>>30695457
“And it wasn’t easy – not to overstate the danger, but I could very easily have died there. And I wouldn’t have been able to get in there without possessing astral power in the first place,” you say, trying to dissuade your companions from doing something foolish. You hesitate a bit about telling them the degree of psychological attacks there were.

You decide not to tell them while Vad is present – you don’t know the fox well enough to trust him with what may or may not be a weakness of yours. Not while he may be reporting to an organisation based in the Mage Guard territory. Speaking of which…

“What I am interested in, Vad, is that fox alliance you mentioned,” you say. “I wasn’t aware that there was some secret fox government, let alone one based in the Mage Guard.”

The three elementals all give you strange looks, making it clear they were unaware too. Odd. Lynn looks very curious all of a sudden.

Vad says, “That’s because it’s secret, Talon. Plus, we haven’t been based locally for all that long. Couple of decades at most.”

You frown at that. “Hold on, you said you were home-grown and a couple of centuries old? And I know there’s been foxes in Gauron for centuries.”

>continued

>>30695469
“The alliance has been based in Pharos before now, so you’re not wrong. I’m not really allowed to say more unless you agreed to get involved in fox politics,” Vad says, shaking his head with a smirk after he says ‘fox politics.’ “I will say that the reason I think the Six-Star Alliance should be five stars is the same reason we’re now based in Gauron.”

Undine and your other companions press Vad about foxes and the alliance, and he gives a little away. Lynn seems especially interested in how they organise. You, on the other hand, mull over what he said. It would seem the foxes aren’t welcome in Pharos anymore and it has something to do with the sixth clan. Did it betray them? Or was it wiped out by another force, making the foxes realise it wasn’t safe in Pharos? You do know that traders still come to Gauron from Pharos so the continent itself cannot be overrun with some evil.

Politics, you settle on, and you know too little of it to say more. Whether you want to learn more will likely depend on your willingness to go down the rabbit hole without knowing what’s down there – or just buttering up Vad. He seems pretty dissatisfied with the organisation.

>Any more questions for Vad or things you want to talk about? Other than the revenant.

This is the last chance to bring up topics that won’t relate to the revenant. Then we’ll move on to the village near the revenant’s last known location.

>>30695480
Nah we good.

>>30695480
I've got nothing.

>>30695480
lets get this show on the road

>>30695480

no questions, though we could make a joke about Soldiering being easier than Politics...

>>30695457
I just realized that thread 30 will be labeled XXX

So. Vad mentioned that even the astral adepts have respected the monk's sovereignty.
I assumed the monks were actually subservient to the astral adepts, and created by them. Not some force that predated them and that even they didn't dare try to conquer (or maybe it was out of respect? Could the astral adepts originally have been monks before they invented the magical ritual that allowed them to ascend?)

>>30695786
Vad doesn't know much about the history of the monks.

>Moving onto village

You set off for a small village where the monks have holed up. Supposedly the revenant is lurking nearby. It’s another day’s travel and as the sun slowly sets you notice Vad getting antsier as time goes on. You figure that you may be in danger and keep your guard up.

Except nothing happens. You’re close to the village now. A brisk wind blows, rustling the nearby crops of the village. You put your hand down on Vad’s shoulder to get him to stop and the fox nearly jumps out of his skin, his five tails all going ramrod straight for a moment.

“Dammit, Talon, you scared the hell out of me,” he says.

“That’s a problem in and of itself. Why are you so nervous, Vad?” you ask calmly. The wind stops and part of you notices that it’s almost completely silent.

“I can sense the revenant now. It’s… not pleasant. For several reasons,” he says as you look around. You can see some of the village buildings in the distance.

“Several reasons?” Gnome asks. “I’ve met revenants before and I’ve never heard of them being so unsettling. I can’t even feel anything.”

“That’s because you’re not a fox. You can’t sense astral power,” he says.

“It shouldn’t matter about astral power,” Undine says. “It’s a revenant not a faerie.”

“Well, that’s-“ Vad says before you interrupt him.

“This village is uninhabited,” you say suddenly. “Or more accurately, it’s had all of its former occupants forcibly removed.”

That gets their attention.

>continued

>>30695786
probably out of respect or for political reasons. From what I understand, monks are effectively helpless against actual astral beings, so a astral adepts/monk fight could only end one way

>>30695816
“How do you know that?” Gnome says, looking around herself.

“There’s nobody working the autumn crop. There’s no noontime bells. There’s no noise even if I concentrate my ears. There’s also a half-eaten corpse lying against the well in the distance.”

“Shit,” Vad says. “The revenant must have struck out. If the village is wiped out, that means the monks are too. Their sort would give their lives before letting any villagers die.”

Your comrades aren’t too worried, except for Lynn who is noticeably bothered. Right, you remember, village wiped out long ago by a monster – probably a dragon. Not positive memories.

“If we get inside we can work out what may have happened here,” Vad starts.

“We’ll also need to look around for the revenant is. Nearby isn’t enough to go on,” you say, mind desperately trying to focus on several tasks as you work out what to do. “If we can’t find it, we’ll also need to know where to hole up until we do.”

It’s probably for the best if you keep Lynn out of the village, you figure. Hopefully you’ll be able to find where the revenant is hiding before nightfall. You quickly split up your companions based on what they should be best at.

>1. Accompany Lynn and Vad to search for the revenant.
>2. Join Undine and Gnome in searching the village.
>3. Join Sala as you search for a place to hole up if necessary.
>4. Custom

>>30695480
>I’m not really allowed to say more unless you agreed to get involved in fox politics
>How deep the rabbit fox hole goes
well, I for one am ok with getting involved in their politics, it gives us another playing field which other powers don't even know exists.
plus I am curious.

>>30695842
>1. Accompany Lynn and Vad to search for the revenant.

>>30695842
>1. Accompany Lynn and Vad to search for the revenant.

Though secretly I want, >3. Join Sala as you search for a place to hole up if necessary, because I imagine it involves her flying, and I want Talon to attempt to astral project wings.

>>30695842
>1. Accompany Lynn and Vad to search for the revenant.

>>30695842
While it is a likely scenario for the revenant to be the cause, it is also possible that 3rd party caused it rather then the revenant. For all we know the revenant is here on orders to hunt something dangerous. Also, do revenants actually eat?

>>30695917
All i want to know is if we can become its master.

>>30695842
I am really uncomfortable with splitting up.

>>30695945
Do you not like searching for clues?

>>30695842
NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY EXCEPT WE'VE ALREADY DONE THAT SEVERAL TIMES WITH FAIR RESULTS SO I guess just go search for the revenant with Lynn and Vad.

>>30695917
>Also, do revenants actually eat?
Yes, assuming their body still has the ability to do so.

>>30695945
I'll take this as a custom vote for 'don't split up'. If it gets support I'll do a vote to determine what to do as a whole group.

>>30696010
>>30695945
That only applies to weaklings.

>>30695933
Well, revenants are created by astral beings and have absolute obedience to their creator. If the creator dies or tosses them aside they become free.
To bind a free revenant probably requires some sort of magic we don't know and never heard about
To take over the bond of a bound revenant will probably be ridiculously difficult. And again, using some magic ritual we don't even know about.

... however, if it is a free revenent there is no reason we can't TALK it into working for us. It won't be magically compelled to obey us, but it can be convinced to work for us.

>>30695993
Searching for clues I like, splitting up in a dangerous area containing a supposedly hostile revenent? not so much. We can search for clues together, but it will have some drawbacks (namely, it will take longer and we will lose daylight, and might distress lynn)

>>30696021

could we do two groups of three rather than three groups?

