>>Previous threads can be found at: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Sorceress%20Quest>>(Outdated) Character sheet and artifact list can be found at: http://pastebin.com/Fk0iR5bN>Fate Points: 1>Signature spells: Summon Elemental, Control Magic, Soulfire>Funds: Medium>Location: ???, Ankh, Jormungandr, Raziel's Crypt, Warped Lands."My name is Fuatha Vanko." The great dragon says, staring down at you. His wings twitch, and you note that he has no membranes on them- just long, scaled spikes of bone, instead of true wings. "Now that we have the introductions done, I'll tell you something about this world we're sitting in. This is the Truth, and nothing more. No lies, no tricks, no shapeshifting, no language barriers, no magic. Only thought and soul given form. You see me as I am, and I see you as you are. Know, however, that our Truths are what we believe. If I believed that dense steel floated, and that clouds sank like a stone, I could say so, here. I do not, because I am not a fool, but know that, while we cannot speak false, our Truths are not always true. Speak, Girl."
>>19622662Are you alive?
Show him your tits, my dear.
>>19622662"My name is Ishelda, and it is a pleasure to meet you." Curtsey."And I am here because your current host, Marigold, is having trouble with the way you're interacting with her."
>>19622655Would you like some tea?
"My name is Ishelda, and it is a pleasure to meet you." Curtsey. "And I am here because your current host, Marigold, is having trouble with the way you're interacting with her.""Feh, I know that. But I was not given the Gift of Tongues, and as such, I can simply rage in impotence- I cannot even speak to my host in a tongue she knows.""Are you alive?" You ask."A clever question." He says. "But altogether useless. I can effect this world, but not the ones Outside, not in more than words. So I am alive in all ways except for the most important ones."
>>19622721"What do you desire?"
>>19622721"Why exactly do you want to burn the world with tea?"
>>19622737That was something we made up.
>>19622721> I can simply rage in impotenceSo driving her to insanity is a better idea than bothering to learn whatever she's speaking? Wow, what a lazy-ass dragon.
You and the dragon thing suddenly contract boogie fever.You feel like daaancin', YEAH!
Welp I'll just take a short nap so that I can stay awake the whole night, I'll be bach shortly.
>>19622742Correction: That is something we assume. It is a perfectly reasonable way to burn a world.
"Why do you want to burn the world?"You try speaking something else. .but the sound doesn't come out."I don't." He said."Then what do you desire?""I have all I desire, girl. My host is the greatest of many I've had, and I have as much power as I wish, with her. No, I have a question for you. What do *you* desire? Why do you cling to your subjects with such fervor? Why do you not simply leave them in the dust behind you, with your power?"
You desire small equines that are yours in particular.
>>19622787"Because I choose to."
>>19622787Because I am a Princess, actually I am a Queen to be specific. I need loyal friends and subjects, while it may be possible for me to be in multiple places at once it would probably be draining. I cling to them because I care for them.
>>19622787"Because shut up, that's why."
>>19622787>Why do you not simply leave them in the dust behind you, with your power"I can create things from thin air and break every rule with my powers. I can take everything I want.Why wouldn't I desire most, that which has nothing to do with that?"
>>19622787"What point is there in power? My power may make what I do possible, but with out my companions, what would the point of it be? I lost my home to the demons, and it would seem that this new one has been saved from them. I want my friends to be safe, and to see this world remain so."I dunno.
>>19622787"Because the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering. I don't want my friends, subjects, whatever you want to call them to be uncomfortable."
>>19622787>Why do you cling to your subjects with such fervor?They aren't our subjects. They're our friends.
"Because I choose to.""Stop being daft, of course you choose to." He said, snarling. "Why do you choose?!""Because I am a queen; I need loyal friends and subjects.""You are no queen. Your lands are burned, your subjects are gone!" He said. "That title you carry is nothing more than a memory! The title is just as fake as it always was, but without your subjects to agree!""I can create things from thin air and break every rule with my powers. I can take everything I want. Why wouldn't I desire most, that which has nothing to do with my powers?""Powers? Feh! You are the weakest excuse for a sorceress I've ever met! You created a blade, you tore through space, you awoke and found trinkets. That is all you have done! What does your befuddled, tea-ridden mind think it's doing when you cast your spells? Do you think you're *special*? Do you think you're the chosen one, here to save us all? No, no, NO!" He cried, spittle flying from his mouth and his claws digging deeply into the ground."You are a child! And if you say you are not, tell me a great truth I have known for many years. What is magic? What is sorcery? Do you know?"
>>19622879"Friendship is magic."
rolled 67 = 67>>19622879Lets ask magic what it is... WITH MAGIC!
>>19622879Is it imposing my will and whim on the universe? If it is more than that I would like to be informed Fuatha. What is Magic, what is Sorcery, what do you know?
>>19622879>Do you think you're the chosen one, here to save us all?No, because OP said we didn't have to be.>He cried, spittle flying from his mouth and his claws digging deeply into the ground.Is he... upset?
>>19622879"No, I don't think I'm some chosen one, and no, I don't know what magic really is. As you've so aptly pointed out, I am yet a child. I don't seem to have had the opportunity to find out what magic is, yet."
>>19622879"Magic is a perfectly aimed crossbow bolt to the knee at 120 feet."
>>19622902Don't try to magic the fucking dragon right now, there are too many uncontrolled variables, we're inside an artifact, in a place made of Truth talking to a Dragon.
>>19622879"Magic is my ass in these pants. Have you seen how these fucking things fit?"
>>19622879"Yes. I am a child. There is a lot that I don't know, and magic is among them. But that's just brilliant about it, I get to grow up and find out. And I want to do it with other people, to share the experiences, the joy, the sadness and the adventures."
>>19622879"Would you like cliche platitudes or would you like an actual answer? Because I've got cliche platitudes coming out my ears."
"Yes. I am a child. There is a lot that I don't know, and magic is among them. But that's just brilliant about it, I get to grow up and find out. And I want to do it with other people, to share the experiences, the joy, the sadness and the adventures.""Pah, useless. I have seen a world where great steel teeth scraped the sky, built, not by magic, but upon the backs of mortal men. I have seen worlds where there was no ground, no sky, and only clouds of thought drifting along the void. I have seen worlds where mankind fused his body with steel, and became *gods*! You are nothing, nothing at all, compared to the things I have seen. Tell me, you foolish little girl." The dragon snarls. "In your *adventures*, what great truths have you seen? What experiences, what knowledge have you gained? You learned more from watching allies and friends die, then you have learned in anything else."
>>19622968Have a revelation that you enjoyed all the death.
>>19622968...and for all that power and knowledge, he couldn't stop the ogres from sacrificing him and his kind. All this gloating and belittling us is ringing a bit hollow considering.
>>19622968"That's to be expected, most people learn most from their failures, not their successes.">In your *adventures*, what great truths have you seen?"Not caring about your friends makes you die alone and bitter, get sealed in an artifact, or killed quickly if you come back."
>>19622968I'm 13, what do you expect me to have done? Of course an immortal dragon's seen more than me. What are you even trying to say?
>>19622968"Everybody- Everything dies. Life depends on change, and renewal, but some people live more in twenty years than others do in eighty. It's not the time that matters, it's the person. There's no such thing as an ordinary person. As we learn about each other, so we learn about ourselves, we build each other. Sometimes you just need courage to step forward. Courage isn't just a matter of not being frightened, it's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway."
>>19622968I have seen a little girl deepstrike an ancient mage on top of a bear and beat it to death with a brick, oh wait that was me.
>>19623025Also, bashing someone's head in with a brick is gross.
>>19623039"Everybody- Everything dies. Life depends on change, and renewal, but some people live more in twenty years than others do in eighty, because for some people, small, beautiful events is what life is all about! Because it's not the time that matters, it's the person, and there is no such thing as an ordinary person. As we learn about each other, so we learn about ourselves, and we build each other. And sometimes you just need courage to step forward. Courage isn't just a matter of not being frightened, it's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway."made it better
>>19622968I have learned that the world is far bigger, more complex and beautiful than I ever could have imagined. I wonder what I'll learn about it tomorrow.
"Everybody- Everything dies. Life depends on change, and renewal, but some people live more in twenty years than others do in eighty. It's not the time that matters, it's the person. There's no such thing as an ordinary person. As we learn about each other, so we learn about ourselves, we build each other. Sometimes you just need courage to step forward. Courage isn't just a matter of not being frightened, it's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway.""Wrong, wrong, wrong on all counts." He said. "You have learned. . only one thing. And that one thing is the only thing I respect about you, girl. That serpent that sits on your arm. That is a part of true magic, not those paltry tricks that the ogres and the fey and my kin use. It is not a paltry trick like what you mistakenly call 'sorcery'. You are still a fool, however, as you don't know what that serpent means."
>The answer he wants to use always comes after several different answers and the reply comes almost immediately after that oneJust write the fucking story already instead of pretending this is interactive.
>>19623084This dragon is an utter dick, why are we justifying his obnoxious questions with answers?
>>19623084"You only care for magic, not about living? What happened that made you like this, you could be so much more..."
>"Why do you not simply leave them in the dust behind you, with your power?">"Powers? Feh! You are the weakest excuse for a sorceress I've ever met!"What the hell? We like to be with friends, learn and see stuff and do good. All of this is unrelated to our power; had we 20 times the power we would do the same, had we a tenth of our power we would do the same. Why does he need to connect this with "power" at all?
