"So." Your cousin said, with an evil grin that sent chills up your spine. "You and Ishelda?"
"Well- uhm- er-" Kaliel said, backing away from your terrifying, terrifying cousin. She looked to you for help, her face slowly reddening.

>>20673687
tongue in butt

>>20673700
"Don't look at me for help! I can't escape her either."

>>20673700
Place a hand on Kaliel's shoulder and give her a squeeze.
"Yes, Kaliel and I."

>>20673700
"Y-yes, me and Kaliel."

"Don't look at me for help! I can't escape her either." You say. Marigold laughs. You take Kal's hand, and give it a squeeze. "Y-yes, Kaliel and I."
"If you two don't want to tell me, I won't pry." She said.
"W-well, it started with this." Kaliel said awkwardly, tugging the crystal off of her neck. "I was. . kind of a monster, two years ago, and then she gave this to me. It... helped, and I could never quite figure out how to thank her. So I came with her to the ogrish lands, and... t-things happened."

>>20673731
>Yes, Kaliel and I.
>Yes, I.
But that doesn't make sense.

>>20673760
"Let's talk about this in my room, Mar, you deserve a break, anyway."

>>20673773
Taken as a whole, sure it does.

>>20673760
"H-haven't I told you most of this?"

>>20673791
No it doesn't. Learn to grammar.

>>20673808
Accept that people think wrong grammar is right, and deal with it. It's not that hard.

>>20673808
It makes sense as a direct response to the question. Yes, it is missing a verb and a noun in order to make a complete sentence. Those are being left unsaid because they are being implied, which sets the tone of the conversation.

Now stop being a grognard and enjoy the story.

>>20673760
"Mar, I already told you most of it over the rings."

"H-haven't I told you most of this over the rings?" You ask.
"A little. . but I wanted to see things from her perspective." Marigold said, grinning. You sigh.
"Let's talk about this in my room, Mar. You deserve a break, anyway." You say.
"You're one to talk." Kaliel said. "You only take breaks when you pass out, get concussions, or channel more magic energy than should be possible."

Together, the three of you make your way back into the castle, up the stairs to the keep, and then make your way inside, winding up the stairs to your room, which was very sparsely decorated- almost spartan, for the most part. You hadn't spent much time on decorating your room.
". . I-Ishelda made a really pretty kalak." Kaliel said, awkwardly. "And, uh, didn't get some... things about kalak culture. That's... all I feel comfortable saying."
"Aw, alright." Marigold said, ruffling her hair and giggling. The terrifying grin on her face vanished, and she laid back on your bed. "I've been working a lot." She said.

Tell Mar privately that we didn't know what else to do and we felt guilty about her like of us.

>>20673879
"I noticed, Mar. You did an excellent job on the farmlands, truly."

"S-so... Why are you always hyperfocused on anything... Romantically related, Marigold?"

>>20673883
>>20673840
>>20673808
>>20673791
>>20673773
...
http://oxforddictionaries.com/words/i-or-me

>>20673879
"Yes -yes, you have. And I've missed you." Hug Mar.

"Yes. Yes you have." You say. "And I've missed you."
You give your cousin a hug, and she kisses you on the cheek. "I've missed you too, Ishelda." She responded... and then fell back, eyes closed.
"So." She asked. "We need more immigrants. We have too much infrastructure, and when the farmland gets going, we'll start growing too much food. Any ideas?"
She opened an eye.
<Unless Kaliel isn't supposed to be privy to these sorts of conversations.> She added, through the ring.

>>20673976
"A few. The 'bolds will be coming in to work the farms, they should be here any day now. But we need more than just farmers too, we need skilled laborers. Which means we need to make it easier to get here on one's own. That means building roads and ports."

Oh boy it's THIS part of the quest, I love it, too bad I'm terribad at the politics/investing/whateverthefuckthisiscalled stuff. I feel much more attuned with magicing things to death.

Trying my hand anyway, how about we start building ports at the crossroads between continents, most notably one between the provinces and orcs, one by the elves, and one by the lizardbros? Once they get in the country, we either hire adventurers or something to work as escorts and get a nice safe road going on. There's gotta be plenty of checkpoints too, since they don't have the speed of a flying ship, and more likely just a few carts or something.

>>20673976
People are not very mobile in this sort of society. We need good, fast transport links. Paved roads, ports...
We need incentives for them to actually move away from their friends and families and the country they know. The opportunity for freedom, riches. We need to advertise the Arcturian Dream.

>Having trouble posting today.

"A few." You say ."The rest of the 'bolds will be coming in to work the farms, they should be here any day now. But we need more than just farmers too, we need skilled laborers. Which means we need to make it easier to get here on one's own. That means building roads and ports."
"Well, for ports, we can use that deal you arranged with the lumber baron and have him send workers with the shipment." She said. "But we'll need to talk to Gehenna about that. And about roads. . It would be better if we could use magic for that, wouldn't it? The Lizardmen made the imperial roads, back when they were an empire. Maybe they know some secrets."
"Maybe Zeke knows a trick or two." Kaliel said. "Evocation might be able to make roads."

Reposting the suggestions list from several threads ago:

- Two port towns, one for each ocean
- Magical monorail to each, with a stop at New Arcturus
- Fields of grass for cultivation of herd animals
- Forests for non-imported lumber and game animals
> - Bear harem for Grayson. A bearem.
- Floating fields of Galadriel's Light for power
- Semi-permanent or permanent constructs/undead for simple and undesirable labor
- Skilled laborers including (but not limited to):
> - Architects
> - Masons
> - Merchants
> - Carpenters
> - Wizards
> - Artists
- Supercrops designed and created by Kaliel
- Create our own Weave Tower for a magical continental boat-lift
- Magically powered street lights
- General expansion of the city, including housing, sewage, and roads.
- Additional airship tower(s)
- Magically driven carriage system

>>20673976
<It's alright. I trust her as much as any of our old crew, in that regard. But thanks for being cautious.>
"Well, Feegul and his clan will be moving to New Arcturus. And with a bit of luck, some of the ogres might decide to live here, once their country's been rebuilt. Hmmmm, any ideas how to get people here?"

>>20674009
Let's not fuck around here, I want proper roads. Actual roads, not just compacted dirt tracks.

Hey Exa, could you post the continental map again please?

A few observations about the assassination.

They used mind control magic to operate through third parties. Magic that couldn't be traced back to its source.
They picked someone from a distant land with no traceable link or connection that could lead back to them.

Clearly they want their identity to remain a secret.

They armed their patsy assassin with a dagger baring a crest of the Children'.
When we spoke to them through the untraceable magic connection the said they were The Children'.

Ishelda is a well known bad-ass warrior queen with god-level magic powers. And they sent a small boy with a dagger to kill her?

Clearly, they never intended to kill us. Most likely, enemies of the Children' want us to take them down. They know Ishelda is extremely powerful but is also very young and foreign to this world. They probably thing she would be very naive and easily manipulated.

>>20674009
"An excellent idea, Kaliel. We'll use evocation to shape and mould stone for some nice, uniform cobble, manufacturing it en masse. Undead labor will make digging out the road's pathway and laying the roads themselves a breeze. Meanwhile, I'll make sure to consult with the Lizardfolk ambassador on this to see what she knows."

File: 1347305121837.png-(850 KB, 1032x1032, Updated Map.png)

<It's alright. I trust her as much as any of our old crew, in that regard.> You respond. <But thanks for being cautious.>
"We need more incentives for them to actually move away from their friends and families and the country they know." You say. "The opportunity for freedom, and riches. We need to advertise the Arcturian Dream."
"Yes." Marigold said. "Lewin's Guildhall he's building might do something. . and you were talking about some kind of academy, before you went west."
"We also need fields of grass, imported herd animals," You say. "Forests for lumber and game animals, more Galadriel's Light. . "
"I could. . try and make some herd animals." Kaliel said, suddenly eager to help. "Maybe."
"Skilled laborers . . maybe a weave tower and airship towers."
"We'll probably need to talk to the elves for that." Marigold said.