>>30695816
>“I can sense the revenant now. It’s… not pleasant. For several reasons,” he says as you look around. You can see some of the village buildings in the distance.
Can vad actually sense the general direction in which the revenant is?
Because my "don't split up" idea is not pressing if we use vad's ability to sense him to make sure there are no accidental premature individual encounters with it.
Then again, this assumes there is only the revenent here and not a third party.

>>30696100
He can.

I'm going with Option 1 as there doesn't seem to be much support for not splitting up.

>1.

Sending the others off to do what they’re best at you decide to do a wide circle around the village to search for something may provide a clue. Vad hurries off in a counter-clockwise direction and you hurriedly follow him. Lynn lags a bit and you find yourself frustrated by the growing gap between you and your companions, particularly as you’re inside a field right now.

It’s a short-lived gap though as you swiftly find yourself staring down over some ruins from atop some small bluffs. Vad’s tense but you don’t sense him attempting to use magic or anything of the sort. As you’re looking down over the ruins, trying to place where you’ve seen their like before you receive a sending from Undine.

‘Villagers all dead. As are monks. Claws, fangs and magical burns. Gnome seems to recognise them but won’t say what caused it.’

Fantastic, you think. Vad’s crazy tense and now Gnome is too. To make it worse, they won’t say what’s bothering them so much. You hope it’s the same thing. You’ve already go to deal with a revenant, you don’t want to have to deal with some other eldritch abomination. On the plus side, you finally recognise the ruins.

“These are pre-Cataclysm,” you say suddenly, referring to the event almost two millennia ago that involved a war between divine races such as the angels and infernals. “I was in a partially restored fortress of this make just south of Ahm many years ago. The old Infernal Empire, if I remember.”

“I didn’t pin you as an archaeologist,” Vad says, voice failing to hide his tension.

You sigh and are about to press Vad when he continues.

“The revenant's down there. In the ruins. Probably underground. I also know what we’re dealing with. We should regroup in the village.”

Lynn tenses at the suggestion. You…

>1. Agree to regroup in the village.
>2. Agree but have everybody meet you here
>3. Continue searching and investigate the ruins, getting him to explain as you do so
>4. Custom

>>30696287
>1

>>30696287

>1

>>30696287
A thought occurs, it could have been done by a monster from across the wall of marie. they breach they wall all the time and have to be stopped, yes?
Well, the mage guard stops them on the eastern front, but has moved its troops to the west to face lord ember. Some could have gotten through and the revenant could be hunting them.

... or it was just the revenant

>>30696287
1

>>30696287
>1. Agree to regroup in the village.

>>30696287
>2. Agree but have everybody meet you here

>>30696287
I think we should have a few supportive words with lynn. Bad memories.
Also, regroup but outside the village.

>1.

“Right. Can you send Salamander a sending to let her know?” you say.

Vad gives you a blank look. “I don’t do sendings. That’s sorcery.”

You frown but Lynn chimes up and says she’ll do it. Well, at least you know not to send Vad off on his own if you want to remain in contact. As you’re heading back to the village, you lag back and speak quietly with Caitlyn.

“Are you alright, Caitlyn?” you ask gently.

“Umm, not really,” she says, not looking at you. “I’ve seen destroyed villages before. It’s… I don’t like seeing this sort of slaughter. It doesn’t seem fair for people to die without a chance to defend themselves.”

>1. Sympathetic response. Let her know you understand and sympathise with her feelings.
>2. Uplifting response. Tell her we’ll be able to avenge them.
>3. Gruff response. Tell her that part of being a strong soldier is being to deal with this. She’s a strong girl and you know she can do it.
>4. Custom

>>30696503
>3. Gruff response. Tell her that part of being a strong soldier is being to deal with this. She’s a strong girl and you know she can do it.
>2. Uplifting response. Tell her we’ll be able to avenge them.

>>30696503
>1 transitioning to >2
Start off by telling her that it's right that she feels that way, that what she's witnessing is a raw form of evil. Then transition into us being here to end this threat and avenger these people and the other victims.

>>30696026
>Well, revenants are created by astral beings and have absolute obedience to their creator. If the creator dies or tosses them aside they become free.
I just saw this. It's not quite accurate. Vad and Gnome will explain more accurately shortly, with some help from Talon's inner monologue.

>>30696503
1+3
Be sympathetic at first, but tell her that she will see similar situations out in the world.

>>30696503
>1
Talon's seen some shit. Inspire her by saying that's why we're here, to kick some ass for the villagers.

>>30696503
1. Sympathetic response.
But easy on the cheese.

Also I think a "we will prevent whatever killing them from killing again" is better than "we will avenge them".

I am very much against any form of 3 being in there.

>>30696675
I can dig this

>>30696675
how is 3 bad?
It is basically telling her that we know she can get over this.
>>30696631
Which is why i added it 1.

>>30696631
this works

>>30696631

I like this one. Best not to be too rough on her but we can expect to see this more in the future. So she should do what she can to make sure it doesn't happen again.

>>30696675
Going with this plus a bit of 2.

>>30696675
>I am very much against any form of 3 being in there.
To clarify, this is a horribly insensitive thing to say to begin with. But it is particularly bad here because her home village was destroyed. It was obviously a traumatic experience and "tough it up soldier" (with a gruff tone) sounds like saying "tough shit, get over it". it is just all kinds of wrong way to deal with it. The "I know you can tough it up" at the end slightly mellows it out, but doesn't undo the bad.

>>30696813
numbered vote?

>>30696675
Seconding

>>30696827
just add it to 1.
Like this
>1. Let her know you understand and sympathise with her feelings, but Tell her that She’s a strong girl and you know she can do it.

>>30696631
>>30696863
won me over.

>>30696827

Main problem here is then what happens when this happens again and she is too busy being distracted to really fight? Because she is too busy dealing with her memories?

Telling her she is strong enough to live though it doesn't seem all the bad for me. Though being too gruff soldier about it would be bad.

>>30696863
done like that, it won't be bad, since you are cutting out the bad parts of #3. To the point where it isn't 3 at all.
Although it does seem a bit cheesy. Also, what exactly are you saying she can do? not break down and cry? I am having trouble coming up with a good potential phrasing for that part.

>>30696944
basically telling her we know how she feels, but we know we will see this more in the future and we trust that she can handle herself.

>>30696925
Will telling her she is a strong girl and can handle it actually improve her handling of it next time? I really don't think so.

I am pretty sure she can handle it, I don't expect her to have a breakdown, rather its a question of whether she is going into this thinking "my boyfriend is an insensitive jerk" or if she gets to feel a little better.

If I am wrong about her being able to handle it already and she does have a PTSD moment, then I don't see how telling her "I trust you to get over it" is going to help her actually get over it. Sometimes your intent isn't enough, the execution matters

>>30696944

>Also, what exactly are you saying she can do?

Handle the strain. She seems very off from normal and we need her to be calm for the next fight.

>>30697011

Probably not. But saying you have faith in her will help a little I would guess. That or we could focus her emotions on killing the thing but that leads to other consequences.

>>30697013
This reminds me too much of the time we had a "don't you trust me moment" with her and it offended her we would even suggest she wouldn't.

Honestly I think body language (holding her hand) would be better than any speech

>mfw Felix would have been all about this shit
>we left him behind though with good reason

Damn it.

>>30697055
also
>mfw felix would have seen us being all heroic and got an improved view on us.

Good to see everybody’s favourite dragongirl still creates as much disagreement as ever. For reference, the overall decision is effectively 1. as that was the most supported choice. I wasn't seeing a way to easily gel 3 into it more than superficially

>1. With a bit of 2

“I understand that. It’s not easy to see the aftermath of a slaughter,” you say, keeping your voice low and gentle. “We can’t do much for them now but we can make sure that this village is the only one that ends up like this.”

