>>29115102

Again, you awaken and expect to be at home in your village; you expect to rise to your feet to see familiar sights and people. Instead, you find yourself lying in a canvas cot in what looks like some sort of living room.

You push yourself to your feet, body aching, and take a quick look around. You're dizzy, vision a bit blurred, and bothered somewhat by this unfamiliar location. This, you believe, is Callestria, the great city to the south. Briefly, you wonder where this place is, and where the hunters you met on your journey are.

Simple leather furniture is arranged around you and the red rug you're sitting on. At one wall, a stone fireplace is set into the wooden building. Above its mantle, strange trophies are mounted upon the wall. Wide, vulpine heads stare down at you with open mouths full of fangs. Long plumages of strange avian faces rise to touch the ceiling, or drape down to brush against the mantle.

To your left, the mid-day sun shines through a pair of windows on either side of the door. To your right, a hallway extends further into the building, with two doors on either side.

What will you do?
>Other

>>29115143
>Get up and look around a bit. Try to remember things

>no memory of how we got here?
I'm hopping eric just got really drunk the night before.

>>29115143
Use our spirit meditation to see if there is anything strong nearby.

>>29115223
Seconding this.

Where's our shit?

>>29115143
Does he know whose house this is at least? Or did we pass out from injuries and get carried here?

>>29115223
>>29115313

Beyond the strange, unfamiliar sights of the Callestria streets, you remember only walking with the four hunters, injured and exhausted, through the night and most of the next day.

>>29115295
>>29115296


You clear your head, pushing pain and dizziness aside, and focusing instead on the realm of Spirits and the latent power of Soul. Multiple familiar presences appear to you, nearby; you note that your belongings lie in a pile by the door, atop your folded snakeskin cloak, with Scourge propped against the wall next to them.

Down the hallway to your right, you sense the presence of idle, Shard-infused objects—most likely, Grato and Sonia's from earlier. You take a step toward the doors for a closer look; three of them are closed, with the furthest one on the right cracked about halfway.

What will you do?
>Other

>>29115423
Knock on the slightly open door.

Then check the kitchen.

>>29115423
>Check inside.

>>29115423
Lets check the room with the open door. Go knock on the door.

>>29115468
>>29115486
>>29115451

You stumble across the room and down the hallway, which appears to open into a small kitchen area. Resolving to investigate that later, you instead knock lightly on the half-open wooden door. Loose on its hinges, it swings about another quarter of the way open as you knock, creaking a bit.

“That you, Erick?” At one end of the room, Rebecca sits on a bed, facing the opposite wall. Upper body unclothed, she looks to be about halfway through the process of bandaging her chest—from here, the injuries look worse than you imagined, and you doubt she escaped without at least minor burns as well. She glances at you over her shoulder, grinning, though she looks to be in a bit of pain. “Glad you're awake. Welcome to Callestria.”

>What will you say?

>>29115693
>Ah, I apologize for barging in.
>I seem to have trouble with my memory, would you like to explain?
>How are your wounds?

Eyes to face, Erick.

>>29115693
"Good to be here, i suppose... How are your wounds?"

>>29115693
Need any help bandaging?

>>29115693
>Ask if she needs help putting on the bandages

>>29115739
>>29115793

“Ah, I apologize for barging in.” You nod, raising a hand, and mentally committing yourself to keeping your gaze elevated.

“Don't worry about it.” She says, continuing her task. “I'd rather know you're still breathing after that fiasco. The others will be happy to hear it, too. Sonia wouldn't rest until I told her you'd be alright. Girl seems to have taken a bit of a liking to you.”

“I seem to be having some trouble with my memory. Where exactly is this?”

“I'm not surprised, after all of that walking we did. I'll admit, I was a little short sighted, not factoring the lack of food and sleep into our travel time. This is our base of operations, for lack of a better term.” Rebecca responds. “It's a little lodge in the way-back of the city. The four of us bought it on the cheap after our first big job for the city a couple of years ago. We've been working together ever since.”

“I see. How are your wounds?” You ask.

“They're a bit rougher than I thought, especially after the walk. I've been through worse, though. Looks like you have too.” She shrugs, gesturing to her upper body. You look down—recalling that it hasn't been terribly long since your journey began—at old wounds reopened by the battle with the drake and the walk to the city. Your shirt is stained with blood, in places; you recall the horn of a beast cutting into your shoulder, and the fangs of a snake slashing across your chest and clamping down on your arm. “I'm guessing it hasn't been easy for you after you left home, but you don't have to tell me all about that.”

What will you say?
>Respond to her statement. (Write-in.)
>Ask about one of the other hunters—Grato, Sonia, or Daeron.
>Ask if she needs help bandaging.
>Other

>>29116120
>>Ask if she needs help bandaging.

>>29116120
>>Ask if she needs help bandaging.

>Respond to her statement. (Write-in.)
"It's not been the best, but making friends makes the trip all the sweeter."

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>>29116120
>Ask if she needs help bandaging.

How attractive is Rebecca anyway?

>>29116255
I am going to say about as good as a chick with scarred tits who just got bodied by a not-a-drake could be.

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>>29116328
>implying scars are unattractive
shame on you

>>29116255
>>29116406

I'm pretty sure Rebecca us older than us by a fair margin.

>>29116120
>Respond to her statement.
"There are all manner of beasts out there, and i had my fair share of them. Such is the way of a traveler, i suppose."
>Ask if she needs help bandaging.

>>29116143
>>29116170
>>29116255

The trick is making it not sound creepy. Asking if any of the others need help with their injuries might help that.

>>29116406
Scars on your face? not so much.
Scars on your boobs? Just a little.

