Aberrant: Theomachy - Gameplay Discussion

[Alex Green]

Silgaea, the Darmathian Metropolis

The metropolis of Silgaea is located on and around Mount Silgaea, which itself is surrounded by steep mountains and thick woodlands. It is the most populous location in the domain and considered the capital of all of Darmathia. Mount Silgaea has been partially hollowed out with tunnels and halls for the Darmathian Pantheon to use as a home. The surrounding city extends in every direction around the mountain.

Any objection to making Silgaea a port city? Say, with a large natural bay along the lines of Tokyo

[Alex Green]

RE: The Dragon.

I agree with Sky, he has an *old* and *primal* feel to him.

RE: Q-storage.

I don't have a problem with it.

[Centimane]

I don't have any objections to making Silgaea a port city. Actually, I think that's a great idea. It can be located next to the water and still have all of its previously described features, too. It makes sense, since port cities tend to be natural centers of commerce, and thus have a natural tendency to become very important, at the least.

[Shade Sentinel]

Its also good for water gods and Godzilla like dragons!

[SkyLion]

I agree that it would be good if for no other reason than to give Alex's character a reason to be around and active. It is true that most major cities start around rivers, lakes and ports, or at natural crossroads. IN this case however, the capital formed because the ruler just decided not to move.

Its up to BT though. So Silgaea is a mountain city surround by mountains surrounded by forests on the coast...right?

[Alex Green]

I agree that it would be good if for no other reason than to give Alex's character a reason to be around and active. It is true that most major cities start around rivers, lakes and ports, or at natural crossroads. IN this case however, the capital formed because the ruler just decided not to move.

It's also physically the largest city. Just being the capital makes it an important city, but that's not the same as shear size.

The USA is littered with States where the capital is smaller than some of the other cities (Albany & New York, Lansing & Detroit, etc). It's noteworthy that New York and Detroit are port cities.

Its up to BT though. So Silgaea is a mountain city surround by mountains surrounded by forests on the coast...right?

It's not exactly rare to find mountains and mountain ranges next to the ocean. Hawaii and Tokyo come to mind. As for forests, historically the US had huge forests on the coast, they've just been cut down.

The Trident of Poseidon Origin: Myth claims when Poseidon was picked to rule the waters, he was given this Trident to let him do so. Eventually he fell in battle and his corpse, and the Trident with it, were lost to the ocean. Historically the Trident is a symbol of lightning, control over water, and combat.

Attributes (so far):

1) The Trident can be thrown and will return to the hand of its wielder (Attuned Weapon)

2) The Trident can glow and project light for long periods of time, enabling exploration of the dark depths of the ocean.

3) The Trident can raise up storms

So far what we have is a 5 dot Attuned Weapon being used by a god with Biolum & Weather Manip.

Proposal #1: I’d like to actually use it to throw lightning bolts. I.e. add Elemental Weapon (Electricity), ideally with Deadly Weapon (so he's doing [10]). Mechanically this would let Tridon throw lightning bolts and they’d cost 1 quantum rather than 6.

Proposal #2: I’d like to be able to literally command the ocean with it, i.e. make whirlpools, tidal waves , and even summon sea monsters. I.e. Quantum Weapon (Quantum Construct).

(On a side note Quantum Construct is another power that begs to have some theme limits placed on it).

[Blue Thunder]

Actually, that's what I was gonna do...the city is big, so it would extend from the mountain to the shore. From an overhead map's POV, it'll be considered coastal.

[Centimane]

Alex, that trident design sounds pretty cool to me. About the proposals, are proposed in an 'either/or' fashion, or are you proposing the weapon have both?

That's a lot of power out of the gate, but then this is a high-powered game, so I don't know that that's a bad thing. I like the imagery that comes to mind when I think of it being able to control the waters directly.

City by the bay: as soon as Alex mentioned this possibility, the first thing that came to my mind was Anchorage (cuz I used to live near there). That's the largest city in Alaska, and it sits directly on the bay at the foot of (and partially on) the surrounding mountains. In fact, if you leave the city heading southeast the road is built right up against a cliff face, with the bay on the other side. The entire area is extremely mountainous, and absolutely covered in thick rainforests (and yes, I do mean rainforests - a good chunk of the state qualifies as one) that come right up to the edge of cliffs that drop into the water, and only stop a little short of the shorelines. It's actually quite beautiful.

EDIT: Here's a pic: Anchorage. You can just barely see it, cuz the picture quality's not that great and the buildings are low, but the city extends partially up the face of the mountains in the background.

[BlueNinja]

Benjamin Hutchins is better known as the Gryphon Rider to the people of Dalmathia. At a young age, still in his teens, he was cornered one day in the snowy wastes, hunting the antarctic foxes and wolves that roamed the wastelands, trying to support his family. The goddess who cornered him gave him but one kiss, a promise of days to come in the future. Filled with the new power she invested in him, he set about building his legend. At twenty-five, he brought down the fiercest of all the creatures, the bear, armed only with his knife. Clad in the new, white cloak, he helped his mother and siblings pack up and head for the capital of Silgaea. With the war going on, he proudly proclaimed his intention to find a creature to terrify the opposing forces.

