Scions of the Divinity [IC] [Game]

[Jay 2K Winger]

GM NOTES: Dramatic license is good. The GM approves. You are safe. For now.

Lupo - Mars' Gym

When Lupo takes the gold chain, he can feel the power in it sizzle along his neurons and into his very being. Mars smirks, nodding to him, as the overhead lights flicker, as they might do at any rundown city gym, until they go out for a moment before coming back on--

--and Lupo finds himself in the hotel gym. Much smaller than the one he'd just been occupying, with far less equipment, and devoid of any sign of life. In addition, any aches and pains or bruises he might have acquired during his sparring session with his Father are gone.

His cell phone buzzes to indicate a new text message. New rm. set up for you. Talk to the desk. It's from Paul Brighton. A trip to the front desk would get Lupo set up in room 408.

While in the lobby, a voice shouts out, "Hey, there he is! The Wolfman, yeah?" The voice is coming from Lupo's boxing opponent, Mark "The Meat" Cleaver, who is surrounded by a small entourage of his coach, cutman, and a couple of hangers-on. The hangers-on look big and thick (both in size and intelligence), wearing some bling. Cleaver smirks. "Hey, Loopy, tell me, how fast you want me to knock you out? Want it over quick, or should I give the people a show?"

Typical boastful behavior that Lupo's probably seen dozens of times.

Riley - Also in the lobby

Indeed, the focus items seem to be resistant to 'hammer-space' storage, but given that it can hardly be called a weapon, it's pretty unnecessary to try to store it away. Riley's conversation indeed passed unnoticed by anyone. After her Father had left, one person actually goes as if to sit in her seat-- almost in her lap before apologizing and moving to the next chair over, promptly ignoring Riley as they grab the remote to try to change the channel on the TV.

Riley's odds-calculating abilities seemed to be much stronger. As she looked around the busy evening-time lobby, she could see dozens of potential events unfolding in front of her, before seeming to crystallize into the actual sequence that takes place.

Then she'd probably hear the same outburst from a toned, brash young man toward a man of similar muscle-tone, the latter of which was standing at the front desk, while the former is flanked by a small squadron of an entourage.

Kiki - Outside Room 510

Art nods. "Good. You should go downstairs and finish checking in, if you haven't done so already, and then keep an eye out. There's probably other Titanspawn arriving soon, and we still need to find out what MacBride is doing in Branson. Keep your eyes and ears peeled." He handed her a slip of paper with a phone number on it. "Send any intel you get to that number-- that's Selene Hoffman, our side's IT specialist and organizer of a lot of our intel."

Anna pats her on the shoulder. "And if she hasn't already, she'll send you a one-touch app to your smartphone. Press it and it'll flag you on her systems as being in distress and she'll ring up the nearest person from our side to get you out of there."

And that seems to be that for the time being. By the time Kiki returns to the lobby-- likely after sending the all-clear to her contacts-- she'll arrive just in time to likewise overhear one boxer's prideful boast to another.

Liam - Cantwell Park

Perhaps it's just the fading rush of his new tattoo's power tingling on his neurons, but Liam almost fancies he can hear a sort of whispering on the vague periphery of his perception. Listen to the Land, his Mother had said.

[Chanlin]

(OOC: Gonna take a bit of dramatic license with Liam's departure from the glade)

Liam - The "not a park"
Liam stares entranced as the tattoo literally etches itself into his skin. Danu's words echo in his mind and he suddenly finds himself standing in the middle of Cantwell park, which is really less of a park and more of a stand of trees and a playground for kids.

The sudden sharp sound of children laughing and playing snaps him back to reality. He could not remember detouring this far off the road on his way back to the hotel. That fact alone leaves him slightly unsettled at the sway his mother holds over him.

With that thought in mind he continues his walk back to the hotel.

Riley - Still watching TV

Riley stares at the pendant for a moment and then closes her eyes and tries to will it into hammer-space. When that doesn't work she shrugs to herself and slips it around her neck and hides it under her shirt. She then resumes watching TV as if she hadn't just had a conversation with a man who appeared and disappeared from and to nowhere.

