Editing The Valley of Cradles (section)

=The Heroquest=

I always felt lousy that I never explained how the heroquest was going to work, so here's my belated breakdown.

==The characters.==

Each person on a heroquest of this nature remains exactly as they are - however, their cult ties allow them access to the Runemagics and direct nature [runic] of the god. The latter is far less focused but potentially more powerful. This represents their symbolic nature as literally, an aspect and agent of their god.

Initiates gain a 'pool' equivalent to and seperate from their Pow. They may also use any Runespells they know. They may not use one use rune magics with their 'pool'.
Acolytes gain the same pool, and may use one use rune magics, but only 1 points worth. 
Priests and lords gain two pools, their own and their spirits. Both may use one use magics.

This pool does not replenish.

==The Quest==

This quest is a myth that exists outside of time. It is also a story, and in the godtimes stories can be altered and changed, sometimes temporarily, sometimes forever in the world of time. Note that this is very different from a 'traditional' cult heroquest, where generally the object is to emulate a specific story, not alter it. Godlearners abused this form of questing and nowadays it is frowned upon. The Earthwitch is far older than any Godlearner, however.

==The Method==
The questers represent their god or an aspect therof in the story. At whatever point they choose, they may enter the story and attempt to change it. Once they are within, however, they cannot leave until the stories conclusion. There are generally fairly obvious 'points' at which to enter the story in quests of this sort. Runes, symbolism and what a god or power represents becomes very important in these choices. See Trumping below.

==Trumping==

Stories are littered with symbols and significance, much like the gods. These parts of a story are power, through association with the things that make up the world of time. Enough symbolic significance allows a quester to 'trump' another figure through the direct application of their gods runes or attributes to symbolic parts of a story. An Orlanthi could 'trump' a Gagarthi in a contest of winds by calling on Orlanths position as ruler of storms - but the Gagarthi could 'bid' with the unruly and disobediant nature of his god to counter a trump. Depending on the situation in the story, this may work or fail - in a direct contest of power, the Orlanthi would win, wheras if the story were about driving Orlanth into a rage, the Gagarthi would counter and perhaps even 'trump' the Orlanthi.

Each bid cost one point from your pool, as does a counter and a 'raise'. Some of these points will be returned, to winner and loser, depending on their symbolic 'fit' in the part of the story/quest that they were used

==The Heros Quest==

''In the time before time, when dreams were real and we were shadows of them, this land was Genert's and it was golden. All things lived in harmony. Then there were troubles and death and the world was broken when Genert died and chaos came.''

This sets the story in it's time and place within Godtime.

''Erilista and Erlasta were twins of the Earth tribes, fair to look upon and so holy that the six goddesses called them both priestess. Erilista was wife to a son of Genert who was prized for his house and the harmony it held, for here all people could meet in peace. Erlasta cared for no god, though many wooed her.''

This establishes the spirits of the quest, where the questers will be drawn to in godtime when they begin 

''In the time of the lesser dark, when death was first real, Erlasta was touched by it in Tricksters passing, for it is he who brought it to their abode.''

This is the first quest point of any use to change. Obvious connections here are Orlanthi and Humakti, who would most be able to deal with a trickster and an illusionary copy of the True Death.

''"Her spirit fled her body, but such was the love of the Earth and her sister for her that she remained, the first spirit ally of a priestess of the Earths. So she would be comfortable, Generts son ordered a great temple to be built to all of the Six Earths, and a resting place for those who were touched by the new power was created.
These are Erilista's Halls."''
Of course, all this changes if Erlista doesn't know death...and that isn't necessarily a good thing...

''"Through the conflict of the god tribes, they remained a place where enemies could meet and parley. Even the trolls respected this, for they knew the powers of the grandmothers and worshipped them. Erilista would turn no-one aside who sought shelter and many broken folk were rested here, or went to a deeper rest in the silent halls of the Grandmothers."''

...because then all this goes away and a major part of the alliance that just held off chaos in these lands was never formed.