>>20674103
More likely, a rival faction within the Children wanted this particular priestess out of the way.

The best lies are mostly true, and all that.

>>20674123
Looks like the only road we could get connected to a major city is Neptune. Possibly link to an existing road to Cerulean.

And we should definitely build roads to the coast, for the port towns.

Come to think of it, how has the lumber baron been getting the lumber to us?

>>20674123
"Well, we should probably get Gehenna in on this conversation to get an idea of how feasible this all is. Maybe we should even make an official meeting of it."

You quickly scratch your ideas out onto a small bit of parchment. Some kind of schooling, roads, port towns, more animals and skilled laborers, possibly a weave tower?
"Well, we should probably get Gehenna in on this conversation to get an idea of how feasible this all is." You say. "Maybe we should even make an official meeting."
"An official meeting means we bring everyone. Zeke, Raziel, Kris, Gehenna. . maybe we could bring Ell and Kiyara, if you wanted." Marigold said. "Although they're technically elven citizens, they're still friends. There's probably a page just outside we can send to go get everyone."

>>20674247
"Amusing as the idea of telling a young man to go get a dozen people scattered across the city is, I didn't make a whole mess of enchanted rings for nothing."

>>20674247
Get Ell and Kiyara in on it, definitely.

>>20674247
"Ell and Kiyara are the closest thing we have to Elven ambassadors at the moment. No reason not to bring them in."

>>20674247
Call the meeting then, summon the world's greatest heroes to the hall of justice.

"Ell and Kiyara are the closest thing we have to Elven ambassadors at the moment." You say. "No reason not to bring them in. And as amusing as the idea of telling a young man to go get a dozen people scattered across the city is, I didn't make a whole mess of enchanted rings for nothing." You say, and look down to the ring.
Ten minutes later, you're in the hall, Gehenna's hands clasped as he sits down. Eventually, Ell and Kiyara make their way down from the tower. Kiyara looks rather uncomfortable, but she sits down nonetheless. Raziel came in, with the mirror around her neck- and a frame of a second mirror, half constructed, and Kris was snoozing in the corner, while Zeke seemed unnaturally alert.

>Wat discuss?

>>20674322
"HAHA! You've fallen into my trap! Tonight, you die!" Proceed to press the button that drops all of their chairs into the lava pits.

>>20674322
We discuss how to actually build the city now that the astral fire is more or less gone, and see what we can and can't get from our allies.

>>20674322
"We're turning this joint into one swinging town. thoughts?"

>>20674341
I burst out laughing hysterically, but no.

>>20674322
"Marigold has brought it to my attention that we currently have more infrastructure than workers to actually use it.
I've come up with some ideas for how we can convince more people to immigrate to New Arcturus, and I'd like your opinions on them, as well as any ideas of your own you might have."

Explain previously explained parts about roads, port towns, and a weave tower. Get input. Profit.

>>20674341
No, you fool! Kris is the hardest for us to deal with because of the antimagic and he's not sitting on a chair at the moment.

>>20674341
Bad End - Dr. Queen

>>20674367
Throw in the idea of a monorail. I don't expect it to be feasible to actually construct at this point, but just to get the idea on the table.

>>20674322
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're here to discuss a rather simple trouble of New Arcturus. Infrastructure. Aside from Triune's Gift, the realm is rather lacking in it, and if we're to build this kingdom in any timely manner that means we need to take action. Now, a number of ideas have already come up; a great road, spanning from West to East, new port-towns, a connection to the Weave, and I have a few more esoteric ideas myself. Does anyone have anything to contribute to these plans, on a larger or smaller scale? There are essentially no bad ideas, considering there is hardly anywhere to go but up on this issue."

"Now that the astral fire is more or less gone, it's come time to discuss the future of New Arcturus." You say. "Marigold has brought it to my attention that we currently have more infrastructure than workers to actually use it."
"Oh?" Gehenna asked.
"I've come up with some ideas for how we can convince more people to immigrate to new Arcturus, and I'd like your opinions on them, as well as any ideas of your own you might have."
You quickly explain the ideas you, Kaliel, and Marigold worked out, starting with roads- one to the orcish nation to the north, and one to the west, connecting to Neptune's imperial road.
"Well, with evocation I might be able to do something, but. . not enough for an entire road." Zeke said. "I'm strong, but that would take ages. Almost as long as it'd take an actual work crew to build the thing."
"My undead forces are still working on the other ogrish city, but I can pull them off of that, because we really don't need it, and put them to work at the roads." Raziel added.
"We also think that port towns might be important. One to the northeast, for water trading with Sirius and Venerable Refuge," Kaliel said, examining one of Gehenna's maps. "And one in the south west, for trade with the elves, lizardmen, and hobgoblins."

"I also had some more. . rather esoteric ideas." You say. "Such as constructing a magic monorail- like the weave, but smaller in scale. I don't think it's feasible to construct, though."
"My father was talking about constructing a bridge." Kiyara said, suddenly. "From the foot of the westmost prism to New Arcturus. If you had some people work on that, I'm sure he'd get the treaty sent through."

>>20674433
Would assisting Zeke with our sorcery help?
The port towns would definitely help get things moving.
Also say yes to Kiyara's offer.

>>20674433
> but I can pull them off of that, because we really don't need it, and put them to work at the roads.
"I would be very grateful if you could spare some, but I wouldn't want you to stop the excavation, Raz. I know how important it is for you."

>>20674433
at Kiyara, "How do you think the Elves would feel about extending the weave with a tower out here?"

"I'd be very grateful if you could spare some, but I wouldn't want you to stop the excavation, Raz. I know how important it is for you."
"You don't need to worry about it." She said. "Mostly I'm excavating it to get more skeletons. I'll leave a token force there, but I can pull everything else off, and put them on whatever you need unskilled labor for."
You turn to Kiyara. "How do you think the elves would feel about extending the weave with a tower out here?"
"I'm not sure." She said. "Their first thoughts would be a no, because they're paranoid about other races stealing their magic power. Even if you could convince them, they'd be very wary about the whole thing- Not to mention that most prisms require large fields of Galadriel's Light, and you don't have any Growers here."
"Unless. . ." Ell said. "We called it an elven embassy."

>>20674433
"That would be great. Though the problem remains that 'people' is what we're short on."

>>20674534
"That's... brilliant. And thanks, Raziel."

>>20674534
"Very clever, Ell. We should consider creating such an 'embassy.' If it would put the council at ease, we could place magical failsafes to prevent too much power from flowing into our end of the Weave without someone ministering the flow on theirs. Thinking about it, with your father's support, Kiyara, creating such a monorail would be a sinch. It'd be far less troublesome than an airship to engineer, and it'd have a constant connection to a magical battery through the railway and the Weave. Clearly, the priority should be placed upon the road, bridge, and railway. A direct connection between the three continents will be more efficient than sea or air lanes, though those should not be neglected. We need some form of naval presence, after all."

>>20674574
Seconding this.

"As to the roads, I'll also look into making more permanently summoned elementals to further supplement your undead labor force."

"That's very clever, Ell." you say. "And thanks, Raziel. As to the roads, I'll also look into making more permanently summoned elementals."
"Hah, have the roads build themselves." Kristoph said, chuckling.

". . What about the orcs?" Kaliel asked. "Normally, when an orc youngster who should know better, loses himself, they 'tame' them by having them work more on Carved Fortress. With enough safeguards in place, we could ask the Venerable King and Queen if they'll permit to send them to us. . .It's similar to using prisoners as labor, in a way. And after they *do* get tame, they might want to stay here."

>>20674678
"Great idea, we'll definitely have to look into that."

I think that a bridge to the elven lands would be awfully massive

>>20674678
"A clever enough idea, but New Arcturus is itself still largely untamed wilds. It might be too dangerous for the unruly youngsters, even if their parents come along to watch after them. We'd have to fence off the road to effectively keep them from running off, and two continent-wide iron fences is about as troublesome as laying the road itself. When the road is finished, however, we could have them work on the bridge. The sea is calming, and there'd be nowhere to go except into the water, where they'd likely come to their senses from the shock of water before returning to shore, or into the waiting arms of pacifying elementals at either end of the unfinished bridge. We'll put that idea into reserve for the time being, but we'll certainly put it into play if circumstances allow, Kaliel."