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>>29116524
Its better than actually losing the tits.

>>29116328

(( >>29116328 isn't far off from the truth.
I don't usually use pictures, but that is a pretty good one. ))

>>29116419

She is, in fact, though you're not sure by how many years. You'd wager around ten, give or take a couple.

>>29116143
>>29116170

“It's not been the best. I'm sure you know there's all manners of beasts out there, and I've encountered my fair share. It's the way of a traveler, I suppose.” You pause, cracking a smile. “Need a hand with those bandages?”

She scoffs, then glances over her shoulder again with a grin, eyebrows raised. “I think I can handle it myself. Thanks for the offer. Is anyone else awake yet?”

“Not that I know of.” You respond. “I imagine they're all still out.”

What will you do?
>Go see if anyone else is awake.
>Explore the building a bit more.
>Ask something about one of the other hunters—Grato, Sonia, or Daeron. (Write-in)
>Other

>>29116576

Anon, if you're trying to put me off Rebecca you're doing a magnificent job of it.

>>29116642
>>Ask something about one of the other hunters—Sonia

Sorta curious about the girl who saved our ass earlier.

>>29116524
He never said she had scars on her boobs. He said she was bandaging her chest. Her are some non scar boob reasons for that.
>any injury to the ribs (cuts, burns, bruises)
>any injury to the back (you would need to wrap them all the way around to get them to stay)
>big boobs. Before the invention of the sports bra athletic well endowed women had to tie cloth really tight to avoid unwanted bouncing.

>>29116642
>>Go see if anyone else is awake.

>>29116649
My computer wouldn't even load it properly. I had to click on it to see.
I wish I didn't.

>>29116642
>Ask something about one of the other hunters—Sonia

Can we stop talking about boobs now? It's starting to get a little annoying.

>>29116642
>Ask something about one of the other hunters—Sonia

>>29116715
>>29116649
Its not that bad, hell female archers used to cut off a tit so they can fire their arrows.

>>29116576
I do not want to sound cruel or cold or unfeeling, I`m sure she has her reasons for looking like this, but holy hell: MY EYES, GOD, MY GODDAMNED EYES, KILL IT, KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!!

>>29116642
>Explore the building a bit more.
She's not dressed yet. Let's give her some privacy.

>>29116419
Yes, but I think Sonia's only two years younger than us.

>>29116750

Yeah, I totally needed to know that.

Whatever, she's older than us by a decade, so I'm not interested.

>>29116750
That was only the nuts ones!

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>>29116716
>>29116715
>>29116649
>>29116750
>>29116762
Calm down OP confirmed she looks like this. With or without scars. >>29116255

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>>29116642
>I don't usually use pictures, but that is a pretty good one.
Time to find character art for our companions. Starting with Daeron

>>29117253
>the fuck dude?

>>29117253
>Heh, nigga's gotta tiny sword!

>>29116716
>>29116737
>>29116674

“What else do you know about Sonia?” You ask.

“Surprisingly, not terribly much.” Rebecca responds. “She was practically tagging along with us when we got our start. I can't help but think of her as a group project sometimes, actually—she was untrained and a bit uncouth, but we've helped her improve quite a bit over time. She's slowly becoming the product of the best of all our knowledge, I think.”

“How'd you meet her?”

“She's from the desert, way up in the north. She says she came to Callestria with a merchants' caravan, and I have yet to decide if she stayed out here, got left behind, or was just stowing away to begin with.” Rebecca stalls, then continues. “Something tells me she was a thief, then, but that's none of my business. Can't imagine any other way she'd get her hands on a weapon like that, though.”

Recalling the girl's feats of agility, you raise your eyebrows, and Rebecca nods. “Ah, I see. Is that what you're interested in, then?”

“A little. Do you know anything about it?” You ask.

“The girl's quick enough already, but I believe that blade of hers is what's letting her keep pace with—well, outpace us, actually. I believe you've seen first-hand what she can do?”

Though your craft no longer seems commonplace, you've realized that Shard-infused weapons from an older day still permeate the world; Sonia and Grato's, for example. The attack of that summoned drake, though, you still have yet to figure out.

“I have. If that's the case, then why wouldn't one of you use it?” You ask.

“Because it belongs to her.” The woman responds. “But actually, we're way ahead of you. We've tried that idea, in the past, but the weapon doesn't seem to have the same effect on anyone but her.”

What will you do?
>Go see if anyone else is awake.
>Explore the building a bit more.
>Ask something about one of the other hunters—Grato, Sonia, or Daeron. (Write-in)
>Other

>>29117417
>Go see if anyone else is awake.

Let Rebecca get her bandages done before talking to her more.

>>29117417
>Explore the building a bit more.

Well, we'd better stop taking up her time then.

>>29117417
>Explore the building a bit more.

>>29117417
>>Go see if anyone else is awake.

>>29117417
>>Go see if anyone else is awake.
>>Explore the building a bit more.
Exploring should lead to the other path.

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>>29117253
Sonia

>>29117417
>Explore the building a bit more.

>>29117417
>Go see if anyone else is awake.
if not
>Explore the building a bit more.

>>29117417
Take opportunity to see if we can summon skeith like the mysterious asshole summoned a drake.

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>>29117417
>>Go see if anyone else is awake.
>>Explore the building a bit more.

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>>29117584
This is Grato after someone insulted a friend of his.

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>>29117810
Is this about how old Rebecca looks?

“I see.” That's curious. “Sorry for taking up your time.”

“Ah, don't trouble yourself.” Rebecca responds. “I'll be done in a few minutes.”

