>>44433421
Your life since coming to Borca has been nothing but humiliation. From the strange armored soldiers running the subterranean passages in Hellvetica to the gruff judges that mete out punishment at every street corner in this area they call the Protectorate. Being cleansed inside and out the moment you're brought into this citadel the Spital base their power in. You've been shaven clean like a sheep for its wool, all over, leaving behind only your eyelashes.

From there you're thrown to the wolves that are your supposed peers, initiates from all over Europe but mostly Borca, running this way and that, hoarding knowledge like it's gold while you struggle to learn the squiggles that are the written word. This place isn't the better place the doctors in Brno who'd smuggled you out of the city as the Hellvetics and the disintegrating clans fought for supremacy in the absence of the Chernobog. Fist fights are now deemed training, regardless of where the conflict breaks out. You complained once to your superiors and in turn received only a baleful glare.

As long as you're capable of furthering knowledge and keeping to decorum where appropriate, they don't care. Not until you start working on real projects, anyway. The Spital favor the strong, you learn early. Those who can't keep up with the work, the lack of sleep, or the sharks among them are gone soon. Nervous breakdowns become common. It's the first trauma you come to recognize, and the first you begin to learn to hide.

There's no social order of civilization. There are only the strong, the weak, and those who attempt to prey on both. This is the way it's been since the Eschaton and the spread of the Primer pollen and Sepsis. This is how it'll always be, and the Spitalian has no time or patience for the latter two within himself.

You learn to adapt.

>>44433434
"...don't understand why we need to do anything!" Your attention turns to the form of one of the citizens of Colmurano. "We aren't the first to have one of these fields appear. Spadaro has been nothing but faithful to the Holy City, it's only a matter of time before they bring members to assist us."

"Yes," Sofia speaks, coming to stand next to you in the town square. She's shed her armor for loose field clothing and cleaned up from the last time you saw her, but she still looks tired. The three marks on her forehead only seems to emphasise her weariness, and it's for good reason, you suppose. The two of you spent the majority of the afternoon tending the injured before doing your best to spray down the edges of town with pesticide and fungicide while doing a brisk pace of the area for any signs of active infection. Thankfully nothing has appeared, but neither of you are dumb. With a spore field so close to town it's a matter of when, not if. "The Holy City would not abandon you in this time." She looks your way, shooting something that you assume means to keep quiet on the nature of the orders you'd received that day. It's not like you've been itching to. Pragmatic though they may be, you're still having a hard time swallowing the idea of just abandoning these people.

"But you must remember, the only ones trained here to keep that field under control are myself and Doctor Szajda. We aren't nearly enough, and Roma is still a fair distance away. So much can happen even on the most optimistic of time tables," Sofia finishes and you're surprised when you hear a grunt of agreement from Ines.

"Our livelihoods are here," another states, this one a baker who you've gotten to know quite well named Mariana. "What do we do? What other towns will take us?"

>>44433457
"It will all be seen to," Sofia tries to assure, but the crowd doesn't seem to be listening. Sofia looks at you for help. All you can do is shrug.


>Tell them the dangers they'd be facing staying here
>Be callous. Let them know the nature of your orders. Perhaps it'll change their minds
>Appeal to Ines. Maybe her opinion has weight here.
>Look for Claudio. He's seen more than anyone else here about this situation.
>Write-in

>>44433483
>Appeal to Ines. Maybe her opinion has weight here.

>>44433483
Books for the RPG can be found at https://mega.nz/#F!4llFxaSJ!-s8AP4HjornW2PDjuMfl1w but the actual physical copies are neat so you should buy those anyway.

>>44433483
>Tell them the dangers they'd be facing staying here

>>44433483
>>Tell them the dangers they'd be facing staying here

>>44433612
>>44433733
writan

"If you stay here, there won't BE a livelihood to maintain," A few of the crowd gathered around look at you, aghast at your forewardness. "I don't know how it is that you all have remained so ignorant here in this valley. It's amazing, even for Purgans."

"Niko," you hear Claudio mutter under his breath. You catch the warning under his breath, but today is not the day for tact.

"No," you counter, and gesture at the amassed crowd. "I'm only speaking the truth. You know it, Sofia knows it. I'm sure Ines knows it, even though she hasn't said a word." Ines meets your gaze and gone is the dead look from earlier. She nods at you to continue. "Anywhere else the people would be making plans to leave, regardless of faith and assurances, or pluck, or whatever it is that you need to convince yourself to make it through another day to fight. I love this place, too. But it is too dangerous to stay."

You move from your spot, taking a position at the doors of the chapel dominating the town square. "You must have heard the stories about those spore fields. They're the stuff of legends, whether you've seen one or not. Killing their psychokinetics are an honor and God will supposedly favor you. I think it's time you know the truth." You take a breath and switch gears into a scientific mindset. "This is just the beginning. You can't just stand here and think it isn't. Even if this spore field stays its same relative size and shape, your problems will only get worse. Even now the Primer pollen is starting to mature. It smells sweet to just about every creature it comes across. They eat it, and the pollen infects them. They start becoming wild. After a few months, they mutate into those things you've heard about in your scary stories. As feral as they are now, they become worse, actively attacking what they can, because that's what the pollen does. It wants to spread and infect more."

