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>>26719746
Op I'd love to participate but I've got errands to run so good luck!

>>26719733
>[ ]Ambush the tusked overseers. Pump them for information.

>>26719853
Supporting

>>26719733
>Avoid Trouble

This is a sneaking mission.

I'd rather find someone a bit friendlier looking to interrogate.

>>26719733
Avoid trouble. No point attacking right now.

>>26719733
>[X]Keep moving down the tunnel. Avoid trouble entirely.

If the Iron Tyrant is apparently neutral to us so far, I'd like to keep things that way, at least until we find the Fellfire or Demon Pits.

You decide that discretion, in addition to being the better part of valor, is the prudent choice. You dart down the tunnel at top speed, leaving faint wisps of black mist in your wake as you slide along the walls and ceiling in equal measure with Golem Rising's power. The tunnel slopes further down the futher you tread, and after a few minutes of running in the dark the tunnel opens up once more.

This. This, you did not expect.

Below lies a shining city of brass and iron. The cavern that houses the complex must be miles across, and the ceiling vaults high overhead. City streets filled with humanoids of all shapes and sizes lie beneath you, a veritable ant hive of activity deep beneath the earth. Spires of rock and iron reach toward the cavern dome like grasping fingers, monolithic structures whose purpose you can only vaguely guess.

The exit to the tunnel puts you on a cliff high above the city, with a sloping path leading down to the city below.

> How will you proceed?

>Totemist quest right before I have to go to work

Never fails. I'll be popping in and out though.

>>26719733
Ambush. We're a faceless shadow of mystical power. I don't care how big and tough they are, we can Batman these guys into talking.

>>26720001
Sneaky sneaky. Probably stay off the path but not far from it.

>>26720001
Are those humanoids golems, spirits, humans? We need to find out more! I wonder what exactly the 'corruption' is we were warned of.

>>26720049
Yeah, we need to see what they are better, it could change the way we need to approach this.

>>26720001
Speak for yourself, Diarca, I was totally expecting something like this. Just...not right here. I figured any population centers would be farther into the Tyrant's domain. And I suppose it is rather nicer than I expected it. Sounds pretty.

Anyway, let's enter the city. We don't have the Razor Wing bound to anything at the moment, let's get Edge of Dawn back and fly in. There's no sun to make it go radiant, so we should still be pretty stealthy. Plus we might get some weird interactions between it and Guise of Night, so that would just be interesting to see just for curiosity's sake.

>>26720001
Hm, it might be a bad idea to keep walking around looking all spooky.

Might make people suspicious?

>>26720001
Did our master ever tell us of non-human people who weren't humanoid spirits?

>>26720172
We did see lizardmen in the swamp a while ago, so I assume they aren't that rare. We just live in a small human village so there was never interaction with other species. I assume this is a common concept in this world.

>>26720231
Oh right, forgot about that.

Diversity is always fun.

Though I can't really see the Lord Restrained telling us flat out incorrect information. Opens a big ol' bag of worms.

>>26720231
I think those were spirits. But I remember from one of the Q&A threads that there are other intelligent races out there and Osyki just doesn't know about them because he's out in the hinterlands.

>>26720259
Well, he said there were three intelligent races, but I assume he counts humanoids as a whole to be a race.

>>26720254
What did he say that was incorrect? I really don't remember.

>>26720354
Well, nothing the Lord Restrained told us has been directly contradicted. Just because the Iron Tyrant is capable of things like diplomacy or civilization doesn't mean he's not a corrupt spirit born from the death of millions. Just that he's smart, rather than a raving monstrosity. Which only makes him more worrying.

>>26720354
Nothing so far.

I'm just saying that despite having a technologically advanced city, the Iron Tyrant is still probably a corrupt spirit of madness and hate.

>>26720340
I'm not sure. Diarca said that there were three in addition to humans, but Osyki didn't know of any of them. Which is odd, as dragons are intelligent and Osyki knew of them since the beginning of the quest. So maybe the four sapient races refer to creatures in the standard fantasy heartbreaker style, with each one being some variation on humanoid. Certainly we seem to have run into orcs, recently. Though they could just be mutant humans. Further data is needed for analysis.

You grab the Razor Wing focus from your bag, binding it as stealthily as possible (read: not incredibly, what with the flash of light,) to your cloak. Wings of misty shadow spread behind you, flickering bony protrusions that look as though they could only hold a body light as mist in the air. You give them a test flap, rising into the cavern gloom and swooping down toward the streets below.

You've never seen so many people -- creatures, really -- in one place. Golems of earth and steel roam the streets along-side tusked monstrosities and even pale human beings. You alight on the roof of a low-slung building, seemingly carved of the cavern's natural stone, and take in the sights.

