Rival Angels

Forgive me for resorting to image macros, but there's no other way to fully express my feelings on this:



Seriously, we kick off with an interesting, sympathetic character who immediately hooks the curiousity ("A good lich-god? This I gotta read..."), and you quickly show off you grasp the concept of what life for a modern-fantasy god is like, then you throw the extra twist of this guy being brand new to divinity... then there's the schemes within schemes, a bit of a shocker ("A new god hunting down the old classics and succeeding? OMG!"), and a great look at the mind of a sociopath. After reading that, I need a cigarette, and I don't even smoke.

Interesting Nerd Point to raise: In the excellent Slayer's Guide to Undead, wizards strive for lichdom because they have a personal goal that can only be achieved through the process (like, say, protecting a beloved town from who-knows-what). However this goal becomes overriding, to the point where the wizard will do anything, no matter how horrible, to complete it. This ends-justify-means approach inevitably leads to the dark side, and thus the lich comes out the other end evil. Of course, I have no problem defenestrating that whole approach to lichdom in order to enjoy Amerigo. I only bring it up because the book was written by Gary Gygax (May His Character Sheet Never Crumple and His Dice Never Get Lost) himself.

I am also in agreement with Reiko in that the world needs more modern fantasy wrestling stuff, but I respect your reasons (and am glad you have the sense *not* to share stuff that might be unsettling). I should probably get off my rear and concoct something in that vein myself...

To summarize all of this rambling...



Keep it up!

Snowleopard wrote:Forgive me for resorting to image macros, but there's no other way to fully express my feelings on this:



Seriously, we kick off with an interesting, sympathetic character who immediately hooks the curiousity ("A good lich-god? This I gotta read..."), and you quickly show off you grasp the concept of what life for a modern-fantasy god is like, then you throw the extra twist of this guy being brand new to divinity... then there's the schemes within schemes, a bit of a shocker ("A new god hunting down the old classics and succeeding? OMG!"), and a great look at the mind of a sociopath. After reading that, I need a cigarette, and I don't even smoke.

Interesting Nerd Point to raise: In the excellent Slayer's Guide to Undead, wizards strive for lichdom because they have a personal goal that can only be achieved through the process (like, say, protecting a beloved town from who-knows-what). However this goal becomes overriding, to the point where the wizard will do anything, no matter how horrible, to complete it. This ends-justify-means approach inevitably leads to the dark side, and thus the lich comes out the other end evil. Of course, I have no problem defenestrating that whole approach to lichdom in order to enjoy Amerigo. I only bring it up because the book was written by Gary Gygax (May His Character Sheet Never Crumple and His Dice Never Get Lost) himself.

I am also in agreement with Reiko in that the world needs more modern fantasy wrestling stuff, but I respect your reasons (and am glad you have the sense *not* to share stuff that might be unsettling). I should probably get off my rear and concoct something in that vein myself...

To summarize all of this rambling...



Keep it up!

lol! In all my time writing, never did I imagine I'd ever recieve anything like that Motivator. And wouldn't you believe it? All this that I've done so far, and in fewer than 10,000 words in a chapter.

And I cast Amerigo the way he is using variant rules from a D&D source book called Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead. The variant was for a good-aligned lich, and why not, when in Forgotten Realms, Elves can become liches, called baernorn, and maintain a Goodly alignment. And if you remember from the Prologue, Amerigo was obsessed with helping people, but I gave him something of a flaw as far as liches go. Yes, most start out with the best of intent, but wind up going bad, and I mean really bad. But Amerigo is flawed like that, being that he maintains a conscience and clarity of mind and won't allow himself to do the bad things. Like they brought up in Shadowgirls, and I'm having Amerigo himself say, "You always know what the right thing to do is because it's the hardest thing to do." And he is supposed to be incredibly intelligent, even for a lich, so who wouldn't believe that he could have found a way to become a lich and maintain a conscience and clarity of mind after 500 years?

And maybe someday I'll start another one that features some wrestling, but for now, I'm still saying no. This one's going to get violent, and some may like it, others may not, but for now, this one isn't going to contain wrestling.

