Welcome heroes to Ancient Greece! Legends, deities, monsters, and city-states fill the land. For various reasons, you have journeyed from across Greece to meet with the sacred seer of Apollo, the Oracle of Delphi. The Oracle is renowned across Greece as having accurate predictions, and will occasionally send heroes on quests to find their destiny. You have arrived at Mount Parnassus, considered in Greece to be the center of the world, and have each met with Pythia, the oracle.
Each of you has received a personalized prophecy, and have been ordered by Pythia to return at sunset. All of you arrived at the same day, but hours apart. You then journeyed to either the Temple of Apollo or the Temple of Athena (strangely, both male characters went to the Temple of Apollo, and both female characters went to the Temple of Athena), and waited for a few hours until you returned, as Pythia requested.
Now, you are once again taking the path to the Sibyl Rock, where the Oracle of Delphi was before. She sits on the same tripod-shaped stone she was seated on before, this time facing towards you. She wears the same white toga you saw her in before, this time with a golden wreath on her head, attached to her ears with wires. She holds the mortar and pestle she had before. Four seats similar to hers are placed in front of you, which she gestures to. As you sit, the vapors that exit the pit seem to be stronger than before, and you smell more of the herbal mixture than before.
"Thank you for returning," She says, "I have one more prophecy to deliver, and then I will tell you your quest. But first, here. I have your prophecies written down, and you may take them now."
She then holds out her hand, in which a rolled up scroll appears, handing it to Zoe. She then continues to summon a scroll for each of you, handing it to you. She then clears her throat, swallowing the herbal mixture inside her mortar and pestle, saying:
"At last we are gathered on the mountain of prophecy,
The time of fate's binding is almost at hand.
Reveal your quest when its identity is shown,
On the morrow, venture to the Chains of the Stealer of Fire.
Prometheus will know what the future holds.
Once 'tis imparted, find the shears.
Sleep lightly, lest you are plagued by strife."
After this last prophecy, she crumples up, as many of you saw earlier. This is worse than before. You see blood dripping from her mouth as she falls over, writhing on the ground.
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The large, strange man, possessing armor that covers every inch of his body, even his face and neck, which is quite accurately modeled after a heavily muscled man's bare body(though it thankfully lacks the item one would normally expect to find between a man's legs), kneels down before the prone Oracle for the second time today. He twists his finger, and to your surprise, it comes right off. From the stump emerges a small metal rod, with a little metal snake wrapped around it. He touches it to her head, and shouts a magic word. "ἀπάλθομαι!", He says, and the rod begins to emit a golden light.
(Cure wounds, 9)
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"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
As you temporarily cure the Oracle of whatever ailment seemed to be effecting her, her condition immediately improves. She takes a second before pushing herself to her seat.
"Thanks, again,"She says, "I used to be able to give more prophecies with far less consequences. Now, it is strange. My powers are failing. That prophecy was indeed the last prophecy I will be giving for awhile. Something bad is coming, I can feel it. Though, my vision is blocked, there is one who may be able to show the way. I can feel that the world may come to a sort of end unless you four heroes come together to stop it. Journey east, to the Mounts Caucasus, where you will find the Chains of Prometheus. Though he was recently freed by Heracles, you may be able to find the Titan from there. Prometheus's ability to see the future is far greater than mine. Unless you want the world to be plagued by a great evil power for forever, you must start your journey there tomorrow. Be swift, heroes. Fate depends upon it."
The tiny, dark-skinned woman sat next to him leaps up, immense panic crossing her face. This is much worse than the first time, and she fears she won't be able to help at all. She starts rifling through her bag for anything that could be of use. Lockpicks, no. Knives, no. Crowbar, no. Why doesn't she have anything useful? An audible sigh of relief escapes her when the metal man somehow relieves the Oracle's ailment
"Wow. Um, that's a lot," she finally says once the Oracle has finished speaking. She looks to the group that has assembled. "Do we leave now? I don't know how far away that is, and if we're supposed to get there tomorrow but we wait too long to leave, we might not make it on time. But also, it's kind of late and maybe we should get some sleep so we're rested and prepared for this quest because it sounds kind of important. Do any of you guys have a place we can stay the night? Because I kind of don't." She pauses, taking a breath. "Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?" She gives a sheepish smile.