Glowing signs of ethereal lights mark the awnings of the buildings, denoting their purpose in a blocky language. The city streets are awash in the sounds of barter and trade, and you see a few children -- all of them human -- playing on the steps of the household across the road from you.

This is not at all what you expected.

>>26720001
>>26720665

we found the pit and the fire now lets bury the town and put out the magma

>>26720675
Please don't.

File: 1376950900212.jpg-(37 KB, 840x468, eboshi.jpg)

37 KB JPG

>>26720665
>This is not at all what you expected.

This is EXACTLY what I expected.

>>26720665
We should probably find an abandoned alley of some kind so we can swap out some of our more suspicious bindings.

>>26720665
Sneak into town and drop in on conversations to find out what's going on here. Pretty sure this is a slave town or something.

>>26720822
All we have is suspicious bindings. Our least flashy binding is Guise of Night when it's turned off. Everything else is either enchanted crystal, living stone, or reptilian scales.

>>26720861
...True.

At least unequip Edge of Dawn for now.

Probably not a good idea to go around wearing wings.

>>26720769
the list in order is to bury the demon pits, what else could it be then an underground city to destroy his army and those he might sacrifice. next extinguish the fell-fire which is probably the magma to destroy the weapons and the way to repair himself. finally is to rip the metal elemental apart piece by piece to destroy him .

>>26720909
We should get another Night Stalker. A real one this time, not...whatever Thane is. A creature of camouflage might be able to hide our bindings for us. Or maybe if we bind a Cavernmouth to a bag we could make some extradimensional storage space to draw our bindings from quickly as needed. Something like that.

[[ So, can I get a consensus? Are we unbinding our suspicious binds and leaving the less conspicuous shit, or are we going to Shadow In The Night our way around the city? Taking votes for the next ~5 minutes, then proceeding. ]]

>>26720941
How about an actual pit? Like a strip mine?

>>26720941
Yeah, but is this the only one? It's Demon Pits, not Demon Pit. This settlement is right on the edge of his territory, it's probably the smallest of his cities. We've got a big task ahead of ourselves. Better to keep scouting before we strike so we know just how hard this is going to be. Osyki is nothing if he isn't prepared.

>>26720941
I doubt that when he said demon pits he meant a city filled with humans.

>>26720998
Like I said, we don't really have inconspicuous bindings. Even if we remove the flashy stuff we still probably won't fit in with the locals. Let's stay a night-winged shadow for now.

>>26720998
Bind our stalker pelt to our cloak again, bind Cordia to our gloves and the crystal to our boots again since the Cordia boots leave a trail.
Bind the drake wing to whatever, and leave the rest as is.

>>26721064
The tried and true Osyki outfit, then? Could work. My main concern is that all those unbindings and rebindings would drain Osyki's stamina pretty fast. We're talking 8 binding actions in rapid succession. I'm not sure it's worth it.

>>26721114

[[ For what it's worth, Unbinding an object takes a lot less stamina than binding and maintaining something. ]]

>>26720998
With Edge of Dawn, can't we just like take it off our neck and keep it in a pocket or whatever?

It's just a small gem when not worn, right?

>>26721166

[[ Correct. ]]

>>26721064
You realize that the crystal boots are ridiculously loud right?

>>26721192
Well then, let's do that.

>>26721232
It would still cost stamina, I assume. If we're planning on not using it for a while it's probably better to unbind it for now.

>>26721223
I think he meant the crystal spear, not the crystal scale. Cloudwalker's Stride, in other words. Though that's still going to be noticeable, with all the little flickers of electricity they produce.

>>26721266
It only flickers when used. It's mostly an escape plan.

>>26721260
The thing is, the Razor Wing from the Drake, and the Crystal Spear from the Rock Turtle are both... pretty big, aren't they?

I think most of our foci are.

>>26721285
Pretty sure some of the descriptions have mentioned them producing small crackles evenwhen walking normally. It's just not enough to cause anything damage, so we ignore it most of the time.

>>26721298
Well, we were carrying them a couple of times, so they can probably fit in our backpack.

>>26721298
Well, we have carrying cases for them, which are presumably compact enough to keep under our cloak. Though we really should look into getting a bag of holding at some point. What would be really cool would be a device, probably involving both totemcraft and spirit binding because of complexity, that let us store and retrieve our foci and bindings with just a thought. No pulling out of a bag, just a mental command and it's there. It would make us a lot more versatile once we start getting enough spirits to make it worth the effort. Especially if we could swap the binding between objects while it was still in storage. Plus it would just look cool. Our equipment appearing suddenly in a flash of light, evaporating into the aether when unneeded to reform later in new configurations.

