Rolled 20

Yes! Early again!
How about... a roll for player competence!

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Recent Events Summary:

You have found all of your shards, and, in a lucky turn of events, met with and allied yourself with the Black Lady. She seeks peace and reconciliation with the rest of the world, and, after extensive discussion, you were able to gain Auriel's support on the matter.

It turns out that she is in fact the same Melody that took the Staff of Winds from Xile. Aside from you, only Auriel knows the full truth of her origins and personal history with Yi Fang, leader of Archon.

While mysteries still await you at Erebus's residence out in the Void, you decided that you had to go after Adavan, Obis, and Freja. With the prophecy hanging over Obis's head, you have to stick by him on a mission as risky as a trip to Aurora, the ancient isle of Leviathan and his followers.

You arrived at Aurora, and managed to slip out of the jaws of the trap. The place seems deserted, but the magic here is still strong...

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Ability Tree

GREEN abilities have been unlocked and learned.

BLUE abilties are unlocked, but are not yet purchased.

RED abilities are revealed, but locked due to prerequisites.

UNDERLINED abilities are active-use, as opposed to passive. Not all active abilities require mana.

All Revealed Ability Descriptions:

http://pastebin.com/uhjSz7pF

Books the Main Character has read:

http://pastebin.com/dAXR00gP

Character Sheet including learned abilities and other important information:

http://pastebin.com/wmUdi4Tp

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>>28144211
And we're fucked.

>>28144211
Yeah, that sounds about right.

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Current Statistics:

HP: 81/81
Mana: 57/58
EXP: 0

Shards of Order and Chaos:

(Retribution) - Strong
(Maker) - Normal
(Silence) - Normal
(Peace) - Empowered
(Breeze) - Strong
(Hammer) - Strong
(Ardor) - Normal
{Resolve} - Strong
{Humanity} - Resonant

--Summoned--

Wisp - 1 mana to order

--Automatons--

Earthen Construct (currently in Haven)

--Equipment--

Utility belt with purse

--Inventory--

Sun-Moon Key
Lightning Key

--Teleport Anchor--

Haven - Inner Fortress

--Current Location--

Aurora

---------
---------

Known Mana Pools:

Jacob's Field - entrance to Hecate's tomb - Spirit
Palthair Mines - Magnock's Lair - Spirit
Archon - Spirit District - Spirit
Archon - Shadow District - Shadow
Archon - Earth District - Earth
Archon - Water Distric - Water
Haven - Shadow
Abbotsford - Shadow

You order your Wisp to investigate the source of fire while you check the gatehouse. It flickers off your shoulder and down into the tunnel of ice. You enter the gatehouse, going under the main archway. There don't seem to any visible doors or entrances into the structure proper.

You walk foward and end up in a squared-off courtyard. The building continues from either side of the gate, wrapping this section of the ice, which has been tamped flat.

A crack snaps from behind you.

It hits you like a rock. Why would a gatehouse end in a walled courtyard? This is a trap!

You spin, and in a blink, you escape just before a sheet of ice as thick as the walls seals you in.

You stand outside and watch the trap activate. A dome of ice appears almost instantaneously over the entire courtyard. And then, a rain of stalagmites annihilates the open area below. That would have hurt.

Just as suddenly as it all appeared, the trap resets itself. The ice that fell melts and blends into the courtyard, as if nothing ever happened.

You take a steadying breath and glance down the route your Wisp took into the icy wall.

What do you do?

>follow your wisp into the cavern, in the direction of the small bit of fire you felt earlier
>find a way into the palace
>investigate some of the buildings
>some other strategy

this place has already demonstrated being extremely booby trapped so lets be sure to use our analyze on basically everything

>>28144299
>follow your wisp into the cavern, in the direction of the small bit of fire you felt earlier
Let's take a look at the thing that seems so out of its element for a moment before descending into explore frenzy.

>>28144299
>follow wisp
be cautious please

>>28144299
>follow your wisp into the cavern, in the direction of the small bit of fire you felt earlier

Surely this is the best choice.

>>28144299
>follow your wisp into the cavern, in the direction of the small bit of fire you felt earlier

and be careful while doing so.

Maybe we should try to be stealthy about it. A cavern inside a wall with a bit of fire sounds like a camp of some sort.

>>28144299
>follow your wisp into the cavern, in the direction of the small bit of fire you felt earlier

>>28144299
It may be good to note that the traps triggered with either our motion or detecting our magic, we may be able to use that in the future.

>>28144361
Shadowmeld?

>>28144376
I figured our standard "initiate stealth" as opposed to just striding in normally or with shadowmeld. Which I think is something we should be doing no matter where we go on this island.

>>28144399
this

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There's only one point of interest you could discover with your focus - so you decide that's your best bet to start what could be a long search.

You move down the tunnel and into the thick wall of ice. There seems to be one main path, branching into smaller tunnels that run along in the same direction as the wall. You keep yourself on the largest tunnel, perpendicular to the barrier.

The ice is smooth and reflective, worn by time. Waist-deep water has pooled in low points in the caverns. Unaffected by the freezing temperatures, you simply glide right through. You move slowly, carefully, keeping eyes peeled and senses probing for more traps.

Suddenly, your wisp appears once again. It dances around your head. You see an image of a large dock made out of ice, enclosed by icy walls that themselves extend from the island, forming a tiny bay. A small but lean and rugged looking ship is secured to the docks. It's probably another five minutes walk ahead.

What do you do?

>continue on to the docks
>some other strategy

>>28144439
>continue on to the docks

Figure out if its Obis and co.'s

>>28144439
stealth closer to the ship. SNEAK SNEAK SNEAK.

>>28144439

Send Wispbro to scout the flame ping while we check out the ship... If we're lucky, they left a diary of what they planned to do...

>>28144439
It would be hilarious if it was some random adventurer scholar fire mage... yum.

>>28144439
onward.
>>28144481
has a good idea

>>28144481
>>28144439
Actually, is the ship the source of the flame ping?

>>28144439
I guess whatever we do, try to do it stealthily.

So we followed a hole in a wall (a hole, not a doorway?) to a bunch of tunnels and their docks. Perhaps someone just melted themselves through to create a passage, though I feel this place would've reacted to that...

I wonder if our water magic is stronger here.

>>28144507
>>28144481
The ship is probably the source of the flame

>>28144577
>I wonder if our water magic is stronger here

Y'know I wanted to know that as well.

>>28144577
Almost deffinatly

You send your wisp out again to investigate the source of the fire. It bobs once, then takes off.

>mana: 56/58

After a short time spent walking, you hear a voice echo down into the tunnels - a telepathic voice. <Shadow! Is that you?!>

<...Adavan?>

<Yes. Could you tell your little wisp thing here to stop floating around me like a gabbering idiot?>

<...right.>

Before long, you reach the docks. Before you stretches a silent harbor, ending a ways out where the stormy wall of snow is held in check by the island's innate magics. You can see huge waves suddenly fall to calm as they enter the bay.