>>20674718
Yeah, it looks far too big to build a bridge across with that level of technology but Exabyte refuses to give us a scale so we don't really have a clue. And it's elves so it's probably a magic bridge.

"A clever enough idea, but New Arcturus is still largely untamed wilds. We'll put that idea into reserve for the time being, but we'll definitely put it into play if circumstances allow Kaliel." You say. "And I think a bridge to the elven lands would be awfully massive."
"Not," Ell said. "When it's built upon the ruins of an old lizardman bridge."

"But still, the problem remains." Gehenna said, finally. "We don't have enough people. We need. . I don't know, something that a lot of people want, but something they can't get anywhere else. Something worth. . leaving their old lives behind."

Kristoph's eyes opened, and he sat up in his seat, putting his hands on the table, grinning, his eyes darting from person to person. It was all very dramatic.
"Magic." He said. "Everyone wants to learn to be a wizard- well, almost everyone, and in the provinces at least... but look. We have almost every kalak in the world living here- and all of them are powerfully, trained wizards. If you guys are willing, you could start up . . something like a wizard school. Maybe we could pay Romulus to come here and teach, too."

>>20674805
It's not that he's refusing, it's just that he doesn't really know himself.

>>20674808
"I was considering building an academy of magic, but... I never though of using it as a lure for Arcturan immigration. That's brilliant, Kristoph! And even those who don't have the capacity to learn magic, or the desire to, can benefit from state use of magic for basic luxury. It's not unlike the attraction of the Elven lands. It's so simple; the promise of a better tomorrow, with an honest day's work, infinite possibilities and new or renewed ways of thought."

>>20674808
"Yeah, we're planning to do that. I don't see it attracting large-scale immigration though.
However, the basic idea is good. If everyone in Arcturus had access to spell-crystals like the elves that would draw in lots of humans."

File: 1347311297301.png-(981 KB, 1148x760, 1311326000894.png)

>>20674808
>magic schools

FUKKEN
BRILLIANT

WHO THE FUCK DOESN'T WANT TO PUT ON THEIR ROBE AND WIZARD HAT? WE CAN HAVE CLASSES SPECIALIZING ALL THE KALAK'S MAGIC, AN ANTIMAGIC CLASS BY KRISTOPH, MAYBE? WHY NOT BRING THE LIZARDMEN INTO IT AND TEACH EVERYONE THAT PARKOUR SHIT?

>>20674910
Antimagic is his talent. Though I do full-heartedly support Lizardmen parkour classes.

>>20674910
"I graduated from wizard school!"
"Wow, show me a spell."
"Look, I can run on the roof!"
"...That's not magic, didn't you learn anything else?"
"Well this guy went on and on about his talent that nobody else could use. Those lessons were boring."

>>20674808
"Why stop there?, we can also set some kind of public school system and teach also arts, mathematics, blacksmithing, cuisine, botany, and alot of other cool things"

>>20674951
I think we already did that in thread 40. Or maybe 41.

>>20674805
>>20674836
>The distance is too large for a single, large bridge, but it's built upon lizardman ruins which were themselves built upon ogrish ruins, who were expert craftsman and built at least one similar bridge, and on top of that, the ruins are constructed on shoals.

"I was considering building an academy of magic, but... I never thought of using it as a lure for Arcturian immigration." You say. "That's brilliant, Kristoph. And even those who don't have the capacity to learn magic, or the desire to, can benefit from state use of magic for basic luxury. It's not unlike the attraction of the elven lands. It's so simple; the promise of a better tomorrow, with an honest day's work, infinite possibilities, and new or renewed ways of thought. And.. why stop there? We can also set some kind of public school system, and teach also arts, mathematics, blacksmithing, cuisine, botany. . "
"I.. don't think I can teach." Raziel said. "I just don't know enough outside of my specialty, and I rely on the power of my spectres more than anything."
"Yeah. . " Kaliel said. "I forgot most of the vocal components because I don't need them."
"I can teach." Zeke said. "And so can Neiriel, if she comes by. . And, for a laugh, Azariel could teach."

>>20674910
>>20674935
No wait, get this.

We can be the principal of the school! We'll be the mysterious, powerful, (used to be a loli) ojou-sama!

>>20674948
>implying all the bitches don't wanna learn how to run on roofs and be taught Queen-tier swordsmanship by a Queen.

You're all aslo now imaginging the Godawful monstrosities that will regularly escape from kaliel's class.

>>20674971
"You can help, Raziel! Find us a ghost teacher for each subject and they'll work forever without tiring and never need paying."

>>20674971
"I'm sure Neiriel will, I think I don't need to remind anybody of their current host."

>>20674971
"Azariel, of course. He raised and taught some of the finest wizards of this world. Raziel, Kaliel, I'm sure he'd have some pointers, if you're really not sure how to tutor. He's one of the wisest beings we know, after all. And, if Eidolon can be bothered to, maybe he could be similarly called up as a spectre to teach. Though, I believe he's a little preoccupied happily living out his afterlife."

>>20675003
When she starts to argue say "just kidding".

>>20674971
I would make an excellent teacher. I just tell them that you imagine what needs to be done and it just happens, that's how it works right?

Raz, do you happen to have any dead scholars lying around? We could use those.

We need skilled laborers from every field and to set up official apprenticeships which we expand into schooling programs with practical experience as a primary focus.

>>20675003
The New Arcturus Scholomance Acadaemica

~Where all the teachers are skulls~

>>20675010
Eidolon as a teacher is a bad idea. We can't deal with the entire elven nation trying to enroll in our school at once.

>>20674805
>>20674971
Think that one highway in the Florida Keys. I think the total length - more than 90% of it over water - is something like thirty miles.


>>20674971
"Hmm, point. You could always take an apprentice later, though, if you thought a student showed promise in your specialty."

>>20674971
"How about you, Kristoph? Have you thought about choosing a squire, or an apprentice?"

"Hmm, point. You could always take an apprentice later, though, if you thought a student showed promise in your specialty."
"I need to complete my specialty before I can teach it." Kaliel said.
"You can help, Raziel. Find us a ghost teacher for each subject, and they'll work forever without tiring and never need paying." You say.
"Not if it's against their will." She said. "I'll do a lot of things for you, but I won't enslave-"
"Just kidding, Raziel." You say, and she nods, settling back down.. "We need skilled laborers from every field, and to set up official apprenticeships, which we expand into schooling programs." You say, as Gehenna rapidly scribbles onto his parchment.
"Well, with as much gold as the treasury has," Kristoph said. "We just need to find whoever can teach, and pay them extravagantly as a sort of... signing bonus. The students should follow, if they find out that we have Darius as a swordsmanship teacher or something."

>>20675040
>With that level of technology
There's a bridge in China that's over 100 miles long. But it wasn't built by medieval peasants out of wood and stone. And Exabyte already answered the question.

>>20675061
"Or just provide an excellent environment to do their research or work in. Back on Arcturus, the really excellent teachers and scholars didn't really care about money, but the chance to do what they love as well, and with as little interference, as possible, that's something they always went for."

>>20675061
>"Not if it's against their will." She said. "I'll do a lot of things for you, but I won't enslave-"
Huh? I don't remember her ever asking permission before. And I thought that Ogre warlord was resisting her strongly.

>>20675061
Don't sell yourself short as well, I'm sure people have heard of the great knight Kristoph. But Darius would be an excellent addition, do you think you and Leon could convince him? We can bring Grayson and Redglare in as guest teachers for the students.

Raziel, I'm sure any scholars and teachers would love a chance to pass on knowledge to the current generation.

We should also see about getting some Orcs, they're feared warriors and experienced at teaching discipline. It also opens the road to letting New Arcturus taking care of the taming process in the future for labor, diplomatic relations and to foster immigration.

