Hai

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Daylight grows wan as you step through the gates of your village once more. The guard gives you a cursory wave as he winches the gates back into position, as much a sign of respect as a greeting. You've become very well known in the village in a very short span of time. Perhaps that's not surprising given the size of the community. Your run fingers through your hair, shaking the last of the springwater from the roots.

Your feet trace the familiar paces back toward the workshop hut on the far side of the main thoroughfare. As they do your mind races along a different track altogether. You are as always beset by the question of how best to spend your time. The figures of Hesheza Zahn and the Magus weigh on either ends of your conscience as grim boulders, lead weights cast with the legend “RESPONSIBILITY” lashed to your wrists. Sparks gutter fitfully from your heels as you stumble over a small stone in the road. You ought to work out a plan of action.

At the very least, your day of rest has somewhat rejuvenated you. That ache for a moment of solitude has momentarily subsided.

You take notes in a small booklet as you walk past homes and trades, dodging instinctively to one side or another as you walk to allow an evening traveler passage. Muttered greetings drift past you on either side as you make your way to the doors of your workshop. By the time you reach for the handle, your page is inked dark with possibilities.

> Send a missive to the Iron General. You need to know when Pointsmar will be ready to cross the mountains.
> Delve further into research of Ayren's drawers. You may find the vital spark you need for your apprentices in one of them.
> Do research into the local behemoths. No time to start preparing like the present.
> Experiment further with your totems. You'll need to know the full extent of your abilities to face down the spawn of the World's Grave.
> Return to Azeo Sicros. Zahn likely has some training for you.
> Check in on one of your friends. Quinn and Terra should be somewhere around here.
> Write-in
---
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. After making peace with Hesheza Zahn, spirit of the First Totemist, you have returned home to plan how best to obtain the ingredient needed to properly initiate your apprentices: the vital spark of a Behemoth.

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

Plot Summary: http://pastebin.com/dqBSNUTM

The Cast Thus Far / Binder's Log: http://pastebin.com/VsJpEUx3

Ask: ask.fm/DiarcaEXE

Wiki in progess: http://totemistquest.pbworks.com

Quest Twitter: @TotemistQuest]]

>>44503008
>> Send a missive to the Iron General. You need to know when Pointsmar will be ready to cross the mountains.
Then
> Delve further into research of Ayren's drawers. You may find the vital spark you need for your apprentices in one of them.

>>44503008
>> Do research into the local behemoths. No time to start preparing like the present.


That is how we level up our Quinn, yes?

>>44502993
> Send a missive to the Iron General. You need to know when Pointsmar will be ready to cross the mountains.
> Delve further into research of Ayren's drawers. You may find the vital spark you need for your apprentices in one of them.

>>44503008
> Send a missive to the Iron General. You need to know when Pointsmar will be ready to cross the mountains.
> Return to Azeo Sicros. Zahn likely has some training for you.

>>44503008
> Send a missive to the Iron General. You need to know when Pointsmar will be ready to cross the mountains.
> Delve further into research of Ayren's drawers. You may find the vital spark you need for your apprentices in one of them.

>>44503008
>> Send a missive to the Iron General. You need to know when Pointsmar will be ready to cross the mountains.
>> Delve further into research of Ayren's drawers. You may find the vital spark you need for your apprentices in one of them.

You settle down at the writing desk in Ayren's library, neatly sweeping Amal's collected research on the Pact to one side. With a fresh parchment roll and an inkwell you settle contemplatively into your chair. The General seemed to indicate that he was already making preparations for Pointsmar's departure when last you spoke. With that said, you've no idea the process for moving a metropolis of that size, nor frankly the mechanism for doing so. If you and the Elders are going to have anything resembling infrastructure prepared for the city's arrival you'll need a timeframe. You pen a short missive to the General, asking after his wellbeing and requesting a rough timeline of the city's movement across the Ikrin Range. Now... how best to get it to him?

> Send a messenger bird.
> Attempt to deliver it to him by totemcraft.
> Ask the Stone Emperor's aid.
> Assign one of your spirits to carry it to him.

With that taken care of you swing yourself out of the writing desk's chair before its cushions devour you. You need to look further into the esoteric new requirements Ayren has set before you to advance in your training. All of the options seem like they may yield significant gain, but you'll need to devote yourself to one thing at a time. Ayren hated rushed jobs.

> Research Drawer 8: Hone a minor spirit.
> Research Drawer 7: Enshrine a Guardian Spirit.
> Research Drawer 6: Bind a Land Guardian.
> Research Drawer 5: Breach the Five Gates of Mu.

>>44503485
> Assign one of your spirits to carry it to him.
The charcoal imp! He said he was lacking in things to do.

>>44503485
>> Research Drawer 8: Hone a minor spirit.
Tryd?

>>44503485
> Attempt to deliver it to him by totemcraft.
might as well give it a shot

assuming difficulty scales with the numbering,
> Research Drawer 5: Breach the Five Gates of Mu.
let's figure this out.

>>44503485
>> Assign one of your spirits to carry it to him.
The drake? Or Tyrd? Or whatever the fire imp's name is
> Research Drawer 8: Hone a minor spirit.
Seems like the simplest

>>44503485
> Assign one of your spirits to carry it to him.

> Research Drawer 8: Hone a minor spirit.

>>44503485
>Hone a minor spirit
Amal. Tryd would be cool too I suppose.

>>44503485
> Assign one of your spirits to carry it to him.
Tyrd can do it.

> Research Drawer 8: Hone a minor spirit.
It seems likely that the heart of a behemoth would be locked behind a higher numbered drawer, and even if it isn't, strengthening our spirits is a good enough reward.

>>44503668
I may be remembering wrong, but I think we've been doing them higher number is lower difficulty.

>>44503485
>> Assign one of your spirits to carry it to him.

> Research Drawer 8: Hone a minor spirit.

You fish the charcoal rune from the inside of your sleeve. With a moment's concentrations Tryd flickers to life in the palm of your hand in a billowing cloud of soot. He glances around for a moment, bell-shaped head glowering sullenly to and fro, before looking up at you.

“More research?” he asks wearily.

You shake your head. “Something altogether more important,” you tell him. “How would you feel about taking a trip to the Forge in Pointsmar?”

His eyes glow yellow. You take it as his version of widening them dramatically. “What, you serious?”

You simply nod.

“I, uh--” he stutters, trips over his words. “I could make the trip, sure. Me by myself? Might take a while. Dunno if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly a distance sprinter.”

That is true. As a landbound spirit the Ikrins could take him weeks to cross. An idea springs to mind.

