Klomster

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

@LexiconWhile completely wrong, i like to imagine the gods just going about, casually killing some warhammer bloodthirsters :P
Like meh, no deal, they are just minor deamons.

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

Hakon had enough of this, massive steel armoured men showing up from nowhere and magically making things pop up? To help fight against bloodthirsters?
It made no sense, it was obvious it claimed to be Ha, but he was not so sure it really was him.
After all, it could just be some deamon trying to trick them to follow it, deamons do that.... probably...

Hakon didn't actually know a lot about deamons, except that they were evil and tempted people. Well, he was sure they were at least evil and powerful.

Hakon smith had given up on his former home and rented a seat on a carriage going to the legendary city of Ha'zufel. It was legendary for many reasons, it had never fallen to an attacker, its foundries were the most impressive on Gaea.
His old master had always told him that Ha'zufel was the best place to become a promising smith, seeing how he was killed by the bloodthirsters Hakon didn't know any other place he could learn smithing apart from the legendary citadel.

The cart ride had been long and arduous, the travelling trader also was a gruffy non-talkative fellow with a massive crossbow. Constantly chewing on a cigar, most of the time it wasn't even lit, probably to save money on cigars.
Hakon didn't care too much, he was too scared to talk to him anyway. He also wanted to rest as much as possible.

He had brought everything he owned, the small crappy anvil he got from his old master, his leather apron, tools and all the coins he owned.
It wasn't much, but he hoped it would be enough to pay for his education.

-"We're gettin' close!" The coachman suddenly yelled, Hakon almost flipped over in the cart out of surprise.
-"O...ok." The young man said while peeking out from one of the window flaps on the right side of the cloth overhang.

In the distance, the massive outer walls of Ha'zufel could be seen, inside those the second wall slightly higher, repeating until the massively tall innermost citadel loomed over the entire landscape.
Made from charred stones, the entire city was a dark bastion just oozing with might. Five sets of walls, each one several times taller than the tallest house of his home village. It was ridiculous!

Hakon was awed, he had never seen the mighty fortress, and now he would live there.

After reaching the gate he payed the toll and was figuratively thrown off the wagon by his travelling 'companion'. Not far from practically thrown off either.
With difficulty, he managed to ask people for help, drag his belongings around, not get mugged nor get any of his things pilfered and get to the smithing school his master had told Hakon that he went to.

It was rather easy to miss, the much larger and more impressive school was in the middle of a fine street, it's massive signs showing 'Meisters foundry & school'. Far too impressive to let anyone of his status enter, he even saw men with far finer clothing than his old villages merchant being denied entry to Meisters by their guards.
No, the school he would be going to, was 'Hubbons', actually in an alleyway next to Meisters.
After dragging his things into the dank dark alleyway, he knocked on the door which had the Hubbons sign above it, simply carved into wood.
He could hear some people starting to move about, but couldn't see anyone. He was starting to panic, without thinking when the door opened Hakon simply barged the door open and ran inside and started to breathe heavily on the floor.

-"Now what kind of rude manners is that?" The white haired and bearded man said to Hakon.
He was wearing a heavily patched leather apron with several tools hanging from it in leather loops, sturdy boots with metal slag stuck to them. No shirt, his long beard, hair and apron covering most of his form. His hair was braided and on his back a large tubular brass decor was used to hold it in place.
He kept going.
-"I assume you want to be schooled here, sorry, we're full. Already got two students." Hakon looked up and gaped, before speaking.
-"But.. i left my home, I... I brought money!" With that he franticly went through his pack to find his coin purse, which broke, he shakingly held up his collection of copper and odd silver coins, a nervous smile on his face.
The old smith shaked his head, picked up a silver coin and bent it.
-"This one isn't even real silver, I am sorry, i can't take you..." It was obvious he was kind, he didn't want to reject the boy.

Hakon wasn't even able to form words, he simply started to gather his things while silently sobbing.
Until the old smith had enough.
-"Oh... damn you and my sentiments. Stop sobbing you little fool! I can't stand it. Alright, you can become my apprentice! But i'm taking ALL of those coins, and you have to do the housework. There are no rooms left either, so fix up the storage room with some space on the floor." Hakon shone up, gathered his coins and the broken purse and bowed on the floor.
-"Thank you! You won't regret this!" He yelled, tried to kiss his new masters boots but was pushed away with a stern footfall.

