Chapter 00: Prelude A (Broken Silence)

[Kamishiro_Rin]

Prelude: Broken Silence

Introduction

   For hundreds of years, the world of Krynn has been bereft of those who call upon the favor of the gods. Legends say deities turned away from the world after the Cataclysm, and the prayers of the few who remember them have been met with silence ever since. But that silence is now being broken. A chosen few hear the call of the gods and awaken to their power.

The Symbol of Reorx

Visions of Divinity

   Coltan Bluetemper, you stand at the center of a forest clearing. The ground beneath you is solid granite. Shrubs along your path are made of limestone, with jadeite leaves, and ruby berries. Trees of steel, bronze, silver, and gold surround you. Their leaves are literal emeralds. Clashing steel echoes from the thicket beyond. As you look around, you realize piles of bodies cover the ground. One of the fallen clutches something against their chest. You’re not sure what it is, but you feel the urge to reach for it. Before you can, the object glows and then flashes with intense light.

   You wake after having the vision and find nothing out of the ordinary. You realize the object in the vision was an amulet. The amulet bears a design you might not recognize, but is the symbol of the god, Reorx. The echoes of battle don’t mean anything in particular to you but feel like a bad omen.

Lost and Found

   Prior to the vision, you were traveling to Vogler and had stopped to camp or rest near a forested path. After experiencing the vision, you wake to find your camp sacked and some of your belongings missing. You are the only creature in the camp; no one else who might have been traveling with you is in sight.

OOC

@JubalBreakbottle

   This is one of three simultaneous preludes in which your characters will participate at first level. Which one of the three will depend upon their class and background. The prelude occurs after they’ve received the invitation to Ispin’s funeral from Becklin, but before they’ve reached Vogler.

   I intend to leave the Pre-Game IC Thread as mostly canon, sans the un-selected characters—we can say they’ve made other arrangements—and how and when you got there. For whatever reason you can come up with, in that thread, your characters just never brought up the events of these preludes. If you wish to bring them up at any point after we come back to present, in town, that’s fine with me.

Edited September 24, 2023 by Kamishiro_Rin (see edit history)

[JubalBreakbottle]

    Coltan Bluetemper

Neidar Folk Hero Forge Cleric

---

AC: 18 (Chain Mail +2 Shield) | HP: 12/12 (1d8+3) | Speed: 25 ft.
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 15, Insight 13, Investigation 12
Str: 14 (+2) | Dex: 8 (–1) | Con: 16 (+3) | Int: 10 (+0) | Wis: 16 (+3) | Cha: 10 (+0)
Languages: Speak, read, and write Common and Dwarvish

Spell-casting: +5 or DC 13 | 1st 2/2

---

Coltan rummaged through his gear inventorying what was missingDo you want me to decide what Coltan is missing? Is this a plot device?.  He was aggravated by the burglary but content at being unharmed.  He blamed Katlina who should have been on watch but left yesterday to visit another friend before they would meet up in Vogler.  But, he could not stay mad at that kender.  After his count was complete, the dwarf broke his fast with some travel rations and water.  Nothing fancy, but the tack will get him to Vogler and make him appreciate cooked food all the more. 

As he chewed the tough salted meat, he reflected on his dream.  The bejeweled forest was amazing, beautiful, and artistic, and it was how his parents described the afterlife.  Then, he heard clashing steel, the sounds of a battle that he could not discern.  Then, piles of dead bodies surrounded him, as if time had skipped and the battle was finished.  Something on one of the corpses drew his attention.  What was it?  He pulled his father's amulet away from his chest and twisted the chain, so he could closely examine its design.  The holy symbol of the forging hammer of Reorx matched the amulet in the vision.  Interesting.  And, his father's amulet actually looked shinier than he remembered glinting in the morning sunlight.  He wondered what the vision meant and pondered it as he restarted the trail.  Eventually, the vision passed into his memory letting his subconscious chew on its meaning.

---

OOC

Don't know if you want me to pick what I lost.  Hope it was alright to burnish his father's holy symbol.

 

 

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by JubalBreakbottle (see edit history)

[Kamishiro_Rin]

   As Coltan examines his surroundings, he finds a trail of food, cloth, and discarded trinkets that lead into the brush. A few hundred feet away, he finds his belongings discarded in the middle of the forest. Nothing is missing or damaged. There is no sign of what brought Coltan’s possessions here.

Mysterious Symbol and Temple

   Among his belongings, Coltan finds an item that closely matched the amulet from his visions. As in the vision, he feels inexplicably drawn to it. As soon as Coltan touches the amulet, a pulse of divine energy ripples from him, causing the amulet to vanish from his hands. The pulse flattenes the surrounding vegetation, creating an unnatural clearing similar to the one in his visions. The cleared plants also reveal overgrown ruins nearby:

   A crumbling stone structure lies among the undergrowth. Its roof is pierced by the trunk of an immense tree, but its walls are mostly intact. A large, empty doorframe leads inside.

