First off, we may want to find the gates that is most likely to be attacked, and create a circle near it- we could use more Foci, and this is the PERFECT opportunity to receive them, other than that, ask the medic to slow down the collection, or do it inside, as the smell of blood is being carried downwind, they should understand, and if they do not, then remind them that predators hunt from downwind, where they can smell prey, and they can sneak up on the prey without being smelled themselves.

[[ Bump for rush hour /tg/ ]]

>>15375331
I agree with this.

>>15375331

Seconding moving the blood drive indoors, if possible. Is there a big central building (meeting hall maybe) in the town where we can do this?

As for the circle, harvesting foci seems to really take it out of us, so I'm not sure it's the best idea until we know there's not going to be any more trouble today.

However, if there's been a lull in the fighting then that pile of dead predators would be a great place to get some totems for the town or for the slayers. Or we could do that at the end of the day, too, idk.

>>15375396
(>>15375331 here) I kinda agree- so double thinking it, lets tell the medics to move inside, and ask some of the stronger men of the village to help start moving bodies inside for salvaging- Preferably using long tools to drag the bodies, such as creating a "Noose on a stick" with rope to wrap around a part, JUST IN CASE one of the buggers are still alive, what do you think?

'allo Diarca. Goodevenin'.
I migth be gone for the first few hours o' the night, but I'll be back. Could you add my mail to your list? omicrom_xi@hotmail.com should do.
>>15375331
Basically this, collect the 10 or so vials still needed in an indoor location, preferably a kitchen-house where the blood will mix with the other smells. Then get crackin' on those totems.
>Totemist quest, Hell yeah, motherfucker
hell yeah

>>15375422
forgot mah nametag

You rub your temple with one hand as you explain to the healer that the scent of blood spilled combined with the strong winds has attracted a variety of unpleasant creatures to the town gates. You request that she harvest ten or so more vials in an indoor setting, preferably somewhere a little more airtight than the town squares. She quickly agrees, and she and Elana begin to pack up their supplies. She announces to those waiting that the gathering will be moved to her Hut, and they disperse quickly.

You fire up your Cloudwalker's Stride, making good time back to the village's south gate. The Slayers look to be mopping up the spoils of war, dragging the bodies of the fallen, non-poisonous creatures onto a large cart to be taken for harvesting. The poisonous creatures such as Yhkrees and the Verdis Wyrm are being heaped into a separate pile, presumably to be burned. Pierce is nowhere to be seen, though Quinn is helping a group of three other warriors haul a bear's corpse onto the cart. Walther stands over the corpse of the Verdis Wyrm, examining it.

Go to Walter, see what hes staring at, otherwise- You are the totemist, but you are still a resident of the village- help clean up so that we can get this done faster, and so that carrion eaters don't suddenly catch the scent of the dead, and come this way, making a Round 2

You shoulder your spear, approaching the rotund man. He's still clad in the plate he wore during the fight, though his helmet in tucked under one arm. His beady eyes scan the still form of the Wyrm, his mouth a hard line. You step up to his side, looking at him quizzically. He looks at you, staring for a moment before turning back to face the corpse.

"Never seen something like this come out of those woods." he says. "Monsters like it usually stay deep within the forest, closer to the swamps. Suspicious, I think, that it would choose today to attack, when we were already being swarmed by the hosts of the wood."

"Walther, the blood collection in the square attracted them." you say. "It's not a great mystery. The wind is strong, and they hunt primarily by scent. Most likely, the breeze carried the scent of the villagers' blood to the depths of the forest."

"Isn't your pact with that nature spirit meant to keep things like this from happening?" he asks, his gaze still locked on the Wyrm. "Or does she only show up to aid you in fights against shadow demons?"

Explain to him that, unfortunately, she couldn't control a predator's hunger, and that, it shall not happen again now that the blood harvesting is inside, where the wind could steal the scent of blood- but now, for the safety of the village, they need to move the bodies to a safe place, so that this does not incur a second wave of creatures hunting for food, or scavengers come for the bodies, or worse.

rolled 7 = 7

>>15375716
Tell him that while we do have a pact with the forest spirit, we doubt she can control the will of individual animals and this event was so sudden that it probably took her by surprise also.

"Look, Walther," you say, your eyes narrowing. "The spirit of the forest is an ally, and I doubt very much that she has individual control over every animal and beast in her realm. This was predators behaving like predators, and nothing more. It was an unpredictable oversight."

He grunts, squaring his shoulders. "I suppose."