The metal man helps the Oracle off of the ground, then turns to the others.
"Perhaps one of the temples? As long as Aegore doesn't mind, I found the temple of Apollo to be quite nice, though I'd have liked it better if it had had a forge. I suppose that would distract some from reading their poetry, though. I am Aster, by the way."
He holds up a meticulously crafted metal hand up to anyone who might take it. Though his bronze face shows no emotion, and you cannot see even a hint of anything behind it, you feel as if he might be smiling, if he could.
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"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Zoe sits there dwelling on what all this means for a long time after it's clear the oracle is going to be alright. She finally speaks up at the mention of the temples, "I suppose we could seek shelter there if the weather was bad, but camping out might be a better option if we are to move quickly."
"I am Pittheus," the tan-skinned man finally says, "We could begin our journey into the evening a little and then make camp? It seems that time is of the essence, but rest is also important for the mortal in us all."
"Ya well," Zoe says, "rest is important, but you never know how much you'll get. Better to set up watches as we head out. I'm Zoe, by the way," she finally says, "this is Kyrie, we'll be leading the way."
The Oracle listens as you discuss, becoming slightly confused, "I did say, 'On the morrow, venture to . . .',didn't I? The prophecy clearly wishes for you to begin your journey tomorrow. Get rest, it may be the last peaceful night you have for awhile."
She then looks at Aster, and asks, "Who is Aegore? Was someone visiting the temple?"
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"Well, if you insist on us not leaving this journey until the morning," Pittheus looks about, then refocuses on the oracle, "Would you care for some company for the evening? I'm sure that it gets rather lonely up here. And I do enjoy looking up at the stars."
"Strange," She comments to Aster, "I recall no such man."
She then turns to Pittheus, and says, "I will stay here tonight, trying to contact the gods before my powers are suspended altogether. You may camp out in the Temple, or wherever you like in the mountain or in Delphi."
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"I'd like to see the Temple of Apollo!" Acacia pipes up. "I was kind of sad I didn't get to visit both temples earlier. Actually, come to think of it, I probably could have if I wanted to, but that would have meant more walking and... nevermind," she cuts herself off.
Pittheus scratches his chin and nods, "It seems that the Temple of Apollo is the consensus then. We can try to find Aegore and you ladies may enjoy Apollo's temple." He packs up his things and makes his way to the head of the trail, "Shall we head off then?"
Without hesitating further, Aster begins to march down the hill at a steady pace, neither slowing down or speeding up. The hissing of his joints as moves gives a sort of rhythm to his gait.
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"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
You leave down the stone path to the Temple of Apollo, turning right at the fork in the road, arriving at the rectangular temple.
(I'll just put the same description for the temple for those who were not here before.)
You reach the temple, which is a rectangular marble temple with a pointed roof. It is supported by marble columns, with carvings of Apollo in them.
You peer inside, and your first impression is at how impressive the temple is. The marble statues inside of Apollo are depictions of his great deeds. Not only are they in full size, but also painted to appear more life-like. The temple is huge, about 40 feet across, 120 feet back, 60 feet at its base height, and 80 feet at the top of the pointed roof. There is a golden sun inlaid into the center of the temple, on which stands a large statue of Apollo, about 20 feet tall. The walls are lined with gilded bows, quivers with bronze arrows, shields with symbols of the sun on them. Laurel wreaths adorn the walls, and are on the crown of ever statue of Apollo. Above the large statue of Apollo in the center of the room is an oculus which reveals the sun above it, shining down on the gleaming statue of Apollo, covered in ivory and gold.
In the middle of the room is an elderly man, setting a bowl of incense at the feet of the statue of Apollo, laying it on top of the pedestal that supports him. He holds a cane, and seems to struggle to move, but nevertheless kneels at the feet of the statue.
