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>>46480402
Briony and the Reverend (you can't bring yourself to refer to him by name) have contributed side dishes, which is less a gift and more a consideration for the fact that you've chosen to leave the uncooked bits of the snake here. The shrine is in need of supplies and you don't precisely have the capacity to prepare the snake for long-term storage.

The Reverend chirps a blessing in the tongue of birds; you and your companions silently say your own prayers. Yours comes with a bit of hesitation, inspired by the /rather personal attention/ you've been getting lately, but it's not like the gods /weren't/ listening all those other times you've done this, right?

Right?

"Alright, I promised we'd talk business over dinner," you say, when everyone's done and has started eating. "Let's talk." You take a bite of the pan-fried snake and close your eyes. That's some good shit.

"Certainly," the priest agrees. "Might I suggest we start with the Smokers?"

"/Please do/," Nathan agrees emphatically.

"They're nasty work, but draugs tend to be," Briony tells you, gesturing with a mushroom on her fork. "There was a mass exodus of undead from the Broken Jaw, about a year and a half back. Draugs, mostly, though there was a pair of vampires that we've completely lost track of."

"Joy," you sigh.

"The Jaw sealed behind the draugs and they've been carving a niche ever since. They don't seem to serve anyone, not that it's a help. They're hungry, vicious, and have taken to leaving their victims alive."

"...Don't tell me," you murmur. "One of them's a healer?"

Briony nods silently. There's no sarcasm in her expression.

"They'll be furious. You took their stored food away from them and killed some of their own. But they're also cunning and have negotiated before," the priest adds. "You could cut a deal."

> "Out of the question."
> "I'll keep it in mind."

AND

> Ask about something else (what?)

LOST IN TRANSLATION PART 2: pastebin.com/RXTvzVCE

>>46480718
>> "I'll keep it in mind."
>> Ask about something else (what?)
> "So *is* there actually anyone in functional control of the Roost right now?"

(Assuming we don't already know this, and I've just forgotten it....)

>>46480718
> "I'll keep it in mind."
Even though I can't think of a single thing we could offer them.

Also, nice to see you back 'round here. Hope you and your family are holding up alright.

>>46480718
> "I'll keep it in mind."

Who have they displaced for territory? What are the other factions currently in the roost?

>>46480718
Hope you're feeling ok vox

>>46480862
We're doin' alright. Thank you for the kind wishes.

I'm going to be experimenting with some things as we keep going on the quest. One of them that's coming into effect immediately is that in cases of ties where I don't feel I can combine, I'll be rolling a die (using the 4chan roller here) to break the tie rather than choosing on my own. You'll be warned about other changes before they happen.

One-off things, like the poker game against Brigette, may/will still happen.

>>46480718
>"I'll keep it in mind."

>"Where or how do we even go about finding allies in this place?"

Alright folks, I need to hit some chores briefly, and then I'm gonna sit down and do some solid running. I head back to work tomorrow between 3:30 PM & midnight, so expect that when we get there, but today? Today I'm free up.

There we go. Called, writing.

It's BACK!

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>>46480718
"I'll keep it in mind," you say with a quiet nod. "No promises, though. Draugs are bad business to begin with and these ones...maybe there's something in there left to save. Maybe, /just maybe/, they just need help handling their hunger. But I doubt it. They'll need to be put down and I doubt they'll fall for a sucker punch."

The Reverend nods. "But it is good to keep options open, is it not?"

"Aye," you agree. You eat quietly for a bit, mulling over questions.

"Can you tell me anything about Hunting Talon and his Murder?" Amy asks, in a small voice.

"They've proven remarkably difficult to shift," the priest tells her. "Early assaults on Hunting Talon's territory were rebuffed with remarkable savagery. He's maintained his position by being too costly to assail. Now, though, he seems to be in some conflict with the Clan Dropforge."

"They working for anyone in particular?" you ask.

"Themselves," Briony says with a shrug. "They refused to be bought out by whoever these assholes wrecking the place are. They've paid for it ever since."

Amy closes her eyes and sets her fork down. Nathan goes to put a hand on her shoulder, but the half-harpy flinches violently, and he leaves her be.

"That does bring up a good question, though," you muse, changing the subject. "Can anyone be said to be in control of the Roost right now?"

"That's debatable on the best of days," Briony explains. "But the lord of the Perch is Razor Feathers. With her is a Murder about twenty strong, with hatchlings not included. They've got the Hatchet Man working with them."

"What," Diving Shadow and Amy say at the same time.

"Who's the Hatchet Man?" Nathan asks.

"You remember what we said about humans in the Roost?" Amy asks.

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>>46482700

"He's the prime example," Diving Shadow continues. "The Hatchet Man has been fighting and killing in the Roost for more than twenty years. He's beaten all comers and even when he retreats he just keeps coming back. Mercenary by nature, fights for a place to sleep, repairs, and supplies. If he needs it, his employer provides it. If they don't, he leaves."

"With Razor Feathers is Clan Irontrader. As the name might suggest, they used to handle most of the business coming out of the Mine. Now they keep the tunnels near the Perch clear of monsters and the Smokers." Briony takes another bite and gestures while she chews. It takes the acolyte a moment to swallow. "Heading down, you've got cases of individual murders and clans that cooperate with the Perch in exchange for a greater cut of supplies, but if you took out the Perch, it'd collapse."

"Into bloodshed," you guess.

"You win the prize."

You sigh and take a drink of your coffee. "So how do I actually go about finding allies down here?"

"You'll need someone's attention first. That can be difficult and lethal in itself, but once you have it, you can negotiate. They'll have allies or at least non-intervention pacts, and they can make the introductions," the Reverend explains. "I may be able to get a representative from Clan Dropforge here, but that'd make an enemy of Hunting Talon."

You look at Amy, but her expression is unreadable.

> Ask what she thinks
> Defer it for now
> Accept

AND

> Ask something else (what?)

>>46482840
>Ask what she thinks

>Ask if there's anything that could be done that would earn support from a large part of the community? Monsters that need to be slain?

>>46482840
> Ask what she thinks

> Ask about who wants to leave the Roost.

>>46482840
>> Defer it for now

Discuss this with Amy once we're finished with the immediate discussion.

> Ask something else (what?)

Well, it seems like the only way to get a /good/ outcome out of this is going to be to put together something at least vaguely resembling a coalition out of the murders down below before striking for the Perch.

Clan Dropforge sounds like it's definitely a group that we should be looking to talk to, at best ally with. Our only other existing link here is Hunting Talon, so...

> "Do you know anything about the specifics of Hunting Talon's grievance with Clan Dropforge?"

If we can take away their reason to fight each other, we might have the start of something that could bring order(-ish) to the Roost. At the least, maybe we can get each of them to trust and work with /us/, even if they won't look at each other without trying to kill.

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>>46482840
>the hatchet man

>>46483031
...Do I want to know?

>>46482840
> Ask what she thinks

Oi, I think I've figured out how you manage to make DLQ so awesome.

You confine all your shitty characters and writing to Radio Free Vengeance.

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>>46483129
The Hatchet Man is the name of the logo of the Insane Clown Posse

>>46483296
Berate me about it when the next part gets posted. I do take feedback in those threads, y'know.

And called, writing.

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>>46480402
Ahh fuck yes the lich is back!

Vox, I'm curious, have you ever seen this screencap?
(not implying any copying, given that your end take on necromancer family is entirely different, just curious)

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>>46482840
"Ames, you know the people involved. Got a thoughtline?" you ask, gently.

"I...think we should leave both of them alone," Amy says slowly. "Until we know more about why they're fighting, and can make a statement with our contact."

"...You're afraid of unrelated allies getting drawn in?" Nathan hazards.

Amy nods, with a little smile. "Exactly. Their conflict might not be related to why we're here, but if we just jump in on either side, it will be. Really quickly, too, because harpies move fast. Once we know more, we can make a meeting happen without that, mostly by making it /very clear/ what /our/ grudge is about. Unrelated allies will be a little less willing to fight and die for things they don't care about."

"Depending on the ally, of course," Diving Shadow adds. "Loyalty is valued here."

"Okay," you agree, with a little nod. "Reverend, do you know what the grudge is between Hunting Talon and Dropforge?"

"I do not," the harpy muses. "...But I can find out."

"We'd be grateful," you tell him. "I don't suppose we could earn some general public goodwill?"

"Gratitude cools quickly," Briony opines, cynically. "But there's a few things that'd get you a respectful nod, maybe even passage into people's turf. Putting down the Smokers. Killing cave snakes, especially if you give the meat away or can prove you smashed up nests. Opening up the path to the Cornucopia would be...interesting."

"Many would leave, but I doubt you'd truly have their gratitude," the Reverend elaborates. "But enemy and potential ally alike would no longer be /here/. However, I find it doubtful that supplies would continue to flow from the Cornucopia. Its new master can be quite spiteful."

"I imagine," you say, with a sigh. "How long will it take you to learn about Clan Dropforge?"

"I will begin after our meal and have the information to you after you rest, Ms. la Croix."

"Excellent."

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>>46484019
You and Nathan help clean up the meal and dishes when everyone's done eating. You tell your lovers that you're going to pray - true enough - and not to wait up for you.

They've both had trying days. They're asleep together in minutes, as only soldiers and adventurers can be. You smile wistfully at them and kneel before the altar.

You meditate, first, because you want to be calm for this conversation. Briony is right; it's not often a lay member gets to speak to a god.

<My Lady?> you ask, at last.

<I am here, Brianna la Croix> the Lady of Ravens murmurs, into your mind. <I'm certain you have many questions.>

<They can wait. Azrael is ->

<I know.>

> Then DO SOMETHING!
> ...How?
> Tell me how I can help her
> Write-in?