>>19623084I may be a fool, but I can learn. You will always be a bitter asshole stuck in a metal rod.
>>19623084Are you going to continue to try and feel superior to a 13 year old girl or are you actually going to give me some straight answers?
>>19623121Hah no. Not this.
>>19623121>asshole stuck in a metal rodFunny, it's usually the other way around.
"You only care for magic, not about living? What happened that made you like this, you could be so much more...""The living die." He growls. "I will die someday, you will die, everyone will die. That hardly matters. What matters most is reality itself, magic itself. True magic. That is why I do not care.""Are you going to continue to try and feel superior to a 13 year old girl or are you actually going to give me some straight answers?""Feh. You come here, to my Truth, and demand me to obey your orders, to stop bothering your friend. And when I confront you, you claim to be just a 13 year old girl. You can't have it both ways! You are either a child, with the rights and power of a child, or you are a sorcerer, with all the prestige that entails. There is no middle ground. Choose, and then I may answer your questions."
>>19623166"I am Ishelda, Queen of the Dead Arcturus, Creator and Wielder of Rikar, Bearer of the Heart, Friend of the Mind, Participant of the Game, Killer of Eidolon, Evoker of Soulfire. Happy now?"
>>19623166I am a Sorcerer who seeks answers, has much to learn and quite enjoys a good tea party. Is that good enough?
>>19623084So the ancient dragon says the 11 (?) year old girl is a fool for not knowing what exactly magic by his definition is and a weakling for only creating one artifact and finding a couple others in the few weeks she really startet using her powers? It is ok, if he thinks we are still a child with all the weaknesses that entails but there is no reason to be condescending. If he wants Ishelda to be "stronger" and a "real" sorceress he should either teach her or wait a couple of years/decades/whatever. She is a child and if he has those expectations for her now, he is the fool not Ishelda.
>>19623166"I am Ishelda. I will not let you fit me in the little boxes you seem to sort people in. There is always a middle ground, a different choice. And if there isn't one, I'll make one."
>>19623166"Nigga you gay." Then proceed to gangsta lean our way out of this reality.
>>19623206Ok sorry, that was kind of late...
"I am Ishelda. I will not let you fit me in the little boxes you seem to sort people in. There is always a middle ground, a different choice. And if there isn't one, I'll make one.""That. That was the answer I was looking for." Vanko said, and chortled. "Ask, ask your questions, Ishelda."
>>19623235"Why?""Why do you lash out such?"
>>19623235Would you please stop bothering my friend?
>>19623166I am Ishelda the child sorceress. I do not demand you to obey my orders but I ask you to be nice to my friend and it would be nice of you to comply."
>>19623235What will happen to my cousin should you remain within her?
Dealing with this dragon is a pain in the ass since he defines people by how powerful they are. We should straight out say that he's wrong to do that, and at the very least that we'll never do that. It'll piss him off but frankly I don't think it's possible to tell the truth and not piss this fucker off since we truly don't give a shit how strong we are when placed next to the importance of our companions and other fun things we get to do.
>>19623235"So. Dragon penises. I've heard they're amazing."
>>19623235"What, exactly, is it you want from Marigold? Raging at her in Ogrish can't be satisfying."
>>19623256I support this.
>>19623235What have you done to Marigold?
>>19623235First, could you stop hurting my friend, I quite like her and I don't want to see her in distress.Second, magic, could you tell me of sorcery, of true magic, of the serpent on my arm.
>>19623263I like this, so subtle.
>>19623274Inorite?
>>19623263"By the way, mister dragon. What's in that box? Could it be... dragon d-"
"Why? Why do you lash out so much?""Because I am a dragon!" He roared, rearing his head to the sky.Then he fixes an eye on you. "For the same reason you wander. Because one does what is in their nature.""What, exactly, will happen to my cousin, should you remain within her?""Many things." He said, lowering his head. "But not *because* I remain within her. I require life force to survive, and your cousin is a wellspring of life force. Thus, she will not need to consume the blood of the living to sustain me. When I learn her mind, I shall be able to speak to her. She will heal from all wounds. Through her, I can channel paltry tricks and spells." "What have you done to her?""Raged within her, solely to bring *you* to me." He said.
>>19623319
>>19623325Why did you want me?
>>19623325Raise an eyebrow and slight blush, "Why?"
>>19623325You gonna get raped.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_cV_J3SCog
>>19623325"Couldn't you have waited until you have learned her mind and asked her to speak with me? All this misery just because you're impatient? Really?"
>>19623325>>19623325
>>19623325That was rather impolite of you, I ask that you refrain from such activities in the future. Your definition of paltry tricks and spells may vary from the accepted standard, could you elaborate.
>>19623325Will she continue to undergo physical changes like what happened to her eyes? Will her personality become warped due to your influence?
>>19623325How did he get stuck here in the first place?
"Will she continue to undergo physical changes like what happened to her eyes? Will her personality become warped due to your influence?""Her eyes are only like that as I learn her mind. Once I do, I will retreat, and she will return to normal.""Couldn't you have waited until you have learned her mind and asked her to speak with me?""It is not in my nature to think, first, of beings that hardly matter.""Why did you want me?""To see your Truth." He said. "You are a sorceress, and you have created True Magic. That makes. . Four. Four beings who have ever grasped such a thing. Two that you and I will never meet, unless you reach the end of all things. And then there is you, and there is I."
>>19623405Hey, if you knew someone that was this big a douche and could banish them into an inanimate carbon rod, wouldn't you?
>>19623413>FOUR! FOUR BEINGS! AH-AH-AH!
>>19623413"The End of All Things?"
>>19623413What is the form of your True Magic?
>>19623413Cool, we're in the top four living creatures ever to have existed and he still thinks we're a fool for not fully understanding it yet. What an arrogant douchenozzle.
>>19623413Tell me about sorcery and about True Magic.
>>19623444
"Tell me about sorcery and about True Magic.""I will not tell you what true magic is, not in the full, candid words. You are not ready. But I can give you. . hints. Hints that won't break your mind. Here it is; True Magic is a dream. No more, no less, and spectacularly useless and cryptic.""The. . The End of all things?""There are many worlds." He said. "There are motes of dust, hiding behind you, peering over your shoulder, seeing through your eyes just as you see. Many versions of you, many versions of I. . but despite that, only we have True Magic. This, similarly to my last answer, is completely useless to you, and does not answer your question. But I must answer this way."He shook his head this way and that."However, I can give you answers that make sense. I can teach you paltry tricks and spells. . but not now. Now, I am tired. Ask any other questions you have, and then leave. I will not harm your cousin, now that you have spoken to me."
>>19623413So true magic is creation, and false magic is replication? I'm not quite sure I've actually fully grasped true magic.
>>19623523"True magic is creating something absolutely unique in the world, then? For instance, my Soulfire as it is so called is only usable by me. I assume that's what you're talking about...Not entirely sure though..." scratch head. "Anyway, question, how much of my consciousness is here, and how much is in my body? Am I entirely here?"
This is painfully muhsteeeeeeeeeeeeeeryus.
>>19623523"What should I call you?"I'd suggest letting him rest.
>>19623523Conclusion?DRINK MORE SWAMP BREW!HALLUCINATE MORE!GET CREATIVE!
>>19623523
>>19623523"The eyes do look rather impressive on Marigold, though."
"True magic is creating something absolutely unique in the world, then? For instance, my Soulfire as it is so called is only usable by me. I assume that's what you're talking about...Not entirely sure though..." "That is incorrect." He said. You scratch your head. "Ghujj had his own Talent; It never awoke. But in you, in you, it bloomed, and became soulfire. That is nothing special. That is a trick, just like all other spells. But what makes it True Magic is that you made no effort for it. Ghujj made no effort for it. It just happened on it's own. Like when you lay yourself down to sleep, and a dream springs up of it's own accord." He shook his head again, and set it on the ground."Anyway, how much of my consciousness is here, and how much is in my body? Am I entirely here?""No." He said. "You are simply. . reaching in from your own body. You may feel this world, and see my eyes, but you are simply peering in, completely secure in your own form. From here, however, I can see your Truth. The serpent, and the ragged, charred dress. Your first example of True Magic, and the most significant event of your life- the demons. That is what I see from your Truth.""And. .what should I call you?""Vanko will serve." He says.
>>19623653Now suck his dick.
>>19623654Second.
>>19623654>>19623665You do realize that she is 12 right?
>>19623653Righto, time to say our goodbyes, exit this place and reassure Marigold.
>>19623654Get the soulfire serpent to do it. He likes the soulfire serpent.
>>19623654Thirded.Nah, just kidding. Let's get outta here. Bid Vanko good bye and tell him we look forward to meeting him in the future.
>>19623653It's lovely to meet you Vanko.So Sorcery isn't True Magic, it's another paltry trick, what can you tell me about it?
>>19623676I realize.
>>19623653NO ISHELDA.YOU ARE THE DEMONS.>arrgh.... you got me
>>19623676She's 13, bro. That's like MILF already.
"So. . Sorcery isn't True Magic, it's another paltry trick, correct? What can you tell me about it?""Sorcery is wizardry. . except the spells make themselves. That is all. Now let me sleep.""Goodbye, Vanko." You say. "I look forward to meeting you in the future.""I'm well aware." He said, and closed his eyes.You find yourself hugging Marigold."How long should it take?" She asked you. "And- and tell me before you start."
>>19623722Now suck her dick.
>>19623722I just did it.
>>19623722"I'm back!"