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"We've just been given a task, and we are to begin on the morrow! It seems a lot more interesting than the other prophecy I was given, I'm sure it will be... er, fun is not exactly the word. Interesting. If you don't mind, we were wondering if we could spend the night here at the temple, for I'm sure the others would prefer to sleep inside, rather than out. Also, one more thing. I talked to the Oracle, and she didn't seem to recall ever meeting you. A bit odd, as you said that she often comes down here. Ah, well, no matter, she may have just forgotten. Mortal minds tend to degrade over time, after all, and she is quite old looking."
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"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
"Hello! We're the company!" Acacia gestures to herself and Zoe, smiling to the man. "We're heading to Mount Caucasus in the morning. Do you happen to know where that is?" She turns to Zoe, brow furrowing. "You're supposed to be leading. Do you know where it is?" A thought strikes her, and she speaks to the whole group. "We should all compare prophecies. The individual ones that we got earlier, not the group one, obviously."
Welcome heroes to Ancient Greece! Legends, deities, monsters, and city-states fill the land. For various reasons, you have journeyed from across Greece to meet with the sacred seer of Apollo, the Oracle of Delphi. The Oracle is renowned across Greece as having accurate predictions, and will occasionally send heroes on quests to find their destiny. You have arrived at Mount Parnassus, considered in Greece to be the center of the world, and have each met with Pythia, the oracle.
Each of you has received a personalized prophecy, and have been ordered by Pythia to return at sunset. All of you arrived at the same day, but hours apart. You then journeyed to either the Temple of Apollo or the Temple of Athena (strangely, both male characters went to the Temple of Apollo, and both female characters went to the Temple of Athena), and waited for a few hours until you returned, as Pythia requested.
Now, you are once again taking the path to the Sibyl Rock, where the Oracle of Delphi was before. She sits on the same tripod-shaped stone she was seated on before, this time facing towards you. She wears the same white toga you saw her in before, this time with a golden wreath on her head, attached to her ears with wires. She holds the mortar and pestle she had before. Four seats similar to hers are placed in front of you, which she gestures to. As you sit, the vapors that exit the pit seem to be stronger than before, and you smell more of the herbal mixture than before.
"Thank you for returning," She says, "I have one more prophecy to deliver, and then I will tell you your quest. But first, here. I have your prophecies written down, and you may take them now."
She then holds out her hand, in which a rolled up scroll appears, handing it to Zoe. She then continues to summon a scroll for each of you, handing it to you. She then clears her throat, swallowing the herbal mixture inside her mortar and pestle, saying:
"At last we are gathered on the mountain of prophecy,
The time of fate's binding is almost at hand.
Reveal your quest when its identity is shown,
On the morrow, venture to the Chains of the Stealer of Fire.
Prometheus will know what the future holds.
Once 'tis imparted, find the shears.
Sleep lightly, lest you are plagued by strife."
After this last prophecy, she crumples up, as many of you saw earlier. This is worse than before. You see blood dripping from her mouth as she falls over, writhing on the ground.
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Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
The large, strange man, possessing armor that covers every inch of his body, even his face and neck, which is quite accurately modeled after a heavily muscled man's bare body(though it thankfully lacks the item one would normally expect to find between a man's legs), kneels down before the prone Oracle for the second time today. He twists his finger, and to your surprise, it comes right off. From the stump emerges a small metal rod, with a little metal snake wrapped around it. He touches it to her head, and shouts a magic word. "ἀπάλθομαι!", He says, and the rod begins to emit a golden light.
(Cure wounds, 9)
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
As you temporarily cure the Oracle of whatever ailment seemed to be effecting her, her condition immediately improves. She takes a second before pushing herself to her seat.
"Thanks, again," She says, "I used to be able to give more prophecies with far less consequences. Now, it is strange. My powers are failing. That prophecy was indeed the last prophecy I will be giving for awhile. Something bad is coming, I can feel it. Though, my vision is blocked, there is one who may be able to show the way. I can feel that the world may come to a sort of end unless you four heroes come together to stop it. Journey east, to the Mounts Caucasus, where you will find the Chains of Prometheus. Though he was recently freed by Heracles, you may be able to find the Titan from there. Prometheus's ability to see the future is far greater than mine. Unless you want the world to be plagued by a great evil power for forever, you must start your journey there tomorrow. Be swift, heroes. Fate depends upon it."