>>46484077
>> Tell me how I can help her

Bri is cocky and irreverent in general, but...I don't feel like she's the type who would *open* with flat-out demands to an actual Goddess. That she knows is one going in.

At least chat for a bit first, y'know? Get to know each other?

>>46484077
>> Tell me how I can help her

>>46484077
> Tell me how I can help her

>>46484077
>> Tell me how I can help her

Aight folks, I'll be heading out to dinner here shortly. Vote's extended while that occurs.

We may never get this chance again. What do we ask a literal god?

>>46484556
There will be an opportunity for this, incidentally.

Bump for the lich!

Home, called, writing.

>>46486877
Am so glad i am up!!

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>>46484077
You take a moment to process that.

<Okay> you say at last. <Tell me how I can help her.>

<I honestly would not know> the Lady murmurs. <The circumstances of her captivity are not known to me. The nature of her captors are not known to me. If you are to aid her, Azrael would be the best person to ask.>

<...She prefers Lora.>

<Lora, then.> The goddess's voice is kind. Gentle. <Our lonely daughter. We did her an unkindness, in creating her, but...what's done is done, and cannot be un-done. Now that she lives, I doubt she would choose to die.>

A memory of bruises and hate floats through your mind. <If she was going to make that choice, I think she would have already.>

<I'm surprised, Ms. la Croix. Most of the Firstborn would ask why I'm talking to them by now.>

<I already know why.>

<Do you?> the Lady asks. <Lora's business is her own. I'm curious about her choice of heritor, of course, but ultimately it is neither my right nor my place to question or object to your apppoinment.>

<So why /are/ you talking to me?> you ask, in exasperation. The goddess chuckles warmly; you hear a flutter of feathers, like a bird adjusting itself.

<The world is changing. You have been part of that change, even if I'm not sure how. The things you've done have echoed across the present in subtle ripples, and influenced the future. I can see some of them; a young lady with rather interesting ideas seems to be waiting for you in Glen. Academic necromancy...>

<I haven't made my mind up about that> you protest.

The Lady laughs. <Of course. It's a momentous decision. I look forward to seeing its results.>

<Can I ask you a question?>

<One question. And I get to ask you one in return.>

You swallow, hard, and nod.

> What do you ask?

>>46488136
> Are the Gods subject to Death—the greater or the lesser—as well?

>>46488136
> What do you ask?
How is your bet with the other god? Have you guys made peace yet? Also his chosen is down here. Might want to talk to him about that...

>>46488272
That fellwhen am terrible at choosing something important to talk about...am also more interrested in her question then anythig else.

>"What would it have taken to imprison her? I know direct circumstances are unknown to you, but if anyone has an inkling what the Chains represent it will be you"

>>46488136
>"What is the Master planning?"

>>46488643
She can't answer that; she knows nothing about Lora's captors.

>>46488136
> Are all the members of my family that died in the flood up there with you? Have i manage to make everyone pass to the other side in the right way? Are all of then...alright?

>>46488788
In that case, maybe she should ask first; that'll proabably give us some ideas.

>>46483706
That feel when I thought I replied to this and then it turns out I didn't.

I hadn't seen this before starting DLQ but a reader posted it in one of the early threads. I like it.

>>46488136
>"What /exactly/ does it mean to be the Heritor?"

Alright folks. We have a lot of potential questions here and I don't wanna throw a die for them. So, PLEASE VOTE for ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

>"What /exactly/ does it mean to be the Heritor?"
> Are all the members of my family that died in the flood up there with you? Have i manage to make everyone pass to the other side in the right way? Are all of then...alright?
>"What would it have taken to imprison her? I know direct circumstances are unknown to you, but if anyone has an inkling what the Chains represent it will be you"
> Are the Gods subject to Death—the greater or the lesser—as well?

>>46489706
> Are all the members of my family that died in the flood up there with you? Have i manage to make everyone pass to the other side in the right way? Are all of then...alright?

>>46489706
>What would it have taken to imprison her? I know direct circumstances are unknown to you, but if anyone has an inkling what the Chains represent it will be you"

>>46489706
>>"What would it have taken to imprison her? I know direct circumstances are unknown to you, but if anyone has an inkling what the Chains represent it will be you"

>>46489706
>>46488136
>"What would it have taken to imprison her? I know direct circumstances are unknown to you, but if anyone has an inkling what the Chains represent it will be you"
Well wishes and dank kahve to you, sweet Vox.

>>46489706
>>"What /exactly/ does it mean to be the Heritor?"

Called. Writing shortly.

>>46489706
> Are all the members of my family that died in the flood up there with you? Have i manage to make everyone pass to the other side in the right way? Are all of then...alright?

>>46490568
Dank it!!

>>46489706
>>"What would it have taken to imprison her? I know direct circumstances are unknown to you, but if anyone has an inkling what the Chains represent it will be you"

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>>46488136
You think long and hard. The Lady waits, patiently, while you decide.

<What would it have taken to imprison Lora?" you ask at last. "I know you don't know for sure what happened, but if anyone has an idea of what these bindings are, what these Chains represent, it'll be you.>

<You're certain this is your question?> the Lady asks; her tone is serious, but not reproachful. <It's been said that wishes are meant to be selfish, mortal.>

<That sounds stupid. And yes. Lora's my /friend/. She's in trouble and if you can tell me anything that'll help...>

<And yet you don't waste your question asking me to help. Wise.> Again, that flutter of wings. <Binding Death against her will is, theoretically, impossible. I certainly cannot do it. Perhaps the Forgemaster, but even then, Lora's fundamental power is change. It is hard to hold such a being.>

<Change?>

<Observe the altar.>

You open your eyes and raise your head. On the altar, a pot of soil shimmers into being, glowing faintly with forge-fire that cools in the air. From the pot grows a small tree before your very eyes, a miniature birch that rises, and matures, while you watch.

Then it is felled, as if by a miniature axe. Invisible tools work the resulting log, hollowing it and scraping it. Their work is busy, industrious, and at the end of it there is a tiny canoe, the size of your hand, resting on the pot.

<What did I just do?> the Lady asks.

<You made a boat> you answer.

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>>46491166
<I un-made a tree as well. To change is to die; to die is to change. People look at death and they see the transformation of something into nothing. They forget about the girl that dies so she can become a woman. They forget about the tree that died to become a spear, or a wagon, or a cradle. There is no change without destruction, and this is Lora's most fundamental truth. It is, I think, part of how she found peace with what she is. A stained glass window is a beautiful thing, but I doubt she would appreciate a Creation made all of glass and paint. Take it. It's yours.>

Cautiously, you stand and approach the altar. The little canoe is surprisingly sturdy, and you slip it into an inside pocket of your coat.

<To bind my lonely daughter, her captors would have tricked her into it> the Lady of Ravens tells you. <It would have been shockingly easy. She is not experienced with mortals, and was never...exactly...sociable. Sweet words, a promise, a deal, any of these may have convinced her to invest her own power into an unwise contract, a contract that has now become her prison.>

<What could they possibly have offered her?> you ask, worried.

<Someone to take her place, perhaps. Azrael never wanted her duty. If there were truly a volunteer, someone she felt was utterly willing, /and/ capable...>

<She wouldn't abandon her post> you say resolutely. <She's not like that.>

<Is that a la Croix talking, or her friend?>

Minutes tick by, in silence.

<Are you satisfied with your answer, heritor?>

<Aye, my Lady> you agree, softly. You rest your hand on the altar, unsure of why.

<My question to you, then. Suppose for a moment that you and I changed places for a year and a day. You would reign in my place, with all of my power, and all of my responsibilities, to handle as you will. Flush with the power of a god, what would you do?>

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>>46491306
> Do the job and nothing else
> Give it back; I don't want such power
> Help as many people as I can
> Avenge the wronged
> Learn secrets unknown to man
> Visit the Sunless Lands
> Write-in?

>>46491334
>> Do the job and keep an eye on Amy and Nate.

Wait, binding change would be like vaccinating for HIV, you'd need to have to find some common denominator that you can actually exploit and abuse the fuck out of it. They'd literally need to understand the fundamental nature of entropy to do that. To put that in perspective, humanity hasn't even successfully done that yet.
>>46491306

...Or they could pull the Davy Jones act... Fuck...

>>46491306


>Probably end up leading bird zombie armies to better help me do the job as I righted wrongs and waged crusades against the evil, before getting put down by an adventurer for being insane.

>>46491334
> Do the job and nothing else
Also
> I've already had bad experiences with people puppeting my body around, so probably keep you/me out of trouble.

>>46491334
What I've always done, the job that needs to be done. A part of me wants to just give it back and have nothing to do with everything that kind of power would mean but I suspect it's been forever since you had anything resembling a vacation.

>>46491334
>"Figure out what a god is supposed to do so that I don't break reality or something."

>>46491334
>Visit the Sunless Lands
Blind Ignorance is almost as bad as Endless Truth. And this truth is more important than any gun, as with it comes the opportunity for people to grow as people more than the opportunity to grow as weapons.

>>46491334
>> Give it back; I don't want such power

>>46491334
>>46491392
This.

>>46491334
Wait, are we talking her particular domain, or /all/ of the godly powers?

>>46491384
Heh, probably tack these on.
>>"Y'know, try not to break reality with all of that cosmic power, maybe help a few people along the way. But most necromancers who believe themselves to be gods resort to things like zombie armies, and that path ends at the point of a Hero's sword."
>"Honestly, I don't know how you handle it. I have a tough time with my own job; I can't imagine being in your position."

