BayRat

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

So on wedsndays and Mondays I have two classes, one starts at 12:30 ends at 1:50, the other doesn't start till 3:30 at end at 4:50, so I'm basically stuck with nothing to do for over two and a half hours.

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

@dragonmancer She's not the hero Yigzavath wanted, but she's the one he got.

Isabella Loyce

Name: Isabella Loyce

Age: 27

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Description: Isabella is a somewhat sickly looking woman, standing at a below average height and weighing slightly less than normal for women her age, with a very slim physique. She isn't the absolute picture of perfect health, with pale skin, sullen amber eyes, and unkempt black hair that may or may not have been washed in the recent years. She is always seen wearing the Acolyte robes that have been passed down to her from her forebears, as well as the iconic white mask that she wears out in the field.

Personality: Isabella is an odd sort indeed. She firmly believes that people must be put through the worst before they can achieve their best. To that end, she is very calm and analytical, and does her best to remain both polite and reserved, though she has been known to casually dole out criticism, even when it’s not exactly desired.

Backstory: During the twilight years of the Silence, when things began to settle some and people became accustomed to the concept of a godless world, the last remaining Acolytes of Yigzavath became the targets of mass hunts by several parties, primarily the Healers Guild and several sects of preservation groups. The majority went into hiding, and what little faith they still had began to fade in most of their numbers. The very last two Acolytes, coincidentally a married and pregnant couple, took refuge in the only place their pursuers wouldn’t dare step foot in - Pecher’s Valley, otherwise known as the World’s Gutter. The only true refuge for lepers, rejects, and sick folk the world over. Drowned in refuse, held up by wooden shanties and piles of trash for miles.

The couple made the best of their situation, and ended up having their only daughter in the rancid dark of Pecher’s Valley, and they named her Isabella. They clung to their faith in Yigzavath, hoping their loyalty to the Filthmonger would keep them safe. They sanitized their locale to the best of their abilities - though they had inherited the natural immunities of Acolytes of yore, they wished to take no chances with Isabella. They cared for her, tutored her, and instilled their doctrine within her. She grew up well, and fortunately, never became severely sick in all her life. In fact, her parents believed she’d developed the best immune system in the history of the Acolytes, and they were thankful for that.

But, it had to come to an end eventually. Isabella, twenty-three at the time, was witness to the fiery cleansing of Pecher’s Valley at the hands of several parties - the Healers Guild among them, convinced that there was no hope for the inhabitants of the World’s Gutter, and that they should be eliminated before the risk of them spreading their filth ever became a problem. Isabella’s father died in the event, and her mother succumbed to injuries she’d sustained not too long after they escaped from the valley’s end. Isabella was left on her lonesome, and in the wake of the complete destruction of her home, she opted to find a new one. One where she was certain she would never be disturbed. One that was catered specifically for Acolytes.

The Infested Workshop.

Isabella searched, and managed to find Yigzavath’s worldly hovel after years traveling, following old maps and faded instructions. The cave was stocked with the Crawler’s old works, left untouched since the dawn of the Silence. Much of it was withered out of any usability, though some of the stronger projects happened to live on to that day. She took it upon herself to pick up where her God left off, clearing the dust, taking stock, reorganizing and whatnot. She claimed the Infested Workshop as her home, silently hoping that Yigzavath would simply turn up one day. To revitalize the Acolytes perhaps, or even adopt her as his apprentice, all to the end of bringing back the myriad creatures and plagues that the world had grown dismissive of, and so rightly deserved to face again, in her opinion.

And after months of taking care of the place, the Silence’s end will finally grant Isabella’s wish.

Motivation: Isabella wants several things. To live up to her parents’ wishes, fulfil their dreams of seeing the Acolytes returned to their former glory. To take her revenge against the Healers Guild and all else who razed her home. To serve Yigzavath and prove to him that she is a worthy apprentice. And she intends to work for her satisfaction.

Why have they been chosen as a hero?: Isabella probably wouldn’t be her God’s first choice as a hero. In fact, calling her a hero isn’t right at all. But, she’s all that’s left of the Acolytes, and all that Yigzavath has to work with at the moment, so go figure.

Equipment: Isabella carries a thin, pointed dagger with a compartment in the hilt, meant to fill the blade with any sort of poison or other harmful fluids. It’s a relic passed down to her from bygone Acolytes, and one of the very few that hasn’t been destroyed by the Healers Guild, or taken as a collector’s item.

