Game Thread, Chapter 1: All the Kings Horses...

[PhaedrusXY]

The Protagonists

Marlowe (Clerk of Mystra, played by Bozwevial)
Sejanus (Psionic Anima Mage, played by InnaBinder)
Raoul (Rainbow Warsnake, played by Kuroimaken)
Ris-Janna (Infernal Backstabber, played by Agita)
Cade (Otherwordly Monk, played by VennDygrem)
Xuuvosic (Pimp Hyper-Choker, played by Head of Vecna)

Little was known of Pun-Pun before the fall of the first deity at his hand. He had performed no deeds of great renown, ruled no nations, and basically had done nothing to make a name for himself. Indeed, from what has since been pieced together of his history, he was basically a nobody. How he stumbled upon the means to seemingly unlimited power is likewise unknown. This only makes the events that have transpired since his "Ascension" all the more shocking. In a matter of days, nearly a dozen of the most powerful beings in the Universe were utterly destroyed while sitting in what should have been the relative safety of their seats of power. The Chaos that has hence ensued has certainly made his name known to all that live now, though.

There are very few survivors left that witnessed the destruction he has wrought first hand. Marlowe, the former Clerk of Mystra, is one. Whether through luck, fate or mercy he is unsure, but instead of being destroyed when Mystra's realm collapsed upon itself at her death, he instead found himself catapulted through a planar rift and woke up drifting on the Astral Plane among other remnants of her former realm. Unsure of just how long he has been unconscious, he shakes his head to clear it of the cobwebs that seem to fill it, and then begins to reflect on what he's seen.


[Flashback]

Sitting at his desk happily filing papers, Marlowe had just returned from a 6 week vacation in the Pleasure Palace of The Putuvian Demon Whore where he'd done quite well at the gambling tables. Since his return, there had been some flurry of hushed discussions around the office about some kobold that may or may not have slain some minor deity he'd never heard of, but he was still too caught up in the fog of his recent memories to really pay much attention to them. He was brought out of his revere by the goddess yelling at some of her servants that had just returned from (an obviously failed) mission of some kind. Among them, he recognized Elminster, Khelben Blackstaff, and several powerful solars that he knew on a first name basis. Her booming voice echoed across the Plane:

What do you mean he knew you were coming? How could he? I warded you myself! And you didn't even get to activate the device? You bungling fools! Never send a mortal to do the job of a god!

Her rant (and Marlowe's thoughts of "aren't solars immortal?") was cutoff however, as a loud booming sound accompanied by rolling smoke and the sound of distant music rising in volume announced the arrival of a newcomer. Through the still open Gate at his back, a party seemed to be going on as forms seen through it wildly gyrated with the music now heard throughout the realm of the Goddess of Magic. The being that had stepped through it was short, and green scales could be seen under the large plush fur coat he was wearing. An oversized purple hat sitting on his head had a single long feather sticking out of it, and mirrored lenses covered his eyes. As he smiled to see the shock of the goddess, several gold teeth could be seen inside his snout, which matched the hue of various rings and necklaces he wore.

Many emotions passed across the face of the goddess in the last few seconds of her life. Shock and anger were the first, as she raised a gloved hand and a beam of pure magical energy as wide as her whole body poured out at the newcomer. Her look turned to horror however as it dissipated harmlessly before reaching him, and the kobold just shook his head and his smile grew wider as if he were chastising a naughty child. By this point, beings across the realm had turned to flee or attack, but they never got the chance. The kobold raised a single upturned palm, and as his arm stretched out to a seemingly impossible length, he struck her square across the face with it. Her screams tore through the realm as her body exploded into what looked like confetti, and a thin, black beam seemed to arc from where she'd been standing into those of her most magically endowed servants standing nearby. Their screams however could not be heard over the sound of rushing air and destruction as the entire plane began to collapse. Amidst the chaos, the kobold snapped his fingers, turned, and slowly made his way back through the Gate he'd arrived through, which closed behind him.

[/Flashback]

More to come later...

[PhaedrusXY]

The more Marlowe thought about it, the angrier he became. There went his livelihood, all gone because of some kobold in a stupid outfit with an overinflated ego. This wouldn't do at all... But what was he to do about it? He'd seen this little pipsqueak kill his former employer, one of the most powerful gods in the multiverse, with a backhand. Obviously a frontal assault, or even a swift dagger through the ribs, wasn't going to do it. He'd have to come up with something more... indirect.

He remembered filing a paper on some new creature that "those in charge of naming" had called a Time Demon. Evidently, it had many temporal magical powers, including the ability to travel backwards through time. If he could find this creature, perhaps it could go back and get rid of this Pun-Pun guy before he reached the height of his powers.