He set out alone, back into the snowy southern wastes, and was not seen for three months. Then, a black dot swelled in the sky, until at last it could be seen from the city battlements. Benjamin had found, captured, and broken to the saddle, one of the rare, fabled Gryphons. Astride the massive beast, he received many expensive gifts from the people of Silgaea, and bards spread his deed across the land. After three days of waiting at an oracle, he spoke again to his goddess, then strode forth from the city with his mount, flying to the front lines. Astride the great ferocious beast, he joined the Dalmathian forces, helping the lesser members of the pantheon opposing their opposites, and raising the morale of Dalmathian troops with the passing of the shadow of the beast.

After the war was ended, he vanished on the way to the capitol, leaving behind only a cryptic message about joining his goddess. Five years later, he and the gryphon reappeared in Silgaea, bearinga newborn boy in his arms. Over the next two decades, he raised the boy Erwin to be one of the leaders of the army, one of the youngest Hecatontarchs (leaders of a hundred troops). As of yet, Erwin has displayed none of the powers of his divine heritage, but with increased friction on the northern borders, the famed Gryphon Rider believes it is only a matter of time.

(Benjamin himself should be around an 8 dot Champion of Skuld, Norn of the Future, with only megas, specifically the physicals and perception. Erwin is still a baseline, though he should erupt some point in the next year or two.)

Coraline's clockwork device should really be more of an armor than a separate clockwork man, with its soak adding to Coraline's own, and a very limited ability to act on its own without her 'piloting' it. It should be around 15 feet tall, and beyond the punch-dagger spikes that can deploy Wolverine-style from the back of the fists, it is unarmed. Coraline summons it with a cry of, "Big O, it's showtime!" and the armor 'transmits' instantly from her workshop underneath the palace in Silgaea to her location, bursting forth from underground and enfolding her as it does so. "Big O" is her nickname for the armor, short for Omega. She has drawn up plans for building a cannon into the armor (Alpha) but as yet has not begun construction on the weapon.

Coraline's workshop is buried deep in the bowels of the royal palace at Silgaea. Her father's deeds have been enough to earn him a well-layed out suite in one of the wings of the palace, and her workshop often doubles as her sleeping quarters, rather than make the climb up to the main palace to her bed with her family. It is well-equipped with a forge and a number of custom tools for constructing clockwork, steamwork, and firearms, as well as a small supply of raw metals and woods. Omega is normally concealed in a corner of the workshop behind the various crates of supplies, when he is not in the field with Coraline.

[SkyLion]

Alex...your proposal is very...blue! ::tongue

Firstly even though we all know who you mean we have to get rid of the name Poseidon.

The elemental weapon thing only does 2 or 4 extra dice of damage so I don;t know where you get the [10] with deadly weapon but I also don't have a problem with that damage since a lightning bolt from a god should naturally be able to fry a mortal and its not much of a threat for novas.

Proposal 2 is much more powerful in terms of the tidal wave thing. You should already arguably be able to do those things with Weather Control though. Quantum Construct Sounds interesting.

I also must point out that historically and originally the reason Poseidon had a Trident (and the reason it was a trident) is because it is a fisherman's spear meant to catch fish in the tines. Only later did it become a combative weapon mainly in Roman Gladiatorial games where it was seen as "exotic" and used in conjunction with another fisherman's tool, the net. These special gladitors were known as Retiarus and fought another scaly armored class of gladiators called Secutors...in essence a fisherman fighting a fish...!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retiarius

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trident

[SkyLion]

But there are no polar bears at the South Pole :SMACK!: ::what

I love the idea of the armor that enfolds her but can be a golem on it's own. The Big O thing is too derivative and takes me a bit out of the game. Personally I would prefer you don;t do that but that's just me. I love the Big O anime though.

[SkyLion]

Re: Anchorage Those mountains should be taller, craggier and closer to the sea in my mental image of Silgaea.

[Alex Green]

Firstly even though we all know who you mean we have to get rid of the name Poseidon.

*Maybe*. We're going to have dozens of NPCs running around, I don't see why we can't use some of the arch-types with their original names with the bit players. Just by calling him Poseidon give a lot of description of his roll in the universe.

The elemental weapon thing only does 2 or 4 extra dice of damage so I don;t know where you get the [10] with deadly weapon but I also don't have a problem with that damage since a lightning bolt from a god should naturally be able to fry a mortal and its not much of a threat for novas.

Standard Lightning bolt (From Weather Manip with Q5) is [10]. Without Deadly Weapon Trigon's would be doing [5]. Ironically by making it an Elemental Weapon in some ways it's doing less damage than what it does now since Tridents have the barbs and I doubt you can do barb damage in combo with a lightning bolt (Sprocket's listing says they do half damage when they're pulled out).

Proposal 2 is much more powerful in terms of the tidal wave thing. You should already arguably be able to do those things with Weather Control though. Quantum Construct Sounds interesting.

Yeah, it's a lot of power, and just because Poseidon could access that doesn't mean I should... especially right out of the gate.