“And what happens when something else does the same thing?” she says, still wavering a bit.

“Then we deal with them, too. And if nations like Farun can’t stop them, then that’ll be where we step in,” you say, alluding to the ability of your growing empire to be more effective. No reason to miss a chance to build her loyalty to your cause, as vague as it is.

She nods once hesitantly. Then again more vigorously. It seems to have worked and you give her a pat on the shoulder. Nothing too intimate right now. Still, you wonder that although she supports you more you’re not shaping her into a strong warrior. Maybe it's the right decision.

In the village there isn’t any sign of the corpses you expected. A quick glance around confirms your suspicion that Gnome’s cleaned things up – recently dug up dirt is evidence of some quick burials. It’s better than nothing, you figure. You gather nearby the well in the centre of the small village.

Both Vad and Gnome are obviously tense but neither are in a hurry to speak up. They both look to you and wait for you to do something. You don’t know whether Vad wants to go first, but you suspect that Gnome would rather you not ask, even if it’s important.

>1. Ask Vad about what he’s found out about the revenant
>2. Ask Gnome about what she’s found out about the attack on the village
>3. Talk to Sala about the weather and wait for one of them to speak up first
>4. Custom

>>30697076
>You don’t know whether Vad wants to go first, but you suspect that Gnome would rather you not ask, even if it’s important.
I don't quite understand this senteance.
Gnome doesn't want you to ask her what she found? Gnome doesn't want you to ask vad what he thinks?

>>30697076
>1

>>30697076
>2. Ask Gnome about what she’s found out about the attack on the village
>1. Ask Vad about what he’s found out about the revenant

>>30697076
>4. Custom
Attempt to impose own astral powers to gain a better sense of what is bothering them.

>>30697129
>Gnome doesn't want you to ask her what she found?
This. Sorry about the confusion.

>>30697049

Biggest difference there is this is less "Don't you trust me." and more "I trust you will be fine here. We need to fight this guy." Which is a lot less aggressive.

>>30697076
>1. Ask Vad about what he’s found out about the revenant

>>30697147
in that case
>>30697076
1

Say, what can we sense through our familiar bond with gnome?
Can we tell where she is? her physical condition (injured/tired/etc)? Any emotional senses?

>>30697180
Also, if someone else was to go into the pop we used to stabilize our familiar bond and claim it, will it cause our bond to break?

>>30697076

"Sala, did you find anywhere suitable to set up camp? once we're done here it might be best to rest before returning..."

If she has, then we can get her, Udine and Lynn to set up while we talk with Gnome and Vad in private... The information is important, but it seems that it is not something that the others should hear...

>>30697208
>the others should hear...

wat
We're in a group/party situation where all information viable to the most successful and painless completion at the task at hand is critical knowledge for everyone involved.

>>30697193
You'd know immediately and have a week to reclaim it. The time period might extend as you get stronger.

>>30697180
The only thing you'd be able to sense is if she was in critical condition, was using a ridiculous amount of magical energy or if she died.

>1.

“Vad, what do you know about the revenant?” you ask.

Vad grimaces a bit but answers, “It’s not good news. This isn’t a rogue revenant. It’s an unstable one. It’s lost its sponsor but is still in this world. It’s spiralling out of control and we’ve already lost too much time.”

Gnome closes her eyes, clearly bothered by the news. Nobody else knows what he’s talking about. You try to puzzle some of it out before he continues – the sponsor is the divine being who brought the revenant back from the dead. If the sponsor is ‘lost’ then that means that nothing’s maintaining the revenant’s unlife, you assume. That still leaves a gap.

“Hold on, you mentioned astral energy before,” you say. “Divine beings aren’t all astral. They’re simply otherworldly. Is that why things are worse? I mean, wouldn’t sponsors be lost all the time?”

“Not quite,” Vad says. “Revenants usually die before their sponsor. And if the sponsor is lost, usually the revenant just… ceases to exist. The tether between the soul and the body dissipates. To go unstable is when the revenant is trying to maintain the tether and the world is fighting it.

>continued

>>30697397
“Talon, have you ever fought one of the Fae?”

“No,” you answer cautiously, curious at the change of topic.

Vad clicks his tongue. “That’s a problem. Unstable revenants essentially become Fae. If they construct a tether between their soul and body they disrupt the world with their very presence. Long story short, I can’t stop this revenant. None of us can, except you. We can hold it off, but nothing more.”

“Can’t we just let it turn into a faerie and return to Arcadia?” Undine asks, sounding nervous.

“No. Revenants aren’t actually Fae. They’re just abominations that resemble them,” Gnome answers suddenly, her face grave.

Well, fantastic. The revenant is turning into a reality-warping monster and you’re the only one who can stop it, even if the others can help you a little.

>1. Ask Gnome about what she found
>2. Leave Gnome be. She clearly doesn’t want to tell you about it.
>3. Custom

>>30697409
>1. Ask Gnome about what she found
Have her tell us in private later.

>>30697409
>1. Ask Gnome about what she found

All information is necessary.

inb4 someone attempts to bound the Revenant to Talon.

>>30697460
i'm planning on that.

>>30697409
>1
Also ask why we're the only one who can stop it? Because of Gods blood?
Man. It's rough being the future god emperor of mankind

>>30697409
>1. Ask Gnome about what she found

>>30697409
>3. Custom
Anything else I need to know?
I am going to trust gnome to share anything we actually need to know with us.

We ask her in private what bothered her later on

>>30697409

"Gnome, do you have any insight onto this?"

If not, then we will need Vad to give us a crash course on what we need to do...

File: 1394236676237.png-(24 KB, 201x201, 1391985240849.png)

24 KB PNG

>>30697460
Its not like we are trying to get all the heroes from the beginning.how did you know?

>>30697460
>inb4 someone attempts to bound the Revenant to Talon.
heh, I considered it... but that might be distasteful considering what it has done...
Unless binding works different than I think.

>>30697409
Actually, a few questions
1. Does becoming unstable mean it is mentally unstable?
2. How does the sponsor thing even work?

>>30697574
All our info suggests this isn't the same revenent. That other one is significantly stronger

>>30697595
I know, but i like the idea of having one.

>1.

You’re about to ask Gnome about her findings when Lynn says, “Why is Talon the only one who can stop it? We’re pretty powerful ourselves.”

“An unstable revenant is an astral being – we simply don’t have enough raw power or skill to harm something like that with our sorcery,” Gnome explains. “I could at full strength, but even that would be risky depending on how dangerous the revenant is. Faeries and their kin warp reality. If they overpower you, then your sorcery becomes useless. Talon doesn’t have that problem.

Hmm, the revenant discussion makes you wonder about a few other things first.

“Is it unstable mentally or just in terms of power?” you ask.

“Both. Most revenants are normal humans – once they start grappling with astral power they rapidly start losing their sanity,” Vad says.

“And what exactly is the sponsor? Is the revenant’s sponsor going to have any impact on how dangerous this one is?”

“When somebody dies there’s a brief gap before their soul is absorbed by the astral plane,” Vad explains. “Divine beings have an intrinsic grasp of the differences between planes and so can use their power to bind the soul to a body, usually the person’s remains, as their servant and they maintain that tether. And no, the sponsor doesn’t actually lend any power to the revenant. They just keep them alive. Unalive. You get what I mean. They’re as powerful now as they were when they were alive, plus the additional time they’ve had to refine their skills.”

You nod and then turn to Gnome. “What have you found out about the attack on the villagers, Gnome?”

[DC12 Trust]

Rolled 20

>>30697675

>>30697576

>but that might be distasteful considering what it has done

When choosing either to bind a being that killed a village to your will or not always choose yes. Because not doing so is just throwing away power that could be used later on.

