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>>47421911

“My appearance disturbs you,” Nodens gurgles, bubbles of dark, brackish water forming at the corners of his mouth as he speaks, “You children. You have forgotten your gods – we are not all beautiful. What point is there in beauty, when time reduces you all to dust?”

That's... certainly an interesting perspective to take.

“It's the only perspective that matters,” the god grunts, “All history flows down to this pit, to me – I've seen it all. I know why you're here... Ira.” As the name leaves his lips – what passes for lips – Nodens convulses with a burst of wet coughing, which you soon realise is vile laughter. “Yes, I know you, Wanderer, and I know the path that has brought you here. You've taken noble Titanos' treasure, and now you scheme to take fair Selene's as well. Is it theft that brought you here, or were you simply seeking wisdom?”

If he's seen your path, you counter, then surely you don't need to answer that. Wouldn't he already know what brought you here, without you needing to tell him?

“Humour me,” Nodens almost smiles, the expression ghastly on his inhuman face, “We can talk as men, can we not? But I fear you will be disappointed – my lens was already stolen by another, long ago. It is... elsewhere, now. Come, let us discuss other things. That's why you're here, is it not?”

As you watch Nodens' puppet prowling across the surface of that infinitely deep pool, you find yourself wondering just how close to humanity his mind might be. When he has the entire length of history to consider, a single man is little more than a speck of dust – can you really deal with a being that thinks on that scale?

>Our ship is grounded. Can you help get it back to water?
>I'm looking for a map, one pointing to a northern island
>Tell me a little more about this lens
>What happened to this city?
>Other

>>47421919
>>I'm looking for a map, one pointing to a northern island
>>What happened to this city?

>>47421919
>>Our ship is grounded. Can you help get it back to water?
>>I'm looking for a map, one pointing to a northern island
>>Tell me a little more about this lens
>>What happened to this city?

All the things! It's not everyday you talk to Nodens. I honestly forgot about the lenses.

>>47421919
>I'm looking for a map, one pointing to a northern island
>Tell me a little more about this lens
>>47422000
>lolEVERYTHING
Anon pls. Nice trips tho

>>47421919
>Our ship is grounded. Can you help get it back to water?
>I'm looking for a map, one pointing to a northern island
>What happened to this city?
"Sorcery?"
>Other
"Know anything about Kala?"

>>47421919
>>47422000
This. We might as well get all the questions out of the way first.

>>47421919
>>I'm looking for a map, one pointing to a northern island
>What happened to this city? To YOU? And....how do I deal with those blasted leeches?
>Our ship is grounded. Can you help get it back to water?

You might as well start with the practical matters, the kind of thing that won't require a length history lesson to get out of the way. Your ship is grounded, you announce, is there anything he can do to get it afloat again?

“Your ship?” Nodens growls softly to himself as he thinks, a thin froth spilling from his jaws, “Yes, I feel it now – like a thorn, sunken into the paw of a beast. Not seaworthy, is it?”

Behind you, Murasa bristles at that comment – as if it was a cruel jibe, a barb against her pride. Waving a cautious hand at her, you urge her to silence. There's never much sense to be found in provoking the ruling power, be it man or god. “Not yet,” Musara answers, a faint anger trembling beneath her voice, “Will you be able to tell when we're ready?”

“While you walk these streets, my eye will never be far,” Nodens declares, a haughty authority sneaking into his voice, “It has been a long time, after all, since my city had living things – things like you, at least – within it. Yes, I will release your ship when it has been repaired. A simple matter, for one such as I.” When he mentions his city, Nodens hesitates for the briefest moment. If not for the shudder that twisted his slimy body at that moment, you might not have paid it any attention. Now, though...

What happened here, you ask, to his city? Was it sorcery that sunk it beneath the waves, or does the blame lie elsewhere?

“Old Worm,” Nodens spits the name out, “He came here, with his vile arts – his sorcery, and his alchemy of the flesh. Cloaked from my sight, he entered my city and began to spread his malign influence. By the time I realised what kind of cancer he represented, it was too late – He was feeding on my power, and I could not cast him loose. Perhaps my story would have ended there, if not for that northern hero. Like a bolt of purifying lightning, they destroyed Old Worm and returned the power he stole from me.”