You make your way back into the hallway, where things still seem to be quiet. One by one, you crack the doors to the rooms and take a look inside. Two of them are dark, barring sun shining through the window panes. In the first, Grato lies on his bed, snoring quietly, still dressed from yesterday. The second appears empty at a cursory glance, but a closer look reveals an approximately human-sized lump beneath the covers. In the third room, a lamp is lit; inside, you see Daeron, half-conscious, his lower body slumped out of his bed with his feet just touching the floor.

“You alright?” You ask.

He gives a long, drawn out groan, before speaking, voice muffled by the pillow on his face. “I'm sleeping.”

“Oh, sorry.” You quietly shut the door. Guess they're asleep.

You make your way into the kitchen, well-furnished though small. There's a wide wooden counter with a simple range and roasting oven set into it. Nearby, there's an unevenly-cut wooden table that looks like it seats four; on its surface, atop a lace cloth, a wicker basket is filled to the brim with various fruit. As you enter, you notice Grato's massive axe, propped up against the wall to your left.

What will you do?
>Other

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>>29117584

To be honest, this is my headcanon for Sonia.

>>29117994
>Touch the axe.

See what power it holds.

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>>29118002

...That was not the image I was supposed to post.

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>>29117994
Fuck with the axe.

>>29117994
Take opportunity to see if we can summon skeith like the mysterious shitbird summoned a drake.

>>29117994
Grab an apple or some other fruit and munch on it.

See what's in the kitchen, breakfast sounds nice.

>>29117994

Let's see if we can get a snack.

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>>29117994
Mess with the axe, then get something to eat.
>>29118076
>Summoning a poisonous spirit in a populated area and near injured people.
Horrible idea.

>>29117994
>touch it!

>>29118076
This idea sounds all kinds of bad

>>29118304
Well summoning shit under your control is a staple power of shardkeepers so there is no reason we couldnt do it, but now that it has been pointed out trying in the middle of a town with skeith is a pretty bad idea.

>>29118361
It has been stated multiple times that it takes an exceptional shardkeeper to summon a spirit safely. I have no doubt that Erick Valstein will one day be able to do it. We should probably gain a little more XP before attempting it.

>>29118470
>>29118361
Since we have our time off can we experiment with the boots now?

>>29118486
Fuck it why the hell not. We might get stretch powers. Plus it helps grind exp.

>>29118486
Who needs an alarm clock when you have earthquake boots. I give it 10 seconds before someone yells out "Get your weapons the dragons back!"

Moving the snake spirit to our dagger might be a good use of our time

>>29118486
Might be a bit hard to test stuff in a built up city without attracting attention.

>>29118486
>>29118512

Hell no, I like my earthquake boots just the way it is.

>>29118580
We came here to ply our trade anyway. besides its not that loud to make the stuff.

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>>29118021
>>29118050
>>29118084
>>29118090

You take a moment to appreciate the enormous battle axe. Like your own weapon, it's close to your height from end to end; the handle is forged of perfectly smooth gray metal, the knob capped with a curved spike. The weapon's single-bit head is a great, ghostly crescent, made of an unreal off-white metal, that seems to reflect light you're not even sure is present in the room.

You're not sure how to properly wield a weapon like this; expecting it to be light as Scourge, you take the handle by one hand and attempt to lift it up. Its weight, though, seems almost immeasurable; you're not even sure how Grato manages to do it.

On contact, you feel the presence of Soul within the weapon. You clear your head, but don't have to focus for long. You're almost startled by the image that appears to you; a bright, golden eye with a black bead at its center opens, gazing into your mind. A row of savage fangs flashes past, and you drop the weapon to its original position against the wall, stumbling backwards.

After a pause, you resolve to help yourself to a snack; the apples are fresh, and you briefly wonder where they might be grown around here. Milling around in the kitchen a bit, you find some cured meat, and slice some for yourself; it's a bit saltier than you're used to, but it does well to satisfy your hunger. You feel a little bit more awake now.

What will you do?
>Experiment with your Shards while you wait. (Description)
>Other

>>29118600
Stick it in the tunic then.

>>29118600
Last time you guys didn't let us experiment since you wanted to get here quickly, now that we are here and have no prior engagement we might as well figure what what the other effects are.
Also an anon last time made a good point.
>- Halberd: Earthbreaker - This decorated halberd is capable of crashing through some stone surfaces and sending tremors through the earth.
>- Boots: Mountain King Greaves - In contact with the earth, the wearer of these armored boots is capable of seismic stomps, as well as “ground-breaking” leaps.
>- Cloak: Viper Spirit Shroud - A cloak, covered with a layer of armor-boosting scales. Affords the user greater resistance to natural toxins, and boosts physical defense.
>- Halberd: Scourge - An anomalous halberd of variable length, holding a sinister presence within. Its poisonous sting corrodes the very spirit.
>As you can see they aren't always the same effect same theme yes but not affect.

>>29118577
Immunity to poison is less useful now than it was in the swamp. Maybe we could do it in from of the others to prove our power. Get the others to sell it at the market saying they found it while adventuring. Use the money to fund your future exploits.

>>29118682
Fuck that noise we nearly died to get that snake. We can go trap a wolf or some shit to show off.

>>29118648
>Experiment with your Shards while you wait. (Description)

Try putting the Swamp Viper in something other than the cloak, try out our pants. Try Tregalis in our shirt, give Scourge a shot in our cloak, I'm wondering what it'll be like.

>>29118630
Yeh making stuff is fine, but testing said stuff has the potential to make a whole lotta noise.
Regardless of wether or not we want to attract attention, it could piss people off if we accidentally a a bit of some random chumps house because we wanted to find out what our newest bind does.
Unless theres a conveniently unused field nearby, then why the fuck not.