-"And STOP grovellin'! I can't stand it, you are starting to make me doubt this decision!" He gruffed, before speaking up once more.
-"I am Robert Hubbons, call me Hubbons, 8th generation of Hubbons. I am the master of this house. You will listen to my orders, understood?!"
Hakon stood up and tried to do a salute, it was pathetic, but at least an honest one. Robert Hubbons just crooked his lips in a grimace and shook his head slightly.
What had he gotten himself into he thought.

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

@Klomster I see. Well, if dragonmancer is alright with it, then we can just make up another city. Also, just for future reference, we're going to try to make the demons one of the bigger threats in the mortal realm. Your post was fine, but I think it might be best to stick to bandits, barbarians, and Elven pricks as far as enemies go. Once we get the ball rolling I'm sure there will be demons everywhere.

@dragonmancer How do you feel about Respite, the Last City, for our settlement of refugees? It could be based in the ruins of an ancient Pre-Cataclysm city or something like that?

Also, I'm going to eat breakfast then get to my post. I apologize for the delay.

@Lexicon

My plan with the 'bloodthirsters' which you so aptly named them (that one is so much funnier when one thinks of 40k :P ) is that they are people influenced with deamonic something, energy, blood, artifacts you name it.
They are not technically deamons, at least that was how i imagined it. I guess i was vague in my description.
Also, i didn't want barbarians. Because it's always barbarians, or bandits. When deamons were going to be the big bad anyway i just went with it.
If you want i can clarify this in my post. It's no biggie.
I sort of described them primarily in the view of the villagers, and they have no clue how to differentiate between a deamon or a deamonic servant. Heck, i even put in that they initially thought Ha was a deamon!

I guess i should put in a post about my first disciple. Regardless of Ha'zufel ends up, he can still go there, and Ha can make a house call.

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

Ha is far from done, i have artifacts to create, beings to slay and civilizations to found.
Count me in until the world ends!

Although if Ha'zufel is actually where the remnants of civilization has fled, it would complicate my plans...
I had imagined that since Ha'zufel is more of an epic fortress than a city, only a couple of thousands would reasonably live there in its prime, now with the apocalypse and all that, i'd say that only half if even that lives there.

So if everyone thinks that Ha'zufel should be the bastion of humanity, that's cool, i'll just need to build another place to found the glorious children of Ha. (Yes, i was planning on going in and banishing/killing everyone who stood against Ha in Ha'zufel or something along those lines.)
But how i imagined it when creating the site, was that it was a massive fortress, kinda in the middle of the world map (of which there is none, but the image in my head was a massive plains area around it, and some mountains to the west) and far to the south, the large city featuring a harbour and thus fishing, which helped sustain the large populace taking refuge there.
Ha'zufel being too small to house all of humanity, but easily holding the gruffy city-state people living there now.

So i'd suggest having Ha'zufel and the bastion of humanity apart, Ha'zufel being a far more impressive defensive installation, but the bastion far larger in terms of population and wealth.
But if we go with some majority vote, or the GM wills it, i'm cool with them being the same place. Then i just need to powerpose build an even cooler fortress city.
With booze and ice-cream, and Asivar is not allowed to come.

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

So, i am planning Ha's return to Ha'zufel.
Should the ruling family be displeased and untrusting of the gods, or really REALLY despise them?

Formaroth: Battle for the Throne

Approve of the battle horn, that was basically the most describing part of the battle of Telmarion, since both sides used them extensively.

I sort of want to post something, but i'm feeling "Bleeeergh" at the moment, and the god RP i'm in has taken a lot of my rp hype at the moment.
But it will come back, i just need to... sleep, or something.

Rulers of Night

I'm guessing so :/

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

As god after god left the meeting room, Ha felt something at the back of his mind he hadn't felt for ages.
500 years to be precise.
It had to be it, he was needed, a mortal had lost hope and begged with a true prayer to the divines as their only salvation. A hardship they can not face themselves, thus asking the gods for help. Asking Ha for help.

Shortly after Asivar had left the hall, the divine smith finished his decorative gorget of antimagic and tossed it on the table in front of him and stood up.
-"Kilgarrah... i am needed... and i shall answer!" Ha held his left fist in front of him, with a burst of embers and black soot swirling, the form of the black steel clad knight was gone, the dust swirled into the furnace of the forge-gods throne and with a short hissing of red heat, it went dark.