You drop into a nearby alleyway, taking pains to ensure that no one at either end of the gap between two buildings could catch the flashes of light that are about to ensue. When the coast is clear, you set to work quickly swapping your bindings out for a less conspicuous loadout. When you rise a few minutes later, a little tired, you are substantially less conspicuous on the city streets.

>New Loadout:
Cloak: Nocturne's Embrace
Gloves: Obsidian Touch
Boots: Cloudwalker's Stride
Bow: Snakebite Aqua
Shirt: Vestus Quies

You stow the Raptor Bone and Razor Wing foci in your bag, and head out onto the city streets.

The road extends as far as the eye can see in either direction. The people who walk the road pay you little mind, though whether that's a by-product of Nocturne's embrace or simple apathy is impossible to immediately determine. The largest buildings in town seem as though they're congregated near the center, while the outlying buildings on the edge of town seem run-down and disused. Exit tunnels ring the edges of the massive cavern. It's up to you, Totemist.

> Where will you head?

>>26721479
Stick near the outskirts for now.

Probably learn more

>>26721479
Whoa hey, it's actually happening. Shocking! Sup Diarca, afraid I can't stay long, but I'll throw in that markets, particularly the exotic ones, are excellent sources of information for the enterprising and observant infiltrator. You can see what the locals value and how they pay for things, listen to the local cant and see the public standards of behavior, and perhaps most importantly, you can see how people protect that which they value.

>>26721479
> outlying buildings
see what this place is like

>>26721479
Head to the markets. Lots of people to observe there, and we'll be less noticeable in a big crowd. Also, I want to know what these people eat. They're in a scorched wasteland. Do they have hydroponic farms or some such?

>>26721606
>>26721634
A good point, but where are the markets more likely to be?

Hell, do we even understand the concept of marketplaces, given our small village?

>>26721695
The description said that we heard the sounds of barter and trade, and our village does use currency, so we clearly understand the idea. Whether we'll be prepared for how huge the markets in an actual city are, is a very different question.

Deciding to avoid major population centers until you can get a firmer grasp on the workings of the city, you beat feet West toward the less habitated ring that surrounds the town. As you walk, you can see that the people here look, well... Happy. They joke and laugh with one another, walk down the street together. It reminds you of mid-day in your own village. Tusks and Humans interact amicably. The automatons seem just that, workers that run deliveries or attend to children in rudimentary fashions.

When you reach an opening in the road, you stop. The scent of something succulent wafts past your nose, and following the scent you find yourself in an open-air bazaar. Hastily constructed stone-and-iron stands hold a variety of cooked meats, alongside what seem to be some sort of roasted insects the size of small dogs. Further stands seem to hold tools and accessories for every-day life. You even pass a small tent with colorful mushrooms painted in glowing designs across the flaps.

An open-air market. You've heard of such a thing, but you never thought you'd experience it for yourself.

It's a little overwhelming, to be honest.

>1d100 and suggest a course of action.

Rolled 26

>>26721887
Talk to people about how long they have been here and how they are doing down here.

Noooooo, i need sleep, and i got things to do tomorrow! Why you do this!

Rolled 28

>>26721887
See if we can find any metalworkers. Given that this cavern is directly connected to the mines and foundries they would probably know a lot about the area. Though I'm not sure if we speak the same language as these people. We didn't seem to recognize their writing.

Rolled 20

>>26721887
Find where all the traders get their wares from. There's clearly other settlements throughout the wastes, the merchants and travelers would have the best knowledge of the Tyrant's realm.

Rolled 34

>>26721887
Listen in on their conversations, see if we understand their language.

If we do then talk to some of the ironworkers and ask about how business is going, if not then explore some more and get a better feel for this place.

Rolled 84

>>26721887
See what they use for currency?

>>26722050
Yeah that sounds good.

Also I think we just got noticed.

Rolled 75

>>26721951
>>26722028
>>26722049
>>26722050
God damn are we rolling poorly. For what it's worth, I vote for talking to the smiths, then trying to find the warehouse district or whatever place goods from the other cities gets imported.

>>26721951
>>26722028
>>26722049
Whatever that roll was for?

We failed it.

>>26721887
Check out the tools and accessories stands, for various tools we can bind our foci to.
Check the mushroom tent for trippy mushrooms.

Rolled 22

>>26722084
Forgot to roll.

>>26721887
Determine language barrier first, if none, talk to metalworkers?

Rolled 78

>>26721887
The nose knows. Follow the scent that brought you here Osyki.

Also, check out the tent with the mushrooms, that could be promising from a totemic/alchemic point of view.

Remind me, what are the rolling rules? First three?

Listening in to the chatter of the bazaar, you begin to understand. The language that they speak here is similar to your own, albeit spoken with a thick accent and rife with words you're sure are local references. You can follow something approaching three fourths of a conversation with concentration.