>>29118648
Viper Spirit in dagger

>>29118648
Stick snake in quiver
Stick rock lizard in cloak
Stick skeith in our boots/tunic.

>>29118648
I'd like to see what'd happen if we put the... Whichever spirit is the earth one in our cloak.

>>29118648
>>Experiment with your Shards while you wait. (Description)
Put poison spirit in boots.
Put poison spirit in cloak
Put poison spirit in quiver
Put poison spirit in dagger.
Put poison spirit in ring.
Try viper spirit in boot and in the ring.
Try rock lizard on cloak and ring.

>>29118718
Well the only one we have to worry about wrecking houses is the rock lizard and its tremor powers.
Unless skeith somehow rots the side of a building off.

>>29118789
I wouldnt put it past him.

>>29118648
Put rock lizard spirit in dagger.
Put Skeith in dagger
Put snake in dagger.

>>29118648
Earth quake boots and Scourge stay right where they are. The other two, snake and turtle can go in what ever item you want.

>>29118807
The turtle can't be moved, cmon anon at least pay attention.

Why is everyone saying we should put the lizard in our shirt? It's a violent spirit that is best suited for offensive purposes. If you want to put something in our shirt put the turtle in it.

>>29118854
Put the turtle, which can't be moved, into our shirt?

>>29118854
you can't move the turtle and lizard is in our boots and that shit has done nothing wrong. I'm more surprised we haven't tried it as our cloak first since it should offer great defense.

>>29118773
Each ritual takes energy I don't think we could manage that many transmutations if we were healthy. But we're not we're tired and injured. We need to save our strength.

>>29118912
We should be staying in town for a few days so lets go wild before we have to follow any commitments.

>>29118854
I thought everyone wanted to put it into our cloak?Plus maybe we will get some unorthodox method of attacking out of it.

>>29118912
We used it when we were almost dead last time, and faced no real consequence.

>>29118911
I'm not saying it did anything wrong. I'm saying the spirit itself isn't very well suited for defensive purposes.

Just like, it doesn't matter what you put skeith in, it will never give healing effects because skeith is a dick.

>>29118994
Well then lets find out if its rock hard defense transfers into our cloak first.

>>29118994
How did you establish that it has no defensive properties? It was a big, tough, fucking earth lizard. Earth often has a pile of defensive properties and the only things we've put it in so far are boots and a halberd.

My guess, if we put it in something defensive, like armor or a cloak, it'll work in a defensive way.

>>29118994
Its a earth elemental spirit and really durable. Its pretty much guaranteed to give some awesome defense. Thats how this stuff works

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>>29118994
I'm picturing putting skeith in a ring or shirt would just give us the power to sweat poison like a poison dart frog.

>>29119060
Will it make us equally fabulous?

>>29119060
Those shits are probably delicious since every thing birds eat humans love.

You return to the common room; retrieving the lot of your equipment, you have a seat on the floor, scattering the various items around you. Legs crossed, you collect yourself, then begin the process of Shard recrystallization. The elements of the world around you melt away from your sight, save for your items, which one by one return to their normal states; a tattered cloak, a pair of travelers' boots, and an old warrior's halberd.

Soul rises up in miniature cyclones of haze and glowing motes of dust, and you collect each of the tumultuous storms in your hand, allowing them to take their familiar forms; the black crystal containing Skeith, Tregalis's rocky golden Shard, and the large green crystal that contains the Swamp Viper's soul.

>What will you do with Tregalis's Shard?

>>29119023
>As you bound the spirit of Tregalis to this shard, you felt the energy of tremors, or earthquakes.
This is a quote from the first thread. No matter what object we put the Tregalis in it's power will have something to do with earth quakes. If we put it in a shit what earthquake related power do you think we'll get?

>>29119145
put him a cloak and in a ring.

>>29119170
Creating earthquakes by FLEXING!?

>>29119145
Try putting Tregalis into our tunic. Or into a pair of gloves/gauntlets if we have that.

I want to try Skeith in our cloak afterwards, and maybe give the Viper a chance in our boots.

>>29119145
>>What will you do with Tregalis's Shard?
Put it in our pants, I think.

>>29119145
>What will you do with Tregalis's Shard?
Put it back in out boots where it belongs.

>>29119170
Its a cloak, not a shirt. And I'd assume something that'd cause tremors in things that attack us, or cause shockwaves to repel attacks.
Also the imbued items take on physical attributes related to the creature. Which in this case was a durable rock lizard. So it'd likely be more durable too.

>>29119193
>Is that a horn in your pants or are you just happy to see me?

>>29119145
Shove it into our cloak

>>29119145
Into the cloak.

To help everyone with shards.
Erick Valstein's inventory:
- Scourge, halberd infused with the Soul of the Venom Spirit, wielded
- Viper Spirit Shroud, cloak infused with the Soul of the Swamp Viper, worn
- Mountain King Greaves, boots infused with the Soul of Tregalis, worn
- Turtle Spirit Anklet, worn on ankle
- Pouch of medicinal supplies, on belt
- Hunting knife, on belt
- Leather quiver of arrows, on belt
- Rock lizard teeth (5), in knapsack, strung together
- Folded canvas, in knapsack
- Wood grain ring, in knapsack
- Rations of food and water, in knapsack
- Several lengths of rope and twine, in knapsack

>>29119240
>Wood grain ring
We have to find something with a dark element so we can do backflips.

>>29119274
I am so very very glad I wasn't the only one to think of that when I saw the ring.

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>>29119296

>>29119209
I think it will shatter any stone weapon that strikes it. And, cause vibrations in melee attacks. basically it would be useless against ranged attacks.

