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Runtime Break start
6h 30m 1h 51m

Episode 101: Downfall: Part Three

For those coming back, the gods have not only infiltrated the city of Aeor, but have infiltrated Exandria itself. A plan decades in the making while Exandria remained choked under ash and beset by monstrous hordes of the armies of the gods both Prime and Betrayer alike.
A plan was hatched to bypass the magical wards of the mighty city of Aeor; for the gods to take mortal form to pass those boundaries that only mortals could pass.
Having arrived in Aeor disguised as humble ground-dwelling mortals bringing food. Probably the last thing tethering Aeor to terrestrial Exandria. The gods and their companions discovered that they would need to work quickly, that the Factorum Malleus was all but operational.
Moving swiftly, our divine protagonists (we have to wait to find out if the word ‘heroes’ is appropriate or not) discovered the Archmage Cassida Preven who was working on the Factorum Malleus. Part of a secret society of Aeorian archmages dedicated to helping the Prime Deities win the Calamity. After all this is a war between gods isn’t it? Or are they not so much enemies as family?
We also discovered the Obtenebrator Engine and beneath it The Scribe (an Aeormaton tasked with operating the massive obfuscation that is hiding the city from divine sight, but also in the event of an emergency, broadcast the schematics of the Factorum Malleus across Exandria; an insurance policy should the gods somehow bypass Aeor’s defenses). It took less than six seconds for you to dispatch them.
We return now to an extra-dimensional holding chamber (a “back room” if you will) of the Ars Elysia (the hidden speakeasy/society of beauty/nightclub run by SILAHA aka The Arch Heart). Within this realm, you now appear:

  • The six of you
  • Cassida Preven (one of the archmages who crafted the Factorum Malleus)
  • Your sister and companion Arcadia (also masquerading as an Aeorian archmage; one of the two deities to have spent some time in Aeor.
  • Zaharzht, Father Milo Caust, and Tishar

All of you dwell now under scintillating silver light forming an ovoid sphere with elongated twinkling silver strands in all directions. You do not stand on the floor so much as you hover in suspended space here in the middle. Though it is clean and scintillating and extra-dimensional, perhaps you can smell that not very long ago, a celestial died here.
You have removed the Obtenebrator Engine and thus the gods can see Aeor. You have removed the Eravox Protocol and thus their insurance policy to disseminate this knowledge has faded. In that engine room you heard winds kick up outside; omens of things to come. All that remains is the destruction of the Latimus Princeps that force keeping the gods physically away and keeping you definitively mortal. That Latimus Princeps has been integrated to and built within the weapon itself.
You have one task remaining, but can you agree on what that task is? As we enter this chamber and Cassida (standing by Trist’s side) looks as Zaharzht coughing blood. Tishar goes and flanks Cassida on the other side and puts her chin close to Cassida’s shoulder and sniffs,
Tishar:”Mortal. Funny.”
Cassida looks to all of you now gathered here after the flash of combat and feels the power radiating off of all of you (who have just unmade decades of arcane work in a matter of seconds),
Cassida:“Who is everyone here? Are you…?”
Tishar reaches up a hand and puts it on Cassida’s back.
Tishar:“This person is supposed to be here? Or they leave?”
Tishar grabs the hair on the back of her (Cassida) head. Trist takes Cassida’s hand and looks at Tishar.
Trist:”She’s with me. Please take your hand away.”

Previous Episode: “Downfall: Part Two”

Artwork by KuyaSerge

  • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    ♪Episode Song References♪

    ᕕ( ᐛ)ᕗ

    Highlights

    • 00:01:36 Matt:”Taliesin, why didn’t you throw food at Sam?”
      Taliesin:”Oh, I do not get pulled by that man’s fucking strings. Fuck that.”
    • 00:05:56 BLeeM:”Nobody commandeers my fuckin’ cake. I’ll tell you that for free. When it’s snack time, you keep your fuckin’ mitts off my cake. You understand what I’m talkin’ about?” Taliesin:”There’s a t-shirt.”
      BLeeM:”Keep your mitts off my fuckin’ cake."
    • 00:17:00 Tishar and the Emissary express the desire to remove the mortal Cassida while Trist and SILAHA call for patience
    • 00:17:55 SILAHA leaves the dimensional space to find his club rocking and shaking like a boat on stormy seas. The god Kord is rocking the now-revealed city of Aeor.
      SILAHA:“Dear god.”
      BLeeM:“100 miles away you hear ‘Yes?’”
      Ashley:“Brother is here.”
    • 00:20:30 BLeeM:“Real Titanic vibes.”
    • 00:21:33 SILAHA:“That makes two of us.”
    • 00:23:09 BLeeM:“So, there’s not a clear ruling. I’m going to say it’s a deception check, if you try to use this bond that was created in the name of ‘family’.”
    • 00:24:12 BLeeM:“Everything that has happened in the hospital perfectly fit her vision of of what meeting the gods would be like, and what is happening now does not.”
    • 00:25:43 Father Milo:“We’re speaking to this mortal in such calming and almost, dare I say, reverent tones. Is there something you know, Trist, that the rest of us do not?”
    • 00:27:07 Emissary:“Mother. Son. Redemption.”
    • 00:27:47 Cassida:“The things I told you…I was doing the right thing, wasn’t I?”
      Emhira:“Of course you were, darling. What’s the password today?”
      cha cha real smooth
    • 00:31:23 Insight check success! You see an obsessive, single-minded focus on saving the gods. Working on this weapon, fully believing that she could turn Aeor, as a society, to a purpose to end the Calamity and save you (the Prime Deities) and Exandria…
      Ashley & Laura:[awkward groaning] her devotion to her child (and the fact that her child is hidden away far from her in a place that she can hardly ever get to see because there is an arcane project that she believes is necessary for the good of the entire world)

    and I wonder if you (RQ) don’t see something recognizable in a wizard of this level, focus, and dedication.