With that in mind, you turn to find the nearest metalworker when you see a man approaching you. He's human, as best as you can tell, with broad shoulders and a mustache that covers most of his upper lip. A long scar runs down the side of his face, from jawline to temple, and he looks concerned.

"Strysvak, Atlandir!" he says to you as he approaches. You do your best to lean casually on your spear, watching him carefully. "Welcomin! You are in the market for bloodstools, yes? I can tell by your stance that you are eidgik keen warrior. Come, let me show you my wares. You will not be disappointed."

>>26722216
"Bloodstools you say? Why don't you tell me more about your bloodstools. Where do you get yours from?"

>>26722216
What a friendly fellow. I'm sure following him will be educational and entertaining in equal measures. Provided he doesn't kill us, of course. Which he might do when he realizes we have no currency.

>>26722240
That just leads to opportunities to look like an outsider, just follow the guy without saying much.

>>26722216
We should probably tell him that our pockets are empty as of now.

Check his response.

>>26722310
I think he might know we're from out of town, but good point.

>>26722310
He called us "Atlandir", he knows we're an outlander or outsider.

>>26722432
Oh, I'm certain he knows we're from out of town. He called us an "Atlandir" and welcomed us. And he thinks we're a warrior. So that implies that travelers, mercenaries perhaps, are common between the cities. What is up with this culture? I can't get a read on it. It's a ruined wasteland that has thriving metropolitan population centers with nomadic mercenaries and a vaguely Teutonic cultural background. So what, it's a post-apocalyptic Hanseatic League?

>>26722216
"I'm sure I wouldn't be, though you might be. I'm afraid my pockets are empty currently."

>>26722591
We should probably see what it is first. Mostly because I'm curious as to what it is.

Intrigued but coinless, you decide to at least see what the man's "bloodstools" -are- before you slink off into the shadows. He leads you across the road to a small stall. The edifice is backed by a roaring forge, a stone edifice filled with churning flames. Blades and bludgeonry of all shapes and sizes hang from the racks lining the stall, and the sign proclaims something unreadable in jagged crimson text.

"You see, yes? Greijak has best bloodstools in all of Pointsmar. Scimtrae, Hammers, Warsaws, all of these. You take a look, yes? Take your time. I am sure you will not be disappoint.

You know that you should tell... Greijak? That you don't have any -money-, but his wares are interesting. Surely it couldn't hurt to take a peek through them before politely declining. You think on it for a moment, staring up at the sign hanging over the stall.

>[ ]Take a look. What could it hurt?
>[ ]Head out. We don't have the time or cash to spend here.
>[ ]Ask Greijak about the city.
>[ ]Other

>>26722827
>>[ ]Take a look. What could it hurt?

>>26722827
Ask Greijak about the city?

>>26722827
Ask him about the city, and some of the other stands, look at his stuff and only then break the news.

>>26722879
Eh, I'd say just ask him about the city and then politely leave.

>>26722919
This works for me.

>>26722919
It can't hurt to look at his stuff though.

>>26722967
We already saw enough that his wares are weaponry. Of which we already have a considerable amount.

I mean we have a sword, spear, and bow.

Also a knife but that's more for ritual work.

>>26723026
Maybe we find something unusual and trade.

>>26723052
Trade what for what?

>>26723230
Some crap we find in our backpack and running errands maybe?

>>26722827
"Your wares are tempting, friend. But I don't think I can afford them. As you said, I am a traveler. I am a bit far from home to purchase anything other than essentials. I am sorry, but I can not buy any of your fine goods."

>>26722827
I want to know what a warsaw is

>>26723300
Yeah that.

>>26723262
The only things we'd have in our pack right now would be ritual components, wouldn't it? And even if we could get by without them I don't think it would be smart to bandy around foreign totemistry in the Tyrant's territory.

>>26723300
Sure, go with this, even though Diarca is already probably already writing.

You step into the stall, looking at the strange weapons lining the walls. Aside from your standard arming swords and maces, there are a variety of oddities. A blade the size of a short-sword that folds into its own hilt and ejects with the push of a button, a sword that curves into a sickle-shaped blade at the end, and a strange boomerang-shaped weapon that looks as though it could double as an enormous pair of scissors.

"So, Greijak," you say, attempting your best to emulate his strange accent. "Tell me about this place. It is a grand city. What sights might a traveler see whilst passing through town?"

Greijak grins a crooked smile. "Well, Atlandir, while Greijak's wares are eidgik keen best in the city, you would not be disappointed by the town center. Many important people, there, and important people live and work in impressive places. Also must see the Grand Forge, though it is a little ways out of Pointsmar. Might catch General there on surprise visit, and that is worth a trip all on its own."