   Coltan feels supernaturally drawn toward the place, as if a familiar voice were calling his name. As he approaches the door, he hears faint voices inside.

OOC

   That’s fine. I’m going to rule that Coltan chewed on his hard tack in frustration at his belongings being scattered about before he went and retrieved them. Maybe he found them first, right there by them, and he decided he needed breakfast before he gathered up all his stuff—and maybe had to fight a would-be messy burgler.

   Some of this is a little bit “cut-scene”-ish and normally I’d allow a lot more player-agency, but in this case, reacting immediately to things is fine, but don’t go too far ahead.

   Incidentally, you don’t need to limit yourself to just you and Katlina—you could have been traveling with a caravan—it’s up to you. The important thing is that you’ve found yourself alone.

Edited March 29, 2023 by Kamishiro_Rin (see edit history)

[JubalBreakbottle]

    Coltan Bluetemper

Neidar Folk Hero Forge Cleric

---

AC: 18 (Chain Mail +2 Shield) | HP: 12/12 (1d8+3) | Speed: 25 ft.
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 15, Insight 13, Investigation 12
Str: 14 (+2) | Dex: 8 (–1) | Con: 16 (+3) | Int: 10 (+0) | Wis: 16 (+5) | Cha: 10 (+2)
Languages: Speak, read, and write Common and Dwarvish

Spell-casting: +5 or DC 13 | 1st 2/2

---

Starting on the trail, Coltan happily finds the trail of his missing gear.  He heads into the brush collecting and stowing piece after piece.  Next to his last missing torch, he finds an amulet identical to his father's.  As soon as he touches the amulet, a pulse of divine energy ripples from him, causing the amulet to vanish from his hands. The pulse flattens the surrounding vegetation, creating an unnatural clearing similar to the one in his vision revealing a crumbling stone structure lies among the undergrowth. Its roof is pierced by the trunk of an immense tree, but its walls are mostly intact. A large, empty doorframe leads inside.

The itinerant smith feels supernaturally drawn toward the place, as if a familiar voice were calling his name. As he approaches the door, he hears faint voices inside.  "Hello?  Anyone in there?"  Self-preservation pings in the back of his head with his shield comfortably stowed over his shoulder, but he follows his instinct inside.

---

OOC

I missed the plot hook to follow a trail of missing gear.  The doorway is way more obvious!  Sorry to copy and paste so much; it felt so specific. 

Edited March 30, 2023 by Kamishiro_Rin (see edit history)

[Kamishiro_Rin]

   The tree visible from outside breaks through the ruin’s enormous, circular marble floor and stretches through the round, collapsed ceiling. Around it, broken statues line the remaining walls, standing in crumbling alcoves.

   The statues were once larger-than-life depictions of several of Krynn’s deities, but most of them are ruined. You instantly recognize the statue of the god, Reorx.

★If you succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence (Religion) check can identify:★

(Clockwise, from Reorx, who is at 257° from the center front of the temple (about the 43-minute mark on a clock))