>>44434465
You shake your head. "But that isn't the end of it. The cusps mature, they open up and become airborne things. It's pretty to look look at, yes. But then it touches you. It itches at first, then burns. In hours you start hallucinating. It's all this big dream, knowledge and revelation you can't remember. And then you feel fine. But you aren't. Symbols grow on your body, and though you might not be changed like the beasts have been, you're now under the spell. You're an Aberrant, and there's a good chance the children you have will be Psychonauts."

The murmur among the crowd gives you grim satisfaction. You tamp it down. "This isn't some isolated incident. You can kill the psychonauts, burn the Abberrants as they come, wear gas masks and destroy the beasts who attack you. But others will come. Psychonauts looking for fields where there's more available Primer to feed themselves on, or cults that would take the town and turn it into a Burn producton facility. And every day that spore field is around, the farther it spreads until more land collapses. More spore fields, and then what? Where is your livelihood then? At the end of a blade, or a blood doll for your mistakes?"

You finish then, and the others seem quiet. Claudio catches your eye, and he just shrugs weakly. You've dumped a lot of information on them. Even Sofia seems subdued. Whether or not it's enough to convinc them to evacuate, you can't say.

>Wait it out and gauge the crowd
>Appeal to Ines
>See if Sofia's alright
>Speak to Claudio
>Write-in

>>44434479
>Wait it out and gauge the crowd

>>44434479
>Appeal to Ines

>>44434479
>>Wait it out and gauge the crowd
We should be getting ready to leave.

I wish more people were playing OP this quest is looking good

>>44434665
Agreed, then again all quests I've been in recently have been unusually slow so maybe people are busy with.. winter stuff??

>>44434479
>>Wait it out and gauge the crowd

>>44434665
>>44434703
This is the worst time to run a quest. The Holiday's are not even over yet. People are busy with New year's preparations etc.
Some have not even come home from their vacations.

>>44434721
>>44434617
>>44434542
Have to do something but I'll be back in a minute, gais. Also Writing.

>>44434665
Eh, you get what you get. People will be in and out. Most people lurk.

True enough, there are probably a handful of lurkers like myself who are simply here for the read.

>>44435213
I too am a lurker but I can participate if you want

>>44434804
I'm lurkin' for now too, but I'll probably jump in soon. Good quest so far, keep it up!

You stay in your spot, watching as the weight of your words takes hold on the townsfolk. The world as Colmurano has known it has changed, probably irreparably. This was a good place, you know. But the Spadaro won't help beyond what you're sure will only bring more ruin to the valley. Your order has already forsaken them, and you doubt that the Anabaptists they cling to for guidance will be much different, regardless of what Sofia says to placate them.

"What about you?" One of them asks, one you only know by sight but has never had cause to be part of your rounds. "Where are the doctors? Isn't it your job to take care of this?"

You laugh humorlessly. "What would you have me do? I'm one man, and my supplies aren't limitless. There isn't enough fungicide or fuel in this whole town to completely destroy that spore field." You look away, hiding the lie from the citizens that are under your care. "The Spital can come. We can take care of this spore field. It'd be easy right now, when the danger's minimal. But it's just like Sofia said. Roma's a long way away from here. What happens until then? What happens when an infected animal comes into town? What happens when the wind shifts and starts carrying the Primer uphill, to us?"

"And we just lose everything? No matter what?"

"No," Sofia says and she moves closer to the church. "We have our lives and we have each other. Have our builders and carpenters forgotten how to make homes? Can we not sow new crops? Moving is not the death sentence you think it is," she states. A few of the others nod. "Our ancestors survived the meteor that brought this death. For centuries we have learned to thrive through this and worse. This is not so terrible. We can make it through this."

>>44435848
"Well said," you mutter to her under your breath as she takes her place next to you.

"And what about you, old mother?" another asks and you notice that Ines has moved from her spot in the crowd. Despite easily being one of the oldest members in the village, she moves gracefully, like a hawk searching for prey. The look she gives you makes your blood chill, though it isn't the annoyed defiance she usually reserves for you and your ideals. The fact that she hasn't raised fuss and has even agreed with you since the gathering's begun is more than enough.

"I've been searching the will of God and the signs he leaves since before that demon field made itself known to us. Ill news follows this town, though I cannot say what." Her words bring in a new tide and you fight the annoyance that she may have just swayed the others in the wrong direction. "The Destroyer dogs our steps. Ruin follows us from a distance. If we can shake him from our path is yet to be seen, but if we stay in Colmurano, he takes us easier, and quickly. Our guardians turn their backs on us and we, the sheep, must become the wolves."


>"What nonsense are you prattling on about now?"
>Take advantage and steer it back to your purpose.
>Write-in.

>>44435848
>You look away, hiding the lie from the citizens that are under your care.
Just for clarification, are we actually capable of taking out the spore field if we were smart about it?

>>44435901
>Take advantage and steer it back to your purpose.

>>44435901
>Take advantage and steer it back to your purpose.

>>44435901
>>Take advantage and steer it back to your purpose.
She may be a religious fool but she speaks the truth

>>44435901
>>"What nonsense are you prattling on about now?"