>>26723387
Man... I want that boomerang thing, think of all the binding possibilities, ask him how much for that. And then ask him where we can actually get money.

>>26723387
The General eh?

Sounds interesting, we should definitely give it a look.

So is Pointsmar the name of the city?

>>26723387
I find myself also interested in the boomerang thingy. See what he can tell us about that.

>>26723462

You unhook the strange weapon from its rack on the wall, examining it closely. Depending on how it is held, the twin blades of the two-handled weapon could either serve as an enormous pair of scissors or lock together with a sturdy looking clasp to become a single, angular blade. Greijak grins as you give the weapon a test snip, appearing at your side in an instant.

"Ah, yes, my Tsarlevya. Is a difficult thing to come by, you know. Only a few bloodstool men in the world can craft such a weapon. You are interested, yes? I will let it go for a nominal price. Four hundred zhels, and it is your new best friend."

>>26723687
"Four hundred? I'm afraid that's a bit out of my price range for now, though you've certainly given me incentive to remedy that."

>>26723687
"I'm afraid I have no zhels to my name. What do you take in trade?"

>>26723687
Hmm, it does seem interesting, unfortunately, I don't have that kind of money on me.
Would you mind directing me somewhere I could make some cash?
Even an odd errand you have for me.

>>26723761
I don't think we should go on fetch quests right now, I mean we very well may end up fucking this place over, we're here to get a lay of the land and decide whether to take out the Iron Tyrant or work with them, running errands for people seems like a waste of our time.

>>26723748
We don't have anything to trade. And we don't need to give away that we're completely broke.

>>26723761
Perhaps a bit more decorum?

>>26723761
Nah no time for that.

I mean it's possible that we might be able to sift through the rubble later, depending on how bad this is.

>>26723780
I really wish his emissary or whoever that lady is showed up a bit sooner, before we signed on with the Stone Emperor.

>>26723803
It is odd that the Iron Tyrant decided that the best time to try to recruit us would be after we had sworn our service to another. He's got something planned there, but I'm not sure what. All I know is that we're not getting out of this without things going very bad. We've got a large, powerful culture right next door to our tiny village and the only thing stopping them from coming over to our side is that the Ikrin Mountains have yet to be claimed by their guardian spirit. The moon worshipers are risk enough to us, and they're thousands of miles away. What do we do with these guys?

>>26723780
Alright, I guess we should go to the town center then. Thank Greijak and tell him we'll think about it
later since we're tight on cash right now.

>>26723895
Assimilate?

Or make the Ikrin Mountains impassable.

>>26723895
Well after we being the Iron Tyrant down, we should get the Stone Emperors help with taking control of his fallen empire. Maybe merging it with our village, making a mountain trade route between our village and the city.
That's a long term goal though, let's focus on bringing the Iron Tyrant down for now.

>>26723951
First we should at least prove that the Iron Tyrant is as evil as the Lord Restrained implied.

Then see if his emissary is similarly villainous, or if she's been misled.

>>26724009
He probably is an evil dick, he destroyed the land behind the Ikrin peaks, the Stone emperor told us and our master seemed to have trusted him.
There's no real reason for the Lord Restrained to lie to us, seeing as he's some weird godly being, I doubt the Iron Tyrant actually affects him.
Also, we don't know if that girl was his emissary, and we can't really contact her.

>>26724089
True, he's definitely evil.

But this city probably isn't.

>>26723687

Replacing the strange weapon on its hook, you give Greijak a rueful smile.

"Four hundred? That's a little out of my price range right now, though you've certainly given me incentive to remedy that. I'll take a walk about town and see if I can't scrape together the funds. Thank you for hosting me."

Greijak nods, looking pleased. "But of course, Atlandir. You remember Greijak's bloodstools when you come back around this way, yes?"

You nod, giving the man a wave as you head out of the marketplace, in toward the inner city. It's time to pursue this Tyrant once and for all, and find out whether or not this is truly a kingdom in need of destruction.

[[ Gonna take a short break here, get some dinner and clear my head. Be back soon. ]]

>>26724137
That's why we need to get control over it.

I've been looking through the archives trying to taking note of every time we got a detailed description of one of our bindings, so I can appreciate just how ridiculous/awesome we look.

Did we ever get one of those for Cloudwalker's Stride? I can't recall where it was mentioned.

>>26724535
I can't find the reference but as I recall they're shoes with turtle-shell inlay and crystal disks in the soles. Think Iron Man's boots if they were made from a magic turtle. Not too flashy compared to things like Edge of Dawn or Vestus Sonitus, but it has some nice style to it.