I wonder what would happen if I made New Arcturus into a dormant Elemental of sorts, one that grew itself, repaired itself and could grow new buildings out of the ground.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajan%27s_Bridge
Longest arch bridge ever built. 1,135 meters long. Roughly .7 miles.

Looking at the map, we don't have a frame of reference for how long a mile is. From what I understand if we haul ass we can make it from one end of the weave to the other in a day. I'm going to assume at max-speed we're topping off at 100 mph, I can't see a giant boat going any faster than that even with magic.

So if it takes a full day, which I'm going to say is 12 hours, that makes the elven continent ~1200 miles from one end to the other. I'm going to say the narrowest straight between Ishelda's lands and Elven lands is 1/26th the width of the Elven continent.

This makes the gap between Ishelda's lands and the Elven continent ~46 miles across.

>>20675112
>There's a difference between spectres where she just uses their spirit and memories, and ones where she uses their *minds*. The ones with minds can learn, and can conceptualize the concept that they can't be free. It's neverending torment for enslaved spectres. But *not* for mindless ones, where they're just raw force, shaped by the spirit's memories. They don't retain knowledge or dwell upon anything.
>>20675155
>By 'full day', I meant approximately 20-24 hours, as sunlight permits, so if you chop most of those numbers in half it's rather accurate.

"Don't sell yourself short as well, I'm sure people have heard of the great knight Kristoph." You say.
"Probably." He said. "But then again, anywhere my name is, yours is in front of mine. You are the queen from another world who destroyed the last of the demons on the planet, stopped not one, but two immortals. . Your name overshadows mine."
"But Darius would be an excellent addition, do you think you and Leon could convince him?"
Marigold frowns.
"Maybe." Kristoph said. "Leon probably couldn't, and neither could I. Maybe High Lady Cerulean could, though."

>>20675155
>I'm going to assume at max-speed we're topping off at 100 mph, I can't see a giant boat going any faster than that even with magic.
That's completely pulled out of your ass.
>So if it takes a full day, which I'm going to say is 12 hours
The ship keeps going at night, it doesn't need a pilot there all the time once we've set the course. And we don't know that a full day is actually 24 hours in this world either.
>his makes the gap between Ishelda's lands and the Elven continent ~46 miles across.
Cool. That means nothing. I can make random assumptions and calculate it to be 2 inches.

>>20675190
>Marigold frowns.
Marigold disapproves.
Guy's totally not viable.

>>20675190
"Come on, Marigold. Don't give me that look. He's one of the best knights the world's ever seen. Can't you tolerate the presence of a cantankerous old man for the good of New Arcturus?"

>>20675213
She did say he was filthy. We'll have to keep him outside and not let him near our nice clean palace.

>>20675190
Ahh, okay. So when I take that into account it's 24 hours that makes the continent ~2400 miles from end to end, the narrowest straight would be 1/52 the span of the Elven continent, and oddly the gap is still ~46 miles across. If 100mph top speed is accurate.

If 50mph is top speed instead of 100 mph then... I think the first bit still works. 50*24=1200 so yeah, no change in math if the base speed is 50 miles an hour.

That wasn't what I was expecting at all, but I guess when you double the width of the land and also halve the width of the straight that makes sense.

>>20675213
I'm on Mar's side when it comes to him. Darius can stay wherever he is right now.

>>20675190
I'll talk to her about it, and then talk to him. I'm sure I could convince him over a cup of tea.

Marigold, I will insist that he bathes regularly and behaves properly.

I gave her a ring so I'll call her up in a bit, tell her how I want to poach her best knights and craftsmen.

>>20675228
>the narrowest straight would be 1/52 the span of the Elven continent
What? You've got a picture, you can see the proportions, they don't change depending on how long a day is.

>>20675247
Fuuck your right. I divided 1/26 by 1/2. Rookie mistake on my part. Okay, then the narrowest straight is 92 miles across.

>>20675190
"It seems I'll have to think a bit more about that. Anyway, thanks for your input, Kristoph."

>>20674433
>...port towns ... One to the northeast, for water trading with Sirius and Venerable Refuge," ... one in the south west, for trade with the elves, lizardmen, and hobgoblins."
Shouldn't those be northwest, and southeast respectively? Unless I'm remembering the map wrong, but I don't think the Provinces are to the East.

>>20675277
You've got the right of it. Northwest and Southeast.

>>20675258
Yep. That's a hell of a bridge. Would be the second longest bridge on Earth today.

>>20675277
You're right, and the map's been posted here:
>>20674123

File: 1347314447822.png-(19 KB, 997x513, In Which Exabyte succeeds(...).png)

>>20675258
>Those numbers seem off- Say that Jormungandr travels thirty miles an hour at 'cruising speed', and twice that at maximum speed.

>>20675277
>Shit, you're right. I'm . .really bad with directions.

"I'll talk to her about it, and then talk to him. I'm sure I could convince him over a cup of tea." You say. "Marigold, I will insist that he bathes regularly and behaves properly."
Kristoph started laughing. "You vastly overestimate your skills of diplomacy, your majesty. I don't even think that creepy kalak- the one with the women- could get Darius to behave properly, even with magic."
"It... seems I'll have to think a bit more about that." You say. "Anyway, thanks for your input, Kristoph."
"Of course, there's more knights you could use to teach swordsmanship. Not me, of course- I'm not actually very good at it." Kristoph said. "I'll compile a list, I suppose."

>Pic is related, but only tenuously. Work in progress.

>>20675283
Yeah, to make that practical that area would've needed to have been a land bridge at some point in it's past so the ocean would be shallow enough for undead workers to work on the ocean bed without being crushed from the pressure. It would need to have a fairly sturdy bedrock, I suppose shale would work, arches would need to be used liberally but I don't know if that would be enough for a bridge of this magnitude that would be under this much stress from the currents. Suspension might be a better option but I'm not sure we could pull it off at this tech level.

>>20675303
Very nice on the castle, Exa.

>>20675303
Since the equation is based on the assumption that at maximum speed the Jormungandr can cross the elven continent, I'm using 60mph

That would make the elven continent ~1440 miles from end to end. (For reference I'm going from the gap between Ishelda's lands and the Elven continent all the way to the furthest east weave marker thing). This would make the gap ~55 miles across.

>>20675303
60mph max speed makes the straight 55 miles. We're bumped down to the third largest bridge on Earth today.

"Thank you Kristoph. Does anyone else have ideas for teachers?"

>>20675303
"Well, I guess that's all I have for now. If you get any further ideas that might help, I'd be glad to hear them."

Hug Raziel and apologise for the bad joke we made, once the meeting is over.

>>20675303
Nice castle.

"Oh there would be no magic involved, I'm fine with a bit of cantankerousness but I would insist on hygiene. I have yet to meet a man who can disobey my combination of imperious commands and me looking quite frankly adorable. Still, you ought to compile that list.

Does anyone else have ideas for teachers and scholars who we could use here, especially those who would bring a following with them?

Marigold for the fields do we have proper irrigation set up? If not I can easily task some Earth Elementals to getting that set up.

>>20675303
"Thanks, Kristoph. We could also keep an eye out for Orcish, Elven, Hob and Ogrish teachers. I'm sure there'll be somebody who's as competent as he is, without the unpleasant behaviour."

>If only I had a better sense of scale... but that still seems much too large. Like, the world is much smaller than you're calculating. The 24-hour crossing is at cruising speed. . Fuck it, on completely arbitrary terms, the entire of the entire continent is only about a thousand miles or so.

"Oh, there would be no matic involved. I'm fine with a bit of cantankerousness, but I would insist on hygiene. I have yet to meet a man who can disobey my combination of imperious commands, and me looking quite frankly adorable." You say. "Still, you ought to compile that list."
"I'll do so." Kristoph said. "Sadly, some of the better swordsmen are stuck up nobles who declare that they deserve the best of everything... but they did earn their skill."
He bent over his bit of parchment, and started scribbling.
"Can you think of any Crafters who wouldn't mind moving here?" Ell asked Kiyara, and she shook her head.
"I can't." She responded, wiping her brow. "Most of them- me included- really, really, really don't like being this close to the ground."