“Find Quinn. Cirr should be able to take you there in a quarter of the time.”

Tryd scratches a few flakes of carbon from his scalp, staring at you with an unreadable expression. “Right. Makes sense. You got the message?”

You hand him the rolled parchment scroll. “Try not to smudge it, yeah?”

He scoffs, his tiny claws already leaving streaks of soot on the outside of the roll. “Do my best. Remember not to call me back until I let you know I'm ready or we might waste the trip.”

You nod. “Thank you. Best of luck.”

He hops off of your shoulder, your letter laid across his shoulder like a walking staff, and scampers out the door. That may be the fewest arguments you've ever heard out of him. He must have been stir crazy.

With that in process—to research.

> Roll 1d100

Rolled 65 (1d100)

>>44503803

Rolled 5 (1d100)

>>44503803
rollin

Rolled 40 (1d100)

>>44503803

Rolled 14 (1d100)

>>44503803

Rolled 36 (1d100)

>>44503803
>>44503855
65 isn't bad

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>44503803
Good luck Sootfriend!

The sun dips toward the horizon outside as you work, pulling books from shelves, cross-referencing cryptic shorthand references to separate volumes. The majority of your findings come not from Ayren's notes, surprisingly, but from the spidery pennings of his predecesor carefully preserved in lockboxes on the highest shelves. That man apparently knew of Azeo Sicros as well from his descriptions of vaulted halls and hallways filled with doors. You assemble what you can from the vague references, experiment notes, and personal anecdotes.

> 65

“The halls of the First's abode are lined with mysterious power. The place itself is alive—a spirit of unimaginable magnitude and power resides within every brick strut. Meditations in my chambers there come to resemble a conversation more than a journey. It is through this spirit that the wonders in the Hall of Reflections are possible.

The tools are present and accessible even for one without access to the First's Domain, though the environment to refine even the lowliest being could take months without the cooperation of that grand being. Fortunately, Z has blessed me with free access to his Halls.

(cont.)

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>>44504216

The doors there are a peculiar thing, unable to be opened unless escorted solely by the spirit who acts as the key. Walking in without your bindings is wont to make even the most stalwart man feel naked as the day he was born, but it is a requirement borne of necessity rather than some perverse sense of challenge. Only the spirit to be refined maybe present, as the Grand's attention must be focused solely upon it—it and its master.” ~ Terubo Esatio, Totemist

“Az Si holds potential for class 5-9 sprts to reach even higher tiers. The Hall is the key. Through struggle, power. Through strife, understanding. Taxing on the sprt in question. 1 day rest minimum recommended per tier per session to avoid straining foci.” ~ Ayren Overwake, Totemist.

It appears a trip to Azeo Sicros may be in order after all.

> Activate the Portal Stone. No time to waste.
> Continue researching a different drawer.
> Get some air. Quinn and Terra should be back by now.
> Write-in

>>44504373
>> Get some air. Quinn and Terra should be back by now.

>>44504373
> Activate the Portal Stone. No time to waste.
>Leave a note for the others

>>44504373
>> Activate the Portal Stone. No time to waste.

>>44504416
>>44504373
this

>>44504373
> Get some air. Quinn and Terra should be back by now.
I want Tryd to do this anyway

>>44504373
Set some work for Quinn and Terra then head to AS.

>>44504373
> Get some air. Quinn and Terra should be back by now.

he portal stone is cold in your hands—not frigid, but the kind of impartial chill that feels like decades of disuse. Maybe centuries. Cradling it in one palm you quickly pen a note for Quinn and Terra, tacking it to the library door with a small sewing pin.

“Apprentices,

I've returned to Azeo Sicros to look into some spiritual refinement. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but here's a list of things to look into in my absence.

Quinn:
[ ] Fill a list of totems to be replaced. We may want to hold off on you actually crafting any just yet given our recent escapade, but we can be prepared.
[ ] See if you can't work with Pierce to recruit a group of Slayers for clearing a path to the landing site for Pointsmar.
[ ] Check in on Cirr and Tryd every so often.
[ ] Gather some replacement herbs from the Brush. Running low on Ragwort, Flax, Titanbloom.

Terra:
[ ] Plant those trees for the Dryad. Quinn will help you with setting up a small shrine.
[ ] Check in with your friends the flower spirits. It's good to keep up lines of communications after you request a favor.
[ ] Look into the sixteen runes of binding and research their meanings. There will be a quiz.

See you later!

~Osyki.”
(cont.)

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>>44504929

You focus on the Portal Stone, channeling a small drip of spiritual potence into the gem in the center. The disc lifts from your hand of its own accord with the slight prodding, revolving vertically in place before you. The spiraling patterns framing the gem at its center spin rapidly, radiating outward off of the stone's surface into the air until space itself collapses inward in front of you. A long tunnel lined with spiraling trails of iridescent light stretches into infinity within the library. At its terminus, a cold light.

Stepping foot into the tunnel disrupts the stone's careful hovering equilibrium. It wobbles slightly and the tunnels snaps shut, the collapsing force of which slingshots you bodily down the tunnel and into a wall of cold mist. There is a momentary jumbled sensation before you are deposited on the landing platform with a rough shove. You pinwheel your arms wildly to keep on your feet as the revolving gear platform settles into its groove at the tower's zenith. The portal stone clatters to the ground beside you. Its edges glow cherry red with heat.

“Welcome.” Hesheza Zahn's voice echoes from the double doors, both of which now loom open for you.

The Eidolons (or the statues which have replaced them) stare at you with cold fury as you pass.

Zahn hovers above the glowing heart of the Forge. His feathers spark with golden light at odd intervals. With each burst a tool rights itself upon a shelf, a bellows feeds the pool of liquid heat below the pulsing gem set into the wall.
“Zahn.”

> “I need to know more about Behemoths.”
> “I need to use the Hall of Reflection. I want to refine...” (Write-in)
> “I'd like to learn more about the Forge.”
> “Tell me more about the history of this place.”
> Write-in

>>44504956
>>44504929
Quinn:
>[x] See if you can't work with Pierce to recruit a group of Slayers for clearing a path to the landing site for Pointsmar.

Terra's choice of:
[x] Plant those trees for the Dryad. Quinn will help you with setting up a small shrine.
[x] Check in with your friends the flower spirits. It's good to keep up lines of communications after you request a favor.

>“I'd like to learn more about the Forge.”

>>44504956
>> “I need to use the Hall of Reflection. I want to refine...” (Write-in)
Amal. Tyrd was requesting it, but he's off on an errand. He can be next in line.

