"I will allow you free run of my domain, provided that you accept Saeri as an escort to keep you out of trouble with the locals. The Forge is delicate, and I will ask you not to dismantle it unnecessarily. Considering those conditions met, I will ask only one thing more: That you bind the sigil on your palm until your time here is done. While I am willing to negotiate with your spirits, I do not wish them learning all the secrets of my domain. Is this amenable to you?"

You nod. "Most fair terms, General. Thank you."

He stares at you evenly for a moment. "When you are satisfied, one way or another, you may return to me in my chambers. We have much to discuss, I think. And I have an offer for you to consider. But for now-- Saeri."

She nods, stepping forward. As she does, the Tyrant lumbers away across the steel catwalk.

"So, Totemist," she says in a sugar-sweet chirp. "Where would you like to go?"

> Further examine the so-called "Demon Pits". Those bundles make you uncomfortable.
> Return to the city above. Find out how a Tyrant rules his nation.
> Examine the mining operations around the city.
> Other.

---
You are Osyki, journeyman Totemist and first line of defense for your village against the rabid Behemoths wandering the land. Your master, the previous Totemist, fell in a battle against a terrible Behemoth, leaving the duty of defending your settlement to you.Now, your newfound role as a Stone Knight demands that you scale the Ikrin Peaks and destroy the Iron Tyrant who challenges your Emperor's claim to his domain. After delving through cracked caverns in a blasted wasteland, you have discovered Poinstmar, an advanced and prosperous city below the earth. The Tyrant, it seems, is not the monster you have been warned against. Or is he?

[[Previous Threads: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=totem

The Cast Thus Far / Binder's Log: http://pastebin.com/c5GFiw81

Quest Twitter: @TotemistQuest]]

>>34485233
I'd kind of like to see some of the various spirits of the land and water that now work for the Iron General.

>>34485233
>> Further examine the so-called "Demon Pits". Those bundles make you uncomfortable.
Then
> Return to the city above. Find out how a Tyrant rules his nation.

>>34485139

..you're back. Can't believe it.

..we've been waiting for you. Thanks for coming back.

>>34485233
>That you bind the sigil on your palm until your time here is done. While I am willing to negotiate with your spirits, I do not wish them learning all the secrets of my domain. Is this amenable to you?

Which spirits are those? The ones that we bound to us, or the Stone Emperor?

>>34485401
Seems good

>>34485233
> Further examine the so-called "Demon Pits". Those bundles make you uncomfortable.
> Return to the city above. Find out how a Tyrant rules his nation.

I think finding out whether 'Tyrant' is actually applicable here is the most important thing.

If he is actually the decent guy he seems to be, then it puts a bit of a hold on us. We really should have gathered more information before we made that contract.

Regardless, I am very glad that you are back, Diarca. I've been eagerly waiting.

>>34485466

[[The Stone Emperor is the spirit who placed the seal on your hand.]]

>>34485466
The stone emperor.

>>34485401
I'm not really sure if we can do that without arousing suspicion.

Though that in and of itself could maybe be enlightening.

>>34485497
Will the Emperor be aware that we've bound the sigil?

>>34485233
> Further examine the so-called "Demon Pits". Those bundles make you uncomfortable.

>>34485233
> Further examine the so-called "Demon Pits". Those bundles make you uncomfortable.

>>34485500
He gave us freedom to do whatever, lets use it

>>34485233
With the demon pits, if we brought out Tryd, would he be able to smell what the bundles are, from the way they burn?

>>34485500
He gave us his permission to do so.
>>34485509
Seeing as he knew it was unbound, probably.

>>34485484
Why did we make a deal with the Stone Emperor anyway?

Something about our childhood friend/love interest, and the Magus?

And then when we met the Bound King or whatever, he just seemed to confirm that the Iron Tyrant is bad news.

>>34485484
The deification of this worlds essence called him a psychopath that needs to be destroyed.
I say we kill him and fold this little kingdom into the moonlight empire as a "gift."

>>34485233
>> Further examine the so-called "Demon Pits". Those bundles make you uncomfortable.

>>34485139
What's up with these year long breaks?

"I'd like to examine the De- The Grand Forge first, I think." Your gaze is drawn inexorably downward to the covered bundles being carted into the roaring furnaces. "I've never seen an operation so vast."

Seari beams. The light of the magma below takes on new life in her platinum locks, and her sparkling eyes would be enormously appealing, if only--

If only they hadn't ensnared you just minutes ago.

You remember the cryptic message, the flash of a temple suspended above a vast sea. The chill of ice creeping down your limbs.

You shake your head, breaking from your reverie, and take the hand she has extended to you. In a swift motion, she's wrapped a bandage with runic marking around your palm. "That ought to serve," she says with a sharp nod. "After you, Totemist."

You alight one of the many ladders near you, climbing downward. The heat spikes as you do, and now you find yourself sweating in earnest. It feels like standing in the path of a drake's breath flare down here. When you reach ground level, you can see that the tusked workers wear masks over their mouths and noses, connected to a strange pack on their back.

> Question Saeri about the pack.
> Examine one of the covered bundles.
> Examine the machinery.
> Question a worker.
> Other.

>>34485673
>Question Saeri about the pack.
Maybe summon Tryd, and ask him to sniff around a little?

>>34485673
> Examine one of the covered bundles.
> Question Saeri about the pack.
> Question a worker.

>>34485673
>> Question Saeri about the pack.
Then
> Examine one of the covered bundles.

>>34485585
I just don't think it's as cut and dry as the Stone Emperor and whoever you are talking about made this out to be.

>>34485673
> Examine one of the covered bundles
.> Question Saeri about the pack.
> Question a worker.
And:>>34485737

>>34485139
HOLY FUCKING SHIT

File: Giant Fucking Turtles.jpg (239 KB, 1017x556)

239 KB JPG

>>34485673
Im glad you are back

>>34485673
>> Question Saeri about the pack.

>>34485585
Technically, here's what he said

>"The Iron Tyrant is a corrupt spirit, forged of chaos and quenched in the blood of a thousand thousand innocents. To stop it, you must utterly destroy it. Bury the Demon Pits, extinguish the Fellfire, and tear down its corrupt body, plate by plate. Should you accomplish these tasks, in the order I have given them to you, you will be capable. Whether you will be -successful- lies entirely on your wits. You must act, and act soon. The mountains hold little danger for its ilk now."

The thing is though, the Iron Tyrant appears to be a manifestation of industry and progress, by his very nature, he is bound to move forward. What we must determine is whether or not that's necessarily a bad thing.

On the other hand, the Lord Restrained also said

>"I am willing to offer you a boon, Totemist," the Lord tells you. "The Iron Tyrant is one of many corrupted spirits in my domain. Rid your plane of his presence, and I will reward you."

So yeah, I guess he's not a fan.

>>34485864
Well, regardless, I'd rather side with the ancient big lord guy than this guy.

>>34485864
Unless there is a way to purify whatever corruption lies in him, I suppose?

Beyond that, we've sort of already made the contract. The best we can do now is limit the damage that his destruction will cause.

>>34485673
> Question Saeri about the pack.
> Examine one of the covered bundles.

File: Saeri.png (649 KB, 849x1000)

649 KB PNG

You turn to your companion quizzically, thumbing to one of the workers crouched over the furnace. "What's the deal with the masks?" you ask quietly. "Is it a cultural thing?"

She shakes her head, tapping her nose with one gloved hand. "The fumes down here can be toxic over long exposure, Totemist. Some of the natural gasses inherent to the fireflows can damage the body. To prevent that build-up, the workers here wear masks with filters on them. We have a pair of air spirits who recharge the packs every few hours to keep clean air flowing for our men."

You wrinkle your nose. "Is that dangerous to us? Should we have masks?" Despite the searing heat, nothing about the air smells off.

Saeri shakes her head. "I doubt we'll be down here for long enough that it'll be a problem, sir. It takes days of exposure for problems to develop."

You thumb the charcoal charm at your wrist, and Tryd flares to life of your shoulder. You think the little soot imp is actually -grinning-. The cracks in his body glow with radiance. "About time you brought me somewhere worthwhile," he mutters to you.

You nod him toward one of the furnaces, and he pops to examine the machine in a gout of ashes.

As he rummages through the ashes of the live furnace, you put a hand out to stop one of the tusked workers. The worker himself is interesting, up close. His tusks are thick and weathered, like those you would expect to find on a wild boar, and his skin has a leathery gray cast to it. His hair, wiry and tough, hangs over beady black eyes. He gives Saeri a quizzical look as you unveil the bundle.

(Cont.)

File: summoning.diarca.png (437 KB, 800x800)

437 KB PNG

The time has come. My sacrifices has not been for vain.

>>34485974

You stagger back. You're not sure if you're shocked or dismayed at the mass under the thick cloth tarp, but the smell and the sight is still enough to turn your stomach.

Corpses.

The dead bodies of two men and a woman are bundled together like so much kindling under the tarp. Strange black growths bubble from their noses and mouths. Notably, all three of these individuals look aged. Not elderly, but certainly not in the prime of their lives.

As you stagger back, the tusked worker continues his path toward the furnace. Tryd reappears on your shoulder, still glowing hot after his fire bath.

"Lotta human remains in that fire," he tells you. "Coal and oils, too. A lot of -everything-. This furnace has been burning, non-stop, for the better part of a year. At least."