I'm imagining a big floating viking-like ship passing by at 100km/h or more and I just find it hilarous for some reason.

>>20675430
>entire of the entire.
>I meant width, damnit. Height works too, I suppose.

>>20675430
>the entire continent is only about a thousand miles or so
That's still a 38 mile bridge. You drew a big gap. It was a lot better when you just didn't try to explain it, you shouldn't have let that guy sucker you in with his math.

"Well, once we've built the 'embassy' we'll have a prism to put them in, would that help?"

>>20675430
"Shame. Is there any particular reason behind you people hating the ground? Are there any maverick Crafters who happen to like the ground?

I bet we could get quite a few excellent farmers from the Hobgoblins. They would be more than willing to help us build up New Arcturus, they're hard workers and very strong."

>>20675430
"Well, couldn't we simply construct some housing further away from the ground for them?

We could also take a break until tomorrow and continue the meeting on the Jormungandr, if you'd feel more comfortable there, Kiyara. "

"Shame. Is there any particular reason behind you people hating the ground?" You ask. "Are there any maverick Crafters who happen to like the ground?"
"Well, there's the fact that I can't see everything below me like normal." She said. "Everything's closed up below me, and it's. . well, it's unnerving. And Ell's one of those maverick crafters."
"Because I was raised on the ground, instead of on a prism." Ell said. "Most elven nobles, like Keepers or Crafters are born in the prisms, and stay there most of the time. They're not used to the ground."
"We could also take a break until tomorrow and continue the meeting on Jormungandr, if you'd feel more comfortable there, Kiyara."
"No, that's fine. We can just go up there next time." She said. "If we're inside, it's a lot easier than when it's outside."
"I bet we could get quite a few excellent farmers from the hobgoblins. They would be more than willing to help us build up New Arcturus. they're hard workers, and very strong."
"We could," Marigold said. "But they're trying the same thing with their wall that we are with New Arcturus. I don't think it'd be right to talk them into helping us."

>>20675528
"Perhaps we could do something like an exchange program with them later on then."

>>20675430
Well, you can screw all that you have written about distances and make everything bigger hereafter, if you ask me.

>>20675528
"Your probably right, Mar. Nevertheless, once we've got a decent population in New Arcturus, maybe we could exchange craftsmen to help each other. I'm sure trading methods and ideas would be a good thing."

File: 1347316424938.jpg-(75 KB, 340x255, math.jpg)

JUST AS PLANNED! Muahaha!

>>20675528
We borrow some of them for a time, send back experts and our own people. Make sure they know proper agricultural techniques and their fields are as efficient as possible, that sort of thing.

I'm going to have to make quite a few calls after this, and have notices and word spread about how New Arcturus is looking for skilled craftsmen in numerous fields, those who come to us will have excellent working conditions and damn good pay.

>Right. This is my final ruling- The entire continent is just as large or small as it needs to be, like Quaz's tail.. A thousand miles is a good starting point, but keep in mind that the map isn't entirely reliable. Even in a setting with magic, cartography isn't exact. Lewin's shitty map may be even *more* unreliable, though.

"You're probably right, Mar." You say, and sigh. "Nevertheless, once we've got a decent population in New Arcturus, maybe we could exchange craftsmen to help each other. I'm sure trading methods and ideas would be a good thing."
"Of course." Marigold said. "Although we're already using a method I made up, from a mix of the way my duchy irrigated our plants, and the way Ursae lets their plants fallow, and we'll be using windbreaks eventually."

What about that unclaimed island between New Arcturus and the provinces? is it irradiated?

>>20675601
"That's quite ingenious, Mar. Well done."

>>20675622
Agreed. What's with the large space to the south?

>>20675601
"If we don't have crop rotation set up we ought to as well.

Also Marigold, I'd like you an Kaliel to work together, see if you can make some kind of super vegetable. Very energy dense, full of all the nutrients people need, grows well in our soil, easy to harvest, that sort of thing. It being tasty would be nice as well."

File: 1347317191494.png-(209 KB, 512x512, SORQ original map.png)

>>20675622
That's what he said the first time he posted that map. It seems to have been retconradiated.

>>20675622
>>20675632
>>20675650
>The large space is still mostly irradiated, but the unclaimed island is just that- unclaimed. The radiation there is gone by now. Nobody quite wants to be arrogant enough to claim it themselves, although Sirius sent some people there in case pirates try to settle down.

"If we don't have crop rotation set up, we ought to as well."
"We do." Marigold said, grinning. "I am the daughter of Rowan Duchy- we oversaw most of the farming for the area, remember?"
"Also, Marigold, I'd like you and Kaliel to work together, to see if you can make some kind of super vegetable."
"Maybe when I get back." Kaliel said.
Raziel suddenly turned to her. "You're leaving?"
Kaliel nodded.
"Where to?"
"... somewhere." Kaliel said, and looked away.

>>20675650
Also, are we eventually giving lands to the elves?

>>20675635
this

>>20675668
We could ask if the ogres would be interested in settling there.
<She promised it would only be for a few days, but there's not much else I can tell you if she doesn't want to talk about it.>

>>20675668
Her telling Raziel the specifics is up to her.

Just nod at Raziel and give Kaliel a hug and keep on hugging her while we return to business.

"Gehenna, our treasury can support this correct?

If we don't have proper manufacturing facilities, extensive smithies, textile factories, that sort of thing we'll need to set them up and/or expand them alongside the craftsmen we're bringing in.

We need some architects and plenty of people with experience in construction. Can anyone find me those?"

>>20675720
We don't have the extensive space required for producing textiles yet, and before we decide where to construct any kind of industry that procecesses resources, we should take stock of what kind of natural resources New Arcturus even has.

>>20675697
Uh, no. She promised she'd be STAYING for a few days.

>>20675748
Right now? Dust, stone, flowers and gold.

>>20675755
>so I won't leave for a few days, and I'll be back in a few more.

The wastelands are completly flat, aren't they? We are going to have a hard time finding ores.

>>20675720
Just once, the hugging can wait until our business is done.

>>20675784
Magic.

You just nod at Raziel, and give Kaliel a hug, leaving your arm wrapped around her as you continue your business.
"Gehenna, our treasury can support this, correct?"
"Our treasury can support most of everything." He said.
"If we don't have proper manufacturing facilities, smithies, textile factories, and that sort of thing, we'll need to set them up alongside the craftsmen we're bringing in." You say. "We need some architects and plenty of people with experience in construction. Can anyone find me those?"
"High Lord Sirius." Kristoph said. "Sirius province is full to the brim of architects, though they usually work wood. And then there's..."

Someone opened the door, and everyone turned back. A studious orc stood there, with a canister full of rolled up scraps on his back, and small, round glasses hung on his pig-like nose.
"I've returned, your majesty." Scribe said, bowing low. "And with me came three score orcs, with Venerable King's blessing. They'd like to become citizens."

".. and then there's the orcs." Kristoph continued. "Carved Fortress hasn't collapsed for a reason."

>>20675796
>Scrying for ore
>Scrying

>>20675798
"Wonderful!"

>>20675800
Damn, I forgot Ishelda's the only one who can do magic. Sorry for that.

>>20675800
Actually if you're scrying for something specific like that, you could probably make a pretty good focus to improve your odds of success considerably. Especially because you don't actually need to see the ore, you just need to know vaguely where it is.

>>20675798
Excellent, New Arcturus would be honored to accept them. May I meet them? I believe an introductory tea party is in order later today.

May I ask what skills these new citizens possess?

>>20675784
The area around Azariel's tower seems like a enormous hole, though. Maybe there will be some resources exposed?

>>20675798
"Scribe! It's so good to see you again. I was wondering when you'd return. How was your trip to the homeland?"

>>20675796
B-but, that would be cheating!

>The land around Azariel's tower is a massive crater, and a place that, for some reason, grass or shrubs refuse to grow. A massive, constant sandstorm swirls around, underneath the crater, amking it look like a massive sea made of dust. From above, it's actually rather impressive, albeit unsafe.