>bloodstools
>bloods tools
>BLOOD TOOLS


OOOOOH. What a weird dialect.

>>26724625
seems like hes taking a trade language that we understand thats why its sounds so strange like calling weapons blood tools

>>26724617
Ah thanks.
If anyone was curious, here's a list of the Rock Turtle ones I could find.

>Thunder Hammer
>The mace is streaked through with the cyan of the crystal, and sparks leap to and from its surface. It feels lighter than before, and it jumps around eagerly within your grasp.

>Stormcloud Buckler
>The formerly circular design of the shield has now taken on a spiraling image, like a buzz-saw or a sun. Each prong extending outward from the shield has the general shape of a lightning bolt. Picking up the buckler, you are surprised to find that it weighs very little.

>Thunderclap
>The weapon in your hands lets off a radiant aura, sparks of cyan energy leaping along its string every few seconds. The bow's structure has shifted to what appears to be polished ivory or marble, with golden filigree in the shape of turtleshell and stormclouds wrapping the bow itself.

>Blessing of the Elder Turtle
>When the light fades, you wear a shirt of cracked brown shell. It is tough and inflexible, with veins of precious gemstone running in the seams between plates.

>Shock and Awe
>A flash of light reveals a pair of sky-blue gloves garbing your hands, the knuckles studded with tortoise-shell patterns of deep blue crystal. They feel as though they weigh nothing at all, and when you clench your fist you see an arc of energy play between the studs.

Weird how the armor seems tonally different than the other bindings, more like you'd expect a normal Rock Turtle to have.

>>26724683
Armor takes aspects of their body
weapons take aspects of their soul
Or something like that its not really clear.

>>26724683
Well, the focus we chose emphasized the lightning, but it's still the spirit of a giant tortoise. Putting it in armor would remind it of its shell in a way that other bindings wouldn't. Though I suppose the Stormcloud Buckler should have done that too, being a shield and what not. Then again, it doesn't manifest as a defensive totem, so maybe a shield you carry was just too odd for the Rock Turtle to understand as protection. Actually, Stormcloud Buckler seems to be the one that doesn't fit, not Blessing of the Elder Turtle. It doesn't have any of the aspects of the lightning crystal itself, just a stylized representation of electricity. Odd, that.

>>26724683
Also we should do more with the Swamp Y'kree and Thane.

Only bound the snake twice.

Is it because Snakebite Aqua is just that good?

>>26724778
Snakebite Aqua is really good. Against biological targets, which is a large percentage of the stuff we fight, it utterly wrecks them. A single hit from that will cripple or kill most biological enemies.

>>26724797
We'll have to figure out a good range weapon for thicker targets.

>>26724776
That seems to happen sometimes.

Like the Fisherman's Wrap description is just

>The chain at your chest has taken on a bluish tint. A small orb of light hovers at its front, radiating a cerulean glow.

Can't all look cool.

>>26724625
I read "blood stools", heh. Very different mental association, maybe even more painful.

>>26724813
Thicker skin isn't so much an issue, it's things not made of flesh at all.

>>26724797
Plus, the other bindings for the Ykree just haven't been that good. Fisherman's Wrap is just a fancy life jacket. Hunter Vision would be nice if it didn't remove our ability to notice fine detail. And Constrictor's Fang is redundant when we have Obsidian Touch for close-in melee. Maybe we'll find something good with it if we keep experimenting, though.

I'd like to find the permutations for every spirit we have in our worn equipment. Boots, pants, shirt, armor, gauntlets and cloak. We know most of the things we can get out of those for Cordia and the Plate Worm, but they still have gaps and the other spirits have larger ones. Maybe add a mask in, too, from what that one guy said last thread. Then we'd have seven worn equipment slots and seven spirits. That would leave us nothing for binding to weapons or tools, but it's not like it will be long before we bind something new.

Speaking of which, does anyone think that at some point we should release some of our spirits eventually? We've been a full-fledged Totemist for about a month and we've already bound seven spirits. Doesn't seem right to just let them pile up in our closet unused as we get more. Plus we know that, although our limit is very high, there is a maximum number of spirits we can bind that we might eventually reach Maybe as we grow in skill and power we can unbind some of the weaker spirits. Though Rock Turtle obviously has to stay, and all three of our sentient spirit allies are too useful to release. It would probably hurt Cordia's feelings to try to get rid of her, too. She's our friendly jadeite sprite, we can't abandon her.

>>26724925
use it on a fishing rod...or a boat

>>26724905
Cordia's bow binding shatters solid objects, so that should work for those. And we always have Rock Turtle's lightning bow.

You know, I'm getting tired of calling it "Rock Turtle". We should name the spirits we have that are just animals. Maybe the Skyscythe Drake, too, but it seems to take some weird pride in having forsaken a name now that it's a spirit.