And so began a journey like no other, not just for Marlowe, but for others who would also find themselves drawn into a strange game of cat and mouse. He eventually tracked down Xuuvosic, who had spent the last several centuries literally doing almost nothing but sitting around eating and smoking halfling weed. Marlowe was disappointed that the creature seemed to have lost most of the potent temporal powers he'd read about in the report, but hoped that they might come back in time.

Xuuvosic himself was quite unhappy with this Pun-Pun fellow, as the chaos and destruction he'd wrought in the world had made it all but impossible to get decent halfling weed. He'd even had to go hunt down his own food recently. So he was not happy at all. He suggested to Marlowe that they go track down a couple of his siblings that he'd heard about, as their skills might come in handy. Cade wasn't too difficult to find, but Ris-Janna they found petrified in the ruins of a gorgon (medusa) stronghold. Luckily most of the gorgons had long since abandoned it by the time they got there. She insisted that they restore a couple of companions of hers, as well. (Sejanus and Raoul).

And so our story begins, in the ruins of the gorgon stronghold, with the party having just all met for the first time. It's only been a couple of months since the death of Mystra, but she was only the first of many powerful deities to die at the hands of Pun-Pun, and the world is in absolute chaos.

Those previously petrified party members know this gorgon stronghold had functioned as an guild of thieves and assassins, and had kept their monstrous identities secret. They'd had one beholder member to get rid of their "evidence". Since you'd been petrified while trying to infiltrate their operation, and inside their stronghold, they'd kept you as "ornaments".

[HeadofVecna]

Xuuvosic 'paces', looking pissed off and impatient as the last of the centuries old statues is transformed back into a living, breathing being. The way the demon's legs move is simply wrong, more like an octopus that has been taught to dance on land than the movements of a humanoid vertebrate. When he speaks, his lip-less mouth, full of dozens too many teeth, all inwardly angled, moves in a disturbing alien fashion, "Heads up motherfuckers! Before you know shit else, remember like its your own first fuckin' name. We do not say the name of the kobold. I know some of y'all have been on ice since forever and don't know what the fuck I'm talking about. Doesn't matter. Won't be long before you discover for yourselves that shit has gotten seriously fucked up. And the name of the motherfucker who kicked off this shitstorm, the kobold, you don't want to say it. You don't want to be within 100 miles of anyone who says the cat's name. Reason is, the man is serious bad ass motherfucker. He is, no shit, going around slappin' down major gods like they were punk bitches."

"Now, I'm sure some of you are thinking 'This fucker's crazy. Even if this shit is real, there is no way I want a damn thing to do with it'. And you know what, maybe I am fucking crazy, but Ive got one more thing to say to you. Lochnar. That's the one piece of magical bling that can unfuck the situation. And now that you know it exists. Shit can only go one of two ways. Either we find it before the kobold knows a damn thing about it. Or we all die like babies fighting an Balor, just for having known jack about it."

[Bozwevial]

Amidst the ruins of the gorgon stronghold, no one looks more out of place than the small, thin man standing off to one side. To a casual glance, he appears completely mundane, devoid of any strange powers and quite boring to boot. His clothes (various shades of neutral colors), his face (thin and harassed looking), his mannerisms (fussy and twitchy)--all these suggest someone you wouldn't think twice about on a street. Someone looking closer, however, might note the way his clothes don't restrict movement at all, or how unsettling his gaze is in such a face, or possibly how his twitching fingers appear to be pulling imaginary triggers. Of course, any observer would be met by a small, slightly nervous smile, which goes a long way towards allaying suspicion. Besides, he's probably just overworked at his desk job...

[PhaedrusXY]

As you all stand around looking at each other uncomfortably after Xuuvosic's speech, those of you whom just returned to the land of the living blink at the startling brightness of the sun. Then you all notice as the sun flares a bit in brightness, and begins to sputter as it noticeably starts moving toward the horizon. It leaves a trail of smoke behind it, and becomes dimmer as it falls, until it is little more than a dull orange orb as it passes below the horizon. What should be early afternoon has now become as dark as the dead of night.

[VennDygrem]

Cade kicks a couple loose stones on the ground, knowing well that they may have once been part of someone's body, and gives a light 'Tsk.'