Unwilling to deal with his histrionics after such a pitched battle, you move to assist Quinn and his fellows in loading the cart. He flashes you a brief grin as you move beside him to help in hauling a large boar onto the already mountainous pile, and the other Slayers give you a nod. With a heave you lift the beast onto the groaning wooden surface.

"I don't think she'll take much more, Quinn." you say, slapping the side of the wagon. "Perhaps we should take what we can get, aye?"

"Fair enough." he says. "No sense breaking the damn thing. Let's get this meat inside before the scavengers come to play." he adds to his fellow guards. They nod, and shortly afterward the wagon is rolling inside.

"How did the gathering go?" he asks, watching the mules draw the vehicle into the village. "Will we be able to keep everything under control now?"

Just nod, because we gotta get going to start craftan some totems.

[at last! I've been looking forward to the next issue of this quest for a while now.]

OK, everything is under control here, we need to head over to the Craftsmen and make sure progress is proceeding on the mask-totems. We've got enough blood, we need to start enchanting each totem as soon as it is finished and brought to us. We're going to be one tired totemist by the time we're done. Drop the stalker pelt in our home, we'll worry about binding it and chatting with Modi later (technically, I think he owes us 3 conversations now). Regardless, we need to focus on the warding totems.

WOO, TOTEMIST QUEST! Just when I got back from Friday Night Magic.

>>15377677
seconding.

Damnit Diarca, stop napping!

>>15376238
Tell him it's going well aside from causing this and then we should go check out the progress on the crafting... has the smith finished crafting stuff for us yet? We should check on that as well.

Having finished reading the archives and catching up on the backstory for this quest, I have to say it's pretty amazing so far. Bumping for the morning in hopes Diarca wakes up and continues running it.

>>15380037

[[ Thine prayers be answered, though it's less an issue of napping and more an issue of medicine kicking in sooner than expected. Regardless, we continue! ]]

"It goes." you say, nodding. "We should have enough material for the wards I'm thinking of by the time we get back. Hopefully the Craftsmen have been working on the shells. I'd hate to have all that blood and nowhere to house and enchant it, you know?"

He looks slightly confused as you speak, but nods anyway. A sudden thought sparks in his mind, and after glancing around for a moment to ensure that he isn't overheard by Walther, he leans in to speak privately to you.

"Have you given any more thought to my offer?" he asks. "Not trying to rush you or anything, but I thought that it'd be good to keep it fresh in your mind, you know?"

>>15380936
"I spoke with the elders and they've encouraged me to take on both you and a child as apprentices. You'd have to help raise the kid and I'm not sure how good of a teacher I'll be, I'm still pretty new to this myself."

or something like that. Also we should ask if he's seen Pierce anywhere just to be sure he's ok.

>>15380936
Morning Diarca. Sorry I disappeared. I'm happy to say that I got so shitfaced yesterday that I broke my lip, busted a friends rib, hooked up and broke up twice in the same night, and puked all over the goddamned floor from 3 stories high, splattering a sailboats white sail, which is gonna be costly to clean.
So that's that. Fuck yeah totemist quest
>fuck yeah

>>15380986
supporting this.

>>15381039
[[ Fuck yeah. ]]

You nod. "I spoke with the Elders last night, and they advised me on the wisest course of action. I think that I will take you on as an apprentice, as well as a young child. We will share the burden of responsibility equally in raising the youngling, and I'll be able to teach the both of you. In the event that something should happen to me, I'm sure that the two of you could work together to become strong."

Quinn nods, looking excited. You look behind you, making sure that Walther has remained in one place. He has, though his eyes lock with yours as you turn to look at him. You can't quite read the expression on his face.

"That said," you say, turning back to Quinn, "I'm not sure of how good a teacher I'll turn out to be. Bear with me if I screw things up every so often, yeah?"

"Hey, I've got your back, Osyki." he says, clapping you on the back. "You and me against the spirit world."

You chuckle. "In that case, meet me at my hut this evening. We can start your basic lessons, so that you have a head start on the kid."

He nods, flashing a wide grin at you. As he jogs away, you wonder if he wasn't a little too excited to be leaving the Slayers. A thought occurs to you, and you call after him. "Quinn! Any idea where Pierce got off to?"

"He should be patrolling back by the north side of town." Quinn calls over his shoulder. "It's still the middle of his shift."

Turning on your heel, you decide to harvest some Totem material from the pile of poisonous creatures before they are burned. You work carefully as Walther watches you, wrapping your hands in cloth to avoid any accidental stings. After half an hour's work, you have a sizeable pile of trophies in your pack, including the blade from the tail of the Verdis Wyrm.

>>15381145
We need to drop the stuff off at our house, check on the crafters, the blood drive, and maybe on the smith. We can do this in any order, I suppose we should just do them in order of proximity.