On a field, outside a village.
It was no use, he had like the others turned to despair. How could men face such evil? Deamonic beings, frothing blood-stained spittle and tearing those who could not get away apart with their impossibly sharp talons? Dark skin that could deflect iron swords and speed that rivaled that of wolves?
Hakon Smith had watched the soldiers in the company give up, who could blame them? They were ill equipped and ill trained, scraped together from the survivors of the raided villages in the area. Clad in padded cloth and a helmet at best, those with the best weapons had old spears, most had pitchforks or clubs.
The deamons while few outclassed them in every way. The last two pitched battles had ended in severe casualties for the ragtag militia. They now were trying to make use of the earth mounds designed to halt the advance of rams from closing with the palisades. Not that the palisades were ever completed, barely half of it stood and even a third of that was burnt.

The commander was trying his best to rally the men, but alas, they had basically given up. Some wandered aimlessly, some tried to work but barely bothered and some just sat and stared blankly at nothing.
But Jekyll Hymes, the commander, would not stand idly by! He was going to defend this village, until deamon filth chewed on his bones, then he'd behead two more!

Hakon saw his resolve, it was admirable but foolish. Only a miracle could save them, that was why he had sat himself in front of the small furnace of the camp, knelt with both his knees to the ground and prayed to the only god he remembered the name of, Ha. The lord of the forge.
He knew the gods had abandoned them, he knew it was lost, but if so was the case at least he could try to ask for a miracle to happen? It would raise their already poor odds? From nil to a bit more than nil...
He didn't even know what to say, only reason he knew of the forge god was because his old master had told him the hammer was named after him, plus the old saying of the nicked anvil.
-"Please lord of the forge, we are doomed..." He said while clasping his hands, shaking in the cold foggy evening. He had tried different 'prayers', some of the others had mocked him. The gods of old were dead, they do not listen.

Then it started to rain, a light drizzle, but something caught Hakons eye and he looked up.
Clouds had started to swirl, within them red lightning began to crackle, it looked like a cloud of fire. He despaired, the deamons were using some sort of magic on their camp, this time they were doomed!
With a massive crack, a lightning bolt struck the furnace and had the smith apprentice scramble backwards on his ass.
The air echoed with a deep drawn out voice.

-"Ha"

The furnace was destroyed by the force escaping from within, a massive black steel clad arm was clawing its way out from the inside of the dying flames and from the ashes a massive knight of blackened steel rose, as tall as a pine.
The people was at awe, too panicked to move. Ha took a step and pointed 'Ember' at Hakon, standing like a statue.

-"You have summoned me, what ill has you pleading for aid from the such as me?" Ha spoke, his voice echoed over the area.
He was dumbstruck, was it a deamon? Could it be? No! Impossible.
-"Who... who are you?!?" Hakon managed to say while some of the militia gathered behind Hymes, who neared the god in front of them.
-"So you truly have forgotten, such miserable short existence you must have!" Ha said, and then raised his left hand to his heart and kept on.
-"I am Ha! lord of the forge, master of arms, steel personified, chivalry's father, your GOD!!!" With a booming voice that echoed through the village Ha presented himself, he kept going.
-"What would you ask of me?"
Hakon and the others was silent, too terrified to move, but Hymes stepped forth and gathered the courage to speak.
-"We need armour... and weapons!" Thunder and lightning coloured the area red, the entire area now bathed in a red glow and rain.

With a sweeping gesture, Ha conjured a drawn out pile of plate cuirasses, swords and shields of the finest gleaming steel and crossbows with bolts and quivers.
-"Such a meek request, is that what you ask of a GOD!!!" The last word Ha yelled with anger, he continued.
-"You need no artifact to protect your homes? No sword that can slay your foes with divine hatred? No armour that withstands all blows?! You ask for mere simple trinkets from ME!?" Hymes fell to his knees, his eyes tearing up and his mouth grimacing with regret.
-"Forgive me lord! I... I know not what i want..." Hymes said before clasping his hands and lowering his head.

-"Muhahaha! No you don't." Ha laughed and then informed.
He then stepped back, stabbed 'Ember' into a rock which partially melted the blade stuck as it flared up with flames.
With a motion in the air, he seemingly ripped something from the ground, it began to shake as a massive six hundred kilo anvil emblazoned with the faces of smiths in gold rose from beneath the soil.
-"I.. am HA!" The forge lord yelled out.
The anvil came to a stop, in his left hand a piece of steel materialized in silver swirls and Ha held it upon the anvil as he raised his right hand.
-"The one who creates!" A lightning bolt struck his outstretched hand, Ha clenched it like a writhing eel and pressed it into the steel upon the anvil.
-"The one who strikes with the Ha'mmer!" With that he held Ha'mmer towards the heavens, then struck the steel so fiercely it shook the ground for a mile. All mortals present not already kneeling were now knocked to the ground.
-"The one who forges the metal!" With three strikes, he had somehow formed a complete blade, writhing with electricity.
-"He who tempers the steel!" He dipped the blade into a water bucket in the small smithing station nearby. The water basically exploded from the massive heat and electrical discharges.
-"He who realizes the forms of war!" With his right handHa held the crackling blade, small arcs danced upon his gauntlet. With his left he dropped the guard, the handle and lastly the pommel which materialized in his hand as he needed them.
-"The one who keeps the blade sharp!" Gripping the sword by the handle, he swiped his right hand along the blade and with a penetrating sching the blade was now sharpened.
-"I am the forge lord, i am... HA!" With a few earth shaking footsteps he walked up to Hymes and presented the sword.
Awestruck he stared at the massive knight who knelt before him to present the blade in both his hands.