Adavan's hooded figure stands at the end of the icy dock at which is moored a grand ship. It seems to be half wood, half adamantium. It holds no sails - but you feel a dynamo sitting in its core. A fire dynamo! The name painted on the side of the ship is chipped and faded, but still legible: 'Firebird'.

<Adavan!>

The lich greets you with a raised hand as he swats at your wisp. "Shadow. I thought you were busy with...Erebus things?"

<Quite a bit has happened since then. Where are Obis and Freja? Everyone told me they went with you.>

Adavan glances over your shoulder. "...they're still in there." He sighs, then draws something from his sleeve. It's a key. But not just any key - an ancient, heavy thing, inscribed with a drop of water on one side and a flame on the other. It feels like smoldering ash about to ignite. <We got the key. But...the thing down in the depths...it captured the girl. Freja, that is. I tried to stop Obis from going back, but he wouldn't listen to me. Damn idiot can't decide whether he's in love with her or not. I promised him I'd wait a day before leaving. It's been hours...nothing yet."

What is your response?

>>28144617
"Tell me about the thing in the depths"

>>28144649
This

>>28144617
Well shit what the fuck do you THINK our response is?

GRILL ADAVAN ON HIS ADVENTURES AND THEN GRILL HIM ON THE DEEP ONE AND THEN GRILL HIM ON WHERE OBIS WENT AND THEN GO FUCKING SAVE HIM.

Also tell Adavan about the prophecy, and how that's the major reason we came here. Be very CLEAR on that point.

>>28144617
Put key in inventory with other keys.
"Oh by the way. Black Lady on our side now."
Go after Obis.

>>28144617
>fire dynamo
>Firebird
It's okay guys, they suck at naming things too.

>>28144617
Heh. Tell him BL-Melody is on our side now. Tell him of the prophecy from the seer and how much danger Obis really is in. And then go to him wherever Adavan points us.

>>28144617
...Should we just leave the key with Adavan? Or should be keep it for safety in our pocket?

>>28144617

welp fill me in on what happened and lets then go help them

>>28144687
>>28144663
these

>>28144709
Pocket.

>>28144617

<He is still required for the summit. Will you accompany me, or will you wait here?>

If Adavan wants to go he can take the ship and we can take them to Haven via our portal...

>>28144649
Definitely

>>28144709
pocket

>>28144725
this, adavan has a respawner anway. i think the only way he wasn't going with was so he didn't lose the key

Does Adavan go around looking spooky or does he do whatever Fang does to look not spooky?

>>28144769
I'm thinkin spooky

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>>28144769

this is my head canon of Adavan

without the crown

Hint: Adavan is playing you guys right now.

>>28144848
>Adavan
> Being anything other than complete and utter bro-tier
.....wut..

>>28144769

Adavan is 2spooky.

Fang still has his flesh due to specialized preservation magic that he invented. He frequently lords this over the other less fortunate Archon liches.

----------
----------

You quickly explain to Adavan what he's missed, including the new alliance with the Black Lady.

Adavan shrugs. "I don't know that much about this Black Lady, either, but more allies can't be a bad thing. I trust your judgement."

<I'm glad for that,> you say, <but why did you let Obis go back there alone? He's the rightful king. He gives us the legitimate edge that Sandalphon won't have.>

"Because the thing back there is some kind of water demon gone rampant. I don't know where it came from, but we were no match for it in this place. We barely got out with our lives - I can't believe I have this, too." Adavan raises the key. "Look, Shadow. I like Obis. And, despite Freja trailing the prince around like a lost puppy, I like her, too. But I can't risk my life for fools. I'm the only one I can fully rely on to help the goddess. I have to keep myself alive."

You tell Adavan about the prophecy.

<You've done more than enough for me, Adavan,> you say. <You don't have to justify not sticking your neck out.>

"Good, because I'm really sick and tired of it, to be honest with you."

<What can you tell me that demon?>

"It can control the ice," he says, "and there's a lot of it down there. That, and a number of ice-based summoned creatures. It's not on par with a demon-lord, but the...aura, I suppose, that this place has is giving it an edge. It can merge in and out of the ice, too. Very difficult to spot and pin down. I figured that the best strategy was to get the hell out, so that's what I did."

Adavan holds his hand out. "If you're going back there, then I'll hang onto the keys. You can survive against that thing - I'm a bit more delicate. And I don't want to take the chance of returning to my phylactery and looking up at a demon lord's lovely face."

>actions

>>28144900
>Fang still has his flesh due to specialized preservation magic that he invented. He frequently lords this over the other less fortunate Archon liches.
Huh. I thought it was an illusion this whole time.

>>28144900
Hand over the key. Give him the Sun-Moon and Lightning keys too.

>>28144900
>But I can't risk my life for fools. I'm the only one I can fully rely on to help the goddess. I have to keep myself alive."
>"Good, because I'm really sick and tired of it, to be honest with you."

Adavan... I have some stuff to sperge about you, but later on.

We're also keeping the keys, and going for Obis now.

>>28144900
>"Good, because I'm really sick and tired of it, to be honest with you."
We should be a bit careful here. Adavan isn't so selfless as we are. I'm pretty sure he cares about Abigail, and Hecate, and maybe Flint and us, but not everyone else. We should pay more attention to what we ask him to do, and how much pressure we put on him, so that we don't lose him as an ally and friend.

>>28144947
No, no we're not doing that just yet.
Let him keep the water key because we trust him with it, but we've got to rush to Obis.

>>28144948
Seconding this. If he asks why, its not because we don't trust him but rather not putting all of our eggs in one basket.

>>28144962
It'd take all of two seconds to grab them from our purse and give them to him.

>>28144900

<Of course. Have a safe journey, I can return with the others>

give him the two keys we have. He can't free Hecate until we have Flint's families key anyway...

>>28144970
Which is a bad idea. All eggs in one basket as one anon said, another is that >>28144959 has a pretty incredible point.

>>28144962
this

>>28144900
>But I can't risk my life for fools.

It's okay, Addy. You've done more for us than we could have reasonably expected.
As for risking your life for fools? That's our specialty.
INTO THE DEPTHS.

>>28144986
So you don't think giving Adavan two keys to unlock the prison of his god would improve relations to him? Also, why do you think that keeping the keys on our person when we go into battle is a good idea? Adavan is sticking around up here, they're safer with him.

>>28144962
And if he grills us on possibly losing the keys while fighting the ice demon reassure him that it ain't gonna happen the way we keep 'em.

>>28144970
Because the keys we have are safer in our pocket then they are ANYWHERE out in the world.