>>44504956
> “I need to use the Hall of Reflection. I want to refine...” (Write-in)
"Amal. Ayren left me a set of drawers unlocked by performing tasks he saw as rites of passage to a Totemist. I'm hoping the Behemoth token he used to initiate me is in one of them."

>>44504956
> “I need to use the Hall of Reflection. I want to refine...” (Write-in)
Turtle? Cordia?

>>44505153
Cordia would be neat.

>>44504956
>> “I need to use the Hall of Reflection. I want to refine...” (Write-in)

the siren heart for better lasers or whatever is in our jumpy boots because we use those allll the time

>>44505153
The drawer's task is to hone a minor spirit. Cordia and the Elder Turtle are both fairly strong. We can use Cordia for when we have to do the Enshrine a Guardian Spirit task, we've already talked with her about something similar anyway.

>>44505081
The only problem is it seems like the lowest tier honing would work for is class 5, and I'm pretty sure Amal is class 1.

>>44505265
Good point. Okay, then, so low-level but not too low-level. How about we hone the Ykree? It's not doing much now that we've got the Basilisk.

>>44505291
Maybe, though I guess I assumed that the animals we bound don't technically count as spirits?

>>44504956
> Write-in
"I need to Hone one of my spirits in order to unlock the next drawer that Ayren left for me. I'm hoping that the Behemoth token he used to initiate me is in there. But I don't really understand the process too well and Ayren's notes are focused mostly on the benefits it can give, not the risks or consequences or even procedure. So please, before I do anything, could you explain what refining a spirit entails?"

>>44505035
Anon, those are things they should do while Osy's doing his thing in the forge if it takes more than a day

>>44505444
Yeah that sounds good.

>>44505595
I see a square bracket and think I must vote.

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“I need to use the Hall of Reflections. I have a nature spirit whose power I want to refine.”

Zahn floats down, bobbing to and fro as he descends to avoid licking tongues of flame that loop from the Forge.

“Indeed?” it asks knowingly. “You've done some research since last we met, then. Tell me, Totemist: What is it that you believe the Hall of Reflection is for?”

You place your hands on your hips. Is this a test? Zahn floats serenely in the air before you.

“From my research, it is a place where spirits bound to a Totemist can be elevated to higher levels of strength through some sort of spiritual refinement. Something about the spirit of this place casting them anew.”

Zahn chuckles, a dry rasping sound that leaks from the edges of its mask. “I see. Well, you're not entirely incorrect.” It floats to one side of you, coming to rest just above the workshop floor beside you. “I could grant you access. First, tell me your reasons for seeking it out.”

“Well,” you begin, “It's a part of my training. Ayren left a series of challenges for me to complete. I believe this is the next step up the ladder of achievement set before me.” You hold up a few fingers, listing this off as the first reason on your index finger. “I believe he may have left behind the tools to initiate my apprentices properly without the need for me to confront a Behemoth. If it's hidden anywhere, it's probably locked away behind one of those challenges.”

Zahn hovers expectantly.

“Second, it's a way to grow my personal ability. I'm only as powerful as the allies I've bound to myself, and I don't much like the idea of throwing away spirits whom I've contracted to myself for all eternity because a newer, shinier spirit came along. I'm determined not to treat my Foci as tools. Each one is an ally recruited to the cause of defense and peacekeeping. I'd rather not leave them to rot in a box, so to speak.”

You tick off the second reason. One to go.

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>>44505655

“Related, at least one of my spirits has expressed worry to me that I'll lose use for them. I know Amal worries after me when I charge headlong into combat, but he's only a small nature spirit. Short of feeding him other spirits I don't know of any way to bulk him up sufficiently that he can be of aid to me on the front lines. That doesn't really appeal to either of us, so we're left with this as the alternative.”

“I see.” Zahn nods. “I find your reasoning to be sufficient. Understand that this is not a gentle process. Very real risk exists that a minor spirit could be snuffed out entirely should you fail to grasp the process with sufficient speed. Is that a risk you're willing to take?”

You've had Amal's company since you were little more than a boy. The question is one you were not prepared for. Your mouth hangs open as you consider the implications.

> Yes.
> No.
> It's not really my decision to make. Ask him.

>>44505673
> It's not really my decision to make. Ask him.

>>44505673
>no
sorry amal, i love you too much

>>44505673
>> It's not really my decision to make. Ask him.
Wasn't it Tryd who felt he was being left behind with all the powerful spirits we've got?

>>44505673
>> It's not really my decision to make. Ask him.

>>44505673
> It's not really my decision to make. Ask him.
But if he is up to it, so are we. Amal's been besides us for every time we've endangered our own life. We would be a hypocrite to not give him the same support.

>>44505712
Both of them, I believe, it's just that Tryd brought it up more recently.

>>44505673
> It's not really my decision to make. Ask him.

>>44505673
Honestly, I'm not a fan of risking any of our spirits, but we did risk Cordia's soul when we changed her from Bone Warden to Earth Spirit.

We've just gotta stay on our toes.

>>44505818
We risked it with her consent, it helped that she was a bone warden spirit which is effectively a spirit in a chronic state of starvation, always hungering for more to bind to itself. Part of why they are such dangerous monsters.

I remembered a comment from Diarca confirming we could make a homunculus and bind a spirit to it, I was thinking we could bind Amal to it and have him do research for us while we're away, it should be pretty useful.

Your immediate inclination is to refuse. You don't like the idea of toying with the lives of other beings, especially not friends. -Especially- not Amal. But then...

“It's really not my choice to make at all, is it?” you ask Zahn. “With a less sentient spirit like a raptor maybe I could make that call, but Amal is his own being. You'd have to ask him yourself.”

So saying you pull the amber charm that houses him from your shirt. The rotating blue-green prism fades into view beside you. Light pulses determinedly at each of his points.

“Amal sas Sylviannis.” Zahn greets the spirit with a warmth of voice reminiscent of an old teacher speaking to his favorite student. “Welcome to Azeo Sicros.”

Amal tips his vertex slightly in a mock-bow. “Esheza Zahn. An honor to meet you in person.”

Zahn's cape flutters toward the Hall you emerged from to reach the Forge. “You understand the risks of that which you are about to undertake?”

Amal glows blue-violet for a moment. Then, “No. Not in the slightest. I have no idea what to expect from this, nor any idea how it will change me for better or worse.”

Zahn nods. With a shrug of its cloak it turns to float back to the heart of the forge.

“However,” Amal interjects, “I'm going to do it anyway.”

Zahn glances back sharply.