Though I don't think it's even possible to do it. Since it needs divine power and Talon isn't the most otherworldly being I've seen.

Rolled 13

>>30697675

>>30697691

Welp! Gnome Trust Increased....

Rolled 1

>>30697675

Rolled 17

>>30697675

>>30697729
>>30697691
Thank god the 20 beats the 1.

>>30697729
>>30697715
>>30697691
>>30697734

I knew that was going to happen. On the bright side we succeeded even if we didn't get a crit.

>>30697734

If only I was a little faster.

>>30697698
Note I specifically said "depending on how the bond works".

>>30697675
>“Both. Most revenants are normal humans – once they start grappling with astral power they rapidly start losing their sanity,”
That... actually is a point both in favor and against binding. It is not necessarily wicked but mentally unstable due to the power eroding its sanity. It did NOT harm anyone for quite some time before snapping, so the snapping is probably to blame for the massacre.
But on the other hand, if it did snap, then unless rebinding it magically restores its sanity then it is a liability rather then an asset.

>>30697675
So, how exactly are we supposed to "deal with it"? As far as I can tell the only ways to deal with it would be to sever its astral power aka killing it, to banish it to fae (which it is not inherently a denizen of), to bind it to me, or to imprison it somehow. And Talon doesn't actually know how to do any of those things... although he could try to just to kill it with astral power and hope that severs it.

>>30697675
>Using astral power wrong can erode sanity
now I am really REALLY interested in knowing whether there is a mind affecting ward trap on the corridor at the monestary

>>30697798
I'm pretty sure binding this guy is gonna piss off EVERYONE with us. So I am against it.

and I wanted the original Revenant.

>Target met

Gnome hesitates for a short time before sighing and answering, “The wounds on the villagers and monks match far too heavily with what I saw of the shadow beasts from beyond the Barrier of Marie. With an unstable revenant nearby there’s other explanations but…”

“There’s another party nearby,” you say, your blood running cold at the suggestion of monsters from beyond the Barrier. “Or most likely.”

You’re not the only one bothered by the suggestion. Sala’s face goes grim, unlike any expression you’ve seen on her face before. Undine is troubled, as is Lynn. Vad somehow remains optimistic – well, given the circumstances.

“It’s still more likely to be the revenant,” he says. “There’s several explanations, after all.”

“Right,” you answer, not convinced. “Anything else we should need to know? I mean, you say I can stop it but how do I do that?”

“Hit it as hard as you can with as much astral power as you can muster?” Vad suggests. “Simply having astral power lets you harm it where it would otherwise be very difficult for us to.”

“Do you know where it is?” Undine asks.

You explain about the ruins below and how the revenant is likely underground.

“You recognised them as infernal pre-Cataclysm ruins? I’m impressed,” Gnome says. “That works in our favour, too. If any of the old sorcery is active they’ll act to hamper the revenant.”

>continued

>>30697955
“Um, wasn’t the Cataclysm two thousand years ago?” Lynn asks. “How could any sorcery be active from back then?”

“I’d guess it’s because devils and demons are more powerful,” you say. “Plus, the legends always talk of magic being more powerful back then.”

Gnome and Undine nod, and Undine says, “Supposedly, magic was much more abundant and the users of it were much more powerful and skilled. If that were true, it wouldn’t surprise me that some of their spells were still alive.”

“I’ve seen it before, though that was a century ago,” Gnome adds.

In discussing things more, you find out quickly that time is of the essence. The longer you wait, the more unstable the revenant will get and the more dangerous it will be. That leaves you with little choice but to search the ruins for it. Or you could instead look for whatever did this to the village, assuming it wasn’t the revenant. It’s currently noon. You’ve been travelling since dawn and are reasonably fresh.

>1. Begin searching the ruins now.
>2. Begin searching for whatever attacked the village.
>3. Set-up camp and try to make more plans and gather more information, though this may not be strictly possible.
>4. Custom

>>30697798

I don't think it would even have free will if one bound it. So sanity wouldn't matter as much.

>>30697981
>1. Begin searching the ruins now.
Ask Vad if we can tether the revenant to us.

>ancient magic ruins
>left our mage behind
>reality warping revenant boss battle
>left our knight behind

I AM NOT PLEASED WITH OUR DECISIONS.

>>30697981

we go into the ruins with one Gnome to help with exploration, while the others set up a camp and investigate the village attack...

>>30697996
it matters because even if it lacks free will it will have to interpret our commands, unless we micromanage it to a fault an insane servant with no free will is basically a spiteful genie twisting our every wish.

Wait
WAIT
Hold up

Does this mean we have to get a nat 20 when fighting it or we won't be able to hurt this thing?

>>30698016
knight is powerless against the revenant.
mage is squishy caster who specializes in disrupting groups of enemy mages and thus is useless against revenents. Although he might have been interested in the ruins themselves... maybe he could have directed their sorceries.

>>30698089
nope a 16 is when we can access our astral powers.which is why i'm in favor of binding him to us.

>>30698089
You can use astral power without nat 20s now. The DC will be higher, naturally. E.g. Archery normally has a DC of 11 but has a DC of 17 with astral power. As time goes on, Nat 20s will mean less narratively as a result.

>>30698089
We always use astral power, its just not as gloriously overwhelming powerful when we don't crit.
Also we recently got the ability to get super astral power on a roll of 19 or 20.

>>30697981
>1. Begin searching the ruins now.
He's only going to get more crazy in timer

Am i the only one that thinks the reveanant is chasing the demon down and that the demon is in the ruins as well.

>>30697996
>>30698069

I have a feeling it'll be a game time call. Though I do like the idea of picking Vad's brain if we could bind it at all. That'll either curb discussion or help us make a better informed decision.

That said QM is dropping mad hints about how astral power can corrupt and be potentially dangerous to the minds of mortal beings. Talon falls under that, I'd say we need to be careful of where we swing our astral dick around and when as to avoid him beginning to fall into madness himself.

Oh and;>>30697981
>1. Begin searching the ruins now.

>>30697981
vad, did you CONFIRM that this revenant is actually without a patron? Or could he actually be here on his patron's behalf's to slay the monster from beyond the wall of marie? also, everyone, say what you know about said monsters and how to fight them

>>30698125
>Spoilers
I like that. I like it lots.

Still. Rolling high is risky. I am uncomfortable with this fight.

But it's not like we have a choice.

>>30698148
>“It’s not good news. This isn’t a rogue revenant. It’s an unstable one. It’s lost its sponsor but is still in this world..."
>lost its sponsor

Yep.

>>30698131

You mean that devil/demon we saw threads ago when we countered that dwarf's devilry?

Um... No not really. Maybe?

>>30698069

Yeah depends on if the bond has a 100 percent accurate command where it reads our will or not. But even if it had to interpret we could also drop it into a random foes army and just tell it to kill everything.

But I honestly think it's impossible to even do so. But if it isn't I think we should go for it.

>>30697981
>1. Begin searching the ruins now.

>>30698213
no i mean the thing that just slaughtered the town.

>>30698128
And yeah, this, but it's crucial to note the difference between using astral power normally and 'using it'. You use astral power to empower yourself, but normally when you empower yourself you're not as powerful as, say, when you went nuts in the Second Siege of Harrowmont.

>>30698158
You're assuming a fight with a reality warper will be a normal fight.

>>30698148
Vad says, "It's definitely an unstable revenant. I've been near them before. This is one."

Gnome says, regarding the shadow beasts from beyond the Barrier, "They're powerful. They don't go down easily. They're immune to all non-magical attacks. They regenerate. They attack in groups. You fight them with overwhelming power and little else matters."