>>46491334
>> track down some advisors who could tell me what i could do without breaking reality, then see how much good I can do without breaking anything.

we are a very cynical, utterly pragmatic shameless alutrist. bri would totally do what she could to make the world a better place, she'd just be sure not to break anything in the process.

Alright folks, I'm gonna leave this vote open until the morning. I wish I could say I'm heading to bed but truth be told someone got me a copy of Bastion and it's snagged my attention.

As always, questions, comments, discussion, critique, and feedback remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>46491334
>Do the job, maybe help those who needed it as well.
Honestly I'd be too scared to fuck up to do anything more really, I mean come on the powers ofa god?!

>>46492676
Found the baron

>>46491334
>Do the job, and also keep a close eye on you. If I would have trouble managing things on a macroscopic scale, I think maybe you'd have your own problems running things on the micro

>>46492383
I'm glad to see you're back, and I offer my condolences. We're you close to your maternal grandfather? Or was he one of the 'other' relatives that you try to maintain a reasonable distance from?

Also, if we have the time, we can jump back to the Atheneum and see how things are going between Bridgette and Natalia. Or maybe take a look at how Jewel's medical training is headed.

Thread archived, incidentally. NOW I'm going to bed.

Bumping before I go to bed. See everyone tomorrow.

>>46493698
Don't those two hate each other?

>>46491334

>>46491479

>What I've always done, the job that needs to be done. A part of me wants to just give it back and have nothing to do with everything that kind of power would mean but I suspect it's been forever since you had anything resembling a vacation.

This Anon, I think has the right of it. We don't want the power, not really. But we'll have it anyway, and because we have it we'll try to do it well.

Side note, interesting to get some more looks into how Lora would've been bound. The background /logistics/ are still astounding, and I wonder where the hell Dick got his intel and CHAR stats from, but the pieces are coming together.

I doubt he's a demon, but the list of thing's Dick can't be is pretty small. Personally, I'm starting to wonder if he's another kind of Fae.

>>46491479

Seconding that one as well. Totally a Bri Thing.

>>46491334
Seconding this guy's >>46491479 variant
>What I've always done, the job that needs to be done. A part of me wants to just give it back and have nothing to do with everything that kind of power would mean but I suspect it's been forever since you had anything resembling a vacation.

>>46494833
Exactly! We can observe the tension between the two, see how Natalia handles her lack of Sight, and maybe learn some more about the other Chain-Holders! Maybe have Victoria or the Caretaker on hand to make sure things don't come to blood.

>>46494951
I believe that was answered much earlier in the quest, and that Vox has stated he's just a /very/ charismatic man. Now, where he got his information from is another story. I'm hedging on him being a survivor of Not!Atlantis, using Lora/Azrael, the very destroyer of his home, as means of striking back at the gods or recreating his realm.

>>46492383
All idols on is pretty brutal, gotta warn you. You should probably keep them off to pay better attention to the story.

>>46491334
> Do the job and nothing else

But I would need clarification on what you think the job is vs. what I think the job is before committing to that. Because if possible and if there isn't too much risk then we would also try to

> Help as many people as I can

But we would probably prefer to

> Give it back; I don't want such power

Since we aren't really equipped with enough information or processing power to be able to truly handle the responsibilities of a god.

If she wants easy, simple answers then as a goddess she should know that you never get those.


>>46492235
A realistically pragmatic altrustic cynic who is shameless would also admit that they would only be doing their best not to break shit.

>>46491479
>What I've always done, the job that needs to be done. A part of me wants to just give it back and have nothing to do with everything that kind of power would mean but I suspect it's been forever since you had anything resembling a vacation.

we may also want to work in the sentiment she mentioned way back when she was talking to her family in the graveyard.

"I intend on doing what's right,"

"If there isn't a 'right', then I'll do what's necessary"

I always felt that sentiment summed up Bri's actions pretty well, but that's just me if nobody else thinks so then just ignore the idea.

>>46494951
>yfw Dick is Aizen or at least a angel of the death choir

>>46491334


Also suporting this anon.

>>46491479

>>46497154
Nope, that's the long and short of it. She's a reluctant Hero, and one that's had to make pretty hard choices.

>>46497513
I somehow doubt this.

>>46491334
>Do the job and nothing else.
>"... And maybe pray to myself that you're not like Mark. That would suck."

>>46497154
but the problem isn't that there ISN'T a "right", but that everyone is voting to not even try checking if there is.

I'm awake. Will call and write shortly. Votes still open.

>>46497513
No. Just..no. Hell, I doubt any of the Secondborn would go along with this, considering how much they hate bindings like Miles was under.

And before anyone says it, the deal Isoldt made with Harry is quite fair and (I believe) it has a built-in assurance of immediate banishment back to Hell if Harry tries to force her to do anything against her will.

Called, tallying, writing. This one had a lot of writeins; I may be combining similar ones.

>>46498211
Yes there is, though most of what you and I are thinking can probably be slotted under 'necessary'.

Okay, for example. Small village, about 60 or so, is looking at a very hard summer, crop failure and livestock death imminent. Could you send a rainstorm to provide for those few farmers? Sure. But you could also be depriving the rest of the region of the moisture it needs, and that forest that's been deprived of precious rainwater now is a massive fire hazard and a risk to several other villages and thousands of other lives.

When you go God, the big picture is the only picture. It's also unfair to both the little guy and the God themselves, who are trying to take care of /everything/. This is why all deities, both monotheistic and polytheistic, have assistants, proxies and heralds to do middle-management and grunt work.

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>>46491334
You take a long while to think. The Lady consents when you ask if you may light your pipe, and you pack the bowl slowly while you consider the question.

You end up sitting with your back against the altar, puffing quietly and trying to envision yourself with the power of a god; not any god, but one of the five Gods of Creation.

<I have to admit, I'm having a hard time even envisioning such power> you say at last. <...Also, is this prayer or a conversation?>

<If you ever have a spare few days, ask Wren that question.>

<Days?>

<She never. Shuts. Up.>

You laugh and grin. You hadn't imagined talking to a god to be as relaxed as all this, but you sort of like it.

<Honestly?> you tell her. <With all of your power and no one to tell me what to do with it? I'd do the job. It's tempting to try and use it to do good, but I think I'll have a hard enough time of it just trying to handle your responsibilities without adding to them by messing with things I don't comprehend. Maybe ask some advice from your peers or your children, and definitely keep an eye on you down here in the Iron Lands because I doubt you've ever had occassion to be mortal and you might need advice, but...mostly? Do the job, and try to bow out at the end with my head held high.>

<Interesting. Not unexpected, but interesting. You know, of all the people I've asked this question, you are the first to worry about how I would fare in your place?>

<What happened to the last person you asked this question?> you ask, curious.

<I made him my high priest in the Harrow.>

You choke on your smoke.

<Thank you for humoring me, Brianna la Croix. Perhaps we may speak again, though I think you have a need to talk to Lora. Be well.>

<Wait -> you say hastily. <I - may I ask a favor?>

<I'm listening> the Lady of Ravens' voice is all interest.

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>>46501784
<If you have a spare moment, and if it isn't to much trouble...can you tell my family, in the Sunless Lands, of Henrietta's offer, and ask their advice? I know we've grown and split before, but I...I value our traditions. I don't know what I want to do, and their insight might help me figure it out.>

<If I have a spare moment> the Lady agrees. <Your grandmother raised a very responsible young woman, Brianna la Croix. Don't forget that you're supposed to enjoy life a little as well. She regrets not teaching you that a bit better, in her grief.>

You feel tears well up in your eyes, somewhere between gratitude and grief, and you nod.

<Be well.>

There is a fluttering of wings, and the Lady's presence is gone.

Eventually, you clean out your pipe, and crawl into bed.

> You are Brianna la Croix, talking to Lora
> You are Brigette the Poet, dealing with Natalia
> You are Jewel, and you were not expecting this

>>46501835
>> You are Jewel, and you were not expecting this

>>46501835
> You are Jewel, and you were not expecting this

I'm gonna call the vote at 2 PM EST here 'cause I gotta work today.

Called, writing.

>>46501835
> You are Jewel, and you were not expecting this

>>46501835
>> You are Brianna la Croix, talking to Lora

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>>46501835
You are Jewel, apprentice healer and anchor for Cherry the Ghost, and you've been sent down to the Atheneum to get some books. Meadows gave you a specific list of some he suspects are down there, as well as a second list of more general topics to ask the Caretaker about and, failing him, Brigette. It's not that he has anything against Brigette, just that he suspects the lich has the filing system on hand.

Meadows, unlike the others, believed you when you said you didn't need an escort. He /did/, however, insist that you go with proper equipment. The armor is taking some getting used to - a combination of chain and metal plates sewn into the lining of a thick shirt, a many-pocketed coat, and two sets of traveling pants & boots - but the field kit is nice, as is the small collection of weapons. Knives, bolas, syringes? Yes please. Once you work off the debt for those, you're thinking about a monster net, like the Keepers use. Could be handy for grabbing patients that are unruly.

You slip into the main entrance to the Atheneum, adjusting your pack. You open the door -

And stop.

Hazy memories come into sharp relief. The tall, elegant build, the pure white wings that shed snow and rain from their feathers. Those piercing eyes, blue as a summer sky.

Seraphina. The Daughter.

"Jewel," she murmurs. "What have they done to you?"

"...What do you want?" you ask. Your hand strays to the bolas at your belt.

"I came to talk," the Daughter murmurs. "You're my friend. My loyal soldier. Surely you remember?"

Your head aches as her words dredge memories out of your mind, hazy but thick; years of service, of...affection...or ownership?