Saeri stands beside you, watching you carefully.

> Free.

>>34486088
"Care to explain why you're fueling your kingdom with human remains despite what you just told me?"

>>34486088
"Those growths, is that what happens if you're exposed to the air here for too long?"

>>34486165
Probably not seeing as they're not tusked, they probably don't work the forge, it's probably preparation for being used as fuel.

>>34486088
Do we know the practice of cremation?

>>34486088
"I see there is at least some truth to the rumors about the place."

>>34486088
"So, were these people killed for the specific purpose of powering the furnace, or is this just the funerary rites of Poinstmar?"

Holy fuck it's back. I never thought I'd see the day. It's been so long that I've forgotten so much... I want to know what happens with the city in the future vision.
I'm so excited I could cry.

>>34486256
On second thought, maybe not that blunt.

Personally, I figure that if they were doing human sacrifice, they'd have the people still be alive when they're thrown into the fire.

Which makes me suspect that this is industrial cremation, which is kind of ghoulish, but not exactly evil.

>>34486236
>>34486256
These two I guess.

Your gaze is sharp, but you keep your tone level as you stare sidelong at Saeri. As you watch, the tusked worker upends the cart into the inferno. The bodies tumble inside, still wrapped in canvas, and begin to burn.

"And despite what you just told me, I find that you are fueling your kingdom with human remains. Seems there's some truth to the rumors about these pits. Care to explain?"

Saeri smooths her skirt with one hand, her eyes downcast. "It's not-- you're not seeing the whole picture, Totemist." She's been careful to avoid using your name. "Everything comes down to the furnaces, eventually. We can't spare any scrap of fuel. Our livelyhood relies on the efficiency of this place. So when people die, they're brought here. When the trash dumps are full, the waste is brought here. When we find excess coal or oil, it's brought here."

She turns to look at you. "I know it's grisly, Osyki, but everything burns in the end. And it's the culture here. Even in death, you contribute to Pointsmar's advance."

>Free.

>>34486326
... "I suppose"

>>34486326
"I figured as much, if it was specifically human sacrifice, they'd still be alive.

But why can't you spare any scraps of fuel? The Iron General indicated that this Grand Forge taps into the molten core of the Earth itself, that doesn't seem like something that can be easily extinguished."

>>34486326
"So those growths from their nose and mouth, is that part of how you prepare the bodies?

Or is that related to how they died in the first place?"

>>34486326
"It is certainly strange but also understandable."

>>34486407
Oh, yes, also this.

>>34486326
"I can't help but notice there seems to be a steady steam of bodies. Is that... normal?"

>>34486513
It's probably all sorts of things, not just bodies.

>>34486326
I wonder, would Tryd be able to tell if any of the recently burned bodies were already alive when they burned? He was able to identify that cloud, but that was just one thing.

Holy shit, I thought you'd disappeared! How've you been, Diarca?

It still turns your stomach. In your village, the honored dead are anointed and buried in the graveyard to watch over the village for the future. To see corpses torched like this is wrong, to your sensibilities. But your initial paranoia has died down, somewhat, and when you next speak, it is with less tension in your tone.

"...I suppose. If it was some sort of wanton sacrifice, they'd still be alive."

Saeri, to her credit, refrains from rolling her eyes.

"But you can't spare any scraps of fuel at all? From the General's words, Pointsmar taps into the molten core of the world itself. Doesn't seem like you'd have need of excess fuel."

She laces her fingers carefully in front of her as she answers. "The Grand Forge is impressive, but even it is not perfect. There are inefficiencies in the system that draws power from the core that we strive to correct, and in the mean time, we turn to other fuels. That aside, we have no other place to dispose of them. We cannot bury them. Pointsmar is a mobile city, Osyki. When the general heard of your approach, he spared no expense in moving it through the Below. Can you imagine finding the bodies of your loved ones, once buried, mined out anew on the outskirts of the city? Horrible." She shudders. "This is the humane solution."

You wince at the image. "I can't help but notice that there seems to be a steady stream of these bundles. Are they all bodies? Do they all bear the same black growths?"

Saeri shakes her head. "No. We cover it all uniformly to avoid making the workers uncomfortable, and it's not all the dearly departed. As to the growths..."

She sighs, looking out over the molten river. "Pointsmar is not without its illnesses and issues, Osyki. We are a city like any other, in some respects."

>Free.

>>34486654
"I see"
Lets go look around the city

>>34486654
"Who are these horned people?"

>>34486654
"I know I must sound like quite the bumpkin for saying this, but Pointsmar is actually the first city I've ever visited. Could you show it to me?"

>>34486738
>>34486729
These

>>34485139
Bro... man, for just a second when i saw this thread i nearly shed a tear. Welcome back man.

>>34486654
"I doubt there are many cities like this one. Let's continue the tour."

>>34486654
Something about how we've seen the dead of Pointsmar, but now would like to see the living?

Like learn about said illnesses and issues?

"So, what happens before all this?"

>>34486654
Wait, did we know that Pointsmar is still mobile?

"If Pointsmar is still mobile, what happens to the Grand Forge? I don't think it's a good idea to just leave these vast holes in the Earth on top of everything else."

>>34486654
"Is that illness why you're burning them instead of composting the remains? How bad is it, that it could leave that lasting a corruption?"

>>34486991
We know it's still mobile. That's the point, the Tyrannous General wants to move it across the mountains since it can't last in an isolated region like this without using up all its resources. The idea is to move it to a larger roaming area so it can give the land the time it needs to recover from its passing. Which brings me to a question I'd like to ask:

>>34486654
"So will Pointsmar have to shift to combustible fuels even further as it goes over the mountains? I can't imagine you could dig deep enough to get at the magma while keeping the city close enough to the surface to avoid asphyxiation. Not in the mountains, at least. The Ikrins aren't an active range.."

There's an uncomfortable silence between the two of you for a moment as you watch the shrouded corpses crackle with flame. Saeri looks... not embarassed, not quite, but definitely a little uncomfortable. You finally break the silence, turning to her and leaning against your spear.

"I know I must sound like a complete bumpkin for saying this, but Poinstmar is the first city I've ever visited. Would you mind giving me the tour?"

Saeri looks confused for a split-second before smiling wide. "It would be my honor, Totemist," she says, curtsying gracefully. "Come. Let's get out of this heat before we both expire."

As you head to the ladders, you ask Saeri, quietly, "What--who are the horned people down there?"

She glances over her shoulder. "The Urehar are an underground people. They immigrate to Pointsmar every so often, when we pass by their caverns. Hard workers, but not exactly sparkling conversationalists, in my experience."

An entire race of underground lives. The mind boggles.

As you reach for the first rung on the ladder, something twinges at your senses.

>1d100 for perception.

>>34486654
>Pointsmar is a mobile city, Osyki. When the general heard of your approach, he spared no expense in moving it through the Below.

...Wait a second. Just how long did he know we were coming?

How fast can he move a city? How long were we in the spirit world?

Rolled 73 (1d100)

>>34487093
Dice gods guide these eyes.

Rolled 77 (1d100)

>>34487093

Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>34487093

Rolled 19 (1d100)

>>34487093
Can we get Cordia's opinion on this, too? She's new to being an earth spirit, but she's shown an instinctive understanding of geological pressures. Maybe we could even bind her to a compass or something to make a geomantic sensor totem.

Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>34487093

>>34486654
You know, I can't help but feel that in a world where spirits are an easily observable phenomena, this city is basically flying in the face of all the laws and traditions. It moves, and it consumes, clearly to the point of unsustainability if not now, then eventually. It obliterates the landscape above, and probably ruins the land for generations, if not centuries. I'm not worried about the ritual cremation so much as I am worried that this idea will catch on, and the natural world will just be rolled over by fire and steel, spirits and all.

I'm not against the idea of progress, but I don't think this is the way to go about it.

If the Iron Tyrant cannot be tempered, then I feel that he must be torn down as the Lord Restrained directed.

>>34487171
There's an idea.

>>34487154

As your hand wraps around the padded rung of the ladder, your second sight suddenly rushes through your field of vision. It's difficult to see in the sudden storm of ferocious thermal energy you find yourself surrounded with. The earth's core vents flame energy in dizzying spirals, scooped up by wide domes suspended in the ether above you. You're nearly so overwhelmed that you miss it.

> 77

Nearly.

There, in one of the offshoot caverns, you see something inhuman dart. A rough shape, large, that moves with the chittering clack of insectoid legs. It's gone before you can go for a second glance. Beside you, cloaked in an aura of cerulean, Saeri seems none the wiser.

> Go after the apparition
> Return to the city above.
> Other

>>34487316
> Return to the city above.

>>34487316
>> Go after the apparition

>>34487316
>HUNT THE APPARITION. WIELD ITS SPIRIT FOR OUR ENDS.

>>34487316
>go after the apparition
"On second thought, before we go to the city, I'm gonna check this thing out."

>>34487316
> Go after the apparition
Well we can go to the city anytime

>>34487316
>> Go after the apparition
What could possibly go wrong

>>34487316
> Other
Alert Saeri of it. Either it's nothing dangerous, in which case we're just being paranoid, or it's a threat to Pointsmar and should be brought to her attention. Certainly it couldn't be a servant of the General, could it? I mean, Saeri's right here. He already has someone observing us for him. Unless he doesn't trust her, of course. But no, that can't be possible, I'm sure it's something else. Right, Saeri?