>>44506144

“I've asked Osyki to seek this opportunity out for me. I cannot in good conscience turn it away now for fear of injury. If I'm to be a match for my friend who lays his life on the line every day for people who hardly appreciate the work he does, I can hardly shy away from danger myself. Osyki is a good man and a steadfast friend. I would die happily in his service, should it come to that.”

You've never heard Amal sound so resolute. From the pause in Zahn's movements, he's surprised as well. Amal hovers unwaveringly beside you, spinning slightly in place on a nimbus of turquoise mist.

“Very well,” Hesheza finally concedes. “The key to his door is yours, Totemist. You'll find it waiting for you in the lock.” A pulse of golden light leaps from the apex of his horned mask as he speaks, rocketing past you down the Hall of Reflection.

> “Thank you Zahn.” Proceed to the Hall.
> “Amal, you're sure of this?”
> “Now hang on. I'm having second thoughts.”
> “Before I go...” (write-in)
> Write-in

>>44506166
> “Thank you Zahn.” Proceed to the Hall.

>>44506166
> “Thank you Zahn.” Proceed to the Hall.

>>44506166
> “Thank you Zahn.” Proceed to the Hall.
> “Before I go...” (write-in)
> “I need to know more about Behemoths.”

>>44506166
> “Thank you Zahn.” Proceed to the Hall.
> Write-in
I believe we're supposed to only enter with the spirit we're honing. Can we leave the others in our possession in Zahn's safekeeping while we work?

>>44506166
>> “Thank you Zahn.” Proceed to the Hall.

>>44506166
>"Thank you Zahn." Proceed to the Hall.
Amal is a bro. We must succeed!

>>44506166
I think we should waifu Amal.

>>44506398
Amal a cute

>>44506453
Yeah, but he's made of polygons. Makes it hard to smooch.

>>44506499
Maybe if he survives the microwave hall, he'll gain some curves

>>44506499
Try harder

>>44506605
>>44506499
Maybe he'll turn into some sort of hard light butler? Human bro form and everything. He always seemed like that to me.

>>44506166
>> “Thank you Zahn.” Proceed to the Hall.
Here we go.

>>44506605
Why would he have to be a lady? Can we not have a beautiful man to join us on our adventures?

>>44506499
Most of the things people on 4chan want to waifu are made of polygons... Fucking modern day graphics...

“Thank you, Zahn.” You shrug your cloak from your shoulders. “I read that I'm only to enter the hall with Amal as my companion. Can I leave the rest with you for safe-keeping?”

Zahn gestures around with another wheezing chuckle. “Totemist, you are the first visitor to this place in many years. I doubt your possessions are under the threat of theft, divorced from reality as we are. Leave them where you like. They will be here on your return.”

You feel a little embarrassed that didn't occur to you, in retrospect. Your cloak, spear, and various emergency Foci (Tryd's charm included) are piled neatly on the workbench in short order. Stepping back into your unbound boots feels strange. You're so used to wearing Cloudwalker Stride that you feel positively crippled without that extra lightness to each step.

The two of you stride side by side down the Hall of Reflections. The walls seem to stretch and warp before you as you walk—the length of the hall is greater than you remembered.

“You mean all that?” you ask Amal.

“Every word,” he assures you.

His door is immediately identifiable. A slate of pale blue-green crystal without adornment or enrgaving sits in a frame of pure white stone. Every few heartbeats a ripple of red light races around the inner edge of the frame. At waist-height a small triangular prism of gold sits inserted halfway into the door's surface.

“Ready when you are,” Amal chimes. You think his voice might have quavered slightly if he had vocal cords just then.

You lean forward, pushing the prism into the lock with two fingers. The seal slides in to lie flush with the door itself, a seamless downward arrow in the wall of azure. After a moment, the seal lights up. You press it again and the door slides downward into the floor with a hiss of pneumatic force.

The two of you step forward into another world.
(cont.)

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>>44507369

The sound of rushing water confronts you first, battering your senses with savage ferocity. You stumble at the sheer force of the noise. Amal catches you elbow on the point of his triangle, helping you to stand tall again.

A precarious rope-bridge swings over the greatest collection of waterfalls you've ever laid eyes on. The columns of water drop spiraling into an unending abyss of white mist below. Above, a humming fortress looms. Pillars of alien make and origin dot the spots between the falls, narrow walkways that lead toward the impossibly tall structure above.

“I... I think I know this place,” Amal tells you.

“This doesn't look like any part of the Brush I'm familiar with,” you retort. “Exactly where would you know this from?”

The prism rotates from side to side. “I'm not sure. It feels... familiar.”

“Unsurprising.” You both jump in place as Zahn hovers past you. Its image is strangely translucent, lines of disrupted force occasionally flickering over the colors of its form. A vision, then. “Your latent talents manifest themselves in strange ways within the Hall of Reflections.”

“So... what's the object here?” you ask.

Zahn stares up, crescent horn pointing toward the heavens. “The knowledge you seek lies at the top of this fortress,” it tells you. “Find a way.”

Without another word it winks out of existence.

“Helpful,” Amal mutters reproachfully. “At least we have our heading.”

You turn to face the swinging rope bridges.

“Right.”
(cont.)

>>44507385

> The Hall of Reflection: Honing Spirits.

> An attempt to Hone a spirit is represented through the Hall of Reflection as a unique vision quest related to each spirit. In the interest of keeping this a mechanic of upgrading spirits rather than a lengthy narrative investment for each visit to the Hall of Reflection, each vision quest will be abstracted by a series of rolls.

> To Hone a spirit is to choose to refine one facet of its many strengths and capabilities. Doing so repeatedly has the potential to change the spirit's core being to another type entirely.

> The stronger Osyki's personal bond with the spirit in question, the larger bonus awarded on each roll. The personal bond can be cultivated by spending interpersonal time with a spirit or by utilizing its bound form extensively in the world.

> This bond is represented by a bonus added to the rolls within the Hall of Reflection. Please note that critical failures will still override bonuses presented in this way.

The bridge swings precariously before you. Lines of cryptic runes line the supports, spiraling characters apparently arranged without rhyme or reason. Amal hovers curiously beside them as you stamp a board experimentally. Your foot shatters the sodden wood to splinters.

“Hmm.”

> HALL OF REFLECTIONS: THE AKASHIC CITADEL
> Roll 1d100+15 to navigate the entrance!

>>44507369
I was thinking less "kept safe from theft" and more "left with someone who will handle them properly in the event we don't come back". I mean, we're not likely to die, but it is a possibility.

Rolled 53 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44507406

Rolled 78 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44507406

Rolled 79 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44507406
Oh dear.