>>19623722It's done. You should return to normal in a bit and you won't have a voice shouting in your head. Though you might gain a conversation partner in your head in due time.
>>19623722"Sorry, it's already done."
>>19623743This
>>19623722"Oh.. well I suppose I managed to finish without hurting you, wonderful! The one inside the Ankh is quite gentlemanly once you get to know him. You don't have to worry about being possessed anymore and the eye thing will fade soon enough."
>>19623722"OH- I think it's beginning!!!"Thrash about on the floor for a bit, and be sure to wet yourself.Suddenly stop."My word. What a horrendous creature."
"I'm back!" "What, already?""Oh.. well I suppose I managed to finish without hurting you, wonderful! The one inside the Ankh is quite gentlemanly once you get to know him. You don't have to worry about being possessed anymore and the eye thing will fade soon enough.""You talked to him? And asked him not to yell at me? Thank you."She hugged you tightly.
>>19623752>quite gentlemanlyHaha nope.
>>19623752What part of that was gentlemanly? What is wrong with you?
>>19623764Now kiss.
>>19623768>>19623779>obvious tsundere dragon is obvious.
>>19623794Could've gotten some more deredere out of him if she'd just sucked his dick.
>>19623802>>19623784Okay, it was funny the first few times but...
>>19623820Welcome to summer.
>>19623764Pat her, drink the tea that's getting cold
You hear someone knock on the door to Marigold's cabin."Are you three okay?" Raziel asked.Marigold sniffles."I- I just need some time alone- I'm still a bit- Still a bit upset." She said. "But can Grayson stay with me?"
>>19623872"You'll have to ask him, but I'm sure his okay with that."
>>19623872"Why don't you ask him? It is actually a little rude to assume it is my permission you need."
>>19623820And yet it's still more amusing than this boring-ass story with everyone lobbing softballs and him supplying some of his own prewritten stuff.But he wouldn't get nearly as much attention if he just put this stuff up on deviantart as a generic fantasy story, so he's just suckering all of you into thinking he's letting you have a part in it so you'll care.
>>19623903>And yet it's still more amusingNo, see, here's the thing: It's not. If you don't like the quest then just go away instead of trying to shit it up for everyone else.
>>19623930'Kay, far be it from me to tell people they're not allowed to enjoy Generic Fantasy Story #12,047,917,291 (Inspired By Drowtales(tm)!)
>>19623903>People liking things I don't like.>Not on my watch fuckers!Seriously though, get the fuck out of here.
>>19623963
>>19623951> I actually think Generic Fantasy Story #12,047,917,368 is better. Can I have that number instead?"You'll have to ask him, but I'm sure he's okay with that." You say, and the dire bear harrumphs, and nudges Marigold with his nose. You assume that must be a 'yes'."Okay." She says, and pats his head.You finish up the rapidly-cooling tea, and it seems like she's mostly calmed down as you talk about nothing in particular. You hear the floorboards outside of the cabin creak, as Raziel walks away.
>>19624001Follow Raziel! We must obtain more swamp brew. When we drink swamp brew we understand Grayson and learn True Magic™.
You get up, say goodbye to Marigold and Grayson, and follow Raziel. "How is she?" Raziel asks you. "Is it more side-effects from that artifact? Because that stuff earlier, when the flowers burst into flames. . it looked like the fire the demons were using."
>>19624057"She's okay, Vanko won't hurt her anymore.""Vanko's the dragon in the Ankh."
>>19624057"She's alright, I think. It seems the Ankh is inhabited by an ancient dragon's spirit, and it was trying to get my attention. He said the eyes thing will pass, and she won't even have to... do that blood thing Azariel mentioned."
"She's alright, I think." You say. "It seems the ankh is inhabited by an ancient dragon's spirit, and it was trying to get my attention. He said the eyes thing will pass, and she won't even have to . . do that blood thing Azariel mentioned.""That's good to hear. Of all things that's happened, I don't think that was the strangest. . " She said. "I was wondering- were you going to come down to the crypt with me? I'm not sure how well the astral fire will effect you, but you do impossible things all the time- I assume you can protect yourself, plus. . I kind of want you to see what I've accomplished."
>>19624153"Impossible? Noooooo.... just very unlikely. And I would love to."
rolled 59 = 59>>19624153"I'm not sure I want to try flying down in to it, but I could send an elemental down with you, and we could talk via the rings."Speaking of the rings, we need to alter them so they can be used to talk to individual people privately, rather than broadcasting to everyone.
rolled 94 = 94>>19624153We COULD protect ourselves from the Astral Fire... or I could roll madly hoping for a nat 100 to dispel the Astral Fire completely!
>>19624282Very nearly.
>>19624303I know, I was so close.>>19624282>>19624153Can that be used to just dispel it in the area around the crypt?
"Impossible? No. . . just very unlikely." You say, and give her a smile. "And I would love to."You close your eyes, and focus. You already have a magic shield around you, bestowed by your armor, so it shouldn't be hard to create a shield designed against the astral fire. . You release the spell, and feel a strange, inner chill, as some kind of ice seems to flood through your body. It's not cold, not exactly. . but it's somehow tranquil. You get the impression that you're temporarily immune to astral fire.". . You're glowing." Raziel said. You look at your own arm, and see sparks dance off of your skin, wherever the sunlight touches. Strange. . could sunlight contain trace amounts of astral fire?"I assume you're ready?" She asked, and then raised her staff. "We can go down there in *style*."
>>19624369"Dragon riding! Yay!"So, astral fire is just radiation, are we saying magic gives off radiation, or radiation is magic?
>>19624383Enormous sacrifice powered magical nukes give off radiation, I think.
>>19624369"Panache?" With a raised eyebrow"Then again I can't really say that much, with what that dynamic landing on a bone-armoured dire bear into a church."
>>19624383>>19624408sacrifice is plutonium
>>19624383Tschernobyl: Radiation is magic
>>19624446Are you German?
>>19624446swamp brew is vodka, then
"Dragon riding! Yay!""*Spectre* dragon riding." Raziel corrected you, and slammed the staff into the ground. From the sky, descended the shimmering, transparent black dragon from before. It landed on the deck of the Jormungandr, as it tried not to crush any of the Galadriel's Light, and stuck out a leg so that you could climb on.So you and Raziel did. "You might not be used to this," She said. "So hang on tight."You hang on tightly, and the dragon leaps up, and off of the edge of the airship. You're descending, quickly, toward the brown, sandy clouds below, and break through.Instantly, your skin starts sparking wildly, as the spectre dragon is buffeted with sand and astral fire. But as the spectre is undead, as Raziel is immune, and as you're warded, nothing bad seems to happen. You dive through the powerful sandstorm, peering out, and see something large, and made of stone. "Get in there. . ." Raziel said to the dragon, leaning forward. . And you fly through some dark tunnel, skidding across the ground. The sparks almost instantly slow down, keeping your wards from running out of power as rapidly as it had just before."Watch your feet." Raziel says, and climbs down, mumbling about needing light.
rolled 63 = 63>>19624485First, recharge wards.Then, create a ball of light to follow Raziel around.
rolled 92 = 92>>19624485Let's make a glowing halo above our heads.
>>19624509Halo is so much more awesome than balls.
rolled 89 = 89>>19624509Shutupandtakemymoney.jpg
You recharge your wards, funnelling more power from yourself to the spell protecting you, and then create a halo of light around your head, allowing you to see the inside of the tunnel. . And it's . . almost amazing. The tunnel was quite obviously cracked and destroyed, but someone or something had taken painstaking measures to rebuild everything, using some kind of plaster or mortar to repair it, and it had been carved almost perfectly smooth. In fact, if you didn't know any better and didn't see the tool marks, you would have assumed that a river or a stream had eroded the stone away."This is my ally." Raziel says, to someone in the darkness. "Obey her as you would obey me."You hear a swarm of bones crackling. . So you create an orb of light, and set it to follow Raziel. As it does, you can see who she's talking to.Ogrish Skeletons. Nearly a hundred of them, crammed into the tunnel. They're all bleached white, and have strange glyphs carved into their skulls. Wisps of necromantic power lie in their eyesockets, and they look around, as if aware.
>>19624580"It's a pleasure to meet you Skeleton horde, my name is Ishelda." Curtsy. "This is all quite impressive, Raziel. Care to give me the grand tour?"
>>19624580>Orb for Raziel>No Halo as >>19624509 said
>>19624616> and then create a halo of light around your head, allowing you to see the inside of the tunnel.
>>19624616Ishelda has a halo. Raziel has not!
>>19624634Missed the part where it said "our" and "heads"
>>19624646Probably a casualty of the singular plural of quests being multiple players for one character.
>>19624681That would just be "our head". We only have one head, right?
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Skeleton horde. My name is Ishelda."They simply gape."Try not to confuse them." Raziel said. "They don't understand things like names, not really. They just have orders, but no memory and no real mind." She shrugged."This is all quite impressive, Raziel. Care to give me the grand tour?""I can't give you all of it, not until the sandstorm settles down, but. . Yeah, I can show you everything this tunnel leads to. Get back to work." She says, addressing the horde, and they salute, making that mass crackling noise you had heard before, and they file out, into the sandstorm.With another slam of her staff, Raziel dismissed the dragon, and together, you walked through the tunnel."The tunnel is completely done. This used to be a palace of sorts, but I've had to have the windows blocked up, because we have no glass, and the sand kept getting in. You ever see skeletons try to sweep sand uphill? Yeah, it doesn't work well." She said, with a chuckle. "He just stood there, looking at the sand, then swept, and watched it fall back down. Then swept again. Completely useless. I do have an idea of where to put this seed, though. Follow me."