>>44435941
You probably could if you burned it, but you don't have nearly the amount of fuel needed to do it wisely.

>>44435941
No, we know that no one is coming to help and we aren't telling them

>>44435950
>>44435955
>>44435980
Writan

"...yes," you agree as quickly as you can. It isn't that you have a problem with religion itself. Your life would be hell with the amount of Anabaptists you'd had to deal with growing up in the Protectorate. But Purgare, and Colmurano especially, seems to have an odd zeal for it. "I admit that there are things about this place I don't quite understand, but even Ines agrees with me. How often have you seen us fighting when it comes to something not medicine? Hell, how often have you seen us fighting when it DOES come to medicine?" This at least does something for you. "I can't say I believe in this Destroyer, or that it's using the spore field in some way, but it's unsafe. You can't be here in good conscience."

The deliberation goes on from there well into the night, rising and falling. You keep an eye contantly on your mollusk, which has stayed calm the night through. No primer pollen in the area. No sepsis. You're safe still. One by one, evacuation becomes apparent as the only true option for your charges, and by the end of the meeting, people have sworn begin preparation in the morning.

The crowd disperses, and even with the threat of death and worse hanging in the air, things become...somehow light. Perhaps it's catching insanity, maybe it's people glad they've survived the trials of the day relatively unscathed, but it's there. As you make your way back to your home, you even hear music playing.

The mess from the earthquake has been mostly picked up, though a few things are in disarray. You upright an errant chair, place your splayer in the corner, and sit down in a huge slump.

>Leave tonight. They're evacuating, you've done your job.
>Stay at least until morning. See them off.
>They're still your people, orders or no. At least stay until they're resettled.
>Write-in.

>>44436520
>Stay at least until morning. See them off.

>>44436520
>Stay at least until morning. See them off.

>>44436520
>>Stay at least until morning. See them off.

>>44436520
Leave tonight. See if Claudio wants to go with us

>>44436597
>>44436598
>>44436975
Alright, writing.

You always knew that eventually you'd be called back to a larger force, or required to go to another town. It never bothered you, really. The idea of a friendly face has always been underscored by hidden daggers. Sure, there'd been camaradarie among your peers once you'd completed your training, but it was always something of a fleeting thing. The ones you cared for eventually moved on to whatever various frontlines there were while the stranger members of your order stayed in Spital or chose to work meaningless duties in places that really didn't require the service of Spitalians. attachments were useless and friendships malleable.

But here, things had been different. Smiles were nothing more than an expression of joy or pleasantness. Hard work was valued over lies, and even though you aren't the first choice for less serious ailments, people appreciated you here, providing you with supplies without the need for drafts.

You could leave right now. The door's right there, and really, everything you need could be picked up within the hour. No one would know until they came to wake you in the morning, and even then...

You find yourself getting up to do just that. Your traveling cloak's fashioned about your shoulders. Your helm is on. You're even attempting to unscrew the Mollusk from the end of your splayer in favor for its second lighting attachment for later use, but something stops you. You look at your front door. Whether or not you've been called back, they're still your people. The least you could do is see them off rather than abandon them like a thief in the night.

>>44437824
You're lost in thought when someone slams the door open, laughing overdramatically. "Niko, you're here? Ah, yes." He snorts and sprawls on the floor next to you. "Niko, I've come to sleep here tonight!"

"Of course," you mutter to yourself, mounting the Mullosk on your splayer again.

"In all honesty, I did not think I would see you here, still," he admits, his words slurring softly. "You did well. You and the old woman got them to leave. This is good, they were stupid. But you made them smart, and I got drunk." You snort at the declaration and kick him softly in the side. He protests with only a token retaliation of smacking your booted foot.

"I'm tired," you tell him. "I'll leave in the morning, when they do. We have different paths, but I can do at least that much for them. What about you?"

"It is not so safe for me to go right now," he tells you, wagging his finger. "If I leave, I will fall into that spore field and come out one of those Psychonauts. The most handsome. None could resist me."


"Not when, where?" you ask.

Claudio shrugs. "I haven't figured that part out yet. But it shouldn't be so hard, I think. All of your clans and orders and cults hate that I will buy and sell for anyone, will go into the places they won't. But this? It makes me valuable because I do what they won't." He pats your shin. "You aren't my only client. Do not worry."


Before you can say any more, a knock sounds on your door. "Go away!" Claudio cries out. "We are planning our escape!"

>Answer
>Ignore it and keep speaking with Claudio
>Write in

>>44437850
>Answer
>Keep bantering with him meanwhile

>>44437850
>Answer by telling them to come instead of going to the door

>>44437850
>Answer

>>44437850
>>Answer

>>44437927
>>44437939
>>44437944
>>44438030
Wrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

You roll your eyes at Claudio's demand, but do nothing to actually answer the door. "You can come with me," you offer instead.

Claudio looks at you and smiles in that indulgent way that only a person well into their cups can manage. "To the Holy City? Could you imagine me there, Niko? Rubbing elbows with your priests and judges and doctors?"

"It is a hard sell," you admit with a smirk. "Knowing you, you'd destroy every artifact in a week."