Rolled 12 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44507406

Rolled 63 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44507406
We really need to do this with cordia

>>44507534
Okay, but consider. If we hone Cordia, we're going to use her more. and then we are going to DIE. I think that maybe buffing weaker spirits would be better than only buffing our powerhouse spirit that poisons us everything we touch her.

>>44507607
I feel like enshrining Cordia as a guardian might be our best bet. Like hopefully we'll still be able to talk to her, AND it won't kill us faster.

>>44507607
It's just a balancing act. We can meditate to reverse the harmful effects. Maybe honing her could help reduce the contamination rate of her earth magic too.

>>44507645
We did talk about this, but she also is our strong general-defense use spirit. If we lose her, she'll need a replacement.

>>44507607
Or end goal with cordia is to bind her as a guardian spirt for the village, the sooner we do that the sooner OP Earth magic be comes more of a desperate measure.

>>44507674
But also we haven't been meditating. We've been checking our corruption levels and then shrugging and saying "Oh, well, we'll meditate on this later"

>>44507759
Because it takes a long time, and our corruption levels havn't been worrisome. We took several meditation's upgrades toward increasing corruption resistance.

>>44507759
We've been mostly okay at keeping up with it. It's only recently that Osyki's let things slip. Like, just the past couple of days. Then again, it slipped a LOT in those few days of inattention, so let's get ourselves some cleansing the next chance we get.

>>44507759
We really have been skimping on that haven't we, should probably add that to the "DO IMMEDIATELY" List.

>>44507645
I think we should hone Cordia regardless of whether we enshrine her or not. Honing seems to be a symbolic vision quest to the heart of the spirit's personality. And Cordia, for all that she's healed in the time we've known her, still has some deep trauma. Confronting it through honing could be good for her.

You're seriously considering the pros and cons of cutting the rope with your ritual knife and swinging across the gap when Amal chimes excitedly. You look over to find him sifting through glowing replicas of the runes orbiting him at a fever-pitch.

“Fascinating!” he exclaims. “A cipher built into a bastardization of the Celestial Tongue!”

“Eh?” you ask, ever articulate.

“The water's done some damage over time to the integrity of the runes themselves but extrapolating off of the existing engravings...” you can see lightning-flashes of insight erupting within his prism. “It's a warning. This isn't the way into the fortress at all!”

The runes explode with tiny whooping sounds as Amal hovers to the far edge. “This entire facade is one enormous misdirection. The Citadel isn't above us at all.”

“No?” You ask, stepping to the edge beside him.

“No. The runes there state, in essence, the path to the Citadel is woven of memory.”

“Amal. Amal!” you put your hands on either side of the rotating prism, literally slowing his roll. “Speak plainly, please. You lost me a few meters back.”

“Gotta go back to go forward, Osyki!” he exclaims. “The door!”

You turn to look over your shoulder. The passage to Azeo Sicros shimmers before you. “What, that door?”

“It's the only thing that makes sense,” he tells you. “Let's give it a shot.”

The two of you carefully navigate back across the fall-slicked outcropping to the door. As you approach a strange veil seems to be pulled aside—the door is instead revealed to be a squareish portal set into the stone pillar.

“Nice work, Amal!” you heave the doors open with both hands. A plume of dust rolls from the inside, reeking of parchment and aged wood.

> HALL OF REFLECTIONS: THE AKASHIC CITADEL (Choose your upgrade path!)
> Descend into the Librarium (Knowledge)
> Descend into the Infinity Halls. (Foresight)
> Descend into the Verdant Core. (Nature)

>>44508016
> Descend into the Infinity Halls. (Foresight)

>>44508016
>> Descend into the Librarium (Knowledge)

>>44508016
>Descend into the Infinity Halls.

>>44508016
>> Descend into the Librarium (Knowledge)

>>44508016
> Descend into the Verdant Core. (Nature)

>>44508016
>> Descend into the Infinity Halls. (Foresight)

>>44508016
>> Descend into the Infinity Halls. (Foresight)

>>44508016
>> Descend into the Librarium (Knowledge)
Master Bookworm yes pls

>>44508016
>Descend into the Verdant Core.

>>44508016
Change >>44508152
to > Descend into the Librarium (Knowledge)

>>44508016
> Descend into the Librarium (Knowledge)

>>44508016
> Descend into the Verdant Core. (Nature)

>>44508016
>Descend into the Infinity Halls. (Foresight)

>>44508016
> Descend into the Librarium (Knowledge)

>All these votes
I know there are 24 votes but come on.

>>44508304
>24 votes
IPs, I mean.

>>44508016
>> Descend into the Librarium (Knowledge)

>Knowledge:
>>44508051
>>44508056
>>44508094
>>44508173
>>44508175
>>44508269

>Foresight:
>>44508041
>>44508054
>>44508082
>>44508089
>>44508232

>Nature:
>>44508071
>>44508202

[[Writin'.]]

>>44508016
> Descend into the Infinity Halls. (Foresight)
One of the most painful lack Osyki has is the absence of perception enhancers.

>>44508422
True, but I don't know, I feel like Knowledge was what let Amal pass the test.

You descend into the depths. The narrow spiral staircase leads you down through the rocky pillar you entered upon into a vast cavern deep below the ground. The overwhelming scent of aged sandalwood and dried ink rushes up to meet you.

The Librarium of the Akashic Citadel stretches beneath you—miles of shelves each a dozen meters tall, spiraling in itself without rhyme or reason. The record all that which was is stored somewhere within these vaulted halls. The staircase you descend is revealed to be one of many. Spiraling platforms fall from the ceiling in unevenly spaced columns like hanging moss around you, each dropping into a different section of the fields of knowledge below.

“Where do we even begin?” you wonder aloud.

“Well, Zahn said we needed to make it to the top of the Fortress,” Amal comments. “We could probably do with finding a map.”

“Oh, of course!” you chirp. “Shall you take the left fork and I'll take the right? By the time I starve to death we might've gotten as far as AAAA-C-, alphabetically speaking.”

“Every proper library has an index.” Amal suffers your witticisms with characteristic grace. “We just need to find it here. Come on.”

The two of your wander the shelf-city walkways. The bookcases around you seem to positively scream with long-buried secrets. Following Amal like a ship on a stormy sea, the two of you eventually make your way toward the center of the chamber.

“We'll need to distract the custodians,” he informs you, gesturing casually to a clicking mechano-arachne monstrosity scuttling from shelf to shelf at the nexus.

“Perfect. I should make a light snack.” You draw your ritual knife, shaking your head. “I hope you're a speed-reader. Without my Foci I'm dead in the water out here.”

“Don't worry.”