>>15381145
A blade from the verdis wyrm...I want to try some binds on that. Bonce Foci on it seems to me a particularly good idea.

But that's for later.First things First, Fire up our boots and go get the blood, start working on the protective totems, prefferably in our workshop.
We should also consider swallowing some of our pride to ask Walther to teach us some of the ol' 1 2.
Any other noteworthy pieces that we could extract from these gribblies?

Anyone else think we should have an actual discussion with Walther sometime? I don't think we can get him to like us and after what he said about our sister I don't think we can ever like him but I don't think he's going to be out his position anytime soon and that thusly the open aggression between us can only potentially harm the village. We could casually hint that if he touches our sister we'll fucking kick his ass without being inflammatory.

>>15381200

The teaching us some figthan skills would be a good angle for this.

Your long, leaping strides across the village have gained some familiarity in the recent days, and you see several villagers waving up at you as you pass over them between landings. You hurriedly drop your pack and your newly acquired Focus in your hut, though you keep your spear in hand. A few leaping jumps later you land outside of the Healer's hut. The door is open, and you poke your head inside.

Elana and the Healer are both busy tidying up the area around two beds, where dots of crimson have speckled the floor and sheets. Elana notices you as you step inside, giving you a short wave.

"Hey Osyki." she says. "The vials are in the back room. I'll get them packed up for you."

She quickly tosses the rag she holds into a bin on the far side of the room, then moves to the back. The Healer simply nods at you, clearly trying to clean the area so that she can return to attending to the sick lying in the beds around you.

Elana returns a few minutes later, carrying a heavy looking brown satchel. "Don't jostle them around too much." she says. "The glass is pretty thick, but we don't want to waste any of it."

>>15382108
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

>>15382108
Thank her and take the bag. Then get to the artisans and wherever else is needed to and get started working on those totems.
>modifying efuldin
huh

>>15382649
Let's get to it, then!

What happened to everyone?

>>15383515
Wish I knew. This keeps happening.

>>15383534
I think Diarca had a seizure or his pills kicked in or something. Who knows. A bump every few hours should be enough to keep it going.

well shit, I hope this is still here when I wake up tomorrow.

bumping with semi related wallpaper

>>15383613
I'm hoping his medicine works. ate thinking of a bro-tier quest runner laid up.

>>15385387
>>15385387
Ditto. This is a good quest.

Considering the overall high quality of this quest, an erratic schedule is no big deal for me.
...Though some warning would not be remiss.

a bump in the night.

[[ Thanks for the concern, lot. I'll get the hang of how fast this medicine knocks me out eventually, I'm sure. Until then, I appreciate your patience. ]]

You thank Elana, taking the satchel with a wink. She blushes slightly, and turns away to hide the coloration of her cheeks from the Healer's hawk-like gaze. You walk, rather than leap, out of the hut. Your quicker mode of transportation would jostle the vials a bit too much for your liking, so for it now seems that you are limited to walking like everyone else in the village. You pass by the hustle and bustle of the residential district, heading into the workshops.

The sound of hammer against metal and saw against wood is the most prevalent sound in this area of town. The steady ringing filling the air places a note in your mind to check on the status of your orders from the blacksmith when you have a free moment. For now, however, you turn your attentions to the woodcraftsmen. The order went out this morning, and it is now well past noon. The men of your village are skilled in the arts, and you would not doubt if your project is well on its way to being complete.

Shouldering the pack full of liquids, you knock on the door of the first workshop you happen across. The sawing inside goes quiet for a moment, and a few seconds later the door swings open. On the other side of the threshold is a man with a thick beard, and an eye covered by a strip of black leather. He looks at you for a moment before his face splits into a wide grin.

"No mistaking that collection." he says, gesturing to your spear and your boots. "Welcome, little Totemist. What can I do for you?"

>>15388129
First I would like to thank you for all the work you're putting in to this, and then I would like to ask for a rough gauge of your progress thus far.

>>15388129
Give him a manly handshake. Hey, just checking in on a few projects. Was wondering how the Totems, Turtle Gauntlets and was it Bone Armor or Chainmail were going.

>>15388411
Trust me, our rock turtle-bound boots are kind of our trademark now. I don't think we'll be switching that around.

You extend your hand to the man, which he grasps with an iron grip and shakes firmly. "First," you say, withdrawing your hand, "I'd like to thank you for the time that you're putting in. Secondly, I'd like to get a gauge on the progress of that special order that was circulated earlier today."

"Of course, of course!" the man says, clapping you on the back. "Come right in, good sir. The boy and I were just finishing up one of your orders."