>>19624681.>>19624695I now think of a quest in which the PC has two heads, so the pronouns are accurate.
>>19624695Yes. I'm saying that the "our heads" meaning Ishelda and Raziel was just taken to be Ishelda, because of the odd plurals of quest participation.
>>19624726Damn odd plurals. Why do you make my stuff meaningless?
"Well, at the deepest part of this place, there's a spring that's . .mostly pure, as far as I can tell- I'm planning on planting it down there." Raziel says, and you see her face getting a bit red. "Watch your step."The tunnel abruptly slants downward.
>>19624788"...You had sex in the pool, didn't you?"
>>19624800This.
>>19624800Eeyup.
>>19624800For once this kind of stuff is appropriate
>>19624800Stop that.
". . You had sex in the pool, didn't you?""What!? No!" She said, suddenly spinning on her heel. "Nobody can even get down here, remember, b-because of the astral fire. You're sounding too much like Marigold, anyway." She said. She hunched over, and continued leading you through the tunnels. Soon enough, you see a soft light in the distance. . As you approach, you see strange, unearthly white flames sitting in braziers, surrounding a large chamber. In the corner of the chamber is a pool with bubbles that pop up every now and then, and in another corner is a large pile of pillows and blankets, shaped roughly like a nest. A bookcase sat next to one wall, and a table full of tools and bones sat next to another."This is where I'd been living, before I met you." Raziel said.
>>19624877"You're blushing and stammering..." with a sly smile
>>19624877Try out the nest, it sounds comfy.
rolled 17 = 17>>19624877"The only other thing down here are skeletons..."
>>19624877"It looks quite cozy, if a bit... lonely. How long had you been down here?"
"It looks cozy, if a bit... lonely." You say, and sit down on the pile of cushions. "How long had you been down here?""Around five years." She said, and sat down next to you. "It's funny." She said, pointing to the bookcase. "How all us kalak have hundreds of books about magic, but we never use them because we memorize our favorite spells."She sighed. "It was lonely. .but the tower is a few days walking distance away, and there was always someone there. . and I was doing lots of things here. Studying, rebuilding. . piecing together exactly what had happened in the ogre dragon war. . "
>>19624938That sounds interesting..."What have you found out, so far that is?"
>>19624938"Ogre Dragon war?"
"What have you found out? So far, that is?""Well. . the ogres seemed to be winning. They'd taken the mainland, and were basically throwing themselves against the dragons, pushing them off to the outskirt islands. But then. . .something happened, and a lot of ogres died." She shook her head. "It's a bit muddy, but whatever happened, it killed the dragons, too. Azariel thinks- well, thought, it was the demons, when they broke in- The ogres used a sacrificial spell to seal the demons away."The white flames flickered as Azariel's name was spoken."Wait, I think that might be him." She said, and looked around."Boo." Azariel's voice said, appearing as little more than a wisp of fog. "The Throne is not as. . easy to use in this form as I had hoped."
>>19624983"Hello. But it is working, to a degree, at least?"
>>19624983"How are you?"
>>19624996he´s dead thats the lowest part of one´s health status
>>19624983Nice to see you again.
"Hello." You say, unfazed. "It is pleasant to see you again. It is working, to a degree, at least?""I can come here under my own power, so yes." He said. "But my power is ebbing and flowing. It gets more and less difficult, almost arbitrarily. Easier near one of my kind, however." He said, with a nod of his head toward Raziel. "And much easier when one says my name, and out of the sunlight. There are many arbitrary conditions that I still do not understand.""So, I didn't screw up the carving, then?" Raziel asked."Not at all." Azariel said. "You did a wonderful job."Raziel grinned.
do this realm undead get weaker in sunlight or is it just him?
>>19625032>"And much easier when one says my name""Do you know where the other Kalak currently are? I'm sure you tried to contact them."
>>19625032Pat Raz on shoulder for job well done."By the way, when you told Raz to start breeding, can Kalaks breed with other species? I mean, shapeshifting, but that only makes it more confusing..."
"Do more 'normal' undead get weaker in sunlight?" You ask Raziel."Freewilled ones do, and intangible ones do." Raziel says. "I'm not exactly sure why, Skeletons and zombies are perfectly fine in the sun, while spectres and spirits need extra energy to keep from falling apart."You nod, and turn to Azariel. "Do you know where the other kalak currently are? I'm sure you tried to contact them.""I'm not absolutely certain about all of them," He said. "But Dariel, Kaliel, and Ezekiel are on the airship, as you know, and Vithriel is far to the south. I was able to speak with him a bit, but I had to come back. This place is extraordinarily easy for me to appear, though.""Probably all of the necromancy." Raziel said. "And the fact that this place hardly ever sees sunlight.""By the way, when you told Raz to start breeding, I was thinking. ." You say, getting mildly self conscious. "Can kalak breed with other species? I mean, shapeshifting, b-but that only makes it more confusing.""Both partners need to be in the same species, and of different genders." Azariel said. "That is the only requirement I know of."
>>19625089That's... a bit of an awkward subject, I think.
>>19625112Do you have any advice about modifying a troll?
>>19625112"Bwhu? But what about shapeshifting? As in, um, if Raz got pregnant while being human, if that works I'm still confused, and then shifts back to Kalak..." mumble grumble in thought
>>19625112"We definitely have to make sure there will be more Kalak, you're kind is just so absolutely adorable when you're young and fluffly. And not too shabby once you get older, either."
>>19625140Oh god why are you trying to force this?
"But what about shapeshifting?" You ask, reddening. "As in, um, if Raz got pregnant while being human, and then shifts back to kalak. . .""Wh-what?" Raziel asks."Then she would still be pregnant. If the changes are too major, such as changing from a pregnant human to, say, a cold blooded animal who's eggs are fertilized outside of the body, the child would be lost. It is not always obvious, and it is not recommended to shapeshift, unless you know what would happen, or unless the changes are minor."He shrugged. "I had two fathers, in case you wondered. For my sake, one of my fathers became female."
>>19625164I am confused.
>>19625187I'm not entirely sure, either now. It's just a very awkward subject, I think.
>>19625185"That's confusing" mumble grumble scratch head "And if let's say Raz, again as human, gets pregnant and um... d-delivers, the child's human?"
>>19625203"and if changing from human to elf it would be an elf?"
>>19625185"Hmmm, interesting." Now change the fucking topic already."Say, is your knife only protecting the tower from astral fire, or does it have other abilites as well?"
>>19625221oh come on it would be even more awkward if we had to ask it again when writing the thesis on them.
"And if, let's say Raz, again as human, gets pregnant and um... d-delivers, the child is human? and if changing from a human to elf, the child would be an elf?" You ask.Azariel nods. "That's as correct as I've found it to be. I did my research.""What? R-research? What kind of research?!" Raziel asked.You decide to change the subject. Quickly."Say, is your knife only protecting the tower from astral fire, or does it have other abilities as well?" You ask, your cheeks still bright red."It's a ceremonial dagger." Azariel said. "And it was used for many rituals, even before the warped lands were created. So it's quite proficient at any rituals or ceremonies. Attuned, I suppose you could say."
Enough sex talk. Troll talk now.
>>19625265"So, um, I got some samples of troll, while we were down at the hobgoblin's wall, and I attempted to... make a new sort of troll out of it. I'd quite like to show him to you, but I don't think this is the right place for that. Do you think you could manifest on the Jormungand? Or would it be best to return to the tower for that?"
>>19625265>I did my research.AhahahahahaAlso, we can revive the Kalak race.Just get Kalaks mate with Lizardmen and then shapeshift back to Kalaks
>>19625305Jormungard, silly.
>>19625265"Would you mind telling me a bit about the world you're from?"We should also ask about the defence of their world against the demons. How long did they hold out, what kind of weaponry proved effective.
>>19625334Whichever.
>>19625359Why bother, demons aren't a problem anymore
>>19625334>If you're going to correct someone, try to correct them correctly. Jormungandr, silly."I see." You say, thinking. . and you're quite suddenly reminded of Kell."Uhm, I got some samples of troll, while we were down at the hobgoblin's wall, and I attempted to... make a new sort of torll out of it. I'd quite like to show him to you, but I don't think this is the right place for that. Do you think you could manifest on the Jormungandr? Or would it be best to return to the tower for that?""It would be possible for me to manifest on the Jormungandr." He said. "There are three of my kind there, and if Raziel is there, she can use her staff to assist me. It's getting more difficult for me to remain here right now, however. This night, I should be strong enough to appear on the airship."And then he vanished.
>>19625359arent the gate closed forever
>>19625389>correcting others on mistakes> torll
>>19625395Who knows. And maybe, just maybe, we should take the fight to them. At some point in the future.
>>19625405Typos happen, bro.
>>19625389Time to plant that seed. If raziel asks about all the sex talk, tell her that we just like seeing the fluffy kalak chicks, and don't want them to die out. At least attempt to be embarrassed.
"Let's go plant that seed." You say, and she nods. She gets up, and leads you through some dark tunnels, to a small, damp, underground chamber. She spread the dirt she had brought with her, and buried the seed."So. . what was that about?" Raziel asked. "Asking about the whole shapeshifting and mating th- . . ."Her mouth gaped, as she came to a sudden realization."You like Zeke! That's why you asked all those questions!"Wait, what?