>Guy build an awesome city but forgot to find an efficient power source.
>Use the land around the city to power it, draining the land of it's ressource.
>Have to move around to find more ressource.
>Everytime he goes somewhere with ressource and people he'll have no choice but to accept the refugees in his city, demanding more ressource than what he's taken.
>Repeat over and over.

We all know how it's going to end if he doesn't change model

>>34487561
I don't know how you can fuck up geothermal power, but I'm pretty sure the Iron is gonna find a way.

god I hope uranium isn't a thing in this world.

>>34487561
Which leaves us cast as a villain.

Clearly this city can't stand, but how the hell do we deal with it? If it stops moving, the populace will starve.

>>34487561
Don't forget that there seem to be forces actively working against him. I think we've been caught up in someone's plot. The smoke cloud we found on the mountain, the fact that Saeri is worried about people listening in on her conversations with us, this skulking spirit in the darkness... I'm not saying the General is necessarily innocent of all the accusations made against him, but it definitely looks like there's a conspiracy to sabotage Pointsmar's ability to function without causing harm. I bet that what the Grand Forge's inefficiencies are, something tampering with the system.

>>34487644
doesn't look like he's going that way though.

>>34487705
Did we ever ask about the smoke cloud?

>>34487705
The idea that that corpse cloud was in reality used to frame the Iron General seems pretty farfetched. I mean are we even that big a deal?

>>34487808
The General seems to think so. As Totemist of this region, Osyki actually has a pretty substantial amount of influence. Our cooperation could mean the difference between the General being able to peacefully negotiatie for passage through these lands and having to fight against the combined forces of the Stone Emperor, Mother of the Swamp and Sylvianis.

Damn, this feels like a birthday gift, and it's not even my birthday. You seeing this too, Soma?

>>34487855
True, but I thought that by now he's mastered the subjugation of land spirits.

>>34487899
It's been implied that the General can't afford to waste any resources in his current situation. He's tapped out all that he can extract from the region north of the Ikrins, and if he doesn't enter new territory soon he risks Pointsmar starving. The cost of battling his way through could tip him over the edge.

There's hardly time for words. You make a quick gesture, your shoulders tense, and Saeri turns to follow your gaze. When you blink, your second sight fades, replacing the blinding reds and golds with the dark stone and dim red glow of the cavern. Your boots crackle beneath you.

"Totemist, what is--"

You erupt forward, trailing streamers of lightning in your wake. You hear Saeri exclaim, surprised, as you leap over the rivers of liquid rock. The heat spikes to unbearable, choking levels as you rocket through the searing atmosphere, but as you land in a perfect three-point crouch, there is a gust of frigid air from the passage.

You hear it again-- that chittering insectoid scuttle. And something else beneath it. A snatch of whispering-- like a song? It sends a shudder down your spine.

Saeri alights beside you, the gem on the back of her gauntleted hand sparkling with brilliant emerald light. A trail of sparkling fragments melts in the air behind her.

"What is it?"

"Large," you mutter. "Insectoid. Close." You put a finger to your lips, gesturing down the passage. The look of concern-- fear, even?-- is uncomfortable on Saeri's face. To question her about it would spoil your element of surprise, though.

> Stealthy approach. Nocturne's Embrace.
> Full assault. Flare your wings.
> Retreat. Saeri looks uncomfortable.
> Other.

>>34487974
> Stealthy approach. Nocturne's Embrace.
Do ask her about it though.

>>34487974
> Stealthy approach. Nocturne's Embrace.
How could we flare our wings if we had Nocturne's Embrace on? Those are both cloak bindings. We'd have to waste time unbinding Thane and rebinding Scythey the Wonder Drake( if he doesn't want to tell us his name, he'll have to live with getting called something ridiculous).

>>34488101
We'll have to rebind a lot of our totems, actually. We unbound all of the most gaudy ones in order to wander the city more easily. All we have right now( unless we changed it off-screen) is Nocturne's Embrace, Obsidian Touch and Cloudwalker Stride. And Modi Magni, but I think he's technically not actually a totem but a spirit able to exert its powers from within its focus. The White Claw focus has never actually fused to our spear like all other bindings do. He's transformed the spear, but that's probably an extension of the same ability that let him reshape the earth into a golem body when he was fighting the Magus.

>>34487959
And that fact alone should spell wonders about the situation.

He has literally drunk the land dry. He NEEDS to move, or this city will die. And what is to stop that from happening at the next region Pointsmar starts operating in?

So he's charismatic, and ambitious, but I don't think he understands exactly what his plans will mean for the rest of the world - He only cares about his city. He needs to be made to understand that this can't continue.

>>34487974
> Stealthy approach. Nocturne's Embrace.

Going in guns blazing is fun, but we need information here.

>>34487974
How loud was our landing?

The only reason I'm not sure about stealth is I'm not sure we haven't already alerted the ice spider.

>>34488235
Oh, I agree. I wasn't disputing that. But he seems to have realized that himself, so hopefully we can work with him to find a better way to do things. My point was that one of his enemies trying to sabotage his interactions with us is a plausible explanation for the smoke cloud we saw by the village. It doesn't make sense for the General himself to have planted it, and given the rate at which it was dispersing I doubt it got there on the wind by chance.

>>34488235
I think we already discovered that the Iron Tyrant is incapable of stopping, hence the tragedy.

You draw the hood of your cloak up around you, and immediately the world around takes on a darker cast. Saeri looks panicked for a moment, looking -through- you rather than at you. A shaft of radiance flickers from a nearby magma pool, and you see her squint at you. With a moment's thought and a gleam from her gem, she is wrapped in that same light-steel armor you first encountered her in.

Your spear in hand, you creep forward into the darkened tunnels. Saeri stays a ways behind you, her hand on the pommel of her saber. The darkened archways of the offshoot tunnel loom eerily around you, flickering, wavering shadows dancing like scattering insects in the uneven illumination of the magma chamber. Another gust of frigid air hurtles past you, and you draw your cloak tighter. The triangles of black rock of your hands flow outward, encasing your digits in dark armor.

As you round the corner, the illumination fades further. But there... is there something moving in the gloom? And are those points of red reflections of the magma, or something worse?

From the whispering shadows, you hear a wisp of song.

> 1d100

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>34488383
Let's do this.

Rolled 17 (1d100)

>>34488383
>>34488398
Welp

>>34488235
>>34488330
One thing that might help is our recent interactions with the Lunar Empire, specifically how they want to assimilate our village.

If the Iron General carries on like he has been, he'll have more to deal with than isolated villages and nature spirits.

He'll have a war.

>>34488398
Well, fuck me sideways. Sorry, everyone.

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>34488398
>>34488383
Died just.as soon as it returned.

Rolled 92 (1d100)

>>34488466
>>34488398
Double dead

>>34488398
>>34488417
>>34488466
Clearly, Osyki is no longer the chosen of the Dice Gods.

>>34488466
God fucking damnit dice gods.

I really hope crits aren't exponential.

>>34488522
I guess the dice aren't quite as forgiving as the players?

>>34488466
>>34488398
Hopefully this will be interesting.
SODOMIZE US SIDEWAYS DIARCA IT'S BEEN TOO LONG

>>34488330
You make an interesting point.

We'll see what the Iron General himself makes of this soon enough, I suppose.

>>34488398
>>34488417
>>34488466

This does not look good.
Roll 1d100 for perception.

Rolled 8 (1d100)

>>34488640
Please don't be ironic and be another 1. Please.

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>34488640
Yes, the solution is clearly more numbers.

File: 1404336925256.gif (67 KB, 230x230)

67 KB GIF

>>34488730

>>34488730
Motherfucker!

>>34488678
>>34488730
Well, that sucks.

Rolled 86 (1d100)

>>34488640
Look Ma I'm rolling a nat 1

>>34488678
>>34488730
>>34488640
Okay fuck this, the non-random number generator has clearly entered low tide.

I didn't wait a fucking year to see this quest get taken down by a shitty program.

>>34488640

Not my trip gentlemen.

Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>34488640

>>34488805
Sorry, I had to try at least once.

>>34488805
Oh, well

That's good

>>34488841
No, it's not, because we still double crit failed the roll. God damn it, Osyki.

File: The one throne.png (353 KB, 640x640)

353 KB PNG

More ones for my throne please.
Maybe we should trade them for Hellborn Quest's high roll.

>>34488805
Is this entire quest going to hell because of a bad number generator? Right after we started again? Shit :(

This is Back? Hell Yes!!

>>34489228
It was back. I don't think it will be anymore, though. Poor Osyki.

>>34489276
If were lucky we might just end up in a fight to the death so we can't give up yet.

Rolled 3 (1d100)

Are the rolls really that bad now? And how long will they stay that way?

Did Diarca pass out again?

There's just no time to react. None at all. As you creep around the corner, crouched low, spear clenched in your hand, there is a high, trilling sound. Like a woman singing resonantly.

A thin line of light jets from the darkness, tracing a path across your form. It settles on the right side of your torso, and as you coil your legs to jump away, to block the light, to do anything at all.

But there's just no time.

In the light of the beam that erupts, you see it. Insectoid, like a centipede, if centipedes were the size of a fully grown tree. It's reared up on its hind legs, hundreds of milky, sightless eyes studding the bottom of its form. From its mouth, the tracer beam rakes the gloom, a ray of white-hot energy.