And it's not an either/or, there's nothing preventing both... but this is actually a trial balloon (or 2.5 trial balloons). I'd be thrilled with just Elemental, but wanted to roll out the full end creation for comment.

[Alex Green]

(Benjamin himself should be around an 8 dot Champion of Skuld, Norn of the Future, with only megas, specifically the physicals and perception. Erwin is still a baseline, though he should erupt some point in the next year or two.)

I think you mean Ben has "Boundless Gift"s?

[SkyLion]

Re: Poseidon and names.

I like the idea of altering the names and also tweaking the mythology slighty. Otherwise it reminds me of Earth and we are creating a fantast world. For example in my imaginings there would be a Hephaestus character but she is a woman and a giant and has an affari with a storm-god. So we rename Poseidon and he has many of the same traits but maybe he is part shark and has a hawaiian flavor, etc. I find that you can start with one change and then others follow and in so doing we step away from the archetypes that we already know and make them original, our own, and fresh for this world.

[Blue Thunder]

Time for a big post!

WEAPONS

Here is an example weapon I made for an NPC:

The Silgada

- Long warhammer

- Damage: 7d10 B [3]

- Recall: Phyremus can recall Silgada to her hand telekinetically and without spending any quantum points. It must be within Quantum kilometers and will move 100 meters per round if there are no obstacles. It will attempt to smash through any physical barriers in it's way with a Strength (or other dice pool) of 8, plus weapon damage. Only Phyremus can use this ability.

- Retribution: The Silgada can cause either a Thunderclap or Shockwave effect when striking an enemy or large solid object. On a successful strike (including a ranged throw) the Silgada causes damage as normal but then applies half of that rolled damage to the Shockwave/Thunderclap radius based on the wielder's Mega-Strength. This ability can normally only be used once per scene but the wielder can use this ability without limit if they are at Wounded health or worse. Each use of this effect costs one Willpower. Only Phyremus can use this ability.

- Justice of Silgada: The Silgada deals Lethal damage to anyone who has been found purposefully breaking the law while within Silgaea's city limits. This effect only applies to damage dealt within Silgaea, and does not affect anyone who has already faced punishment for breaking the law in question.

As you can see I just went with whatever I felt worked, but didn't want it to be too powerful so put some limits onto it's special abilities that also helped make it unique and specialized. I took the wielder into account as well; Phyremus is a city defender with wind powers, but her only real offense is Q-Bolt at 2 dots so her weapon had to pack a little punch. And with her status as defender of the city and a keeper of the peace, both of her last two weapon abilities make sense (dealing extra damage as she gets hurt, dealing extra damage against law-breakers). Her weapon is powerful, but not so much that everyone fears her weapon before they fear her. Unless they've broken the law...

My suggestion is that if your weapon/armor/whatever lets you use a quantum power or other special ability, it should cost a Willpower point or have a use limit per scene, or some other cost (causes you damage, prevents you from doing something, inflames an aberration, dazes you, reduces a trait, etc.). But normal quantum costs aren't out of the question either as long as the weapon doesn't become a quantum power repository. Limit it to one or maybe two powers, and at weak levels so they can grow with you. Also I think it's a good idea if all magic weapons cause [1] level of auto damage to further separate them from typical weapons, with [5] levels of auto damage being the max (remember weapon strikes cost no qp and can be done many times per round, so I don't want auto-damage on weapons going crazy).

On Alex's Trident:

I don't want to use real-world names from our myths. If you want me to, I could come up with a cool name. I actually have two water gods made...maybe one could be your father? And it's his trident? Or maybe just a spiffy new name altogether.

Stats for a normal trident, as they will appear in the New Flesh:

Trident: A weaponized three-pronged fishing spear used in ancient Rome and India. Very useful for trapping a foe's weapon between the prongs to disarm him. The prongs of a trident are often barbed, making the weapon inflict an additional (initial damage taken / 2, rounded up) Health Levels of Lethal damage when yanked out of a target's flesh. Safely extracting a trident's prongs from a victim without causing any further damage requires a Medicine roll, which is made at -2 difficulties if basic surgical equipment is available.

Trident: +5L, 2, 5, N, 2.25 kg

How is this then for a proposal:

Trident of ???

- Trident

- 5d10 L [1]

- Attuned to Tridon: The Trident of ??? can materialize into Tridon's hand(s) once per round as a free action. The trident will turn into water at it's original location. The Trident of ??? must be within Quantum x 100 kilometers. Only Tridon can perform this action.

- Luminescence: The Trident of ??? has 3 dots in Bioluminescence which can be used at will, without duration, and with no quantum cost by the wielder as long as it is being held. This power is projected from the Trident of ??? and will fade at the rate of one dot per round if dropped, thrown, or otherwise leaving the wielder's grip.

- Throw Lightning: The Trident of ??? can be turned into a lightning bolt and thrown as a ranged weapon. Roll Dexterity + Athletics to strike the target; the Trident of ??? deals [Quantum x2] levels + (Willpower x2) dice of Lethal electric damage to the target. The bolt turns back into the Trident of ??? after dealing damage. The bolt has a range of Quantum kilometers. This ability can only be used once per scene.