<I don't like her eyes> Cherry murmurs, frightened. <They're like Daddy's.>

"You're confused," Seraphina continues. "I understand that. I don't blame you. But I need you to come back home, Jewel. They hurt you and now they're using you."

"What happened was an accident," you protest, defensively.

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>>46502429
"Doubtful," Seraphina tells you. "The Divine Tongue takes immense will to use. Do you really think that happens on /accident/?"

You take a step back.

"Am I threatening you?" Seraphina asks, mildly. "These people are not your friends, Jewel. You are useful to them, nothing more. Come back with me. People are wondering where you've been. We miss you."

<Don't do it> Cherry pleads. <Please, please...>

> Accept
> Refuse; flee
> Refuse; attack

>>46502476
>> Refuse; flee

>>46502476
>> Refuse; flee

>>46502476
>Refuse; flee
We are not alone, we have Cherry and we are /not/ getting her involved in this.

>>46502476
>> Refuse; flee
nopenopenopenope

>>46502429
>Hazy memories come into sharp relief. The tall, elegant build, the pure white wings that shed snow and rain from their feathers. Those piercing eyes, blue as a summer sky.
>Seraphina. The Daughter.
no fucking wonder Lora got fooled, we get to kill an angel

>>46502476
> Refuse; flee
NNOOPPEE

>>46502578
What are the odds of her being a half-angel?

>>46502606
high

Alright folks, I need to get ready for work. Vote remains open until just after midnight EST tonight.

Questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>46502476
>> Refuse; flee

Yeah, this is not a thing we want to be moving *toward* just now.

>>46502476
> Refuse; flee
We are NOT PREPARED for a fight like this. Nope out of there harder than if you heard Skitter was visiting Australia

>>46502476
> Refuse; flee

CLOSE THE DOOR FIRST

>>46502476
>> Accept

Shes our friend, we can trust her guys, after all, she'd never betray us...

>>46502476
>> Refuse; flee
Fuck that, we have a ghost kid we don't need this

>>46503261
So is Jewel her older sister, babysitter, or mother in this metaphor?

>>46502807

I got that ref. ... that is a terrifying one at that.

>>46502606
Looks like Rain Choir maybe?

>>46502476
>Refuse; flee.
I /really/ hope that Bridgette or the Caretaker can force her back to whence she came. We've heard about things that can kill you past death. Don't wanna see that happen to our favorite tween and ghost girl.

>>46503366
Big sister, all the way. Just like Nikki was for Brianna when she was a tinier person.

>>46502578
>>46502581
>>46503592
We had best hope she's either a half-breed, using some awesome illusions or happens to be a very pretty harpy with magic powers.

Remember how the fight against Lora went in The Mine? Throwing down against an angel is straight up suicide for even the toughest cookies. Takes legends, demigods or mythical beasts of epic proportions to take one down.

So since it's on my mind; are there any particular thoughts or feelings on the naming conventions in the quest so far? I know some folks get twitchy about Earth names in fantasy, though mostly I'm just curious.

>>46503926
I thought it's been well done. There are various different styles of name that indicate a world with many cultures interacting together. It's a small detail that does a lot to make things feel fleshed out and real in my opinion.

>>46503926
Well, a lot of modern names are just interpretations of older names in new languages. Your magical realm also seems to draw a lot of details from old Europe and colonial age America, so some of the names are perfectly normal. Example? My own name comes from old Wales.

I /do/ like you names for the Harpies though. Very fun and thematic. Do the harpies have any coming of age rites (not just 'leaving the nest') where they earn their names? A violent and merciless place like the Roost must make it hard for kids to reach adulthood.

>>46503853
Oh a Hero who has literally fought with Death.

>>46503926

I've got no real opinion on the human/elf/dwarf names that I've seen; they're standard fantasy fare, which is absolutely not a bad thing.

I like the harpy names, too.

Thanks for the feedback; other/further discussion remains welcome.

Six hours and change to call. I've got about thirty minutes where I can talk.

Bunp foe the lich

Bump.

Four hours and change to call.

Questions and critique remain welcome.

>>46504369
>>46508857

>>46504369
It doesn't pay to get attached to hatchlings too fast. A young harpy is generally called by a number - in order of hatching, usually between one and three - until they can fly on their own.

The Flight Name is their first real name and serves a harpy until they become an adult. At that point, they perform a service for their murder and take a Deed Name, which usually remains for all of their life.

Harpies that dwell near orcs sometimes share the practice of adopting Grudge Names, but this is not practiced in the Roost. Harpies are culturally adults during physical adolescence, not that they or anyone else realizes that.

Quiet night. What happened to the mummy lich writefag?

>>46510860
Dunno. And it was looking pretty good too.
>He has gone on to the Sunless Lands, and we will never hear the end of anons tale.

>>46508857
What are all the races?

>>46512146
Well so far we have the standard fantasy races; humans (duh), orcs, goblins, elves, dwarves, trolls, dragons, etc.

There are a few non-standard races, like the lamia, harpies, minotaurs and giants, but I suppose that's based more on what you'd call 'standard'.

>>46512228
Really it feels more like the way Vox writes them that they feel more diverse than what their racial type is to be honest.

Not to mention that the whole setting itself reminds me of a fall out shelter gone on steroids.

>>46512274
Oh gods! Characters with actual development! History! Emotions! Problems we can relate to!

lol But yeah, the Dungeon is definitely an eclectic mix. Reminds of Undermountain.

>>46512597
I'm flattered. As I've said in an earlier thread, Undermountain was my biggest inspiration for the Dungeon.

One hour and change.

God damn board is moving fast.

>>46513891
Anons are glad to have the quest back. It's been a refreshing change of pace from the norm. I've seen it called comfy by shitposters, as if that were a bad thing.

>>46514030
Meant /tg/ overall. Thread's been dropping fast.

>>46514030
>I've seen it called comfy by shitposters, as if that were a bad thing.
"Comfy" is on it's way to becoming a buzzword. People throw it around in increasingly dissimilar contexts.

Home, called, writing. Vote seemed pretty unanimous.

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>>46502476
Seraphina's expression is patient. Understanding.

But there's an axe on her belt, and something distant and haughty in her eyes.

You don't like the person you were with her.

<Cherry> you murmur, in your mind. <I need you to relax and let me do what I'm going to do, okay? Just like we've been practicing.>

<We're gonna fight?> the ghost girl asks, trying to be brave.

<Sort of. We have to get past her to run. We'll never make it up the stairs before she kills me.>

"I'd rather stay here," you say carefully. "I don't want to keep doing what I did for you."

"You were a good soldier," Seraphina murmurs. "Is that such a bad thing?"

"What I did wasn't soldier's work," you answer softly. "Please leave."

Seraphina folds her hands together and stretches to crack her knuckles, in a smooth, casual motion.

You throw the bolas.

She /leaps/, as you knew she would, but you're already moving. Possessing Cherry is not unlike diving into a pool of cool, clear water, but rather than /getting/ wet, you /become/ the water. Your flesh gives way to spirit, and you slip beneath Seraphina's leaping legs and her surprised yell, moving faster even than the thrown bolas.

You reach out and brush them as you past, sending them whipping back at the Daughter. You dive through the closed door on the other side of her and flit through the halls.

<It'll be okay> you tell Cherry. <I...I remember...it hurts but I remember how she fights. She'll ->

"TRAITOR WHORE!" Seraphina bellows, her voice no longer remotely human. The door behind you blows off of its hinges, and with it comes a storm in miniature; lashing rain and hurricane gusts ricochet from the shelves, filling the hall with lightning-choked clouds that cannot touch you. "RUN WHILE YOU CAN, WAERLOCH!"

<Left!> Cherry yells. You slip through an un-warded door, but the ease of passage means Seraphina's power can hit it too; the storm shreds it, and you hear the beat of mighty wings.

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>>46515690
"EVERYTHING YOU HAVE, I GAVE YOU!" the Daughter's voice booms, in the sound of thunder and the pound of hail. "PURPOSE! FRIENDSHIP! YOU SHARED MY BED, YOU UNGRATEFUL WRETCH!"

"There are /children present/," you snap, fury cutting through the fear. You slide down a side hall, just ahead of the storm, and leave Cherry. You grab the knob of the door and wrench it open; you get through the doorway and slam it shut just ahead of the storm. The wards that protect it are reinforced when you throw the bolt home.

The Tree of Tales blooms in the center of the room.

> Run for Brigette
> Run for the Caretaker
> Try to hide
> Ambush Seraphina here

>>46515742
>> Run for the Caretaker


Apparently Jewel slept with an angel... Neat?

>>46515742
> Run for Brigette

>>46515742
>> Run for Brigette

>>46515742
>Run for the Caretaker.
I don't know if Bridgette has enough command over the Divine Tongue to banish Seraphina, but we /do/ know that the Caretaker is scary awesome at a lot of different things. He might be able to banish her or warp us out of the Atheneum.

>>46515756
Maybe? Though we can't really say that Jewel as she is /now/ did any of those things she did before. New person, new memories, new life.

>>46515835
Neat was the best way I could describe my reaction. It's kind of interesting.

Never said she should go back to the old person.

>>46515742
>Run for the Caretaker

>>46515742

>> Run for the Caretaker
>>4651583

This is his domain, if anyone can fuck her over its him.

> I'll keep this vote quick so I can update again before bed
> Ties immediately

Welp.

>>46515742
>> Run for Brigette

man wouldn't it be great if Brigette and the caretaker were in the same room together?

>>46515742
> Run for the Caretaker


>>46515883
Caretaker was winning when you posted, no?