"Then Genert sent for his son and his armies and they went to war. That tale of woe is known to all, but for Generts son, who's name is lost to us, there is a further tale. He was taken by chaos, by a son of the devil and it ate away his stone brain in the acid of his belly, absorbing his mind. From this it learned of Erilista the holy and beautiful and resolved to make her its own."

Unless you want to personally wade into the First war against chaos on the losing side, this is not a point to choose.

Now I've given you an idea of how this works, the rest is up to you...

''Meanwhile, the Halls of Erilista filled with those who had survived the terrible battle and she turned none away, no matter which tribe they had been. Water-folk, sky-folk, dark-folk and storm-folk were sheltered or laid to a better rest as the chaos advanced. Earth giants answered her call and heaped the land over her halls, hiding them in the hills. She nurtured and waited, hoping for her husband to return and chaos to pass her by. Neither happened.

Only one had she turned from her halls, a son of Eurmal who had slain her sister. He had fled before chaos but was caught by the devils son, who prowled the lands seeking Erilista's lost halls. To save his skin, the trickster pleaded that he could show the devils son the way. The chaos thing let him live and he led them hither, but Eurmals son was wily and knew the son would kill him once he knew the path to the halls. He led the devils son to the entrance and told him it was not far, just over the rise. When the devils son looked, little trickster leapt into his armies and changed himself into one of them. The devils son was angry, but he could feel Erilista near and was too anxious to care much. He led his armies into the hills, draining and twisting the river for more followers. Thus, Tricksters son hid as a chaos toad and slunk away into the darkness.

The devils son thought tricksters idea was clever and he used the skin of Generts son as a disguise. He sat upon the hill and wailed for his lost wife and halls...and she heard him. Erilista bade the hidden doors opened...and chaos swarmed in.

The fight was long and hard and all of those who had sought shelter fought for Erilistra's halls. Sky and Storm Water and Darkness made their bids to turn the tide and one by one they failed, champions all. The temples were breached, chaos began its slaughter and all was lost...

...until Eristra arrived, garbed for war and twin soulled. The six Earths gave her power and strength and she confronted the son of the devil in the skin of her husband. She rejected his twisted desire and hurled herself into battle. Enraged by her rejection, the son of the Devil swallowed his own armies [except for toad trickster, who had fled] and tried to destroy her.

They fought, spirit and body, mind and power. Slowly, one by one, her powers were stripped from her and bled through the wounds the son of the devil caused, though her great axe sheared his wings and hacked away his power. finally, as she was about to fall before her weakened foe, her sistertwin devised a plan. When the son of the devil launched another desperate attack, she took the unmoving power of the Earth into her and allowed herself to be taken, just as her sister swung her mighty axe one last time. One froze his heart while the other dashed his brains...and his final claw slash ripped Eristra open.

They are there still, to this day, frozen by the stasis power of the Earth. Eristra and the son of the Devil, frozen and locked in combat. They bleed, still, into two different streams - one that is the water of life that you have passed through. The other is a cesspool of chaos. Within these caverns there is a balance and a struggle still. Will those champions who once failed, now swing the balance? Will a true man of the Earth return to combat this usurper? The son of the devil is more powerful that any mortal, but he is locked in a balanced battle. Can you, heroes all, upset that balance and allow the Earth twins to end this and go on?

That is the task of this place, to bring time to a dream and make the world a little more right. You will not be without aid...the grandmothers will loan you an Earth treasure each for this task, though you must return it, broken or whole. 

There is no question that you have chosen to try this deed...the only questions I have of you are these... What part do you see for yourself in this and what runes and powers do you stand for in this tale? Speak from the heart, for it is the heart that is the organ of the earth soul, and the gift you recieve will be weighed against it'.

The witch sat back, her snakes reclining about her. She gave them time to speak and think and find their way back into their minds. 

"You need not answer with haste, for we are on the place between for a nonce. You must read the story with your hearts and choose who you will represent. "

She reached down into the Obsidian, drew forth a formless black from it, began shaping it between her hands.

"Most importantly, though, you must read the story with your minds and choose where you will change it."''