- Command the Seas: The wielder of the Trident of ??? can use the Weather Alteration technique. The technique is at one dot. The wielder may only control weather over the ocean or on the ocean itself, such as causing high waves, raging maelstroms, etc. The wielder must be completely submerged in the ocean (or other massive body of water) to use this ability. Any weather effects stop once they reach shorelines. Each use of this technique costs 1 Willpower.

- Aquatic Beacon: The Trident of ??? gives off an energy that virtually all aquatic novas can sense. Novas who are in tune with water or the ocean (as determined by the Storyteller) will immediately sense the presence of the Trident of ??? if it comes within one kilometer of them.

How does that look? As you can see it has a ton of special properties (5 of them!). This is just my brainstorm, you might not like it. It is of minimum power in the melee area, but it's purpose is to toss lightning bolts and command the seas, not stab people. I wanted to shy away from just copying Lightning Bolt right out of the book. The bolt does less damage than a q-bolt but can be used from a great distance, so much that you could use it to hit the ground/sea from above the clouds. That seems very god-like to me ^^. The low damage of the bolt and the once per scene limit (and the single dot in weather alteration) are intentional, because over time they can grow more powerful as you gain a better connection with the trident. I think we should leave sea monster summoning for later too or it might get too powerful right from the start. I added that last part in to balance out all of the power it gives (which is a lot); it's pretty powerful already, and now some of your enemies may sense the trident's presence and know you're coming, as a balance.

BlueNinja:

We need a different name for Big O ^^;

Cottus:

That's it? That's the city? Where is the rest of it? Out of the frame?

[metaphysician]

Huh, I actually was thinking that whatever region Tiwoz was allowed to set up with his people would be mountainous, a little like home. Maybe a plateau. Probably not the same set of peaks Kalukatesh lives in, granted.

Hmm, has Darmathia any periodic problems with random gods deciding to set up a bandit kingdom in the midst of it? ( yes, stupid in a rational sense, but not all gods are known for common sense! ) Because I could see one variation on my character's backstory be "Hey, you can have this land to rebuild on if you take the task of cleaning it out of outlaws".

[Centimane]

Cottus:

That's it? That's the city? Where is the rest of it? Out of the frame?

Boo! Hiss! There's a couple of hundred thousand people living there, actually. But yeah, it's not really what most people have in mind when they think of a city, especially when seen from above like that.

Huh, I actually was thinking that whatever region Tiwoz was allowed to set up with his people would be mountainous, a little like home. Maybe a plateau. Probably not the same set of peaks Kalukatesh lives in, granted.

Hmm, has Darmathia any periodic problems with random gods deciding to set up a bandit kingdom in the midst of it? ( yes, stupid in a rational sense, but not all gods are known for common sense! ) Because I could see one variation on my character's backstory be "Hey, you can have this land to rebuild on if you take the task of cleaning it out of outlaws".

Kalakutesh doesn't have any one area that he calls home. He travels extensively throughout Darmathia, and occasionally into the nearby domains as well. He is also just as much a water deity as a sky deity, hence some of his temples being built on lakes. So you don't need to worry too much about infringing on his 'turf'.

And BT can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the rank of Dux (rank 6, I think), pretty much makes a nova the ruler of his own little kingdom. So long as he/she doesn't get out of line, the Powers that Be will leave him/her alone. So perhaps that fits with what you were thinking?

[metaphysician]

Ah, well, I had perhaps a slightly different idea of what the rank system meant, particularly in light of the idea of there only being about 40 novas in Darmathia. Or was that changed?

Basically, it seems a bit much to require a six dot background for rulership over a city-state, if 20% or more of the novas in the nation are supposed to be ruling such.

[Blue Thunder]

I really need to get some NPC information up so you guys know who else is in the domain...especially the three wives, who end up running the whole place.

Hmm, has Darmathia any periodic problems with random gods deciding to set up a bandit kingdom in the midst of it? ( yes, stupid in a rational sense, but not all gods are known for common sense! ) Because I could see one variation on my character's backstory be "Hey, you can have this land to rebuild on if you take the task of cleaning it out of outlaws".

Yeah. My idea is, most pantheons are very strict with how their nation is run, down to the person. But the Darmathian Pantheon is run by Marmir, who just doesn't want anyone causing trouble. Anyone can operate here as long as they aren't causing problems for him and agree to defend the place from outside attack. Darmathia is surrounded by more powerful Pantheons, so no one is allowed to rock the boat, so to speak...they need to maintain the status quo and not cause problems. That said, the regions aren't totally independent. Most have to pay taxes, they might get drafted, Silgaea may demand resources, etc.

One of Marmir's three wives could agree to let you settle somewhere. You can make up the name of the region if you want. Darmathia was made to be huge, and the pantheon can't be everywhere so undoubtedly outlaws will pop up in the far reaches.

Ah, well, I had perhaps a slightly different idea of what the rank system meant, particularly in light of the idea of there only being about 40 novas in Darmathia. Or was that changed?