Magic: The Acolytes of old were gifted with immunities to all the horrible diseases they spread, and the elite even served as walking hives full of ravenous insects, which they could command on their own. Isabella currently lacks the latter, but she has certainly inherited the natural resistances of her forebears.

@SepticGentleman

Plague cultists, yay, who's ready for 7 days of locust swarms? Accepted

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

Ancalagon will not be the only antagonist. After all, their are other gods and their heroes with questionable morality, like the dear god and the blight god, and the hunter god.

Heroes maybe tasked against fighting other heroes.

Yes there are demons still active, and one of them will be a major antagonist next to Ancalagon.

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

Do not fear your end.
Fear the First Son's arrival.
Fear the Colossus.

-Words etched into the base of a ruined granite statue in the center of the Celebron Fields. The statue has been broken and damaged beyond recognition, though it still makes onlookers feel vaguely uneasy.

Name: The Colossus, also known as the First Son and the Earthshaker

Age: Immortal

Race: Construct

Gender: Male

Description: Standing taller than most of Gaea's mountains, the First Son is a massive construct wrought of granite and covered in colorful vegetation. His eyes are two caverns of crackling green energy, and the kobolds claim he can see everything his creator sees. These rumors notwithstanding, the Colossus is a work of art, handcrafted by the Everqueen when Gaea was young and newly formed. His face has been painstakingly carved into the image of a roaring kodlak grizzly, one of the most bloodthirsty natural predators to stalk the mortal realm's forests. Of course, most bears don't have massive silver tusks protruding from the corners of their mouths, but the Colossus does. These tusks are capable of piercing almost anything, including plate armor and dragon hide. The First Son's torso is roughly humanoid in shape, and his five-fingered hands are covered in thorny vines that he often uses to whip his opponents. In truth, the Colossus would much rather pound anyone foolish enough to challenge his mother into paste with his overwhelming physical strength, though Kalla does her best to rein in his more destructive tendencies. Two sturdy pillars of granite form his legs and what appears to be a small river runs down his back, flowing through the trees and vegetation clinging to his titanic body. With a voice like the rumble of distant thunder, the First Son is one of the largest and toughest beings in the mortal realm.

Personality: Unlike the sylvan, who are little more than empty vessels waiting to be filled by Kalla's presence and orders, the Colossus has a personality of his own. Despite his fearsome appearance, the First Son is normally a gentle creature that enjoys wandering the sunlit glades of Arborealus, though he never lets the World Tree out of his sight. He knows what writhes beneath the tree and has no intention of letting it escape. The Colossus is bound by his devotion to Kalla and his sacred task. He would rather die than disappoint or betray his creator. One major difference between the Colossus and the Horned Goddess does exist, however. The First Son is full of the raw, untamed fury of the wilds. Stories from before the Cataclysm paint the Colossus in a less than flattering light, blaming him for the destruction of no less than five major cities. While his mother at least attempts to fix the damage she causes during her temper tantrums, the Colossus makes no effort to clean up after himself. His anger is pure and uncompromising. The only person capable of bringing him out of this berserk state is Kalla, and even she finds it hard to connect with him when he's angry.

Backstory: After waking up in a field on Gaea and seeing one of Kilgarrah's dragons flying over Drake Valley, Kalla was horrified. How could she keep her future creations safe from hunters like these? Kilgarrah had shaped the perfect predator, but Kalla knew he wasn't going to keep them on a leash and she didn't expect him to. The natural order demanded these creatures be free to do as their instincts bade them. Racing back to the now fertile plain where she first awoke, a region now called the Celebron Fields, the First Mother considered her options. She spent seven days and seven nights thinking of a way to protect her children from the countless dangers infesting Gaea. On the morning of the eighth day, the Celebron Fields had changed dramatically. The southern grasslands remained the same, but the northern half was now covered by a verdant forest. This woodland was one of an infinite number of gateways leading to the legendary forest of Arborealus. Deep within its heart stood the World Tree, and Kalla spent the evening of the eighth day shaping the World Tree's protector.

Thus, the Colossus was born.