And when it feels you flinch, as your boots scrape the stone, it fires.

The beams that it vomits forth is pure heat. A tightly focused ray of combustion screams across the distance between you, knocking you from your feet with the force of the impact. You feel your head slam against the rock wall, and the world around you explodes into pinpoints of light and pain. The violent whirlpool inside your head turns everything around into a slurry of disgusting color, pierced only by the song-like trill of the creature's heat weapon firing again.

"Osyki!" the voice is garbled--strange. Elana?

"Get up!"

You're bleeding. Your shoulder screams with pain.

>1d100 and actions.

Rolled 90 (1d100)

>>34489497
Stab it dead.

>>34489497
Aaaaand I've forgotten who Elana is... Sister or girlfriend?

Rolled 98 (1d100)

>>34489497
Attack

Rolled 75 (1d100)

>>34489596
http://pastebin.com/c5GFiw81

Rolled 27 (1d100)

>>34489497
Use the Obsidian Touch to bring down a thicket of stone spikes to pin block its sight of us. Then move out of its path of fire. If we can do it fast enough, bind the Plate Wurm to our armor and the Raptor to our pants, prioritizing the Wurm. We need defense. After doing that, or skipping straight to it if we don't have the time, stab the Incedipede.

Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>34489636
Changing bindings takes time, we really shouldn't do it mid combat.

>>34489636
Binding Midcombat is too dangerous since it takes time and concentration. We succeeded in attacking anyway considering I rolled a 98. Other than that your plan is fine.

>>34489683
Okay, then, my idea to block its view of us still applies. We're underground and can manipulate earthen materials. It's silly not to use it.

>>34489600
phew

File: Rapah-boyz.jpg (489 KB, 1700x1920)

489 KB JPG

>>34489542
>>34489600
>>34489629

File: Berserk-Guts-Armor-4.png (1.48 MB, 1920x1080)

1.48 MB PNG

>>34489811
Wait that's not what I wanted to post..

MODI MAGNI's about to pop a can of destroy on whatever attacked us.

You start by finding -up-. Once that's done, you can roll to one side and rise to your hands and knees. There's something hot and wet coating you-- blood, you realize with a sickening lurch. The sound of another trilling heat ray forces your attention back to the present as chips of rock rake your face-- the cavern shakes as an explosion booms. Your vision is doubled, but you rise to your feet. Across the cavern, you see a blurred blue shape darting around the massive worm-like beast.

Saeri lets out a warcry as she slides along the slick rock, her blue saber carving a gouge into the beast. Its attention is distracted, even if she isn't penetrating deep with her attacks. You take a moment to steady yourself.

There is a hole in your side, approximately the thickness of your wrist. You can see muscle and innards frayed and torched. You should, by all rights, be keeling over-- but there is a pulsing blue glow filling the wound, slowing the blood and spreading soothing light across your injuries. You're hardly at full strength, but you'll live.

You wipe a trickle of blood from the corner of your mouth. You'll not be dropped so easily.

You charge forward, twirling your spear in your hand. The lazy revolutions of your weapon's head bring the White Claw spinning in dizzying arcs, and as you dart forward you feel the world around you begin to

slow


down.

(cont.)

>>34490099
Didn't Osyki take a wind blade to the gut just the other day? His intestines must be made of nothing but healing magic at this point.

The beast flinches as you explode stomp down on the ground, priming the Cloudwalker's Stride. When you launch yourself forward, you do so surrounded in a corona of crackling electric arcs. The world blurs momentarily around you as you hurl yourself down the cavern, leveling your spear like a knight's lance.

Your impact is nothing short of thunderous.

You slam into the insectoid monstrosity with the force of a cannon's shot. It lurches sideways as you jam the blade of your spear through the armored plates of its chitin, your simple iron lance blasting through layers upon layers of rock-like plate. In your state of advanced speed you can see the surprise flicker across Saeri's face as you slam the monstrosity into the cavern wall, bringing down a shower of stones around you.

When you rebound, you do so with another Cloudwalker's kick. The orb of lightning beneath your feet detonates in a spectacular nova of searing light, slamming the monster against the wall again. You land hard, the spiked knuckles of your stone gloves tearing screaming gouges through the earth as you settle to a halt beside Saeri.

You're feeling the strain already as blood seeps from the wound in your side, but you note that you've inflicted a wound in kind of the monstrosity before you. It seems dazed by your rapid, repeated blunt force trauma, but it is recovering quickly. Already, you can hear the trilling song of its assault beginning to rise in pitch.

Saeri glances at you, her saber in one hand, the sparking gauntlet balled into a tight fist in the other.

"We can't let this into the Grand Forge," she says slowly. To you, slowly. She's likely speaking very quickly. "Who wants to play bait?"

> Let Saeri distract it while you bind yourself a more permanent solution to your monster problem.
> Play bait. Saeri must have something up her sleeve.
> Attempt to collapse the tunnel.
> Other.

>>34490359
> Let Saeri distract it while you bind yourself a more permanent solution to your monster problem.
Gotta get dat lazer

>>34490359
> Let Saeri distract it while you bind yourself a more permanent solution to your monster problem.

>>34490099
What is the source of that healing magic? Is it something Saeri did, or is that Osyki's spiritual mojo?

>>34490359
>> Play bait. Saeri must have something up her sleeve.

>>34490359
> Let Saeri distract it while you bind yourself a more permanent solution to your monster problem.
Sorry, Saeri, I'd like to give you a chance to show off. But we need to get our arsenal out. If nothing else, an armor binding is essential.

>>34490359
> Let Saeri distract it while you bind yourself a more permanent solution to your monster problem.

We have some bindings that can charge up, right? Which ones do we have active right now?

>>34490527

>Current Loadout:
Cloak: Nocturne's Embrace
Gloves: Obsidian Touch
Boots: Cloudwalker's Stride
Shirt: Vestus Quies
Weapon: Modi Magni

Unbound:
Razor Wing Focus
Ykree Fin Focus
Raptor Bone Focus

>>34490611
The Thunderclap Bow is probably our best for raw damage, but assembling that would involve unbinding and then rebinding a spirit. Too slow. I suggest that we bind the Skyscythe Drake to our bow, instead. Based on the pattern of how bow bindings go, and the powers the Drake had granted us, it should wind up shooting some kind of golden spiraling tornado bolt.

>>34490654
Golden spiraling tornado bolt sounds okay to me.

>>34490654
Bind Razor Wing To the Bow and Velociraptor Graves. This gives us a stronger weapon and faster movement speed.

>>34490611
Alright, let's start with the Raptor Bone and bind up those Velociraptor Greaves, and put the Razor Wing into our cloak for the Edge of Dawn.

Leave the Fanged Stalker unbound for now.

Use the Edge of Dawn, Velociraptor Greaves and Clowdwalker's Stride to deliver the mother of all lightning kicks.

>>34490654
>>34490815
Combine the two.

Razor Wing into the bow. Raptor Bone into the leggings.

Fire the bow, and then jump after the projectile. Deliver a kick to the creature while it is being thrown back by the impact of the arrow.

>>34490886
We don't actually know what the razor wing bound bow does. It's not on our list yet.

>>34490943
Yeah, but we can guess based on what we know bow bindings do and what the Skyscythe Drake's themes are. Bow bindings are about projecting damage at a distance. The Drake tends to give abilities related to light and wind. So some sort of tornado or solar beam makes sense as the projectile a Razor Wing binding would do for the bow.

You nod Saeri toward the beast. "Keep it busy for me," you say in hushed tones. "I've got an idea." The temperature around you is dropping again-- the beast seems to be sucking the ambient heat of the underground in to power its unruly blasts. Saeri gives you a sharp nod, darting forward with her saber in hand. The gem in her gauntlet gleams, and suddenly a -swarm- of armored women rush toward the beast, their boots shaking the ground underfoot. Papercut slices harry the centipedal beast from every side as the-- illusions? clones?-- attack with from all sides. After a moment Saeri dispells the copies, shouting.

"Come on, you overgrown excuse for an oven!"

She darts off down the tunnel, and the beast swings to pursue.

You crouch down, feeling for your pack. Mercifully undamaged by the heat beam, though a little sooty. Your reserves are flagging as you bind the raptor bone to your leggings in a flash of light, but when the job is done you feel your legs cease shaking underneath you.

You'll need to end this quick. You don't have the stamina to dodge for long, or the defenses to take another blast like that.

You begin the binding process of the Razor Wing focus to your bow, chanting the litany of unification under your breath. The gleam of light that erupts from the union is tinged gold in color, and when you raise your bow, you see that the arms have taken on the design of flared wings.

> Binding Discovered: Resplendant Gale.

You test the string and feel the air around you compress and warp. Satisfied, you take off in pursuit of the insectoid horror.

> 1d100 and suggest a method of attack.

>>34490886
Use an axe kick so that it impacts the floor and doesn't fly somewhere and have time to recover.

>>34490611

[[ Apologies. As a small addendum, I missed that you unbound Vestus Quies to properly converse with the Tyrant. The Crystal Scale focus is also unbound.]]