[1/3]

>>47422158

“Yet, it was already too late for the city. My people were broken, their humanity stripped away and their forms twisted into shapes more... pleasing to his eye,” this time, Nodens actually spits, spewing a stream of froth down to the pool beneath him, “A city of leeches is no city at all, and the few men that remained within were... tainted. Over the course of a single, terrible night, I dragged this city to the bottom of the ocean and consigned myself to a watchful slumber. Time, I assumed, would take care of those beasts.”

“Arrogance,” he adds, pointing one paw at the leeches feasting on him, “They writhe here still, countless years later. Killing them would achieve nothing – as one falls, another is born. So, I remain here, a teat to be suckled upon.”

And that northern hero, you ask as you swallow your revulsion, they returned to their homeland?

“Yes, to a tiny island amidst a vast ocean,” Nodens gurgles out another grotesque laugh, “You wish to know the way, of course. I can tell you this... on one condition.”

Name it, you reply immediately.

“I want you to go there and find this weapon,” the old god instructs, “And then I want you to return here, to cut out the cancer gnawing at me. Destroy the mother of these beasts, and I shall be troubled no longer. I am aware of the risk I take – once you've left this place, the only thing to bring you back here is your word. Are you a man of your word, Ira?”

You certainly like to think so, you reply calmly. First, though, you wanted to ask him a few more questions – he mentioned that lens, could he tell you a little more about it?

>>47422236

“A key, in its own way,” Nodens explains, “Which will guide you to my greatest secret. As my city sank, it was stolen by a sly thief – history has forgotten his name, a fact that pleases me greatly – and taken far from here. Passing freely from one hand to another, it ended up gathering dust in the Imperial treasury – I suspect not even they knew what it was, let alone whether or not they even had it. Those damn fools, always burning whatever parts of their history they disagree with.”

So the Emperor has it, you ask, in his treasury?

“Not any more,” Nodens shakes his monstrous head, “It was stolen once again, taken by a bastard mongrel sorcerer. I suspect you can guess his farcical name.”

The Ascetic, you guess, right? He was on Black Rock, seeking council from the warrior god Kala – what does Nodens know about her... it... anyway?

“Kala,” Nodens repeats the name, “A child, playing with the armies of men as if they were toys. She takes great pleasure in setting men against one another, just to bathe in the blood that they spill. Consider that, should you ever meet her – and I believe you will, Ira.”

You believe the same thing, you tell him with a nod. Then, your business here is finished for now – where is this northern island? As you ask this, Nodens reaches up as if to point, only for the hand to rupture and tumble away from his wrist. Skittering across the surface of the water, it crawls across to wait at your feet, like a puppy.

“Follow me,” Nodens gurgles, a terrible humour in his voice.

>Lead the way
>You've got to be kidding me
>One last question... (Write in)
>Other

>>47422276
>Well I've never seen a god do THAT.
>So, drowning doesn't seem to work too well on these leeches, is there really nothing other than the Weapon that can reliably kill them?

>>47422276
>>Lead the way

>>47422276
"Gross"
>>Lead the way

>>47422295
Abominations die to steel just like any other but this certain blade really fucks them up and will help extremely against Mama Leech abominations.

>>47422295
seconding

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As that shorn hand dancing around your feet, seemingly content to perform tricks – it's joviality a vile contrast to its grim master – Murasa meets your eye. Her own expression is unreadable, but aspects of revulsion, incredulity and resignation all take their turns appearing on her face. You just shrug – you've never seen a god do that, certainly.

“No,” she mutters, “Guess not.”

If these leeches can't be drowned, you ask Nodens, how should you best go about killing them? Is this weapon of myth essential?

“These offspring die easily enough,” Nodens seems to concentrate for a moment, and a few of those dark specks burst, blackening the water around them. “But more always come. Their mother would die to steel or shot, but... I cannot destroy her myself. I spoke of Old Worm, and his ways of twisting flesh – the mother of this vile brood was once my high priestess. She was... dear to me, in a way that no human has ever been. She deserves mercy, but I cannot be the one to destroy her.”

His high priestess, she was warped into the mother of these leech abominations?

“We have a deal,” Nodens grunts, “Leave, human – the sooner we are finished, the better.”