Next to the twitchy, mundane-looking man, this one stands apart in more ways than one; He towers over his comrades, possessing a size more normal to giants than to humans. However, it does not take long to see for certain that Cade is no human. Small horns jut out from his forehead at the edge of his hairline, and his ruddy skin seems to be etched with unnaturally smooth runes and glyphs. From his back jut a pair of small wings, covered in black to brick-red feathers, though they don't seem capable of bearing him aloft. He seems to ooze charm and confidence, with his features supernaturally attractive. He also wears what appear to be the unassuming, nonrestrictive robes and wrappings of a monk, though upon closer inspection they possess intricate details and several bright colors, features unbecoming of a typical pious monk. Still, for the most part, he stands tall and still, unaffected by the sombre surroundings but for the occasional look of disappointment across his face.

As Xuuvosic speaks, Cade focuses his attention, knowing that if he does not, it would surely wander. When he finishes his rant, Cade speaks up.

"I'd rather take a ride through each and every layer of the Abyss before saying that thing's name. Now, what do we need to do from... here...."

Cade looks up at the phenomenon, as day fades unnaturally to night.

"Hmph... Guess the little bugger's got sensitive eyes..." He frowns, the urgency of the situation weighing heavily on his mind.

[HeadofVecna]

The choker seems to take the unnatural sunset in stride. But in response to Cade's question Xuuvosic looks at the others with renewed waves of impatient hostility, "So which one of you slow motherfuckers is going to justify their existence with an idea about where to start looking for the Lochnar?"

[Kuroimaken]

Raoul seemed every bit like a lost puppy on moving day. He was a gorgeous young man, dressed in what seemed to be a navy blue military commander's ensemble of sorts, but without the distinguishing marks that would hint at rank; on his back, the draconic word for "thunder" was etched in golden lining. His moss green, mid-back long head of hair and unsettling crimson eyes made it clear he wasn't human.

Between the massive string of expletives out of Xuuvosic's mouth and the sun falling down, it took him a short while to regain his composure. He began to rack his brains in an effort to remember what, exactly, could the Lochnar be.

By the way, if anyone's curious, his outfit is based off this guy: http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/2736/psychicforceug3.jpg The one with white hair.

[PhaedrusXY]

Knowledge: Arcana, Planes, or History, or any Bardic Lore type of abilities you have. The DC is 30 to have even heard of it.
Knowledge: Dungeoneering might provide a useful clue, and the DC is a lot lower (17 minimum).
Feel free to try other methods, if you have some kind of divination powers, want to try gather info in a town, etc.

[VennDygrem]

Cade looks at Xuuvosic and asks, "So what exactly is this 'Lochnar'? How's it supposed to help us bring this little pest down, and how do we find it?"

For the time being, Cade isn't entirely sure he's ever even heard of such an artifact, though he certainly has heard tales of several powerful items, several of which were even housed at the Temple where he trained, before its downfall.

He looks down at himself and, noticing that he is now effectively invisible to anyone with darkvision, remembers the magic ring on his hand. Slipping it off, he becomes visible to all of his peers.

[Agita]

"Can't blame him for that." The girl of indeterminate age rubs her eyes ill-humoredly after sliding the dark goggles back onto her forehead. "Hate that thing..." When she was unpetrified, she covered her eyes and fumbled to put the goggles on as quickly as possible - clearly, she, too, has sensitive eyes. "Better off without that eyesore..."

Ris-Janna looks normal enough, except for the odd hair color, the missing left ring finger, the scars, the wisps of smoke from no apparent source... well, she doesn't really look normal at all. To someone in the know, her clothings are recognizable to very old-fashioned assassin's clothes, somewhat similar to Cade's. She seems more interested in picking remaining rests of stone out of her hair than participating in the conversation, until Xuuvosic actively asks for input.

"Eh... what the big guy said." She appears to be bitter at something, but continues anyway, "If it's an artifact... I guess some wizard would've put it in his tower or dungeon and had a dragon sit on it... or a bunch of gorgons." She shoots the stronghold another miffed glare. "Lousy snake-hairs."

[Bozwevial]

Marlowe thinks furiously. Despite years and years of working as a clerk for Mystra, he'd never really learned much about magic. True, he had picked up a few tricks here and there from the occasional visitor to her realm, but that was mostly rote memorization, something he was good at. When the visitors started waxing eloquent about the fundamentals of magic, he had always nodded politely and gone back to his desk as quickly as possible. Now, however, he wishes he had paid attention so that he'd have even the slightest chance of knowing what a Lochnar was.

"Excuse me," he asks politely, his voice rather quiet, "but I thought we--that is to say, you and I--were originally planning to take action against...the cause of my unemployment...through your own substantial temporal powers? Therefore--do stop me if I'm wrong--is the Lochnar linked to your own powers in some way? Might it amplify or augment them to suit our needs?"