And in response to that last picture, oh there's going to be plenty more. It's true. It's damn true. (It was either Naruto or Kurt Angle, and Kurt Angle won.)

But yes, thank you so much. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.

albone wrote:Wow, and now a Drow protagonist. Awesome man! I know that we've seen Drow protagonists before, but not quite with such unnoble intentions. Quite a pairing and I would actually feel bad for any Orcs in the way.

Actually, Tebryn is an antagonist. If you read Chapter One, I make it known that Rallaster is one of Amerigo's antagonists, so Tebryn Glannath is going to be to Amerigo's followers what his god is to Amerigo himself.

Amerigo Sebastian Keeler III (Greater Deity)
God of Many Things, The Great Lich, The Lich-God, Master, Teacher
Symbol: White skeleton left hand holding a silver orb set against a black background
Home Plane: Material Plane
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Portfolio: Arcane Knowledge, Children, Courage, Death, Destiny, Dreams, Luck, Magic, Misfits, Outcasts, Strategy, Undead, War
Worshippers: Bards, Misfits, Necromancers, Orphans, Outcasts, Sorcerers, Wizards
Cleric Alignments: Chaotic Good, Lawful Good, Neutral Good
Domains: Chaos, Courage, Dream, Good, Knowledge, Luck, Planning, Repose, War
Favored Weapon: Scythe

The deity of those who feel they don't have a place in the world and a guardian of children, Amerigo Sebastian Keeler III, often appears as a human lich with mottled flesh covering most of his body except his head and left hand, though he sometimes uses his magic to take other forms. He dresses in wizard robes, though they do little to hide his gaunt form. A highly polished, non-magical steel mask in the shape of a skull is a common accessory.
Amerigo is a relatively young god, having only been a deity since the Time of Troubles. He is well known among allied and enemy deities alike for encouraging people to "do their own thing" and "do what they believe is right."
Despite having petitioners and clerics at his beck and call, Amerigo prefers to do his own work, though his clerics do the work he cannot attend to himself. He realizes that deific intervention can be problematic for those who would be heroes, however, being a former adventurer himself, he still has the drive to accomplish heroic deeds.

Dogma
Amerigo espouses his followers to craft magic items and medicines and distribute them among the needy, or to sell them and use the proceeds to help the needy. All people have as much capacity for good in their hearts as evil, and those who have the power to change others' minds for the better should at least try, although those who do not wish to change shouldn't be forced to. Undead are unnatural, but those few sentient undead who show a possibility of being of goodly persuasion should be encouraged to do so. Evil undead must be destroyed. One cannot alter destiny completely, but with planning and luck, destiny can change very slightly. Show mercy and offer surrender in war at all times, resorting to lethal violence only as a last resort or against those better off killed. Death is the lot of all who live, yet those who die before their time may still be resurrected. Using certain spells, a person may extend their life to accomplish certain long-running goals. Show no fear, for those who need aid in any capacity may not necessarily be courageous enough to do such things on their own.

Clergy and Temples
Amerigo's clerics are as varied as the domains he offers, as is their role in society. Clerics could be teachers, detectives, magistrates, or advisers, among other things. Regardless of social role, his priests are often called upon to officiate funerals and, in death obsessed societies, annual rituals to honor departed ancestors.
Some clerics are brooding, gloomy individuals, while others are mirthful and boistrous. Regardless of personality, clerics of a given aspect of the Great Lich wear either black, silver, or white, although some combination of the three colors is just as common. Amerigo disparages people for being of neutral bent in the conflict between good and evil, preferring to see a person choose evil over good rather than, as he feels, choose selfishness over taking a stand. As such, Amerigo only allows people of goodly persuasion to become priests and as a result, counts a fair number of open-minded paladins* as worshippers, though they never work with others who try to bring out the best in certain sentient undead or his undead priests. Bards and other arcane spellcasters make up the bulk of his worshippers.
Amerigo has few temples in settled areas, preferring worshippers keep personal shrines, although of the few temples in his name that do exist, most function as bardic colleges and libraries. Despite the fact that the God of Many Things is a goodly god, his is a clergy that deals favorably with some undead and other faiths do not look kindly on this aspect, despite knowing that in a jam, Amerigo would direct his followers to aid in the defense of a town with a church of an allied god. Despite this, Amerigo's clergy is received somewhat favorably by commoners, particularly in poor villages.
Priests of Amerigo pray for spells at midnight. Prayers are always written down first, then read aloud.
Amerigo has multiclass clerics of almost every class, although Sorcerers and Wizards are the most common. Clerics who multiclass as Sorcerers or Wizards have been known to become both Heirophants and Archmages.