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>>26724989
Pelagia. Pretty appropriate, I think.

That reminds me, I'd best finish catching up on what I've missed.

>>26724925
So far it seems like we've got a decent variety going on as far as energy types
Rock Turtle=Electricity
Cordia=Earth
Thane=Darkness
Swamp Y'Kree=Poison
Crystal Wyrm=Sound
Skyscythe Drake=Air
Raptor=Normal?

>>26724925
We still need to get our kickass mask

>>26725098
Never mind I didnt see that right away

>>26725095
>Normal?
Beast

>>26725067
Yes. That does work well, doesn't it? Nice catch, there. So what should the Ykree, Raptor and Plate Worm be, then? I'm going to try to resist the urge to name the worm Shai Halud. Would calling it Leto be just as slap-worthy?

>>26724925
Nah dude we never release them, They get released when we die anyway.

Also we could start wearing a necklaces and braclets for extra equipment slots, we already know the rock tortoise and bracelets lets us throw lightning balls.

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Did someone say masks?

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>>26725178
I was thinking more like this

>>26725175
Do they get released when we die? It was implied that Ayren's foci still contain their spirits and we just can't use them because we weren't the one to bind them. And Modi is still around, though his binding is so different from anything we know how to do that he probably doesn't count.

Hey, speaking of Modi: I was going through the archives lately, and I noticed the weapon Ayren used in the flashback to kill the Lord of Flames seems a lot like Modi's spear. Shapeshifting spear that alters itself to better slay its foe, and is powered by some dark and wrathful spirit. Plus it was named the Lance of Lions, and Modi's focus is the claw of some large predatory mammal. Did Diarca ever confirm or deny if the Lance of Lions is the proper name for Modi Magni's container?

>>26725232
I think its only bindings specialy done since a bunch of totems he made broke down when he died.
Even if its not we can just release them when we get old and retire.

>>26725232
Im guessing its mostly up tothe spirit Modi loves dat blood of the greedy so he decides to stick around and kill some more, the other mindless animals we got would probably just fuck off into the spirit world or reincarnate

>>26725264
I suppose. Still seems kind of cruel to keep them locked up for years. At the very least we should see if we can make a sanctuary like Boa's grotto that we can use as a spiritual retirement home for the foci we no longer use.

>>26725289
Eh, that depends on if we ever get a better poison or sound spirit.

Everything else is either sapient, our starter, or a damn good pair of pants.

>>26725289
The animal spirits that dont talk just dont really seem care that much.
And the whole ripping their spirits out and puting them in our boots thing is already pretty cruel so we might as well hold on to them until we dont need them.

[[ Alright, back. Post incoming. ]]

>>26725354
We're elevating those beasts by transforming them into our totem spirits and giving them purpose. As long as we're using them we're respecting their spirit, so it's not that cruel in an animistic sense. I just don't want to cast them aside and leave them unused because we have better gear. Seems like that's a good way to anger the spirits and endanger your reputation among the spirit courts. Remember how pissy the spirits of the swamp were towards us? Imagine if every spirit we meet acted that way. It would be impossible to do our job.

>>26725436
Thats why I said we hold on to them until we dont need them. Then we let them go to where ever they go. Or we could give them to Quinn.

>>26725501
Ah. I think I must have misunderstood something you said up thread and spent all this time trying to debate your own point to you. I apologize for my confusion, then.

The further into the city you move, the taller the buildings grow. You never thought you'd see something standing taller than the windmill at the edge of town built by human hands, but these towers must stretch twice, even three times the height. The people walking around the inner city are garbed in silks and fine woven metal, garb that you would think reserved for an emperor. Wheeled carts ferry people from building to building. You don't see any of the Tusks here; only humans and automatons roam the inner streets.

The strange, blocky language coats the awnings and streets. People here give you strange glances, a far cry from the amicable anonymity of the run-down outer city.

Near the center of town, you can see a shining metal tower that stretches far above the others. A column of flame stretches from its peak, an unwavering pyre of pure elemental force.

And you thought the market was overwhelming.

>>26725550
Hm. Looks like we just found the Fellfire.

Now to find the Demon Pits.

>>26725285
Are you kidding? One of the first things Diarca went over in the quest was the last guy telling Osyki "DO NOT TRUST THE SPEAR".

>>26725171
Ykree--Kaliya (Multiheaded poisonous snake from Hindu mythology)
Raptor--Polematus (species of raptor called the "Martial Hawks")
Plate Worm--Uktena (giant snake in Cherokee mythology)

>>26725550
Huh.

Rolled 12

>>26725550
welp time to find the demon pits.

>>26725550
Well that's something.