The man steps aside, allowing you to step into the fairly spacious workshop. You can see a small boy seated at the table in the back, running a cloth over a wooden mask. The light from the hooded lanterns gleams off of the surface of the mask, and the gleam grows sharper with each wipe of the cloth.

"We've personally completed about twelve of the housings, made as you specified. The other craftsmen got the same order as we did: "Stop all non-emergency work, craft according to these blueprints. If they're worth the iron in their tools, they'll have a similar amount finished by now. Will you be taking the masks we've got now?"

>>15388692
"You've made a fine contribution to the defense of our village, the both of you. I'll go ahead and take these off your hands, and leave you with my sincerest thanks."

Did you guys leave?

Thrice captcha?
Bbpad, quicktype.
Ask Boa, confirm Waly's suspicion:
- last time forest breaking by splinter?
- Syl's favor?
- unknowns?
Pay with dip.

Quinn to eager. Speak with Waly, about everything, soon.

>>15388692
Thank him sincerely, collect the totems from him and the other craftsmen and get to work. I'd really like to experiment with the shadow pelt but annoyingly enough the village's safety takes priority.
How far along are our special orders?

Check in with Boa about the forest and see if she knows anything more about this event or our favor to Sylvannis.

"You've made a fine contribution to the defense of our village, the both of you. I'll go ahead and take these off your hands, and leave you with my sincerest thanks." you say. The carpenter gives you a wide grin, and the boy at the back table gives out a small squeak.

"Glad to contribute, little Totemist." he says. The boy hops up from his table, leading you to a small pile of the carved masks in various designs. You load them into a canvas bag that they provide for you, then bid them farewell.

As you step outside, you think back to Walther's comment about Sylviannis. Deciding that knowledge is your most potent weapon, you grip the pearl pendant around your neck, calling out to your friendly neighborhood spring spirit. She responds after a moment.

"What can I do for you, Osyki?" she asks, the image of her blue-haired form flashing in your mind.

"I need a few questions answered." you think. "On a consulting basis."

You can feel her attention perk up through the orb in your hand, and her tone is suddenly all business. "Very well then, Totemist. What is it that I can advise you on?"

"First off," you think, ticking off one finger, "When was the last time that the Magus sent one of his duplicate cronies down here to wreak some havoc?"

"From what I've gathered recently, it was somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty years ago." Boand responds. "Sources vary from nineteen to twenty-two years. Spirits can be finicky about their perceptions of time, sometimes."
(Cont.)

You nod, then hold up your second finger. "Two," you think, "Has Sylvia mentioned anything about that request to you? I've not heard from her since yesterday."

"No news yet, Osyki, and frankly I'd consider that good news." Boa says, her tone slightly hushed. "If she sent you off agitated like she is now, you might be in for a world of hurt. Better that she calms down and gets a level head before sending you off to your death, you know what I mean?"

You grimace at that, choosing not to respond to the obvious jab. "Anything else useful you might have for me, Boa?"

"I'll let you know if something comes up, Osyki. You know I've got eyes and ears all over this region, and by proxy, so do you."

"Thank you, Boa. I'll stop by the spring as soon as I can."

"See you soon, Totemist.~"

15-20 years. Elana is 18 isn't she?

It would make sense that the last time he came around was just before then.

>>15389164
19-22 years, derp.

>>15389144
I'll probably bring Quinn, he's kinda co-totemist now and it may take a bit to get around to seeing you as I need to finish these Totems before I go anywhere at all. Lets get us a pile of wee masks from everyone and start making the totems.

>>15389199
sounds good to me.

We need to collect from the other crafters. Then check with the smith and visit Boa.

>>15389164
Aye, Elena was born shortly after the totemist's visit.
But we expect the splinter to be back any day now.

Were any of the village defenders killed in the fight vs. the animals? We should attend their funerals and give condolences to the families.

But first, defend that villiage with them totems.

Has this been archived, just in case?

No sense in making a new thread if we can have this one last long enough.

Stops at each of the other crafting houses yields around fifty Totems, with a promise from several craftsmen that they will deliver the remainder of the work to your workshop before nightfall. You return to your workshop as quickly as the heavy load in your bag and the fragile nature of the vials will allow, quickly setting to work unloading the materials onto a mostly-empty workbench. The totem housings are well made, and you cannot find any flaw in their construction. You set to work placing vials of blood into the proper slots within the back of the masks at once.

Ten minutes later, assembly is complete. You have arranged the masks, fifty-three all told, in rows along the tabletop. The old project of your master's has been moved to another bench, and with a determined eye you set to work drawing the necessary circle of symbols around the table so that you can bind all of the Totems at once. The symbols are much more complicated than the relatively straightforward runes of binding, and there are many more to draw.

