[actual play] Kingdom Death: Monster - People of the Stars - Lantern Years 7-9 - Of Gods and Stars

Aido, Akhekhu, Agri-manios and Abzu set out on another hunt for the Antelope. They search the desolate darkness, finding a pile of vomit from one of the creatures, recovering a piece of pelt and a large tooth from the belly of one of the beasts. In the night Agri was lucky to wake before an insect bit off his manhood. The next day, from the dark, a man with two mouths, or a mouth split in two, presented each with a wager, and none of them had the will to try again.

Then from the night, a roaring lion attacked. The battle was bloody and testing, as this was the first creature of this size they had faced. Agri died of fear as the beast bellowed, and Abzu was torn apart. But eventually the beast was slain.

Returning the the camp, a stranger in the night approached, and a number of the camp faced them and their lanterns dimmed, each feeling drained of life.

Aido Wedo Gold, Akhekhu Gold, Alicha Gold and Aida Hwedo set out to find an Antelope, hoping to find the beast and not a wild and ravenous lion. The journey was hard as the beasts were migrating. They then came upon a large book, but none had the understanding to know how to write in it. They were able to track the beasts as they found acanthus plants strewn about and half chewed.

As they trekked along the plains they came upon a towering, five-sided pillar. A pillar of flesh, and limbs and organs. They chose to move on, and heard a loud booming voice break the silence of the darkness.

The battle with the antelope was some what easy for the hunters, as they easily surrounded it and directed it. Aida dealt horrific wounds thanks to his acidic fists, but was severely wounded in one arm, leaving him able to only fight one handed.

With the antelope dead, they returned to camp and were met by a strange person, apparently a dentist. But none needed their skills, or wished to risk their crazy augmentations.

The Tyrant once more descended from his throne to test his people. Aapep, Alicha Gold, Aida Hwedo and Abrasax faced the imposing figure, striking with fist, spear, axe and sword. They arranged themselves to work against the Tyrant and his supernatural ability to teleport. With Aapep striking at the Tyrant's heart and slaying him. Or at least that was what they thought had happened. The Tyrant stood up, impressed by his pets, and blessed Aapep. She was now closer to the Tyrant with even more dragon gifts, and he presented her with a shimmering spear of celestial iron.

He led the warriors back to the camp and looked to the sky, and the heavens opened. Alklha Gold is blessed with ability to resist injuries. Aapef gains the noble title of Lead, and Am-mit is born to him and Aapep, a child blessed by the Tyrant and already skilled in the spear. Aida Hwedo gains the noble title of Mercury and is also marked as reincarnated and endowed with great strength. Abrasax also gained a reincarnated title, Titanium, and remembered his previous life and ability with the axe.

Many of the camps were becoming more powerful and more like their Tyrant lord.

[actual play] Kingdom Death: Monster - People of the Stars - Lantern Years 5-6 - Blood and Empires

Aapef, Aapep, Agri-manios, and Abzu, set out to hunt once more, eventually coming upon a lion cub and slaying it, and drawing the attention of its parent. While the lion attempted to lure the survivors into a trap, they prepared to lunge upon it while gathering resources from the obsidian pillar and the corpse of the survivor.

The fighting arts that had marked them as the blessed of the Tyrant allowed them to make short work of the lion, landing powerful blows and rending slices.

Upon returning to the camp the survivors dreamt, and imagined that they were just pawns of some giant being, and they were pieces on some board.

Leaving to hunt once more, Aido, Aapep, Abrasax and Aapef found the lion quickly, as their scent was blown to it on a strong wind. In the night a booming alien voice terrified the hunters, but they soon found their quarry.

The survivors were becoming experts in hunting, lunging and slicing and dealing killer blows to the lion. The dragon vestments along with his iridescent skin made Aido near impervious to the lion's claws.

Upon returning with their bounty from the hunt, another acid storm swept the plane of stone faces, an the survivors welcomed more young to their society. Having learnt the importance of building bloodlines and conquering the lands around them, the newborns of the settlement were taught all they could be by their parents, and children were now born of those who shown signs of being the chosen of the Tyrant.

From the skies a single shimmering feather landed. The phoenix had arrived.

[actual play] Kingdom Death: Monster - The People of the Stars - Lantern Years 2-4 - The Tyrant and His Children

Abzu, Abrasax, Aapep and Aaepef set out to hunt once more, seeking to find another lion to slay. It did not take long to once more find a cub that was abandoned by its mother. The hunters slew the creature and set upon by the father as the cub's cries brought the large animal forth. But the survivors had been inspired by their Tyrant lord, and quickly slew the lion, rending flesh from bone, and chopped limb from body with hacking axes. Returning to the camp they were all given nicknames. Some were disparaging, while others were venerable.

Setting out, the same band of hunters went seeking monster they had heard recently. The antelope. They endured a carpet of ticks that bit and scratched at them. But they soon found the antelope, out in the dark plains, and got on with the task of hunting it. They were also lucky to dig up a piece of iron, and were able to smash the dark pillar that also gifted them with a further piece of iron. They knew such pieces would make wondrous weapons in future. The antelope took a serious of wounds, and it was soon vomiting blood as is stampeded about. But with the beast dead, the survivors were soon hampered by the acrid mists that stung at their throats. They eventually returned to the camp, and to their lord tyrant, but were exhausted.

The Tyrant looked upon his people and descended his throne and called for four amongst them to face him in mortal combat. Four came forth, all fresh and who had never faced a monster. The donned their weapons and armour and readied themselves. Ahrimanes, Ai-Hwa, Aida Wedo Gold (gold being a noble name bestowed by the Tyrant at birth), and Agri-Manios, surrounded the Tyrant and attacked. Darts, axe and sword struck the Tyrant, with the Tyrant at times being impressed and bestowing new gifts to his attackers. Though as they attacked, the survivors had to manage the mystical manner in which their lord Tyrant was able to swiftly move. He would teleport, leaving behind a stone statue of himself. Using the spear, one of the surivors was able to smash a statue and appear next to the Tyrant, and used such an opportunity to strike him. The Tyrant was unlike anything the survivors had faced. He was able to attack from a distance. With a pointed finger he send pulverising blasts at his opponents. At other times he was able to summon from the heavens themselves meteorites and burning light. Ai-Hwa eventually fell dead, having bled out from his wounds. But the others were able to land their attacks, with Aida drinking a potion to send him into a wild frenzy that allowed him to deal the final killing blow. With the Tyrant impressed by the skills of his followers, he issued to them fine robes, and marked a number of them mystically. They thought themselves gifted, and Aida now possessed skin that was harder than stone. With the fight over, the heavens opened and an acid rain fell, washing the blood from the stone faces of the ground. While the others went to find shelter, and Ai-Hwa was buried, Aida danced in the rain. They were becoming the blessed people of the dragon. The Tyrant gifted his people with a dark orb, that produced heat, and those who looked upon it and were already touched by the dragon, learnt new fighting arts.

A new hunt was called, and many of the survivors donned their new dragon vestments and prepared for the fight ahead.