[Mytical]

Lupo

He takes the item, and grins. "Anytime you are up to show me more, you know how to find me." He wasn't too upset about being beat..it came with the territory, and he had learned a great deal.

Kiki

Kiki just nods. "Believe me, I know I am not a fighter..I will avoid danger, not confront it."

[Jay 2K Winger]

Riley - The hotel Lobby

Her Father nods with a pleased grin. "Good! Then allow Me to give you this." He holds up a hand and lets an iron pendant dangle from his fingers. Small and rectangular, its face bore a stylized Nordic design, looking almost like a serpent coiled around a double-ended hammer. He twirls it by its chain around his finger as He addresses her. "Like all of Our kind, your ultimate goal should be forestalling or outright preventing Ragnarok from taking place, but in the meantime, doing anything you can to foil the Titans' plans should be your primary focus."

He flicks the pendant to her, and smiles. "Oh, and do be sure to win that poker tournament. Wouldn't do for My daughter to lose, eh?" Then He consults a smartphone and sighs. "And now... family calls. Until next time, Riley." With that, someone walks between them, briefly obstructing her view of Him, and then He's gone, as if He'd vanished into thin air.

But she would probably be distracted by the tangible power in the pendant, power which sizzles along her neurons as the focus item attunes itself to her.

Liam - Danu's Glade

Danu nods, pleased to see that he picked up on who She meant. "The Morrígan, who watches over battle, strife, and the dead. He was to be one of our great warriors, to strike terror into the hearts and minds of our enemies. But he became too enamored of the chaos and the death-dealing and the bloodshed, and became corrupted by it. The Morrígan cannot withdraw Her blessing without greatly weakening Her own power, and such a thing would be a devastating blow to Us. Our enemies both far and near would seize upon this weakness and strike fast and hard."

She reaches out and takes his arm, grasping him by the wrist. Though She looks slender and fair, the grip is like steel, and Her eyes take on an ethereal glow. "You are not yet strong enough to be able to challenge him. But there are others who may help you. And to make sure you can grow into your destiny, My son, let Me grant you this."

He would feel power flow into him, sizzling along his neurons, and She would turn his forearm to face up, so he could see knotwork tattooing itself onto his skin, capping on the back of his hand with a design reminiscent of a Celtic cross.

"Listen to the Land, Liam, My son. It shall aid you as long as you protect it."

Lupo - Mars' Gym

The fight that transpired would be one of the most challenging Lupo had ever faced. Mars indeed saw all those best moves coming and either dodged them, or blocked them, or moved with them to hurl Lupo over His shoulder to the mat. He didn't attack, however, just circled him slowly, letting Lupo make all the moves he wants.

Until one maneuver is once again effortlessly evaded, and then Mars strikes with a flurry of quick jabs and then pie-faces him away. "Come on!" Mars shouts. "Don't waste your best moves without knowing your opponent's defenses!" He weaves through another attempt at offense and then hurls Lupo to the mat again. "Don't ever forget the fundamentals. You learn more about your opponent with them than you will just hitting them with your best moves over and over again."

He helps Lupo to his feet, and now goes on the attack himself, but with just the most fundamental of moves. He's taking it easy on Lupo. Lupo knows He's taking it easy on him. But that doesn't make it any easier to stop Him. Lupo spends the first flurry or two getting pummeled, before... he learns. The occasional lucky block becomes more frequent. Then more consistent. Until finally he's not letting his Father get a single shot through his defenses.

Which, of course, is when Mars changes it up. Now He's throwing in more complicated maneuvers which have Lupo scrambling to keep up again. Once more, Lupo is on the defensive, barely able to keep up with the God of War's assault--

--until Lupo ducks under a powerful right cross and comes up with an uppercut right to Mars' jaw. This does drive Mars back a step, and He smiles. "Good. I think you get the idea now."

He flicks His wrist, and the gold chain is back in His hand, offering it out to Lupo.