Rolled 50 (1d100)

>>34491086
Chase the bug and shoot it a few times, then use da spear

Rolled 100 (1d100)

>>34491086
Fire the Resplendant Gale at the enemy then kick ot.
>>34491149
In that case we should bind that in our armor

>>34491184
Ahahaha hell yeah the chosen of the Dice Gods Return with a Nat100

Rolled 74 (1d100)

>>34491086
Draw back for a mighty shot at the Incendipede. Then leap at it to follow the wake created by the shot to add force to our kick.

>>34491184
WHAT A FUCKING THREAD

>>34491184
So, once again we are the Kamen Rider. Because that "arrow followed by kick" thing is one of Kamen Rider Gaim's moves.

http://youtu.be/afQ-55XTjE8?t=2m41s

File: 1379122601841.gif (762 KB, 245x150)

762 KB GIF

>>34491184
Rulesofnature.flac

File: 1392192817011.png (54 KB, 460x421)

54 KB PNG

>>34491184
RULES OF NATURE

>>34491184
LAW OF THE WILD!

>>34491295
...what.

>>34491581
Are you asking about the "once again we are Kamen Rider" comment, or just marveling at the absurdity that is Kamen Rider Gaim? Who could have guessed that a show about hip-hop fruit samurai would be so popular?

>>34491184


You spend the last of your flagging spiritual reserves on one last binding as you race down the tunnel. Vestus Sonitus is heavy, but the crystal plate will (hopefully) keep another direct hit from being the end of you. You hear the trilling song before you see the creature, and the glow of an explosion lights the cavern ahead of you.

When you round the corner, you come to a stop. Saeri stand below you, fighting a retreat as she does her best to keep the insect's attention locked on her. The saber in her hand has shifted, and she swing a massive two-handed hammer with azure heads. A particularly powerful blow knocks the beast off balance, and she grins--

Just in time for the monstrosity's mouth to twist open, loosing another beam of searing hate toward her.

She's taken off of her feet by the blast, her armor rent in a smoking hole around her abdomen. She slams into the far wall, her hammer-turned-saber clattering from her grasp.

You draw your bow.As you do, a gale roars through the cavern around you, a screaming moan drawn from the air rushing through the jagged stalactite teeth. The string vibrates as the wind compresses into a shimmering golden needle, pointing the way to the insect below you. It feels the shift in pressure around it, sweeping that glowing aperture to meet you--

You fire.

The noise alone is unbelivable. A sound not unlike the ear-splitting roar of a Skyscythe drake splits the cavern as the golden needle blasts from the string of your bow. Behind it, you can see the sweeping image of wings cut from strands of razor wind cutting through the stale air of the cavern.

> Resplendant Gale: Compresses the available atmosphere to fire a tracer needle, marking the target for a flurry of razor-edged wind.

The needle explodes on contact with the centihorror, coating it with golden powder. The sweeping gale riding behind converges on the point of impact, a dragon of golden wind swooping down with murder in its eyes.

(cont.)

The results are spectacular. The draconic manifestation blows apart on contact with the golden energy, detonating in a burst of screaming wind. Massive gouges erupt from the beast below as the wind finds tiny chinks in the overlapping chitin armor, scoring agonizing wounds across the monster's surface. The entire burst happens in perhaps the space of a breath.

And before the beast can exhale, you land.

The cavern was a ways below you, and the stalactite ridden ceiling high. Plenty of space for Cloudwalker's stride to energize. You leaped, your spear flashing out, rotating as you fell in a blinding pinwheel of actinic light. Below you, you can see Saeri draw a dome of that same cerulean energy over her.

The explosion rocks the cavern around you to its foundations.

You rebound, still trailing wisps of ozone and sparks as you tumble. The horror before you has lost a solid fifth of its overall mass, the chink you exploited in its armor before now blown wide open. Foul black pus weeps from the open wound, and you can -see- the glow of the organ within it as it draws in the heat from your lightning's fading burst to fuel an attack of its own.

> 1d100 to dodge. 1d100 and suggestions for an attack.

> Will you attempt to bind the beast?

Rolled 63 (1d100)

>>34491953
Bind it
Use the spear to pin it while we carve the symbols

Rolled 49 (1d100)

>>34491953
Dodge and of course were binding this thing.

Rolled 69, 45 = 114 (2d100)

>>34491953
>1d100 to dodge.
>1d100 to attack.

Impale the organ with spear.

Yes.

Rolled 60, 44 = 104 (2d100)

>>34491953
Impale with the spear

Rolled 14, 12 = 26 (2d100)

>>34491953
Of course we'll try to bind. It's Osyki's compulsion. As for how we attack, pin it in place with earth spikes, carve the symbols, then rip the fire organ out.

>>34492087
No, don't do that. We want the organ for a focus. That thing looks like the source of its fire.

>>34491689
I-eh...the latter. That must have been one of the strangest cool things I have ever seen.

>>34492126
this plan works pin it down with earth and carve the symbols.

>>34492126
Yes, seconding.

>>34492126
>No, don't do that. We want the organ for a focus. That thing looks like the source of its fire
Good point, withdrawing.

>>34492158
Kamen Rider Gaim, the latest season of the franchise. It gets even weirder. I think they picked the themes for the season out of a hat. It's a surprisingly fun series, though. It shifted from lighthearted adventures to serious drama slowly but intensely, to the point that the current episodes towards the end of the series looks almost nothing like the early episodes. The only similarity is the fruit. Fruit will always be there.

>>34491953
I don't think we have enough stamina to bind this thing.

Maybe get it impaled by a stalactite?

>>34492373
It's still not very good. So sue me, I'm a W fan.

>>34492620
Oh, I love W, as well. That was a great season. As for Gaim, I think it has some problems, but is still overall a fun show. Though that could just be because the season before it was Wizard. God, was that show insipid. Had great fight choreography, though, I have to give it that,

You're expecting the assault this time. As the tracer beam sweeps across the cavern, you duck and roll, tucking your legs into a tight ball beneath you as you throw yourself from the impending--

Boom.

But already, you're turning in the air. As the explosion rebounds off of Vestus Sonitus, you find yourself with the momentum to twist through the air over the centipede's head, landing at a crouch on the far side of it. You are, mercifully, unmarred save for a few scorch marks on your back. The heat of the eruption washes for a moment across the cavern, then begins to wane as the monster begins to absorb the energy again. The organ within it glows cherry red--

And you slam your fists into the ground.

That gets its attention. Tremorsense?

Runes of verdant potency flare to life along your arms as you urge your spirit into the earth. As in the crystal valley, you are deep within the earth here. This is your domain of power. Your field of expertise.

You -push-.

Cordia's gauntlets spike deep into the ground, and the rocks around the centipede erupt outward in sympathetic response. The flash-formed stalagmites gouge deep into the beast, shattering and breaking off in its rocky hide. You roll to the right, dodging another tracer-sweep, and slam the ground again.

The area around the beast shivers, then depresses. The cavern floor collapses into a bowl around it, ringed with enormous runes of binding.

>1d100 for your final assault.

Rolled 92 (1d100)

>>34492849
Finish IT!

Rolled 23 (1d100)

>>34492849
Rolling

>>34492883
You are doing gods work anon. Let's bind this beast.

File: Law of the wild.jpg (1.57 MB, 672x4832)

1.57 MB JPG

>>34492883
It keeps happening

>>34492849
Let's chain this motherfucker.

Rolled 38 (1d100)

>>34492849
>>34492979
>>34492974
Unfortunately I'm pretty sure we have no choice but to let the dice screw us over again.

You flex your hands, buried up to the wrist in the floor of the cavern. As you do, the runes of earthen magic wrapping your form flare and seethe. You see the floor around the rim of the bowl bubble and warp for a moment before claw-like spire erupt outward, pinning the beast in place. The trilling song of its assault warps into a keening scream, and you pull your ritual knife from your belt.

The words come to your lips unbidden. Across the cavern, Saeri watches you with naked fascination.

"In the name of Osyki, link between this world and the world without, I hereby claim this abomination's spirit as my own."

The glowing organ pulses again. You stomp, and with a wrench of stone on stone the clawed fingers -twist- the beast to one side, sending the ray of heat to explode harmlessly against the ceiling.

"In the name of the Totemist's Pact, I hereby assert my dominance over this soul, and claim it as my own!"

You stalk toward the monster, your bow in one hand, your knife in the other. The world of the dark cavern is painted in vivid greens and reds, flashes of light strobing to illustrate the scene in staccato splashes.

"I have bested this soul in mortal combat. Its fire is mine to command."

And across the cavern, you think you can see Saeri rising to her feet. The hammer is in her hands once more.

You leap.

The lightning flash etches the picture into your mind-- a hundred sightless eyes follow your passage through the air as your knife carves a glowing arc in the cavern's gloom.

"By blood and bone. In spirit and soul. Let this ritual blade show: I am the Totemist, the Link Between Worlds."

You land in the devastated monstrosity's wound. The oily blood is thick and slippery, spurting in fresh gouts around your ankles as you alight in the carnage.

"Now," you seethe, swinging your blade back, "Submit."

The world around you goes monochrome as you plunge the ritual blade, glowing with spiritual might, into the monster's spine.

> What will you harvest?

>>34493517
>What will you harvest?
dat fire organ

>>34493517
> What will you harvest?
The organ.

>>34493565
+1

>>34493517
fire organ

It's not a difficult choice. Your blade works quickly, carving through the monster's viscera like soft butter. Even through the haze of your otherworldly aura, the torso-sized organ is still warm to the touch.