A sore subject, you realise, for obvious reasons. Looking down at that scrambling hand for a moment, you glance out into the city. Lead on, you mutter to the old god's pet. As if it could hear you – and perhaps it can – the thing begins to waddle along the sloping streets. Fighting back the urge to throw up your hands in exasperation, you set off following the walking hand.

Why does everything Nodens is involved in have to be so disgusting? Perhaps it's his ties to the ocean – terrible things, you've heard, lurk in the deepest regions.

A dread rumour that you might be on the way to proving.

[1/2]

>>47422453

The wandering hand leads you along an aimless path, winding between stagnant streets and through ancient, decaying ruins as it skitters along like a frightened spider. When it reaches one particularly grand building – rather, it would have been grand once upon a time – it waits restlessly outside the sealed door. Stone, like the entire building, the door takes a lot of strength to push open. Murasa throws her weight behind it was well, and soon the thing grinds into motion.

The rush of air that escapes is a terrible thing, like every tomb in the land opening at once. As soon as there is enough of a crack for it to slip through, the hand races off into the building and you are forced to follow desperately along. Time – much of it spent beneath the waves – has not been kind to this place, but you can nevertheless recognise it as some kind of college, perhaps a library. The shelves are all stone, and no books grace them, but the similarity to Howa's archives cannot be denied.

Light from the open door cuts a path through the darkness, glistening off pools of dark slime and dripping water. Then, something that is neither scum nor stone catches your eye – although a layer of that filthy covers much of it up. It looks like... glass, a great table made from glass. With excitement stirring within you despite the grim surroundings, you approach that table and begin to sweep it clean. Carved into the thick glass is the craggy shape of Tenngaru's coastline, with Dumas and Black Rock visible at the top. Further still beyond those two rocks, a small island is marked. At the sight of it, Murasa lets out a great gasp.

>Good enough for you?
>Do you think the Hijiri can make it that far out?
>Come on, we've got our directions. Time to leave
>Other

>>47422492
>>Do you think the Hijiri can make it that far out?

>>47422492
>Other
"Told you~"
>Do you think the Hijiri can make it that far out?
>Good enough for you?

>>47422492
>Good enough for you?
>Do you think the Hijiri can make it that far out?

>>47422492
>>Do you think the Hijiri can make it that far out?

So, you ask as you both gaze down at that ancient chart, is that good enough for her?

“This is...” words fail her, Murasa's entire mind poured into the act of studying the glass table. She strokes both hands across it, busy fingers following coastline and mountain both as if committing every last detail to memory. For someone without any formal teaching, you're amazed at the bright intelligence that enters her eyes as she processes the information. Pulling out a copy of her own charts – a tiny scroll, rolled tightly and kept within a metal tube – she makes a small marking. “Good enough, yes,” she replies eventually, remembering that you had spoken.

You told her, you remark with a smile, didn't you?

“Maybe this doesn't prove anything,” she retorts, the enthusiasm in her eyes marking her words out as lies, “We might be sailing into nothingness.”

That's a risk you'll have to take, you reply with a shrug, does she think the Hijiri can make it out that far?

“Assuming we can get her patched – I wager the job should be done by the time we get back, if my boys and girls haven't been slacking off – I think we should make it,” Murasa looks back to the ancient chart, her eyes drawn inescapably to the intricate lines, “We're looking at a day's sail, maybe more, and another day back. That's assuming this island is exactly where it should be – if these charts are wrong, we could be searching out there for weeks.”

And the Hijiri herself, you press, she's fit to make the journey?

“We'll have to see,” Murasa shrugs, desperately aiming for nonchalance. She can't hide the fear in that gesture, though, the fear of her ship being permanently crippled. A threat to life or limb, you suspect, would be greeted with greater warmth. “Come on,” the former pirate speaks up again, nodding towards the entrance, “Only one way to find out.”

[1/2]

>>47422719

You're struck, then, at how strange the Hijiri looks out here. Sitting atop bare stone tiles, it looks more like a discarded toy than a proud pirate vessel. Forming a tight, wary circle around the ship are the armed sailors Murasa had ordered into place. There is no talking, no joking or idle chatter passing between them, and the cause is certainly not rigid discipline.

They're all terrified, pale with fear and traces of despair. Every man and woman among them seems to be asking themselves one question – will I make it out of here alive?

“Naz!” Murasa barks, summoning a member of her crew from the depths of the ship, “How are the repairs going?”