>>29119333
Quick question here, if our master believed humans didn't have souls then is it possible to put a soul gem into a human?

>>29119333
That seems like it has the potential to go poorly.
>>29119351
You ever shoot an arrow into a rock man? The rock wins.

>>29119370
rock... You ever try to walk around in a tunic made of rock. You better be hoping that tunic is made of scale just like the tunic we already had.

>>29119414
I tried walking around in shirt made out of sheetrock once! It chafed like crazy, but wasn't that hard to move around in. Also its a cloak, not a tunic.
And the thing was a lizard, so it'll probably be scale anyways.

>>29119414
>>29119441
Plus Its magic scale rocks. Its probably lighter.

>>29119459
>>29119441
I get what you're saying but the rock lizard and the snake had the same power level. I don't know why people think it will be so much better. The new cloak will probably have the same durability as the old one. It will just make an opponents weapon vibrate like a tuning fork.

>>29119549
The point is to find out what happens. We won't know what it'll be until afterwards and we can change it back whenever, We're in a safe area too, so theres no reason to not experiment.

>>29119235
>>29119238
>>29119186

As you close your hand, compressing Tregalis's Shard in hand, Soul flows between your fingertips, and you force it downward, allowing to suffuse your cloak. The tattered brown material grows over with a layer of coarse, stony scales like the mountain king's body. On either side of where the wearer's head would stick out, a crown of rocky brown spines protrudes from the garment's shoulders like epaulets.

>Shard Infusion – Seismic Shroud: The power of Soul is palpable within this armored cloak, and it manifests itself through the ability to produce tremors through the very air, as well as in objects it comes into contact with—such as the weapons of those who would dare strike the wearer.

>What will you do with Skeith's Shard?

>>29119872
>>What will you do with Skeith's Shard?
daggerdaggerdagger

>>29119872
Dagger! Poison and daggers go hand in stabby thing!


Also, I love that I was right about what the cloak would do :)

>>29119872
Boots or dagger.

>>29119872
See I told you. We can cause tremors by flexing. more or less.

Stick skeith in our tunic. For some I bet it gets us stretch powers

>>29119903
>>29119914
Snake goes in dagger. Skeith goes in ring

As long as we end up putting a shard in our weapon, anything is good.

>>29119983
While I would love to see the effects of ring poison spirit, even if it's likely to just be something like poison touch or poison resistance, I'd like to see the physical changes having Skieth in our dagger would bring.

>>29119983
I'm pretty sure Snake in ring or cloths will just give us poison resistance like it did before. But, Skeith in cloths or ring. might turn us into poison dart frog.
>>29119060

>>29119999
Cant deny the quads.

... We need to get a pair of gloves. For earth shattering punches.
And a soul that gives us a jump boost that isn't lizard.

>>29119999
This is experimenting, we can change our loadout before we go.

And we need gloves/gauntlets.

>>29120100
We need a fucking bow to go with our arrows.

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>>29120092
Plain and simple we need more souls.

>>29120222
Yep.

>>29119872
Try putting the snake in the boots, I want to see what kind of mobility boost that gives.

>>29120263
Also snakeskin boots are fancy and awesome.

>>29120222
>>29120168
So lets make a list of things we need while we wait for the QM.
1.A bow
2.Guantlet
3.Hat
Also i would like trying to put Skeith in the quiver and see if that can enchant the arrows to have poison on them.

>>29119903
>>29119914

Next, the black bipyramidal crystal breaks into Soul, and you see the image of Skeith's twisted smile in your mind's eye. You impart the energies upon your hunting knife. The weapon's form is obscured by green light, and the decorations on the hilt fold into its greater shape. The blade grows, by about an inch or two, and takes on a wicked curve, while the hilt extends in the opposite direction, twisting as to wrap around the holder's hand.

The light fades, restoring the weapon's color—the handle is black, with a softly pulsating green design snaking along its length, while the thicker, curved blade appears to have taken on a darker color.

>Shard Infusion – Venom Fang: An envenomed blade, that, though small, increases the speed of the wielder's strike to mirror that of the spirit Skeith. Like the scorpion's sting, it deceives its opponents, who may underestimate its speed, and forget its very presence.

>What will you do with the Swamp Viper's Shard?

>>29120293
Snakeskin boots. Or ring.

>>29120293
BOOTS

>>29120293
Boots, also can we try my quiver Idea?

>>29120293
>boots

>>29120278
putting a soul in a quiver seems pretty pointless, imo. If putting a soul in a bow imparts effects to the arrow, then there's no point in putting it in the quiver.

>>29120352
We don't know if it affects the arrow itself and not the boy.

>>29120293
>>29120318
>>29120320
>>29120335
>>29120344
This would mean that our halberd goes enchantment free. We could just take the wolf from the ax but I have a feeling that wouldn't end well.

>>29120335
You also had a quiver idea? cool.

>>29120352
It might end up making a quiver that actually makes arrows. Or coating the arrows in extra effects.

>>29120293
>halberd

>>29120397
Its a good thing this is a safe place and we'll have plenty of time to change our loadout when we go out hunting again later, isn't it?

>>29120397
The wolf seemed like its on a whole other level, but we could always try to communicate with it.

>>29120397
We can always take one of the others back out. This is about experimentation.

>>29120397
As noted above, just experimenting. We can always change our loadout after.
>>29120411
Well, when you put it that way it sounds much more desireable. Carry on!

>>29120411
A)Poison arrows magically appear in the quiver
B)Arrows put in the quiver become poisonous and get minor homing properties. They loose the magic a few minute after leaving the quiver.(just long enough to be fired)

>>29120475
... Might be a good idea to have a poison resist ring when we try that, just in case.