"Hey!" He says, sitting up with a small burp. "I'll have you know, Herr Doktor Stick-In-Ass, that I have handled-" he swallows and glares. "-Handled many artifacts for years for your precious groups and brought them back in working condition, sometimes better than new!" You laugh and he leans back onto his elbows. "But I couldn't go, anyway. Remember, I had to sneak in last time? What if that is still the same thing happening there?"

"We'll figureit out. And Roma's still-" KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

You frown at the door and shout for whoever's on the other side to enter. The door opens up and it's Sofia, looking around the room tentatively. "Have you spoken with the Holy City since..."

You shake your head. "Nothing new. No help, return to the city. Why?"

>>44438586
Sofia hangs her head and Claudio rolls to his side to scrutinize her. "She has also gotten those orders, I'm thinking." Her silence confirms it and your frown deepens. What the hell is going on?

"As soon as possible, now that they know the village is relocating," she says to fill the silence. "We can't just let them go along without an escort. What are we supposed to do?"

You shrug. "Exactly what we're told. If we're being reassigned, we're being reassigned. There's not much else we can do."

"How can you say that?" she demands, her voice raising with indignation.

Claudio snorts. "Have you met any other Spitalians?"

"Not funny," she bites at Claudio. "Exactly my point!" he responds, much too cheerfully.

You ignore Claudio and look up at Sofia, letting just a bit of your regret show through. "This isn't any easier for me. But you know just as well as I that we'll be missed, now that we have new orders."

"So? How will they know? We can see this to the end and head to the Holy City as soon as it's done," she growls.

"You will not." The three of you start in unison to see the stooped form of Ines in your door. She looks...younger, somehow. Less frail. Perhaps she never was. Her normal piety has been replaced with something wild, but sane.

>"Does no one value privacy anymore?"
>"What are you on about now?"
>"Figures you'd want me gone."
>Write-in.

>>44438599
>>"What are you on about now?"
Oh? Is she another party member?

>>44438599
>"Figures you'd want me gone

>>44438612
Possibly. Can you guess her cult?

>>44438639
BOSS, I'M HERE. GONNA CATCH UP.

>>44438599
>"What are you on about now?"

>>44438599
>>"What are you on about now?"

>>44438639
Not Scrapper, Anabaptist, Spitalian, Neolib, Scourger, Judge, Jehammad for sure.

Apocalyptic? The cards thing makes me think them.

>>44438834
Bingo bango bruno.

Writan.

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33 KB JPG

>>44438885
>The Destroyer
Coincidence?

>>44439152
It's one of the Apoc's Tarots, and one of the character concepts/archetypes (which are the same things).

Hey guys, I'm spacing out a little right now. If you guys can keep this bumped through the night, I'll carry it on tomorrow.

>>44439291
I think he was trying to get at the fact that the picture in that is of a Spitalian.

Also, yes. It's a Coincidence. You're not the Destroyer, bruh.

Also I'm open to any questions or comments for the time being. Ask away.

>>44439367
Alright see you tomorrow, I was already headed to sleep so gonna have to count on the other anons.

Is it archived by the way:?

>>44439392
Ines is a Raven, yes? She isn't still with the Apocs, though, I'm guessing, given she's apparently settled down.

>>44439437
If it is, it hasn't been archived by me.

>>44439475
Ines was a Raven, yeah.

bump

I always liked dogs

and the thread goes bumpetie in the night

Final bump. Write-up in progress.

>>44444604
first anon reporting in QM good to have you back

"What are you on about now?" you ask. Ines simply smiles indulgently and steps further into the room, kicking the door closed behind her. It's difficult equating this new thing to the woman you'd seen only a few hours ago, a matronly crone talking in riddles despite the fact that she wears the same face. She takes in each of you as if appraising you for the first time, a keen intelligence that makes you want to reach for your splayer.

"Have you ever choked on your own self-importance, Nikodem?" she asks in reply. "You heard what I said. Sofia, they aren't lost children, just dumb adults, and scared. They'll find a place their own soon enough. Besides which, we have larger problems to take care of, none of which have to do with the spore field. It'll be taken care of in time. Or it won't. No one's going to be around for it to matter soon enough."

"What problems, old mother?" Claudio asks, sitting up fully. There's a sharpness in his voice despite his drunkenness.

Ines glares at him sharply. "Don't call me that again. I'm no one's mother." Some of the edge leaves her voice but the predator remains. "The problems are exactly what I said in the square Earlier. We're in the shadow of the Destroyer. Not just the village, but Purgare as a whole. Perhaps the entire continent. I'm not sure. What I do know is that heading in the direction of the Holy City would be our best course of action. This path is where our fate and the fate of the village diverge."

>>44445208
"Who's this 'we'?" you ask, indignant. Ines smiles.

"You. Sofia. Claudio. Myself. Others may come in time, but that's yet to be seen. We're on a precipice, and the only way to stay on solid ground is with each other. We're all each important, individually and as a group, and only as a group will we be able to overcome the Destroyer."

"You keep mentioning that Destroyer," Sofia says and to your horror she actually seems to be entertaining the witch. "What is it? What's so big that we'd all be in danger like this?"