“Finished... I think,” the mousy girl replies promptly, “We won't sink as soon as we hit water, but there might be a few leaks. Nothing major, boss, nothing we won't be able to patch as soon as we find them. But, uh, how are we gonna get back to the water? We can't exactly carry the Hijiri, can we?”

“Leave that to me,” Murasa assures the girl, “Now, get everyone aboard. It's about time we get out of here.”

With a dubious look still upon her face, Naz rushes back to the crew and begins to issue shrill orders to them, waving them aboard. You and Murasa follow them up on deck, with Murasa taking her place behind the wheel. Nothing happens for a long moment, but then the ground beneath you begins to shudder and fall away, slowly grinding down until water rushes up to meet the Hijiri. Whoops and cheers erupt from all over the ship as it begins to float, and even Murasa can't help but grin broadly.

“Alright Ira,” she asks, “Where to? I don't much feel like sticking around here for long.”

>We're heading north, all the way this time
>Take us to Black Rock
>Dumas is close, isn't it? Let's go there
>Other

>>47422773
>>We're heading north, all the way this time
Get the weapon, come back to Nodens to get rid of the leeches, then we go to Kala.

>>47422773
>We're heading north, all the way this time
Let's get it done. The abomination's days are numbered.

>>47422773

>We're heading north, all the way this time
getting Nodens back up to speed, restoring the trinity(heh) is more important than Kala.

>>47422773
>We're heading north, all the way this time
>Other
"I wonder what the look on Ra's face will be when you tell him that you rediscovered lost islands and cities while messing around in Garuna."

>>47422861
>"Was Ira with you? If so that's somehow less surprising then it should be."

You're heading north, you tell her, all the way this time. You've got an ancient weapon to recover, and then you're going to tear out the cancer feasting on Nodens. When that's finished, you're going to move onto Kala.

“You like to keep busy, don't you?” Murasa laughs, the Hijiri easing into motion as she guides the ship out of the makeshift harbour and onto the open waters. “I don't mind, though,” she adds with a glance over to you, “This adventure stuff is pretty fun, when you get down to it. I've got a ship, a map, and something to steal – I couldn't be happier!”

Her naked honesty leads you to laugh along with her, even with your instinctual distrust of the open waters nagging at you. Perhaps this life isn't so bad, after all – it's got a freedom to it that you relish. With the wind tugging at your clothes and the ocean stretching out before you, you can see why men take to exploration. There's danger here, no doubt about it, but that's no different from any walk of life – it's just a different kind of risk.

“Naz!” Murasa shouts, leaning over the wheel to berate her young assistant, “How's the old girl holding up?”

“Strong as ever, boss!” Na shouts back, emerging from below deck, “No leaks or nothing!”

“No leaks,” the captain repeats to you, “Told you, didn't I? My girl here, she's the best damn thing on the water.”

She'll get no complaints from you. You do wonder, though, what the look on Ra's face will be when she tells him about this. Discovering lost islands and sunken – not so sunken, now – cities – like this? Not exactly the stuff of normal life.

“I don't know,” Murasa argues, “Seems to be about normal for you, wouldn't you say?”

Actually, you agree, she might be right there.

[1/3]

>>47422968

Once the initial gloss has worn off, you start to realise one problem with being a passenger like this – you've got nothing to do, no way of killing time until you reach your destination. With no duties, and nothing in the way of scenery to look at, it makes for a boring journey. You end up sleeping most of it away below deck, slumbering in a spare hammock and growing slowly accustomed to the ship's motions. By the time you've woken up, it almost feels natural.

Up on deck, you spot a group of crew staring off into the distance – all pointing and whispering, their eyes fixed on a dark smear. Murasa calls out to you, joining you a moment later as she hands the wheel over to someone else. “That's it,” she begins, without wasting time on a greeting, “Your island, right where it should be. Those old folks, they knew their charts.”

They sure did, you agree, so what's the plan?

“I'll take the Hijiri close and drop anchor. You take a boat and row yourself aboard,” pausing, she turns a withering eye upon her crew, “There's talk about sacred ground, and curses. Looks like I've found something my boys and girls are afraid of after all. You don't mind taking this one on your own?”

You don't mind, you shrug, but isn't she coming along?