>>29120293
Halberd I guess?

>>29120293
Oh! Lets put it in our underwear. Maybe it'll make our trouser snake bigger!

As the Swamp Viper's Shard collapses and you infuse the present Soul into your boots, they too change shape; threads of light close the gaps in their tattered make. Their flaws are pulled shut and closed up, in preparation for a layer of mottled, dark-green scales to emerge from the material.

>Shard Infusion – Swamp Viper Treads: Boots, armored with scales reminiscent of a snake's physiology. Like the snakes of the swamp, the wearer can easily camouflage themselves among natural environments, and free themselves from traps and bonds.

The latent energy level restabilizes, and you slump forward, having almost tired yourself out already. You catch movement out of the corner of your eye, and turn to see Sonia sitting in a nearby chair, kicking her legs back and forth idly. In a brighter environment, and with more presence of mind, you can see her face is bruised pretty badly under one of her eyes, and she coughs a bit before speaking.

“Wow.” She says. “That's what you can do, huh? I didn't believe it.”

>What will you do?

>>29120921
I think it might do just that, but it would also add some venomous side effects to said snake.

>>29121015
Spermicidal poison, hopefully.

>>29121004
>I showed you mine how about you show me yours.
Erick must be very curious why her weapon only works for her.

>>29121073
second

>>29121073
Probably a spirit she's bonded with, I imagine.

>>29121004
"And I'm surprised that none of you knew about it.

When I set out I was actually worried that there'd already be a Shardkeeper working here.

You feeling alright, no cracked ribs or anything?"

Also, ask about her weapon, say we'd like to take a look at it after we rest a bit.

>>29121004

I hope that bruise wasn't because of us.

>>29121105
Maybe it's a powerful spirit like Skeith that only works for people it likes. I have a feeling that anyone but us tried to use our new dagger would have a short life expectancy. (Unless said person had Skeith's permission)
Erick is still going to want to know.

Weird 4chan x had the thread marked as offline.

>>29121106
>>29121073

“I'm surprised none of you knew about it. When I set out, I was worried there'd already be a Shardkeeper working here.” You nod at Sonia. It seems almost surreal to talk to her about the matter, based on her resemblance, at least physically, to your Master's other disciple: slight, with skin a deep tan, sand-hued eyes, and dark-brown hair sheared in short, wild spikes. You imagine they're probably both from around the same area, in the far north.

“Mm-mm.” She shakes her head. “I don't think anyone in the city's seen something quite like that! Rebecca and Grato couldn't get over how you jumped up on that dragon.”

“I see.” You don't think much of it. Mostly, you're just surprised you lived. “What about Daeron?”

“Well... he was hiding most of the time, so he didn't see.” She responds. Figures.

“I wasn't trying to put on a show.” You roll your eyes, still. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Eh.” She shrugs, then winces, gently prodding her ribcage with a finger. “You definitely didn't make a soft landing, that's for sure. Something's probably broken in there, but at least it didn't hit a lung or anything. Rebecca said she'd take a look at it later. She's good with this kind of stuff.”

“Sounds reasonable.” You say. You'll have to tend to your own wounds too, pretty soon; the opportunity to rest here a while might do you some good. “Speaking of Rebecca, I was talking to her earlier about the weapon you use. Do you think I could see it for myself?”

“Uhm...” She pauses, giving you a nervous look. “You aren't going to do anything to it, are you?”

>What will you say?

>>29121624
No, I won't. I'd just like to touch it, see if the spirit reacts.

>>29121624

"I just want to take a look, nothing more than that."

>>29121624
>“Uhm...” She pauses, giving you a nervous look. “You aren't going to do anything to it, are you?”
I only want to talk to the spirit inside.

>>29121624
"I'm not going to do anything. I just want to touch it, and if possible commune with the spirit.

At the very least I ought to be able to determine the spirit's nature."

>>29121624
"Not without permission!"

>>29121624
"Course not! I'd just like to see it, try to figure out what's inside of it, stuff like that. Just really curious."

>>29121624
>Not unless you want me to

>>29121677
>>29121763

“I won't. I'd just like to take a look, and see if I can determine the nature of the Spirit inside.” You respond. “I'm just curious, is all.”

“Well,” She hops to her feet, making her way back into the hallway and into her room. A moment passes, then she returns, continuing the thought. “I don't usually show it to people unless I have to, but I guess it's alright.”

She brandishes a sword, with a blade about the length of her forearm, the handle adding just a few inches to its length. The weapon's colors, blade and all, consist of various brown and gold hues that bring to mind an image of desert sands. The cross-guard takes the shape of a pair of wings that fold out in either direction; the sword's pommel is a tigerseye gem, carved into the shape of a talon. Turning the weapon toward the ground, she hands it to you; it briefly radiates a soft light, and a spiritual presence flares up for just a moment before dying down.

You take hold of the weapon. The power of Soul is certainly present within, but it seems to take no particular form and hold no particular presence. Sonia shrugs, adding: “It doesn't work for any of the others, though, so it might not work for you, if that's what Rebecca wanted to know.”

“Do you know why that is?”

“I think...” She pauses. “It's because they couldn't talk to the bird.”

You raise an eyebrow.

>What will you do?

>>29122128
Ask for more information about the bird.

>>29122128
"Neither can I, there's a presence in there, but it's not really chatty or taking on a precise form.

Mind telling me about the bird? Does it actually talk back?"

>>29122128
How about we ask our friendly poison spirit if he knows anything.

>>29122128
>>29122371
This sounds good

>>29122216
I like this.

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>>29122434
>>29122429
They're not mutually exclusive.