>>46515949
I hadn't updated the thread at the time. I'll call in a minute or two. Somehow, at 2 in the morning, real life is getting me.

Called, writing.

>>46515690

Oh, hey. Stand Still Stay Silent. Nice.

Kind of interested in just what Seraphina's real deal is. We heard that she was a Professional, but coming up personally and screaming like this... It's an /interesting/ reaction. It kind of hits home that, for all of her seeming angelic nature, she doesn't seem very mature. How fitting for the Daughter.

Anyway, this also makes me think that Jewel was a bit more than just another disposable assassin. I wonder if it was a personal importance, or if there's something special about Jewel herself that they need back. Otherwise, what's the point of sending a /Chain/ /Holder/ all the way up into the Atheneum, where there's potentially some serious firepower to put her down. Between the Caretaker and Brigette's Divine Words, that's a lot of firepower. I mean, sure. She (seems to be) an angel, but just who else in the Dungeon has serious knowledge about how Lora was bound?

... Ugh, I had a terrible thought. 'Daughter'. And we know Lora's been raped. I don't think Vox is nasty enough to do this, but... ugh.

>>46516143
Seraphina is apparently another Angel of an entirely different Choir, and Dick's plan has only been in motion for the last few years, maybe a decade.

>>46516143
That's about where my brain went when as soon as it said she had wings too. With no offence meant to Vox that would REALLY piss me off.

Though I think Vox has said she isn't Lora's and/or Dick's, and they've only had her chained up for ~10 years...

>>46516143
Vox may not be.
Dick is.

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>>46515742
You jump at the tree, possessing Cherry mid-leap with that rippling-water feeling. The more you remember - it hurts, it hurts but if you stop you'll die - the more you're certain that if anyone here can take Seraphina, it'll be the Caretaker. You don't dare shout for him or she'll find you.

She's chanting something. What is she chanting? It's rhythmic, like a, like -

Like a hymn.

<Hold your breath!>

<I don't breathe!> Cherry yells wildly.

"JUST DO IT!" you shout. You suck in a lungful of air and hold it, launching yourself forward, putting on desperate speed.

It's not fast enough. The wall of holy water slams into your back like the hammer of an angry god. It shatters the doorway you were aiming for and floods into the next room, carrying you with it.

The lightning bolts that surges through the water makes you scream in two voices.

"Everything you are was given to you by /me/," Seraphina snarls, striding angrily through the water as though it were air. "You think you can give it up? You think you belong to /yourself/? You are /nothing/ without me."

Fingers like steel clamp around your spectral neck. She slams you against the books, making the energy that shields them scorch your absent flesh.

All your world is pain, but you can't pass out like this. It's physically impossible.

"How are you even doing this? You're infected with some worthless, powerless shade. I can feel it /tremble/, Jewel."

<I'm not worthless> Cherry mutters.

"You're coming with me, and then we'll scrub this wretch out of your soul," Seraphina murmurs. "You need a reminder of who you really are, Jewel. Of what you /owe me/."

You feel something, besides your imminent and painful death. Cherry is doing something, shaking with...with...

>>46516222
Oh she hit the worthless button, shouldn't have did that.

>>46516222
>Grabs popcorn
Dis gun be good.

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>>46516222
With /rage/.

Seraphina hurls you against the other wall of shelves. The flood is receding as the water spills through cracks in the doors and into side passages, but it didn't impede your flight to begin with; you hit with enough force to jolt you back into your physical form. You crumple to the floor. Something twists, and from the greasy snapping sound and the distant feeling of agony, it was probably your ankle.

The Daughter, shrouded in storms, strides slowly towards you. Your hand goes for a knife of its own accord; she catches your attempted stab by the wrist and squeezes. The bones of your wrist splinter and crack like they were made of morning frost.

"This hurts me more than it hurts you," Seraphina mutters, pitilessly.

/Rage/.

"Kill me," you croak. "I won't go back to you."

"The heritor can make the dead talk. You don't get off that easily, Jewel." Her hand slides down your arm and squeezes once more. You don't have any screams /left/. "You're coming back home. Then I'll kill this little /parasite/ attached to your soul, and you'll tell me everything you know about the other traitors and the /whore/ they've thrown their lot in with."

Cherry shimmers into view, just ahead of you, and digs her fingers into Seraphina's eyes, shouting with a fury that rattles the stones and echoes through the library.

"LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE!"

>>46516345
Goddamnit Vox if you kill the Cherbear...

...though now I'm hoping the cunt is permanently blinded. Even if she can DivLang herself healed.

>>46516345
...the dead can have an effect on the physical realm if they're angry enough right? wasn't there a specific term for those ghosts?

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>>46516345

Few hold grudges like the Dead.

Also, very neat indeed.

It would seem that this is indeed very personal. There's apparently a Debt. I wonder, just what the Jewel of old traded and if she found it worth the price.

Either way, the Jewel of Now is somebody else. Seraphina should keep that in mind, lest the cold grip of Death which she has no domain over take hold of her.

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>>46516345
The Daughter staggers back in shock. Her wings beat wildly, but Cherry is oh so small, and she clings to Seraphina's body, digging her spectral fingers in deeper. You hold yourself up with your good arm and let out a ragged call for the Caretaker. You can't tell if your voice carries or if it's just in your head.

"YOU'RE A BULLY!" Cherry shrieks. "YOU'RE JUST LIKE DADDY! WELL I CAN HURT PEOPLE TOO!"

Bruises blossom on Seraphina's face while she thrashes. She hits the shelf heavily, though not strongly enough to be fried by their wards (more's the shame). But it doesn't stop there. Her skin turns pale while you watch, and her clothing thins and shreds, as if left to the elements.

You can see the skin stretching tight over her ribs. She's starving to death.

"Get /off/," Seraphina snarls. Her fingers find the back of Cherry's hair, and she hurls the ghost away.

Cherry's grip doesn't leave Seraphina's eyes. Her arms stretch, for a moment, but her fury is stronger than mere flesh. The Daughter's eyes are pulled from their sockets, trailing long strings of flesh that stretch, then snap.

Her scream of anguish and pain is long and loud. The Daughter vanishes, in a cloud of feathers and freezing fog.

Cherry takes one look at you and bites her lip. The last thing you hear is her saying, "I'm sorry," before the familiar feeling of her possessing you carries you off to dreamland, where all the pain is gone...

>>46516396
Poltergeist, specter etc

>>46516464
Wow, did she just ark of the covenant an angel?

>>46516464

Hot /damn/, Cherry.

>Jewel gains: Claws of the Poltergeist
>While possessed, can strike ethereal and divine opponents in melee as if they were physical and apply any of possessing spirit's offensive powers to strikes (does not otherwise increase damage)
>Activate at will, duration 10s (additional time added if possessing spirit enraged)

>>46516531
Not exactly. Cherry's father beat her, but remember - she /starved/ to death.

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>>46516464
I can't find a reaction image worthy of this scene.

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>>46516464
You are Brianna la Croix. Your body is sleeping in a cuddle pile with Amy and Nate, in a tiny niche that is in no way built for this, but all of you need it and you'll be damned if you were gonna sleep any other way.

Your soul, on the other hand, is in Lora's waiting room.

"How's your day been?" the angel asks, conversationally.

"I'm in the Roost."

Ahhh. That silence is precisely as awkward as you thought it would be.

> What the /fuck/, Lora?
> Tell me about the Roost's role in the Dungeon
> I've been talking to the Lady of Ravens...
> ...You know what, why don't /you/ tell /me/ a story?
> Write-in?

>>46516552
...so she's Pestilence?

Seriously, though, if she can do that to people, if she can learn to project that over an area or even at range...

Might be a zombie armies path, but jesus fuck.

>>46516574
> I've been talking to the Lady of Ravens...
Well, I was in a meeting with the CEO and things happened.

>>46516569
A mighty kek was had. Thank you anon, very appropriate.

>>46516396
>>46516503
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zfpyplFT6FkNj0A8rWfq1Q080dxCJH5obWcxqVfSLpI/edit?usp=sharing

>>46516574
>"Just what the /hell/ is wrong with these people? Oh, and your mom says hi."

>>46516602
I think its more like the kind of powers that Aunt Carol had when we summoned her, if less refined.

>>46516574
> I've been talking to the Lady of Ravens...

>>46516464
So, wait.

Can the cunt heal from that? Can the DivLang bring back the eyes and optic nerves and heal up the brain damage from having those nerves ripped out of her grey matter?

Cause if not then fighting the Daughter is going to be a mix of hilarious and depressing.

...can Cherry/Jewel at least keep the eyes? Maybe give them to Bri as alchemy/necromancy ingredients and/or for taunting the cunt?

>>46516735
If Seraphina is an angel, she will recover in time, possibly with the use of the Divine Tongue.

If she is a half-breed, her situation is, shall we say, more complicated. The bastard children of the Choirs are of the Firstborn, and are forbidden the tongue of gods.

>>46516735
Even if she can, she's going to hold a fearful grudge against Jewel and especially Cherry. I can't wait for when she meets Brianna.

>>46516758
I have to say, that was an awesome scene. Goddamn do ghosts know how to inflict some pain!

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>>46516758

>her situation is, shall we say, more complicated.

Heheheheheheheheehehee.

>>46516735
I should also possibly add: most angels aren't given broad leave to just speak the Tongue as they will. Whether they're forbidden from using more, or they simply don't /know/ more, generally a given angel only knows or can use enough to execute their duties. Lora's situation is unique or at least not recorded elsewhere, and stems from her previously-detailed objection to her own existence and the events that lead to the creation of the Dungeon.

>>46516894
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE.