Alright, the few votes are leaning towards 1. Aside from one vote to split the party, nobody seems to be opposed so far, unless you want me to call a different vote?

>>30697981
A few points

1. The revenant was in the village for days without harming anyone
2. Gnome says the villagers were killed by monsters from beyond the wall

It actually seems most likely to me that the revenant is NOT the culprit at all. Most likely was here with its master to kill the monsters and then the master died. Now the revenant is lost but not murderous. In that case it is an innocent of this slaughter and reaching an according with it and binding it to us might actually be the ideal scenario.

So, this raises some questions. How do I go about binding it if comes to that. Will I even be able to support him? what with gnome being talon's familiar.

Also, if there are monsters from beyond the wall here then we must, before going anywhere, review information about them ASAP and on how to fight them.

>>30698252
>nobody seems to be opposed so far
wait... what vote to split the party?

>>30698299

There wasn't a vote, just someone threw the idea out there.

>>30698299
See:
>>30698052

>>30698052
I believe gnome that the village was slaughtered by monsters from beyond the wall.
This means talon and gnome are alone with the revenant while the rest of the party will likely encounter said monsters.

So I am against ANY splitting up at the moment.

>>30697981
1.
The revanent is going more unstable by the moment, if the monsters really killed its patron then they are nothing to trifle with. And I would rather the revenant fight alongside us against the monsters than fighting them without it

>>30698278

If this theory is true. I'd sooner give the revenant the choice. If Talon is capable of binding it to himself, then post battle assuming we manage it on our side, we give it the option to continue or leave this plane. Not force it.

>>30698437
That is a fair addendum. I agree.

Okay, it looks like we're dungeon diving. Writing it up.

>>30697955
>Gnome hesitates for a short time before sighing and answering, “The wounds on the villagers and monks match far too heavily with what I saw of the shadow beasts from beyond the Barrier of Marie.
Oh wow, my wild guess in >>30696351 was actually spot on. Intuition FTW.

>1.

You decide to find the revenant. You’re not entirely certain whether it’s the true threat – or whether it was unstable in the first place, before coming here but it’s definitely your immediate priority. Gathering everybody together, you descend down to the ruins below.

Although these are the ruins of a demonic empire they certainly don’t look the part. One of the most interesting things about the infernals is that they’re very function focused. The walls and structures are thick, sturdy and plain. Old rune inscribing and other bizarre marking are in well-hidden holes in walls and around doors. There’s more malevolent architecture in Vitria than here.

“I thought you said these were infernal ruins, Talon?” Lynn whines. “They look like something the dwarves would make.”

“They are infernal ruins,” you say.

“They just might have been built by dwarves,” Undine says. “Humans, elves, dwarves and dragons were once slaves to the divine races. Given the dwarven cities that used to lie under the Marnn range, it’s likely the infernals used dwarves to build their own fortresses.”

>continued

>>30698741
So they’re ruins built by demonic dwarves, you think silently. Still, the lack of a grand display almost certainly reflects the master rather than the labourer – perhaps the dwarves’ own architectural designs reflect their ancient slavery rather than the opposite?

You suddenly stop as you notice a strange pattern in the underground rooms you’re passing through. You look into the room ahead where Gnome is acting as vanguard and notice that none of the runes in the room are lit up. You look back into the previous room where Vad is and see the same. Yet, they’re lit up in the room you are in. You’d initially thought this was some form of lighting mechanism.

“I think these defensive wards are tripping from me,” you say, drawing everybody’s attention.

A brief display of jumping between rooms later confirms the runes light up in whatever room you are in.

“They could just be monitoring wards,” Gnome says unconvincingly.

You…

>1. Test the wards with your astral power. Knowledge is power, after all.
>2. Ignore the wards for now.
>3. See if one of your companions can disable them.
>4. Custom

>>30698760
1
but make sure that you are in a seperate room from your companions so that if it DOES do something more dangerous then they aren't caught in it.

Since revenant is immune to anything but our astral power, then we better find out how those runes react to our power before facing the revenant.

If it detects us, well ideally we talk to it instead of fighting

>>30698760
>1. Test the wards with your astral power. Knowledge is power, after all.

>>30698760
>1. Test the wards with your astral power. Knowledge is power, after all.

>>30698809
>well ideally we talk to it instead of fighting.

Lets not. Unless it talks to us first. It seems quite insane.

>>30698760

>1

If the Infernals used astral power, then the ruins may be reacting as though we are Infernals... There is a chance that any of the traps will not function against us....

>>30698975
>Lets not. Unless it talks to us first. It seems quite insane.
Did you miss the part where gnome said the village was slaughtered by shadow monsters from beyond the wall NOT by the revenant?

>>30698992
>If the Infernals used astral power, then the ruins may be reacting as though we are Infernals
for all we know, talon might be part infernal

wait a minute... what if the reason we can't figure out what type of astral being talon is, is because he is mixed? That is, mom had a fae ancestor, dad had an infernal/angelic ancestor? the mix is then causing unpredictable things

>>30699053

No. But it is still most likely quite insane giving it is breaking down. If it talks we should talk back if it attacks then we really shouldn't waste the time.

>>30699075

That should give a signal for those who matter. That and the monks wards would notice that as inhuman.

>1.

Just as you did in the monastery, you draw on your astral power to test these wards’ effectiveness, but not before asking the others to leave the room. Just as in the monastery, the world shifts. For a brief moment you see these ruins as they once were, a formidable and densely occupied fortress. Weapons racks covered the walls, dwarves bustled to and fro and the world prepared for war.

Then reality returns and you find yourself brimming with power in an empty room. The runes no longer glow. You don’t know what purpose they were meant to serve or what just happened but you are unable to reproduce. Stepping into other rooms, you find the runes don’t light up anymore. Without any light now, Sala and Undine generate some portable lights. Undine’s are floating will-o’-the-wisps whereas Sala’s are just open flames.

You continue your descent through many similar rooms, though they are in differing states of disrepair. More than once Gnome had to dig a way through. Finally you find yourself in a large cavern with several passageways hewn into the rock and dirt on the sides. Ahead of you stands a fortress, its black stone façade jutting out from the dirt beside it. It looks fuzzy, like a mirage.

>continued

>>30699117
“Well, that’s bloody impressive,” Vad says. “I wonder why they built something like this down here?”

You wonder indeed – you had initially thought this was just an unfinished section of the fortress. What on earth would possess the infernals to build an underground castle in their underground castle? This is far from the only passageway leading from the fortress into this cavern, though many of the others just exit into thin air. It just seems so incomplete, and makes an odd contrast to the sturdy and polished fortress in front of you as well as the rest of the structure.

The fuzziness is still bothering you, though it lingers in much of the rest of the cavern. In fact, it seems to linger on anything at a distance. Is your eyesight going? What is happening?

“Perhaps this is where the infernals were while their subjects lived in the rest of the fortress?” Gnome says.

It appears that nobody else is noticing the fuzziness. You’re feeling a strong sense of dread. You feel your heart pounding hard. You don’t like this. You don’t know what to do.

>What do you do?

>>30699117
Did talon try releasing his astral power to see if the runes return? or has he kept it on?

>>30699133
>Ask if your companions are feeling oddly.

>>30699133
share your feelings.

>>30699164
You released your astral power after the rune blinked out.

>>30699185
interesting... so, either we broke it.
or our status was changed (either to the worse or better) as far as the wards are concerned.

>>30699133

Attempt to meditate focus.

We've done so before when dealing with that beast near Undine's PoP. Talon can manage to make things come into picture again.

>>30699133
is this fuzziness reminiscent of what you experienced in the monk's temple the other day?