Kiki - Outside Room 510

"We have to track down the harpy nest nearby," Art replies. "There's always a full-fledged flock. You should stay here at the hotel and keep your eyes open. If MacBride's in town, there's gonna be more Titanspawn around, and they'll be disguised. They'll be up to something, and we need to know what they're planning."

Anna nods. "You're not meant to be a fighter in all of this," she explains. "You're the spy, the scout. Art and I, we're hunters, and other people are warriors. But if you see MacBride, you'll know it, because the man is absolutely terrifying. And if you see him, you should run."

[Mytical]

Lupo

There was no hesitation by Lupo. He got in the ring. "I can never resist a challenge or a fight. I am guessing that comes from you." He sizes up his competition, no basic moves here, that would be an insult to the man. Lupo would only use his best moves, leaving the fundamental things for others. No fakeouts, no one/two jab..leaving all he had on the mat. This was a chance of a lifetime, and he never minded loosing.

Of course the fact that Mars could be asleep, blindfolded, hopping on one foot, using one arm..while wearing chains and still beat Lupo with ease was completely beside the point. Mars didn't fight..he invented fighting. He literally could forget more about fighting then Lupo would ever know..

Kiki

If somebody made these two nervous, Kiki never wanted to meet them. Ever. "So..where do we go from here?"

[Chanlin]

Riley - The hotel Lobby

Riley glances at her father sideways and then barks out a full bellied laugh drawing a few odd glances, "Yeah, that it is I suppose." She grins at anyone still staring, but her attention is still fully on the man sitting nearby.

Liam - Talkin' wit' his Mammy

Liam nods and leaves the unspoken name hanging in the air. "Which one of ye sired him?" He asks instead.

[Jay 2K Winger]

GM NOTE -- Gonna take away the boldface for the Gods' speech now. Just for ease of reading.

Lupo - Mars' Gym

Mars looks back at Lupo levelly. Lupo is used to opponents sizing him up, but this is on a whole different level. Mars' stare gives the impression that he's reading every move Lupo could make and preparing a counter to every single one. "The Greeks called me Ares, the Romans called me Mars. You can call me by whichever you want." Then he pops his neck and gestures to the mats. "If you want to be a warrior, then show me what you got."

He smiles a thin, cold smile. "You won't win," that much even Lupo knew, "but a Father should always help his children aspire to be better." Mars moves over to the mats and slides into an easy fighting stance. "All right, come on." He smirks. "If you manage a knockdown or takedown, I'll give you this."

With a flick of his wrist, he displays a gold chain, one that is worn around the neck. Lupo can feel the power in it, and Brighton's words about a 'focus item' may come back to him. This must be the one that Mars intends for him to possess... if he can impress his Father...

Kiki - Outside Room 510

Anna nods as Kiki says this. "We knew there were going to be more of us around, and more of them, too. The Fate-watchers say something is going to happen around here, so they called in a bunch of us. I think I saw Paul Brighton, one of our recruiters, in the lobby. So it makes sense there'd be more than just us three."

She leans against the wall. "The monsters we fight are called Titanspawn. They're creations of the Titans, the mythical beings that the gods overthrew in antiquity. Way I understand it, the Titans got imprisoned in the Underworld, but they broke out some time ago, and have been trying to amass enough power to ... well, it varies from Titan to Titan. Some of them want to destroy the world, some of them want to conquer it, or reshape it as they see fit..." She waves this off. "Some of the spawn are typically monsters like those harpies, and they're mostly used as shock troops, but some of them can disguise themselves well enough to look human. They're more dangerous."

She takes a deep breath and lets it out. "And some mortals will make deals with the Titans and their spawn. Me, I'd hunt them same as any monster, but Mother forbids it. There are others who work to take down those kinds."

"There are Scions that betray the Gods to join the Titans as well." This comes from Art Mooney, who steps out of the room. To Anna, he says, "I dumped the bodies outside for our cleaners. But the room's compromised. Hoffman's working on getting that smoothed over." Back to Kiki, he sighs. "There are a few Scions out there who, for various reasons, join up with the Titans. Sometimes they get brainwashed, sometimes they are deceived, some of them hate the Gods, and then you get some who just want to watch the world burn."