>>46516143
Y'know, here's a crazy idea. Lead the Daughter through wherever is painful in the Dungeon. Just Yakety Sax our way all over the place and let the gauntlet of pain get her.

Aight, I need to head to bed. Work tomorrow and all. Votes remain open.

Questions, comments, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated. I had...worries...about that scene. I'm glad to see it seems to have gone over well.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>46516602

You mean Famine.

>>46516574

Mentioning that we talked with the Lady of Ravens right now, maybe isn't the best thing.

Instead... Fuck it, I'm not sure.

> I've been talking to the Lady of Ravens...

This is still probably the best option.

>>46516894
Iiiinteresting. Kind of explains why Seraphina didn't just 'Bind' Jewel or something like that, if she did know the language.

The other bits dropped about Firstborn being literally forbidden the Divine Language makes me wonder how in the blue hell Brig pulled it off. And again, just how the fuck Dick could find someone even capable of learning the stuff. Brig wasn't exactly an epic famous scholar or linguist, so far as we know.

>>46516985
>And again, just how the fuck Dick could find someone even capable of learning the stuff.
Well, there's loads of books down there. And even if it's just references, hints and bits and pieces, it might be enough to piece a couple bits together. Not like she really used it as it was supposed to be used, and rather with less detail, precision and control.

>Brig wasn't exactly an epic famous scholar or linguist, so far as we know.
She might not have been famous, but I think she was recruited while she was pretty young. And potential usually isn't enought to make you famous.

>>46516985
Brigette forced Lora to bend the rules for her, remember?

Yo Vox, I was attempting to catch up in the quest, but midway through the Shaft assault during the Baron arc my interest died off. Since you're always asking for critiques I figured I'd come in to say why.

Firstly, it felt like it was designed for multiple players in a traditional P&PRPG format. Always seeing multiple perspectives, not having to miss a beat and be clueless on what's happening to whom.

Secondly, I LOVE villains like The Poet. Always there and in your face, dramatic boasting, always willing to push through despite her shitty situation, and acts diplomatically with her enemy when she can. Bri's own characterization up until that point felt like the flip side to that coin, giving a beautifully executed relationship dynamic between them. But then The Baron felt like the polar opposite to Brigette, making him just another "Shadow Manipulator" like Vitner, Lisa, and The Master.

That said, the protagonist party (especially Fetch) always felt interesting and dynamic. I'll probably end up putting something akin to Fetch in my local group campaigns.

That said I had a world building question, and I'm sorry if this has been answered before, but has there ever been a la Criox that was kicked out of the family but refused to renounce their name? Like a reverse Aunt Carol, so to speak?

>>46517044
This makes sense, but it runs into the issue that the books with the Divine Tongue in them were sealed originally. And given that the Divine Tongue was apparently used to bind Lora, before the books were unsealed, I'm not entirely sure how that'd work.

Well, unless Dick con'd Lora into letting Brig into the books, to help along the 'succession' process.

In which case, then it makes more sense.

It also makes me want to punch Dick more, because this means that he was also probably making Brig believe they were doing this for a good reason, and started her on paving her own personal road to hell.

> ...You know what, why don't /you/ tell /me/ a story?

Tell us about the Roost, Lora. We are... curious.

>>46517090
I myself haven't seen any references or details about 'bad' La Croix, but Robert (River's mentor) is a good example. Demonology, zombie armies, slain by heroes, the works.

He's also /bad/ example, since he came from the ugly old days before the restructuring and edification of Necromancy by Jackson La Croix and others.

>>46517394
I think the answer to this is rather simple. She made a space for the gifted children of Red Troth and The Lady of Ravens. Then, she left the ruling of said space to these same children.

Maybe she could have given them a couple of starting rules, but she's also not required to hold their talons and scold them like toddlers.

Bump before bed.

>>46516574
>...You know what, why don't /you/ tell /me/ a story?
This should be good

>>46516985
Eh, fuck it.

Dropping my last vote for

>...You know what, why don't /you/ tell /me/ a story?

>>46516574
>...You know what, why don't /you/ tell /me/ a story?
ehh, might better frame the Roost's role if it's as a story.

>>46516574

>...You know what, why don't /you/ tell /me/ a story?


Feed me lore!!!

>>46516574
>...You know what, why don't /you/ tell /me/ a story?
The Roost is one fucked up place, so lets be tactful.

>Rage Cherry.
Unholy hell, Little ghost sister is amazing.

>>46517090
I'm sorry to see ya go anon; thanks for stopping by to offer your thoughts. Could I possibly get you expand on your first point or, rather, why it doesn't appeal to you? At this juncture perspective swaps are part and parcel of DLQ but it'll help for Hypothetical Further Questing.

And yeah, sometimes la Croix get disowned. Depending on by whom and why, they usually start rogue branches of the family that turn out a bit like the Rose Cult - these are your folks that get it for reasons unrelated to duty.

For those that manage to /taint/ the family name...well, let us say that the clan of the cross makes time for family.

'm awake.

>>46516574
>> I've been talking to the Lady of Ravens...

She deserves us being straight with her at this point.

Called, tallying, writing.

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>>46516574
You dig out a cigarette and light it. Lora relaxes, visibly, and takes the opportunity to light one of her own.

"I'm thinking," you tell the angel, "that maybe /you/ ought to tell /me/ a story tonight."

"I suppose that's fair," Lora agrees. "But before I tell it, I should tell you something about angels. This body you see is mine, but it is mine in the sense that the hat you're wearing is yours, or your coat. Like a hat or a coat, I may take my body off, or put it back on, as it suits me."

"Your natural state is bodiless?" you ask, to clarify.

"My natural state is the universal forces of destruction, degredation, entropy, and death," Lora says flatly. "Do you see tiny angels making bread rot?"

"Poooooint."

Lora gestures with her cigarette. "Some angels own many bodies, which they change through as they want or need. Some have only one, and others have no body at all. The pleasures and pains of the flesh are available to us when we wear a form, and most of us get curious eventually. This is the only body I've ever owned. It was a gift to me, from my creators. I'm rather fond of it."

"...Can...can you sell your coat to someone else, or trade it?" you ask. "Or, like. Add new pockets?"

"With the right know-how and materials, yes," Lora answers, a little smile on her lips. "I've even experimented with it before. I wore a male form, for awhile, before ultimately returning my body to a female one. It felt...more correct. Likewise, I've modeled myself after other races of the Firstborn, though I generally return to this humanesque form. Again, it feels more correct."

"...Huh."

Lora shrugs. "Are there further questions, or may I proceed?"

"Please, do."

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>>46521201
Lora takes a drag and blows a ring of smoke. "Things happen to rock when you melt or shape it. One of those things is gas pockets. The region that would eventually become the Roost began as one of those, while I was shaping the Dungeon. When I observed it during my work, I decided to expand upon it and connect it to the rest of my domain. I wish I could say it was part of a masterful plan in the Dungeon's ecology, but I would be lying."

"So what /was/ it for?" you ask.

"I wanted a place to fly," Lora says wistfully. "...I love to fly. Even at my lowest points of bitterness and resentment, a nice long flight helped me clear my head. At first, the Roost was essentially empty. As my experiments with the Dungeon went on, some of the life I'd brought or made here took up residence there and used it to move through the Dungeon. It fascinated me, and I spent many long months at times observing it from a high perch, watching this unexpected element develop."

"...You seriously didn't think it'd affect the rest of the Dungeon?"

"I was young," Lora says with a shrug. "And you have to remember, this is when I was learning the lessons I know now - the lessons /you/ know, for that matter, as the daughter of hunters and swampwalkers."

"Point." You lean in, fascinated; your cigarette has been burning unattended. A small pillar of ash drops to the floor.

>>46519759
Actually, the perspective swaps are a major part of why I like DLQ. However in the Baron arc it started working to your disadvantage. To put simply it felt like there was a lot going on, especially in combat, then I would reasonably ask you to show with changing up the way you handle perspective swaps. However, were this a quest without such swaps (or at least far less frequent ones) then it'd be easier to deal with because Bri alone can't be everywhere at once.

Can't say she doesn't try to be though. Brianna la Criox: Patron Saint of caffeine addicted workaholics.

Along those lines, overnight I thought of what DLQ would be like without said perspective swaps, and I found five points where I felt like it was necessary for pacing.
>Both Nathan perspectives during The Vitner arc
>Fetch vs Cat Demon during the Lisa arc
>The Poet's prologue during Interlude II
>Silence vs Forge Beast during The Baron arc

If your wondering the world building question is to see if I can have a reference back to DLQ in a quest I'm planning with running into any Lore problems on either end

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>>46521391
"There's not much left to say," the angel admits. "As you know, I eventually abandoned my attempts to make a place without death and instead decided to try my hand at creation. The Dungeon was mine to do with as I wished, after all, and I had unanswered questions about the gods, and what their responsibilities were like. I began to invite the Firstborn to live within the Dungeon and to shape and balance the systems that define it today. Some, like the Lichyard, were already in place. Others, like the Cornucopia or the Mine, would be shaped later as I came to understand the ecology of societies and the difficulties of logistics."

Lora flicks her cigarette butt away and exahles smoke from her nose. "At first I kept the Roost to myself. I liked my private domain, and the chance to fly. Eventually, though, I began shaping the Sanctum, having become comfortable with the creation and manipulation of large spaces. With a place to call my home and enough room in it to fly, I opened the Roost up and invited the harpies and dwarves to take up residence. I gifted a shrine to the Lady of Ravens, in honor of the gift of flight and so that her most savage children could benefit from her wisdom, and then withdrew. It was their place, and not my business to interfere."