>>28144983
lets just keep them in our pocket anyway, they're safer there.

i thought we got rid of our utility belt, why don't we just keep our shit in our pocket

>>28144900
I have a really crazy theory, but bear with me for this. I don't think this is just some "Ice Demon"
>Leviathan gets split into separate parts based on phases of water
>One Ice, one Water, one Vapour. possibly more or others
>Ice is here
>Water is in Atlantis
>Vapour is fucking around somewhere as a cloud. or is kill because skysever

I think it's time for SHARDS 2 LEVIATHAN BOOGALOO in which we eat the hunks of Leviathan and Orderize them so as to make steps to become Lord of Balance or some shit.

>>28145010
Oh, they're in our pocket? I thought they were still in our utility belt. Nevermind then.

>>28145001
>So you don't think giving Adavan two keys to unlock the prison of his god would improve relations to him?
I have choice and spergy words for that pre-typed for later on, with the whole Hectate landmine and such. But the keys we have are safer in our pocket than anywhere out in the world.

>>28145001
Because short of our WHOOPS moment with Abby, we've never dropped ANYTHING we've held on to. Ever.

>>28144900
Out of curiosity, how dark is this place? We're in a cave right? Plenty of shadows and alcoves to hole up in, right?

>>28145021
if they aren't then we put them there the first chance we get

...the keys ARE in our pocket, right SM? I remember doing that a bit back with a bunch of stuff.

>>28145036
Actually back when we were running away from Auriel and using our Supersonic for the first time or something the thing fell off and we had to roll to catch it.

>>28145052

They're in the utility belt. Moving them to the pocket would be easy.

>>28145037

It's nighttime at the moment, but the bay is exposed to open sky. The icy cave itself is pretty dark. Plenty of shadows and alcoves, yes.

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>>28145019

>>28145090
how about we put EVERYTHING WE OWN into the pocket as soon as possible and get rid of the stupid utility belt

>>28145090
Well that was foolish of us.

>>28145110
>Utility belt
>Stupid
Say that to my face fucker not online see what happens. That said we should put everything in the pocket.

>>28145110
>get rid of the stupid utility belt
MUH LEATHER FANNY PACK

>>28145090
Why don't we take the keys,

and move them into our pocket!

>>28145110

I agree with stuffing everything into pocket but lets keep the belt

Y'know it's going to look really silly of us as we JUST decide to put the keys into our pocket in front of Adavan, right AFTER he asked us for them.

...He probably won't like the >implications

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Why would Erebus' Pocket exist in the Nether, foul seething hotbed of Chaos, instead of some nice Orderly void?

>>28145110
>stupid utility belt.

Nigga that thing survived all manner of horrifying and god awful monsters from beyond the abyss and spells that would obliterate cities.

And you want to get rid of it.

>>28145154
That's a good point, lets wait until we're out of sight to put shit in our pocket.

>>28145154
Actually yeah we really shouldn't do it right now while he can see us.

Y'know we stole that utility belt from the airship area in Kelvere.

If the guy who owned it is still alive can you imagine how much fuck his head will be in if we ever meet him?

>>28145186
I thought we bought it?

>>28145186
>Kelvere
He's dead, Jim.

the pocket is a trap which dispels or eschews enchantments

calling it

>>28145186
>Anyone in Kelvere
>Alive
Pick one, and only one.

>>28145157

Because I said so.

COME AT ME BRO

>>28145206

You permanently borrowed it off of some boxes of supplies being unloaded from one of the duke's airships.

--------------
--------------

Vote 1:
>explain to Adavan the advantages of your Pocket, and place all keys there

Vote 2:
>give Adavan the keys, that security is just about as good

>>28145238
1

>>28145238
1

>>28145238
1

>>28145238
>2

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>>28145253

>we manifest pocket inside our mouth
>mimic eating the keys
>really, extremely, SUPERBLY pissed of lich
>his face

>>28145238
1

>>28145238
2

>>28145238
2

>>28145312
>>28145319
Why do you guys want our keys out in the world where they could be lost from our immediate and convenient reach?

>>28145238
2

4 to 3 in favor of pocket

>writing

>>28145238
1

>It will cost ~100-110xp to complete the middle tree (factoring in the estimated costs of the one or two between Ghost and Grave Silence)
>Afterwards, it will cost 80 more to get Order Immateria
God only knows that exists in that swirly darker grey area branching off of OI. I want it.

>SM is writing
>the time is now

For the nations and parties (and skeptical companions) opposed to the inclusion of BL-Melody focus on the fact that they're spouting the same hypocritical propoganda that the Empire of Light levies against and between their own countries, races, and lesser elements to keep them in line to their desires, and that following it to a T is exactly what the domination oriented Empire of Light is going for.
And that they should try to figure out the real origins of those lines of thinking and paranoia, mentioning Sandlethong would be good there.

Going back to what Aurial said...

>"Shadow, it all sounds well and lovely put like that - but remember what it looked like from our side. A powerful shadow mage on a level comparable to Sandalphon came out of knowhere and seized the entire northland. What if she told you a load of bull? What then?"
Reminds me of this:
>Hyperion strikes Erebus directly, fearing his involvement in the war.
And much later...
>The Shadow War begins. The Empire and Archon preemptively strike Vampiria through Windfury Valley.
A preemptive strike to drive nations into war based on fear, paranoia, and possibly desperation in Archons case. The whole light element spectrum is paranoia and presumption. Note the name of the war despite the Empire/Archon being aggressors.

They attacked first, AFTER BL-Melody had consolidated rule over Temerland and renamed it Vampiria. They attacked six months AFTER her expansion had ceased. Almost as if Sandlethong didn't want to miss the chance to unite the peoples closest to him against the element of his own hatred and fears.
We can mention that Archon only signed an armistice with the EoL out of political reaction to the state of the north, and likely only went with the preemptive attack because of how desperate Yi was to not lose territory, but only if that fact isn't evident to the ones we're speaking to.
(1/7)

>>28145238
>Because I said so.
Word of god a shit.

>>28145382
It's probably the Erebus power that allowed him to bend reality at his whims. I recall stories of there pretty much being a permanent eclipse wherever Erebus walked, and pretty much making darkness his bitch in the vicinity.

Also, Auriel you still love being an unlovable blockhead at times. >because that is exactly how Sandlethong framed it as
This is an instance where Auriel is parroting Sandlethongs paranoid hypocrisy.
Because of their directive to limit dangerous magics by force and dictatorship they went against Vampiria just to prevent an imagined disaster and encourage conflict, which Sandlethong then played into having the lesser nations all ally or acquiesce to the power of the Empire of Light in a isolationist way just so Vampiria would have competition, rather than forming an alliance and reacting to a real threat to the world in the way that WE are trying to achieve with the war council and the alliances with the nations that the Empire of Light have named lesser than themselves.