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Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
The tiny, dark-skinned woman sat next to him leaps up, immense panic crossing her face. This is much worse than the first time, and she fears she won't be able to help at all. She starts rifling through her bag for anything that could be of use. Lockpicks, no. Knives, no. Crowbar, no. Why doesn't she have anything useful? An audible sigh of relief escapes her when the metal man somehow relieves the Oracle's ailment
"Wow. Um, that's a lot," she finally says once the Oracle has finished speaking. She looks to the group that has assembled. "Do we leave now? I don't know how far away that is, and if we're supposed to get there tomorrow but we wait too long to leave, we might not make it on time. But also, it's kind of late and maybe we should get some sleep so we're rested and prepared for this quest because it sounds kind of important. Do any of you guys have a place we can stay the night? Because I kind of don't." She pauses, taking a breath. "Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?" She gives a sheepish smile.
Iris - Tiefling Cleric | Cassandra - Elf Warlock | Solace - Tiefling Monk | Tempest - Hexblood Monk | Lex - Fire Genasi Barbarian
Lilyn - Triton Ranger | Candor - Changeling Bard | Echo - Changeling Warlock/Bard | Rowan - Fairy Wizard
The metal man helps the Oracle off of the ground, then turns to the others.
"Perhaps one of the temples? As long as Aegore doesn't mind, I found the temple of Apollo to be quite nice, though I'd have liked it better if it had had a forge. I suppose that would distract some from reading their poetry, though. I am Aster, by the way."
He holds up a meticulously crafted metal hand up to anyone who might take it. Though his bronze face shows no emotion, and you cannot see even a hint of anything behind it, you feel as if he might be smiling, if he could.
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
Zoe sits there dwelling on what all this means for a long time after it's clear the oracle is going to be alright. She finally speaks up at the mention of the temples, "I suppose we could seek shelter there if the weather was bad, but camping out might be a better option if we are to move quickly."
Elra Skylash - Human Cleric | Vanzaren Tanidoni - Half Elf Wizard
Mindartis Liadon - Eladrin Barbarian | Naivara Siannodel - Half Elf Ranger
Arrila Evenwood - Half Elf Paladin | Callaphe of Setessa - Human Rogue
Katernin Nemetsk - Aasimar Cleric | Melody - Tiefling Bard
"Acacia," she greets with a smile as she shakes Aster's hand. "I'm not opposed to travelling a couple hours and then camping."
Iris - Tiefling Cleric | Cassandra - Elf Warlock | Solace - Tiefling Monk | Tempest - Hexblood Monk | Lex - Fire Genasi Barbarian
Lilyn - Triton Ranger | Candor - Changeling Bard | Echo - Changeling Warlock/Bard | Rowan - Fairy Wizard
"I am Pittheus," the tan-skinned man finally says, "We could begin our journey into the evening a little and then make camp? It seems that time is of the essence, but rest is also important for the mortal in us all."
"Ya well," Zoe says, "rest is important, but you never know how much you'll get. Better to set up watches as we head out. I'm Zoe, by the way," she finally says, "this is Kyrie, we'll be leading the way."
Elra Skylash - Human Cleric | Vanzaren Tanidoni - Half Elf Wizard
Mindartis Liadon - Eladrin Barbarian | Naivara Siannodel - Half Elf Ranger
Arrila Evenwood - Half Elf Paladin | Callaphe of Setessa - Human Rogue
Katernin Nemetsk - Aasimar Cleric | Melody - Tiefling Bard
The Oracle listens as you discuss, becoming slightly confused, "I did say, 'On the morrow, venture to . . .', didn't I? The prophecy clearly wishes for you to begin your journey tomorrow. Get rest, it may be the last peaceful night you have for awhile."