    • 00:34:32 Password acquired: Aurora Rex
    • 00:35:38 Trist:“I’m trying to save the gods, just like you.”
    • 00:36:15 Cassida:“The world is burnt by the consequences of your war; of your disagreement. How are you both here together? I thought I was coming to your rescue, but you’re all, you’re mortal. It’s been decades since some of you have been sighted. The Calamity isn’t a lull at all.”
    • 00:37:41 Father Milo:“…The line actually exists between those who matter and those who don’t. Sweet little mortal. We’re on one side of that line together, a family.”
      Something breaks inside Cassida.
    • 00:41:26 Ayden:“…There are things you cannot comprehend. Should those things come here, there cannot be only a handful of us.”
    • 00:42:10 Cassida:“You’re Selena’s construct.”
      SILAHA:“In the frame.” (play on “in the flesh”, delayed reaction from Nick)
    • 00:42:42 Umleta brings out the amulet. Seen within are two archmagi of Aeor, a tall, scowling wizard (Adamar Cadrow, Prince-Chancellor of The Cogents), and your (SILAHA) creator, Selena Erenves:
      Adamar:“Bold. Very bold of you to come here, celestial.”
      Selena:“Champion of the Heavens, you are very much mistaken. The gods cannot enter this place, even wearing mortal forms, shapechange or illusion will not–”
      Acastrial:“They are not changed. Do you understand who opposes you? Time is nothing to them. A mortal lifetime snaps gone in an instant. They are not disguised as mortals, they ARE mortals. Wearing mortal life for decades, just for the chance to destroy you. As they cast you aside they will cast their mortal forms aside once they are able. Your lives and their lives are nothing to them. They will snuff them out once your defenses are done. They are monsters!”
      Adamar:“You were made to be loyal to them.”
      Acastrial:“I am loyal to the truths that they espoused; a flaw of my creation. I cannot abandon the truths they laid before me. They can. They left me. If you don’t believe me, let this serve as proof.”
      hands over a small glass talisman (just like the one Emhira wears)
      Soldiers burst in with an announcement.
      “Sires of the Magestri, the Obtenebrator Engine is down.”
      Selena:“The Protocol, the Protocol has failed. It didn’t fire.”
      Acastrial:“They are here in the city. We must go now! The weapon must be activated now!”
    • 00:48:11 Cassida gives the remaining location of the design plans for the Factorum Malleus starting at level B9 (haa, Benign) and the three archmagi required for recreating the data. She offers to help gain access to destroy the weapon while she erases the data in exchange for mercy.
      Ashley hunched over with a mountain of guilt on her back.
    • 00:51:17 You’ve never seen The Knowing Mistress look rattled before. Watching her react to the idea of destroying knowledge and take a moment to think about how she feels about her family.
    • 00:51:44 RQ makes a copy of herself casting Mislead.
    • 00:52:15 4X10MN:“Alright folks, you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here!”
    • 00:52:51 You watch three massive skyship galleons take off with huge tethers to attempt to stop the city from lurching in (Hurricane is not an accurate way to describe it, all of the winds of Exandria have been called to this place in this time). You watch people running down a street that drops down from them 80 feet, they can’t even scream as the wind pulls the air from their lungs, and fall to their death.
      You watch ships attempting to pull Aeor to orient itself. The gods can’t even physically approach. This is just their wake. One of the ships wheels out and it tilts a little to the side exposing a keel to the wrong gust of wind. It whips along the tether ans smashes and explodes against the side of the city. 200 people dead…
      A powerful mage carrying many scrolls attempts to escape and traverse the storm and is quickly destroyed with his own staff.
      Emhira:“My brother may be going a little ham over here.”
      Emissary:“Uncle.”
    • 00:56:35 Cassida explains the 7 warding devices around the Factorum Malleus. Four lower wards against divine prowess, vigor, awareness, and resistance. Three upper wards against divine vitality, magic, and potency. They constitute the Latimus Princeps and it is destroyed when the wards go down.
      There is a failsafe device which detonates to kill all divine beings within Aeor. It is triggered upon the destruction of the wards. It is advised to disanimate the Factorum Malleus somehow before destroying the final ward.
    • 01:02:08 BLeeM:“Man it’s windy.”
      Looking out, you there are crashes of lightning farther out on the vast horizon. As the storms are coming in, for a moment there is a flash of lightning. It’s perhaps 100 miles away. You see an image of a wing, a dragon’s wing as large as the sky, past 100 miles of stormclouds, and a roar that everyone in Aeor can hear.
      Nick:“They might have a dragon, but we have one too. We have two actually (Bahamut and Tiamat).”
      BLeeM:“Six if you count em by the head.”
    • 01:05:15 Tishar:grunts"Can’t believe you have more worshippers than me."
    • 01:07:56 A wealthy ward of Aeor teleports away, leaving the rest in the maelstrom.
    • 01:10:46 She (Cassida) is asking you not to destroy Aeor.
      Nick:“We won’t.” tries to hide a smile
      Noshir:“Little lies are okay.”
    • 01:12:09 Ashley:(whispers)“Fuckin’ cool!”
    • 01:16:25 Cassida:“Then why don’t we just stop teaching me lessons?”
    • 01:21:29 Nick:“That will be the Starry Form of the Dragon.”
    • 01:23:15 Father Milo:“A woman who dedicated her life to destroying us (Betrayers) specifically, will not be walking off solely in the company of the so-called Prime deities. You don’t think we’re going to let you walk off with someone who figured out how to kill us, do you?”
    • 01:25:37 You watch her (Cassida) not be sure if she should say ‘best of luck’.
    • 01:26:08 Nick gets the B9/Benign gag.
    • 01:27:16 Trist asks Arcadia (The Knowing Mistress) why she hesitated to destroy the information.
      Arcadia:“They didn’t have this before, and they made it, so the idea ‘that we can destroy it and they won’t make it again’ doesn’t strike me as sound logic. Further I will simply say that I just think it’s wrong to destroy knowledge and I don’t need to explain myself to my siblings and I think that all of us have gone back on things that we have said we would do here today. I’m reaching the limit of what I can stomach.”
      Trist:“I feel the same way. This is making me sick.”
      Emissary:“No half measures.”
    • 01:30:19 Ayden notices RQ has gone invisible and joined their group to the Malleus and says nothing.
    • 01:31:03 Umleta snark
    • 01:32:25 Laura:“So many vitamins.”
      BLeeM:“The Genesis Ward is great for you.”
    • 01:33:59 SILAHA decides to use his reputation as a construct to infiltrate.
    • 01:34:34 BATTLE MAP!