Regrettably, the First Son's actual deeds are shrouded in myth and hearsay, a situation made much worse by the Cataclysm and the Silence that followed. One tale has survived, however, though the particulars are vague and unclear. The story, known as the Dance of Olum for some reason, describes a battle between the Colossus and some terrible enemy. Certain scholars believed this adversary was a monstrous dragon while others swore it was the first ziz ever born. The only thing the various versions of this tale agree on is that the Colossus triumphed, and Kalla sealed his wounded foe beneath the World Tree as punishment. Apart from this tale, nobody truly knows what the Colossus does when he's not serving the Everqueen. The truth isn't particularly interesting. Whenever he's not wandering Arborealus, following deer as they bound along or watching hawks soar overhead, the First Son spends most of his time sleeping in front of the World Tree. Of course, all it takes is one word from the First Mother and, like his sylvan brothers and sisters, the Colossus will awaken. In fact, both the twelve sylvan and the First Son dwell in the World Tree Glade when they aren't completing a sacred task on Kalla's behalf. Now, after the horrors of the Cataclysm and the Silence, the Colossus and the sylvan are almost always awake, preparing and training for the next assignment the Everqueen gives them. Gaea is still reeling from three hundred years of suffering, and Kalla considers it her responsibility to ensure the mortal realm has time to recover. Obviously, this means the Colossus and the sylvan view it as their responsibility as well.

Motivation: The First Son was created to protect the World Tree and to heed his creator's wishes.

Equipment: None

Magic: Only the Colossus and the twelve sylvan have an understanding of urdalaar capable of rivaling Kalla's own. Using the wild tongue and the vegetation shrouding his stony body, the First Son is capable of hurling entire ironwood trees at his foes, calling forth storms of razor sharp thornwood leaves, and sending vines through his opponents' ranks like spears. He typically prepares for battle by using urdalaar to summon a coat of living armor made of sturdy ironwood. Stone can be easily shattered, but ironwood can shrug off blows that would fell a dragon. In addition, the First Son has a permanent mental link with Kalla, allowing her to convey orders to him from anywhere on Gaea. The only limitation to this bond is the First Mother cannot command her son from the divine realm. She must be on the same plane he is.

@Lexicon

A bit op for a typical hero but i can allow it, I'll be sure to include things so he has a journey as well. -cough cough- Ancalagon -cough cough-

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

My intention from the start was to focus on nature, not necessary earthy elements and minerals...

I think Kalla hits on a lot of the niches Nnemerra was first intended to fill but I think shifting more away from the "wildness" that basically defines Kalla's abilities and getting more domestic with Nnmerra's life-giving (making it all about the harvest, agriculture) will help her stand out. I'll likely take some pages from Hera and Demeter's books and make her a Goddess of fertility, a "guardian of the human race", so to speak.

Getting back to work on her! Any important discussion I missed? I plan to flip through eventually but not atm.

@Karkinos

Thats fine, in which case though I would imagine Kalla will be the fourth Primal God.

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

Updated Kilgarrah's opinions finally.

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

Please don't let there be airships because then Nahargu'ul will get to have even less fun.

@SepticGentleman

I would love there to be guns of icarus technology if any god can put that too the table, otherwise its between midieval and 16th century maximum.

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

@dragonmancer I have another question for you because why not? After three hundred years of hell on Gaea basically, what's the technology level right now? Are we talking stone ages or Middle Ages? I know the Silence wasn't as devastating as the Cataclysm, but I'm curious to know what shape the mortal realm is in.

@Lexicon

Unless you have some sort of steampunk or other extraordinary tech-savy god, its fairly 1500's. You still have knights and swordplay, very few guns that consist of primitive flintlocks, muskets, and cannons, which is vastly expensive for mortals to use in quantity.

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

For your viewing pleasure.

Benedict Kaspin

Name: Benedict Kaspin

Age: Old. But he no longer ages.

Race: Previously Drakken

Gender: Male

Description:
Benedict is a gargantuan hominid Drakken. His body is incredibly muscular. Similarly to a rhino, Benedict has thick and armor like hide that protects him from most forms of physical assault. Arrows, swords, and most forms of bladed weaponry are ineffective on the first swing. Blunt weaponry is more effective, if enough force is applied. His body is slate blue coloration, with little variation in colors from one area to the next. His body, despite being generally aggressive in appearance Benedict has the foul attitude that only a herbivore could have. Benedict's diet is about 95% plants. He also eats a lot of coconuts. Like, a LOT of coconuts.

Benedict's clothing is akin to his lifestyle. Luxury is not exactly far up on the list of needs and his clothing is more for functionality then it is for anything else. He wears pants composed to sewn grey leather, and a large leather coat made of bear skin. All of his clothing was hunted and made by him- and the craftsman ship (or lack there of) shows his inexperience in the skill.