She then looks at Aster, and asks, "Who is Aegore? Was someone visiting the temple?"
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Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
"A man at Apollo's temple. He said the two of you had met before, I believe."
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
"Well, if you insist on us not leaving this journey until the morning," Pittheus looks about, then refocuses on the oracle, "Would you care for some company for the evening? I'm sure that it gets rather lonely up here. And I do enjoy looking up at the stars."
"Strange," She comments to Aster, "I recall no such man."
She then turns to Pittheus, and says, "I will stay here tonight, trying to contact the gods before my powers are suspended altogether. You may camp out in the Temple, or wherever you like in the mountain or in Delphi."
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"I think I'd like to talk to Aegore again. If he hasn't disappeared."
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
"I'd like to see the Temple of Apollo!" Acacia pipes up. "I was kind of sad I didn't get to visit both temples earlier. Actually, come to think of it, I probably could have if I wanted to, but that would have meant more walking and... nevermind," she cuts herself off.
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Pittheus scratches his chin and nods, "It seems that the Temple of Apollo is the consensus then. We can try to find Aegore and you ladies may enjoy Apollo's temple." He packs up his things and makes his way to the head of the trail, "Shall we head off then?"
"Let's."
Without hesitating further, Aster begins to march down the hill at a steady pace, neither slowing down or speeding up. The hissing of his joints as moves gives a sort of rhythm to his gait.
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
You leave down the stone path to the Temple of Apollo, turning right at the fork in the road, arriving at the rectangular temple.
(I'll just put the same description for the temple for those who were not here before.)
You reach the temple, which is a rectangular marble temple with a pointed roof. It is supported by marble columns, with carvings of Apollo in them.
You peer inside, and your first impression is at how impressive the temple is. The marble statues inside of Apollo are depictions of his great deeds. Not only are they in full size, but also painted to appear more life-like. The temple is huge, about 40 feet across, 120 feet back, 60 feet at its base height, and 80 feet at the top of the pointed roof. There is a golden sun inlaid into the center of the temple, on which stands a large statue of Apollo, about 20 feet tall. The walls are lined with gilded bows, quivers with bronze arrows, shields with symbols of the sun on them. Laurel wreaths adorn the walls, and are on the crown of ever statue of Apollo. Above the large statue of Apollo in the center of the room is an oculus which reveals the sun above it, shining down on the gleaming statue of Apollo, covered in ivory and gold.
In the middle of the room is an elderly man, setting a bowl of incense at the feet of the statue of Apollo, laying it on top of the pedestal that supports him. He holds a cane, and seems to struggle to move, but nevertheless kneels at the feet of the statue.
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Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
"Ho, Aegore! We return, and with company!"
Aster approaches the old man.
"We've just been given a task, and we are to begin on the morrow! It seems a lot more interesting than the other prophecy I was given, I'm sure it will be... er, fun is not exactly the word. Interesting. If you don't mind, we were wondering if we could spend the night here at the temple, for I'm sure the others would prefer to sleep inside, rather than out. Also, one more thing. I talked to the Oracle, and she didn't seem to recall ever meeting you. A bit odd, as you said that she often comes down here. Ah, well, no matter, she may have just forgotten. Mortal minds tend to degrade over time, after all, and she is quite old looking."
"Ignorance is bliss, and you look absolutely miserable."
"Hello! We're the company!" Acacia gestures to herself and Zoe, smiling to the man. "We're heading to Mount Caucasus in the morning. Do you happen to know where that is?" She turns to Zoe, brow furrowing. "You're supposed to be leading. Do you know where it is?" A thought strikes her, and she speaks to the whole group. "We should all compare prophecies. The individual ones that we got earlier, not the group one, obviously."
Iris - Tiefling Cleric | Cassandra - Elf Warlock | Solace - Tiefling Monk | Tempest - Hexblood Monk | Lex - Fire Genasi Barbarian
Lilyn - Triton Ranger | Candor - Changeling Bard | Echo - Changeling Warlock/Bard | Rowan - Fairy Wizard