... or maybe its because the revenant is warping reality and you are sensing where reality is warped.

>>30699321
You don't know, you can't remember. It's so hard to concentrate here. You can feel the blood pumping through your head. It's too loud to think.

VOTE
>1. Ask your companions if they feel odd.
>2. Try to meditate and focus yourself.
>3. Custom

You can't combine options 1 and 2. Custom options should be reasonably short and sweet given the circumstances.

>>30699347
I am torn between:
2
and
3. custom - wrap self in astral power

>>30699347
1

>>30699347
>2. Try to meditate and focus yourself

"Oh. Fuck."

>>30699347
>>2. Try to meditate and focus yourself.

FOCUS TALON YOU CAN DO THIS.

Did I scare everybody off?

>2.

You need to focus. You are Talon York, seasoned general, adventurer and imperator. Even when the stakes are high you still make your snap decisions with a calm and capable mind. If you’re going to do anything now, you need to give yourself that calm and capable mind once more.

You draw on Undine’s lesson, ignoring the sensations of your body, the sounds around you and the growing sense of dread. You attempt to excise the world from your existence and centre yourself.

[DC14 Focus]

Rolled 4

>>30699554

Rolled 1

>>30699554

Use that past knowledge Talon. You can shake this. You're better than this.

Rolled 12

>>30699554

>>30699573
Wow, somehow I just KNEW this was going to happen.

>>30699573

hahahahAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH.

;_; fuck.

>dramatic failure

You centre yourself with a small surge of power. Your limbs feel light, your body strong, your mind centred. Opening your eyes to the mockery of reality surrounding you, you see…

[DC9/16 Your Vision of Reality]

Rolled 13

>>30699702

Rolled 8

>>30699702
CRAWLING IN MY SKIN!!

Rolled 12

>>30699702

Rolled 1

>>30699702

Rolled 4

>>30699702

I'm all freaked out and nervous.

Rolled 7

>>30699702
godamn it all. Fuck you dice gods!

>three nat 1s this thread already

Alright someone get their first born, dice gods be mad.

>>30699714
>>30699712


If I was a second off man.

>>30699702
Did we just "gain" a sanity meter?

>Lower target met

The fuzziness is gone, replaced by indecipherable scrawl pretending to be cavern walls. The passageways are portals to darkness, the castle glows with a dull light. The black stone now a bland grey, as though it wishes it were something greater.

Yet the dirt beneath your feet is real. The ruins behind you are of solid, dependable stone. They are of a make you deem suitable to remain, though it is so wasteful that they have not been repurposed for last two thousand years. Perhaps in the future.

Your companions stand in the murky false-world ahead of you, and tendrils of that corrupted scrawl scratch at their feet. Your face twists at the sight of something like that touching those that are not of it. The elementals are pure representations of a world you wish to restore. The dragon is of a pure race that needs to soar. The fox is proof that even the corruptors can be assimilated. For the failure beyond, ‘safe’ in his false sanctuary to lay hands, even indirectly, on his betters is not something you will leave be.

A dozen strange beasts of shadow, themselves composed of the strange scrawl on the worlds and glowing with an inner light, burst from the dark portals on either side of the cavern. You companions turn at the noise of their entrance.

“Shadow beasts!” the black-haired fox yells, as he uses a spiritual technique to batter one of the beasts to the ground.

You...

>1. Destroy the shadow beasts
>2. Ignore them. Wait for your companions to see the truth for themselves.
>3. Bring your companions back into your world, away from the shadow beasts.

>>30699906
>1

>>30699906
>2. Ignore them. Wait for your companions to see the truth for themselves.

>>30699906
>3. Bring your companions back into your world, away from the shadow beasts.

>>30699906
3

>>30699906
I am wracked with meta... I know we rolled a 1 so I think that maybe the shadowbeasts are real and our perceptions are false...

>3.

The shadow beasts are only as real as one believes them to be. Sadly, that means your companions, as capable as they are, will likely suffer before they realise they cannot actually be harmed by the beasts. To prevent this, you’ll draw them back to this solid, and real, dirt where you are standing.

Doing so shouldn’t be too difficult – you simply need to dart out and pull your companions back. A rallying call should help, too.

[DC12 Rally]

>>30700083

We did roll a 9 though. So it can't be all that bad.

Rolled 11

>>30700140

Rolled 3

>>30700140
Fingers crossed

Rolled 1

>>30700140

Rolled 8

>>30700140

Forward. Onwards brothers!!

>>30700155
Yep. One of those threads...

Rolled 17

>>30700152
>>30700154
>>30700155

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH oh jesus christ in heaven why??

Rolled 9

>>30700155
this calls for some chocolate, excuse me while I go grab some

>>30700259
Hmm, I was thinking popcorn myself.

Rolled 7

>>30700284
>>30700259
>not bacon turtle burgers.

Sorry if this is getting a bit confusing. I’m not sure how this sort of scene works when presented in pieces.

>Dramatic failure

“Pull back to the entrance!” you shout. “We shall hold them at the choke.”

Your companions glance back, looking slightly surprised, but follow your orders. The world seemed to waver from the force of your voice, the text shuddering as though it were on parchment blowing in the wind. You begin running forwards in order to cover their retreat.

Undine trips as she walks backwards, the spell she was casting dissipating along with the magic. Gnome spots her at the same time as you do, but you beat her to it. You raise your shield and deflect the scything claw-thing the shadow beast attempts to attack you with. Spinning, you then pull Undine to her feet and give her a push. You turn back with a slash of your sword, catching the shadow beast with a scream, as you hack off its claw.

Then your world goes red momentarily. There’s a great pain in your chest. You look down and see the other claw embedded in your chest. It pulls out and you smirk slightly, thinking it won’t harm you. That which isn’t real can’t hurt you. Yet, it aches so much. Why? Your vision goes blurry.

>continued

>>30700319
“It hurts, does it not?” a deep, almost majestic voice says.

You’re lying on your back on some grass. It is night and you can see the crescent moon above you. An enormous armoured knight, cloaked in shadow, stands above you. He wields a bow as large as you are and fires off an arrow into the night. You hear the screams and shouts of the battlefield.

“You are strong though. Stronger than you believe,” the voice says, and you think it is coming from the knight. “Believe in that strength, and nothing you do not believe in will happen to you.”

You feel that is a falsity. That one cannot simply wish away what they do not like. But your chest aches. You’re bleeding out. You’ll die soon, if you can’t fix this. If he’s right, then you can save yourself.

The world comes back into view. The shadow beast, still composed of strange writing and glowing brightly, withdraws its claw from your chest. Blood, red and terrible, comes out with it. You need to save yourself.

[DC13 Save Yourself]

No, you won't die if you fail this.

Rolled 10

>>30700335

Rolled 3

>>30700335
Oh shite

Rolled 8

>>30700335

Rolled 7

>>30700335

Rolled 2

>>30700335

Rolled 5

>>30700335
nat 1

Rolled 7

>>30700335

Rolled 10

>>30700335
it looks like the revenant is a bro.

>>30700335

>spoiler
After all those 1s, I wouldn't be surprised if we did. Christ, they are really bogging this down but you're rolling with it best you can man, keep it up.

>>30700338
>>30700347
>>30700348
>>30700353
>>30700359
>>30700361
>>30700371
>>30700381

The likelihood that none of those got above ten is a fraction of a percent.

Rolled 14

>>30700305
The chocolate is comfort food
The popcorn is what you prepare for watching a show
But what is a bacon turtle burger? (also, I looked it up, quite an abomination)

>>30700409
And imagine if we were fighting the Revanent.

That's easily 4 turns, and nothing even close to Astral power.

We'd be ded.