> HALL OF REFLECTIONS: THE AKASHIC CITADEL
> Roll 1d100+15 to distract the Custodian!

Rolled 21 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44508677

Rolled 47 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44508677

H͊a̹͌r͙̞ͤͪ̉ͤ͜b̹̬͎̲̬̺̔i͈͍͈̙̐̎n͑͟g̨͖̖̹̅ͧͧe͚̺̮̟̞ͥͮͣ̊̽r̊̌̏́ ̘͎̮͇̟̮͎͗̅ͫͦ͐ͮͣs̠͎̘͒̾ͩ̎̕ͅͅe̮̞͎͈ͅn̫͍̯̪̗̝͗ͦ̇ͮͦ̔ͦdͣ͑s ̡ͮ͛̀̓ͧh͕̣̟͑ͧ̓i̖͕͆͝s̵̪̤͊̔̈͋ͤ ̮͍͉̪̤̠ͯ̊r̳̤͙̦̎ͨͪ̇̓͗͂͢e͒ͦ͐g̤̠͉̱̥̼ͮͮa̡̼̝͙͂̄̓͆̒r̝̯̗̮̽́̔̒̄́̚͠d̜̘̩s̱͚͊̾

Rolled 30 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44508677

>>44508711
>>44508718
>>44508734
well fuck

Rolled 49 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44508759
It could always be worse...

File: 1373040464567.jpg (26 KB, 500x539)

26 KB JPG

>>44508759

Rolled 31 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44508677
>tfw we never get good rolls anymore

Rolled 68 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44508677
At this point I'm just rolling to see if it goes above 50 without the modifier, because holy shit this is sad

>>44508718
Technically a pass! Great job creepy dude.

It's ok. Osyki can probably take a hit, and 62 isn't atrocious. It's not good, but whatever.

The sentinel turns out to be even more aware than you expected an automaton with eyes on its limbs to be. The second you spring from cover it is upon you, scything limbs tearing long gouges through the dusty carpet on either side of you. You narrowly deflect a stinger aimed at your heart, glancing it off to one side and earning yourself a long laceration in your shoulder instead.

“Amal!” you yelp as you turn to flee. “Hurry!”

The geography levels the playing field somewhat as you dodge between narrow shelves and hide behind tall piles of displaced tomes; the arachnid caretaker can vault over bookcases and has an obvious mobility advantage over you, but it's clearly loathe to interrupt whatever madman's organizational scheme the Librarium has to offer. By sliding between bookshelves and hunkering down you can narrowly avoid the fishhook claws and screaming mechanical maws, though you don't stay still for long for fear of the guardian losing interest in you and pursuing your spirit companion instead.

> 62
(cont.)

>>44509591

It's a narrow thing. After a nightmare rendition of cat and mouse spanning two full sections, six miles, and likely to entire span of human history in recorded memory Amal finds you backed into a corner with a wall of screaming mechanical death churning toward you like the rising tide. He swoops down over the nearest bookcase and interposes his tiny prism between the two of you, barking an authoritative command code in what you can only assume is the Celestial tongue. The reaper drone halts inches from rapidly perforating the both of you with six-inch iron spikes.

You double over, wheezing incoherently for a moment before straightening. Amal pulses beside you, clearly pleased with himself.

“I found the map!” he declares before you can lay into him for choosing the dramatically appropriate moment to stage a rescue. “We're actually not far from the correct staircase here if I'm reading it correctly.”

“Well thank the heavens for that.”

> Ascend into the Infinity Hall (Foresight)
> Ascend into the Observatorium (Knowledge)
> Ascend into the Living Memorial (Nature)

>>44509610
> Ascend into the Infinity Hall (Foresight)

>>44509610
> Ascend into the Living Memorial (Nature)

>>44509610
>> Ascend into the Observatorium (Knowledge)

>>44509610
> Ascend into the Observatorium (Knowledge)

>>44509610
> Ascend into the Observatorium (Knowledge)
Might as well double down on Amal's current place of our Foci.

>>44509610
>Ascend into the Infinity Hall

>>44509610
>> Ascend into the Observatorium (Knowledge)

>>44509610
>> Ascend into the Living Memorial (Nature)

>>44509610
>> Ascend into the Observatorium (Knowledge)
Nature could also be really good for sniffing out what to kill and carve next.

>>44509610
> Ascend into the Living Memorial (Nature)

>>44509610
>> Ascend into the Infinity Hall (Foresight)

>>44509610
> Ascend into the Infinity Hall (Foresight)

>>44509610
>>Ascend into the Regular Hall (Hindsight)

You know what they say, its 20/20!

>Knowledge:
>>44509641
>>44509656
>>44509661
>>44509753
>>44509784


>Foresight:
>>44509628
>>44509973
>>44510004

>Nature:
>>44509638
>>44509759
>>44509913

[[Writin'.]]

The staircase Amal leads you to is perhaps the ricketiest piece of shit you've ever step foot on. The metal quakes and wavers under every tentative step as if contemplating hurling your into the biblio-abyss below for daring to rouse it from its century-long slumber. The source of this quickly becomes clear: the metal is nearly rusted through thanks to a persistant dampness in the stairwell. Every surface is dew-slicked or streaming rivulets of rusted water as you climb. You're surprised the stairs below don't have a permanent wet patch around them. The Librarium must have wards against it.

You arrive in the Observatorium in a bank of dense fog. Walls curl vaguely in the distance around you, but it is impossible to tell whether there is a roof above or simply open air. The chill in the air tells you that you have climbed to a height at least on par with the Ikrin Peaks. The thinness of the air and the way you must struggle for breath suggests it may be a great deal taller.

Amal flits to and fro, examining waist-high pillars that jut from the ground every five or so feet.

“Fascinating,” he mutters to himself. You can see arcs of blue-white lightning building within him, an energetic response the likes of which you've never seen. “Control rods. Turned in the correct order at the correct angles, they control the roof.”

“Control the roof? What does it do?”
(cont.)

>>44510525

“It opens,” he says, full of wonder. “To some unimaginable sight, I surmise. Something that will alter the very core of my being.”

“And I suppose there's some sort of code for how to arrange these control rods?”

“Probably,” he says with obvious jubilation. “Help me look!”

The answer is finally discovered ringing the walls of the Observatorium. The mist prevents you from reading more than a small stretch of the code at any given time. As Amal orbits the rotunda shouting instructions you move from pillar to pillar, twisting the arcane codices emblazoned on their surfaces to align -just- so.


> HALL OF REFLECTIONS: THE AKASHIC CITADEL
> Roll 1d100+15 to decode the Precusor's Instructions!