As you mark it with your blade, it shrinks. Compresses. When the world snaps back into color and you leap from the falling insect's corpse, you hold a corkscrew gem of blazing ruby in your palm.

> Focus Attained: Siren's Heart.

The magic in your wound begins to wane, and you feel a pulse of nausea and pain wash through you.

>Free.

>>34493863
>The magic in your wound begins to wane, and you feel a pulse of nausea and pain wash through you.
Time use healing items if any, and ask our friend for heals.

>>34493863
Nice. I've been wanting to harvest an organ for a while now. Up until now all our foci have been structural features. Bone or horn or hide. We finally have some viscera. I wonder how the focus-preservation magic will interact with it?

As for our action, let's break out the healing herbs Elana made us take with us before she'd let us go. Clean, disinfect, use any painkillers and coagulants we might have. Then bandage the wound with our cloak. It's the largest piece of cloth we have with us right now, and given Thane's prediliction for blood it might actually help staunch the wound better than regular bandages.

>>34493863
>What the hell was that doing here

>>34494028
>and given Thane's prediliction for blood it might actually help staunch the wound better than regular bandages.
I like the way you think.

>>34493863
Fix ourselves up, then her and find a place to rest

>>34493968
You know, I'm wondering what exactly that blast was. It was hot, sure, but Osyki's wound doesn't sound like it's a burn. Or rather, doesn't look like a burn severe enough to penetrate as far as it did. Plasma beam, maybe, giving some mass behind the heat ray?

You stagger to one side, steadying yourself against a half-slagged stalagmite. The pain in your side is truly unreal-- the sickening needles of white-hot agony that radiate out from it nearly match the memory of the Magus' shadowy poison. Saeri approaches quickly, her saber sheathed once more at her side. You can't decide if she looks more worried or impressed.

"I owe you," she says as she moves to put your arm over her shoulders. "If that Deep Siren had gotten into the Forge, we'd never have recovered. I put a numbing aura on that hole in you, but we need to get you to the hospital."

You stagger, leaning on her to support the waning strength in your legs. "The fuck was that thing?" you spit. You can taste copper.

"A Deep Siren. They lurk closer to the molten core. This is the first time I've ever seen one so close to the surface. Maybe-- it's possible the rapid transit to get the city here on time disturbed its nest."

You shrug your cloak from your shoulders, clumsy fingers working to slowly tie the wispy material tight around your midsection. Saeri tugs the knot tight for you, picking up your bow-- you weren't aware it had fallen from your grasp.

"I can carry you."

> "That would be lovely."
> "I can make it myself."
> "Just... let me sit down for a moment."
> Other.

>>34494455
>> "That would be lovely."
"Grab my shit"

>>34494455
> "I can make it myself."
We've got a minor talisman designed specifically to keep us moving no matter how tired we are. We can do it.

>>34494455
> "That would be lovely."

>>34494455
>> "That would be lovely."

>>34494488
>We can do it.
Can and should are two different things,

>>34494488
That would not be very safe...

>>34494455
>"That would be lovely."

>>34494488
Oh, right. Let's use that.

You nod, the motion of doing so sending lances of pain through your right side. "That--" you say, you breath catching, "would be lovely. Do please grab anything that I've dropped. I'm not in total control of my limbs, I think."

She nods, and you look down to ensure that your fist is still curled tight over your new focus. The pulsing heat in it does wonders to keep you focused and conscious. Saeri scoops her arms under you, and when the spots clear from your eyes you find youself cradled in surprisingly powerful arms. The hum of the gem in her gauntlet sends minute vibrations through your back.

"We'll be back to Poinstmar in a few minutes," she says soothingly. "I'll take you to the hospital, and they'll stitch you right up."

As she carries you, you fumble your pack around into your lap. You set to work daubing antiseptic creams and tinctures at and under your makeshift bandage as you ascend. Every touch to the hole in your side is electric agony. Saeri's face is tight and determined, and with each wince she seems to pick up speed.

At some point along the journey, you realize that you've passed out.

[[ Going to get some dinner. Back with another update in an hour or so. In the mean time, please plan out which area of the city you'd like to visit next.]]

>>34494488
Yeah, and let's not break that out until we absolutely need it. The ability to maintain momentum despite injury is a massive boon and not one we want to reveal just to play macho.

>>34494978
Well, the hospital district, obviously.

After that? The slums. You want to know about the dark secrets of a place, be it a gigantic moving city or some old fashioned mountain citadel, you go to the slums.

>>34494455
"I figured out what I'd like the first stop on your tour to be. How about we see your healing facilities?"

>>34494978
As I recall from the last thread, the General said that the remaining spirits of the region now worked for him. They had some sort of temple-farms where they worked with humans to grow crops despite the harsh conditions. I'd like to ask their opinion on Pointsmar. The way I see it, we need three pieces of information most critically: What life is like for the people of Pointsmar, what happens to the spirits of the lands it passes through, and how much resources it drains from the land in the process. If we know those we'll be in a position to decide what to do about the General.

>>34495273
Initial impressions do not appear to imply that this city is sustainable in the long term, though. It's just going to get bigger as refugees from the land it destroys take up residence, which leads to it needing to destroy more land, which leads to more refugees...

Basically, point is that the Iron Tyrant is seemingly not thinking particularly long term. He's just looking for the next meal for his city to devour.

>>34495454
Yeah, I still want to hear it from them, though. It would make things easier if we could cite the local spirits as sources if we need to request aid from the spirits back home.

Well, it's 3:30 AM. Don't fuck this up, /tg/. You have to crash that city with no survivors.

>>34495273
And on the other hand, we are a member of the Stone Court. We have a binding contract to destroy the Iron General.

Literally, our being a Knight of the Court means that we MUST destroy the Iron General absolutely. The only question is how we limit the backlash.

>>34496003
No, our contract is to defend the kingdom of the Stone Emperor from threats. It says nothing about our methods. A peaceful resolution is possible.

>>34496003
So long at the Iron General/Tyrant is not a direct threat to the throne of the Stone Emperor we are obligated to do exactly nothing. That seal says we have to defend the Stone Emperor from threats, pretenders to the throne, etc.

I'm more concerned that the Iron Tyrant's methods are unsustainable if benign.

So like, we know they've been burning things alive.
And we're gonna get a reward for murdering this tyrant guy.
Why we trying to find a reason not to?

>>34494488
This please

>>34496432
>we know they've been burning things alive
No we don't.
They were burning corpses.

>>34496432
Because he doesnt seem evil or want to kill us

>>34496462
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/25795963/#p25804402
> "That cloud's remains. Human remains, or spirit. Something's been cremated alive down there."

I kinda really trust our spirits on this.

You wake up bathed in a soft white glow. Your eyes fuzz for a moment when you open them, and you throw a hand over your eyes to block out the lamp burning overhead. You're beginning to become to familiar with the way a recovery bed feels, and it strikes you as an unfortunate familiarity.

You sit up slowly, waiting for the web of barbed wire pain that--

That doesn't come.

You pull back the sheets, glancing down. You've been stripped of your shirt and cloak. There are bandages wound carefully around your midsection, pulsing with a faint blue-green glow. Your spear and bow are propped in the corner of the room, and on a chair beside your bed, your shirt and cloak are carefully folded. The Siren's Heart sits gleaming atop the neatly arranged clothing.

The door to the room is slightly ajar. There doesn't seem to be much inside, aside from the bed you're on, a table, and the chair. There's a lot of empty space.

You swing your legs out of bed, marveling at the utter lack of pain in your side. Whatever the medicines they gave you are, they're incredible. You'll have to see if you can get a sample for Elana.

There's a knock on the doorframe, and you see a swish of sapphire fabric at the door.

> "Come in."
> "Just a moment. Let me get dressed."
> Pretend to be asleep.
> Other.

>>34496432
Since when do we know that?

Also destroying a city isn't to be taken lightly, we're a mediator not a crusader.

>>34496432
We're not immediately jumping to kill him because so much about him is different than what we've heard that it would be stupid to run in half-cocked. Maybe he is as bad as we've heard, but just the fact that he's trying to negotiate means he's not what we think he is. We need more information before we confront him with anything.

>>34496513
> "Just a moment. Let me get dressed."
Then go see who it is

>>34496554
Man, I just want to murder this guy for a reward

>>34496513
> "Just a moment. Let me get dressed."
A gentleman does not speak with visitors without his pants.

>>34496513
>> "Just a moment. Let me get dressed."


Oh boy, I get to participate in totemist quest
what a world

>>34496584
Suppress your inner murderhobo

>>34496584
No, my point is that since he's clearly shown himself to be more complex than we thought, we can't jump straight to an attack. We don't know enough about our foe. We gather information, then we strike. Or don't, whichever option wins the vote.

He did admit to killing a lot of people, as well as scarring the land itself. He has no solutions to his plight, other than to rape everything, but do it slowly so they recover by the time he swings back around for another rape. The pollution and disease is only going to get worse with more overcrowding.

He might have good intentions, but if justice is to be served, he should die.

>>34496680
Those are my thoughts.

We need to actually talk to him about this, to find out what he is planning to do about these issues.