Something about the way he says that makes Anna start. She blanches as she turns to Art. "You're talking about MacBride." Kiki, as a private investigator, would probably see the signs. Whoever this MacBride is, Anna Green is utterly terrified of him.

Riley - In the Lobby

Her Father shrugs mildly as he folds his hands behind his head, smirking. "You should know better than that, Riley. Me and my sort can generally take on whatever forms we require when we're in Midgard." He shrugs again. "I think her name was 'Some Lady.' Sorry, but I'm usually too busy to pay attention to details like that." He frowns slightly. "...now you have me feeling guilty about it. Stop that."

He smiles again and gestures about the lobby. "But you're keen enough you can probably see what I mean about little actions causing big consequences. Take the old adage about the want of a nail: 'For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the rider was lost. For want of a rider, the message was lost. For want of a message, the battle was lost. For want of a message, the kingdom was lost.'"

He points at her. "You're the odds-maker. You can see the odds of things happening. Well, with the right action, you can shift those odds from infinitesimal to inevitable." He grins. "It's great fun."

Liam - Danu's Glade

Danu nods. "Understandable," she says. "You were left with a brute of a man, someone ill-suited for fatherhood. But sometimes, for someone to grow strong, one must endure." She smiles softly. "And you have always endured, as have I and the emerald lands that I and Mine protect."

She moves slowly through the grasses and trees, a few buds flowering in her wake. "In these modern times, however, Me and Mine must look further afield to protect Our own. And, in some cases, police Our own." It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to deduce that she's talking about MacBride. Mac Dubh had said that MacBride was 'one of them.'

[Chanlin]

Riley - In the Lobby

Riley glances over at the man speaking to her... "I thought you'd be... I dunno... taller maybe." She gives him a silly grin. "So um... now I know who you are. Who was mom?"

Liam - Frolicking in the Park

Liam regards the woman before him for a moment. "Ye will forgive me if Oi don't call ye mom Oi hope." His face remains neutral, "Oi just don't t'ink of ye t'at way yet."

[Mytical]

Lupo

Lupo looks at the man, who's stance definitely speaks of a seasoned warrior, and immediately thinks "What it would be to go a few rounds in the ring with him, what I could learn" eve if instinctively Lupo knew he would last maybe a split second .. IF this man was feeling generous. He would still do it, he would never back down from a challenge, he doesn't know HOW to back down..but he also knew he'd have as much chance as a newborn infant against Ali when Ali was in his prime.

"You are the one who spoke to me, in my head, a bit ago. It is interesting to finally meet you."

Kiki

Kiki still is taking everything in..she doesn't quite have the mentality of Lupo who has learned to 'roll with the punches' (pardon the pun). She thinks awhile before saying. "This...item..it lets me see things. I don't think we are the only ones around here. According to this..more things like those you destroyed.and more like us are around."

[Jay 2K Winger]

Lupo - Hilton Hotel Gym

Usually these sorts of places have a few workout "bums" around, either of the sort who can't pass a gym without doing a few reps, or the kind who go there in the hopes of showing off what they got in a vain effort to boost their ego by comparing their "cuts" to someone else. Lupo's familiar with the type, of course, being something of the first type.

But the gym, instead, has only one guy working out, by the gym mats laid out for those types that like to do grappling, working out against a heavy bag. He's a pretty big guy, too, with his back to Lupo. He's wearing black workout pants and a sleeveless UnderArmor-style top his fists and wrists taped up. He's a bit tanned, clearly someone who takes pains with his appearance. A more careful look will note a few faded scars on his arms. Along with these were some extensive tattoos, some of which looked military, a look which was only emphasized by the man's shaved head.

The gym is ... rather more expansive than Lupo might have expected for a hotel, even a Hilton. It has a machine for every muscle group, free weights, treadmills, ellipticals, and at least one of every kind of workout machine Lupo might have expected to find.