Ines laughs condescendingly. "If I knew, I'd say it plainly child. I only know what the cards tell me. The spore field was nothing more than a rally. A heralding cry for the beasts of your demiurge."

>And you got all this from the cards?
>Absolutely not.
>I suppose you can come along.
>I still don't understand.
>Write-in

>>44445218
>And you got all this from the cards?

I just arrived from twitter. The QM must have really stepped up his writing skillz to get this far in 3 minutes

>>44445348
I'm secretly Wally West.

>>44445218
>And you got all this from the cards?
>Write-in
"Look, I don't know what you'll all do. All I know that I'm going to sleep, get up in the morning to see the villagers off, then follow my orders"

>>44445218
>>And you got all this from the cards?
I like Ines.

>>44445245
>>44445732
>>44446117
inscribing.

"And your cards told you this?" you snort derisively. The others look at you gravely and you frown. "You can't be serious. She's clearly senile."

"I've been here longer than you have. You've known me for more than a year and not a soul has thought me more than some poor medicine woman." She sneers at you. "Say what you will about me, doctor, but I'm still sharper than you."

"Whatever," you mutter, waving a dismissive hand at her. "I still have orders and a long way to go. Sofia, Claudio, you're welcome to come along with me and I recommend you," you point at Sofia, "at the very least decide to." You stare at Ines. "You, I couldn't care one bit about what you do or where you go. If you decide to follow me or get these two in trouble, it isn't my problem anymore. But I'm leaving in the morning, so if any of you are coming, you have your time table."

Ines shakes her head. "And where else would we be heading? As you say, she has her orders, and the boy's contacts are in Roma. We're all going in the same direction."

Claudio gapes and lets out a noise of protest. "How do you know that?"

"You aren't nearly as clever as you think, and my flock is everywhere, boy. I've known about your life since you first started working for Nikodem." She turns, ignoring any curses from Claudio and starts heading for the door. "You think you have a choice in all of this, but it'll be clear soon that you don't. But I still need to collect my things, so I will see you all in the morning." A part of you wants to stop her from going back into that death trap she calls a home, but you stop. Maybe the old bat will finally learn her lesson.

She closes the door behind her softly, leaving the three of you in a sort of stunned silence.

>>44446720
"She knows how to make everyone pay attention to her, that's certain," Claudio finally says, breaking a tension you hadn't realized had been forming. He shrugs and lays back down on the floor. "She isn't wrong, though. Most of my good clients are in Roma. And more than a few brothels which are all calling my name right now."

"That's disgusting," Sofia says.

Claudio shrugs. "It's natural."

You move in your seat, trying to find a more comfortable position. "It makes no difference. So you two are coming with me, then?"

Claudio cocks his head before finally making an agreeing noise. "Where else would I go? I could scavenge, but I like to rest between jobs. Maybe it won't be so bad on the way to the city."

The two of you turn your attention to Sofia. She seems on the edge, but at your stares, she breathes and nods. "I suppose I will, too. They wouldn't call us back without reason, as you say."

"Good," you tell her reassuringly. "They'll be fine, and I'm sure you know it, too."

"Maybe," she agrees. "But it doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Who ever likes orders?" Claudio asks. "But this day has been too long. I think we all need to relax for now." From his coat he pulls out a half-empty bottle of liquor which has surprisingly survived Claudio's tramping around.

>Have a drink.
>Decline but try to have fun with them.
>Decline and go to be.
>Write-in.

>>44446739
>Decline but try to have fun with them

let's skip for now tomorrow will be a busy day

>>44446739
>Decline but try to have fun with them.
We'll get up early tomorrow, and the last thing we need is a hangover.
"Having fun" might be a strong expression, but let's try to figure out those whom we'll brobalby has to entrust our back with.

>write in
Break out the cleansing herb we keep for special occasians. No hangover

>>44447423
I that within our power?

>>44447485
You're the town doc. Why not?

>>44446739
>>Decline but try to have fun with them.
PURE BODY PURE MIND

>>44447501
I admit I am not that well-versed in modern? medieval? renessance? medicine.

>>44447517
Right because ethanol is not antibacterial at all

>>44447517
HEIL KRANZLER!

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84 KB JPG

>>44447423
WHY WOULD YOU WILLINGLY DO THAT?

>>44446739
>>Decline but try to have fun with them.

>>44447543
i think the medicine is more along world war 1 possibly 2 eras.

File: ENEMAS FOR THE ENEMA GOD.jpg (291 KB, 791x715)

291 KB JPG

>>44447656
I...have to agree with this. Pic related.


>>44447680
>>44447517
>>44446846
>>44446753
Writing.

>>44447828
Here I was thinking that out of the zealots, and judge dredd types, us the doctors might be the most sane. I think I need to reconsider

You shake your head and ward Claudio off with a hand as he tries to force the bottle onto you. "One of us has to be sober," you tell him and Claudio narrows his eyes for a moment which immediately shifts into a smile.

"Next time, then," he says. "I am starting to think that you hate me." You snort and kick him off of you and he laughs in turn. "Sofia! Lovely Sofia, the doctor wounds me! Come here and drink with me, it's the only way to fix the hurt."