You drop your unsmoked cigarette, thoughtfully.

> "You could have guided them."
> "Thank you for explaining."
> "I have a question..." (what?)
> "Do you have any idea what they've /done/ to the place?"
> Write-in?

>>46521506
>> "Do you have any idea what they've /done/ to the place?"

>>46521506
>And do you find the current situation there....acceptable?
>The chainbearers haven't done much to make it worse, I have to say. Didn't need to.

> "I have a question..."
> And do you find the current situation there... acceptable?

Seconding that one. Doesn't get up in her grill, but is pointed.

>>46521506
> "Thank you for explaining."
>Write In:
"Unfortunately, without care and management, things have gone wild there. Nature took her course, and those who live there are....what they become when there is nothing to keep them from their most basic drives."

>>46521506
>> "I have a question..."
>> And do you find the current situation there... acceptable?

>>46521506
>>> And do you find the current situation there... acceptable?

also we should probably mention we were talking to the Lady before the end of the conversation, we do not want Lora to think we were hiding it from her or something.

>>46521442
Thank'ee kindly, anon. I'll ponder over this and add it to the notes file.

Sounds neat! Post a link when it goes up?

>>46522154
Glad I could help

Won't be for a long time between getting a computer rig finished and another quest I need to do first to help establish the setting, but unless it 404's by my run time a link will be posted for /wqdt/

So, the bad news: I will likely not be able to update again before work, due to Real Life Shit. The good news is, I only work until 8 PM tonight. Votes remain open in the meantime.

Questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>46521506
>seconding >>46521552

Yep, definitely won't be able to update. Questions and discussion are welcome in the meantime!

>>46521774
> "I have a question..."
> And do you find the current situation there... acceptable?
Seconding.

>>46521506
>> "I have a question..."
>> And do you find the current situation there... acceptable?
Also liking this one.

>>46521774
This

Bump

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>>46521774
Seconding.

>>46521506

> "You could have guided them

Three hours and change to call. Busy shift; may not be able to talk. Questions and discussion remain welcome and will be addressed when I get home.

Bump for the lich

>>46521506
>"Not to be /rude/, but are you okay with what they've done to the place?"
The Roost isn't really her fault. Brianna's just a little..overwhelmed right now. Venting is needed before we can get to the nitty gritty of fixing things.

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>>46527385
Have you ever heard of the Sedlec Ossuary?

>>46528909
What's coming to mind is that church in Europe made of bones and that doesn't sound right in my head. Tell me about it?

>>46529289
>It's in the Czech Republic
>Bones are mostly from victims of the Black Death & Hussite Wars, because there were so many bodies that they were accidentally digging up mass graves whilst trying to dig new ones
>a half-blind monk was assigned the task of exhuming and stacking the bones in the ossuary
>The macabre arrangement only occurred in 1870 and was done by a woodcarver; prior to that there were just gigantic stacks of bones everywhere

>>46530240
Damn man. That's some shit.

Off work. Will call once I'm home.

Called, writing.

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>>46521506
You spend a moment phrasing what you're thinking.

"Do you find the Roost's current situation...acceptable?" you ask, at last.

Lora shrugs softly, and looks away. "There's a lot I don't find acceptable. But what is it you'd like me to do? Intervene? Smite the wicked until their smoking ruin paints the cavern walls and only the innocent remain? Why stop there? Death is indifferent and impartial because it /has/ to be. I cannot play favorites, Brianna."

"They've /defiled/ that place," you tell her.

"Yes," Lora agrees. "And it is theirs to defile. Perhaps if more of them thought to question instead of act, it would be different. But it is what it is. Even if I /could/ act right now, I wouldn't. It's Firstborn business. Though...I will say one thing on the matter." Lora adjusts herself; her wings flaps gently. "The people of the Roost would not with rage in their hearts and curses on their lips if they did not understand, on some level, that it could be better. That they /should/ be better. I believe they can be lead out from darkness."

You're quiet for a long moment before you decide to just say it - "I've been talking to the Lady of Ravens."

"...That must have been interesting."

"She told me -"

Lora holds up a hand. "I don't want to know, Brianna. I...I understand why the gods are not coming to save me, but my feelings on the matter are...complicated."

"I've got all night," you offer.

"Not...not now," Lora says with a sigh. "Later. In any event, you are needed in the waking world."

"See you soon," you promise.

"Aye," Lora agrees.

>>46532437
> "The people of the Roost would not with rage in their hearts and curses on their lips
Missing a word here Vox, maybe ?

>>46532705
...Yes, that sentence ought to contain 'die' in an appropriate place. I need more coffee.

Poor Lora she needs a hug right now

Her basically parents can't/refuse to help her

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>>46532437
When your eyes open, you see Amy; her icy eyes look fondly at you, and she smiles softly when she sees you awake.

"Thanks for making me take time to think," Amy murmurs.

"Mornin' to you too," you murmur back. "We gotta wake up Nate."

"...Do we?"

> I mean. Maybe not? What's up?
> Yes. We need to get working.
> I guess not. Let's make some coffee.

>>46533109
>> I guess not. Let's make some coffee.
Something on your mind abbs?

>>46533109
>> I mean. Maybe not? What's up?

snuggly birb

>>46533109
>> I mean. Maybe not? What's up?

>>46533109
>> I mean. Maybe not? What's up?

>>46533109
> I guess not. Let's make some coffee.

I'll call the vote in a bit; I need to attend to something.

I've got a surprise lined up for next thread. Hopefully we can kill this one tonight.

>>46533537
>I mean. Maybe not? What's up?

Let's kill this thing, then!

>>46533109
>> I mean. Maybe not? What's up?

>inb4 there's nothing actually wrong she's just worried about him not sleeping enough and / or thinks he's adorable when he's asleep

>>46533109
>> I mean. Maybe not? What's up?
Kiss her!

>>46528909
Oh hey I remember that place, went and visited while on a trip with friends.

Place was cool, has this small underground area that you can enter, though you would expect the room to be bigger it's actually not, as for the large stacks of bones their still there, but they are stacked like pyramids in four corners of the room.

There was also a central piece in the center of the room that looked like strings of bones that looped downwards than up to meet in the center. Kinda gave me a panic attack of sorts as I realized how many dead people there were that had to be dead for there to be this many bones and not to mention the fact that we were breathing in air that was laced with the dead.

Didn't mention it to friends because I didn't want to be a wimp, but...I dunno something just spoke to me there and I didn't quite like it.

Called, writing.

>>46533109
>> I mean. Maybe not? What's up?

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>>46533109
Amy's little smile is infectious, and you find yourself smiling back. "Maybe not," you tease softly, so as not to awaken the Hero. "What's on your mind?"

Amy looks down at Nate and brushes his hair back where it's fallen over his eyes. "He pushes himself too hard. Like you, you know? Ever since we got Natalia back he's barely been sleeping or taking care of himself."

"You say that about me," you point out.

"Yeah, but him I can keep asleep."

You surprise the half-harpy with kiss; she melts with a soft chirp in her throat, and her wings hum gently as she folds one over the three of you.

"Alright," you murmur, when your lips part. "I'll help you out of this niche."

It takes some extremely careful doing - during which you look like complete prats - but you and Amy manage to get extracted without waking Nate up. You tuck Feathers into his arms to give him something to cuddle (he'll stay asleep longer like that), then pad into the dining area.

Briony has already made tea, and nods her head at a kettle of it. You and Amy gratefully pour yourself cups, sugar them to hell and back, and grab some bread and cheese.

"The Reverend should be back shortly," Briony tells you. "Diving Shadow went with him, for his protection. I wish I could say it wasn't necessary, but..."

You nod. Amy looks a little forlorn, but her eyes are more thoughtful than sad.

Briony, a shrewd look on her face, makes her excuses and leaves to tend to the shrine.

"I been thinking," Amy says, looking more at her plate than you. "Being...here...has been kinda. Dredging up the past, you know? It's been a long time."

"What've you been thinking about?" you ask softly.

"Mostly about how if I could go back in time and meet the person I was when I lived here, I'd punch her in the face."

"Ames..."

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>>46535112
"Like I said, time to think. Time to...to observe /you/, you know? And think about stuff Mom said. Stuff Dad said." Amy's feathers ripple, producing a liquid, chiming sound. "...Could you have been the one to put down your Aunt? If they asked you to, if you were there to...to be the someone, could you do it?"

"I'd hate it," you murmur. "But yes. Do you really think it'll come to that?"

"I don't know any more," Amy admits. "These people we've been fighting, what they've done to this place...I've seen ambition like that in Hunting Talon's eyes. He'd kill to make his dreams a reality and I don't know if that's okay any more. I don't know if what he's said about making the Roost a better place is something he really believes, or just tells himself he believes. I..." Amy looks for the words to express what she's thinking.

"I keep comparing him to you," she says at last. "And he's coming up scum. And I dunno what to think of that."

> Wat.
> ...Tell me the good things about him. Go on, I'll wait.
> We can burn that bridge later, Ames.
> Write-in?

>>46535340
>> We can burn that bridge later, Ames.

>>46535340
> Wat.
> ...Tell me the good things about him. Go on, I'll wait.
Bri's pedestal is sky high

>>46535340
>> Wat.

>>46535340
> Wat.
> ...Tell me the good things about him. Go on, I'll wait.
We're a terrible person to hold on a pedastle, we're a necromancer who has to make sure not to go full zombie armies!

>>46535340
>I'm not going to tell you how to feel. About me or Talon or anyone. But I don't want you beating yourself up over what happened in the past.