It's not until after Lupo's been working out for a bit that the other man finally speaks up. "Lupo Virtus," the man states. "I was wondering when you'd drop by."

The man turns around, revealing a face that... well, the man's easily a couple decades Lupo's senior, but he's aged pretty well. Even so, his face bears a efw of those faded scars as well, and his eyes tell the story. They've got that infamous 'thousand yard stare' to them, and look as old as the world. He looks familiar, too...

And that's when Lupo would recognize the voice. The same voice he heard upstairs when he was fighting that Bacchae. At that moment, just who was addressing Lupo would become clear: his Father, Mars, the God of War.

Kiki - Outside Room 510

As Kiki focuses on the crystal pendant, it suddenly shifts shape in her hand, sliding to nestle into her palm, cylindrical and slightly grooved as if made for her fingers to grip, while one end elongated and gained a sharp point and an edge. Anna whistles. "A nice little stiletto... very handy. But not a warrior or hunter's weapon. Your Mother must intend for you to be a spy."

As if to emphasize this, the crystal shifts shape again, flowing back into its original shape, before it flattens out, becoming thin and translucent, and shaped not unlike a lens. If Kiki were to hold it up to her eye, she'd see the world framed in prismatic hues, but Anna would glimmer with the same silvery light as she'd seen around her bow. A glance around would show faint trails where Anna had been walking or standing, and there were other colors faintly in the air.

And Kiki then knew, thanks to some divine connection she had with the crystalline lens, that those trails meant there were other Scions and also 'monsters' in the building.

Riley - Hilton Hotel Lobby

The lobby TV was set to the History Channel, of all things, where they happened to be taking a divergence from their usual WWII-heavy focus to talk about the French Revolution, highlighting the bloody upheavals that France went through during those troubled times.

But whatever Riley was up to, another voice interrupts. It's another person watching the news. An older gentleman, red-blond hair and a mustache, looking like your average middle management type. "Tragic business, isn't it?" the man asks conversationally. "Though it makes for at least vaguely interesting reading, doesn't it?"

He chuckles. "It's always fun to see how the littlest of things can trigger a monumental upheaval in everything. That incident there, for example," he said, pointing to the screen, where one riot was being detailed, "was because the price of bread got too high. And from there, things escalated, until you had people like Robespierre cutting off heads left and right. You read much history, Riley Thorsen?"

The voice was still conversational, a bit instructional, and then Riley might recognize it. As she turns to look at him, she'd see that the man was looking right at her, smiling like the cat that got the cream. And she knew then, who she was looking at: her Father.

Liam - En Route to the Hilton

Although Liam know he's taking the same route he'd taken to get to Ripley's, the way back seems... different. Maybe part of it is just him seeing things with new eyes now, but he could have sworn that it was still relatively urban the way he'd gone. So why is this route going through a park?

Liam would feel a definite sense that something was amiss, but ... there is no sense of danger. "Be at peace, no harm shall come to you for the moment."

The voice is instantly recognizable. The same voice he heard in his head not too long ago. It has a musical cadence to it, tinged with a Celtic lilt and accent, and a woman, clad in simple, loose, though hardly diaphanous, robes stepped barefoot out from behind a tree.

"Liam O'Keefe, I am glad you have embraced your destiny," says Danu, mother of the Tuatha de Denann.

GM NOTES

Obviously, the gods you're meeting don't look like their traditional depictions. Some creative license, and... well, when the gods come into the mortal realm, they take on mortal shapes, and can generally appear how they like, with some limitations.

Both Mars and Danu have somewhat intercepted Lupo and Liam, and taken them to a place that's sort of Somewhere Else. They haven't exactly left the mortal realm, but if someone were to go to the location where they should be based on GPS or something like that, they wouldn't be there. Chalk it up to the gods doing what they like because they're gods.

[Chanlin]

Riley - Waiting around the Lobby

Riley shakes her head as she leaves Holtzman's room. "Code phrase..." she chuckles. While she's waiting for her new room she heads down to the lobby and flops down on a couch in front of the lobby TV.