If it becomes appropriate make sure to outline to them that the Empire of Light was marginalizing and controlling the powers in the countries that could oppose them by abusing their own fears. Shadow & Spirit mages which are both realistic methods of defense against the power of the Empire of Light were regularly taken from them just to demilitarize and lessen the magical might of the smaller nations while using those same forces in their own Empire to enhance the power of their dominion.

The Duke & understands this well, we just have to convince the others of the fact that power was taken away from them that would have been useful against Vampiria; yet the Empire of Light chose to take it all for themselves and control it directly rather than have the lesser nations use it on an individual level.
We could go total human rights violations but the setting has multiple races so we can just use the passive comparison of them to their overlord to show how they're following the methods insisted upon them by powers that presume themselves higher and in control while it actively works to weaken their ability to question that power in any meaningful way.
(2/7)

>>28145359
So rude.

>>28145429
We could also outline stated intent+cause & effect in a simplistic manner;
Sandlethong said he wanted to prevent Vampirias expansion... So after Vampiria stopped expanding he drove all the countries into a major conflict with Vampiria.
The results: All the lesser nations became beholden to the Empire of Light more strongly. Their unified stalemate increases the power that the EoL has over them directly.
Vampiria has no say and the persecution of the major lesser elements continues to fuel the military might of the Empire of light.

Probably also mention the fact that Vampiria/BL-Melody ultimately responded to the ensuing warfare and conflicts with a defensive barrier after signing their own armistice, something clearly in line with how Vampria didn't expand after the Black Lady had consolidated the divided lands.

It's a wonder to me why these seemingly so politically aware small nations aren't already trying to ursurp the Empire that is so obviously against having them ever be individually powerful or aligned with their own interests, and how the Empire is driving them against each other just to weaken them internally to enhance their own dominion.

There's also the issue of when we surprise Arland with the war council. I think that it would be to our advantage to stage it just before night[dusk] so that if Angels show up to forcibly interrupt our talks we'll have a clear tactical advantage. I also think we need to have the War Council a max of two weeks before winter ends, just so these countries really have enough time to organize their forces just in case Kullia decides to take the initiative and charge Arland as soon as winter subsides or right before as a surprise attack. I think that mostly because of how much their forces seem to like surprise assaults.
(3/7)

>>28145238
1

>>28145458
So let's tread lightly before showering down the nightblazes. Maybe these nations will see the light for what it really is, if their leaders aren't just waiting for their chance at personal sovereignty.
Do keep in mind that we are essentially taking advantage of their desire for personal freedoms in order to get them to work together with Vampiria/BL-Melody for a common interest that is beneficial to us, and that our responsibility in this is to carry out that plan to help them all rather than be biased about it, which includes what I said before about trying to end the conflict as quickly as possible so Obis actually has an army so he survives becoming one true Kanian king and our dealing with Kullia allows the prevention of the Five-Way Demon Lord power orgy.

Also look out for the potential issues City 002 may force upon us, as they may react preemptively to Vampirias involvement and the formation of the Alliance.
So we might want to deal with them personally sooner rather than later and probaly before we call for the surprise war council.

And keep in mind that Sandlethong is definitely not sitting around waiting for something like this to happen and is probably planning something similar and he will eventually lose patience waiting for Lucifer to deliver the staff of winds to him and will likely make a move before the end of winter, which is another motivation to have the War Council before winters end.
[If we want to be direct we can use the fact that Sandelephon sent Lucifer to Xile as a bargaining chip in how recklessly Sandlephon is grasping for power, as he won't need to ask how we know and neither will the other countries as he'll assume that Vonnie sold us the info and the others on our side already trust us enough for that argument, plus Auriel will back it up and our party will know what we're playing at if we choose to use the info that way]
[4/7]

>>28145482
Obis is probably still madly in love with Kullia even though there's enough in setting evidence to suggest that she's a big player in the betrayel party. We should bring up that possibility to him, privately. It won't do to have a shellshocked King unable to do what's best for his people because of a planted lover.

I really like Adavans Hectate vs. Demon Lords plan. It's probably going to shake everyone else in the Alliance when we get around to freeing Hectate as this seems like a really HUGE landmine that many of our closest allies aren't aware of as Adavan asked us to keep it a secret.
Once it happens if we haven't done anything to reassure them about the rise of the elemental lady of spirit they're either going to dissolve the alliance or exlude us from it out of misplaced trust and the inevitable fallout of our personal friendships if we remain silent for too long.
The other countries may do something desperate and stupid like ally behind Sandlethong to the exclusion of Hectate much the same way they fear BL-Melody, which would basically undermine a lot of what we're trying to accomplish and set Spirit and Shadow to be reliably untrustworthy on a world level once again.
Though we do intend to free Hectate how we go about it and who knows beforehand and is able to prepare for it are all going to determine which people trust us and which go "fuck no."
The alliance as a whole is certainly likely to see freeing Hectate as bad or much worse than including BL-Melody, but our strongest political allies [Black Lady/Yi Fang/Abigail Fang] are very likely to agree with the idea.

We can also choose to alienate Adavan and prevent him from freeing Hectate by withholding the keys, though that would be wrong it wouldn't be particularly hypocritical and would be supported by the majority of our allies and companions. Stalling him for a time would obviously damage the tenuous trust we have,-
[5/7]

>>28145496
>7 posts
Holy hell man how long did this take you to write out?
Looks solid so far but wow.

>>28145496
-but another problem might be an inability to deal with the demon lords if they get a good chance at freedom without the aid of Hectate, who is probably going to need some time to repower.

There's the issue of who Flint is going to have to kill when we get to Arland to be free of his parasite, but we can only deal with the consequences of that as it comes so hopefully it's not someone he loves or someone too important. Though it's not likely to be anyone unimportant to Arland, that's going to have political family infighting issues that we'll have to deal with and tread lightly for. Hopefully we can have a trial for them and get 'em executed, but there are many things that can go wrong.

I've been thinking about how Kullias implicit motivations for engadging in war have become slightly different from what the Duke told us, unless we believe that the Ring City would plant a noble to summon demon lords. I might believe that. Maybe. But it seems a bit far for even Sandlethong or Lucifer, and there was the issue of that summoning group from Archon that Obis told us about, which we know who to ask about of course. But it seems far for even Yi Fang, though maybe he got the idea from the Shadow War. Hrmmm.
[6/7]

>>28145520
Anyways that's pretty much it for the biggest landmines I can think of regarding our allies right now. Oh, and you know how Flint wants to go with us when we go to our home? Don't do that. Forcibly teleport him away if needed, unless he's superman after the parasite is removed he'll likely not stand much of a chance, imagine for a moment what would've happened if we brought him or anyone else to our palace. Of course he'll get emotional about it, but we need him alive for this world and for Auriel, it would be too great of a risk. Unless he's superman...
[end rant]

Sorry for sperging again SM.

>>28145506
I have nightmares where shadow eats me via the bed method and I can't sleep for all the guilt I feel towards things promised but not delivered.