>>34496680
It's not quite so bad. He admits culpability for what he's done and that it was a bad thing. He's acknowledged that he needs to change. He just doesn't have a good way to do it without also destroying himself. He IS Pointsmar, he's admitted to investing a large portion of his essence into the Grand Forge. To shut it down would probably mean an end to his existence, or at least a transformation into something very different. We need to give him more options.

>>34496794
Acknowledging that he did a bad thing does not absolve him of guilt.
Not nipping the problem in the bud will result in the Swamp, Forest, Mountain and Village being destroyed, as well as countless others.

In addition, the recent (Quest speaking, shit was like a year ago and I'm a bit rusty) dream-sequence thing where Osyki gazed upon a steel landscape, but instead focused on the small flowers that grew between the cracks makes me believe that he wouldn't like the destruction of nature either.

>>34496916
>In addition, the recent (Quest speaking, shit was like a year ago and I'm a bit rusty) dream-sequence thing where Osyki gazed upon a steel landscape, but instead focused on the small flowers that grew between the cracks makes me believe that he wouldn't like the destruction of nature either.

Osyki didn't focus on the flower, he nourished both the green and the steel.

"Ah, just a moment!" you call. You place the Heart next to you on the bed, quickly pulling your shirt over your head and lacing up your boots. Once you've given yourself a respectable once-over, you let out a sigh.

"Right. Come in!"

The door creaks inward, and Saeri pokes her head through the doorway. Her hair is down from its tight bun-- how long have you been out?

"Glad to see you up and about," she says, stepping through the doorway properly. Her long golden hair pools around her shoulders. "I made sure to get you the best medical care available. The chirurgeon says you're fit to wander the city, if you so choose."

There's an edge to her voice. Relief. She was worried about you-- you can see that a few nails are bitten on her unarmored hand.

"So. Where to?"

You lean to recover your spear and your bow, ruminating on that.

> Let's head to the slums.
> I'd like to see the area around the hospital.
> Let's check out the farms.
> I have a few questions for the General.
> (Optional Addition:) Were you... watching over me, all this time?
> Other.

>>34496916
True. It doesn't absolve him of guilt. But it means that he's trying to be something better. I agree that he has the potential to relapse into being that horrible monster again. But he could also become a force for good. It all depends on how we handle this. And as I remember, Osyki's vision quest didn't feature him focusing exclusively on the flowers. Rather, he found a way for the flowers and the steel to both exist, to complement each other rather than work at cross purposes. Let's keep that attitude, that it is not necessarily a case of one having to be destroyed so the other can live. Maybe we won't be able to find a peaceful solution, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

>>34497022
> I'd like to see the area around the hospital.
> (Optional Addition:) Were you... watching over me, all this time?

>>34497022
> Other.
"One thing I'd like to know real quick: How long was I unconscious? Normally a near-fatal wound puts me out for a couple of days, but between the severityof the wound and the high quality of medical treatment I received I don't know how my recovery time would be affected. I haven't shortened the time available for inspections too much, have I?"

>>34497022
> Let's check out the farms.
> (Optional Addition:) Were you... watching over me, all this time?

>>34496916
We took care of both, we didn't favor one over the other.

>>34497022
Do we have a limit on how many places we can visit?

If no then around the hospital, if yes then slums.

>>34497375

[[No strict time limit, but the longer you spend here, the longer your village has to go without you.]]

>>34497409
Which is why I want to know how long we've been unconscious. A day, a week, a month?

>>34497022
>> Let's check out the farms.

>>34497022
>> Let's head to the slums.
>> (Optional Addition:) Were you... watching over me, all this time?

also how long have I been out

You stand, straightening the ties on your cloak. "One thing, Saeri," you say, glancing up at her. She raises an eyebrow. "How long was I unconscious? Ordinarily, a near-fatal wound like that would put be under for a few days, but your healers are obviously superlatively skilled, so I suspect that my recovery time was shorter than usual."

She nods. "Ordinary people usually take -months- to bounce back from nearly being killed, you know," she says, wagging a finger at you. "But you're correct. You've only been under for... two hours or so." She nods, as if confirming her own words. "The General sends his thanks for fending off that Siren. When you're ready to talk to him, I expect he'd like to offer you a reward."

Your stomach turns at that. "Very generous," you mutter. You wonder if he would be so eager to pay you if he knew you still weren't sure on the subject of his life.

As she turns to leave, you hold out a hand.

"Saeri-- were you watching over me, all this time?"

That gets a reaction. She starts, her cheeks flooding with color. "W=well," she mutters, frowning. "Well, of course! I'm your guide, after all. It couldn't let you just languish in here without a proper guard."

You raise an eyebrow. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

---

As the two of you exit the building, you point. "Let's head to the outer city. I want to talk to some locals."

Saeri nods, her hand resting on the pommel of her saber.

"Alright. Are we going to the market, or did you want to pay a visit to someone's home?"

> The market. Plenty of people.
> Let's make a house call.
> Other.

>>34497819
This was the first quest I really got into... I've missed you diarca. I think everything's gonna be ok.

>>34497819
>> The market. Plenty of people.

>>34497819
>> Let's make a house call.

>>34497819
> Other.
"Is there anyone expecting us? Because I don't want to just randomly intrude on someone. Can you imagine how terrifying that would be if the two of us burst into a home like that?"

>>34497819
> The market. Plenty of people.

You tap your chin with one finger as you think. You're fairly eager to return to the markets and examine more wares-- the scissorblade Greijak nearly sold you has been orbiting your mind, and...

"I don't want to just randomly intrude on someone. I think I might give one of your citizens a heart attack with we just blew through the door demanding answers."

She giggles at that, a light crystalline sound. "Fair enough, Os-Totemist," she says, catching herself. "To the market we go."

The trip to the outlying district of the city is a little more pleasant than the walk with the General. While citizens do smile at you when they see you walking with Saeri, it's not the tense, almost military atmosphere of your trip to the Forge. By the time you arrive at the markets, you're substantially more at ease. At least within the inner city, the people look happy and healthy.

The slums tell a different story, but only just. While the people here aren't displaying the opulent wealth of those you've passed by, and some have faces long with worry, it's clear that the market is a place of relative prosperity.

> Drop in on Greijak
> Visit a food market
> Check out the alleyways
> Question Saeri. (On what?)
> Head elsewhere.

>>34498597
>Check out the alleyways

>>34497819
>> The market. Plenty of people.

Good to have you back Diarca. Don't forget to archive!

>>34498597
> Question Saeri. (On what?)

Her knowledge/opinion of the way the markets are run, anything that stands out to her as something worth mentioning to us.

Find out a bit more about the markets themselves before we pry further.

>>34498597
>>34498981
Sounds good to me. She's our guide, let's see what she has to say about the markets.

Saeri's smile is unadorned by acting or forced lines as she watches the day to day bustle of the market. She must care for this place. Likely she's seen it brought up from the foundations. You find yourself wondering if she was born in Pointsmar, but it seems unlikely-- all the people you see around you bear darker hair than she sports. She catches you staring, clearing her throat with a slight uptick at the corners of her mouth.

"Tell me about the markets," you say conversationally. "Open to the public? Licensed?"

She shakes her head. "This far out of the central district? No, no licenses here. Just honest folk trading what they can for what they need." She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "It's more of a bartering field than a proper market. The General's currency, zhels, tend to stick to the inner circles of the city. They're only spent on emergencies, since they carry quite a lot of weight. The exception, of course, being weapons. It's illegal to barter for those."

Interesting. You make a note.

"You might want to drop by one of the farmer's stalls. I'm sure they could educate you about the working conditions there, if you're curious," she says, pointing out one such tent with a mailed finger.

> Free.

>>34499403
Sure I guess.

I'm not really sure what we're supposed to be looking for.

Maybe try and look for old people? Like what's the oldest person we can see?

>>34499403
Talking to a farmer sounds good. We could learn about working conditions and farming conditions all in one.

We should probably keep an eye out for anyone who seems particularly disgruntled by Saeri's presence, since people seem to know who she is.

>>34499403
"Sounds good, though I'm still going to want to visit the farms in person. The General mentioned that many of the spirits here take part in it, and interviewing some local spirits will help a lot towards making my case to the ones back home."

>>34499403
"What sort of outside trade happens? I wandered through here on my way to the tower and one of the merchants seemed to identify me as a foreigner, so there must be at least some contact with other settlements."

You nod, sweeping the area with your gaze. The elderly seem to be few and far between in the marketplace, but that's not to say that they're totally absent. You see an older gentleman, likely in his fifties, bartering with a handyman with an array of mundane tools before him rather spiritedly. There, beside a young girl, an old woman keeps watch while the child munches happily on a vibrant blue mushroom.

"Sounds good," you say to Saeri. "I'll still want to visit the farms in person, of course. Interviewing the local spirits there will help a lot in making my case to the interested parties back home."

"Of course," she says with a tone entirely devoid of surprise. "Whatever I can do to help you make a solid argument, Totemist."

You begin your trek across the bazaar toward the fruit merchant's stand. "What sort of outside trade do you have in Poinstmar? I wandered through here on my way to the tower and one of the merchants seemed to identify me as a foreigner, so there must be at least some contact with other settlements."

She nods. "Very astute. Pointsmar occupies one of four rotating locations in the Below, depending on the season and the availability of energy for the forges. They're well known outposts for the denizens of the underground, like the workers you saw by the furnaces. When the transit tunnels aren't in use for the city to move through, they serve as relatively safe paths for others to use."