"Scribe!" You say, grinning. "It's so good to see you again. I was wondering when you'd return. How was your trip to the homeland?"
"It was quite pleasant. The trolls didn't bother me, and the Venerable king and queen have decided to allow the Adventurers to build a guildhall in Venerable Refuge. Additionally, some of my kin spoke to me about becoming citizens of New Arcturus. Most are hardly more than tamed, but we have quite a few notable names here..." He said, and pulled the scroll out of the canister on his back. "Galash, he was onboard the Bronze Wyvern with you- part of Grubwort's crew; I think he plays an accordian, and then there's Stiltpaw, a knight and poet..." He said, saying a bunch of names, before getting to the last one. "and, well, Carver. She's... never been the most stable orc. Spent twenty consecutive years working on Carved Fortress to tame herself. Said you knew something she wanted to know."

We should oficially reclaim the lands to the south if they are completely cleaned, before someone else do it.

>>20675949
"They all sound like they'd make wonderful additions to our city."

>>20675949
"Galash? I remember him! He's the best bloody accordion player I've ever had the pleasure of meeting! The New Arcturan court's musicians have been a bit sparse, or rather, nonexistent, so it's fantastic to have him about. So, what is it this Carver wishes to know?"

>>20675949
> think he plays an accordion
Great, we don't need to worry about a leader for a psychological warfare department

"I think we're mostly done for today, anyway. Might as well welcome them to their new home."

Who Dickbutt.

>>20675949
"Interesting. It will be good to have them."

>>20676002
>the best bloody accordion player
>Queen Ishelda
>swearing
Eww...

>>20676124
Americans don't really think of 'bloody' as swearing.

>>20676145
She's arcturian

>>20676158
She's also a Scotswoman in parallel accent as confirmed by Exabyte, and in character as we've played her. She is equal parts classy queen and rowdy adventurer. I mean, come on, we headbutted Jeane in a below-deck brawl. Saying 'bloody' in excitement over meeting someone we haven't seen in two years who's just that damn good at playing the accordion is hardly out of character.

>>20676145
>Bloody has always been a very common part of Australian speech and has not been considered profane there for some time. The word was dubbed "the Australian adjective" by The Bulletin on 18 August 1894. In the 1940s an Australian divorce court judge held that "the word bloody is so common in modern parlance that it is not regarded as swearing". Meanwhile, Neville Chamberlain's government was fining Britons for using the word in public.
Heh, Aussies.
Anyway, it is swearing in most of the world. And Ishelda doesn't really talk like that either way.

>>20676158
Of course, I meant the player who wrote that is likely American, and didn't think of it as swearing when he wrote it.

"They all sound like they'd make wonderful additions to our city." You say.
"They will." He said. "Additionally, as a sign of respect, the venerable king and queen wishes for me to gift this to you, and to your knight, Ser Kristoph of Arcturus."

He lifted up something long, inside a sheath- a weapon. Slowly, he handed it to Kristoph.
Your knight raised his eyebrows, and drew it. A longsword, in orcish design- perfectly symmetrical, with a thick blade and made of straight, angular edges. You feel an eerie, pulse of power from the sword. Not exactly magic, but something.. different.
"The queen said it was made of magic." Scribe said, as Kristoph lifted the blade. "And that it was made to channel one's talent."
Kristoph shrugged, and focused. .
And the blade shimmered, black runes crawling up the hilt to the tip. You ceased to sense that strange power.
"Well, that's rather interesting." Kristoph said.
"I think we're mostly done for today." You say. "Might as well welcome them to their new home."
"Of course." Scribe said. "They're waiting in the courtyard- they're rather impressed with the castle's design."

You make your way out of the keep, and find sixty orcs, all arranged in a perfect square- You note three orcs standing in the group- A young, lime green orc woman with an angry look on her face, a pale, almost colorless orc in heavy armor, and the third, a grinning old orc with forest green skin, an accordian in his hands, and a balest on his back. He had a bag full of supplies on the floor near his foot.

"Here are your new citizens, your majesty." Scribe said.

>Wat say?

>>20676209
I know, it was a joke

>>20676212
>>Wat say?
"They're only 60 people, I think I should welcome each one individually."

Shake their hand, or whatever orcs do, welcome them to New Arcturus, give them our best wishes, and ask them for their name and profession.

We can still welcome our immigrants with great speeches when they're coming by the hunrdeds.

>>20676212
"Hello, welcome to Arcturus!"

>>20676212
"Welcome all of you, to New Arcturus. There's good work to be had here, and even better pay.
I sincerely hope that in the coming days, you'll all come to think of this place as a home, as I have."

Ask Raziel through the ring, < You know the layout even better than I do. Would you like to administer the tour or shall I?>

>>20676254
>only 60 people
If we spend a minute greeting an orc that's an hour of standing there shaking hands. And the orcs will probably get bored as well waiting the other 59 minutes for there turn. We need to split them up a bit before talking to them individually.

>>20676212
"Salutations and welcome to New Arcturus, Carver, Stillpaw, and... Galash! It's been far too long! You, ah, wouldn't mind playing a song, would you? I've rather missed your music."

I just remembered that Azariel's sword is still in his tower. I could be useful, maybe it's enchanted.

>>20676212
Hello there, welcome to New Arcturus. I am the Queen Ishelda, and I am honored by you choosing to come here.

Would you like some tea?

>>20676311
It's an artifact.

>>20676326
No, that's the dagger. That's there too.

"They're only sixty people." You say. "I think I should welcome each one individually."
You make your way down the steps of the keep, and shake each orcs' hand, welcoming them to Arcturus, and asking their name and profession. Most of them don't have professions, and at least one orc says he 'hasn't decided his name yet', but you do your best to memorize their names. Finally, you run into the heavily armored knight.
"I remember you." He said, shaking your hand. He seemed awfully serious. "I was there when we struck the demons fortress's heart. My name is Stiltpaw, and I am a knight and a poet. I am glad to be here, my queen."
You finish your greetings with him, and move on, eventually reaching Galash.
"Galash!" You cry. "It's been far too long! You, ah, wouldn't mind playing a song, would you? I've rather missed your music."
Galash chuckled. "You're the only one who has." He responded, and chuckled. He played an incredibly short ditty, and you applauded him. "You know, I remember the first time you came on board. We fought that sea serpent, remember? I still have some jerky from that thing."
Before you could respond, the third orc grabbed your wrist, and pulled you close.
"Tell me." Carver said. "What is in that hidden tower, at the top of Carved Fortress? There are no doors that go there."

>>20676311
"It"

>>20676339
>Lean in close to her and whisper:
>"Dragon dildos."

To be honest, I don't even remember. Was it something important? I'll check the archives, but I think I would remember if it was.

>>20676377
I don't remember anything either. Did we even go in the tower? Can't use it as an airship park if there's no way down.

>>20676339
"Why do you want to know?"

>>20676339
Beam at her, "You must be Carver." lean in to whisper into her ear, "A creepy pervert and his harem. Also his younger brother who is temporarily staying with him, and is the fluffiest thing I have EVER seen."

cut her off if she asks "are you serious" and respond with "Yes, I am serious."

You're frozen for a moment. You're not exactly sure what she means. .
Oh, right! The tower where Sardriel, Dariel, and Neiriel are staying. You went there to pick up Kaliel.
"I know you were there." She said. "I saw your ship arrive, even if nobody else did." Carver said. "That thing has haunted me for years, and I didn't come all this way not to find out.'

>Cloaked by magic, the Jormungandr slowly slid toward the shortest, oldest tower the Carved Fortress, near the top of one of the mountains. As you slide into place, you see Kaliel in full kalak form at the doorway, looking this way and that, as if waiting for you to arrive. You put your fingers to your temple, and quickly erect a powerful ward, protecting your mind. You feel it tighten around you, and you feel. . rather limited, but safe.
Huh. That implies she's asking about Sardriel's tower? But on the map that's a completely separate dot miles away from Carved Fortress.