Rolled 84 (1d100)

>>44510542

Rolled 92 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44510542

Rolled 29 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44510542

Rolled 57 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44510542

File: 1432112879872.png (142 KB, 510x438)

142 KB PNG

>>44510573

>>44510573
And so our buddy and pal becomes the beacon of wisdom, knowledge, and SCIENCE.

>>44510637
I appreciate that picture, even though It freaks me out.

Rolled 98 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>44510542

File: Bill Nye.jpg (64 KB, 624x780)

64 KB JPG

>>44510573
Amal's new form by the end of this shit

>>44510857
>bill nye: paragon of intelligence
go back to reddit

File: 1451698755876.png (97 KB, 512x512)

97 KB PNG

>>44510890
This desu.

Here's what he'll really look like.

>>44510954
MAKE GRISOCH GREAT AGAIN

>>44510954
Let's Make Amal Great Again

>>44510954
I dislike Trump, but I guess I can't deny that he has a great deal of intelligence when it comes to business.

>>44510954
you cant stump the trump

>>44511045
Tell that to his bankrupt casinos in Atlantic City.

>>44511168
Being good at his job does not mean everything he does will be successful. That's just the nature of the industry.

>>44511045
>I dislike Trump
Feel the Bern, am I right fellow good sir? Haha!

>>44511223
That's true to a point, but the writing was already on the wall when he bought out the Taj.
Plus, you know, three consecutive bankruptcies on one property is a pretty shit rap.

>>44511256
I live in Canada, I know almost nothing about Berny Sanders besides his name. and I have no idea how this is going to come across, so I'm just going to say I don't intend to sound rude, just that I don;t know about him. I miss the nuance of speech.

>>44511256
You're being obnoxious

>>44511256
People are entitled to political opinions. I suspect 4chan likely has a pretty even spread actually, if anything likely leaning towards extremes on both sides of the spectrum.

Regardless lets stop shitting the quest up.

File: 1347173215769.jpg (296 KB, 1920x1200)

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Every clicking revolution of the pillars sends a fresh wave of stone dust cascading down from the heavens in geometric designs. As Amal edges toward the completion of his circuit the mist begins to thin, leaking out through some unseen apertures opening high above. The mists thin slowly but surely, revealing a trail of sparking energy following in Amal's wake as he excitedly narrates the final few twists of the dial. The roof overhead folds back, massive stone shells winching slowly out of alignment to reveal a perfectly triangular hole in the dome roof overhead.

You stare in wonder as the mists spiral upward out through the Observatorium's roof. The strange behavior of the fog (since when is mist lighter than air?) is immediately superseded by absolute amazement at picture that clears with the last of the obscuring vapors.

A section of the deepest night sky has been sliced neatly at the edges and transposed directly into the space beyond the roof. You and Amal watch side by side in quiet rapture as the exaggerated drama of galactic collisions play out before you on a macro scale. All the while stray beams of starlight catch the mirrors and reflective runes of the rotated pillars at just the right angle to flash an unreadably rapid series of symbols and runes onto the vault of the heavens above. To you, it is merely gossamer and stardust writ large. From the gasps of quiet wonder coming from your left, however, you guess that Amal has received a series of personal revelations the likes of which you can hardly comprehend.

> Primary Sphere Upgrade: Knowledge.
> Amal's ability to comprehend and collate data at a rapid pace has greatly improved.

> Secondary Sphere Upgrade: Knowledge
> Amal's knowledge of the surrounding regions and the entities that inhabit them has expanded.

> All Trials Succesful!
> Amal's spiritual potence has greatly improved.

Who would Oskyi vote for in the upcoming Australian election?

>>44511504
I'm a bit upset that you guys only chose knowledge. kinda boring.

>>44511504

In your hand you watch Amal's amber charm slowly transmogrify in a shifting nimbus of cyan light. The small lizard shape grows in detail and scale until it is a fully fledged pendant depicting a whiskered reptile of noble countenance.

The walls and ceiling melt away around you, catapulting the both of you upward into the vault of stars overhead.
–-

You awaken within an unfamiliar bedchamber. Catapulting out of bed you scan your surroundings. The architecture suggests you have arrived back in Azeo Sicros. Your belongings are piled neatly on your bedside table, Amal's Charm included.

You waste no time summoning him back to your side. His shape has somewhat evolved—a pyramid-shaped prism manifests in a cloud of alien runes, countless planes intersecting and morphing within his depths.

“Osyki!” His voice, at least, is unchaned. “My god, Osyki, it all makes sense now.”

> “You doing alright there, Amal?”
> “We did it!”
> “Tell me.”
> Write-in

>>44511504
neat

>>44511527
> “We did it!”
> “Tell me.”

>>44511527
> “You doing alright there, Amal?”
> “Tell me.”
Concern for our friend first, then asking him what he figured out.

>>44511527
>"Tell me."

>>44511527
> “You doing alright there, Amal?”
> “Tell me.”

>>44511527
>> “You doing alright there, Amal?”
> “Tell me.”

>>44511527
>“We did it!”
We should ask ol' boss man if he knows any way to deal with our ultracancer.

>>44511527
>> “You doing alright there, Amal?”
>> “Tell me.”
>> Write-in
In addition to what he knows, and how he feels, I'd really like to know his thoughts on another spirit going through the process. And also, I wonder if he could give us his thoughts on who we should focus next since hes so smart (and hopefully well spoken) now.

>>44511527
>“You doing alright there, Amal?”
So he's a pyramid now. Just needs a eye and he'll be the Illuminati. Still, he'll be a good scanner and information gather tool. Maybe he can be used as a means to grant weapons homing?

>>44511527
Why is Amal's Focus a lizard pendant, anyway? He's a spirit of light, and what we've seen of his self-image when he's not a polyhedron has him humanoid. Seems odd that the token he'd manifest when bound would be a lizard. Does Amal just like lizards?

>>44511801
Iirc, some of our predator bindings grant that already

>>44511527
now we need to bind Amal to a pen and see what happens

>>44511801
We're running quite the pyramid scheme it seems.

>>44511879
Hey, do you think if we bound magni to a pen it'd make anything you write come out as edgy as hell and/or overly dramatic?

Our stalker pelt bound with a pen could probably be used for some serious espionage shit, imagine all the ways it could conceal a message.

>>44512245
bind the stalker pelt to a pen, it writes in ink that's only visible to who the letter is addressed to, and the writer

>>44512245
Maybe, but I wouldn't chance it. From what I understand Magni isn't bound the same way normal Foci are, and as such we can't bind him to anything other than the spear without completely unbinding him first. And that's way too dangerous.