You finally complete your work, laying down the chalk and stepping back from the circle. The line is perfect, unmarred by extruding splinters or warps in the wood. You move into the back room, searching through the piles of papers for your master's notes on these bindings, and your own blueprints. You procure them after a brief search.

"Should be easy enough." you mutter to yourself. "Let's see..."

You move around the room, drawing the drapes and extinguishing all light in the room, save for a single flickering candle which Tryd lights for you with a snap of his fingers.
(Cont.)

You place the candle in the center of the table, careful to ensure that no wax drips on the masks below. In the flickering light they appear to be almost alive, the shadows dancing to and fro across the detailed faces and geometric patterns of their carved surfaces.

"In the name of Osyki, link to the World Without, I offer a pact." you mutter, running your hand along one of the more lifelike masks. "Spirits of knowledge, spirits of truth, aid me in this clandestine bond."

The candle flickers slightly, and you think that it may have taken on a bluish tint. Reaching into your pocket, you withdraw a handful of rosemary and rabbit fur. With a flick of your wrist, you toss it over the table. The pieces which catch the flame burst into small sparks, though the wood of the masks seems unaffected.

"By my right as Totemist, I call upon you to shield this place from the prying eyes of those who would oppose it. Allow their gaze to slip through as light through a glass, their senses to fail them as readily as night falls. An offering of blood and sweat lies before you. Take it: it is yours."

The shadows flickering across the rows of wooden faces seem to run like water at this, slipping in and out of the eye holes of each wooden face. The geometric patterns dance and weave in and out of one another, and the detailed faces laugh or cry as they are briefly given life.
(Cont.)

"In exchange, shield this place from harm. Where you are within the presence of one another, create a link of silence between yourselves."

You reach out your hand, your outstretched palm hovering over the candle flame. You speak the last words quickly, though clearly, as the flames lick your flesh.

"The Link demands your cooperation. Payment is given, and aid is received. Keep the secrets."

Your hand descends, quenching the candle flame and plunging the room into darkness. You wipe your palm on the leg of your pants, slowly moving to draw the curtains away from the windows.

As you do so, there is a knock at the door.

>>15392026
Finish opening the curtain or ask Tryd to do it, and then open the door I guess.

>>15392155
...Or... not. I guess.

>>15393200
Finish drawing the drapes, see who is outside. If it's a villager who's not Quinn, throw a drape over the warped hellfaces we just made. if it IS quinn, just open up and greet him.
You had us worried Diarca buddy.

You poke your head around the drapes, attempting to stealthily ascertain who it is outside. Quinn can be seen standing by the door, tapping his foot and flipping a metallic disk in his hand. You throw open the drapes, allowing light to flood the room once more, and open the door.

"Hey." Quinn says. "I know it's a little before sunset, but I thought I'd stop by and see if you needed help with anything."

You nod. "Well, I'm glad you showed up when you did." And not a moment sooner, you think. "I've just finished the first batch of Totems for the village's defensive wards. Grab a bag, you can help me place them around the walls."

He nods, stepping past you to examine the masks arrayed on the table. "They're a bit... creepy." he mutters, picking up one of the faces. The wood has darkened to nearly a burned black color, and the mask's visage seems to be slightly more bestial than you remember. Shrugging, you throw a canvas bag to him.

"Creepy or not, if they keep the Magus out, they're our new best friends."

"True enough." he says, beginning to carefully load the faces into the bag. You grab your pack from the bed, emptying the Totem ingredients onto a workbench and loading it with the masks as well. The two of you exit the workshop, heading south toward the gate.

"So, what are these supposed to do, exactly?" Quinn asks, looking at the mask he had previously commented on.

"It's a ward of protection against magical snooping." you explain. "The blood in the vials acts as a spiritual link, creating a sort of spiritual guardian for the village to keep out any attempts at locating or gathering information on us. It should also help to strengthen the defensive wards already in place."

He nods. "Pretty cool stuff. So, is this what Totems are like? All magic rituals and scary masks?"

>>15393636
"well they're usually magical and somewhat gory, but there are also more mundane totems and rituals. Things like the totems under the bathhouse used to keep the water hot, or the ones that keep the drying clothes off-fire. It depends on their intended use really. There is much I don't know yet, but trust me, one day under Walther's command is probably a helluva lot worse than anything I can put you through as an APPRENTICE totemist."