>>19625506"What? No. Well, he is kinda pretty but... no. I... just wanna help? andmaybekalakkidsareflufyandcute."
>>19625506Burst into very un-princesslike laughter."Close but... no."
>>19625506"What!?! No! I'm far to busy with magic and politics and important things to worry about anything like that! Besides, from what I've seen of love, its nothing but trouble."Sorry I'm late exabyte, looks like you could have used more people playing sensibly.
>>19625506"Silly Raziel. I'm a 13 year-old princess. I'm thinking about the big picture. And I want to keep you guys around. You're just too fluffy."
>>19625506"What? No, Kalak children are fluffy"
>>19625561Believe me, if I had anything at all to propose, I would have.
>>19625561Like you didn't want to know how Kalaks work
You burst into laughter."Phfffahahahaha."Raziel manages to look somewhat indignant, and raised an eyebrow."Close. . but no." You say. "I'm far too busy with magic and politics and important things to worry about anything like that! It's just that. . ""That?""... Kalak hatchlings are fluffy." You say.Then it was her turn to burst into laughter.
rolled 59 = 59>>19625635so Raziel, back on subjects I do feel comfortable with...how many skeletons do you have working here, and how many do you think can be assembled in short order?we need to know so we can start excavating more of the city
>>19625635"Oh don't laugh, you know it's true. I have to ask if Az kept hatchling pictures of you lot...."
>>19625635Aww! They're so cute and fluffy! I just wanna squeeze 'em! Squeeze 'em until the blood pours from every orifice and their eyes dangle limply from their sockets. SQUEEZE THEM UNTIL THEY VOMIT THEIR ORGANS AND NOTHING IS LEFT BUT AN EMPTY HUSK!"
>>19625635"What?"
>>19625635"Say, do your hatchlings shed their plumage from time to time?"So many potential applications for that stuff.
rolled 57 = 57>>19625659or indeed just excavating and repairing more cities...more cities but less restoration to each...or fewer cities with more restoration I wonder...
>>19625635I'm going to let the rest of you people deal with the problems that seem inherent in love and just collect all the fluffiness I can, Grayson was a good start, but I think Kalak hatchlings shall be the jewel of my collection.
"Oh, don't laugh, you know it's true." You say. "I have to ask if Az kept hatchling pictures of you lot. . .""Don't you dare." She says. "Back then you couldn't even see my eyes!""Do your hatchlings shed their plumage?" "Eventually." She says. "But before that, we grow thicker, more coarse feathers. . and when the fluff comes off, the plumage is a lot more. . elegant, you could say. Before that, flying is almost impossible. I wonder how Darius did it. . "For a moment, she looked. . vulnerable."So, back on other subjects." You say, trying to distract her. "How many skeletons do you have working here?""Around a hundred. They've been excavating the city pretty much constantly." She responds, still looking down at where the seed had been buried. "Let's go see how many bodies they've found and put together, so I can add to that number."
>>19625635"To be completely honest, I'm just trying to figure out how to keep the Kalak from going extinct. Unfortunately, it seems there's no cheating it."
>>19625779"Yay! I bet it's like doing a puzzle. Can I help?"
rolled 65 = 65>>19625779come on skelington army!
>>19625779"I want to name the biggest Skeltor!"
>>19625803Lizardmen, you silly.
>>19625779"I don't know. I think I should watch the seed closely for now. Gehenna and Ragnarok might have given us a faulty, killer seed as a doublecross, which may or may not even consume astral fire."
>>19625779"Perhaps he's using magic to help?"
>>19625779Is raziel still in human form? Zeke isn't watching, so she can turn back.
>>19625779"What else do you find besides skeletons? There must be so many interesting stuff to unearth."
rolled 59 = 59>>19625834cold blooded to warm?perhaps a too large a shift...I wonder if we could shape-shift someone into a kalak for Raziel? get her input on what to put where and post coitus we change them back...
"Yay! I bet it's like doing a puzzle." You say. "Can I help?""Well, how much do you know about ogre skeletons?"". . Not much.""Then you'll have to learn." She said, and led you to a long hall. Tables upon tables span across the hall, with bones on each one."This one looks complete." She says, pointing to one of the piles of bones. "Watch closely."You watch as she puts the skeleton together. It's cracked, and in bad quality, and a lot of bones in the hands and feet are missing, but Raziel doesn't seem to care. She takes out a long, occult chisel, and starts carving a rune in the forehead."Raziel?" You ask. "Why are you still in human form?""What do you mean?" She asks, and looks at you."Zeke isn't watching, so you can turn back.""Oh. It'd be just a waste of effort." She said, and turned back to the body. She sounds like she's. . hiding something.
>>19625876"Hey kid!Wanna be a bird-man?What do you mean, no? Fuck you, being a bird kicks ass! Hey get back here!"
>>19625888> She sounds like she's. . hiding something.Weeeeeeell, we did tell her rather often how she's the most beautiful human woman we know...
>>19625888"But surely you'd feel better in your proper form, right? It must feel like... Like... Wearing an improperly-tailored gown and petticoat. Except it's your skin and flesh and bones. I've never tried shapeshifting, but I can't imagine it's comfortable during or after shifting."
>>19625923Wait, did we?
rolled 57 = 57>>19625903youre phrasing it wrong..."hey kid, do you want to have sex with that (points at raziels human form; for best effect raziel should be naked) if you do the price is letting me cast one little spell on you"and that's how it's done.
>>19625888Watch intently. Here's our chance to learn from a pro.
>>19625876Aren't lizardmen cold blooded?
>>19625945Don't think we did. We did tell her she was beautiful before the ball when she was going on about hating her human form, but other than that I don't remember anything.
rolled 13 = 13>>19625923yes, yes we did>>19625888is the symbol the same or diferent from others that we have seen?are you okay raziel? your body language says you aren't.
"But surely you'd feel better in your proper form, right? It must feel like... Like... wearing an improperly-tailored gown and petticoat. Except it's your skin and flesh and bones. I've never tried shapeshifting, but I can't imagine it's comfortable.""It's not, but. . if I shift back, I'll never get used to it." She said. "If you spend longer in a form, you get better at it. That's why Uriel was so good- he wasn't a good liar or anything, but he could adapt to a form in days. Days!"She finished the rune, and spit out a few words at the ogre skeleton. It trembled, and pushed itself up. She started whistling to it, and it's . . very similar to the kalak 'tweeting' language. When she finished, the ogre skeleton thundered off, toward the exit."If you're so curious." She said. "Just shapeshift yourself. Or I could do it for you."
>>19625961Yes, and bird people are warm-blooded. Hence cold to warm blooded being the shapeshift they have to do to have bird-sex.
>>19625982>"If you're so curious." She said. "Just shapeshift yourself. Or I could do it for you."Ishelda would be the cutest hatchling ever. Let's do it once we're back on the ship.
>>19625835Implying that we didn't give the seed to Gehenna in the future, so he could send it back and give it to ourselves.>>19625982Refuse: "I like being Ishelda."
rolled 69 = 69>>19625982Shapeshift into a Kalak!
rolled 98 = 98>>19625982I don't think these are the optimal conditions for experimentation...pump some magic into the shield and give the assembly a try..."the leg bone is connected to the knee bone..."
>>19625982"But... I wouldn't even know what to shapeshift into. And it would be weird, and- wait, the soulfire snake. I wonder if I could manifest into it? Would that be possible, Raziel?"
oh boy u just had to suggest it exabyte thought u would of learned,by now so now the doors are opened foreva
>>19625982Kalak have six limbs, right? Legs + arms + wings?
>>19625992Fuck, there's the egg <-> normal pregnancy limit as well
i we where to shapeshift to a karlak do we then live as long as them
>>19626012well shit so close to being a 100 either way looks like ishelda is gonna be a pro
>>19626008>>19626013I think we should become a winged soulfire snake. With all the magical uncolors of the unrainbow!
rolled 99 = 99>>19626012can I retroactively include the attempt to animate the skeleton as well?
rolled 39 = 39>>19626053damn...or indeed all of the skeletons...
rolled 65 = 65>>19626053nice roll
>>19626012>>19626053Ok, we're apparently good at necromancy.
>>19626036>>19626053We're about to become an avatar of the Lizardfolk god of death by accident, aren't we?
>>19626053>With that roll, fuck yes you can."I'll do it once we're back on the ship." you say, pumping more magic into your ward, just in case- Every time it sparks, it reminds you that if the ward falls, you could easily die. You'd almost forgotten, being so far underground."The leg bone is connected to the knee bone. . ." You say, trying to assemble a skeleton."It's not called a knee bone." She said. "At least, I don't think it is. But you've got it right." She said.Well, when you were growing up, you were educated on medicine, and these ogres are a lot like the human skeleton. . .An hour later, Raziel and you finish the rest of the skeletons. . while Raziel looks at the piles of bones on the other tables. "Useless." She says, eying the rest of them. "I mean, I can do it if they're missing some metatarsus, but not ones with no spine or skull."She sighed, and shrugged.". . Can I try?" You ask."Well, you did repair Wharghaul's totem, so go ahead."You close your eyes, and reach out with your magic. . The leg bone is connected to the knee bone. . .There's a loud creaking noise, as the skeleton pulls itself up, wobbling unsteadily." . .You didn't glyph this one, did you?" She asked.
>>19626100Was I supposed to? I am a terrible amateur at necromancy.