I think it might be a good idea to get out of here for now, before someone starts asking us questions.

Maybe head to the entrance/exit tunnels?

See what someone entering or leaving the city the normal way would experience?

>>26725577
Well im guessing its a special case with him because of y'know wanting to exterminate humans and dragons because of their greed and all

>>26725627
Yeah might as well.

Really we need to find some kind of library or something.

>>26725963
It would be risky, but finding the local totemists and mystics could be a really good source of information. Hell, just finding if they exist or not would be informative

>>26725984
That too. Or even just a scholar of some kind.

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[[ Alright, folks, fading in and out, so I'll call the thread before I crash on my keyboard. Expect Wednesday's session to start around noon pacific time. Big plans for the next session. Possibly a big fight.

See you then! ]]

>>26726128
Big fight eh?

Guess it was only a matter of time.

>>26726004
We should avoid the local Totemists. The Tyrant could have marked them in the same way we've been marked by the Emperor. Either way, it seems likely they'd be able to see our allegiance to the Stone.

>>26726128
Ach, pity. Sleep well Diarca, see you later.

>>26726128
Night, Diarca. See you next time.

>>26724683
Eh, might as well dump the other descriptions as well, have them all be in one place.

Here's Cordia's.

>Gnome Guard
>A weighty miasma descends on the core of your spirit as a mantle of slate slides onto your shoulders. Bands of rock encircle your form, fusing together into flexible plates.
>A stylized skull pushes itself from the center of your chest, stamped in a seal of obsidian. Two orbs of green light burn in its eye sockets.

>Plummeting Stone
>When you blink the spots from your eyes you find yourself holding a long, thin shaft of curved obsidian. It warps in your hand into a recurved bow, and a thin string of what appears to be quartz snaps between its spiraling ends.

>Stone Sight
>The orb sinks into the paper without much ado, sending ripples of green across the map. Dots of various colors begin to fill themselves in on the map, mostly clustered around the Ikrins.

>Obsidian Touch
>The cold obsidian liquid that sheathes your hands feels a little less flexible than the last time you summoned it, but it responds much as you remember it. You confine it for a brief moment into its resting state, two black stone triangles adhering to the backs of your hands, before giving a test punch or two.

>Golem Rising
>Your shoes warp and grow, creeping up until they stop just below your knees. Heavy plates of stone cover your shins, and you can feel spikes jut from the bottoms of your soles. You feel as though nothing could knock you down.

>Terra Disruptor
>The blade of the shovel warps and depresses, becoming more a scoop than a blade proper. Long lines of runic script in glowing green text carve themselves into the handle, a handle which quickly colors the shade of slate, then textures itself to match.

>Gnome Guard
>You feel the dimensions of the small wood-handled grip change and vanish, and when you open your eyes a small disc floats before you, polished silver with small quartz and opal gems installed in its surface in spiraling patterns.

>>26727068
Raptor:
>Velociraptor Greaves
>Your trousers have taken on a scaled texture, mottled crimson and black scales covering your pants in a greave-like pattern.

Thane:
>Nocturne's Embrace
>You hold a cloak of the deepest black in your hands. Your eyes seem to slide right off of the cloak, and the light shining around it seems to be slightly dampened as though the material had devoured it.

>Stalker's Caress
>The usual blinding flash of light that accompanies these infusions is notably absent. Instead, the stalker's pelt simply melts around the bow, spreading across the surface of the wood like ink. The recurve of the bow becomes decorated with a pair of matte black blades, and the general profile shift to a sleeker, more dangerous design.

>Guise of Night
>Your shirt grows black, with fine downy fur covering the outside.

Swamp Y'Kree
>Fisherman's Wrap
>The chain at your chest has taken on a bluish tint. A small orb of light hovers at its front, radiating a cerulean glow.

>Snakebite Aqua
>Clutched in your hand is a green bow. Twin fangs adorn its front, and a pair of bladed fins grow from either side.

>Constrictor's Fang
>The weapon that emerges from the resulting, blinding union looks to be slightly longer than your original knife. The blade has been replaced by the fin, shrunken and molded into the approximate shape of a butcher's knife. The edge seems to be constantly on the verge of dripping some sort of brilliant green liquid, and the handguard is in the shape of two fins.

>Hunter Vision
>When the light clears, the amulet has shifted into the rough shape and size of a Ykree's eye.

>Crystal Wyrm
>Vestus Sonitas
>The brilliant flash of light that accompanies a binding fades, and you stand over a solid piece of crystal armor. It shines green in the morning sun, and it's incredibly lightweight.

>Twin Din
>With a flash of light you bind the Crystal Scale to the gloves, and stand holding a pair of luminescent green gloves.

Drake was two threads ago.