but if news gets out from a particularly skittish human, they might just gather up the things needed that will actually hurt us.
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NUKE9.13

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #18 on: January 27, 2019, 06:42:38 am »

Hmm, hmm.
So, this is a village on the border of a desert, with fairly arid plains surrounding it. What's their water source? Could we corrupt that, perhaps, thereby in turn corrupting the village?
Well, for now, I guess we could use information, which means either going in, or getting someone to come out. I'd go with something like

Gently lure a susceptible person out of the village towards the hill. Be subtle; let them rationalise their action to themselves. Remain concealed until they are nearby, then use magic to put them to sleep. Extract information about the village from their unconscious mind. Once we know everything we need, inflict them with a curse (mutation), that will slowly corrupt their mind & body. Finally, awaken them and let them return to the village, none the wiser.
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King Zultan

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #19 on: January 27, 2019, 07:49:47 am »

Hmm, hmm.
So, this is a village on the border of a desert, with fairly arid plains surrounding it. What's their water source? Could we corrupt that, perhaps, thereby in turn corrupting the village?
Well, for now, I guess we could use information, which means either going in, or getting someone to come out. I'd go with something like

Gently lure a susceptible person out of the village towards the hill. Be subtle; let them rationalise their action to themselves. Remain concealed until they are nearby, then use magic to put them to sleep. Extract information about the village from their unconscious mind. Once we know everything we need, inflict them with a curse (mutation), that will slowly corrupt their mind & body. Finally, awaken them and let them return to the village, none the wiser.
+1
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hachnslay

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #20 on: January 27, 2019, 12:19:58 pm »

why people?

and what a waste to wither the grass you stand on. corrupt the grass. let it drain the very life of the land and twist it to our needs. Any animal that eats it becoming more and more corrupted, more and more "healthy", more and more grotesque. Giant rats and grasshoppers, maddened cows and bloodthirsty chicken. Their meat, their milk and their eggs become corrupting themselves. Once the human's sustenance is compromised we can offer them "alternatives".
« Last Edit: January 27, 2019, 12:38:43 pm by hachnslay »
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Puppyguard

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #21 on: January 27, 2019, 07:34:40 pm »

-snip-
+1
+1

why people?

and what a waste to wither the grass you stand on. corrupt the grass. let it drain the very life of the land and twist it to our needs. Any animal that eats it becoming more and more corrupted, more and more "healthy", more and more grotesque. Giant rats and grasshoppers, maddened cows and bloodthirsty chicken. Their meat, their milk and their eggs become corrupting themselves. Once the human's sustenance is compromised we can offer them "alternatives".
I think this is an excellent plan when we have more power to work with. Currently, I doubt we are strong enough to perform this plan.
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Urist Mc Dwarf

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #22 on: January 27, 2019, 09:38:04 pm »

Late one night, Andrick gets up out of his bed. He had a nightmare, another one.  Everyone in the village had been having them for the last couple nights, even if no one said anything about it. His limbs soaked in sweat, he carefully ran a hand over his shoulders, reassuring himself that his flesh was normal, unmarred by that twisted thing in his dream.  He paces in the small room he sleeps in, feeling suddenly confined, and far too hot. After a moment, he decides to slip outside and get an early start on his chores.

He tries to remember what he needs to do…there were those rumors of raiders…they were setting up a watchtower, weren’t they? There’s only one bit of high ground…And so Andrick begins to head towards it, intending to survey it and maybe start building.

Of course, that isn’t going to happen. Not tonight. You watch the man approach, his steps clumsy and stumbling from your influence on his mind. Still, he does not halt as he moves as quickly as he can through the night, not stopping when he stumbles or hesitating when he falls.

And soon enough he is slumbering peacefully atop the mound, as you look down on him and begin to probe his mind. What little defenses he has are swept aside, and you begin rifling through his memories. The village is called Dresick’s Rest, and it is a simple place. Its people are a mix of shepherds and farmers, led by a village council who meets in a building supposedly built atop the bones of this Dresick. Their only concern is making sure they have enough surplus to satisfy the yearly taxes, and maybe keep a little extra. Apparently, this year was a good year, and although the taxes just came and were heavier than usual, there is still plenty. There are about a hundred people in this sleepy little village, a hundred twenty at the outside. There are a couple small wells the more distant farmers use, but most people take their water from a pair of deep wells in the center of the village, between the Council building and the temple. The temple in question is a small stone structure. Most people only visit once a month or so, to ask for good fortune. The priest is a kind enough man, and at least fairly pious. He is the only literate person in the village, but from Andrick’s memories, he seems like many people have managed to bully him.

You find one more thing of interest in Andrick’s mind. In his more reckless youth, he went on a journey of several days, and came across a ruined castle. It seems the ruins rather unnerved him, although you can’t say if that was because of some lingering evil or simply his own fear.

With these tidbits of information taken, you begin to work on Andrick’s mutation. It is the first time on this world you have begun your works, and so you are somewhat clumsier than you would like. If it were not for your great skill, you would have been entirely unsuccessful. You manage to plant a subtle infection in him, which will make his limbs twist and crack, causing him incredible agony. And as his agony grows, the change will begin to affect his mind, and make him desire to spread his own agony among others.