-"This blade will strike as fast as lightning, no flesh can hope to resist its bite, it is light and durable, perfectly balanced." Hymes, Hakon and several soldiers closed in to gaze upon the artifact sword, created in front of their eyes in mere seconds. Something master smiths sometimes needed a lifetime to perform.
-"Take it... and with it act in the way of chivalry! That is my decree!" Ha said to Hymes, who carefully took the sword with wonder in his eyes.
The forge god then stood up.

-"Now, dress in the steel and wield the metal, face your opponents without fear!" Ha boomed out while pointing 'Ember' at the horizon. The men hastily began to put on the armour, and toss aside their weapons to grab hold of some of the literal smorgasbord of armaments strewn in front of them.
The men had gained a vigor unthinkable of a few minutes ago, and Hymes mimicked the statuesque visage of pointing the sword against the same horizon.
-"Men! We are blessed! We now hold the means to fight our foe!" Jekyll Hymes triumphantly yelled to his dozen or so men who now formed a line, suitably in time for the half dozen black hided deamons to charge in the distance. Drawn near by the commotion.

The battle was short and intense, the deamonic beasts slammed into the shields of the soldiers with a clang. With sword and shield Hymes then hacked his way into the wiry black hided beasts, it took seconds to hack them down. All the while Ha not moving a muscle.

While the militia was trying to fathom their victory, Ha asked Hakon.
-"What is thy name?"
Firstly he had to forcefully withhold soiling himself after Ha addressed him. But then told.
-"Ugh! Um... Hakon... Hakon smith... sir... lord." He was barely able to speak.
-"I shall remember that name." Ha said with a calm demeanour before walking back to the small furnace.
With a flick of the wrist, silver and soot swirls with embers rebuilt the small furnace, then Ha held out the fist in the air and from the one moment to the next, he was gone, a swirl of black soot entering the ever reddening furnace before stopping and the entire scene turned normal and the heat died down.
Were it not for the weapons and armour still strewn on the ground, the massive anvil or the divine artifact blade, there was no proof the forge god had even been there.
Dumbfounded the ones present ambled around in disbelief.

The divine foundry.
Ha stepped out from the furnace in his workstation, large enough for him to stand tall in his "human" form. He began strolling through the divine forge.
Far too long ago did he have such fun, the dumbstruck awe, the glory of combat, the creation of another artifact.
Sure, it was a pathetic artifact when compared to something fit for a god, a simple blade for a simple task. He shook his head slightly at the thought the mortals would probably oogle over it like some sort of relic for years, but quickly dismissed the thought.

Ha stroke his chin, the deamonic servants were a bother. Some of them were actually in the world. Surely the ones he saw were pathetic vermin, but it was enough of a problem that even such weak ones was found close to civilization.
But this whole ordeal had tired him, he needed to think as well.
With that a human confusedly looked around while ambling along in the foundry. Ha shook his head. So the hidden ways have begun to open as well. It was only a matter of time of course, he didn't expect anyone so soon though.
He just let the poor sod wander around, the rules of the foundry was carved into a wall decorated to look like a scroll, it could be understood in any language.
If the poor sod misbehaved he'd have to punish him. But right now Ha prioritized a rest.

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

Oooh, awesomeness!

Loads of great posts! Being away roleplaying for two days keeps one out of the groove it seems.

@Dragonmancer Btw, if i get deamons any way wrong in my next post, do tell. Or if i should use something else.
I just felt as using something less stereotypical than barbarians as the foe.

Age of Rebuilding: Return of the Gods

@Legion02 Indeed, Ha is going down immediately.

I guess gods can hear the prayers of mortals? So if someone prays to Ha or just to anyone to help them and need help with something in that gods domain, i assume gods can hear that?
Or at least sense it.