    INTERMISSION

    • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
      1·
      2 months ago

      The Factorum Malleus…

      That which was created to hammer the gods themselves, (The Creator Hammer in Latin).
      You now behold a spherical chamber nearly 200 feet in diameter encompassing this platform emerging on a central massive column of stone and steel. The catwalk extends far back.
      SILAHA, as you approach, walking to the catwalk, you see a number of figures here. On top you see a massive solar, a celestial, Acastriel, speaking to a group of three mages here (that you don’t recognize and some don’t even look like mages, necessarily), and to Adamar (the leader of The Cogence), and Selena (another archmage and your creator).
      On the lower platform, two Irrevocable Automata. SILAHA, you call for Selena while approaching to announce your presence. You feel the feeling of turning a corner and having a gun pressed against your head. A feeling of sudden, cold, factual lethality, as you walk into this place. Understand that you are standing in a machine that can erase you from reality.
      You see four of these wards, set into the stone and steel themselves, and three wards atop the upper station, as the machine begins to pick up speed, much like the acceleration of the Emissary earlier. You approach and speak to Selena in this moment. As you do so, you see her turn to look at you,
      Selena:“SILAHA. Good, you have come. Where have you been? What have you seen? The city is in chaos.”
      SILAHA:“Pure chaos. Complete disarray. Where would you need me?”
      Selena:“Well, more than anywhere, we need you here. We are trying to collect as many archmagi as we can. The weapon must be used immediately.”
      As she speaks to you, the solar Acastriel turns to regard you.
      Acastriel:“In your heart of hearts, you are immortal, Aeormaton, and bear no truer self. Is this fact?”
      SILAHA:“This is true.”
      Acastriel:“I myself am not a liar.” (Solars always know if they hear a lie)

      The Solar draws its sword, ready for combat.

      • 01:56:02 Ashley sneeze (Stop it!)
      • 01:56:29 BLeeM:“Careful boys!”
      • 01:59:45 BLeeM:“Now you’ve used a lot of lucky points, I’m gonna be real-”
        Abubakar:“Listen man! That last one we took back, innit? So let me just…”
      • 02:00:18 Nick’s hyped nudge.
      • 02:00:46 Noshir retreats into his hoodie in a variety of ways.
      • 02:01:33 ROLL INISH BISH
      • 02:02:22 Nick:“I’m gonna send this naughty boy to his room when I get here.”
      • 02:05:40 BLeeM:“If a TPK is going to happen, it’s going to happen in the next 20 minutes…The vibe in the room is kill with extreme prejudice…INcredible.”
      • 02:11:30 Noshir:“I have Demolishing Might.” (double damage to objects and structures)
        The Ward for Divine Prowess falls. After rolling a skill check, double the result. After calculating all bonuses, double all passive skills.
      • 02:14:03 Ashley:“You get a Divine Prowess! You get a Divine Prowess!” (Oprah’s “You get a car!” episode)
      • 02:15:08 BLeeM:“You sing the songs of creation. You know the crafting, not of machines, but of souls and realities. As you divine prowess returns to you and all of you begin to thrum and glow, as your mortal bodies realize they are perhaps moments away from not being able to contain you.”
      • 02:16:49 Nick volunteers to track his buffs for the team. (Helpful player rule!)
      • 02:18:52 Fan Art Moment Irrevocable Automata attacks! “Enemies of Aeor.”
      • 02:19:55 Laura:“Stunned is going to do some fucking damage. It’s instant advantage against them.”
      • 02:22:02 Glabrezu
      • 02:23:50 Nalfeshnee
      • 02:27:07 Zaharzht:“Charge!”
      • 02:29:22 Taliesin:(Connery accent)“Remember your d4.”
      • 02:30:19 The Raven Queen’s entrance
      • 02:34:00 Fan Art Moment Ayden teleports in front of Emihra in time to take an attack from the Solar. “You and I will have words.”
      • 02:39:31 Acastriel:“If you would have words with me, I’d sooner you dash me upon the rocks of this cursed world, Father!”
      • 02:48:44 Emhira gets blinded by Acastriel.
      • 02:50:50 Zaharzht is paralized by the silver dragon.
      • 02:52:05 Fan Art Moment Tishar jumping onto the brass dragon and commencing stabbing with her greatsword. “You will bring me to the top.”
      • 02:53:25 In the midst of the battle Trist is contacted by Topher (one of the children she bore in her mortal form) via a sending stone.
        Laura:(gasps)“How dare you right now!”