Rolled 17

>>30700409
i rolled both 10s.i rolled 2 of the failing 1s

Rolled 7

>>30700409
assuming a proper RNG

>>30700420
Soul food for the upcoming pain.

>>30700434
well, pretty sure 4chan uses post time in milliseconds, which is about as proper as you can get

>>30700432
And you wonder why you never get invited back to games...

>>30700392
It is kind of amazing. I didn't even intend for things to get quite this...screwed up? I'm in pure improv right now - even pulled in some stuff I didn't plan to use for a while.

>Target not met

You know you need to save yourself, but you can’t think how. That… memory? Vision? Has already left you. You can’t remember anything more than pain. Astral energy flows uselessly through your body. The ground comes up to your knees, and you feel the force of the impact through your armour and padding.

You hear some screams from nearby but shut them out. The shadowbeast above you reels back to strike you again. It may not be real but it sure as hell hurts, you think. As one of its claws comes down you surge upwards and catch it. Pain lances through your body as tendons rip from the monster’s attack. Your body fails you and you collapse to the side.

The world goes dark.

You hear a thump. The ground is cold. The stone steals your very body heat.

Several more thumps resound throughout the cavern and you open your eyes, wondering what that is. You are in an entrance hall. Stone steps lie before you. The torches of the hall are unlit. You aren’t in a cavern. You can’t feel the pain of your earlier wound. Standing up, you check yourself and find that you have all your equipment. Your sword and shield are on your back once more.

Looking around, you cannot recognise where you are. A large hall lies before you, well-light from sunlight above and with an enormous hole in the middle. A large double-door wooden gate stands closed behind you. You hear the thumping once more – it sounds like heavily armoured soldiers on stone. Some banners, bearing emblems you don’t recognise, are on the poorly lit walls nearby.

You…

>1. Investigate the hall ahead.
>2. Try the door behind you.
>3. Investigate the banners and walls around you.
>4. Custom

>>30700585
>1. Investigate the hall ahead.
>3. Investigate the banners and walls around you.

>>30700585
3

>>30700585
3

>>30700585
>3. Investigate the banners and walls around you.

Just caught up and what the hell nat 1s and bad rolls all day, get it together guys!

>>30700585
>1. Investigate the hall ahead.

Rolled 3

>>30700705
Just for you
~<3

>3.

You try to get a close look at the banners nearby, but the place is too poorly lit. The stone, at least, you can tell is extremely well worked. Things are strange, though, and you try to look more closely.

You attempt to empower your senses, wary of this being another false world like the others you’ve been in of late. You’re finding it difficult to focus power and you also notice your body feels weary, as though you’ve run a marathon.

[DC14 Empowerment]

Rolled 2

>>30700773

Rolled 6

>>30700773

Rolled 2

>>30700773

Rolled 1

>>30700746
Jesus
I propose that we now treat d20's as d10's.

>>30700773
dice gods plz

Rolled 12

>>30700461
Everything in computers is based on clocks. Every bus, every component. It is entirely plausible for there to be something in the chain that is introducing a measure of unwanted consistency to the rolls

Rolled 19

>>30700773
another failure hoooo.

>>30700783
>>30700788
>>30700791

There is something seriously wrong.

Do the thread again tomorrow we have angered some cruel divine being with our use of the term astral adepts.

>>30700783
>>30700788
>>30700791
Jesus fucking christ

>>30700796
>>30700791
>>30700788
>>30700783
Guys
Guys please stop
Please.

>>30700798
that's why they use post time. users are the ones that make posts, not computers.

File: 1394247545636.jpg-(37 KB, 752x375, Laughing dice gods.jpg)

37 KB JPG

Rolled 15

>>30700812
>>30700812
>>30700819
>>30700820

File: 1394247608514.jpg-(57 KB, 355x328, 1392640764765.jpg)

57 KB JPG

>>30700854
>Rolled 1d20: 15

>>30700746
But but but what I have done to deserve this?

So Aspirational...

You finish designing that pool for us to negate failures yet?

Cuz that'd be real nice right now...instead of assuming Talon is being overcome by some innate strain of retardation

Rolled 14

>>30700836
>that's why they use post time. users are the ones that make posts, not computers.
... no see, you might click submit at a random point in time, but the various hardware and software components involved in actually making it happen each are handled by a computer and often bound to a clock.

So Aspirational, how much do you think you can improv before giving the quest a rest for the night?

>>30700916
Jack piddly shit. Enjoy being the dice gods' plaything.

Rolled 7

>>30700930
the way Aspirational has written it, seems more like bad luck or not having the right amount of power.

>>30700940
Well he is in full improv mode, and is pulling shit from the future.

>>30700964
Actually, it reads more like something is fucking with our brain. I don't even know what's happening anymore.

>>30700930
That's what Vad teaches you after this, though it will be very limited. Still, I don't think I'm writing this in a way that makes you question Talon's competency.

>>30700940
Given that I'm shuffling out of improv right now, we can keep going till 2am-3am as I wanted to. It was just a more jarring transition than I expected. I, uh, also might not get the whole thing done this session as I expected to.

>>30700964
He could probably spin it as stress or tiredness or having troubled thoughts about something, like Felix.

Man, who knows, our rolls got fucked up and now our QM is panicking. Thanks, dice.

>>30700938
as long as we clicked submit at a random time, and the algorithm has that time, it will be as random as possible

>>30701021
>Vad teaches us
Wait, really? I was kidding.
Cool.

>Talon
Fine. HE'S not the one overcome with retardation. The world just inverts in on itself to ruin his day. Still pleasant taste in my mouth.

>>30701060
>pleasant
unpleasant

>>30700783
>>30700788
>>30700791
>>30700796

on the bright side no 1. Well no a 1 but not one that counts.

>Target not met

Difficulty focusing power is something of an understatement, as you fail several attempts before finally putting enough power into your eyes to see in the darkness. Not that it helps you much. The banners bear what you think is a hippogryph. Most likely this belongs to a knightly order. Otherwise you learn little. The stone is as well-worked as you thought but you see little of consequence in the hall. Trying the door reveals that it’s sealed by a magical seal of some form – given how hard it was to focus your power to see in the dark, you don’t think you’ll be breaching that without some rest. That leaves checking the hall ahead and you step out into the light and look around.

The hall is more of a tower, really, with a series of rings rounding around the edges, looking down into the hall below you. Sunlight streams down from the opening to the sky some twenty floors above you. You grip the marble railing in front of you and look down on the bottom floor two storeys you.

A dozen heavily armoured knights greet each other down below. Two different orders, if you’re not mistaken. The emblems painted on the back of the armour of one order seems vaguely familiar. The other is the same as you saw on the banner earlier. You spot some people on the floor above you chatting and they look like mages. There are also some exits on this floor, though you don’t know where they’ll lead.

>1. Try to eavesdrop on what’s happening below.
>2. Start exploring this floor.
>3. Talk to the mages above.
>4. Custom

>>30701021
You make it sound Ike we're not roughly 3 nat1s from game over. Not sure how I feel about that.

>>30701098
>1. Try to eavesdrop on what’s happening below.

>>30701098
>1. Try to eavesdrop on what’s happening below.

>>30701098
>1

>>30701098
1

>>30701098
>1. Try to eavesdrop on what’s happening below.

>>30701106
You want me to end the quest because of a few bad rolls? Or do you feel there's just no penalties so far? I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at, I'm afraid. Things are in a worse spot than they otherwise would have been but the quest won't end without much more than that. Other bad things may happen, though. That's why you have fate points.

>>30701203
>Won't end things because of bad rolls
Good, because I vote we get our friends and leave, NOW.

Seriously, dice have spoken to me and they say "Tonight is not a good night, flee, retreat!"