>>28145536
You're doing Erebus's work, anon.

I'll have to give this a thorough read after the quest ends, and I'd advise everyone else to hold off until then too in the interest of not grinding the actual game to a halt.

>>28145536
>Unless he's superman
I think that if it wasn't for the parasite, Flint would have been like pre-angel Sandalphon or maybe a little stronger. At least that's the vibe I get.

<Actually, I have a better idea. I can store all the keys in a space I can access at any time - sealed off from everything else. A Pocket, of sorts. The keys would be perfectly safe, there.>

Adavan hesitates for a moment, then hands you the Fire key.

>you acquired the Fire Key!

"Shadow," Adavan says, "my priority is unsealing the goddess. So, do me a favor and don't run off on some mad adventure before you leave them in my possession. Because on the off-chance you don't come back, that's the only recourse I have."

<We're in this together, Adavan,> you say. <I won't throw you to the wolves. Besides, we still need Flint's key at some point, so it's going to have to wait until our summit either way.>

Adavan heaves a heavy sigh. "I've been patient for a long, long time, Shadow. Too long. Well. Here's hoping you bring them both back in one piece. I'll wait here for the rest of the time I promised Obis, and then I'm piloting the ship - oh, not these things again!"

A chattering, crawling sound makes you turn. Scrambling out of the caves and over the docks are spiders - spiders made of ice, and half as large as a man. <Get on the ship.>

"I'm way ahead of you." In a burst of spirit magic, Adavan launches himself up and onto the deck of the Firebird. He works quickly to draw the mooring ropes up over the railing. "I'll drop anchor in the middle of the bay. Head for the palace - the way down is inside. Just hit the switch in one of the drop shafts!"

<Anything else I should know?>

"...after you enter the palace, its security will come on. Eight buttons. Hit the sixth, the fourth, and then the third from the right, in that order!"

An engine under the ship flares. Water boils. Steam rises. In a moment, it peels away from the docks.

You turn, and face an army of spiders.

What do you do?

>smash through them toward your destination
>use magic to take them out from a distance
>just fly over the wall, avoiding them entirely
>some other strategy

>>28145693
>smash through them toward your destination

>>28145693
>>smash through them toward your destination
don't want them to follow Adavan

>>28145693
>smash through them toward your destination
FUCK. SPIDERS.

>>28145693
>smash through them toward your destination

>>28145693
Can't we just Blink past them?

>>28145745
Yeah but where does that leave Adavan?

>>28145693
Why don't we just eat them?

>>28145760
Out in the water on the Firebird.

>>28145769
need some fuel for the shadow tree.

>>28145771
>implying they can't swim or create ice on the water they walk on.

>>28145760
Out in the middle of the ocean well out reach?

>>28145693
We probably don't want to fly over blind, because spiders means there might be webs. Actually, would we even think this is true? Do Venian spiders weave webs, or are they universally ambush predators seeing as airborne insects have likely died out thanks to the Skysever?

>smash through them toward your destination
Gauge their ability, let Adavan get clear. We don't want to destroy them OVERWHELMINGLY, since that might entice the ice demon to step up its assaults before we get down into the palace proper. We want it to think it will be able to handle us with summoned creatures so that it doesn't immediately decide to start ambushing us in person out of the walls of the ice caves.

We want to get as far in as possible having had the ice demon waste its energy on things that we can manage easily, rather than having to fight through the hard way from the very start.

>>28145790
>ice spider water based summons
>not being able to traverse ocean
Let's not take that kinda risk, and just CONSUME.

>>28145790
These thing were created by the elemental lord of water or those who worked directly under him. do you really think that they didn't some up with a way for them to fight/travel in the water.

Plus, EXP

>>28145693
CONSUME

>>28145811
lets just consume them one by one.

it isn't like water/ice attacks do any damage to us

>>28145845
Well we'll find out that's for sure.

Alright, you'll smash right through the bastards, consuming them as you can without unduly slowing yourself. Thereby establishing yourself as a primary threat without overwhelmingly annihilating them with magic.

Roll 1d100; three sets of rolls

Rolled 47

>>28145890
OH SHIT HERE WE GO AGAIN

Rolled 13

>>28145890
>get 1
>Die to ice spiders.

Rolled 44

>>28145890
>Establishing yourself as a primary threat
I don't like that wording...

Rolled 76

>>28145890

Rolled 85

>>28145890
This is what I'm here for!

Rolled 62

>>28145890

Rolled 98

>>28145890
>inb4 nat 1

Rolled 19

>>28145890

Rolled 40

>>28145890
Invoking the power of METAL since funk is dead.

Rolled 18

>>28145890
And another!

Well, aside from that middle set we sort of sucked there.

>>28145890

guys I think its time to let retribution have some fun.

>>28145967
Yeah, but we don't always need high rolls to win. I remember there was one stealth roll back after the first demon lord fight that had a dc of 5.

>>28145907
>>28145910
>>28145912

>>28145915
>>28145916
>>28145920

>>28145933
>>28145936
>>28145939

>>28145967
Resistances:
Water - Mighty

Hopefully we good.

>>28145967
>>28145984
I'm not too worried. We're surrounded by fucking water so any damage is easily healed. We can take the hit.

You rush the spiders head-on.

With a clacking chitter, they rush back. Spiked limbs and icy claws scrap and scratch at you, but you hardly feel them. With an easy swipe of your arm, they explode into shards of ice. You make your way forward without difficulty, tossing the spiders up and away without challenge.

But you notice that the shattered ice doesn't stay around. The shards and slivers sink into the carved ice of the docks - and vanish. You grab one spider and consume it - but it breaks apart on its own before you can absorb its power. Whatever is controlling these things is being more cautious then you realized.

In pausing to try to eat a spider, you were surrounded, but their sharpened limbs do little to harm you. You continue to push forward, and the swarm follows you, chasing you back through the tunnel even as you smash more of them. Despite how many you've killed, more keep coming.

>you've taken 2 damage (79/81)
>mana: 53/58 (from using Pocket)

You emerge on the other end of the tunnel, in front of the fake gatehouse. The spiders clitter and clatter around you.

The ice shakes. You glance up. A massive spider is crawling toward you, half its legs propped up against the outer wall so that it can fit in the space.

What do you do?

>ignore the big spider, head for the central palace area
>smash through the spider with a physical attack
>attack the big spider with magic
>some other strategy

>>28146071
>smash through the spider with a physical attack
Let's see if we can consume this bitch

>>28146071
CONSUME

>>28146071
>smash through the spider with a physical attack
Seems like a good time for the Schattenkrieg.

>>28146071
Whatever we do, don't waste our mana on the adds.

>>28146095
why not?

seconding this

>>28146071
CONSUME

>>28146071

Schattenkrieg

>people get told that they disassemble themselves before they can be consumed
>try consuming anyways

c'mon guys, these things are just here to stall us from the palace, we gotta go!