        Topher:“I’m here with Hailey and Dad and it’s getting kinda scary. I don’t know how much longer you’re gonna be. Do you think it’s possible to send ships back here to Hawk’s Hill? People are starting to freak out cuz there’s a place called Tallgrove or Highgrove, or something like that. People were were supposed to come back and they’re not coming back. There’s sounds coming from the forest and people are starting to run, and I think some tents are on fire.”
        Trist:“Where’s your dad?”
        Amaris:“Hi, darling, I’m here. There’s a man named Purvan here…”
        Purvan:“It’s normal where I come from.”
        Amaris:“I’m not sure, he says he’s looking out for us, but we don’t know what’s happening.”
        Trist:“Listen. Go with him. Take the family and go with him, please.”
      • 02:56:52 Trist:“I can’t come back home…”
      • 02:57:29 Arcadia:“What are we doing here? What are you doing here?”
        Trist:“I don’t know! This feels so wrong!”
        Arcadia:“I can work a miracle in this room. No one looks to me for comfort or light or anything other than maybe things that no one should’ve known in the first place. If there’s a miracle you can work, you owe it to yourself and our family to go do it.”
        Trist:“Okay.”
        Arcadia:“I love you.”
        Trist:“I love you.”
        Trist hugs a resistant Umleta before leaving.
        Umleta:“I hate it. One day I’m gonna spin you up in my web and never let you go.”
      • 02:58:58 Ashley:“Let’s fuckin’ go.”
      • 03:04:45 Laura:(sings)“I’m gonna stand next to you forever.”
      • 03:05:18 Nick:"Hope they don’t target me with Power Word: Kill
        Taliesin:“Don’t say that out loud!”
      • 03:05:59 Archmage casts Level 9 Wish at SILAHA who uses their last luck dice to succeed halving a blast of 120 points of force damage to 60 (Finger of Death).
      • 03:13:49 SILAHA is teleported to the top platform, still stunned, now grappled. The absorbed instructions are still within as well.
        Laura:“You didn’t destroy that shit.”
      • 03:14:07 Nick sees the multiple debuff markers on SILAHA’s miniature and asks, “Does that just say fucked?”
        BLeeM:(laughs)“It does just say fucked.”
      • 03:14:45 Father Milo Cowst joins the fray.
      • 03:15:24 Ataro:“The fight for the future of Exandria happens here. Now. Fire the weapon at any cost.”
        Turns into a massive undead dragon.
      • 03:19:41 BLeeM:“Ain’t nothin’ in this life for free.”
      • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
        1·
        2 months ago
        • 03:23:38 Something floats in front of Noshir
        • 03:24:36 Nick rattles off some stats.
        • 03:25:04 BLeeM:“There’s one last thing in front of us and I think this could be a moment where the future of Aeor is written very differently. So let’s see what happens. I love playing with you guys. Ok. Our brass dragon must roll (d6, success>=5) to see if it regenerates its breath weapon.”
          rolls a 6
          BLeeM bluffs Noshir to use a luck point for a reroll, who calls it and the gamble pays off.
        • 03:28:45 BLeeM:“If you actually are ‘3 failed death saves’-dead, your mortal form dies and you are shunted out with the Storm Lord and the Platinum Dragon at the edge of the city.”
        • 03:29:42 Knock on wood.
        • 03:34:10 Nick:“I think we’ll survive.”
          BLeeM:“I love that. I absolutely love that. I’m not gonna lie, I fuckin’ looove that.”
        • 03:36:48 Emhira drops an aoe of darkness that even magic cannot see through along with the wails of sadness from (and for) the dead, dealing hundreds of points of damage and creating disadvantage for the entire upcoming enemy round. Clutch AF.
        • 03:38:43 BLeeM:“That is a fuckin’ miss, and for a creature that absolutely see through magical darkness, but can’t see through This magical darkness.”
        • 03:41:46 Laura’s “no look” dice drop on a potential instant death is a natural 20.
        • 03:46:57 Asha’s long leap out of the darkness
        • 03:49:17 Taliesin:“Burning these points but, fuck it. YOLO.”
        • 03:52:58 SILAHA finally gets a turn. Clockwork Cavalcade and…

        Meteor Swarm!

        Taliesin stands up to help and, as they discuss where to demolish, their mannerisms resemble The Property Brothers (or other any ‘open space’ remodeling show).
        Adamar is evaporated.
        HDYWTDT on Acastriel.
        All three major wards are destroyed, god mode enabled.

