The Sleeper Wakes

[Santooth]

Tremors rock the edges of Greybeard's Fourth Diagram as an omniversal reset sweeps over reality. The intricate foundational magics shudder as stars wink out, one by one, and darkness settles over the land for three breaths. Darkness, and worse things. Rot, Rust, Decay, and Flesh seethe in (do they though?) through the edges of the weakened diagram sensing a fertile ground of possibility to breed in amongst the moist darkness of mana. This place could be a foothold to them, a place to push forth from to invest the many worlds beyond.

Then, at the core of this universe, a crack forms in the shell of the world.

Searing, omnipotent light both glorious and terrible beyond words sweeps the land. The horrid elements which were never really there have their potential conquest scorched from reality even as the metaphysical laws bend, buckle, and break under the presence now awake and observing creation around it.

At this point even Greybeard's monitoring magics give out under the terrible strain of observing The Sleeper directly.



Time passes.



Reality comes back online for a second time, the magics of the Archmage who created this dimension having been prepared for The Sleeper one day waking. The Sleeper itself is nowhere to be seen. Backup reservoirs that have lain dormant for untold eons spark to life, injecting substance back into the cosmos and reconstituting parts of what was lost. Noix at its core has been shattered, what was once a planet of great power rent into a thousand pieces by the terrible violence of The Sleeper's awakening. Despite this, inexplicably, many pieces have survived more or less intact and now float around a core of white-hot light which echoes with the power recently (as if time could any meaning after such an event) displayed.

Factions begin to emerge. Most of those who have survived seem empowered by the upheaval. Roriana, Goddess of Orcs and Warfare, has survived and now marshals her remaining forces to claim errant shards. A city of Ancients seem to have made it through mostly intact and are assembling a network of shards for some unknown goal. The Doombreakers, the order of modified warriors which bind their souls to disposable corporeal shells, has mobilized to protect those pockets of civilization that remain. A lurid slate-blue mist pours forth from one cluster of shards and is slowly but steadily engulfing those nearby. The great sun itself has dimmed as streaks of black writhe over it only to be incinerated one after another by solar fire even as they continue to swarm it. And on, and on.

A new age of great danger and opportunity has dawned for this shattered planet, and calls have begun to go out for aid.

[Santooth]

I find myself with the time and the interest needed to start running mod-world quests again, if there's interest on the player side of things. To gauge that interest, I would appreciate people making a post in this thread selecting something from the following list if they themselves are interested in participating. We'll see what comes out of this. Formats TBD.

Potential Quests!

Heart of Darkness
- A garbled call for aid from an individual named "Captain Alpha" has gone out from the depths of the Maelstrom (Also known as the Mayline), a continent-sized storm which served as a means of containing apocalypses. It has been pulling double duty helping negate the worst bits of the catastrophes which recently swept the land and is straining under the weight of holding the myriad disasters contained within it.

Level Range: 79+, difficult and dangerous, gets harder if someone over level 79 enters


Warpath
- Roriana, an old adversary of Battle Arena Members and civilization in general has gone on a mostly unopposed warpath, taking shard after shard and solidifying her position with her seemingly never-ending hoards. Many factions would like to see her taken out, particularly the Doombreakers and the Ancients, but nearly all with the power to directly oppose her are occupied with other threats. There is a call for offworlders to strike directly at the seat of her power and cast down the vicious goddess once and for all or, failing that, at least help beat back the worst depravations of her champions.

Level Range: 59-79, challenging if not impossible to beat the boss without level 79 members


Bastion
- Whatever was held at the core of the Shrouded Continent has begun expanding its influence, passing over shards and absorbing them into its own domain as its mists seem to gobble up whatever they touch. The Ancients, long aware of this threat but unable to do more than contain it, wish to hire adventurers to delve into the unknown and re-establish a perimeter using their powerful magitech.

Level range: 59+ (79 may enable active confrontation of whatever lays within)


In Search of Sanctuary
- A tentative alliance between factions (including most prominently the Doombreakers, the Ancients, a mostly-wrecked order of dragon-allied paladins, and a cabal of Lich Lords), in cooperation with a number of other lesser factions, wishes to preserve some of those shards which once contained more diverse, lower power realms from being swallowed up by those greater. Trouble is, they cannot come to terms over which faction should preside over them. An illusionist named Steil has proposed bringing in a crew from offworld to break the deadlock and assemble realms. Time will tell whether his proposal will bear fruit.

Level range: 19-79, more exploration and diplomacy, less combat (though there will be opportunities for those so inclined; quest will vary greatly depending on who enters and sub-20 members might not be taken seriously by the powers that be)


Stabilize the Core
- The entity which once dwelt within the core of Noix has awoken and, seemingly, moved on. The rich mana streaming from its presence that once nourished and revitalized life above has become a seething ball of chaotic power. It has been like a second malicious sun, burning those above while acting as a beacon in the dark calling terrible things from the void. The how is still very much up in the air, but if it could be stabilized who knows what wonders could be accomplished.

Level range: ?? (I'm not expecting anyone to be able to stabilize this thing, but hey if you guys want to try that's an option!)

[Santooth]

This has showed a bit less interest than I expected. In service of moving it forward with some kind of timeline, I think I'm putting a timer on it.

Folks have until May 1st to make a post in this thread saying they'd like to be a part of some directed quest; after that, I'll assess who (if anyone) is around and what they want to do. Folks are welcome to try to start something beyond that of course, but it'll likely be something I don't make a point of directing attention at.

[Kitsune106d]

Kit is interested. But if others are wanting to go without kit, she will pull out.

[Kitsune106d]

If other people do not want me in this so they can go, I will pull out .

[Aeromage]

The Doctor is likely to get in on this, although by nature he's not likely to end up being tied to any coherent narrative.

[Pathaky]

Nole hears the garbled call for aid from Captain Alpha! He can't let that go unanswered. He'll be gearing up (as I get stats ready) for a rescue (and maybe a reinforcement of the Maelstrom/Layline.)

[Santooth]

And with that, open enrollment for this is closed. I'd like everyone to work on stats when you get a chance; you don't need perfect modified stats, but I'd like to know what people are equipping in each slot, blocks with their abilities, and what they are taking into the quest aside from equipped items.

PCs need to decide and finalize quest choices as well.