Liam - On the way to the Hotel

Liam nods and leaves without a word. Code phrases and the like are old hat for him so he doesn't even bat an eye at the idea. He decides to walk to the hotel to let things sink in.

[Mytical]

Lupo

Lupo shrugs. "I can relax when I am dead. I will go to the training room, there will be people there. For some reason I have much more energy then most. Maybe from Mars." He will go to the training room and train.

Kiki

Kiki tries what is suggested, trying to feel what the necklace might be able to do.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Lupo - Room 630

Brighton nods. "Spoken like a son of the war god," he declares. "You didn't get too battle-crazy there, so you're probably the son of His Mars aspect. That's a relief, at least." He nods at the cesti. "Those you can sort of will in and out of existence-- I'm simplifying for now." He flicks his wrist, and the golden chain wraps around the corpse of the remaining Bacchae, which is likewise engulfed in sunfire and reduced to ash. "If I were you, I'd ... I dunno, go relax down in the lounge or something. If there are any more Bacchae or their allies down there, they won't start anything in public. Meantime, I'll call up our 'cleaner' to secure the room, clean up the ash."

He thinks for a moment, then gestures. "Where's your cell phone? I'll send a text out to our IT specialist, and she'll put you in the loop."

Kiki - Outside Room 510

Anna smiles a bit tightly. "I'm glad to hear that." She thinks a moment. "Tough to say what you'll be doing. For Art and me, well, we're the children of the Goddess of the Hunt. We get a call some monsters are stirring up trouble, we go and ... take care of it. But Iris? Iris is the Rainbow Goddess. Granted, that means she sort of oversees the boundaries between the mortal realm and the divine realm, but..."

The huntress frowns. "That pendant... your Mother wouldn't have given you a tool good for only one thing... try to feel something about it, can it do anything else?"

Liam - Leaving the Ripley's Museum

Mac Dubh nods. "Word of warning before ye leave, boyo. If'n ye see MacBride, don't try to take him on by yerself. He's one of us, but he's gone rogue. There's reasons why none of the attempts ta take him down have worked." He takes out his cell. "I'll send word ta our operator that yer on board. If she sees anything, she'll call ye. Code-phrase is 'Emerald Eire.'"

Riley - Room 714

Holtzman frowns. "Yes, your room is compromised for the moment. Solomon will clean up the mess, and send your bags down to the desk. Our operator should get you set up in a new room quickly enough." At the mention of the Cajun, he tilts his head. "Carrefour? I think it's likely you will. He's been invited to take part in the tournament as well."

He taps in a text on his cell phone. "Our operator should put you in the loop soon. She'll contact you if anything specific to you comes up. She'll use the code-phrase 'Nine Realms.'"

[Chanlin]

Liam - Headed to the Hotel

Liam nods to Mac Dubh and starts to head out. He stops short realizing the falcata is still in his hand. "Um... Oi can't go out wit' t'is. Why exactly didn' mam see fit to have it come wit' a scabbard?" Just as he finishes asking and turns his thoughts to hiding the weapon, it vanishes.

He stares at his now empty hand a moment, "Oh. Well t'en I suppose Oi'll see ye when t'e time comes." He inclines his head once more and heads out in the direction of the hotel.

Riley - Room 714

Riley nods, "Right... poker tournament. I wonder If I'll get to play against that Cajun fellow again. He was good." She looks at Holtzman as a thought occurs to her, "Hey should I be going back to my old room? Or is it like... compromised now?"

[Mytical]

Lupo

Not wanting the third to get up, Lupo just calmly walks over and snaps her neck. He has never been the chivalrous type, and an enemy is an enemy. He looks at the other guy. "Well...somebody talked to me..and called me son. I have no idea who, or how, or anything like that. All I do know is I like a good fight. So they want a fight, lets give them a fight."

Kiki

Kiki swallows, but it is clear these people are telling the truth. Which means she was honor bound to help in any way she could. "Ok..I believe..how may I help my family?"