>>20676339
"Wait, wait. Tower at the top of Carved Fortress... Is it the ancient, squat one on top of the mountain? It's the lair of a Kalak. Magical bird-people from another world, a number are my friends. He, however, he's not a pleasant fellow. He acts amiable enough, but there's something subtly wrong with him. Makes your skin crawl just being near him. He's not all bad, considering he helped break a ludicrously powerful mind control spell on a child, that otherwise would've been impossible to lift. But I can't say I like him."

>>20676429
I think it's not up to us to tell her about that.

>>20676429
Don't mention the Kalak bit.

>>20676418
>But on the map that's a completely separate dot miles away from Carved Fortress.
Yep, that's what threw me off.

>>20676429
That's probably the best answer, along with
"I wouldn't try and go up there if I were you. He can be very dangerous, and does not like unexpected guests."

>>20676412
"Oh, that tower. There's a guy who lives there with his family. He's kind of creepy."

>>20676412
There's a complete creep and asshole, his freaky mind washed harem, the fluffiest thing you have ever before seen and an expecting mother.

>>20676418
"Hmm, you want to know what I found up there?"
pause for a moment to think about it, recalling that Kaliel was the first thing we saw of the tower. Then whisper into her ear, "The love of my life."

>>20676418
The map's an imprecise thing. The tower was stated to be part of Carved Fortress, just a part that isn't actually accessible from anywhere else.

>>20676412
"You saw us? Interesting. A... wizard lives there, I was seeking his help breaking an enchantment on a boy's mind."

>>20676412
"Well, the fact that you can't reach it by foot, should give you an idea. You could describe it as a... guest house, I think."

>>20676466
aww

>>20676467
>"You saw us? Interesting. A... wizard lives there, I was seeking his help breaking an enchantment on a boy's mind."

This sounds good, seconded.

Speaking of mind control, anyone opposed to adding (hopefully) a mental shielding capacity to the communication rings when we have some down time?

>>20676466
We already found her before that, and it doesn't sound exactly like something Ishelda would say. At least in my opinion.

>>20676486
That might render the rings themselves ineffective, as I'm pretty sure any shield would make the mental communication impossible.

>>20676467
>The map's an imprecise thing.
Well yes, but it marks the locations as completely separate. Like, a longer distance than the bridge we were discussing. If they're the same building that's pretty fucking imprecise.

>>20676486
I think it would overheat or something.

>Carved fortress is technically a massive chunk of that mountain range- it's freaking enormous, as all of orckind has worked on it for the past couple hundred years, in order to tame themselves and teach discipline.

You beam at her. "You must be Carver." You say. She nods. "Is it the ancient, squat one on top of the mountain?" You ask. She nods again.
"You saw us? Interesting." You say. "A... wizard lives there. I was seeking his help breaking an enchantment on a boy's mind."
"I asked around. The tower has been there for hundreds of years." She said... and then nodded. "That's enough for me. A wizard. . . hmm."
Without so much as a goodbye, she wandered off, down toward Triune's Gift.

>>20676524
"... Scribe, is she always like that? That was more than a little abrupt."

>>20676524
Shrug. "Well, I sure hope she's a great stonemason." Turn to Galash. "If you want to do me a favour, give that jerky a burial. And never ask me for the reason why, in your best interest."

>>20676494
Well, there's a difference between mind affecting bullshit, and the communication effect.

>>20676503
Or Carved Fortress is that big. I dunno.

>>20676524
"nice to met you..."

>>20676560
>Well, there's a difference between mind affecting bullshit, and the communication effect.
I'm sure your guess about that is as good as mine.

>>20676524
>Carved fortress is technically a massive chunk of that mountain range
Then maybe you should draw that on the map instead of a little circle?

>>20676559
Don't bury it, give it to Raziel. We need something to summon his ghost with.

>>20676588
>Don't bury it, give it to Raziel.
Even better, a good idea!

"Nice to meet you..." You say, as she walks off. You turn to Scribe.
"Is she always like that? That was more than a little abrupt."
"She's always been like that." He said. "But she's the best stonemason that, well, exists. I think the last few times she lost control, she faked it so that she could go back to working on the fortress. She'll never admit that, though."
You turn to Galash. "If you want to do me a favor. . may I have that jerky?" You ask. He shrugs, and nods.
"Well, I can always go hunting for sea serpents later, I suppose." He said, and gave you a small, dense package full of something wrapped in leaves and paper. Peeling it slightly open, you smell the delicious aroma of some kind of spiced bacon. Your stomach roils as you realize what it actually is. You need to get this to Raziel.

You finish welcoming the orcs, and make your way back into the hall, where Gehenna is still there, scribbling on parchment, and Kaliel is in there, speaking in hushed tones with Marigold. Raziel's in the corner of the room, working on some kind of second mirror.

"What's this?" She asks, taking a look down at the wrapped meat.

>>20676639
"Cassiel"

>>20676639
"You know how you'd been talking about... reviving Cassiel? This is... This is jerky made from the sea serpent form he was wearing."

>>20676639
"Well, er... Cassiel. One of the orcs had it."

>>20676639
"Cassiel. Well, and some spices."

>>20676639
It's your brother Cassiel. I don't know how they made him smell that delicious.

>>20676639
"It's... It's what's left of Cassiel's mortal remains. Be glad that you can't smell as well as a human, because it smells delicious. Horrifyingly so, once you know the truth. I won't be eating bacon for a long, long time."

>>20676667
This

>Not even one 'it's some delicious food for you, eat up' suggestion. I'm not sure if I'm proud or disappointed.

"Cassiel." You say.
She blinks.
"And some spices."
She blinks again.
"One of the orcs had it."
". . So I can use it as a totem." She said. "And possibly True Life, if that works out. . " She shrugged, and looked down to the second mirror she was working on. "Sorry, Sker, but you can wait a little."

>>20676704
"What are you doing with Sker?"

>>20676704
"Thanks, Raz." Give her a kiss on the cheek, and a hug.

>>20676704
"Hi Sker"

>>20676704
I need to get some actual sea serpent jerky, I'd rather not eat your family, except Kaliel.

Let me know when it's all ready so I can properly apologize for killing him, I still feel bad for him once I learned the truth.

>>20676704
>>Not even one 'it's some delicious food for you, eat up' suggestion
Dude. Over the line. Even with joke suggestions where you drop everyone into lava and wantonly stick tongues into people's butts, you don't trick people into eating their brothers.

>>20676754
>apologize for killing him
Getting him killed, maybe, but we didn't kill him.

>>20676754
> I'd rather not eat your family, except Kaliel.
Definitely not Ishelda.

>>20676785
Not objectively, but Ishelda still takes responsibility for it because she's too hard on herself like that.

>>20676798
Marigold is a bad influence.

"What are you doing with Sker?" You ask.
"A mirror." She said. "He suggested it last night. It's easier than manifesting, for him. . and I can use his Talent, if I work at divination well enough. So I can use it to scry into the future, and my mother's mirror to scry into the past."
"Let me know when it's all ready, so I can properly apologize for getting him killed. I still feel bad for him, once I learned the truth." You say.
"Well. . we're near the cistern, and Jormungandr's close enough for me to use the dragon skull. . we just need to go down there. But we should get Zeke and Kaliel." She said. "They were closer to him than I ever was, and we'd best do this right."
She shrugged, slung the second mirror around her neck, and nudged Kaliel.
"Hey, Marigold, I need to borrow Kal." She said.
"What?" Kaliel asked. "Uhm. . okay?"
The three of you start to make your way down to the cistern, where Zeke joins you.
"What's up?" Zeke asked.
"It's a surprise." Raziel said, and the three of you went down to Raziel's small chamber. It was still full of necromantic paraphernalia, with a thick silver circle embedded into the ground.

>>20676845
No need to say anything.

>>20676845
Well, keep quite and just anticipate the look of surprise on their faces.

>>20676845
Let Raz do her thing, don't get in her way, don't ruin the surprise.

Ruffle Kal's hair.