You are uncertain, but you expect that second portion will deactivate when he is no longer suffering – such as when he hurts someone else. If so, that will lend some sweet anguish for you to feed on. But that will not come for some time, so you have Andrick wander back to his bed, completely unaware of what you have done to him.

Now, what will you do with this information? You could…
[] Corrupt the wells in the village
[] Corrupt the more distant wells
[] Investigate these ruins
[] Form a cult
[] Do something very evil…

Spoiler: Current status (click to show/hide)

chubby2man

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #23 on: January 27, 2019, 10:53:24 pm »

Corrupt the wells in the villiage. 

Corrupt the wells so that who ever drinks it will receive a mutation. Once the village is weakened we may be able to find easy converts and sacrifices to rebuild our power.
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Puppyguard

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #24 on: January 28, 2019, 12:24:17 am »

Corrupt the wells in the villiage. 

Corrupt the wells so that who ever drinks it will receive a mutation. Once the village is weakened we may be able to find easy converts and sacrifices to rebuild our power.
+1, also investigate the ruins if time allows.
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Rockeater

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #25 on: January 28, 2019, 12:48:19 am »

Corrupt the wells in the villiage. 

Corrupt the wells so that who ever drinks it will receive a mutation. Once the village is weakened we may be able to find easy converts and sacrifices to rebuild our power.
+1, also investigate the ruins if time allows.
+1
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NUKE9.13

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #26 on: January 28, 2019, 03:51:49 am »

Hmm. Point of order, corrupting that one dude cost 2/2. Corrupting the wells might cost us more than we can afford. Also, it'd involve entering the village.

I'd rather prioritise checking out those ruins- there might be some lingering Evil there we can absorb.

Investigate the Ruins
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King Zultan

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #27 on: January 28, 2019, 06:51:29 am »

Hmm. Point of order, corrupting that one dude cost 2/2. Corrupting the wells might cost us more than we can afford. Also, it'd involve entering the village.

I'd rather prioritise checking out those ruins- there might be some lingering Evil there we can absorb.

Investigate the Ruins
+1
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The Lawyer opens a briefcase. It's full of lemons, the justice fruit only lawyers may touch.
Make sure not to step on any errant blood stains before we find our LIFE EXTINGUSHER.
but anyway, if you'll excuse me, I need to commit sebbaku.
Quote from: Leodanny
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Hotfire90

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #28 on: January 28, 2019, 12:24:02 pm »

Hmm. Point of order, corrupting that one dude cost 2/2. Corrupting the wells might cost us more than we can afford. Also, it'd involve entering the village.

I'd rather prioritise checking out those ruins- there might be some lingering Evil there we can absorb.

Investigate the Ruins
+1
+1
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Urist Mc Dwarf

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Re: The Rise of a Demon
« Reply #29 on: January 28, 2019, 03:05:55 pm »

You fix the location of the ruins in your mind, and then your form shifts, your arms transforming into vast wings, your limbs pulling up into your flesh as you turn into something like a giant bat with mixed with a hideous beetle whose carapace is covered in demonic sigils. You fly swiftly through the night, and by the time the sun has risen you have reached your destination.

The size of the ruins is much larger than expected. You can see by the faint stumps of the walls that it stretched a mile and a half from end to end. Most of the outer walls are completely shattered, but a few towers still stand, although their tops are broken off and huge chunks of their walls were scorched away. The keep in the center has crumbled inwards, and much of its rooms have been exposed to the elements for what was probably centuries. However, you see no sign that people have scavenged from the castle, and no animals seem to live nearby.
The reason soon becomes apparent. You can feel the sheer amount of magic that has soaked into the stones, and the even greater amount which was used to destroy them so thoroughly. But under it is an incredible amount of evil energy – it was warded somewhat by the magical energy, obscuring it from your sight. But now that you are close enough that you can feel invigorating waves of energy.
You land in the shattered gate, resuming your normal form. Casting out your senses, you touch a few faint minds, twisted by evil. Striding inside the shattered keep, you begin searching for where those minds are, and you begin to descend down a shattered staircase. Wards were placed over it, but they have decayed and do no more than make you itch a little. Stones crunch beneath your feet, and you begin to hear a scuttling sound coming from below.

You reach the floor, finding it to be a natural cavern, with several tunnels leading upwards and downwards. You send a call out into the minds you touched earlier. A dozen or more separate scuttling sounds come from the various caves, and then the sources of this sound step into your sight. There are fourteen of these creatures, all thin and emaciated. Spurs of bone jut from their flesh, clacking against the walls and floor and ceiling. Some walk on their hind legs, some on all fours. Each of them has a face that appears totally human, except their eyelids seem glued shut and their mouths are full of jagged, mismatched teeth. They watch you, uncertain of who or what you are, but able to sense your power.

You suspect that some of them are wondering what you taste like. Others are wondering if you will be able to bring them out of these dank caverns. They are intelligent, although not as much as a human, and you suspect a village militia would be able to dispatch them with ease. Still, you could make them follow you, and their worship would provide you with strength. Or you could leave – you can faintly sense a few other items of interest in this castle. You could even drain its evil for your own use.

What do you do?
[] Make the creatures submit to you
[] Eat them
[] Leave them be
[] Continue exploring the castle
[] Draw on the castle to strengthen yourself

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