Sofia shakes her head, but you can see her smile as she comes around and takes the bottle from Claudio after pulling a glass from one of your cabinets. "How are you so cheerful?" she asks him.

"How are you not?" Claudio asks. "I am alive, I am not infected, I'm with good friends and good drink, and tomorrow I start on an adventure." He gestures hazily in the air around him. "There's already so much negativity in the world, Baptist. You know that. But it's also full of many good things, too. You just need to know how to look at it."

"This is my home," she mutters, more to herself than anyone else. "I was born here, you know. Not two streets away."

>>44448589
"It's the place you were born, but it isn't your home," Claudio tells her. You frown.

"What do you mean by that?" you ask him.

"Nothing, really. She joined up with a group almost as transient as mine. They go out and help people. They try to destroy the spores and heal the sick. Sofia came back here, but she never left the Baptists, did she? This place is just familiar, is all." He leans back against your chair and graciously accepts the bottle Sofia hands back to him. "She wants the adventure and danger. Same as you and me. But she's also Purgan and family matters to them. She could stay, but she isn't. The spore field and her orders by now are just an excuse to let her see a real adventure."

Sofia frowns for a moment, but she doesn't deny it. Your mouth quirks sympathetically, but she shakes her head. "He's right. I guess that's why I feel awful. Because I should care about all of this, but I'm still getting up in the morning and leaving everything behind. For no better reason than because someone I have never met told me to go." She downs her drink and grunts softly. "But there's a whole world out there I want to see. My family's safe. Why shouldn't I want to help people and see everything it has?"

"No one's judging you, Sofia," Claudio says. "Trust me, it's going to be everything and nothing like you're thinking. Danger around every corner. Beautiful people. More money than you know what to do with. It's all very romantic once you get past the want to turn back."

The mood improves after that. Claudio and Sofia start trading joking barbs and Sofia even breaks out into a song to accompany the music as Claudio dances across your office without a care in the world. You discuss plans and your own pasts before the liquor finally runs dry. You and Claudio take Sofia back to the church she calls home before the two of you return to your own house.

Your dreams are untroubled, too tired to think on anything.

>>44448617
Morning is heralded by the pounding of the front door and the clamor of people outside. You remind yourself in your stupor that today is the exodus and wearily you head out to see who it is. Your Mollusk is as still as it was last night, so you open the door, tired, your suit only half on as you apply lime powder on your upper body. Ines stands there, raking her eyes over you once before bullying her way into your house, unimpressed. On her back is a rather decent-sized travel pack, though it looks like its weight isn't bothering her. Her clothing has been replaced by a light leather armor. She looks armed to the teeth with knives of varying purpose. "You need to spend more time out in the sun, Nikodem. You're pale, even for a Pollner."

"What are you doing here?" you grouse.

"I haven't changed my mind. I'm still coming with you," she says and stops once she drops her pack on the floor. "Where are the boy and the priest?"

At that, a groan issues from the couch. "I was having such a nice dream, too. Niko, make the buzzard go away."

"She does what she wants," you reply. You didn't touch a drop of the alcohol last night, but you're still tired. You can't help the laugh that comes out when she kicks Claudio in the stomach, though.

>Finish dressing and go find Sofia.
>Finish your preparations. Sofia's fine.
>"What makes you think we want you coming?"
>See if Claudio's okay.
>Write-in

>>44448647
>Finish dressing and go find Sofia.
also on the way out.
>See if Claudio's okay.

>>44448647
>>Finish dressing and go find Sofia.
Ines is best girl.

>>44448647
>>Finish dressing and go find Sofia.

>>44448647
>Finish your preparations. Sofia's fine.
We are a professional, these idiots probably rely on us not to get infected.

>See if Claudio's okay.
just a half-glance. We don't want him to think we like him

>>44448647
>Finish your preparations. Sofia's fine.

>>44448754
That's a funny way of spelling Claudio.

>>44448359
>Anyone in Degenesis
>Sane
kek. Spitalians just direct their insanity into constructive avenues.

Honestly I think the Anabaptists are the least crazy of the three branches of the Protectorate.

>>44448754
>>44448805
Calm down, you two. whynotboth.jpg

>>44448688
>>44448754
>>44448776
Rotting.

You finish dressing, opting to put what little armor you wear on as well, fastening your chemical hood over your head and cape about your shoulders. Claudio moans after Ines gets away from him. A small bit of worry blossoms and you lean over him slightly as you head out. "Are you alright?" you ask.

"He's fine," Ines huffs, irritated.

"Hangover. Hurts," he whines, and you roll your eyes.

"Third cabinet, there are some white pills in a clear jar. Give him two and make sure he's up by the time I get back," you tell Ines as she waves you off.

"He just wants attention. He'll be fine." You know, so you shrug before you head out for Sofia. The winding streets of Colmurano are crowded this morning as people pack what they can to get out of the town as quickly as possible. Child and livestock alike block your path and you keep a wary eye on them all, making small talk or helping with those not so busy that they're doing something else as you pass. Some watch you with a look of wonder. It's a rare occurrance that you're in full regalia and you understand the figure you cut in such wear, so you don't remark upon it. Once you were like them, too.