>>15393636
"It's more than just that. It's also trading favors, playing politics. Boand, the spirit you met at the spring? She's one of our closest allies. Very pleasant to be around, but I still owe her for the advice and intercessions she's given me. Each spirit will ask different things as payment. Boand is one of the easiest to get along with. Being a totemist means being everything a slayer is, and a hunter, and an elder, and a craftsman, and a magician all rolled into one. Don't worry, I won't expect you to pick up everything right away. You'll ease into it a bit at a time. It's a luxury I didn't have, but it should work best. Now, we have to get these totems placed so they can properly camouflage the village. Once all the totems are placed properly, it will render our village invisible to any form of magical detection. The magus will be blind if he tries to come here again."

>>15393934
also, have him stay and watch when we enchant the next batch of totems. The words of the ritual will give him a clue as to what we do and the depth of our responsibilities, and powers.
Add a caveat: "It's very foolish to try to enchant more than one totem at a time, but we're in a rush. ideally, we should have taken time and great care with each one individually."
We should just have him watch for a few days. See how much he picks up. Right now, I think he's expecting more of what he's seen, magic rituals and super-powered combat. Let's see how he takes to the favor-trading and deal-brokering.

>>15394114
Yeah, to be honest, that's likely to be the hardest part unless he has a Gestalt consciousness the kind /tg/ characters always have. Then again, not everyone has a TEACHER with a gestalt consciousness, so that's an arguable benefit to us being us.

>>15394158
Yep, the unique kind of insanity that permeates every /tg/ champion. Common shared qualities include high intelligence and borderline-suicidal recklessness.

"It's more than just that." you say, eying the metal disk which Quinn continually flips in his hand. "Totems can be mundane, as well. They keep the water in the bath house warm, and the clothing on the drying racks from catching alight. It's a fairly complicated system of gathering and symbolism."

"So, you're like a fusion between a Slayer and a craftsman?" Quinn asks.

"Yes, but it's more than that. It's also trading favors, playing politics. Boand, the spirit you met at the spring? She's one of our closest allies. Very pleasant to be around, but I still owe her for the advice and intercessions she's given me. Each spirit will ask different things as payment. Boand is one of the easiest to get along with."

Quinn nods, clearly attempting to absorb as much information as he can as you continue to speak.

"Being a totemist means being everything a slayer is, and a hunter, and an elder, and a craftsman, and a magician all rolled into one. Don't worry," you say, catching his widening eyes and panicked expression. "I won't expect you to pick up everything right away. You'll ease into it a bit at a time. It's a luxury I didn't have, but it should work best."

You ruminate on that for a moment. How would things have changed if Ayren was more willing to allow you to aid him? Perhaps you'd be in a better position to teach Quinn. You dispel the thought, focusing on the task at hand.

"Now, we have to get these totems placed so they can properly camouflage the village. Once all the totems are placed properly, it will render our village invisible to any form of magical detection. The magus will be blind if he tries to come here again."

Quinn nods. "Let's get cracking, then."
(Cont.)

The two of you arrive at the south gate. You open a panel in the construction of the wall, taking out one of the ruined Totems to show to Quinn as an example. He points out the cracked vial before you begin to show him, and you confirm that the ward is defunct. The two of you begin replacing the Totems one by one, working in tandem to remove and replace the paneling. The two of you examine each ward for minute cracks or marring before deciding whether or not to replace it. Working together in this fashion, you make excellent time around the village. When you've made it approximately a third of the way around the perimeter, you see a familiar blond figure waving to you. Aurora skips toward you, a bracelet of flowers twined about her wrist.

"Hey Osy." she says, smiling. "What are you two doing?"

You grin, patting your sister on the head. "Just doing some work for the village, Aura." you reply. "This is Quinn." you add, pointing to the Slayer behind you. Quinn replaces the section of wall he was carrying, turning to Aurora.

"Hi there, little lady." he says, crouching down to eye level and offering his hand. Aurora shakes it nervously, then looks to you. You smile, which seems to put her a little more at ease.

"What are you doing out this late?" you ask. "It should be dinner-time soon."

"I snuck out." she proclaims proudly. "Dinner tonight is going to be yucky, I could smell it all the way across the raising house. Can I eat with you tonight?"

>>15394308
Uh oh.
On one hand, it's our sister. On the other hand, we're straining our relationship with the elders a bit, and we still have some hellfaces to enchant tonight.
Offer this: She goes back (on this we can not be lenient) but after the dinners done, and we WILL ask the matrons ifshe ate all her vegetables, we'll pass by with amal (not tryd) and the bone girl and Quinn and have them interact with the children a while, and give her some candy, or some of the leftover broth from our dinner with the Elders. It was a big pot, might be we have some left.