History and Relationships
Amerigo Sebastian Keeler III gained deific ascendency on Midwinter during the Time of Troubles when he was approached with the proposition of becoming a god after finding a very large following during the Godswar. After ascending, he was approached with the offer of alliance by Mystra, whom he trained when she was still a mortal human named Midnight. Allies by association with Mystra include Azuth and Selune, among others. Although neither god makes open war on the other, the God of Many Things is an enemy of Kelemvor, despite the relationship both have with Mystra and the similarities they have between themselves. Amerigo frequently resurrects the dead without Kelemvor's consent. Certain points of each god's dogma conflicts with the other. The Great Lich does, however, make open war on Bane, Cyric, Lolth, and Shar. He is very critical of Lolth's method of guiding her people and has thus gained the respect and friendship of Eilistraee. Amerigo knew Bane as a mortal, and the two have a very heated rivalry between them. Association with Selune earned him Shar's enimty. Shortly after ascending, Cyric stole part of Amerigo's portfolio, and the Teacher wants back what was stolen. Despite Cyric's theft, Amerigo remains on equal footing with that god.

The annual holiday Midwinter, the last day of Eleasis, and the 15th of Ches are considered holy days by Amerigo's clergy. It was Midwinter 1358 DR that he ascended to godhood. The last day of Eleasis 872 DR is his date of birth. The 15th of Ches is the date of his ascension to lichdom. Total lunar eclipses are considered holy events. The Amerigan clergy observe only two holy rites. The first being the Feast of Starvation, which they choose one day a month to eat nothing, yet drink as much as necessary, giving all the food they would have eaten to the hungry. The other hasn't a name they can agree upon, but for the first four days and three hours of each month, they fast in emulation of the 430 years their god existed as a lich before ascending to godhood, during which time he did not need to eat or drink anything. This rite and the Feast of Starvation are never observed in the same tenday. Amerigo does not care if his clergy observes the Feast of Starvation on the same day each month or a different day each month. His Lawful followers have a tendency to observe the Feast of Starvation on the same day each month, while his Neutral followers often do so when it's most convenient and his Chaotic followers frequently choose a different day each month.

* - A Paladin of Amerigo may be drawn to his stance against evil undead or his more militaristic aspects. They may multiclass as Fighters, Clerics, Rangers, Divine Champions, and Divine Disciples without losing the right to take further Paladin levels.

As written, Amerigo is by and large a god for the Forgotten Realms D&D campaign setting, but, with some work, could easily be modified for a Core Rulebooks, Greyhawk, or Eberron campaign. And since I'm posting him here, anyone who plays D&D who wishes to use him has my permission to do so.

I thought that last post would have gotten a hit for sure.


Chapter 3: The House of Lost Souls

"I see you've made it here, though finding this place should have been no difficult task, being that it's the only residence in the area," Serenity noted as the new converts made their way up the final steps to the place of initiation to the faith. Before them rose a stately manor, rising some three stories or more into the sky, with at least two basements and a wine cellar below the ground. "Before I tell you what you must do, a history lesson. Some seven-hundred years before my Grandfather was born, this area was a fertile plain, disputed by many of the surrounding kingdoms. In time, the disputes grew to violence, and much blood was spilled to determine which had rightful ownership of the land. Despite one nation's victory, the land was not settled, and the area continued to see violence as bands of Gnolls, Ogres, and the like tried to claim it for their own, only to be cut down by patrolling mercenaries and knights. In time, a manor was built here, where a family might live and attempt to build a city under the rule of the supervising nation. After many failed attempts, the nation finally decided the land should be the property of the family in residence at that time, and that they might do with the land as they pleased. In time, the mercenaries of the area came into the sole employ of the family and continued to patrol for raiding Orcs and Drow.