The town square's crowded to the point you need to use your Splayer to move some people aside, but then you see Sofia, somehow in better spirits than you despite the amount of spirits she'd consumed the night before. Like you, she's dressed to travel in a light armor emblazoned with the cross-and-wheel insignia of the Anabaptists. Over her back is slung her rifle, while a wicked sword rests at her hip with the same cross-and-wheel design on the pommel. Behind her are four horses, one of which is laden with what you're guessing are her things.

>>44449846
"I told the Father here some of what was going on. He gave us these to help us on our way. Can you..." she gestures at a set of reigns in her hand and you nod, taking two rather strapping strawberry roan horses off of her. "So are we all ready?" She smiles widely at you as she passes a water jug toward you.

"I think Claudio may be still trying to wake up. How are you so cheery this morning?" you ask her, still trying to wake up fully, yourself.

"I took an infusion. I should be good the whole day," she says amicably. "Do you want one?" Immediately you shake your head. The snake-oil concoctions the Baptists brew up rarely sit well with you. "Suit yourself."

You lead the animals back to your home and tie them up outside. Ines is waiting outside while Claudio seems to be hauling out the remainder of your things and his. "He needs to sweat it out," she tells you at your questioning look. "These are ours?" After Sofia nods, Ines smiles that predator smile of hers and takes the unladen horse Sofia's brought along and mounts it with an ease that someone her age should have difficulty with. "Oh, it's been ages!" She says with a loud laugh. "What are you fools waiting for?"

"Are you sure she isn't a psychonaut?" Claudio asks as he helps you put your things on one of the horses before taking the other.

>Take off now, before anyone has cause to question you
>Wait until everyone's leaving and head off in the confusion
>Gear up and put your gas mask on. You don't know how far the Primer's spread overnight.
>Write-in

>>44449866
>Gear up and put your gas mask on. You don't know how far the Primer's spread overnight.

>>44449866
>Gear up and put your gas mask on, You don't know how far the Primers spread overnight.

Worse case this SCARES the civies to move much faster.

>>44449866
>Gear up and put your gas mask on. You don't know how far the Primer's spread overnight.
We can wear this thing all day right? We are a psycho plague-doctor

There is clearly something wrong with the old crone.

>>44450014
She's an Apocalyptic, of course something's wrong with her. And old Apocalyptics are the ones that have been able to keep their young subordinates in line through being clever and dangerous.

>>44450014
If you've ever played Dragon Age, Ines would probably be Flemeth with no powers.

>>44449897
>>44449901
>>44449967
Writing, then I'm gonna be taking a break for a while. I'm not done, but I've got some things I need to take care of.

>>44450548
That's fine.

File: degenesis_rebirth_fan_art(...).jpg (195 KB, 1024x1448)

195 KB JPG

Once Claudio's on his horse, you ask once more if everyone's ready. Once you gain the affirmative, youpull your gas mask from one of the saddle bags and put it on your face, signalling for the others to do the same. Sofia and Claudio both fasten little half-masks to their faces while the only protection Ines affords herself is a rag bound tightly over her mouth that makes you cringe. Once things are done, you bring up the hood of your cloak and set out, navigating through the tight maze of the street.

Your departure isn't done so unnoticed. Nervous conversations start to break out as others see your attire while Sofia assures those she passes by that you're simply scouting the area before anyone leaves. It seems to work. The crowd returns to its tasks and you ride out of the gates of the town with little trouble.

It isn't until you've made it a fair distance away from Colmurano that you notice the first twitches of the Mollusk. You're starting to near Primer spores. You call the others to a halt and let them know. Roma is to the southwest, about a week's journey from here. L'Aquila, the nearest major city, is two day's ride.

Claudio informs you of two options.

Taking a roundabout way, you can bypass L'Aquila entirely, though you will find yourself trudging through the lands of clans that may not be as welcoming as the Spadaro have been.

Going directly through L'Aquila is the quickest way to Roma, though spore fields are common along this path the closer you come to Nox. However, the city can offer you resources you may expend upon the trip.

>Use the roundabout
>Direct Route
>Fuck this, let's go off the beaten path
>Write-in

>>44451011
>Use the roundabout

>>44451011
>Direct route
WE WILL PURGE AS WE MARCH

>>44451011
>Direct Route

ech either psychonauts and spores or untrustworthy bastards i would rather take the threath we can see and detect

File: tumblr_nn0v23mgiw1qjrmh1o(...).jpg (594 KB, 1138x1600)

594 KB JPG

For reference. Look at Purgare on the map. Shitty red dot is Colmurano. Yellow path is direct. Orange path is roundabout.

>>44451011
>>Direct Route

Direct course. Cleanse and purge.

Did BQ died?

hopeful bump

>>44452709
I told you guys i had shit to do but fret not, I'm back. Writing.

>>44453985
Rip your dead BQ. Sorry

>>44454845
I'm here. What I'm trying to do is going to be kind of tricky, however. I'm trying to word things right.

>>44454887
Its a joke man. I'm just glad your back.

The argument goes back and forth between the four of you for some time at the crossroads. Both ways have their merits and disadvantages, but you and Sofia come out victorious in the end. While the direct route is more dangerous overall, it's generally shorter and has L'Aquila in its path, which would do much to keep you stocked once there.