If she's fussy about it, show her one of the faces we're working on, tell her we have to make more of these, and it's not something she wants to see (wink at Quinn) and send her on her way.

>>15394403

isn't it a bit odd to punish the sister for sneaking out like osyki did when he was young?

send amal to inform the matrons that she's safe and we'll return her after dinner.

[[ Bumping for a bit more input. ]]

>>15394593
>>15394593
It's not really punishing. It's just that today we're really zogging busy and we can't spare the night.
Just send her back to eat, and if she's good, we'll pay her a visit and she'll get to eat some tasty broth and play with the spirits.
Punishing would be a rotund NEIN, GO BACK TO YOUR BED JEW EEVUL CHILDE. or something of the sort. Be tactful, explain WHY we can't, and she'll know instead of being irrationally mad.
She might be young, but not stupid, She'll understand.

>>15394593
Yeah, I'm good with this, though we really should say something to Aura about how just because we snuck out a couple times doesn't make it right for her to do it.

>>15394727

Or, she could tag along and begin her path to being a totemist.

Family tradition go?

>>15394750
I dunno, it seems kinda like favortism to me. We haven't even had a chance to observe any of the other kids yet, really.

>>15394765

at the very least we can use it as a chance to observe.

"Aura, you shouldn't disobey the matrons." you say, sighing. "I'm sorry that you don't like the food, but you can't just keep sneaking out like this."

Aurora looks deeply hurt, and you can't help but feel as though you've betrayed her somehow. You grit your teeth, then relent.

"Look, I'll make you a deal. If you go back now and behave, I'll stop by tonight and bring you a treat. Maybe you and the other children can play with the spirits as well. What do you think?"

She thinks about this for a moment, then sighs. "Alright, I guess." she mutters, kicking the dirt. "Promise that you'll stop by?"

"Only if you're a good girl and eat your dinner tonight. Go on, then. Back to the house, and don't be late for dinner."

She lets out a groan, but turns away all the same and begins walking to the boarding house.

"Tough love, Osyki." Quinn says, clapping you on the back. "It's tough, I know."

You nod. "Let's get these Totems finished off, yeah?"

The rest of the twilight hours are spent with Quinn, replacing faulty Totems in the walls and occasionally answering questions about the nature of spirits and the basics of a Totemist's life. You run into Pierce when replacing the northern wall paneling. He's sporting a nasty scratch on his arm, but he assures you that it's nothing to worry about.

Night has fallen when you complete your loop back to the southern end of the gate. You ended up having two totems left over, a pleasant surprise. Quinn places the last panel of wall back into place, then looks to you.

"That should do it, Osyki." he says. "What now?"

>>15394986
"I have a promise to keep to my little sister. If you want to get started on some studying, there's (x book/scroll) in my library. It was written for someone younger, but you really should start with the basics."

>>15395063
Yeah that sounds good.

>>15395063
Or he could come with us and get acquainted with the spirits. Hell, might even be good for him, being that's it the very core of our job. Speaking of that, we should ask him about a scale, a fang or a spark.
He has to get his first spirit foci eventually, doesn't he?
If he is to come with us, pass by our workshop first to get the leftover broth and/or any sweets we might have hidden.
Also, didn't ayren write a simplisitc "Totemist for dummies" guide that we more or less have tryd carry all over the place? get started with that.

Quinn metal disk: what?
Be nice if Aura is totem heir. But can't assume.

Ask Q to join and eat dinner with matrons and kids and spirits, mention some spirits are not unlike the characters of either kids or matrons. Good practice.

Blasted Blackberry, can online but barely post.

>>15395063
Thirding this. We should bring Tryd like we planned. We may have told our sister that we're visiting her but this is a good chance to scout for an apprentice. We do need to bring her a treat though.

>>15394986
Tell him that I have to get to dinner with my Sister and am going to bring Tryd and Amal along. Give him some basic reading suggestions, Totemisting for dummies and leave Cordia with him. He might be able to get more out of her than we can and before he becomes fully enveloped in the world he's going into he should know about the more depressing spirits unlike Boa, Tryd and Amal.

Have we already told Quinn about Modi Magni? That might be a good idea to do at some point before he starts to get an over-inflated idea of what a Totemist is normally capable of.
I mean don't get me wrong, we're pretty fucking awesome, but we also almost literally have a god-tier totem.

Uh, Diarca Buddy? it's been like...hours.
Could we have an update on wot da zog is going on with cha?
You have us a little borried mate

>>15396882
Yeah I mean are you like, really sick or something?

I went ahead and archived the thread.