If she's finding herself recognizing Talon as a 'bad guy', then, well, that might be something she needs to do in order to fully move on from him. But I'm worried she's mad at herself for not seeing it sooner (the "punch past self in face" comment).

Also I just got a really sudden bad feeling that Shadow's not going to live through the Roost.

>>46535474
> This standard is too high
>>46535650
> This standard is too low

Beautiful. I love you guys.

>>46535752
Well, in Amy's eyes we are high, in the worlds eye's we are low.

>>46535340
>>46535680

Supportin'.

We learned our lesson about trying to convince her we're bad people in thread 6.

I'm gonna do a level of Bastion and then call. Questions and discussion are also welcome and encouraged at the moment; I need to go to bed sometime in the next eighty minutes and I /really/ want the new thread up tonight. We can do it folks!

Maybe its me, but the second option just comes across as really sarcastic

>>46536136
That's part of the reason I didn't pick it; couldn't tell whether it was written as sincere or sarcastic.

>>46536067
>Soaring Song is better than Crescendo
>We should've kept the guns
>Amy's objectively a horrible person for abandoning Hunting Talon
>Victoria did nothing wrong

>>46536067
Vox, you know we never manage to kill threads earlier than five in the morning or while you're at work.

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>>46536349

Calling shortly. As of now we have a slight tie ("Wat" is the leading option by one vote).

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Called. Guess its time to throw the dice on the secondary option...

> ...Tell me the good things about him. Go on, I'll wait.
>I'm not going to tell you how to feel. About me or Talon or anyone. But I don't want you beating yourself up over what happened in the past.

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>>46535340
You stare at Amy.

"What?" the half-harpy asks.

"...Seriously, what?" she continues, into the silence.

"Brianna, I'm gonna beat you with the wings here in a minute. You're doing that thing again where you can't handle the idea of your own worth."

"Sorry," you mutter, your cheeks hot. "But at the same time, I don't think you're being fair. Tell me the good things about him."

"We've got stuff to do," Amy protests.

You arch an eyebrow. "The priest isn't back yet. We've got nothing but time."

"Well...fine. He's handsome," Amy glares at you when you snort back a laugh. "He /is/. You saw him! I was...younger...he caught my eye, okay? There's more on this list!"

"I didn't say anything," you say innocently.

"Your silence was loud as hell, Bri," Amy accuses, sticking her tongue out at you. "Talon has this...this /certainty/ about him. He always knows what he's doing. When he asks for advice or intelligence it's never because he's lost, it's just that you can get him where he's going faster. You understand? "

You nod, without saying anything.

"He's loyal. He's valorous. He'd die to defend even the meanest little thing in his Murder, and they know it. He's better at killing for them, though." Amy gets a wistful look. "They're loyal to him in return, you know. They know how to repay in kind."

"Sounds a bit like Nate," you offer.

"...Nate wouldn't gut a young warrior in front of her mother to make the old woman back down," Amy murmurs. "Nate wouldn't raid the weak. They have some things in common, but..."

She sighs. "Talon's a bully. And I used to help."

"You're not that person any more," you point out.

"That doesn't make me feel even a little better." Amy leans across the table and kisses your forehead. "But thanks for trying."

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>>46537350
Eventually Amy ends up on your lap, weightless and warm, and the two of you drink your way through your tea in companionable quiet.

Nate gets up, at length, and gets his tea with the air of a man who's gone from no sleep to too much. He stuffs Feathers into your pack.

For once, you don't feel the need to tell a story and fill the silence. This is nice, and there really is nothing to do but wait.

Diving Shadow and the Reverend enter the room after a long while.

"There's good news and bad news," Diving Shadow announces.

"Hit me," you tell her, confidently.

"The good news is, the conflict between the dwarves and Hunting Talon is based in blood. They shot one of his on what they claim is accident and are willing to pay wergild to settle it."

"Wergild?" you ask.

"Blood money," Amy and Nate say at the same time. They share a look, and Nathan continues. "Wergild is a...a price, demanded in place of vengeance. It isn't always strictly currency, but basically it's a way to acknowledge that wrong was done, and must be paid for, without leading to a play in three acts in which every named character dies."

"They make /plays/ about that?" Amy asks.

"Yeah," Nate drawls, sarcastically. "It's /very/ romantic."

"I'm a bad influence on you," you accuse. "Okay, so what's the bad news?"

"Aside from the bit where no one's gotten close enough to Hunting Talon to ask what he'll take in lieu of exterminating them down to the last man, woman, and child?" Diving Shadow asks, rhetorically. "They're surrounded by Smokers. If we cut the draugs down before we settle things, Hunting Talon will interpret us as their allies."

"Fuck," you mutter.

> Negotiate first
> Take care of the draugs
> Split up (who goes where?)

AND

> Ask Briony to help
> Leave her out of this

> Take care of the draugs

Allies with draugs... he can go and eat a dick, I'd say, in a flash of emotion.

> Leave her out of this

Not sure what she could even do in this situation.

---

That said... how the hell are we gonna get the Roost to get off of their murdery path? My first thought is "negotiate" and then go from there, but who would you even negotiate with?
Clearly not the draugs; and we have to get through them to even reach Talon. Who doesn't seem much better either.
The dwarves' stance is already known, so there's little point in negotiating with them.

Usually we find someone who's (mostly) agreeable and then expand from them, but so far we have not found anyone with the influence required to get anywhere. Briony and the Reverend are solid, but they hold no sway around here, from what we can tell. Or... maybe they do. Go for the Lady of Ravens religious angle. Hm.

I guess what I'm asking is: What is our plan here? How do we want to mold the Roost and by what means?
"Kill everyone who disgrees" doesn't look like a fruitful plan to me with the current Roost config.

>>46537979
> Allies with draugs... he can go and eat a dick, I'd say, in a flash of emotion.

Ah. In this case, 'their' refers to the dwarves; that is, if you rescue the dwarves, Talon will think you're their allies.

>>46538024

Oh, I was under the impression that it was Talon that was surrounded by draugs, and cutting through them to get to him would indicate that we're on the dwarves' side; Indicating that Talon is allied with said draugs.

Ok, so knowing that... changing my vote to

> Negotiate first (with Hunting Talon)

Make it known to him first that the dwarves are willing to pay in blood money, then take care of the draugs so we can tell the dwarves as well. Maybe we can even get him to help us out, so he can get his price.

Alright folks, I need to sleep. I have an eight hour shift tomorrow starting at 11:30. If the thread's still up when I wake up (at around 8:30 AM) I'll call the vote and update/get the new thread going. If not...well, I'll still get the new thread going, I'll just be annoyed that the new chain's been broken.

Vote remains open.

Questions, comments, discussion, feedback, and criticisms remain welcome and appreciated.

Thank you all for reading and participating!

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>I've seen ambition like that in Hunting Talon's eyes. He'd kill to make his dreams a reality.

Where were you when you realized we're going to meet the best character in the quest soon?

>>46538153
What?

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>>46538173
What does strength mean to you?

>>46533080
Yeah, pretty shitty situation. When can we invite Lora to dinner? Could we make some snake gumbo for her at the end of the Roost?

>>46537493
>Split up; Amy and Nathan can help clear out the draug while Brianna and Diving Shadow speak with Hunting Talon.
Nathan's new shield seems to have a fear effect on them, and likely any predator in general. Combine that with Blame's explosive effect, and they can probably handle themselves. Maybe give them some necromantic talismans to disguise their scent, give them the benefit of surprise.

Also, I don't want to put Amy in the same room as Hunting Talon /just/ yet. He's going to know Diving Shadow from his history with Falling Knives/Amy. I /would/ be careful about introducing Brianna as a necromancer. What with the invasive flesh-eating undead about.

>>46538125
Peh, unbroken runs are overrated. I'm just glad for more storytime!

>>46538153
>>46538173
Kek. I like you anon.

>>46537493
>> Take care of the draugs
> Leave her out of this

>>46537493
> Take care of the draugs
I'm thinking that Hunting Talon's got more than loyalty and rage as his reason. It could be more than an accident. It could be more important that Talon sends the message to not fuck with him, rather than what this whole problem is at the root.

How he reacts to us getting rid of threats to the Roost in general will be telling. Either way, we've got quite a few things to consider asking as "payment" from the dwarves. Like the truth.

I will certainly find this amusing if meeting Hunting Talon is as anticlimactic as:

>Talon? It's me.
>Amy? What the fuck happened to your wings?
>Well, I'm here to kill the people responsible for that, next stop is the Cornucopia. Wanna come?
>....sure, I'm not letting any of those drugged up hippies get any more of my murder addicted. Hey, do you wanna....?
>Actually, I'm dating these guys now-
>THAT'S IT, THROWDOWN, BITCH

I'm up. Will call soon.

Woo! Just twenty posts until the thing in the new thread.

>>46537493
>> Negotiate first

>AND

>> Leave her out of this

At the very least, it's worth trying to be the ones who can "[get] close enough to Hunting Talon to ask what he'll take in lieu of exterminating them".

If he's not interested in being reasonable, we can always go after the draugs after, and use that as proof that we mean the dwarves no ill.

>>46540284

Sounds like something Lovecraftian, "The Thing In The New Thread."

It's never in the thread you're in. It's always lurking, just ahead...waiting for you.

But if you're the first reply in the new thread...beware!

Rolled 2 (1d2)

> Negotiate with Talon
> Deal with the draugs

Calling, writing shortly. Gotta try and kill this fast 'cause I go to work pretty soon for eight and a half hours.

In a related story, expect a new Brigette pastebin Soon(tm) in the vein of Speech Therapy.

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155 KB JPG

>>46540645
NEAT!

>>46540767
That is fucking adorable. Source?