>>20676845
Use the chance to give Zeke a hug. We haven't done that in days.

You keep quiet as Raziel slides the small, wrapped package into the center of the circle. Kaliel looks awfully confused, so you ruffle her hair, and Raziel . . clenches her fist, necromantic flame bursting from her hand. You feel the dragon skull, high up on Jormungandr, give off an incredible amount of necromantic energy. With a strange chill down your spine, you realize she's learned a new trick. She's channeling raw, spiritual power from one totem into another.

A transparent, kalak wisp slowly bursts into view, and then with a flash of light, became a full spectre, with white and sky blue plumage, with a black beak and talons. It looked this way and that. . and then eyed Kaliel.
"You molted!" He said, smiling happily. His voice was quite deep and smooth, surprisingly-
And Kaliel ran out from under your hair-ruffling hand, into the circle, giving Cassiel an enormous hug. "Cassie!"

>>20676926
Not much to say, this isn't really our family reunion, but theirs.

>>20676926
Let them have their moment before you get all heavy with the death shit. Don't be a party pooper.

>>20676926
"I'm really sorry for what happened Cassiel"

"Sorry you got turned to jerky!"

"I assuredly do not have verifiable information on whether you were delicious!"

>>20676926
Watch and smile. Maybe shed a little tear of joy at the simple beauty of it. Don't talk until Cassiel addresses us.

"Uh. Hey, Cassiel. I'm... I'm sorry, for everything. On the Orcish ship."

>>20676926
Let them have a bit of time and hugging first. Then apologize.

"Hello Cassiel, I'm Queen Ishelda, I'd like to apologize for killing you two years ago, I was young, scared and I lashed out when a giant sea serpent appeared. I once again apologize, I acted hastily.

>>20676964
>>20676973
Wow, that's so sensitive and caring. I... I'm moved beyond words.

>>20675949
The fuck is the Bronze Wyvern?

I thought Orcs didn't name their ships Exa.

Can someone remind me why he attacked us?

>>20676994
http://archive.foolz.us/tg/thread/19288653/#19291437
The Jormungandr was called the Bronze Wyvern. Then everybody forgot it was called that and we asked what it was called and he made up the fluff that orcs didn't name their ships. Then we named it the Jormungandr. Now he's calling it the Bronze Wyvern again for some completely unknown reason.

>>20677031
He's Exabyte he don't gotta explain or understand shit.

>>20677031
Wasn't that from it re-naming itself, because we Awakened it? It's been a long time, I don't recall.

>>20676994
>>20677031
> ... Goddamnit, you're right. . . I can reconcile this. Somehow. Okay. . . Orcs don't name their ships, but they *needed* a name for it for tax reasons in Sirius. On a complete whim, Sirius said "we can just call it 'bronze wyvern' on paper or something, and you don't need to actually name it.". And so they did. Scribe's the kind of person to stick to the paper, though the crew itself didn't pay attention to that.

You're quiet as Zeke steps into the circle, clasping his talon with Cassiel's, and Raziel catches your eyes, and shrugs. Soon enough, they pulled away.
"So, um. . " Cassiel said, looking around. "I know I died, and I'm in Raziel's ruins . . but I'm not quite sure about anything else, or how long it's been. Or those two human women."
"Come on, Cassiel." Raziel said. "It's me."
He chuckled. "I know, Raz." He said, patting her head. He turned to you.
"Uh. Hey, Cassiel. I'm... I'm sorry, for everything. On the Orcish ship."
"It's fine." Cassiel responded. "We'd thought you had Uriel captured. We didn't know he was dead, at the time, and I acted pretty stupidly. May I ask your name?"
"I'm Queen Ishelda." You say.
"I'm pleased to meet you." He said. "My name is Cassiel, and I am an abjurer." He turned to Zeke and shrugged. "I suppose it's been. . quite some time since I was gone. Would you mind... filling me in?"
"Sure thing." Zeke said, and ruffled Cassiel's crest.
Raziel and Kaliel's eyebrows shot straight up.

>End of thread!
>Sticking around to answer questions and reconcile fucked up plot points and try to make amends for my shitty retconning skills.

>>20677060
Yeah, all the best writers retcon their retcons. Constantly changing the story keeps it fresh.

>>20677109
Are Zeke and Cassiel into the homo butt love?

>>20677109
>Zeke ruffled Cassiel's crest.
...gay.

>>20677157
Totally homogay.

>>20677109
About how much art has Zeke produced? Is it all paintings or drawings or does he experiment with other mediums?

>>20677109
>Zeke prefers human ladies, possibly as a mechanism to avoid his kooky sister's affections
>Kooky sister shapeshifts into a human
>Zeke suddenly prefers Kalak dudes

Zeke, the bird of 99 fetishes, but incest ain't one. Is this intentional, Exabyte, or are you pulling another EEXXAABBBYYYTTTEEEE bit of shenanigans? Twice in one thread, at that!

>>20677109
Grab Kal and Raz in response.
"Mine!"

>>20677109
Wow, Ishelda must have a really bad influence on Kalaks.
Everybody's ruffling everybody's crest.

>>20677172
He's produced quite a bit. He paints, mostly, but he took up sewing when you made him a robe, and ever since you visited Sosaria on the way back, he's been learning to sculpt.

>>20677175
Shenanigans!

>>20677109
Sker's death seemed pretty inevitable, but you said he was meant to be a waifu option. So... would fucking him have saved his life?

>>20677217
Exabyte said the character didn't turn out the way he wanted. So I doubt he actually was an option at any point after his introduction.

>>20677200
Dang it, Exabyte. You already non-canonically informed us that Cassiel was FABULOUS. But since when is Zeke fabulous?! Eexaabbyytteee!

>>20677232
He paints, he sews, and he can literally summon rainbows. That's pretty fabulous.

>>20677232
This is turning into Dragon Age 2.

>>20677217
Nope. He still would have died. However, fucking him would have prevented him from kissing Raz or going 'put me in the staff'.

>>20677231
I'm still allowing you free range- you can still romance 'non-options' if you wanted, but nobody seemed to put much interest in him.

>>20677270
>I'm still allowing you free range- you can still romance 'non-options' if you want
Sorry Kaliel, but meta-soldier is my true love.

>>20677270
Hey, you never Jeanne any more.

>>20677270
To be honest, I think you didn't let us flirt with anybody else than Kaliel, for the last few threads.

>>20677363
I didn't really let you flirt with *anybody* for the first few threads, but then awkward sexual tension happened.

>>20677451
Hooray!

>>20677484
Keep in mind, though, you aren't 'locked into' Kaliel's path.

Also, Every thread may seem like it has it's own plot, but technically you're in sandbox territory. Feel free to go talk to anyone, or do anything.

>>20677511
anything?

>>20677527
Anything within reason, of course, and you do have New Arcturus to consider.

>>20677563
Would it be possible to send a message to Tir about visiting him?

FUCK KINGDOM WE QUEEN WE DO ANYTHING WE WANT

capcha: andkell first

>>20677584
We tried to send him a message before the timeskip, but Exabyte just ignored it. We'll have to go there.

>>20677637
>>20677641
You can, but you have no way to 'home in' on him via magic, unless you use sorcery, so you'll have to send a courier.

>>20677637
So the first thing we do is Kell. Shouldn't be too hard, I'm sure vines can work like tentacles.
Then we do Kaliel, since we've already got an in.
Then we do Raziel. Shouldn't be too hard.
I'm not sure what to do after that. Marigold?

>>20677511
We'll just have to see, I guess. Depending on how dense Raziel is, we might have to up the ante when it comes to her, at some point.

Although the reaction to the seer's kiss should have given her a clue.

>>20677666
Bad End: Slut Queen

>>20677666
You forgot Kiyare and Jeanne. Possibly the snake thing, too.

>>20677684
>Good End: Slut Queen

FTFY

>>20677665
Hey Exabyte, How often does Grayson get laid?

>>20677703
Harrump times.

>>20677689
So, apparently Ishelda is completely gay and not Bisexual.

>>20677703
He's likes sleep more than bear bitches.