"In time, the land became peaceful, but that peace would not last long. One-thousand, one-hundred years of bloodshed cast an unbreakable curse on the land and an as yet unexorcised haunting on the manor. In time, the family that lived here began dying one by one, each under a different circumstance, until finally, one, a Moon Elf named Antinua Nailo, stood alone as the sole heiress to the house and all the money and political power that came with it. Desperate to keep her life as long as possible, she took no lover and bore no children, until a fateful night when a Human vampire named David Keeler savagely raped and impregnated her. Months passed and she gave birth to a Half-Vampire baby girl, myself. Eventually, she would leave me in the care of the servants to hunt down the vampire who raped her and attempt to destroy him, but to her dismay, she was raped again by the same vampire, later giving birth to my younger sister, also a Half-Vampire, whom she named Diana. My mother did not love either of us, and so my Grandfather, Amerigo III, took me away before Diana was born and planned to take her when the time was right. Before he could do so, however, shortly after my sister turned two, my mother killed Diana while she slept, and then ended her own life. Some of the servants say the curse claimed her, as well, but I am uncertain.

"In any event, your task, if you truly wish to be members of my Grandfather's priesthood, is to survive one night in my home. There are many private homes and open businesses that challenge people to survive the night, but unfortunately, my challenge is in the most literal sense of the word. The dead have a strong hold here. So strong that not even the Lords of the Nine Hells hold sway here. Even I will not spend any more time within these damned walls than absolutely necessary. Fear not, for you will not enter my house now. I will cast a spell that we might rest peacefully this evening, and come the dawn, I'll give you an in-depth tour."

The converts were skeptical, and understandably so. The house may have been old and many may have died within it's walls and on the property itself, but there was no way things could have been as bad as Serenity claimed. Or so they thought. They had no way of knowing beforehand the horrors that awaited them.

In the morning, Serenity gave them the tour she promised. Despite not having occupants since the night Serenity's mother ended her own life some one-hundred and thirty-one years before, the house was in as good repair as it had ever been, even with the thick layer of dust that had gathered since the last converts had come through. They saw the entire house and learned of the grizzly deaths died in each room. In one, a jilted lover severed his desired beau's head, gouged out her eyes and brain and lit a candle inside her head, while putting her brain and eyes into a pumpkin and placed both on the windowsill. In another, at a later date, an abused servant took out years of frustration on her tormentor, striking him all about his body so many times, the only way he could have been identified was by the clothes he was wearing when his body was found.

The day went on like this, they visited a room and learned who lived there or what they did there, and also of every gruesome detail of any death died there. By the time the sun began to sink in the west, they had visited every room and learned the complete history, and by this time, the converts were beginning to wonder just what they had gotten themselves into. Serenity had explained to them that many attempts had been made to break the curse on the land and to exorcise the dead who roamed the halls, but none had succeeded. Would-be cursebreakers were themselves cursed, exorcists slain by unseen hands, swelling their ranks. "And now I must leave you," she said at length when it had become impossible for most to see without a light source. "If you are to be considered true priests of my Grandfather, you must do this on your own. I cannot do anything for you. I ask that you lave everything as you have seen it, and grant you permission to use any light source you may need. If you die, you would not be the first converts to have done so, and you will not be the first corpses I have had to remove. If you all survive, I will see you all in the morning. Good night."

In he morning, Serenity was surprised to find as many still alive and in perfect mental health as there were. There had been times when converts were slain by each other's hand or had gone irretrievably insane. She nodded thoughtfully and smiled at them all. "Congratulations," she said to them, "You are all now true members of my Grandfather's faith."

It's really a great world you got going on here. Lots of rich backstory. I have to admit I hate the idea of vampires impregnating anything. By definition they're dead and is the reason why I dislike the entire mythos these days. Anywho, I'm really enjoying Serenity.

albone wrote:It's really a great world you got going on here. Lots of rich backstory. I have to admit I hate the idea of vampires impregnating anything. By definition they're dead and is the reason why I dislike the entire mythos these days. Anywho, I'm really enjoying Serenity.