>>28146150
It's even stupider than that since they're trying to consume it before even weakening it and we know how badly that can go.

>>28146071
shattenkrieg then continue on full speed to the palace

>>28146071
>ignore the big spider, head for the central palace area

Vote 1:
>consume

Vote 2:
>schattenkrieg

Vote 3:
>ignore, continue to palace

>>28146095
thirding

>>28146202
2

>>28146202
2

>>28146202
3

>>28146150
I assumed that the CONSUMption failed because we rolled badly

>>28146202
can we try schattenkrieg through the spider and continue on to the palace?

>>28146202
2

>>28146202
2

>>28146202
2

>>28146071
>Shapshift under the spider.
>lift it up and stay between it and the ice.
>CONSUME now that it cannot escape
Try it with the big one first, you can practice with small ones after they have seen your tactic.

>>28146202
2

>>28146202
1

>>28146202
1

Roll 1d100 to schattenkrieg

Rolled 62

>>28146279
Fial

Rolled 74

>>28146279
Time to fly. Or die.

Rolled 10

>>28146279

Rolled 99

>>28146279
>nat 1

Rolled 77

>>28146279

>>28146297
>99
>after the first three
>right after a ten

Suffering.

Rolled 48

>>28146279
Oh well, lets go!

You gather your power behind you.

The spiders continue to scrape and claw at you as the giant stomps closer, but as your aura begins to swirl, their arms and deflected away.

-BOOM-

In a twist of Shadow you explode off the ground, knocking a wave of spiders back and into the wall hard enough to crush them. You pierce through the middle of your target, shredding its icy core. The remains clatter to the ground and melt into the ice.

When you cut out your speed, you're hovering high above the island proper. There is no pursuit; the spiders are stuck on the ground.

What do you do?

>on to the palace
>some other strategy

----------
----------

Taking half-hour to hour break for dinner.

>>28146338
>on to the palace

>>28146338
>on to the palace
Hey SM what do you think of the sperge?

>>28146338
>>on to the palace

>>28146349
sperge?

>>28146338
>on to the palace
Obis! We're comin' for you buddy!

Hey guys can we discuss Nelmar?

>>28146338
>on to the palace

you better not die Obis, we need you to be legitimate usurpers.

>>28146411
I was thinking of freeing the prisoners there and finding a way to restore their magic. since that is where all the strongest mage criminals are.

>Eight buttons. Hit the sixth, the fourth, and then the third from the right, in that order.

This would be the equivalent of 3 5 6, right? Might be good to remember.

>>28146478
I was thinking that we should avoid flying over that area, lest we crash and burn.
Or we could drag Sandlethong into the place or bait a conflict near there or drive anyone else variably powerful into the no magic zone then take care of 'em that way.

>>28146479
Actually, I think it would be 3 5 6, left.

>>28146503
or we could use nightblaze and have the same affect

>>28146527
>>28146503
actually we could use nightblaze and not only cancel their magic but we still can use ours

>>28146527
That only cancels a spell though, in Nelmar eliminates all magical forms of power.

I also think it may be neat to try to recreate the effect with a powerful lightning mage and a powerful spirit mage, if we could.

Anybody else think we should give our servants a complete list of their abilities, just to tell them everything. cause they may not know about the resistances, or the immunity to ailments, or the sense. or they may not know the specifics of their abilities.

>>28146568
>Nightblaze - Cancel enchantments and spells in an area around you. Success and range based on mana spent. (Spend 4 to 10 mana. Radius: 30 feet. Additional 20 feet per mana. Alternate: Spend 10 mana to attempt to cancel any one single spell in sight-range with a greatly enhanced success rate)

GUYS WHAT IF WE USED ARTIFACT ON OUR UTILITY BELT

>>28146618
...Not a bad idea.

>>28146592
Yes, I know about nightblaze, I'm still interested in somehow recreating the permanent effects of Nelmar though. Long-lasting antimagic that dispels summons and magic power could be laid down on a battlefield is something that sounds really nice to deal with Kan-Abar.

>>28146618
What would that do? Make our utility belt a belt of holding or something? Allow us to pull anything we need out of the belt at any time?

File: 1383791336145.gif-(129 KB, 485x485, party.gif)

129 KB GIF

>>28146618
no..

>>28146651
So...Pocket?

>>28146651
makes it made of shadow and invisible to all but the holder?

What if we used artifact on an artifacted item?

>>28146686
maybe but with the added effects of

not having to use mana/ no limit on how much stuff we can put in there.

>>28146690
>>28146651
>>28146633
>>28146618
I just realized how much SM could have backed himself into a corner by allowing us to use Artifact on ANYTHING we want. there are some serious possibilities

A tank of water to create a shadow/water elemental

Construct for MECHS

Ariships

Land, or Haven in general. Maybe we'll get a fortress?

A Person?

>>28146719
so pocket.

>>28146756
>MECHS
We were planning on artifacting our construct once we got it to the max level of possible upgrades for it.
MV and ML.

>>28146719
Still not much better than Pocket. Not worth the exp and 1 of the 2 uses we have left of the Artifact skill.

>>28146756
>Artifact a person
I wonder if that's what Erebus tried on Dave?

>>28146798
Dave is a crazyfuck because he spent 700 years in the nether.

>>28146793
>We were planning on artifacting our construct
You might be but I'd rather do it for something more useful. Like a rock or a tree.

>>28146798
That's just Chosen/Champion.

>>28146793
I'm thinking Mechs, and Haven once we get walls and dungeons and tunnels and traps and defenses and all the other fortressy things that we need

>>28146759

pocket has a limit

>>28146822
no, dave is just nether crazy.

>>28146815
You mean a super robot servant of shadow won't be useful?
Hell our construct is similar to a steward right now.
Plus its way better than artifacting a person or a utility belt.

>>28146862
But not better than artifacting a rock or a tree.

>>28146839
And that limit is ridiculously big and could possibly get bigger if the summon tree has a mana boost in it.

>>28146862
You can't say for sure on the person thing, bvut i still support getting an uber-mech. we should consult with Steward and City 001 first.

>>28146873
Okay then argue your point about artifacting a rock or tree.

>Shadow Totem - Form an automatic magic turret from rock and shadow that fires shadow assaults. Will attack closest enemy within range. With Machina Loqui, can be programmed to focus fire on selected targets. Lasts until destroyed,or ten minutes pass. (costs 12 mana) Totems hardwired to mana pools can last indefinitely. Old totems can be 'recharged' before they die for 4 mana.

We should wire a ton of those to the manapool at Haven.

>>28146902
It is called sarcasm, not me but i just see this guy doing it.

>>28146905
We have planned to do this but for some reason people were arguing against doing this before we left

>>28146896
I thought we could only artifact in animate objects and we already have two abilities that are similar to artifact.