“I'd better keep an eye on things here,” she shrugs, “I don't expect a mutiny or anything – and these dogs wouldn't dare steal my girl just because I turned my back for a moment – but it's best to be sure. Sailors, you know?”

You don't really know, but you accept her excuse. Perhaps her crew are right – it might be sacred ground. On dry land, many shirk from temples and shrines for fear of offending the gods, so why should it be any different on the water? This is a Wanderer's job, and a reason for their dubious reputation.

“I'd better take us in,” Murasa decides, slapping you on the shoulder, “Keep yourself safe, Ira.”

[2/3]

>>47423045

When the little boat drops, you take it and start rowing closer to the tiny, nameless island. Without the Hijiri's bulk beneath you, the ocean suddenly seems huge – vast and infinite. The island, by contrast, barely seems to exist. Seen from the distance, it might be nothing more than a cluster of rocks, the kind that would rip the guts from any ship to stray too close. All the more reason to stay away, you muse.

As you row closer, you spot a kind of rough building jutting up from the island, a shrine in the most rustic style possible. Upon landing, your boat brushing up against a rim of coarse sand, you spy another feature – one of only two details, the shrine being the other, to be seen on the island. It's a girl, a shrine maiden, and she is staring back at you. That's not a hostile stare, but one of amused curiosity.

Someone tending the shrine, this far out? You can scarcely believe it.

“Hello!” she calls out, “First visitor we've had in a very long time!”

That, you can definitely believe. As you approach, she stops sweeping the shrine steps and leans on her broom, regarding you with quick, clever eyes. Her hair and eyes are both dark, and her lips have a touch of insolence to them.

“Maia,” she says, holding out a hand to shake, “Maia Veragi. I tend the shrine here, in case you hadn't noticed.”

Ira, you reply, and you did notice.

“So?” Maia asks, “What brings you all the way out here, Ira?”

>I'm here looking for a weapon
>Do you know about a famous hero?
>This shrine, who is it devoted to?
>Other

>>47423077
>Do you know about a famous hero?
>I'm here looking for his weapon
>This shrine, who is it devoted to?

Did not expect that. Is there a community out here or is she immortal? Or maybe she just goes back and forth from Tenngaru and no one notices.

>>47423077
>Are you.....a god?
how the hell can a person live a self-sustaining life out here?

>Do you know about a famous hero?
it would seem that his strength is needed again
>This shrine, who is it devoted to?

>>47423077
>I'm here looking for a weapon
>Do you know about a famous hero?
>This shrine, who is it devoted to?
"You said 'we've'. Who else is out here?"

Shaking off the surprise of meeting someone out here, you focus on her choice of wording. She said “we”, you point out, who else is here?

“Oh, that,” Maia shrugs, “A joke. I was talking about the big guy in there.” Having said that, she points up at the blocky shrine. “It gets a little lonely out here,” she adds, “So... I kind of talk to the statue. You know, the old hero.”

She knows about them, then. What can she tell you, then, about them?

“The old hero Veragi – yes, I've taken their name, as all shrine maidens do. I can't prove my heritage, not that far back, but it's basically tradition,” Maia smiles, a crooked smile that seems to scorn the mere idea of tradition, “They were said to have defeated a great and wicked man once, although not soon enough to save a city... or the fair maiden. Maybe that's why they fled back here, to the north – but then, could you really call them a hero, in that case?”

Maybe not, you reply, but that's how they've been remembered nonetheless – as a great hero, wielding a powerful weapon. Speaking of a weapon, that's what brought you here. Veragi's strength is required once more, it seems.

“A weapon, huh?” Maia thinks for a moment, “Yeah, I know what you mean. Come with me – you don't mind setting foot in a shrine, do you? Some people can be funny about that.”

You've not got a problem with shrines, you reply with a faint smile, never have. This shrine, though, who is it devoted to?

“Veragi themself,” the young maiden answers, “It's not doing a good job, though – the land has almost entirely forgotten them. Their face, their full name... even if they were male or female. Sad really – you'd think they'd deserve better than one little girl to sweep the steps and a single old man paying his respects.”

Isolation does strange things to people. Either that, or this girl always had an insolent streak a mile wide.

[1/2]

>>47423326
This girl seems familiar...

>>47423326

Inside the shrine, there's little other than an altar – covered in a strip of mouldering velvet – and a nearly featureless statue. If it depicts the hero Veragi, then Maia was right about one thing – their true nature has been forgotten. Age and the harsh sea air has worn the face down to a smooth curve, and the limbs to narrow stumps.