[Kuroimaken]

"I sincerely apologize if this sounds like a waste of valuable time, but before we consider going around searching for some artifact, it might be a good idea to explain why and what it does. Further... if I were that pest, the first thing I would ensure would be to lock the key to my downfall away forever. What makes you so sure we can even reach it?" Raoul questioned with a frown.

[HeadofVecna]

"I'm hearing a lotta fucking questions, and not a whole lot of anything fucking useful. But they ain't stupid questions, so here's the deal. What I hear is the thing boosts time powers. But its dangerous as shit, even for people with skills. If the kobold has put it out of reach then we're screwed. If the bitch even knows about the damn thing, then we're probably screwed. But if we take a dump in one hand and hope in the other, we're all gonna die with shitty hands. So here's the plan. We go to [insert name of nearest city here], dig around, and knock some heads together. If that doesn't turn up dick, there's a back up plan. But I ain't gonna say what that is yet, cause I wouldn't want to fuck with your morale or anything."  Xuuvosic's expression cools to unreadability. But the infernal pits that serve as his eyes provide the impression that his thoughts are much more likely to be malevolent than simply neutral.

[Kuroimaken]

"Ah, so THAT's what the Lochnar does. If it's the same thing I think it is, then I'd bet a pretty penny that we'll get a better idea out of other demons for its location." Raoul points out. "I presume you're all familiar with Myth Drannor. Well, you know how its fall was caused by demons, right? If we're talking about the same thing, then that's the key to how it happened too. Our best bet would be to look for it there, but that's just my educated guess."

[VennDygrem]

As Xuuvosic's expression sours, Cade grins, an eerie fire dancing in his eyes. "Heh. You guys almost seem worried. We can do this! You know why?"

He turns, pointing a hand out of the ruins toward the direction that the burnt-out sun took as it set prematurely. Even his expression is somewhat serious now.

"Because we fucking have to."

Before Xuuvosic launches into another rant (focused on Cade, inevitably), the monk turns back to the group and speaks.

"You might say this task is impossible, that going up against someone holding all the power in the world is a fool's game. Well, if that's so, this fool is playing to win. It's time to make the impossible into the possible."

Cade then looks over to Raoul as he speaks. "Well, as for Myth Drannor... it's a start, but there's no guarantee of finding anything there. Still, it's a direction, and better than any of the rest of us seem to be coming up with, for all of our... steam." Cade looks around at nobody in particular, but with a particular image clear in his mind.

[Kuroimaken]

"At the very least, we can find some clues. I'm not sure exactly WHAT went down there; all I know is that the army I was with used a time-travelling device of some sort and next thing I know, I was flung around in time and space. Been randomly skidding along time periods ever since, too, but I have no idea why."

[Agita]

"The sun's your biggest problem? Really? I like it better without light..." Ris-Janna regards the big monk with a sceptically raised eyebrow that seems to say "what a crybaby". When he continues, it slips into a slightly annoyed "what a ham"-look.
"Anyway... I don't really want to have anything to do with demons... at all." She looks around, clearly uncomfortable with the idea, before taking note of something else. "Wait. Myth Drannor fell?" The girl looks up, eyes wide. "When?"

[InnaBinder]

"The City of Songs' fall is not entirely surprising.  That fool's errand to make peace with all the other races was a recipe for trouble from the start.  Still, the library at Cormanthyr might hold some clue about events."

[VennDygrem]

At Ris-Janna's words and look of ridicule, Cade's temper momentarily flares up, the eerie fire in his eyes from before consuming the two globes in bright flame, before he recomposes himself and returns to a cooler demeanor.
"It's not the sun that's the problem, it's the cause behind its current slumber. Eternal dusk or no, this is the least of the shows of power that little creep is bound to exert on the world. What will you say when he decides he's bored of night-time and decides he likes it better at twice the brightness of a normal cloudless day? Or perhaps he decides to remake all the creatures of Toril into fluffy bunnies. Would you enjoy being a fluffy bunny for the rest of your days?

Besides, you yourself have been entombed for quite some time, as evidenced by your surprise, and much enough must have changed even without the kobold's help that you are unaware of. Myth Drannor likely fell ages after you came here on whatever errand you thought you were getting yourself into, and ages yet before we freed you. Frankly, I don't care if whether you join us against the little shit or not, but Xuuvosic seems to think you'll be of some help.

Cade turns to the direction that he, Marlowe, and Xuuvosic entered from. "Now, there are alternatives to digging around in demon-filled ruins, though the risk for this payoff is likely just about as dangerous." A small grin spreads across Cade's face and he slowly begins strolling around through the ruins, without regard as to whether anyone is still listening to him.

IC seems to be back up for now, so I got that earlier Dungeoneering check off.

Knowledge: Dungeoneering
1d20(12)+5=17