>>28146920
>We have planned to do this but for some reason people were arguing against doing this before we left
We wanted mindcrush and got it, in an effort to further the spirit tree and such.

>>28146949
We gotta use that in the battle with the bad water, as a test of sorts...

>>28146922
>Artifact - You may enchant any single object into a magical artifact of legendary power. This power can only be used three times. (10 EXP)

This is what it says in the pastebin.

and i am not saying we do this, it could very well create another Dave. it is just an anomaly of immesurable helpfulness or harmfulness

>>28146966
Might not work on things without minds

>>28146949
And now we must get dream walker because long-distance communication would be so fucking useful for all the shit we're doing right now.

>>28146967
>and i am not saying we do this, it could very well create another Dave
I thought people stopped with this nonsense...

>>28146859
Pretty sure he means you can't artifact people, Dave was one of Erebus' old Chosen/Champions.

>>28146982
Chosening someone and artifacting someone are two completely different things.

Chosening is meant for humans, artifacting isn't.

>>28146980
Voting Shadow totem first

>>28146905
They aren't as useful with out Machina Loqui.
Plus everyone agreed to go down the spirit tree.(It also has useful abilities that would have been better to get earlier.)
>Confuse - Target may randomly flee, damage self, or attack allies. (5 mana)
Great all around ability.
>Dream Walk - Walk amongst the world of dreams. Can be used for long-distance communication, or to invade the minds of foes and gather information. But be careful - the dreamer has great power in his own dream, you might not be the only one to walk amongst them. (5 mana)
Long distance communication and possibly stealing information.
>Spirit Siphon - Spend 5 to 15 mana. If successful, does minor Spirit damage, and gain 50% chance to drain all mana from enemy (guaranteed at least 1 mana gained this way). (note that the 50% chance and "all mana" denote base values, which vary depending on battle conditions and the target)
I'm surprised we didn't get this earlier since it would have helped with our shard battles.

>>28146977
Summons technically have minds. Or mind-likes. The fear power has worked on them before, waaaay back.

>>28146989
Point me to something that supports that and i shall consider your argument.

Chosening didn't make him crazy

>>28147003
but shadow totem + Machina Loqui will not only help immensely in any sort of defense ever. but it will allow for the creation of new Constructs and will help with helping out City 001 over those dicks City 002. and it will help us on our way towards our next Artifact

>>28146999
Nah shadow totems are only useful with ML, if we get that then i'm voting for them until then i'll vote for the other abilities.

>>28147022
We never said it did. We're saying Artifact didn't create David because he got his powers from being Chosened/Championed.

His nether insanity has nothing to do with this.

>>28146967
>It could very well create another Dave.
Wow, now you're doing this to other skills too, fuck, stop already.
Also, "object" MIGHT apply to people, if the obvious assumption that the skill is for non-organics doesn't apply for some reason, but and artifact is by definition something that is crafted, such as a tool or work of art.

>>28147022
No, being neglected and trying to gain the attention of Erebus, followed by years of floating in the nether. And I'm not going to get any more specific, not because I'm wrong, but because we've had this exact conversation at least ten times in past threads, with the heavy majority being in my favor.

>>28147069
Erebus could have Chosen him and Artifacted him to see if he could turn humans into beings of order instead of chaos, and the process could have driven him crazy

>>28147056
Which is why i said.
>>28147062
Its a great power if its smart, but i know that dumb turrets do more harm than good.plus it was semi confirmed that the City 001 and 002 thing might have been too late or be horrible one sided by now.

>>28147084
>Could Have
>If If If
Alrighty.

So who's up for having the war council as dusk to accentuate our shadowy power? I liked that idea.

>>28147076
Yes i agree with you on both counts. either way we are not artifacting a person. i was just speculating.

I was on your side when we argued it before

File: 1383792902614.jpg-(389 KB, 800x500, City in the Deep.jpg)

389 KB JPG

You decide to head straight for the palace. You fly there, swiftly cruising over the tangle of buildings and ice.

The palace itself is less a palace than a giant shell of ice. You walk in the obvious entrance. A wide, squared hall lies before you, all carved right out of the frozen sea.

Just a few steps in, you feel a heavy thrum of water in the air around you. The hall vibrates. Eight buttons slide out from the wall on your left.

You quickly press them in the order Adavan showed you. The magic dies away, and the buttons vanish. Confident that you've disabled whatever trap that was, you continue forward.

The palace is silent and empty. The hallways are uniform in their construction, angular and without decoration. It's a bit off-putting; there's no relief from the sheen of ice that surrounds you. You almost miss the shimmering teal carpets and glaring marble of Xile. Almost.

The main hall ends in a circular, domed chamber. There is a pedestal with an obvious switch sitting in the room. An ambient light glows from the frozen water that surrounds you.

This must be the passage down into the core of this place.

What do you do?

>press button
>something else

>con't

>>28147084
Except he couldn't have done that, because anyone with sense in their head understands the implication that artifact is for inanimate objects. No, it isn't directly stated, but to somehow think it CAN be used on people is even less rational than to think it can't.

Also:
artifact [ahr-tuh-fakt]
noun
1.
any object made by human beings, especially with a view to subsequent use.
2.
a handmade object, as a tool, or the remains of one, as a shard of pottery, characteristic of an earlier time or cultural stage, especially such an object found at an archaeological excavation.
3.
any mass-produced, usually inexpensive object reflecting contemporary society or popular culture: artifacts of the pop rock generation.
4.
a substance or structure not naturally present in the matter being observed but formed by artificial means, as during preparation of a microscope slide.
5.
a spurious observation or result arising from preparatory or investigative procedures.


4 or 5 MIGHT be used to describe organic things, but anyone who assumes that when given the context doesn't understand the connotation of the word.

So do you want to continue down the spirit tree
Or
Do you want to go down the earth tree.
Both have their cons and pros.

>>28147124

Note: that post has no continuation. Go ahead and make a choice.

I know you're going to push the button so I already typed the next part.

--------------
--------------

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpXvbEcKDeY

The dome shudders, and you feel a brief sensation of freefall - and then a long groan tells you that you're moving downward. For a minute, the shudder and shift of ice on ice is the only sound.

And then you drop below the water level.

Ice you thought was too thick to see through is suddenly crystal clear. Below you is the entrance to a grand construction of towers and domes, sitting on the ocean floor. You haven't gone that far down - the island must sit on some sort of shelf of land. And indeed, around the edges of the city, the ocean continues down into endless black depths devoid of light.

Devoid of light. Leviathan couldn't have been so bad, then.

The dome in which you sit floats down through the water, then settles on an wide stone platform. Part of the ice peels back, leaving a tiny archway out and into the water. The ocean itself should now be rushing into your small capsule, but something holds it at bay.