After making the decision, the four of you set out with little talking, opting instead to keep a lookout. Occasionally the monotony is broken up with singing from Claudio or some small anecdote from Ines, but it's sparse. You don't run into much beyond the odd animal here and there. You hear the cry of a lone Gendo, but no response from the rest of its pack.

Things progress; night falls, and when you find yourself well clear of any sign of Sepsis, you make camp under the electric gaze of your coldlight lamp. No one feels like making any kiond of talk, and the only thing left now is to set the first watch.

>Roll dice+1d4

Rolled 2 (1d4)

>>44454985
EMPEROR PROTECT ME!

>>44455052
You draw straws, and Ines gets the first shift. The rest of you lay about camp, though you don't feel the draw of sleep that so easily captures Sofia and Claudio. You toss and turn all nught. You feel uneasy. Any sort of sleep eludes you, caught in yourself, the things you've dealt with the past two days, and what you've come from. In your unrest, you set your gaze upon the stars and your mind drifts into reverie.

-----

There are many things to focus your anger at in Pollen: The frozen tundra all about you. Fractal forests which have started to not only become an enticing mystery but a strange necessity among the roving clans. The Protectorate trying to extend its reach to a people that don't want it. The rising threat of the Cockroach clan just on the other side of the mountains. But the stars? The stars are still a sourc3e of wonder for you.

You sit with a few of your friends in the courtyard, huddled around a trashcan for warmth. Fire spews from the opening. In the distance you hear a man and woman shout each other down, and not for the first time. It's quiet for Brno, but quiet doesn't mean peaceful. Sometimes you prefer the discordant cacophony. It means that the world has less reason to notice you, and you have less reason to keep an eye out.

You aren't warm by any means, but still you move away from the bin leisurely. You feel exposed, nervous. You leave the courtyard and make it into an alleyway

Someone follows.

--

>>44455320
The only warning you have is a metallic whine, and even then it's only by pure luck that you manage to move in time. Just inches from you, where you just were, an explosion of dust blooms and vaguely you recall the sound of a gunshot.

In moments the camp is awake, Claudio shouting, wanting to know what's going on, Sofia drawing her sword. You don't even know where Ines is.


Choose up to 2 options.
>Take cover
>Find out where the hell that's coming from
>Return fire
>Check to see if the others are okay
>Find Ines
>Write-in

Rolled 1 (1d4)

>>44455345
>Find out where the hell that's coming from

>>44455345
>Take cover
>Find out where the hell that's coming from, from cover.

Anyone else?

>>44455345
>>Find out where the hell that's coming from
>>44456054
I'm here QM

>>44456207
>>44455543
>>44455538
Roll dice+5d6

Rolled 6, 3, 1, 4, 5 = 19 (5d6)

>>44456290
BIG MONEY

Rolled 2, 2, 1, 3, 2 = 10 (5d6)

>>44456290
I hope we don't die

File: 1451256447241.png (264 KB, 650x638)

264 KB PNG

Rolled 1, 6, 6, 2, 6 = 21 (5d6)

>>44456290

>>44456320
>>44456599
>>44456613
Alright, writing. This is gonna be the last post for this one, guys.

>>44456847
Sorry, bros. Pounding headache. I'm still gonna post, but it's gonna end up shorter than intended.

You pull your hood up over your head and wrap your cape as close to your body as you can. You wear minimal armor as it is, and a majority of your uniform is dominated by a white spot which would be a highlighter in the low night light to all your vital areas. You scan your surroundings and dive behind a boulder as soon as you see it.

It's fortunate: Just as your body is completely behind cover, your assailant lets loose another volley; you can feel whatever they're firing rip and tear through your cape. For the moment, only your life is on your mind.


You blink and force yourself to calm your breathing. The hillside evening has turned into stark day in a city hallway. The shelling's begun again. Whether it's the clans or the Hellvetics this time, you can't say. People outside have been fleeing for cover, trying to get out of the area of conflict. You've decided to stay.

Blood trickles down the side of your face and you run a hand through it. You're used to bloodshed. You're used to your own blood, but this chaos is causing a new kind of panic inside you. You don't like it. Was Chernobog's death really worth all of this? What were they thinking?

There's a lull in the chaos and you hear a thump nearby. You inhale sharply and try to press your way inside an alcove. This isn't your fight, but you know whoever finds you won't care. You try to hold your breath. Boots sound through the hallway, three different sets. Clipped Borcan words come to your ears. You're dead.

You shake your head free of the reverie. Brno dissolves back into the now. Another shot pings over your head, and you use the silence to peak over the edge of the boulder.

You shouldn't be able to make out the other in such low light, but it'd be impossible not to once you have time to process things. Their profile is edged with lines of glowing blue. Their hair is pale, reflecting the lights on their armor as they look about, androgynous and weilding a weapon that you've never seen the likes of before.

In your state of confusion, they catch sight of you and fire.


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


And this is where we're stopping tonight, guys. I'll be around for a little while to answer questions. Expect the next thread after New Year's. Hope you enjoyed.

Was that a Sleeper?

>>44457193
Good night bruhv

>>44457400
It certainly isn't Ines.