Yeah I just changed it. I got to thinking and...there is no way we can fit only 40 into this place. We've already got at least 20 so far just from NPCs related to PCs. So I'm not even going to define a number anymore. Darmathia will have what it has.

[Alex Green]

Trident of Oceana(?)

- Trident

- 5d10 L [1]

- Attuned to Tridon: The Trident of Oceana can materialize into Tridon's hand(s) once per round as a free action. The trident will turn into water at it's original location. The Trident of Oceana must be within Quantum x 100 kilometers. Only Tridon can perform this action.

- Luminescence: The Trident of Oceana has 3 dots in Bioluminescence which can be used at will, without duration, and with no quantum cost by the wielder as long as it is being held. This power is projected from the Trident of Oceana and will fade at the rate of one dot per round if dropped, thrown, or otherwise leaving the wielder's grip.

- Throw Lightning: The Trident of Oceana can be turned into a lightning bolt and thrown as a ranged weapon. Roll Dexterity + Athletics to strike the target; the Trident of Oceana deals [Quantum x2] levels + (Willpower x2) dice of Lethal electric damage to the target. The bolt turns back into the Trident of ??? after dealing damage. The bolt has a range of Quantum kilometers. This ability can only be used once per scene.

- Command the Seas: The wielder of the Trident of Oceana can use the Weather Alteration technique. The technique is at one dot. The wielder may only control weather over the ocean or on the ocean itself, such as causing high waves, raging maelstroms, etc. The wielder must be completely submerged in the ocean (or other massive body of water) to use this ability. Any weather effects stop once they reach shorelines. Each use of this technique costs 1 Willpower.

- Aquatic Beacon: The Trident of Oceana gives off an energy that virtually all aquatic novas can sense. Novas who are in tune with water or the ocean (as determined by the Storyteller) will immediately sense the presence of the Trident of Oceana if it comes within one kilometer of them.

Actually I like this a lot. There's a huge overlap with his own powers but the lack of a q-cost more than makes up for it. I should probably change his known technique from Weather Alteration to Lightning Bolt, i.e. he can still bring rain to crops with Weather Manip, it's just a lot harder, he's not nearly as good at doing that as he is at sinking ships.

RE: T's father.

Considering Mom's lifestyle, figuring out who his father is would/will be a problem. ::wacko

[SkyLion]

I heard she made whoopie with a certain Dragon... ::innocent

[Alex Green]

Among others. On a side note supposedly she "came from the Ocean" which means (stripped of mythological double speak) she's probably Poseidon's daughter (in even Disney's G-rated version Poseidon had a dozen or so children).

The easy way to side step a lot of this (and we should since Tridon is based on Poseidon) is to make Oceana female.

So the big bad ocean power that originally owned the Trident (and who might have been Tridon's grand parent) was a woman.

[SkyLion]

Let me rephrase that...I heard your mamma had a serious beastiality fetish and you are part lizard. ::tongue

Re: Oceana...yeah women have alot in common with the Ocean! ::wink

[Shade Sentinel]

I'm totally pleased with the characters so far, we should have a good dynamic.

As for me, I don't really lay claim to any one pantheon or city. The concept will have him involved world wide here and there. Luck and fortune no not region or domain after all.

[BlueNinja]

But there are no polar bears at the South Pole :SMACK!: ::what

BT said specifically that this world is not Earth, and we're on a large continent in the southern hemisphere. Therefore, there are South Polar Bears. ::tongue

I love the idea of the armor that enfolds her but can be a golem on it's own. The Big O thing is too derivative and takes me a bit out of the game. Personally I would prefer you don;t do that but that's just me. I love the Big O anime though.

Actually, I've never seen the Big O anime. I'll just stick with calling the armor Omega, especially once I'd have enough XP to build the weapon Alpha.

[BlueNinja]

I think you mean Ben has "Boundless Gift"s?

I don't remember exactly; I didn't take a close look at the Champion background. But basically, Benjamin has no actual powers loaned to him, just whatever other benefits he'd get from being a Champion, at a high level. [edit] Boundless Gift is probably a good one for him, with all those points into megas.[/edit]

[SkyLion]

BT said specifically that this world is not Earth, and we're on a large continent in the southern hemisphere. Therefore, there are South Polar Bears. ::tongue

That's why the smart ass smiley got bitched slapped! ::laugh

Actually, I've never seen the Big O anime. I'll just stick with calling the armor Omega, especially once I'd have enough XP to build the weapon Alpha.

You know I am starting with a Beast and Weapon. Not sure what you have worked out with BT but you might be able to have the weapon and the golem...

And where the hell is Sablesma? ::confused

[Alex Green]

Let me rephrase that...I heard your mamma had a serious beastiality fetish...

She would say she's open minded. Just think of all the things Zeus has tried... and he's not even the love god.

...and you are part lizard. ::tongue

Maybe, maybe not. Thing is Tridon (and for that matter Venus) really doesn't know. Our lizard thinks that the timing is about right... so it's possible.

And we need a name for 'mom'... humm.... what rhymes with "Venus"?