“Veragi was said to carry a divine blade,” Maia says, half to herself as she leans on the altar, “Given by the gods, it was supposed to cut through anything. You shouldn't believe those old stories, though.” Shaking her head, she folds back the velvet cloth to reveal a dagger, its blade as dark as midnight. It's a curious thing, made into a graceful curve, and it looks as dangerous as the legends suggest.

“Look at this thing,” Maia adds, grabbing it and dragging the blade across the stone altar. True enough, it doesn't cut through the stone... but the blade doesn't seem to suffer for it, either. She wields the dagger, you notice, with an uncommon degree of familiarity. Spinning it idly in her hand, loosening up like a master duellist, she begins to prowl around you. “So here it is,” she purrs, “Were you here to take it for yourself?”

That, you admit, was the plan.

“Hmm,” Maia hums softly to herself, “I'll fight you for it.”

That's a joke, you reply after a pause, right? Eyeing up the girl, you compare her meagre height to the length of your sword – the blade comes out as taller.

“What's the matter?” the girl asks, “Scared of a little girl?”

But she's not a little girl, you guess, is she? She's something more – a god, perhaps?

“I'll tell you,” she agrees, “If you beat me in a fair fight.”

>You're a child. There's no way of making this a fair fight
>Fine, if that's what it takes
>I don't have time for your games. Just give me the dagger
>Other

>>47423379
>Fine, if that's what it takes
"What are the rules?"

>>47423379
>Fine, if that's what it takes
Probably shouldn't underestimate this girl.

>>47423379
>>Fine, if that's what it takes

>>47423379
> you compare her meagre height to the length of your sword – the blade comes out as taller.
>just the blade
that is short as fuck

>Fine, if that's what it takes

Fine, you sigh, if that's what it takes for her to give up her secrets. What are the rules, you ask as she leads you out of the shrine, first blood?

“Rules?” Maia considers the issue, “I thought we'd just mess around for a bit, see what happens. If you're going to take up this weapon, I'll need to know you're a worthy wielder. I mean, if you happened to throw it in the ocean, I'd be in no end of trouble...”

So this is more like sparring, you suggest as she begins to circle you, or a test of your skills.

“If you like,” the girls grins, a note of savagery in that little smile, “I wouldn't get overconfident, though – I might surprise you.”

She's already surprised you, you counter as you draw out your sword, and she's still doing it. It doesn't matter what kind of surprises she has, though. You're going to win this fight – to satisfy your curiosity, if nothing else.

“Hardly a noble motive,” Maia laughs, “Shouldn't you be pledging to defend the land, or something like that? Winning the day and saving the fair maiden?”

Ignoring her jibe – duels, you've noticed, often begin with such taunts – you focus on gauging her skill. Although she is tiny, frail almost, you see no sign of weakness in her pace. The sand underfoot shifts every so often, but she never slips or stumbles. What's more, she holds that ancient dagger like a skilled knife fighter, and there is no hint of hesitation in her eyes. If you were here to defile her shrine, you realise, she'd gut you in an instant.

At least, she'd try her best.

>Please roll 1D100 for this fight, aiming to beat 50/70/90. I'll take the highest of the first three rolls
>Spell cards CAN be used here, but use caution

Rolled 54 (1d100)

>>47423583
Start with the rolls, see what spell we might need.

Rolled 40 (1d100)

>>47423583

>>47423583
>Use the vine immobilizer focused on feet
Tests if she can avoid it, and if it's somehow redirected back to us we still have reach without taking damage/debuffs.

Rolled 78 (1d100)

>>47423583
TRIO GUIDE MY DICE

Rolled 81 (1d100)

>>47423583
She's not going to teleport around or anything, right?

>>47423639
No. The vines will break through the shrine floor. You do not want that to happen.

>>47423657
what? why? what makes you say that?

>>47423645
>>47423633
>>47423610
Okay I am going to say we should focus spells on us instead of using them on her so use...

>[Titanos] Wrath of the Gods
“Wherever my eye falls, men shall know fear. Fall upon them, Wanderer, like a mighty avalanche!”
Until the end of the current combat, consecutive attacks against the same target gain a cumulative +5 modifier. This has a maximum modifier of +30

Start our combo.