While listening to her explanation, you cast your eyes across the crowd, looking for unhappy faces.

> 1d100

Rolled 53 (1d100)

>>34499804
Rolling.

Rolled 100 (1d100)

>>34499804
I wonder what a good roll would get in this instance?

>>34499864
Whatever we see, I guess.

>>34499864
We're going to find out.

>>34499864
We're about to find out.

>>34491086
>>34491184
>>34491304
>>34491496
>>34491525
>>34492849
>>34492883
>>34492974
>>34492979

You guys had me keking so I put those posts together. Thanks for the laugh guys.
>http://i.imgur.com/QY5oMeX.jpg

Rolled 63 (1d100)

>>34499804
>>34499881
>>34499884
Or will we?

Rolled 82 (1d100)

>>34499804

>>34499864
hahaha second nat100 in the thread

>>34499893
Were you hoping for a nat 1 there to counter it out?

>>34499890
Speaking of our latest binding, has anyone else noticed that a lot of our foci come from long, sinuous creatures? Four out of our eight spirits are serpentine or vermiform: The Ykree, Plate Wurm, Skyscythe Drake and now the Deep Siren. I'm sure it's not at all important, but it's a weird pattern to have noticed.

Wonder how he'll pull a RULESOFNATURE on a perception roll. Will Osiky just grab someone and yell/ask if he's unhappy to live in this city?

>>34500291
"Don't lie to me, I see everything! EVERYTHING."

Now that you're actively looking, the man sticks out like a sore thumb. He's leaning against the wall of an alleyway, arms folded, wearing a long, tattered coat. The lines of his face are deeper than a man his age should be sporting, by your estimation, though the long scar across one of his cheeks doesn't do much to enhance his youthful appearance. You follow his gaze as discreetly as you can, and see it pinned on your companion-- there's murder in those eyes, a kind of feral anger reserved for wounded beasts. You catch two more individuals sporting similar expressions, though they seem to be scanning the crowd around you.

A gleam of metal at his hip puts your teeth on edge. He's armed. You wouldn't doubt he knows how to use the weapon, too, from the years inherent in his gaze.

Saeri may well be in real danger. You wonder if she knows.

You wonder if she deserves it.

She seems oblivious to your discovery as she leads you to the food seller's stand. A colorful array of mushrooms and root vegetables sit arrayed pleasingly on the man's storefront. Signs, which Saeri quietly translates for you, offer alcohols distilled from some of those same vegetables, available upon request. The man gives you a wide smile from beneath his bushy mustache, tipping his hat's brim to you.

"Strysvak, Atlandir," he says. His tone is, perhaps a little overly respectful, but the glances he throws in Saeri's direction are less fearful and more admiring. Perhaps even a tad lustful?

"What can I interest you in?"

>Free.

>>34500431
Greet him in turn, then ask him if he has the time to tell us about what farming is like in Pointsmar. Offer to compensate him for his trouble, either with trade goods(do we have any of the stones we took from the Elder Turtle's shell?) or by crafting a minor totem for him. Which reminds me: We should see if there's any trade in totems. In a city this size I'd expect there to be a fair number of talismongers, even if there are few true totemists. It would be interesting to find out about the local magical sub-culture.

File: crying indian.gif (619 KB, 241x182)

619 KB GIF

Your back. I missed you Diarca.

>>34500431
Take a moment to warn Saeri

>>34500431
I guess >>34500518
This quest feels almost too smart for me, which makes it hard to post sometimes.

Like the Lord Restrained told us we had to be fast and clever, but I'm not sure how to do any of those.

>>34500780
Probably this I guess? She seems to want to talk to us by that waterfall place, though she might already be aware of their presence.

>>34493517
Man... I've missed this.

>>34500803
I think the LoR knew we'd have trouble killing the General/Tyrant if we went peacefully.
For sure we wouldn't know that killing him would doom the city like we know now.

Damn language barrier. those guys are the one we need to talk to, and I don't trust Saeri to accurately translate what they would say. If the could even be convinced to talk and not play with Saeri's innards

You give the man a respectful bow, doing your best not to chuckle at his enthusiasm. "And to you, sir," you say, not sure of the direct translation of his greeting. Better safe than sorry. "I was wondering if you might indulge me in a moment of your time. Saeri tells me that you are a farmer by trade. What's the farming life like underground?"

The man leans forward, resting his elbows on the stall's counter. "It is a way of life," he says, shrugging. "I do my work, spirits do theirs. I plant the seeds, till the earth, spread fertilizer. They encourage plants to grow, purify water. It is good system. Allows good crops. Long days, hard work, but plenty rewarding."

"Do you own your own farm?" you ask, glancing at the plump vegetables and fungi.

He shakes his head. "I work for the city's farm. Some richer men own their own, but most food comes from central. For contributing to farm work, I get vouchers for extra food. Some keep theirs. I sell mine. Little bit of extra on the side, yes? Good for family."

You nod. "Sounds like a nice arrangement."

"Indeed, is eidgik keen position. Very lucky to have it. The General is very generous," he says, nodding to Saeri. "Rarely see people go hungry."

The man from the alley is still watching you. You fix the merchant with your stare again as you lean over to her.

"You're being watched," you mutter quietly. "One in the alley, two in the crowd to our left."

She doesn't scan the area immediately, but her hand moves to rest of her saber. "Keen eyes, Totemist. I'll deal with it."

> Go with her.
> Stay to question the man further.
> Head elsewhere in the market.
> Head to a new district.
> Other

>>34501001
Should we see how she handles dissidents, or take advantage of her being distracted?

>>34501001
>Go with her

We need to get one of these guys for questioning if at all possible.
This may be our only path to seeing the world they don't really want us to see.

If even the underbelly check out, then we can let it slide and try an arrange a mutually beneficial agreement between the tryant and the mountain king.

If not...well we need to find a way to get rid of him while keeping these people safe and living.

>>34501001
FUCK do not leave her alone with the dissents. they could be petty robbers, or they could be the oppressed. Stick to her like glue. Make sure she knows that we want to talk to them and if they are harmed we'll take it as a affirmation of the Iron's Tyranny.

>>34501140
What? They have swords, fighting back is fine.

Just leave survivors.

>>34501001
> Go with her.
"Mind if I come with? Second pair of eyes and fists always helps."

>>34501184

3 base humans against 2 totemists. I think we should be able to take them out with killing any of them.

You clap a friendly hand on her shoulder, doing your best to make it look like a part of your conversation with the merchant to the untrained observer. "I'll join you. A second pair of eyes and another body always helps."

She hesitates for a moment, her eyes darting downward-- toward your side, maybe-- before she nods once, tersely. You turn to the merchant.

"Sir, thank you for your time," you say with a shallow bow and a genuine smile. "You've been most helpful.

The man looks confused, but pleased none the less. "Pleased to be of help to you, Atlandir. Madam," he says to Saeri, "Will you be stopping by for inspection soon?"

She considers that a moment, then shakes her head. "No, I don't think so. The last round wasn't long ago, and Central is more than meeting requirements."

He looks proud, but a little disappointed under it. He gives you two a wave as you head deeper into the slums. A surreptitious glance behind you confirms that you're being followed.

"Would they attack you while you're with me?" you mutter to her. She only shrugs. "That all depends on what they want, Totemist. Perhaps they'll not attack at all."

That hope seems in vain as you cut through a narrow alleyway. The man from the market slips around the corner, his hand on the curved blade worn naked at his hip. You can hear footsteps of his companions echoing behind you. The bustling din of the market seems very far away, now.

> Negotiate.
> Attack.
> Observe.
> Intimidate.
> Other.

>>34501001
Go separately with her. Let's deal with and question one of the men ourselves without Saeri's presence.

>>34501378
Can we split with her and get one the men to question ourselves? Try to do that.

If that's not possible.
>Intimidate
and then
>Negotiate
since I doubt they will just give in to negotiations without the intimidation.

>>34501336
One totemist and one something else. The narrative has remarked on Saeri's abilities as being something different from our own. I think there are probably multiple ways to access a spirit's power. The soldiers from the south we encountered seemed to be more like D&D clerics than totemists, for example.

>>34501378
> Observe.
We'll shadow her with the Nocturne's Embrace. We should be able to keep both her and her tail in sight with our superior mobility. The moment they try anything we leap into action. Literally, Osyki is good at leaping.

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>34501378
Darcia, quick question.
Can we bind spirits with say, buildings?
For example, one of the buildings forming this alleyway?

More specifically, can we shove Cordia into this building and have her detain our guests.

If so, I'm voting for that.

>>34501533

[[That's not something you've ever tried before, but it's certainly something you can attempt. Keep in mind, however, that the larger the bound object, the more spiritual stamina required.]]

>>34501509
Disregard this, I misread the end of the post. Change it to

> Intimidate.
We are wearing a cloak of living shadow. I think we can intimidate him.

>>34501378
>Negotiate.
"Howdy folks, my name's Osyki, a Totemist sent by my local land spirits to inspect this city. Is there anything you fine fellows would like to tell me about how this place is run?"

>>34501562
I'd rather put that idea in the back burner. Not the time to try something like that now. It is certainly an interesting idea though. We should try that when we are back home. Bind our spare spirits to our house and furniture.