:Alex pokes around the Thesuarus:

Here we go: "Aphrodisia": Goddess of Love, Lust, & Beauty. She admits to being 20 years old, and has for centuries. She's part of the Capital City and has one of the larger groups of followers.

According to Greek poet Hesiod, she was born when Cronus cut off Ouranos' genitals and threw them into the sea, and from the aphros (sea foam) arose Aphrodite

[Centimane]

BT asked me to remind him to post something about this if he didn't put anything up in a day or two, but I haven't seen him (on AIM) since then, so I guess I'll go ahead and put something up as a sort of combination reminder to BT and a heads up to the rest of you.

During the same conversation with him that led to the addition of the Wardens and the Fallen, I suggested to BT, and he agreed, that we could/should have an ability that covered lost, ancient, or 'divine' knowledge that not everyone would have access to.

While we were in chat I believe I was referring to this ability as 'Lore' (like in Exalted), but a quick review of that system reminded me that Lore is essentially Academics in Aberrant (and speaking of which, high Academics in Theomachy should denote a degree of knowledge about ancient artifacts, historical oddities, the details of myths or legends and any gods/beasts/monsters associated with them, etc). The ability that I was trying to think of is referred to in Exalted, and in other WW books, as Occult.

So anyway, BT indicated that he thought this ability was a good addition to this game (and thanks Metaphysician for jogging my memory concerning the Exalted skill set), and the rest of you guys deserve to know about it now, in case you would like your characters to have some degree of skill in this ability.

BT will have to lay out exactly how he sees this ability working, but it should essentially cover what it does in Exalted, i.e. a knowledge of things supernatural, mystical, etc. This is the ability to take if you want to have knowledge above and beyond what the 'typical' god has about the layout and customs of the Underworld, or if you wanted your character to know about a few of the Upper Realms and possibly even how to enter one or two. If you wanted your character to have detailed knowledge about one or more of the ancient Fallen, or the correct way to interact with a Lord of the Underworld, or maybe the protocols necessary to appease those Enforcers that guard a particular Upper Realm. That kind of stuff.

Ok, so now everyone's been given a heads up, and BT has been reminded (I hope). BT, if you'd care to clarify/correct anything I've posted here, I'm sure we'd all appreciate it. ::ultracool

[BlueNinja]

Dangit, now I need to figure out which dots to move around, because Coraline would definitely have a bit of that.

[SkyLion]

She would say she's open minded. Just think of all the things Zeus has tried... and he's not even the love god.

Maybe, maybe not. Thing is Tridon (and for that matter Venus) really doesn't know. Our lizard thinks that the timing is about right... so it's possible.

You do realize that I was just poking a bit of fun right? ::unsure

And we need a name for 'mom'... humm.... what rhymes with "Venus"?

:Alex pokes around the Thesuarus:

Here we go: "Aphrodisia": Goddess of Love, Lust, & Beauty. She admits to being 20 years old, and has for centuries. She's part of the Capital City and has one of the larger groups of followers.

According to Greek poet Hesiod, she was born when Cronus cut off Ouranos' genitals and threw them into the sea, and from the aphros (sea foam) arose Aphrodite

No offesne intended but can we please try to be just a little bit more original. Aphrodisa, comes directly from Aphrodite. I would really like it if rather than this setting being filled with simple pastiches of existing myths with just different (if only slightly) names... Let's turn the mythos on its ear...this is a chance to reinvent it and make it ours. The names can be totally different. Some attributes may be totally different or maybe even merged with another archetype...what if the love goddess also happens to be a goddess of cold? or moneylending and prostitutes, or is a hermaphrodite...or, or, or...

[BlueNinja]

what if the love goddess also happens to be <snip> a hermaphrodite...or, or, or...

Bisexuality doubles your chance of a date on Saturday night? ::cool

Edited Coraline's sheet to reflect the minor change in powers, and shuffling a few Ability dots around for Occult.

[SkyLion]

Here is what I have come up with:

History

Torus the Cruel was a despot and the Absolute of the far away Demesne of Kul-Argoth. Like his corrupt Protogenai father before him, Torus was merciless and bloodthirsty, craving conquest and power. He marched on and conquered the Demesnes of both Kul and Argoth, bringing them under his mailed fist, and taking their Queens to his bed as concubines.

From Neryl, goddess of cunning he begat Demos and Septeron, and from Merrowyn, goddess of hearth and harvest he begat Morrygan and Draygos. Demos and Septeron took after their mother, the latter with a penchant for guile and pretense and the former a master of the black arts and a Machiavellian mind.

Morrygan, the eldest and favored of Torus, took after his father in size and strength, being like unto a giant in stature and temperament, while his twin brother Draygos was born a weakling whelp. Fearing for her son, and knowing that Torus would suffer no weakness in his lineage, Merrowyn escaped under cover of darkness, descending into the Black Pit of the Schraenaan there to seek an audience with the Keepers of the Underworld.