        • 04:01:09 Nick:“So it says a creature cannot be affected more than once, but an object may?”
          BLeeM:"This is the (most) ‘Rules-Lawyer-iest’ shit I’ve ever seen.
        • 04:05:26 Laura explaining to Nick that he may have to ‘get out’.
        • 04:07:41 “Make your wish!”
        • 04:09:50 HDYWTDT on Acastriel
        • 04:11:57 Fan Art Moment Asha dancing SILAHA out of the way of the meteor swarm.
        • 04:13:46 Taliesin:“I want the toy.”
        • 04:15:24 Abubakar’s victory pose.
        • 04:16:10 BLeeM:"You guys don’t understand cuz you saw Divine Prowess. You don’t understand the three on top. You really don’t.
          We have
        Divine Vitality

        At the beginning of your turn, if you have not taken damage since the beginning of your last turn, you regenerate all hit points. All death saving throws are considered nat 20s, maximum current and temp HP granted by spells and abilities is multiplied by 10, Immunity to poison, petrification, paralysis, and disease.

        Divine Magic

        Once per turn, you may cast any cleric spell or domain spell of any level without using a spell slot. After calculating all bonuses, double your spell save DC. Double the range, AoE, and duration of all your spells.

        and

        Divine Potency

        All damage from spells and weapon attacks are multiplied by 10. After rolling an attack roll, double the result. After calculating all bonuses, double your armor class. Double range with ranged weapons.

        “It’s not a fair fight and it never was.”

        • 04:22:17 Abubakar:(to Ashley)“You’re at two thousand, one hundred and eighty health…”
        • 04:23:15 No god buffs for Apples.
        • 04:28:26 This machine, crafted by the greatest mortal mages ever, looks through impenetrable darkness, crafted by the Matron of Ravens. Its oculus unable to see even with all of its arcane might. It sees the light of hope and redemption and healing from the dawn of time. There is not possiblity for it to ignore commands of its makers. It would take a miracle for it to do something like that.
          Aeormaton:(gasps)“I believe.” smashes nearby ward
        • 04:30:56 Another ward falls.
        Legendary Resistance

        Legendary resistances x 5. After rolling a saving throw, double the results. Immune to all non-magical damage. Immune to all damage from non-artifact weapons. Immune to all spell damage from spells of 6th level or lower. Gain 2 elemental damage immunities and 4 elemental damage resistances of your choosing.

        • 04:34:01 Noshir:“Run! Fly you fools!”
        • 04:41:16 Ayden casts Sunburst
        • 04:41:54 Nick:“I don’t need to roll dice.”
          Noshir:“Must be nice.”
        • 04:43:13 BLeeM:“Morning comes.”
          Brennan starts clearing the platform of slain NPCs.
          “Every person that I’m peeling off of the board now is one of the most brilliant mortal wizards that ever lived.”
          Nick:“I was way more psyched when I started that action than I feel now.”
        • 04:45:58 Noshir:“I have never been so babysat in my life.”
        • 04:46:32 All three dragons are killed by the sunburst.
        • 04:48:56 Nick:“That was my action…”
          BLeeM:“Pah!”
        • 04:51:04 Nick:“You will add 4 damage.”
          BLeeM:“You will add 40 damage.”
          Nick:“You’ll add 80 damage because you do double damage to objects.”
        • 04:52:24 Fan Art Moment Apples, with a divine empowered axe, carves off an entire section of the platform in an attack against a lesser magic ward.
        Divine Awareness

        Truesight. Blindsight. Tremor Sense to 120 ft. Speak and understand all languages spoken and written. Can communicate telepathically with any creature you can see. Immune to Charmed, Frightened, Stunned, Blinded, and Deafened conditions.

        • 04:53:20 Father Milo Cowst disappears with Truesight enabled.
          Nick:“That mother father.”
        • 04:57:43 Selena, blind, baits SILAHA into range by tossing a glass vial (containing an unknown deity) at the Factorum Malleus. Then, casting Wish, absorbs and disseminates the design plans across the entire city of Aeor.
        • 04:59:20 Apples:“I am worthy.”
        • 05:04:11 Emhira’s Eldritch Blast takes out the last aeormaton and the last ward.
        Divine Vigor

        You regain all limited-use class features at the beginning of your turn. You’re immune to exhaustion. After calculating all bonuses, double your speed. You gain 3 Legendary Actions per round.