>>30701203
I suppose my complaint - and in retrospect it is kind of assholeish, so sorry about that - is your public reassurance that right now we have a safety net. Now, I get why you did and it probably was reasonable all things given, but it immediately torpedoed my immersion and has taken pretty much all of the tension out of this scene for me. But you are well within you're rights to make the call you did, so don't worry about it. Still, thanks for checking in, you surprised me by doing so and it's to your credit that you show so much concern for your players.

>>30701299
I am second for retreating.

>>30701325
it is pretty well known since the start that 1s won't mean the end, unless we are fatally wounded.

>>30701325
It'd be pretty shitty to die from bad d20 rolls. Where it is tension for you, it is frustration for me.

>1.

You focus your sense again and try to make out whatever conversation is taking place below. It seems that the resident knights are greeting a visiting order.

“I’m not sure how much more we can offer, Sir Arquin,” the local officer says. “This tower is sturdy and we, of the Order of the Bloodied Hippogryph, stand by its strength. If you can’t make use of it, I’m afraid we can’t help you.”

Well, maybe that explains why the banner was red. Bloodied Hippogryph? You haven’t heard of it before. If this is the castle in the cavern, you’re still uncertain as to how these knights got here or what they might be doing. Heck, the lack of a Farun banner is troubling in and of itself.

“It’s not the tower you can offer, Grandmaster Tassin,” the visiting knight says, his voice being projected by some form of magic. It’s a poor form of projection, too, judging from how tinny it sounds. As though the man is projecting his voice from within his full helm. “It’s your order. We’ve seen it time and time again further north – fortifications are meaningless. The monsters overrun them without issue. It is only on the field of battle we can face them.”

>continued

>>30701461
“And then we all die? Is that it?” says another of the Hippogryph knights, his voice laced with cynicism. “We can’t all fight toe-to-toe with monsters like you can. I care for my friends – and they for me. It is the way of our order. Yet you ask us to throw ourselves, and our friends, to the wolves?”

“For the good of all, yes,” is the immediate response. “If you cannot, then I hardly think you can call yourself knights.”

“We are knights as you are, Sir Arquin,” comes the frosty response from the grandmaster. “I would thank you for not questioning my order’s ability so openly. Now, some of the servants will show you to your rooms and we can continue your conversation tomorrow.”

Well, it seems you’ve dropped in on some complicated politics. You still have no idea what’s happening, but you’re wondering if you’re not in Farun anymore. Unless they’re talking about the shadow beasts you encountered earlier? Perhaps they weren’t fake.

The visiting knights are coming upstairs, led by Arquin. You…

>1. Make yourself scarce. You don’t want them to react violently to your intrusion.
>2. Greet them as they come up.
>3. Ignore them and begin exploring this building.
>3. Custom

>>30701445
Like I said, in retrospect it was a rather assholish comment. That being said, if we're invulnerable for all intents and purposes at the moment what's stopping us from just barreling through this area as quickly as possible, accepting whatever superficial damage we might take as the price of doing business?

>>30701325
Who do you think he is, Fronk?

>>30701482
>1

>>30701507
>>>/qtg/

>>30701482
1

>>30701506
bad rolls, not bad decisions

Rolled 1

>>30701342
I am against retreat. bad rolls can happen anywhere. Retreat won't change the quality of rolls.

>>30701482
>. Make yourself scarce. You don’t want them to react violently to your intrusion.

>>30701482
>1

>>30701537
I do not have a reaction image smug enough for this.

>>30701482
3 - None of this is real. We nly interact with it at our own discretion.

>>30701506

Less invulnerable. More 1s aren't auto death like in a lot of quests. J

>>30701482
>1. Make yourself scarce. You don’t want them to react violently to your intrusion.

>>30701482
Also, I think we got sent back in time just now.

>>30701506
I don't want to be too meta, but we're already mostly there anywhere. If you burn the current version of fate points (which happens when the HP stat I'm tracking hits zero), there are permanent repercussions as explained in the general pastebin. As in, major NPCs dying and other similarly horrible things. Getting to that point requires bad rolls and bad decisions. If you were to simply barrel through a dangerous area and roll poorly, that would count as both.

Going with option 1.

>>30701506
Hes already explained that there are repercussions for things its just that bad rolls and nat 1s can be evened out with good plans. Rolled bad on that charge lost a bunch of guys and had Lyn questioning us etc. Then we have a good plan and roll really well and plow though the trap dungeon and stop that guy from escaping. I personally like the system, bad rolls suck yeah and take our steam but we can still win. Like taking hits in a fight but still getting a win.

>1.

You don’t know where you are. You don’t know who these knights are. What you do know is that they can fight monsters by themselves. If that description is accurate, then you don’t want to risk a confrontation with them.

As such, you move swiftly back to the entrance hall and wait for them to leave. It’s only a few minutes before the thumping of their feet against stone ceases and you think you’re alone. You have a closer look in the many-storeyed hall, ascending some staircases, and notice that most of the rooms have signs indicating what they are. They’re written in an odd form, but you can mostly read them. They’re somewhat similar to the current writing form of the region where you grew up, but just different enough. You’re pretty certain you’re not in Farun, now.

It seems this is the entrance hall. There is a barracks, a prayer room (to what you don’t know), guest quarters, the armory and a separate mage tower. If there’s more in this fortress, it’s not indicated in this hall. You think the visiting knights went towards to the guest quarters.

You...

>1. Attempt to leave, forcing the gate if need be.
>2. Head to the guest quarters.
>3. Head to the barracks and armory.
>4. Head to the mage tower and prayer room
>5. Custom

>>30701736
>1. Attempt to leave, forcing the gate if need be

>>30701736
>4. Head to the mage tower and prayer room

>>30701736
>4. Head to the mage tower and prayer room

>>30701736
>3 - see if we can acquire an appropriate uniform to blend in

>>30701736
>3. Head to the barracks and armory.

>>30701736
>4. Head to the mage tower and prayer room

>4.

You decide to check out the mage tower and prayer room. You encounter the prayer room first and decide to see exactly who or what they’re worshipping. It’s very awkward to say the least. You’ve never been one for religion and have never understood it yourself. You can understand people believing in the powers of divine beings and the Astral Adepts, and even the pseudo-pacifism espoused by Malataine, but genuine belief in saviours? Death and rebirth? The cycle of life and immortality in worship? It didn’t seem to make much sense to ascribe more to life than could be found in it – after all, you already had angels, self-described Gods and magic.

So it was that the prayer room that signified the Order of the Bloodied Hippogryph as Disciples of Theros made you feel very uncomfortable. It was one of the rarest religions to be found, as it espoused a level of belief and worship of the angels that even they rejected. It was kind of hard to worship beings that outright rejected said worship. Very strange to see an order of knights that did so, though. Very old-fashioned for a knightly order to be tied to religion rather than a nation or cause.

Access to the mage tower is barred by a glyph, which you can’t decipher. You could try to brute-force it, but everybody would know you were doing so.

>1. Brute-force your way into the mage tower.
>2. Look for another way in.
>3. Head back to the main hall in order to search another area.
>4. Custom

>>30702031
>2

>>30702031
>2

>>30702031
>3. Head back to the main hall in order to search another area.

>>30702031
>2. Look for another way in.

>>30702031
>3. Still want to check out that armory.

>>30702031
>2. Look for another way in.
lets see first before giving up.

>2.

You hunt around for a separate entrance. It would be strange for there to only be one entrance that was only accessible by mages. Yet, even with the search it doesn’t appear that there is another entrance.

You frown, clearly you’ve missed something. You look slightly more closely as you go around – no fortress would be designed with only one entrance to a major part of it.

[DC19 Search]