Mortacai, Lord of the Keepers was bewitched with the hale and vital beauty before him and agreed to grant her desire but that she remain with him, in the gloaming twilight of the Underworld, forever. Dead already but for the life of her beloved son, Merrowyn agreed, and her honeyed skin turned to ashen gray for the light of the sun on the fields no longer warmed her skin and she became the bride of the Keeper of the Dead.

With solemn sacrifice she carried the babe to the edges of the Lake of the Dead, that Stygian pool of despair where the souls of many mortals were set adrift among the Abyssal depths and where forgotten things from the black hearts of the Protogenoi dwelled in spite of the living. The babe did not cry nor make a sound as his mother unwrapped him from his swaddling and, tying a cloth about his ankle, dipped him headfirst into the black water. When she removed him, his skin was coated in death the color of the sky as it turns to night and the flaxen gold hair that was his mother's gift fell blackened onto the craggy shore. It is said that the young Draygos did not emerge from his baptism alone but that something followed him from the waters.

Allowed one final sojourn to the light, Merrowyn returned to the iron spires of Kul-Argoth and presented her son to his father's keeping, speaking that the child was Marked, exiled from the Dead as she was now the Living, and that no harm could come to him. Furious, Torus struck her down, and her soul returned to its promised place and his son was cast into the donjons where he would eat gruel and maggot as a mongrel dog.

Years past and the borders of Kul-Argoth swelled under the burning armies of Torus, lead by the now-general Morrygan. Septeron presided as Magistrate over the corrupt laws of the land, appeasing the beleaguered populace with the kangaroo court of the Senate, while Demos had grown into a powerful sorcerer and unknown to all, the true power behind Torus for he had long wormed his way into the twisted mind of his Sire. Draygos was an abused pet, fed but for the amusement of his father and twin, who took delight in daily merciless beatings and transforming the protection of his mother's sacrifice into a hellish life of torment. The one person to show him any mercy or compassion was a mortal serving girl to Torus, who brought him his monthly bowl of soured gruel.

Over the years of punishment, the two shared a connection, at first unspoken, and shared only in secretive glances, an understanding of their mutual prison, in spite of the bars that separated them. Though it would take only a true Bard to see the poetry hidden under the pain, it was the closest thing to love that the pair had ever known. More years passed and the young girl, Farah, grew into a beautiful woman and soon enough caught the lascivious attention of Septeron. After he had taken her unto his bed and made her his concubine, Farah fled to the Donjon and begged Draygos, who had himself grown hard and resilient from his father's ministrations, to run away with her. Upon hearing of Septeron's liberties with his beloved, a blackness welled up in the heart of Draygos. Some postulate it was his own hate made manifest, while others say it was something eldritch that had returned and had watched over him from the Waters of Death. Whatever the truth is, his very shadow came to unholy life and slew Septeron in his sleep, impaling him upon his own dagger.

The two fled into the night but too late, for the alarm had been sounded and they had tasted but a few sweet breaths of freedom before Farah was struck down. Fell lightning coursed from Demos’ hand, melting away the mortal beauty under sickly green flame while Draygos clung to her, powerless in horror as the only good thing in his life burned to bitter ash in his arms. What was left of his sanity burned with her and Draygos and his Shadow disappeared into the vast Wyld. For thirty years he wandered, wracked with grief and his mental faculties dulled into a creature of savage rage. He lashed out at every living thing, and death followed in his footsteps, and in spite for no matter how hard he tried, it would not claim him and release him from a pain like no arrow nor sword could inflict.

One day, the wandering wreck of a man came upon an island hidden among the mists of a Lake near the edge of Kul-Argoth. It is said that the Mists keep secret the location and only those who are deemed worthy by the monks therein are allowed to part the veil. They took him in, nursed his fragile mind back to health and showed him how to focus his thoughts and emotions, to master them. He studied the ways of combat and war, learning the martial ways and reading upon the ancient texts passed down by the great Kalakutesh. For 50 years more did he mold his mind and body to perfection, but never did the memory and dream of vengeance leave his heart. No matter how long he might sit in contemplation, he would find no peace. Some say it was the Tenebrous that compelled him, whispering black thoughts into his dreams at night.

After that, he left the land, departing over the oceans to the north, seeking out the means to exact his retribution upon his kin. It was in the fiery Sea of Sarakan where he made his deal with the Devil. Within a citadel of searing brass, the demon Yinsolahad, one of The Fallen, ruled as Sultan over a kingdom of djinn. It is said that Draygos made a pact with the Sultan, promising his service in exchange for power. The djinni had within the bowels of the Citadel, a forge built from the fiery heart of the volcano that boiled the waters and gave the Sarakan its name. In the molten rock of the mountain, a blade was forged, formed from the very rage that seethed within the bitter heart of the deathless one. To seal this pact and ensure payment, Draygos was shackled with the Brass Bands of Yinsolahad, cursed metal seared into his flesh and very soul. These would ensure that not only the bargain be kept, but also being demon-forged would feed upon the energies of conflict directed against them. In this way, and through a Faustian bargain, Draygos was reborn as a creature of Fire and Shadow and Wrath.