>>19626100"Errr. No. Is that bad?"
rolled 97 = 97>>19626088but that would be a game breaker but still nice
rolled 52 = 52>>19626079and I almost had the whole three card flush but >>19626062 fucked it up...
>>19626109The dice gods really seem to want this shapeshifting.
"Was I supposed to?" You ask."Well, among other things, it teaches them all the languages you know. . but you can order this one around if you know Ogrish." She says. "It looks like some of the bones you conjured out of nowhere are mutant parts, though, which is impressive. It takes me forever to assemble mutants, which is why I don't."
rolled 21 = 21>>19626109shit i have had some of my best rolls today im just waiting for the time when the dice god wants my tears
rolled 86 = 86>>19626100perhaps a little magic to engrave the gylph...what are the new numbers on the skeletons?"are they smart enough for 'go to other cities and bring back as many bodies as possible?' or are there still enough dead to animate?"
>>19626139Try speaking some Ogrish. We never have spoken it ourselves before. What does it sound like, anyways? Anything like any existing language families? Anglo? Germanic? Slavic? African? Arabic? Semitic? Eastern Asian?Tell it to... Do a tapdance.
>>19626139So is the skeleton spineless or what?
rolled 48 = 48>>19626163>or are there still enough dead to animate?"or are there still enough dead to animate around here to keep everyone busy??"
>>19626139RAISE ALL THE SKELETONSAND TALK ALL THE OGRISH
>>19626163>>19626188Monotreeme. They'd go and kill people to bring back bodies. In addition, we don't defile or desecrate the dead. The most that Raziel or we have done is use the bones of a long-dead civilization or call upon spirits. Anything more would be dickish.>>19626193I'm starting to get a feeling for where this is going. And I like it.
rolled 17 = 17give us some good skeletons dice lord
I'm not too enthused about running about the world with an skeletal ogre minion, especially wince there was a taboo on necromancy or something. We should probably just set it to work here.
rolled 99 = 99>>19626220well thats not how you do it...>>19626219I mean the other ogrish cities...
>>19626248the me the secrets of your roll o wise dice roller
>>19626248Are there even any cities left in the Ogrish wastes besides this one?In addition... You made a sacrifice to the dice gods grilling again, didn't you?
>>19626248The dice seem to fucking love skeletons.
>>19626283or they want Exabyte´s tears
You cough, trying to get your voice into a low enough register to speak ogrish 'properly'. You can understand it fine, but speaking it is an entirely different matter.You growl, and then speak a rough, crude language. It almost seems to get stuck in your throat. In a manner of a warlord ordering an underling, you tell it to help the other skeletons with their mission."How smart are they?" You ask, as the skeleton wobbles off. You examine it, and find that all of the 'missing' bones had been conjured with your magic. You're actually surprised that you're not very tired."Not very." She said. "Smart enough to start working in other Ogrish cities?""Well. . . Yes, probably." She said. "The other ones are most likely like this one."
>>19626322Well, we'll start by fixing up this place, removing the astral fire and expanding outwards. It'll be a lovely place where everyone can live in peace, we may even be able to change everyone's opinion on necromancy after this. Give Raziel a hug and tell her that we'll get her wings back by fixing this place forever.
rolled 93 = 93now that thats done lets return to the ship and spend an afternoon experimenting with shapeshifting...perhaps the little one could help us...>>19626275its a secret...>>19626278it's barbeque, not grilling. those are totally different techniques. one takes an hour and one takes 5-8...>>19626283I like skeletons too, you can never have enough undead minions>>19626304they are tasty yess
>>19626322"Hmm. Would you mind showing me some of the things you managed to dig up?"
rolled 55 = 55>>19626322are there likely to be a greater density of bodies at other cities or would it be better to simply let them all continue here?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4v-BV2OJsIgot this song in my head when thinking about Ishelda/Raziel Standing at the back of her undead legion.
>>19626390I keep thinking about skeleton jellyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXRRhRlKW3s
Exabyte, are all those crazy rolls of Monotreemes' that haven't gone towards something specific already being put into reserve? We might need them later for shapeshifting shenanigans with Ghuji's snake.In fact... Is that soulflame snake Ghuji's soul, bound to us?
>>19626407NOOOO not that cartoon
jesus christ three rolls in the nineties for shapeshifting damn
>Yes, I am counting those rolls."Now that this is done, let's return to the ship." You say, and Raziel nods. "I kind of want to experiment with shapeshifting now.""Yeah, there's little else to do here, anyway.You make your way back to the tunnel, and she summons her dragon spectre. You climb up, recharge your ward, and the dragon takes a running start toward the exit of the tunnel. . .And the sandstorm is gone.Instead you see. . smooth stone spires, huts, engravings. . and nearly two hundred skeletons working at repairing what's still there. The sun shines down, and despite the frantic sparks coming from your skin and it's ward. . The city is silent, tranquil, beautiful. . . But lonely.There was a loud thud as the spectre took off, beating it's wings, ascending upward to the Jormungandr.
>>19626478"I thought you only had a hundred skeletons?"
rolled 23 = 23>>19626478where to next then chaps?and did we ever ask what was wrong with the lizardmen and why they were upset last thread?I wonder how fast that seed will grow...
>>19626478Hug Raz, so we're in not in danger of falling down.
"I thought you only had a hundred skeletons." You say."That was just a rough number." Raziel responded. "With your help, I was able to put together quite a bit more of them. I'm not used to seeing so many together at once, anyway." She said. . Your skin stopped sparking, once you got above a certain point in the sky."Whatever spell that is, it's handy." She said. "With your help, I can know when there's astral fire or not. Is it permenant, or temporary?"
>>19626478>>19626503>We accidently reanimated the whole city and didn't even notice the extra mana drain
>>19626539We should inform the Orcs that Azariel has been killed and see what the hob-goblins are up to, now that the demon's portal has been closed.
>>19626549"Temporary, I think."
rolled 57 = 57>>19626549lets see hoping for yes but turn off/on type
>>19626549"I have to keep recharging it, so temporary. I could probably enchant a rod with the same effect though, and slap a crystal on it...">mfw, we create a giger counter.
rolled 67 = 67>>19626549only temporary I think...I do hope that the flower works...it would be nice to return to that place without the drain of the spell...
>>19626549Seconding all of this.>>19626365Also "Not used to this many? Do the skeletons usually wear out after a while?"
>>19626549Temporary, as far as I know. Now let's get back to the ship so I can cuddle with fluffy Kalaks and maybe try being one myself.
>>19626583nope not a hundred should have sacrifest lamb insted of popcorn
"Temporary, I think." You say, as the undead dragon soared above the Jormungandr, and landed on it, with a thud. Marigold was up there, talking to Kaliel about something, and Ell had just finished attaching the rest of the arcane spellcannons to the airship. "That's too bad." Raziel said, and slid off of the dragon. You follow her, and she cancels the spell, as the dragon faded, once again, into nonexistence. "So, now that we're up here, you want to try shapeshifting?"
rolled 48 = 48>>19626633Can we just use the roll from earlier? If not, rolling to turn into a Kalak.
>>19626633"Does shapeshifting take into account our clothes? We might want to go belowdecks." Look pointedly at Ell and the knight.Then: FLUFFYTIME!
rolled 92 = 92>>19626633yup. go for a direct copy of raziels form kalak, human, a little of both...it matters little to me so long as we can revert...
>>19626633Shapeshifting time! Kalak first for something more familiar and human-esque, and then winged rainbow serpent.
"Does shapeshifting take into account our clothes?" You ask. "We might want to go belowdecks. . "You give Ell and Kristoph pointed looks.". . Sometimes, until you get good at it." She says. "Let's go."Belowdecks, you shiver in your thin slip- it's cold, and you're not exactly used to being this undressed around others, so you close your eyes, and feel your magic build up. . . Turn into a kalak, you will, and then the entire world changes.>Are we on autosage?
rolled 95 = 95>>19626679Rainbow serpent
>>19626691Yes, 331 posts.
>>19626679Yeah, maybe try to 'become' part of our soulfire or something.
>>19626691Yeah, we're at 330 posts.
>>19626697SO MANY 90's. SO LITTLE TIME. Guess that guarantees our second transformation as a working one.
rolled 18 = 18So we're going for some Quetzalcoatl are we?
>>19626697We'll be the cutest hatchling ever!
>>19626697Fluffy Kalak.
rolled 99 = 99>>19626691(exercises jaws)eww...new teeth...enaggggnggg"yes raziel you are most certainly right...it does feel weird"flap wings, attempt to obtain flight,,,,
>>19626734We're the best Kalak evah! Nice.
>>19626734Teeth? I thought they had beaks.
You trip forward almost instantly, two strange, alien sensations burst from your back as you fall. Raziel catches you. . .and then you feel one of the alien sensations crash into something."Ow, stop it." Raziel said.You try to bite your lip and halt all movement. . but you have no lips. Instead, your beak makes a click noise- it feels as if your teeth had clicked together.You finally regain your balance, and look around."Yes, Raziel, you are most certainly right." You say, glad that your voice is normal, at least. "It does feel weird.""Try not to hit me with your wings next time." She said, and chuckled. "Sorry, Ishelda. You're not fluffy."
>>19626747They might be like chickens. You know. Alligator-like teeth inside their beaks.
rolled 4 = 4>>19626747and we lived our first thirteen years with teeth I claim habit for the innacuracy!!
>>19626751"Not... Fluffy? Then what am I?"
rolled 9 = 9>>19626751Utter, crushing disappointment at not being fluffy.Followed by elation that HOLY FUCK WE CAN FLY!