>>29122128
this
>>29122165

Then:
Have the two of you hold it at the same time. See what happens.

>>29122464
Present the sword hand first to her so you're still toughing it while she holds the handle. Maybe we can set up a conference call.

>>29122216

“Neither can I, it seems.” Troublesome. It's possible that she's forged a pact with whatever sort of spirit or creature the blade contains—if that's not the case, she shouldn't be able to contact the entity of her own accord without a level of spiritual sensitivity. You don't want to force the issue with whatever spirit is captured here, but you're sure you could find out more if you pushed harder. “There's a presence in there, but it's not really chatty or taking on a precise form. Mind telling me about this bird? Does it actually talk back?”

“Of course! Well, sort of.” She folds her arms, speaking proudly. “It doesn't really talk, if that makes sense. It took a long time for me to figure out how to talk to it, but it listens to me now. I think it's 'cause we're friends.”

“What's going on out here? What was that rumbling earlier?” One of the hallway doors flings open, and Daeron groggily stumbles out, looking in your direction. He takes a long, deliberate pause—“What's for breakfast?”—before striding into the kitchen.

>What will you do?

>>29122554
Greet him of course.

>>29122554
"My dear, you seem to have accidentally bonded with the spirit within that weapon. Congratulations!"

Greet Daeron.

>>29122554
This
>>29122514
Also, Did we just find an apprentice?

>>29122573
Why cant we accidentally bond with things? We have to fight everything to the death.

>>29122554
"Mornin Daeron.

Well, you've probably managed to forge a pact with it.

That's actually pretty impressive. It looks like aptitude for Shardkeeping isn't completely lost."

>>29122631
We could bond with Skeith if he didn't hate our guts. Her bond also took years to establish.

>>29122631
She's had years to spend time with it. That bird likes her.

>>29122718
He doesn't really hate us, honestly he's pretty easy to get along with. We just hold some incompatible views.

>>29122718
We had to beat the shit out of skeith to make bonds.

>>29122554
She couldn't talk to the bird at first
>we can talk to the turtle
It took years for her to make the bond
>We've had turtle for years
Maybe there is still hope for a talking object that isn't a homicidal

>>29122763
And assumedly someone had to beat the shit out of the bird to get it into the weapon in the first place.

>>29122803
unless it died of old age. (I doubt it)

>>29122755
>We just hold some incompatible views.
You mean his view that all humans should die and that civilization is a shit?

>>29122845
As I said, incompatible views. We can hardly blame him for acting according to his nature, he is an embodiment of decay, but we shouldn't hold that against him.

As a partner he's been informative, reliable, a good conversationalist, and makes for good equipment. I have no complaints.

>>29122679

“Morning, Daeron.” You wave. He peeks back out from the kitchen, half-heartedly returning the sentiment; you think he's still mostly asleep.

“So, what do you think?” Sonia asks.

“Well, you've probably managed to forge a pact with it.” You say—it's that, or she's able to manipulate her spiritual presence. While the former case does seem more likely, if she did learn to talk to it over time, then perhaps... You push the thought aside. “That's actually pretty impressive.”

“Huh. I guess that sounds right, whatever it means.” She responds. “You sure know a lot about this stuff.”

>What will you say?

>>29122992
I'd hope so, I've spent most of my life studying and training it.

>>29122992
"I'd hope so, my old Master would never forgive me if I didn't."
>Since Daeron is half asleep, ask Sonia about herself

>>29122992
"I would hope so, I would be a poor Shardkeeper if I didn't.

You mentioned you had it for a long time, how'd you find it?"

Also, hand the blade back to her, ask her to hold it, and see if the spirit flares up any.

>>29122992
>>29123043
Then:
>"If you're interested, I'd be happy to go into more detail about it."
We need to teach her enough of the basics to test her 'gift'

>>29123264
After a few days, if it seems like she's catching on we can have her hold Skeith to test her.
>I wouldn't want to though Skeith at her until we're sure he won't turn on her.
>I still think that He has the ability to poison a user that pisses him off. (except us because he's our bitch)

>>29123090
>>29123126

“I'd hope so. My old Master would never forgive me if I didn't.” You nod, handing her weapon back to her, which she graciously accepts. She exhales, and seems to pause for a moment when it reaches her palm; the weapon's glow returns, and you feel a greater presence of Soul. “You mentioned you had this for a long time, right? How'd you find it?”

“Uh, I found it!” She gives you a nervous smile. “I was out on one of my regular journeys, and it appeared to me, in a sandstorm! At that moment, I made it mine, and kept it secret from everyone!”

“Right.” At least now you know what Rebecca was talking about. “So, what's your story? What are you doing in a place like this?”

“I'm just like you!” Sonia smiles, leaping to her feet. She stumbles a bit, clearly injured, but manages to recover, planting her hands on her hips. “I come from a place to the north, in search of adventure, and to see sights I've never seen before!”

“Heeeeeeyyyy.” Daeron's sluggish voice echoes from down the hall. "Who's hungry?"

>What will you say?

>>29123313
"I could definitely eat. Sonia?"

>>29123339

Eh, this.

>>29123313
>"I already helped myself. But I could eat more if you don't mind."

>>29123339
this.

>>29123365
We kind of saved their asses so asking for breakfast isn't too much.

>>29123313
>“Uh, I found it!”
Shenanigans!

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>>29123339
>Yes, eat Sonia

>>29123463
eat it's heart, gain it's power

(( Back. Sorry. ))

>>29123339

“I could definitely eat. What about you, Sonia?” You ask.

“I'm starving!” She shouts. “What 'cha making?”

There's a pause, then Daeron responds. “We're gonna find out!”