After nearly a century, Draygos returned to the shores of his birth. Seeing the death smoldering within those eyes, Torus attempted to bargain with his son, proclaiming his pride in what he had made himself and offering vast regions and armies to command, but Draygos would not be swayed from his bloody intent on which he had long meditated. Fighting two against one, his sire and twin, the battle brought low the walls of the Iron Palace, but for every strike laid upon him, Draygos returned with an ever-greater fury. He cut his Father down and Morrygan beside him, but Demos would not be felled. With powerful magics, he withstood the burning rage of his brother. For a fortnight the sounds of their battle raged across the kingdom, laying waste to many acres and with neither gaining ground nor giving quarter. Finally, feeling his strength ebbing in the face of his brother’s relentless assault, Demos gathered all his energies and cast Draygos from the Domain, weaving a powerful banishment that would forbid him ever returning across the borders of Kul-Argoth.

Denied his due, exiled from his home, and robbed of his birthright, Draygos once again set out, restless unto the Realms. There is a small and secretive cult within Kul-Argoth who prophecy his eventual return and bide their time in quiet until that day, but few outside that remote Demesne know of his royal pedigree. Most know him only as Draygos- The Hunstsman, who is called Kin-Slayer for the garland of skulls around his neck or Night-Bringer by those whom have seen his Shadow, and lived to tell the tale.

[Alex Green]

No offesne intended but can we please try to be just a little bit more original. Aphrodisa, comes directly from Aphrodite. I would really like it if rather than this setting being filled with simple pastiches of existing myths with just different (if only slightly) names... Let's turn the mythos on its ear...this is a chance to reinvent it and make it ours. The names can be totally different. Some attributes may be totally different or maybe even merged with another archetype...what if the love goddess also happens to be a goddess of cold? or moneylending and prostitutes, or is a hermaphrodite...or, or, or...

Two comments, first you're right. IMHO she needs another theme or two. "Strong Emotion" (i.e. Empathy Manip over a crowd), and/or Peace, Diplomacy, Light and Illusion all come to mind.

Second of all, you're making a dangerous assumption. She presumably has mega-manip, there's no reason to assume that the Goddess of Love and Beauty is *only* that. She could have Disintegration, or Mega-Strength 5 (or even Mega-10 ::ohmy ) and simply choose to not advertise it. Her "Goddess of" powers are her minimum, not her maximum. ::devil

[Centimane]

Two comments, first you're right. IMHO she needs another theme or two. "Strong Emotion" (i.e. Empathy Manip over a crowd), and/or Peace, Diplomacy, Light and Illusion all come to mind.

Second of all, you're making a dangerous assumption. She presumably has mega-manip, there's no reason to assume that the Goddess of Love and Beauty is *only* that. She could have Disintegration, or Mega-Strength 5 (or even Mega-10 ::ohmy ) and simply choose to not advertise it. Her "Goddess of" powers are her minimum, not her maximum. ::devil

Alex has a good point. The "goddess of love" theme is one of the oldest in world mythology, but the very oldest (who include goddesses like Durga, Ishtar, Inanna, et al) were also goddesses of war. The Greeks and Romans seperated them out into multiple goddesses (Athena and Aphrodite being the most prominent), but originally the goddess of sex and love was also the goddess of warfare and martial strength.

Just something to bear in mind.

[Centimane]

Hey BT, is this what you're thinking of for Silgaea? I know there's no ocean in the pic, but there could easily be just 'off camera'.

Not sure if the pic fits, but I found it and thought it was pretty cool, and so figured I'd share.

[SkyLion]

Alex has a good point. The "goddess of love" theme is one of the oldest in world mythology, but the very oldest (who include goddesses like Durga, Ishtar, Inanna, et al) were also goddesses of war. The Greeks and Romans seperated them out into multiple goddesses (Athena and Aphrodite being the most prominent), but originally the goddess of sex and love was also the goddess of warfare and martial strength.

Just something to bear in mind.

That was part of my point...combining *known* archetypes is one half of what I was saying but the other part was how can we make them *truly* unique...Slanesh from Warhammer is a god of lust and debauchery as well as a hermaphrodite with one breast and one arm that ends in a crab like pincer...its that sort of thing I thought we could really run wild with here since we are sort of combining the ideas of gods and mythos with novas and aberrations...

Re: Pic...

imho needs more mountains, dense forests and a greek like acropolis spreading down from the mountain densely to the sea. It is a cool pic tho...

[Centimane]

Honestly, I'm hoping we don't get too hung up on "Greek-like" elements. It's a good place for us to visit for ideas, but it's not exactly where I want to live, if you know what I mean.

And speaking of starting points, that's all the pic was meant to be. Unless BT was basing his image of Silgaea off of a pic, it's unlikely that we're going to find one that fits exactly, nor should we expect to. If we do, then great, but until then we need to be prepared to use pics for inspiration and our imaginations for all the rest.

[SkyLion]

I don't necessarily mean stylisticly greco-roman, but I do have the vision of a dense ancient metropolis built of elaborate stonework. Personally I rather like the idea of Egyptian or Persian inspired architecture, maybe even Sumerian...