• At 283° from the center front of the temple (about the 47-minute mark)—with a symbol of a griffon’s wing decorating its base—is a statue of Shinare, the goddess of wealth, industry, and commerce. Though many of her followers are merchants, her influence spans legitimate and underhanded commerce alike, and she receives occasional worship from thieves. Despite this, most consider her a goddess of fair dealing; supplicants pray she favors them as they bargain.
• At 309° from the center front of the temple (about the 52-minute mark)—with a symbol of multicolored fire (represented by various patterns carved in each tongue of flame) decorating its base—is a statue of the passionate and impulsive god, Sirrion, the god of alchemy, transformation, serendipitous creation, and flames. He embodies momentary excitement, flaring quickly into fiery passion and smoldering long afterward. Sirrion’s followers embrace extremes of emotion as forms of divine expression.
• At 334° from the center front of the temple (about the 55-minute mark)—with a symbol of great green and gold trees (represented by alternating trees carved with either an outline of white or many parallel lines slanting down and to the right (\)) decorating its base—is a statue of the god, Zivilyn. Where Gilean embodies knowledge, Zivilyn exemplifies the calm wisdom necessary to wield knowledge in the world. He’s said to exist in all times and places, possessing the collected wisdom of every plane of existence. Zivilyn often attracts the worship of eccentrics, philosophers, and sages.
• At 0° from the center front of the temple (12-o’clock—the prime position)—with a symbol of a silver triangle decorating its base—is a statue of the god, Paladine, known as the Father of Good, the Master of Law, the Platinum Dragon, and—on other worlds of the multiverse—Bahamut. He leads the gods of good and watches over the world with an eye toward order, justice, and mercy. He teaches that wise and just laws are the basis of a functioning society, and his clerics often aid in crafting and upholding such laws. Paladine sometimes appears on Krynn in the guise of Fizban, a befuddled old human mage in faded robes.
• At 26° from the center front of the temple (about the 4-minute mark)—with a symbol of a bard’s harp decorating its base—is a statue of the so-called “Bard King” god, Branchala, the god of music, poetry, and the inner beauty of all living things. Many elves and kender worship him above all other gods. Both groups revere him as a champion of life and laughter, bringing solace and joy to those who listen.
• At 51° from the center front of the temple (about the 8-minute mark)—with a symbol of a blue bird (the blue is represented by many horizontal, parallel lines) decorating its base—is a statue of the god, Habbakuk, known as the “Fisher King”, who oversees animal life, the sea, and the balance of nature. Many sailors, farmers, and hunters revere him. His holy sites are often marked with the image of a blue bird or a phoenix wreathed in blue flames.
• At 77° from the center front of the temple (about the 13-minute mark)—with a symbol of a bison’s horns decorating its base—is a statue of the god, Kiri-Jolith, the god of righteous war. He blesses all who fight in the name of good and scorns those who delight in slaughter and lust for battle. He is particularly revered by the Knights of the Sword, an order of the Knights of Solamnia that seeks to root out evil wherever it dwells.
• At 103° from the center front of the temple (about the 17-minute mark)—with a symbol of a copper spider decorating its base—is a statue of the god, Majere. Austere and aloof, Majere is the god of meditation and discipline. Monks, his most devoted followers, honor him by leading lives of quiet contemplation in remote monasteries. Many orphans are raised in the monasteries of Majere; some become monks themselves, while those who leave the monastic life often take the surname Majere out of respect.
• At 129° from the center front of the temple (about the 22-minute mark)—with a symbol of a blue infinity sign (the blue is represented by many horizontal, parallel lines) decorating its base—is a statue of Mishakal, the goddess of compassion, healing, and love. Mishakal is widely worshiped by healers and community guardians. Throughout history, she has reached out to chosen heroes to soothe others’ suffering. Her faithful offer healing and solace to all—even enemies.
• At 154° from the center front of the temple (about the 26-minute mark)—with white spheres decorating its base—is a statue of Solinari, the god of good magic, the patron of the Mages of High Sorcery’s Order of the White Robes and other benevolent mages. His power manifests through the white moon of Krynn, the brightest of its three moons. Along with his cousins Lunitari and Nuitari, he watches Krynn from the heavens and encourages magic that aids, heals, and protects.
• At 180° from the center front of the temple (perched above the archway you entered through, at the 6-o’clock mark)—with an open book decorating its base—is a statue of Gilean, the god of knowledge and nominal leader of the neutral gods. Gilean embodies the ideal of neutrality. He stands back and observes, recording all that unfolds. Gilean is keeper of the Tobril, a book said to contain all the knowledge of the gods, though portions are sealed to all but Gilean. Some people believe the scribe Astinus of Palanthas to be Gilean in human form.
• At 206° from the center front of the temple (about the 34-minute mark)—with feathers decorating its base—is a statue of Chislev, the god of nature on its own terms, governing the rhythms of life that unfold heedless of mortal action. Though enigmatic and shy, they are fiercely protective of their domain, regarding all plants and animals as their children. Chislev’s followers are often hermits, druids, and others who revere nature without asking anything in return.
• At 231° from the center front of the temple (about the 39-minute mark)—with red spheres (the red is represented by many parallel vertical lines) decorating its base—is a statue of Lunitari, the goddess of neutral magic and illusions. She is the patron of the Mages of High Sorcery’s Order of the Red Robes and other neutral mages. With her cousins Solinari and Nuitari, she watches over the people of Krynn from the heavens, conveying her power through the red moon that shares her name. She appears as a trickster figure in mythology, using her mastery of illusions to fool goddesss and heroes alike.

Divine Manifestation

   Soon after you enter the room, a faint glow begins emanating from the statue of Reorx. The glow coalesces around the ruined statue, creating a spectral semblance of what the statue looked like in the past.

   Once you approach the statue of Reorx, you hear his voice in your thoughts. He invites you to take hold up your holy symbol and become His herald in the world.

   “My apprentice! I am Reorx, the god of creation, inspiration, and artisanship! I created the gnomes, the dwarves, the kender, and even Krynn itself. I invent new things that alter the world and spur its people to action! Carry my power and my divine message to the world of Krynn—for it needs my—our, the other deities’ and mine—divine might more than ever!”

   The statue moves, producing a rather gigantic forging hammer of his own. He swings down upon your father’s holy symbol! You know that if this were a creature of that size, with a hammer that big, it would obliterate your own, small holy symbol—and yet! You hold your symbol up firmly, fearlessly, and with resolve. Reorx’s holy hammer smashes into yours with a blinding flash of sparks and embers. Your holy symbol glows, as if you’d just pulled it out of the forge, yet does not burn you!