Grato's door creaks open—“Morning, everyone!”—and Rebecca emerges from her room at about the same time.

“Ah, Grato, I was thinking that after yesterday, we might want to take a couple of days off, 'specially seeing as we've got a bit of coin to fall back on, after the incident out 'round Pleasance.” Rebecca responds, then waves in your direction. “Morning, Erick, Sonia. What are you guys talking about?”

>What will you say?

>>29123629
Mine and Sonia's sorted past.

>>29123629

*Shrug*

"Stuff."

>>29123629
wepons

>>29123629
"Magic and steel."

>>29123629
Shenanigans!

>>29123629
Magical artifacts, spirit contracts, and whose going to make breakfast. The usual.

>>29123675
>>29123764

You shrug, then you and Sonia speak simultaneously: “Stuff.”, then exchange suspicious glances.

“...That's troubling.” Rebecca says.

“Magical artifacts, spirit contracts, and... who's making breakfast, more appropriately.” You respond. “I was looking at Sonia's weapon.”

“You just showed it to him, huh?” Rebecca responds, looking at Sonia. “That seems out of character.”

“He's, what, a Shardkeeper, right? He's supposed to be some kind of spirit expert or something.” Sonia responds. “I was just curious.”

“Shardkeeper this, Shardkeeper that!” Grato chuckles, entering the common room. “Maybe the Spirits will join us for breakfast, eh, Erick?”

“I guess.”

“I'm starving too, actually...” Rebecca frowns. “Seeing as we've got a bit of time on our hands, we'll show you around the city later, if you'd like. As of now, though, I'm more worried about Daeron burning the kitchen down.”

“Don't worry,” The bowman's voice echoes. “I'm on top of things!”

(( I'm going to call it a night before my turnaround time becomes more glacial and my writing less coherent. Been another good thread, and thanks for the posts. Archiving and updating Pastebin shortly. ))

>>29123891
Thanks for running OP!

>>29123891
>“Maybe the Spirits will join us for breakfast, eh, Erick?”

Dude don't tempt him. We could have a poison spirit out here in no time flat.
Anyway thanks OP

>>29123891
I could take the spirits out of your weapons and put them in our utensils

but breakfast would be a mess

>>29123891
Tanks for the thread OP!

>>29123947
Fork with Skeith, steals food from others faster than they can see
Spoon with Tregalis, deflects any utensils with seismic waves

>>29123982
more like poisons anything we take, and blows whatever we scoop up all over the room

>>29123891
Thanks for the run, OP!

Maybe let's try putting Tregalis in our fork next. Or not.

So, uh, are you guys okay with the new enchantments?
They don't seem all that great to me. Why did we transfer the power from our main weapon to the back-up? It seems somewhat counter-intuitive. We hunt big beasts usually, a dagger should only act as a last resort fallback weapon.
Our boots giving us earth-quake powers and huge leaps seems to be better than hiding in forest. Lets be honest, we are not going to do much sneaking anyway, and no way can we successfully ambush and kill in one round a powerful beast.

The cloak doesn't seem that bad but why not use out shirt instead? It will give a bigger area of protection and we don't have to use one arm to swipe the cloak in front of us if we need to shield from the front. In fact, we should buy a robe and enchant it, it will cover almost the entire body.

>>29127971
I really think poison is not usefull for the kind of fighting style we've been using. We've been more of a killtearrip than a surround stab and parry. Venom is more about sting and wait right?

Also the earth boots were pretty cool imo.

>>29127971
We were experimenting. And if we're walking around town it might be better to have a really fucking fast dagger that no one notices instead of a big halberd. We'll alter our loadout before we go hunting, don't you worry. We never know what we'll want so having a wide array of possibilities is useful.

That dagger makes for an absurdly good offhand weaponry for when we're thinking we're going to be up against humans. Skeith is willing to go all out against them so it'd be absurdly fast, they could barely notice it, especially if we have a flashy main hand weapon, and it wouldn't take much to cut open somewhere important and poison them.

I'm wondering what happens if we put Skeith in our cloak. At the very least it'd look cool.

>>29128014
The poison was the least useful advantage of the halberd.
Imo, the flexibility, the weight and the extra range it gives was enough to keep it. Especially the flexibility, I assume that due to its flexible nature it hits harder and if we ever fight humans, it will give an element of surprise.

>>29128062
Okay, that makes sense.


You know, OP should just give us a list how each equipment changes with what crystal. Then we choose what we want and then he gives the flavor text. Otherwise we're gonna sit for hours just changing enchantments.

>>29128102
Agreed, maybe do an off-screen try-out and have a "X hours have passed" text giving us a list of what does it do on each item sounds great. I dont care if we spend a day or two finding out what each shard is capable of making.

>>29127971

I disapprove of buying robes, I feel like a proper suit of enchanted armor would do better if we're looking for defense. The OP hasn't said one way or another if the (quality/nature of) substrate a soul is applied to mods its effects, but I feel like plate armor with Tregalis would just about have to be more protective than robes with Tregalis.

I rather like the dagger, Skeith on our main weapon was strange...though if we plan on taking on any more soul-summons the poison has obvious usefulness, it being soul-sapping-centered and all. The dagger makes for a good and potent anti-person weapon, holdout weapon, concealed weapon etc.

I...don't really like the snake boots. I think we should keep the cloak as-is, keep Skeith as-is, and put the snake on our halberd (whenever we go somewhere with our halberd next, that is).

Of note guys, next time we get the chance to dick around with soul stuff we need to check out our turtle anklet further. OP said that it seemed much stronger than it should be for the soul in it...that seems like a VERY important path to study to me.