        • 05:09:50 Asha releases the imprisoned deity from the vial. Arcadia appears saying, “Where is he (Asmodeus)?!”
        • 05:11:00 Apples begins to disanimate and the others’ mortal forms also start to fade away.
        • 05:12:28 *Trist, now The Everlight, loads the sending stone into her son’s slingshot and lets it go to find her family…
          Across an ocean in the land of Gwessar, a bloodied werebear and a burnt dryad fight side-by-side with the champion of the Matron of Ravens. Surrounded by devils who have come to destroy this place. A massive fiend speaks up, “We do love to destroy Her followers most of all.” As the fiend raises a wicked blade over two half-furbolg children, from across an ocean, a brilliant light shines like a star lit on the horizon.
          A stone from a slingshot.
          The fiend’s head is destroyed. There is no chance for redemption here. As the light glows, Topher steps forward, picks up the stone and holds its partner knowing that he will never speak to his mother in this world again. Hailey puts a hand on his shoulder as the devils come, knowing that his slingshot just saved them and that it’s okay to tell a little lie.
          Hailey & Topher:“I love you double triple infinity.”
          The Calamity is not over, but its final chapter has begun.
        • 05:16:16 Tishar and Zaharzht have fled.
        • 05:17:33 Fan Art Moment SILAHA embracing his blinded creator in front of a glowing portal created for an escape.
        • 05:19:44 SILAHA telepathically sends Arcadia/Ioun/Knowing Mistress the “poem beautiful enough to convince someone to kill a god” that he previously absorbed.
        • 05:20:30 Back at the scroll banks Umleta/Spider Queen has fled and Cassida has been brutally killed. Standing over her appears to be her husband Amaris and is revealed to be Asmodeus assuming his form.
          Asmodeus:“You look shocked. I always look like the most beautiful person anyone has ever seen. I’m gonna tell you something now. Before she died, she renounced you. chef's kiss It’s even better than killing a follower.”
          He smiles with a scroll and calls out, “Turn it on them, NOW!” and you see he holds the keys to the Factorum Malleus in his hands.
        • 05:22:44 Beating a 16 for initiative, Everlight is fast enough to destroy the scroll.
        • 05:25:33 *In this chamber, the Emmisary’s work is done. You begin to come out of time stop. The Emissary is filled with light and begins to disanimate. The Knowing Mistress looks at the Arch Heart and Selena (who is about to be destroyed as a mortal) and hears her wish, “Everyone. Everyone. Everyone.”
          Every wizard of flesh and blood within Aeor is seeded by her Wish with the knowledge of how to create the Factorum Malleus. With her Wish she says “Run! Save this knowledge!” The knowledge of the weapon touches every corner of this city.
          As the Emissary disanimates, the Knowing Mistress looks at the Arch Heart as the final blast of energy comes… Above you, the people of Aeor who are left, witness a god whose feet touch the bottom of the ocean and whose head scrapes the top of the sky, call down lightning. The Genesis Ward is cored out; emptied. Every piece of brumestone in the city disenchants. The city lurches horrifyingly to one side. Little arcane engines trying and failing to stop the inevitable. As the city-state of Aeor lists towards a frozen island. The land of Eiselcross.
        • 05:29:48 The Raven Queen meets the Emissary in her realm
          “Find those who are worthy and take them home.”
        • 05:32:19 Arch Heart:“I’d like you to know something. I have never been so proud of something as much as I have been of you. You have created something so beautiful. So pure. A weapon of destruction, yet preservation. You asked for the light? Then go.”
          Selena is pushed through the gate to safety.

        (continued)

        • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
          1·
          2 months ago
          • 05:33:43 *The mortal forms of the Spider Queen, The Crawling King, and the Ruiner, waiting for their chance to bend this weapon towards all of you are instead destroyed as the energy redirects towards them.
          • 05:36:10 Ayden:“…I wanted to save them.”
            Okay “sunburst”
          • 05:37:38 Asmodeus:“I HATE YOU! And I always will! Forever! Until the stars twinkle out of the sky! Until nothing is left but darkness, I will hate you. Forever.”
          • 05:44:09 Fan Art Moment The Raven Queen embracing Everlight and enfolding them in her wings with the freshly ruined city of Aeor in the background.
          • 05:45:14 We learn Hallis was sent somewhere in Exandria
          • 05:46:43 The sun begins to rise as all ascend. You watch the roiling as the Storm Lord pushing the city. Speeding up. Let none survive this crash.
            Far above, you are joined by your sister who appears in this moment. As your form passes, Wildmother, you appear here above the clouds. The Lawbearer arrives and the Knowing Mistress stands with you.
            “The Lord of Hells will not be long gone. Once the city crashes, they will gather the others and they will know we are here. We should not dawdle long.”
          • 05:48:58 Ioun:"At the last minute, why didn’t you come? (to help finish the mission)
            TLawBs:“For love. If something were to happen to her, I could not break my own rules to save her. So I gave up my son. (to RQ) Thank you for taking care of him.”
            RQ:“He was a pure heart.”
          • 05:50:22 Everlight:“You carry a weight much heavier than all of us. I don’t know how you do it.”
            RQ:“It is the path I chose.”
          • 05:51:54 TLawBs:“We have broken this place.”
            Ioun:“I agree.”
            Everlight:“As do I.”
            Wildmother:“We have. Now what?” Ioun:“There is a way. Our efforts have been half measures. We seek to do as we did before, not to kill our kin who oppose us or place them in realms of their own design that they craft into some torture (perhaps to torment us, I do not know). It will not last unless we close the door behind us.”
            RQ:“This is the only home I’ve ever known.”
            Wildmother:“This is ours. No.”
            TLawBs:“Look how far they came, my love. They almost took it from us by force.”
            Wildmother:“I don’t want to go.”
            RQ:“If we do this, it protects them from the others as well.”
            Dawnfather:“We protect them.”
            TLawBs:“Do we? Look at what you have wrought, Dawnfather.”
            RQ:“I have ushered many souls, this day.”
            TLawBs:“We killed them for being good. My heart is tired.”
          • 05:56:20 Ioun:“…we will address this Calamity. I believe that we can end it. We just must try and be willing to do whatever it takes.”
          • 05:57:34 TLawBs:“A forest with rules…Please tell me all about my son (The Emissary).”
            The Wildmother and Law Bearer depart.
          • 05:58:41 Everlight asks RQ to extend the threads or return the souls of Topher and Hailey and is told it is not possible. The RQ pulls two strong threads into view. “They will do great things and then you will see them again.”
          • 06:01:58 Arch Heart:“You know, in my heart I knew this was all going to happen. I mean, they’re our children after all. They’re gonna go out there, do their own thing. It’s what we did…They will always be with us. Like a scar.”
          • 06:07:31 When first the gods came to Exandria, they came from a realm of eternal possibility. Their first and greatest sacrifice was to become real. Now reflected in that first tragedy, that first calamity, it’s a reflection:
            In short, brief life can even the infinite change, realize, recognize, commit to something new, singular. To move forward on the paths of destiny and fate. Changed. Beautiful as the dawn. We do not see the gods, we only see light.