Image

Personality:
Benedict is blunt, stubborn, and rude. For the most part, this is usually a bad thing. But to some, this aspect can be endearing. He will always tell it as it is. He knows human nature well, and due to his history he often thinks the worst of people. Benedict is a pessimist and a realist. And he will tell you that you are going to die. He will also tell you that he will do everything in his power to keep you from being killed. Despite his relatively angry and distrustful personality Benedict is still a relatively social creature. He forms a quick 'team' bond with people who work well with him. Even if he doesn't necessarily like them (or if they dont really like him). He will play favorites. If he knows someone is better than you at something he will give you zero chance to improve because he will always play to them.

Much like the dragon, which Benedict is similar to, he is protective and possessive... of his stuff. If you want to be brutally maimed or worse, steal. Benedict also has an really bad temper and an INFAMOUSLY foul mouth. This guy is the shakespeare of curse words and he has literally come up with more insulting or slang terms than anyone has ever thought possible. It's like the damn guy has probably researched this shit. Like, have you ever met a person who has called a prostitute a 'Slattern'? Well, now you have!

He also takes an unusually large amount of pleasure out of seeing other people get hurt by doing stupid things. He's no psychopath, and he's not going to torture anyone just cause. He will be efficient and... messy though. That's his style. Leave no survivors and a mess for someone else to clean up.

No, Benedict doesn't want to be loved. No, he doesn't need a hug. No, he doesn't secretly crave attention. He's not a people person. He's very much okay with being left alone for the most part. He was born a loner. He thinks he will die a loner as well.

Backstory:

Benedict was neither honorable, nor noble.

He was a selfish, angry creature that was mad at the world for a reason he couldn't even define. While he was never outright evil, he was tempted by the Betrayer himseld- Ancalagon.

While following Ancalagon, Benedict did several terrible, horrible things to his kind and to others in a quest to further a being who had made him believe he was doing something right. Destruction of homes and places of worship, defamation, and murder are amoung them. As the saying goes: "The path to evil is paved with good intentions." Kilgarrah was mortified by Benedict's actions, and exiled him. Turning him from a Drakken into something he considered... less. Benedict 'lost his wings'. And as a result lost his home, or whatever he had left of it.

But, Iuppiter still saw good in Benedict. Iuppiter taught him that when you look for the light, one can often find it. And so, Benedict began to get better. Slowly, and painfully, he transformed from an angry monster into a grumpy reptilian man.

When Kilgarrah saw his progress, he gifted Iuppiter with Benedict's soul. Trusting his brother to do what he was best at- showing Benedict the light. However, Benedict still battles his inner evils. He holds a deep disdain for Ancalagon. He wishes to slay the Primeval Betrayer.

Motivation: To atone for his sins and slay Ancalagon.

Why have they been chosen as a hero?:

"You have light, and peace inside of you. If you let it out, you can change the world around you. You're not the man you used to be. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good. There's nothing wrong with someone helping you get there."

Equipment:
Benedict has nothing more than the clothes on his back and a magical cinderblock with a chain welded to it given to him by Iuppiter, and made my Ha. The cinder block and chain are unbreakable. On the face of the cinder block, the words "The Truth" are scratched in.

Magic: Benedict has an innate magical resistance as a result of Kilgarrah's curse. This means that Benedict can neither cast magic nor can he be effected by it.

I also understand that Benedict will likely never even come close to slaying Ancalagon. He will likely be talked out of that goal as well. A wish for murder is not progress, after all.

Name trivia:

Iuppiter is from a vocative combined with pater, and essentially meant "father Jove": Proto-Italic "djous patēr", with "djous" meaning ‎(“day, sky”) + "patēr" ‎(“father”), from Proto-Indo-European "dyḗws" ‎(“lit. the bright one”), root nomen agentis from "dyew"- ‎(“to be bright, day sky”).

It's also considered to be another form of the the word "Jupiter", and thereby "Zeus".

@JunkMail

Love it, I especially love his backstory and motivation, its so fitting and Ancalagon can be a more relevant antagonist for the heroes. He may get some help from good ol' Fafnir.

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

<Snipped quote by ShyDot>

I just bullshat Nahargu'ul's and Yigzavath's names so I can't say they have fun facts like that.

@SepticGentleman

They sound very Lovecrafty, they remind me of the outer gods.