>>15397663
Thank you mate. We really ned to find a way to contact Diarca in between threads. His long silences are a little disquieting

>>15397798
Diarca's email can be found in the archives, but not much more than that can be found.

[[ Again, apologies. The long absences are mostly the results of my medicine deciding that it is most definitely time for me to be asleep right that second. If I'm being slow in updating and you can catch me on AIM, shoot me a message. My screen name is DiarcaEXE.]]

You shrug. "I think its about time I head over to the raising house. Would you care to join me? You may want to get the kids used to you sooner, rather than later."

Quinn shakes his head. "No thanks, Osyki. I should probably fetch myself some dinner sometime soon. Should I meet you back at the workshop, or should I just call it a night, and see you tomorrow?"

You think for a moment, then retrieve the key to your study from your pocket. "Here." you say, tossing it to him. "There's a book on my desk that you should start reading. It's called The Greater Almanac of Spirits. Ayren wrote it. Should give you some idea of what you're in for."

He nods, pocketing the key. "I'll see you when you get back, then."

"See you then." you say, giving him a wave. The two of you set off in separate directions, and you make a stop at the general store to buy a piece of maple candy before making it to the Raising House.

Aurora seems to have been watching the door like a hawk, as she springs up from her seat the second you walk inside. "There you are, Osy!" she exclaims. "I've been waiting for so long!"

You chuckle. It's been an hour at most, but even that must seem an eternity for a girl of Aurora's age. The Matron appears at your side, an older woman with a few streaks of gray running through her black hair. You straighten up, Aurora scooped up in your arm.

"D'you think it would be alright to have one or two of my spirits meet the children? They're harmless things, and I think it might be exciting for them."

The matron considers this for a moment. "I suppose so, Osyki." she says. "Just don't get them too riled up before bed-time."
(Cont.)

You nod. Placing Aurora on the ground, you fish the amber pendant from within your shirt, calling Amal into being.

"Amal, why don't you introduce yourself to the kids?" you say, smiling. The prism hesitates for a moment before Aurora lets out a small yelp of excitement at the sight of him. He pulses a deep red for a moment, then a dark green as he settles down to her eye level.

"Good evening, miss." he says. "I am Amal. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Aurora giggles, giving the prism a small bow. The children quickly crowd around the rapidly rotating spirit, clamoring for his attention. You sit back and watch Amal handle himself rather well among the throngs of children. When the Matron isn't looking, you slip the maple candy into Aurora's pocket, which puts a wide grin on her face.

About an hour later, exhausted, you trek back to your Workshop. The door is unlocked, and you step inside to find Quinn poring over the Almanac with rapt interest. He only looks up from the book as you close the door behind you, jumping slightly at the noise.

"Oh! Hey Osyki." he says. "This book is interesting. Ayren really knew what he was talking about. D'you mind if I borrow it?"

>>15398207
"Not at all."

Did any of the kids stand out to us? We should ask Amal if any did to him. If there's still time in the day we could go visit Boa or check up on the smith's progress.

I think we should be careful not to go into the apprentice selection with Aurora in mind, is she even old enough?

"Go ahead." you say, nodding. Quinn smiles, placing one of your bookmarks into the pages and closing the tome.

"Awesome. Thanks, Osyki. I'll get out of your way so you can get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

You nod. "I need to go to see Boand tomorrow. You should join me."

Quinn grins widely. "Definitely." he says. "I'll be around the west wall tomorrow. Come find me when you're ready to go."

As he leaves, you sigh. Your talk with Walther regarding his changing career, among other things, will be incredibly unpleasant. Unfortunately, you also know that it needs to happen very soon. Pushing those thoughts aside, you call to Amal. He appears, his coloration a deep blue.

"Did you have fun?" you ask, grinning. The prism almost seems to be drooping in the air, its hovering pattern slightly unsteady.

"Indeed I did." Amal replies. "The exuberance of young children when faced with a shiny object will never cease to amaze me, Osyki. It is truly a wondrous thing."

You chuckle. "Did you, by chance, catch any strong traces of spiritual aptitude off of any of the children?" you ask, tapping your chin. "We'll need to make a decision soon."

"Perhaps from one or two." Amal replies. "I think it'd likely be best to have Tryd get a second opinion. Truth be told, he's more talented in that area than I am."

You nod. "Very well, Amal. Good night."

You climb into bed, catching sight of the pile of Totem parts you gathered today. Perhaps you can take a crack at them tomorrow. It will be a busy day, and you have much to accomplish yet.
---
[[ Calling this thread here for the night. Email will go out when the next thread is going up, and I will be sure to run it when I'm not in danger of dropping off to sleep randomly next time. ]]