>>19626751It's ok Raziel, I guess I'll have to rely on your little siblings for any fluffiness. Do you have a mirror?Take a look at ourself and give Raziel a hug.
rolled 72 = 72>>19626751damn...ah well...how do I look?
rolled 42 = 42Caw Caw motherfuckers!
>>19626751>You're not fluffy.NOOOOOOOOO!Oh wait, we can just make ourselves fluffy.
>>19626751SQUARK!
rolled 83 = 83>>19626751"Sorry. I need a mirror, I think. Or something like that."Rollan to either conjure a mirror, or shift our point of view to outside our body.
>>19626751Damn not fluffy
"I'm. . not . . fluffy?" You ask."Look." She said, and showed you the mirror in your cabin. "You're a bit too old to still be fluffy."Standing there was a sleek, tall kalak, with pure white feathers, and bright, bright violet eyes- they seemed to glimmer with the same sort of power that Azariel's eyes had been."You almost look like an albino." Raziel said, as you stretch your wings, and twist them. It's strange- beyond the initial problems, you already seem sort of. . used to this form. "But your plumage is the same color as your hair was, so that's fair enough."
And now exabyte knows exactly how many players his threads have.
rolled 43 = 43>>19626805Huh?>>19626801"I... don't know if there are things I should be embarrassed about showing or not. Do I need clothes? Is modesty a thing for Kalaks?
>>19626801We're a superkalak?I don't think we should try flying, but we should go and show off to marigold. I'm sure her day needs brightening.
>>19626801Am I pretty for a Kalak? I wouldn't know. Give Raziel a hug, find Dariel and Kaliel and talk to them and pet their fluffiness, find Marigold and show her how cool we look.
rolled 89 = 89>>19626826yes show that should put a smile un her face now she has the least shapeshift form
>>19626801Give a try at flying just above the ship, inside the shields.
Lament our lack of fluffiness to our friends.
rolled 30 = 30>>19626826>>19626832nah, we should stroll above decks as if nothing has happened and ask Ell how the cannons are coming along...maybe try for that flying...
"I... don't know if there are things I should be embarrassed about showing or not. Do I need clothes? Is modesty a thing for Kalaks?""Not usually." she said. "If we wear things, we wear them for warmth, and they're usually robes. Ezekiel really likes his robe and hood, though. I think it's because of the way his beak pops out of the cowl."You walk over to give her a hug, and she recoils. "Be careful, you don't know how to-"You hug her, careful not to poke her with your new sharp talons or beak, and she chuckles. "I shouldn't have panicked; I should have assumed you would get the hang of it quicker than anyone." She said. When you pull away, you realize that you're just as tall as her human form."Am I pretty for a kalak?" You ask, and she nods. You would have given her a brilliant smile at that. . but you're not sure how."Hey, Ell, how are the cannons coming along?" You ask, and he turns around."Well, they're all but- Woah." He blinks."Hey, look, Ishelda molted, finally!" Kristoph called, and started chuckling.
>>19626899I'm sorry Kristoph, I can't hear your light mockery over having wings.
rolled 52 = 52>>19626899for flying we could use air elementals to give us some current to ride on for traning purpose or is my idea to strange or not doable
>>19626899"Very funny, Sir Kristoph. I learned how to shapeshift! I wanted to start small, so I decided to turn into a Kalak, ironically. Though I want to give a try at something bigger. I might need some help. Nahzit, could you give me a hand? I'm a little unprepared for what I'm about to do and you're the most suitable one to help me in this venture. Both physically and spiritually."Quetzacoatl time. And maybe thread 28.5 time.
rolled 76 = 76>>19626862damn there's the failing...>>19626937 accompany this with sitting on the rail and rolling off sure in our confidence that if all else fails (and >>19626734 is for hoping that nothing bad does happen) we can summon elementals to carry us back to the shiphey this is fun!
"I'm sorry, Kristoph, I can't hear your light mockery over having wings." You say. Although now that you think about it, your hearing is quite muffled."Hey." Kaliel asked. "Why haven't you fallen over yet?""Sorcery." Marigold said. Her eyes were normal, you saw. "When a sorcerer shapeshifts, they don't need to learn the form like everyone else. The magic takes care of it for them."Everyone looks to her."What?" She asked, looking around. "The. . The artifact told me. Just now."
rolled 33 = 33>>19627005"Oh, good. In other words Kaliel, I'm cheating."
rolled 54 = 54>>19627005good to SEE that he have finaly learnt yourto speak in a tounge you could understand
>>19627005"Ser Vanko, that's helpful of you to educate Marigold further on magic. Thank you. I'm glad to see you've warmed up to us a little more. Always good to have another wise, knowledgeable man- or dragon- around."
"Ser Vanko, that's helpful of you to educate Marigold further on magic. thank you." You say."He- He says not to talk to him when you're not in the Truth." She responds. "He doesn't like it.""What was that about sorcerers and shapeshifting?" Kaliel asked."In other words, Kaliel. . " You say. "I'm cheating."Then you spread your wings, Your entire torso strains for a moment, and your wings thud, and send you flying into the air. You take a deep breath, and do it again.Raziel starts clapping, and you look down at her. You're. . a lot higher than you thought you were.>End of thread 28>My twitter is @futureexabyte>and I'll stick around to answer questions.
>>19627039>serHe's not a knight, and he'd probably be insulted by the idea that we were worthy of knighting him.
>>19627080It can still be used as a general term of respect.Y'know, like with superior officers in the military, or cops.
rolled 9 = 9>>19627075ah just as my luck begins it's sinusoidal decline...phew now I don't need to keep rolling these higher numbers...
rolled 19 = 19hoping for a succesfull tshape shifint to Rainbow dragon next time
>>19627080Ser is actually the proper way to say the modern sir in the context of medieval or medieval fantasy worlds. Sir was originally reserved purely for knights. Ser held the more modern meaning of a gentleman worthy of respect. Over time they merged. So no, we weren't presuming to knight him, we were merely treating him with the proper respect for a dracolich of such esteem.
rolled 66 = 66>>1962710918h hour a wake seem to effect my spelling seem that going to bed is a good idea now solong guys se you tomorow
>>19627101You can call somebody "sir" as a gesture of respect, but then you don't include their name.>>19627113>Ser is a gender-neutral form of Sir that has been used in the Dragon Age video game series by BioWare, in the video game Dragon's Dogma by Capcom, in Greg Bear's The Way novels, and in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin (although only men can be called 'Ser' in this case). It has since been adopted by members of the transgender community as a gender-neutral social title and salutation.Yeah, sounds real medieval.
>>19627075Kalak Ishelda is best Ishelda.
>>19627075Exabyte, I waited around to the end of the thread to say this because I didn't want to derail, butToday wasn't up to your usual standard. I know you had some trolls and such in the first half of the thread. But we were faced with a heap of 'un-choices' and every other one of your posts felt like a 'part two incoming' post.for example over here >>19625389 you end the post with Azareal vanishing. So what are we meant to do now? We already told you two or three threads ago that we wanted to plant the seed, why do we have to say so again?I'm not saying spell out each and every choice for us, that's no fun, but I seriously was expecting another post wherein Raziel was going to plant the seed to follow that one. If you wanted to end there and have us interating, why not just have Raziel ask us "Should we go plant this now?" Then there's a few options: plant, explore, keep talking, etc.If real life stuff comes up, you can just tell us and put the thread on hold for a few hours, or even miss a day. We will understand.
>>19627267Yeah, I believe you're right- Today was sub-par, but not for real-life reasons other than a lack of sleep. I just suppose that I have moods- Just like sane people, I suppose- and the trolls really didn't help with that. Today is most likely just an abnormality, though, and I should be to standard tomorrow- or the day after, if I end up taking a break.
>>19627178... I.. I swear, I read it in a dictionary once. I must have... That, or I made up a false memory to cover up traumatic memories of Hamburger Helper and her followers, considering what this word is associated with. I feel SUPREMELY silly and ignorant now. Oh well. Had to be freed of that ignorance sometime, and I have grown for it.
rolled 16 = 16>>19627267I feel that to be fair I should remind you that this is only the second quest exabyte has ever run and the fact that he's avoided that particular feel before doesn't remove from him the get out of jail free cards he deserves for a beginner...
rolled 26, 27, 6 = 59>>19627384and I feel that I might e ready to wreck your plans yet again...or to laugh along with you as I roll ones and twos when I should be rolling hundreds
>>19627413Fair point, I may have been a bit harsh, I'll take that.It doesn't much help that this happened in a thread where an NPC was introduced that essentially told us that the only magic of any import is the kind we have absolutely no control over.On topic, I vote that next thread we stop flying around and showin off infront of Raziel, we don't want her resenting us any.
>>19627389>That, or I made up a false memory to cover up traumatic memories of Hamburger Helper and her followersI'm pretty sure DA2 used "Serra" for female characters. Luckily, I don't remember much of that game.
>>19627480>The only magic of any importSomething to keep in mind- and something that I've tried to impress on everyone throughout the quest is that everyone has their own ideas of why or how things work.For example, the orcs believe that Talents are what manifest when someone has magic power, while Eidolon thinks that Talents are brought through bloodlines, and nobody really knows what the demons think about anything.What I'm saying is, Vanko may be a thousand year dracolich or whatever, and possibly a sorcerer if he is to be believed, but whenever you get exposition, know that the expositor could be *wrong*. What 'true' magic might be to him, could be something completely different to someone else.
rolled 2 = 2>>19627557vanko just happened to be talking the loudest
>>19627557TIME FOR ISHELDAXRAZIELXEZEKIEL FAPFICTION.ALSO INB4 ISHELDA WAKES UP IN THE MENTAL HOSPIITAL AS A 27 YEAR OLD NECKBEARD. IT WAS ALL A "DREAM". >LOL FORESHADOWING.