   When the light of the sparks fades, you hold in your hands a solid, stainless steel warhammer of the highest caliber. It’s grip is perfectly molded to fit your hands and they’re etched with crisscrossing patterns that won’t slip, but won’t chafe, either. There are two locations with such grips, allowing for you to use it one-handed or two-handed.

   “I bless thee, my apprentice, with this warhammer. You may use it as your holy symbol and as a weapon. No longer will it deal mere bludgeoning damage, but deliver upon your enemies, and the enemies of the gods, the flames of the forge! Finally, I grant thee, apprentice mine, the power to perform miraculous feats of supernatural power—what some might call ‘divine magic’—and the ability to channel my divinity!”

   From your belt, your own warhammer—a mundane object unhooks, rises into the air and vanishes—and you swear you saw Reorx wink at you—leaving the solid, stainless steel one in your hands.

OOC

   Your new warhammer is not magical—though a way to have it become permanently magical later on will of course be provided. It is, however, now both your holy symbol AND your weapon. Rather than bludgeoning damage, it deals non-magical fire damage. Of course, you can use your forge cleric feature to make it a +1 weapon that deals 1d8 (1d10 versitile) + 1 + STR magical fire damage.

Conclusion

   Reorx reverts back into a broken statue and the temple fades from existence and disappears. All of a sudden, the sounds of nature—birds chirping, the wind blowing, and most importantly, the bustle of your camp come rushing back into your ears.

   You find no trace of any disturbance in your camp. Whomever you were traveling with is there when you return. Any fellow travelers didn’t notice you leaving the camp and have no recollection of anything strange happening.

   Any attempt to return to the ruined temple fails, as if it was never there.

OOC

   Your prelude is finished, but I’d like to merge you into the default prelude for non-High Sorcery/non-divine casters. Before that, however, feel free to level-up your character to level 2. Congratulations.

   The next day, as you and your fellow travelers gets a little closer to Vogler, you hear a commotion down the road.

   A few hundred feet away, you see, though don’t hear, a boy frantically run up to four adventurer-looking travelers—a man, a dwarf, a woman, and a blue-skinned elf with giant sea shells?—either way, they run off with the boy, who is pointing down the road.

   It doesn’t take you very long to find the dwarf mooning some horrible, draconic abominations, and the man raising his sword. The blue elf has unslung crossbow, ready to fire it. A fight is about to start! You’re 50 feet behind them, and they’re 300 feet from the creatures!

Edited March 30, 2023 by Kamishiro_Rin (see edit history)

[JubalBreakbottle]

    Coltan Bluetemper

Neidar Folk Hero Forge Cleric

---

AC: 18 (Chain Mail +2 Shield) | HP: 12/12 (1d8+3) | Speed: 25 ft.
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 15, Insight 13, Investigation 12
Str: 14 (+2) | Dex: 8 (–1) | Con: 16 (+3) | Int: 10 (+0) | Wis: 16 (+5) | Cha: 10 (+2)
Languages: Speak, read, and write Common and Dwarvish

Spell-casting: +5 or DC 13 | 1st 2/2

---

Coltan stares at the bluish sheen of his new holy hammer as if it was a holy artifact.  The experience has changed him forever.  Before he believed in the gods and followed Reorx.  Now he has become Reorx's apprentice.  He feels blessed to forge a new community of faithful.  Until he sees the frantic boy the next day, the dwarf was immersed in swirling emotions of euphoria and introspection about what this means for him and Absolan.  Reorx has returned!

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OOC

At night, he will make the new holy warhammer +1

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by JubalBreakbottle (see edit history)

[Kamishiro_Rin]

   Although the warhammer/holy symbol you now have isn’t magical, if you wish to name it, by all means, name it something meaningful. If you don’t want to, that’s fine, too! Something like “Forgefire” or whatever. Again, it’s entirely up to you!

   Just in case you’re wondering why I can’t let it be a magical warhammer, just yet, that’s just the game mechanics. That, and you have a class feature that does it anyway. Anyway, I hope you didn’t mind the “cut-scene”-ishness of this prelude. You’ll have way more player agency from now on.

   And remember, you’re level 2, now, so update your template to reflect that and update your character sheet thread.

Edited March 31, 2023 by Kamishiro_Rin (see edit history)

[JubalBreakbottle]

Great!  I'll think of a name.  I'm rooting for a Dwarven Thrower (replacing giant slaying with dragon slaying) when the magic item progresses!  Making it a holy symbol is awesome already.

 

No worries about the cut-scene.  I'm very familiar with box text and plot development for characters.

 

cheers

Edited March 31, 2023 by JubalBreakbottle (see edit history)