          MFMM replaces BLeeM
          Light.
          Endless light. A fractured divine memory, captured in a long lost relic. Bits have cracked and ruined history realized once again. As the light fades, here in this dark subterranean room, the ruination of a great and terrifying city, these memories, they surface once more here in this glistening arcane sphere in the hands of a man born in the lingering fires of what the gods have done.
          Here, the light has echoes.
          Here, who knows the danger these ripples might have.

  • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
    1·
    1 month ago

    Battle Map!


    platform base


    platform top


    Ooh fight!..wait… zoom out.


    Oh…


    Oh damn…

        • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
          1·
          1 month ago


          Overwhelmed lean


          Objection


          “Ha-HA! I got more shit comin! Archmages inbound!”


          Enjoying chaos


          “Are you not entertained?!”

  • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
    1·
    1 month ago

    Nick Marini posts Ayden’s build on Tumblr

    Ayden’s Build

    TL;DR: Barbarian 1, Druid 2 (Circle of the Stars), Paladin 8 (Oath of the Ancients), and Cleric 9 (Peace Domain). Feats: Squire of Solamnia, Remarkable Recovery, Warcaster, Knight of Crowns, Spelldriver, Tough.

    Building Ayden was a joy and a journey. To begin we were told we had 20 levels to work with and stats of 20 across the board. The only thing I knew about Ayden from the session 0 was that he was going to be a Cleric of the Everlight and that I wanted to make him the best support character I could. I also knew that the Dawnfather was aware of the mission briefing and so would have directed his growth to the task at hand.

    Stats of 20 meant multiclassing into any class was possible and that any ability score based bonuses or proficiency based abilities were going to be very good. I figured that with a warlock and a sorcerer we’d have some pretty good counterspelling and 9th level spell access, so I didn’t worry myself about either of those, instead focusing on making sure we all survived.

    The Dawnfather and The Everlight share 2 of 3 Domains. Life and Light. The Everlight’s 3rd domain is Peace. The Peace Domain cleric is an excellent subclass and its 6th level ability, Protective Bond, was something I knew I wanted to build around. The ability to take hits for, and aid, my siblings while teleporting around the battlefield is an excellent support ability and it also lets allies in the bond do the same,fostering sibling unity and cohesion.

    With the Dawnfather having Nature as his unique domain separate from the Everlight, and literally sending himself to Exandria to infiltrate a city full of the greatest mages of the age, the Oath of Ancients Paladin seemed like an obvious path. It is the nature Paladin, (his domain) and 7 levels gives you both Aura of Protection and Aura of Warding. This means as Ayden moves through the battlefield with Protective Bond he will be granting allies +5 to saves from his cha as well as resistance to damage from spells. Incredibly good going up against the wizards of Aeor he knew he would encounter. I didn’t want to go to 10 with Paladin because I didn’t want to be immune to frightened. I just felt that fear played too large a role in the reasons the gods were here and although aura of courage is probably my favorite ability going back to 3rd edition, I felt like it wasn’t right for Ayden. He had to fear in order to reinforce his need to hope.

    These two classes were set relatively quickly and then I began looking at how else I was going to build him out.

    I really liked the idea of being able to grant my allies some extra attacks and so I was looking at battle master to get commanders strike and goading attack as well as maneuvering attack to help take hits for and position my allies. Action Surge is also a great ability that could really come in handy if I needed to save someone and needed one extra action to do so.

    I was also looking at the 2nd level Divination Wizard ability Portent. The ability to fully dictate 2 rolls is very powerful in certain circumstances, especially if the numbers are very high or very low.

    Both these seemed good but weren’t feeling totally right from a character perspective. They felt too forced.

    As I was playing around with these two classes I was also building Aydens backstory. I really liked the idea of him being agriculturally focused, as this aspect of the Dawnfather is actually his youngest. Sun begets days, and thus time and seasons, and as civilization evolves agriculture follows. The fighter levels lent the idea that he has spent some time training under a knight or some such warrior, and I knew that he would eventually find his way to Trist to begin his tutelage and become her cleric. I liked there being these different eras of his life. It was around this time that I got an awesome email asking me to describe Ayden visually so that the incredibly talented Hannah Friederichs and Cael Lyons could begin to bring Ayden and the Dawnfather to life. I wanted Ayden to be a simply dressed with a shield he took from his mentor, but no sword for striking. They sent 4 sketches and told me I could mix and match as I desired. Image #1 however was exactly as I had envisioned him. It was the simplest and had this depth to his eyes that told the story of a much older soul in this 15 year old body. It was so perfect that it made me realize I had been going in the totally wrong direction with fighter and wizard. The concepts of nature and agriculture were suddenly staring me in the face. It was not wizard, but druid, and his mentor could have taught him to be a paladin as easily as fighter, but if he is the bringer of agriculture who has he brought it to? A remote tribe still hunting and gathering was the answer. Barbarian therefore replaced fighter. I can’t tell you how influential the sketch I received was. It felt like a bolt of lightning suddenly clarified everything.