File: 4b6bd583571a3b58e1636ea46(...).jpg (726 KB, 1920x1080)

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You crack a smile at the revolving prism's excited babling. Putting up a hand to stem the tide of overwhelming information you peer at the rapidly revolving planes within your long-time friend.

“You doing alright there?” you ask. “Seems like you're a little agitated.”

“Agitated? No, Osyki, no. Educated. Animated. Elucidated!”

You chuckle as he buzzes like an oversized hornet around you head, spewing descriptors at you.

“Alright, alright. Tell me, then.”

No less than three distinct Amal voices begin babbling at you simultaneously. You catch scraps and fragments of “-the region initally developed due to the presence of-” “-leading to a period of complete humanoid isolation due to-” “-In essence the influence of the greater elemental courts caused-”

“Whoa, whoa. Amal. Amal!” You shout to gain his attention. The fragmenting fractal planes within him snap into two-dimsenional shapes again.

“Sir?”

“One thing at a time, please. You may have new capabilities but I've still got the same old ears.”

He chuckles, a high crystalline sound. “My apologies. I'll not overburden you before I have time to collect my thoughts.” A pause. “In essence, my newfound cognitive abilities have allowed me to make a number of likely hypotheses about the state of the lands surrounding Grisoch, the condition of the spiritual courts in the outlying regions, and the distinct political markers that would likely lead to the state of the world as we know it today.”

“You got all that from a couple of symbols flashed over some star explosions?”

He bobs excitedly. “You have no idea. Would that I could share this with you, Osyki.”

“In time. “I've no doubt you'll be talking my ear of for the next few days.”

> Seek out Hesheza Zahn. You have more work to do in Azeo Sicros.
> Spend some time experimenting with Amal's new abilities. (Choose two bindings from the equipment you regularly carry.)
> Head for home.
> Write-in

>>44512314

[[ Dropped my trip.]]

>>44512314
> Head for home.
We'll experiment when we get back to the lab.

>>44512314
Mask and sword

>>44512314
> Head for home.

>>44512314
Amal is basically our guide for anything intellectual. Fucking around with bindings is purely secondary with him. However, I'd imagine binding him to a book will cause insane shit to occur, and I wonder what would happen if we bound him to a mirror or a looking glass

>>44512353
Yes, this. Especially if it's things we regularly carry, we may as well do it in our own home. Also, we tend to bind amal to things we keep in the workshop, so we may as well go back.

I want to hear about ideas that quinn and tera have about what to bind him to as well.

>>44512314
>Seek out Hesheza Zahn. You have more work to do in Azeo Sicros.

>>44512446
Knowledge and intelligence can be useful in combat too. Don't limit him to just books and shit.

>>44502974
Aww shit I forgot it was Friday again.

>>44512429
>bind him to a pair of glasses
>AR HUD with AI buddy who quicklinks you to Wikipedia articles as soon as you need them

>>44512314
Whatever we chose, we must thank him for sticking with us for so long.
We'll have to do that as well with Tryd so he doesn't get jealous of Amal's powerboost

>>44512582
I recall Diarca saying that the village doesn't have glasses. We understand the idea of using lenses to augment vision, but no one's thought of making a set that hooks onto your face instead of you having to hold it up to your eye.

>>44512640
Well, it's a simple enough leap of logic that I don't think it would be metagamey to just invent them, assuming the binding itself doesn't refine the base object into something functionally similar anyway.

>>44512640
well, we have a mask right? Shouldn't be hard to make a mask with eye holes big enough for lenses if we want to try a prototype. hell, could have all sorts of uses with that.

>>44512707
I'd agree with this. If we have the concept of lenses, and we want to have them be seen through all the time, then something like glasses or goggles is the most obvious way to hold lenses onto your face.

The mask is a good idea too though.

You gather your equipment and replace a few of your Foci in their usual bindings as Amal chatters away on his new predictive modeling capabilities and the simple truths of material and spiritual commodities he so foolishly overlooked before. With your belongings reaccumulated and your companion newly invigorated you make your way out of the bedchamber and into the hallway beyond.

Some exploration reveals that your accomodations are located on the second level of Azeo Sicros, across and above the entryway from the forge. Hesheza Zahn meets you on the upper catwalks of the metalworks. A crystal polishing kit and stone follow behind it on a cloud of swirling black feathers.

“You found what you sought, then?” it asks as he carefully pours polish onto the Heart of the Forge. The liquid turns to vapor on contact but Zahn rubs a metal cloth against the stone anyway.

“I believe we did,” you say. “Thank you for your aid.”

“Thank me not for that which is my duty,” it tells you. “Would that I could conduct such illuminations more often. Perhaps once your apprentices are properly initiated this place can come to resemble the bustle of old.”

You doubt that very much given the steep entry requirements, but you do your best not to let that show on your face.

File: Osyki.jpg (119 KB, 731x1000)

119 KB JPG

>>44513276

“I'll be returning to Grisoch for the moment. I've a few duties which require my attention on the other side.” You sling your spear over your shoulder. Plans for bindings already dance like fireflies in your head.

Zahn nods. “As you will. When you feel you have collected the materials to forge a weapon worthy of slaying the spawn of Uruhal Olihim, I will be here.”

You're not sure if that was cryptic instruction or Zahn's particular flavor of smalltalk.

“Noted. Any suggestions on where to find those materials would be most welcome.”

Zahn wheezes. “I haven't been to the far side of the veil in decades. I couldn't tell you if I wanted to, Totemist.” It floats away, trailing a now thoroughly burnt polishing cloth.

Amal makes a small "Huh," at your side. You expected a little more. So much for that moment of mentorship.

[[ Unfortunately we'll need to end things here for the evening, folks. Thank you for your enthusiastic participation this evening. In the future the upgrade process for the Hall of Reflection could and probably will be further abbreviated to free up thread time for other pursuits, but I hope you enjoyed the pilot of the system. Have an excellent week—if I can run a double-feature tomorrow or Sunday I'll let you know on twitter.]]

>>44513335
Thanks for running, Diaraca.

>>44513335
Cool. Thanks for running, Diarca. See you next time.

>>44513335
Thanks for running diarca, see you in 2017 or late 2016

Accept it, its going to happen

>>44513400
Dont jinx it you little shit.

>>44513466
wow rude

>>44513581
As the ""little shit"" in question, it really was merited.

>>44513335
Thanks for running. I wish we could spend as much time with everyone else as we did Amal, but we'd be in the Hall of Reflection for the next 10 threads.

So do you think Amal might know what the fuck is going on with the whole cosmic horror we're destined to aid?