There is a short walk between you and your destination - the palace proper. It's one you'll have to take fully drenched, apparently. The water itself is murky, but you have a good line of sight. Nothing is nearby but a few schools of fish, lingering in the coral that's grown up the edges of the buildings.

What do you do?

>move forward into the palace
>some other strategy

>>28147124
press

>>28147124
So this place would become easier if had had ML.

>>28147127
>Erebus
>Giving a fuck what happens to anything or anyone ever

>>28147124
>>press button
You know it, brother.

>>28147148
>>some other strategy
Send our wisp bro to scout ahead while we analyze our surroundings.

File: 1383793206841.jpg-(10 KB, 193x245, worry.jpg)

10 KB JPG

>>28147148
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpXvbEcKDeY
>Hell's Gate

>>28147148
>Devoid of light. Leviathan couldn't have been so bad, then.
A hint to free Leviathan to get him on our side.

Move forward into the Palace, it's the only path after all.

>>28147148
this>>28147196

Can we not destroy the home of another elemental lord?

>>28147232
>>28147196
Obis may be kill if we wait.

>>28147169
You can't be quoting me, can you?
Erebus didn't give a fuck. I don't see how that's relevant to artifact not working on people at all.

>>28147148
>move forward into the palace
Be ready to blink out of the jaws of closing traps.

>>28147277
He would artifact him to see what happens and he doesn't give a fuck how Dave turns out.

>>28147277
It may or may not work, either way we aren't going to find out

>>28147148
Let's make sure to move fast.

>>28147003
>Plus everyone agreed to go down the spirit tree.(It also has useful abilities that would have been better to get earlier.)

Whoa whoa whoa whoa. What is this 'everyone' you speak of?

I didn't. I'm one of the earthbros that has been clamoring for it - and pointing out how damn useful it is all the time - and I never wanted any spirit stuff.

team hydra got their thing, let us finish the amazing magitech tree first.

We can buy spirit shit anytime, but manufacturing things and boosting industry is better done earlier than later.

Fuck spirit, get earth.
Get constructs, get a haven army, get dynamos, hack the automaton cities, wire shadow turrets to mana pools, become pocket-enabled golem APC, build abby a luke skywalker hand, improve yi fang's airship army - the list goes on and on of useful stuff.

When we're talking about stomping demon lords and army-on-army action, there's just no way that Spirit Siphon is as useful as Pillar of the Earth.
Hell, machina loqui is CHEAP. Just get it already.

>>28147196
>>28147232
I think Adavan already told us about the security, which we shut off. The only antagonist down here should be that water demon that kidnapped Freja.

You send your Wisp out into the ocean. Your loyal servant bobs to obey.

>mana: 52/58

The wisp drifts out into the water. Nothing happens. You feel your confidence building.

It gets about halfway when a dark shadow sweeps over your dome. A huge fish with teeth like razors swims out of the darkness below the city! A rush of Water speeds its passage as it devours your wisp in an instant.

The fish swims wide circles over your tiny dome, eventually moving right by. You see a large red eye staring at you from the side of its head. It swims back out, then continues to do circuits over the area between you and the palace, keeping you in its sight.

What do you do?

>rush to the palace FAST
>underwater schattenkrieg
>step out, wait for the monster to attack, then dodge and counter
>some other strategy

>>28147343

Did we actually do this?

I was breezing past, but he was awfully specific about pushing certain buttons in a specific order, not one big one

>>28147389
>The fish swims wide circles over your tiny dome, eventually moving right by. You see a large red eye staring at you from the side of its head. It swims back out, then continues to do circuits over the area between you and the palace, keeping you in its sight.
>>28147389
>>some other strategy

Use telepathy. Say hi. Ask it for safe passage.

>>28147389
>>some other strategy
CONSUME

>>28147389
>>step out, wait for the monster to attack, then dodge and counter

Fish a shit. Plus consume for EXP, since we have Waterborne it should be easy to maneuver.

Schattenkrieg wont work well underwater at all.

>>28147302
>He would artifact him to see what happens.
Okay, except that doesn't match what we've been told about Dave's history so far.
Furthermore, Erebus was the lord of not giving a shit and wanting to wreck everything, but not of lolsorandumb. If we're assuming that artifact wouldn't work, or do something strange as you're implying by "see what happens," then there's no fucking reason Erebus would do it either. "Artifact wouldn't work on people, so let's try it to see what happens" = "trees don't grow while on fire, let's light one up and see if it grows."

To summarize: there's no reason whatsoever going with given information to think artifact was ever used on Dave. You're just trying to defend it at this point because the idea popped into your head and you thought it sounded good.

>>28147390
Read it again.
>Eight buttons slide out from the wall on your left.
>You quickly press them in the order Adavan showed you. The magic dies away, and the buttons vanish. Confident that you've disabled whatever trap that was, you continue forward.

Pre-solved puzzles aren't really worth more than two lines of text, so it's understandable that you'd miss it.

>>28147389
Just Blink past to where we want to go. It's a fucking fish. Fuck it. Just go.

>>28147389

>rush to the palace FAST

and use breeze if necessary

>>28147338
you, i like you

>>28147390
Yes, we did it. Best not to breeze past the text.

>>28147389
We can fast blink guys, let's just use it.

>>28147389

blink

>>28147389
>Shadowmeld

>>28147389
Fast blink to the Palace, we can take care of the fish for XP after we know Obis is safe.

>>28147389

just Blink to where we want to go

>>28147389
Why don't we just blink as close as possible to the Dome, and then rush the rest of the way. We are extremely fast, and if the fish catches up to us, then we'll just fucking eat it.

>>28147411
There is nothing that says it won't work. Anywhere. There is plenty of reason for him to do it. Making Dave super strong which it is clear he already wanted to do. Turning humans into beings of Order instead of beings of Chaos. Other shit i haven't thought of yet. you just don't know.

Plus we have only located maybe one of his artifacts (the palace)

>>28147467
Or use fast blink to blink multiple times easily.

>>28147389
>>rush to the palace FAST
Blink we will come back for him later when we return with our friend and his bitch in heat.

>>28147467
sure, why not

>>28147425

Then put your money where your mouth is when it comes to voting time.

>>28147480
we only need 1 blink and it takes time to recharge

>>28147422
here

changing my vote to just using blink or fast blink if we can't make there in with just one

>>28147488
i did and will in the future. i brought it up in this thread first.

>>28147471

We're not wasting our use of artifact, tho. There are two uses of it remaining forever.

The best use i've seen of it proposed was .... making a new shard that we could use to pretend to be erebus with.
That's actually useful when it comes to unraveling his old shit.

But given our bungling of the palace, I don't think its needed.

>>28147399
>Use telepathy. Say hi. Ask it for safe passage.
Why aren't we trying this first, AS we rush to save obis? For all we know, he's already in its belly.