    I was for sure cleric 6, Paladin 7 and now looking at druid and barbarian. I didn’t know Druid subclasses very well but Circle of the Stars jumped out from the pack just with its name. The Sun after all is a star. When I read its 2nd level abilities Starmap and Starry form it was so obvious. I can cast Guiding Bolt to set up those attacks I wanted to grant, and I can glow instead of wild shape and either heal more or have a massive bonus to maintain the concentration spells I knew I wanted to cast. For the keeper of time to know how to read the stars just felt right. It also feel right that the druids of a tribe that had been hunting and gathering during the tumultuous Calamity would have learned to navigate by the stars, a singular constant in an every changing age.

    Barbarian has a number of interesting subclasses but none felt like they clicked. 1 level of Barbarian though, for a character with 20 dexterity and 20 constitution, catapults your AC to 20 and it also gives you a proficiency in Constitution saving throws if you take it as your first class, again reinforcing those concentration rolls. He was found as a child by this barbarian tribe and his first class is also his first community. Barbarian was the strong foundation I would build upon.

    I was now Cleric 6, Paladin 7, Druid 2, Barbarian 1. Reorganized to be the order Ayden would have taken them in it becomes the following:

    Barbarian 1, Druid 2 (Circle of the Stars), Paladin 7 (Oath of the Ancients), and Cleric 6 (Peace Domain)4 more levels to distribute. As a player who has mostly played 3.5 (I think downfall just about doubled the amount of 5E I have played) feats are my absolute favorite things, so getting to multiples of 4 in class levels to grab some was something I wanted to do (also I didn’t have to worry about ability score increases)! I had already given one feat up by taking barb and druid but I made up for it with the human variant. I also took the Knight of Solamnia background to give me Squire of Solamnia, the prerequisite for Knight of the Crowns which would give me the ability to grant attacks to my allies without needing battle maneuvers.

    So I upped paladin from 7-8 for a feat and then decided to take Cleric from 6-9 because it gave me a feat and access to the spell Dawn. I mean the Dawnfather should be able to cast Dawn after all!

    Now to feats

    1. Background: Squire of Solamnia to give me the prerequisite for Knight of the Crowns

    2. Human Variant: Remarkable Recovery. I knew I’d be taking extra damage so having 5 extra hp from any healing I get might just be the difference. It also plays into his background. He had to leave the Barbarian tribe he brought agriculture to because his skin could not retain the ceremonial tattoo ink that would have symbolized his initiation into the community.

    3. Cleric 4 Warcaster to get advantage on those concentration checks, that along with proficiency and starry form of the dragon means I need to take 28 damage (56 if it’s a spell) to even have to roll, and when I do I get advantage and proficiency on the check. Getting me to lose concentration is gonna be a task.

    4. Paladin 4 Knight of the Crown getting to grant an attack proficiency times per day combos wonderfully with Starmaps free guiding bolt, conveniently also proficiency times per day.

    5. Cleric 8 Spelldriver I’m gonna be casting a bunch of spells so the ability to cast multiple each turn is going to make my support spells come out much faster. I have a big fam to take care of!6) Paladin 8 Tough I really went back and forth between this and Inspiring Leader. Granting all my siblings 25 temp hp is amazing but ultimately I decided that as I’d be tanking a bunch of damage I’d need toughness. Toughness gave me 15 more hp than Inspiring leader would have, and I ended up going down to 14 at one point so it was a decision that very much paid off by a single HP! Don’t wanna pop a deathward if you can help it!

    Last but not least we were granted 2 magic items. One very rare and one uncommon. For my uncommon I chose a cloak of resistance, a parting gift from the tribe that Ayden could not join. This upped my saves to 11s or 17s and took my AC to 23. For his very rare magic item I took a spellguard shield, inherited from the knight who brought him from the remote tribe to Trist‘s school, giving me advantage on saving throws vs spells and magical effects and inflicting disadvantages on spell effects targeting me. Combine that with resistance to spells from Aura of Warding and that’s a nasty nasty combo v wizards.

    • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
      1·
      1 month ago

      All in all Ayden’s build is an incredibly hard to target tanky support character who can move through the battlefield protecting his allies and being an absolute nightmare for enemy spellcasters. The only thing I really didn’t fully consider was just how much damage he would take from Warding Bond which totally bypasses all those wonderfully crafted defenses. As crazy as it is, I think we barely got to scratch the surface of Aydens full potential and it’s probably good those mages decided to cast spells at everyone else because Ayden was going to be a tough character for a spell caster to crack. The Commanding Rally did get to shine allowing characters who specialized in weapon attacks to get a little extra out of those 20 level commitments. Ayden’s build was crafted to keep his siblings alive and let them shine as bright as possible together. I’m very proud of him!

      If you read all this then you’re as nerdy as me and deserve a reward!