Well, I did say he raped her mother. Vampires fall into two categories, with a few who fall through and don't really have a category to fit into other than the fact that they don't fit into either of the above two: Those who are careful, and those who aren't. Those who aren't are more likely to rape and pillage, while those who are careful stalk their prey from the shadows. In either case, if they go without blood for a long period of time, they go crazy, and even if they do get blood while in their frenzy, there's no telling what they might do. Including those who are normally careful raping mortals. It just so happens they require a hell of A LOT of blood to be able to procreate. And on two separate occasions, David Keeler (You may recognize the name) had consumed sufficient quantities of mortal blood in order to do so.

"Always leave them wanting more." That's how I approach this. I may not have a particularly large audience here, but some people seem to enjoy my work, and that's good enough for me. Their patience is rewarded with the next chapter of this story sometime later this week. Or maybe next week. Soon, definitely.

Chapter 4: Amnesia

He knew his name and where he had come from. He could name his lover, his parents, all of his childhood friends, the deity he prayed to before converting to Amerigo's priesthood, and even his preferred method for combat, but Orson Heller had amnesia. Or rather, partial amnesia, for as much as he remembered, there was plenty of his life he couldn't remember. Hypnosis sessions with the Lich-God Himself had dredged up some details, but by and large, his life from the day he finished his apprenticeship to his conversion to Amerigo's worship was still a total blank. He was a faithful servant of the God of Many Things, albeit a low-ranking member of the clergy, but many people seemed afraid of him, yet none would tell him why, instead telling him that he should remember, all of the things he had done. Whatever they meant by that.

In general, life was good for Orson. He was the eldest son of a farming family from a small village called Dunharrow, and while he had never been to school a day in his life, his parents too poor to afford proper schooling for any of their seven children, he had always shown an intellect and wisdom unheard of for a child his age. At the age of nine, he began helping his father determine which crops they should plant and how much to keep for themselves to last the winter. By twelve, he was going into the village to negotiate prices for their crops. When he turned thirteen, three years before most begin apprenticeship to become Wizards, a powerful Wizard scouting Dunharrow recognized Orson's gifts and decided to take him early and paid his parents quite handomely for the privelege.

By the time Orson turned sixteen, natural spellcasting talent had manifested and it became apparent to the Wizard that the boy was no mere prodigy of intelligence, but a natural born, honest to goodness Sorcerer. The Wizard, out of respect for the boy's born talents, sent him to live with a former travelling companion, who could teach him how to control them. In time, the Sorceress taught the fledgling mage everything he needed to know, and he was allowed to go and make his mark on the world, provided he wasn't a stranger to the Sorceress or the Wizard, both of whom he learned much from. And true to his word, he would often visit his former teachers, exchanging with them spells and potion recipes. For all intents and purposes, Orson Heller was at the same time a Sorcerer and a Wizard, casting on his own and with a spellbook when it became necessary. While individuals who were born Sorcerers and took up the path of the Wizard, or who became Wizards and later discovered their own natural talents, weren't rare, they were, for the most part, the most effective of Archmages, and Orson was no different. While Archmages could cast some spells without preparing them as a Wizard would, or gain extra daily uses of them as a Sorcerer would, the need to cast spells was important to any mage, and many determined to become one often walked both paths.

This bit of information he recovered through hypnosis, that he was an Archmage, but after that, things became less clear. Disturbingly, a priest of Rallaster knew quite a bit about him despite not being an evil man, at least, as far as he could remember. Indeed, both of Orson's teachers had taught him that magic was a powerful force, and none should be allowed to misuse it. And that was the kind of life the young prodigy tried to live, instructing others in the ethical use of magic while at the same time swearing allegiance to the premier god of magic, upstart though he may have been at that time. But for the past few years, there were nightmares. Shadows of an existence he wasn't sure he wanted to remember, but in order to feel truly whole, he needed to. Who was he that people would treat him the way they did, despite his commitment to a goodly existence? He had to know.