I was DMing a game, and as I was wrapping it off, I really pissed off one one of my players.
Near the beginning of the campaign, I established that good people went to Elysium when they died, which was like a heavenly, idyllic plain where people were young forever and crops never failed, and animals were all tame and peaceful, etc. At the heart of Elysium is the castle of the king of the gods, who allows only the finest warriors to live in his halls, where they drink and feast and spar eternally, training for the final battle between good and evil. However, each person will be asked whether their strength comes from steel or flesh, and be judged accordingly whether or not they may enter. I'm sure most of you will immediately get where this idea was taken from.
So at the end of the campaign, each of the characters who died, I narrated them standing before the god, petitioning to join his hall.
In-character, they were not standing together, but the players were, so everyone could hear eachother's answers.
So the first walks in. The god says "I hear you are a mighty warrior, but from where comes your strength: your flesh or your steel?" He answers along the lines "Flesh falters, but steel is eternal. Only a fool would put his faith in something that is temporary." The god nods and allows him in.
The next player comes in with his dead character, and is asked the same question and gives almost the exact same answer. The god scoffs and says "I have heard this answer before! Someone gave it to him!" And throws him out of the hall.
Another player, for his first character answered "Flesh" and the god implied that his strength has left him, because his flesh was no longer a part of him. He insisted that he duel one of the god's champions to prove his strength hadn't left him, succeeded and was let in.
His second dead character answered "My strength comes from neither flesh nor steel but from the fires of righteous fury" and was let in instantly.
Cont'd