>>1962760627 year old neckbeard Kalak.dun Dun DUUUUN.
>>19627606>>19627664Come on, I could be the worst writer to ever exist, but I'm way better than to use the 'IT WAS ALL A DREAM'.In fact, I'm not even going to write a bad end based on it.
>>19627557I know, and I'm sure in a few threads we'll be all like 'Screw your ideas of magic, I rolled a 100 watch me play."
>>19627687You're a good writer.
>>19627687What ifWhat if we wake up, and it was all a dreamAnd then Ishelda wakes up and it all being a dream was all a dream.
>>19627752And then three ones later it really was a dream and game over.>Please quit playing with the fourth wall Exabyte.
>>19627687IT WAS ACTUALLY DREAM!!!!It actually has the capability to be a good story, but not when you foreshadow it like you did. It must come unexpectedly and from a well built world, at least.You almost directly said this. (That Ishelda is dreaming and even created the DEMONS) You'vs turned to a horrible writing style.>Also, it seems that Anon may have been right when RAILROADING happened. >It seemed like that very much.>now that I think about it That same situation happened much through the threads...>Can I trust you Exabyte...
>>19628154Well, I'm not saying that this setting is well-built (it's not), but I am explicitly saying I won't end SORQ like that. If I were, I wouldn't have foreshadowed so explicitly.Also, I'm not railroading at all, I swear. While, with NFCQ, I did railroad at times, I said from the get-go that SORQ would be sandbox, and I've stuck with that for the most part.
>>19628349You really haven't railroaded. I've always gotten the feeling that at any moment we could flip everyone the bird and fly off to erect a city out of the ground itself populated by elementals. From there start a blitzkrieg on the other major powers until we have a comfortable bit of land to ourselves. I mean... no one really wants to do that, but I feel like we could if we wanted to.
>>19628414>>19628349LOL. RAILROAD! That's what Im talking about.You cant respond to yourself.Its railroading.
>>19627687While I've come to enjoy bad ends, I'm glad you're skipping this one.
>>19628561>>19628414Nigga you summer. I ain't exabyte.
>>19628561>finding turns off of the track is simple,>but difficult.>trollface.jpg
>>19628628I'm just saying I've read a lot of fanfic and published works and this falls well within the realm of fanfic.Very good fanfic but still fanfic.>If it wasn't actually oc, that is.>the only reason I still trust Exabyte.
>>19628703Every quest is similar to fanfic. It just so happens most have their own setting. Sometimes hastily made. Just because you see similarity does not mean they are the same.>I probably shouldn't reply to a troll but whatever.
How creative can we be with our signature spells? Can we make 'elemental' armor by summoning an elemental around us?
rolled 75 = 75>>19627697isn't that how you're supposed to play?>>19628572so am I
>>19628805>Theoretically, yeah. Elementals have a default 'knight-like' form, but you can will them to take any form, even if said form is amorphous.
>>19628837It's what I'm hoping for. I want to beat this dragon by one-upping him, not murdering him like we did Impulse. I want to show him that his worldview (magicview?) is silly.
rolled 61 = 61>>19628870awesomeout of curiosity and at least a little of my own vanity to whom were you replying in >>19626478 ?because that worries me...
>>19628749I'm not a troll. Just drunk.And just saying thst I agree with how weird it is that Exabyte responded to a reply that occurred at least several minutes after his posts, but just a few minutes before his 'decision' post. It was especially weird when he did it when majority was against him, but he copy pasat'd 'that one post'.Not a troll, just saying quit fucking with the fourth wall. It's really annoying.And I think you can do better than that.
>>19628902I was replying to the person who asked 'jesus christ three rolls in the nineties for shapeshifting damn'If only you had rolled a hundred for shapeshifting, you would have been fluffy.>>19628703Of course this isn't in the realm of published works. If I were very good at writing, I would probably be doing novels or something. Among other reasons, I'm questing because I'm trying to improve.
>>19629019So close, and yet so far. We will become fluffy one day!>>19628870Could we get a 'knight' elemental to wield Rikar?
>>19629088Elementals are essentially more like 'automated spells', and not entities in their own right. Rikar won't recognize an elemental, just as it won't recognize Kristoph.
>>19629019Fair enough. Just quit trying to RAILROAD because LOL I ALREADE WROTE IT. When you say sandbox, you should mean sand box. And fuck the people who have not yet been to college. My grammar may not be the best but I LOVE story time, And when somebody messes up INTERACTIVE STORYTIME I become upset.Even when that person is storyteller himself.Just quit playing with the fourth wall and maybe read up some published works themselves.I do like your story.
rolled 100 = 100>>19629019phew...good, because if it was to >>19626429 then I'd have no option but to drop the name and drop into obscurity for fear of all my rolls coming back to bite me in the ass...I wasn't for the whole being fuzzy thing...it's neutral ground as far as I'm concerned, besides we have grayson and the little kalaks to be fuzzy...besides an on command nat 100 like last night usually costs me something the next day...I broke a $50 drill bit this morning...but at least I didn't have to pay for it...
>>19629019Will we at least be able to be a big colorful fluffy rainbow-serpent? I mean, the fluffy and the scaly balance out that way. Right? Riiiight?
>>19629144What have you done.
>>19629178He has done nothing.
>>19629144Looks like the credit charge just came through.>And Ishelda turned fluffy.
>>19629144what the seriously no what the fucktell meTell me how you did thatTell me how the FUCK you did that
rolled 1 = 1>>19629197magic?
>>19629211See, now, I could tell how that was Noko'd, but I can't see how you can noko a 100.
>>19629197ROUND 4!>BEGIN
>>19629197I'm beginning to think we shouldn't count dice that are noko'd. I've no idea if they can be rigged or not, but it's suspicious.
>>19629222By... rolling normally, as it happens.>>19629233You can rig low rolls, buy rolling smaller dice, but you can't rig high.
rolled 47 = 47>>19629222but all of my rolls are noko'd...
>>19629197sacrifice magick, $50 drill for the best nat 100 in /tg/ history.
>>19629222I don't think he noko'd that 1, Exabyte. He right and proper critically failed his roll. That's why the post was just 'magic?'So, I assume we just turned ourselves fluffy. And spontaneously mastered shapeshifting to some degree.
>>19629222dice+1d1+99 is how you noko a hundred.
rolled 1 + 99 = 100>>19629271No, that's how you roll 1+99.Like so.
rolled 1 + 99 = 100look at me, I'm a dice magician.
>>19629271But it shows the +99 on the roll, does it not?
rolled 1 + 99 = 100>>19629271testing
rolled 1 + 99 = 100>>19629271I never tried that before...lets see if it works
>>19629289>>19629291>>19629293>>19629297>dicebot doesn't work that way mindThat's my story and I'm sticking to it.
rolled 4, 3, 3, 1, 4, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3, 2, 2, 4, 3, 4, 4, 4, 3, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 1, 3 = 70huh. I actually thought that worked.let's try this then.
>>19629261Nope; After-thread chatter rolls don't usually count, no matter how extraordinarily relevant they are, unless it's a suggestion for the start of the next thread, which this wasn't.
>>19629326Stupid dicebot, and your stupid transparency.
rolled 10 = 10>>19629327and on that note I feel we should change the subject...where to next?
I don't think this works, but I'm going to try anyway.
>>19629327I was going to have funny comment, but instead fuck you.
>>19629327So, we get a fate point, then.
rolled + 100 = 100>>19629375I don't know exactly what the dicebot is capable of, which is making it really hard to cheat with.
rolled 64 = 64>>19629399>>19629394let me spell this out for you.no. because it is but a meaningless rollif I'd said "lets pull out a new signature spell:transform into kalak" then it would be.but I didn't so it isn't
>>19629431So you're going to let all that delicious meaty blood you sacrificed to the dice gods GO TO WASTE? You filthy heathen.FATE OR FLUFFY! FATE OR FLUFFY!
rolled 4 = 4>>19629475no, it's part of the business that I do not make demands. and improbable things are to be shrugged off as no great thing.I take the benefits and don't argue.
rolled 64 = 64>>19627075just one question...can we switch back safely?I did include that in my roll for the transformation...switching back and forthwould be nice but just always being able to return to human would be nice...
>>19629756>Whenever you take a different form, you can always switch back safely, without having to roll. A roll for shapeshifting into something will always imply that they're *also* rolling for shapeshifting back.
rolled 82 = 82>>19629805ah good...
>>19629805can we become some form of soulfire serpent? >roll for next thread
rolled 31 = 31>>19629957Silly anon, that's not how you roll.. THIS is how you roll.
>>19629957You can become a standard serpent, but a soulfire serpent isn't exactly tangible and doesn't conform to standard physics- so not with shapeshifting.
rolled 96 = 96>>19629974it's less impressive when the roll is low...
rolled 20 = 20We should shapeshift into a lamia when dealing with the lizard people.
>>19630497Why? They respect all females already. There's no need to tell them that other species could infiltrate their ranks, and we don't want to give away Vithriel. She was pretty bro.