>>47423674
Because the vine bust through the surface of the earth?

>>47423674
Vines come up from the ground every time we've used them?

>>47423645
Ironic since we are kind of fighting one. Or two maybe, it feels like she has the attitude of Amelia and the skill of Mia.

>>47423682
>>47423682
I mean what's so important about the shrine floor? It's been weathered by salty air for decades, all that's left would have to be the sturdy stuff, no traps or anything.

>>47423721
>If you were here to defile her shrine, you realise, she'd gut you in an instant.

Don't fuck with the building anon.

>>47423737
>you ask as she leads you out of the shrine, first blood?
>out of the shrine

>Just a reminder, we are currently outside her shrine - we can use our spell cards without fear of damaging the temple itself
>Summoning vines would bring them up from the ground. Sand, in this case.

>>47423754
Ah. I overlooked that bit. My bad.

Still I feel like attacking her with spells have a much better chance of backfiring than buffing ourselves.

>>47423583
>Wrath of the Gods
Earliest we do it the more we'll get out of it.

>>47423779
I think it's the other way around. I prefer a one-off spell that wouldn't really inconvenience us even if it backfired.

If Wrath of Gods could be reversed into a stacking DEBUFF....

>>47423812
Anon she has a blade that cuts through magic. That's why Moloch is telling us to be cautious. Your vines won't do shit. To nullify Wrath she has to hit us. And it will nullify not reverse.

>>47423830
All the better to see it in action with a spell that can't blowup in our face?

>>47423857
........ Literally retarded

>>47423857
You don't know if Wrath is capable of blowing up in our face either.

Can we just see what happens? Speculation can only get us so far.

>>47423879
My concern is that Wrath is a continuous effect, like the decreased max health spell.

>Can we just see what happens?
that is exactly my argument. If we want to see what happens, better if it's a one-off spell that isn't a continuous effect in case it becomes a continuous disadvantage, nor predicated on us getting hit like the porcelain skin.

>>47423951
I'm sorry man, there has been nothing regarding the stories of this blade that says it reverses magic. Only nullifies it.

If you are somehow right I'll let you have a dozen 'I told you so's and we'll just have to finish the fight quicker.

Besides, a fight hasn't lasted more than 3 rounds in this quest so a stacking debuff wouldn't hurt that bad and this fight isn't to the death. It's just sparring.

>I'm going to throw this up to a sudden death vote, just in the interests of moving things along. The first response to this post wins

>Wrath of the Gods
>Grasping Vines
>Use no spell cards

>>47424012
>Wrath of the Gods
Goddamnit I literally just posted so I have to wait a full minute.

>>47424012
>first response
I am confused of when this became a thing.

>>47424027
and you're still lightning fast, anyway.

>>47424012
>>47424027
I suspect the combo might end before it begins due to that knife. Vines may have been better because they are not inherently made of magic just summoned by it.

>>47424027

>Wrath of the Gods wins it. Writing the next post now, so it shouldn't be long.

>>47424054

>It's just a way to quickly decide between a tied vote, or one that otherwise needs a snap decision. It's very much not the norm.

File: Titanos.jpg (108 KB, 743x1076)

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>>47424079

Kicking up a cloud of powdery sand as her heels dig in for a brief moment, Maia hurls herself towards you with her dagger swept back for a lightning quick slash. Your own blade comes down to block, the two weapons locking together for a second before you swipe up, knocking her away and forcing the girl back a few paces. Against all odds, she keeps both her grip on the weapon and her balance, turning the stumbled retreat into a quick hop.

She's not going to be happy with just that, you ask as you bring your sword into a guard, is she?

“This is the first fight I've had in years!” Maia retorts, “You think I'm going to let it slip through my fingers?”

Thought not, you mutter as she laughs. Throwing the blade into her other hand, she charges again – only for your sword to meet her once again, turning her attack aside and pushing her back. If she wants a fight, you growl as she dances back, you'll give her one! Touching your free hand to your chest, you call upon the memory of noble Titanos – as Nodens had so sardonically called him – and let that brutish god empower your strikes. With the old man of the mountain lending his aid, you go on the offensive.

It's hard, you realise, to fight a non-lethal duel without a suitable training blade. When the slightest slip could cut her open or sever a limb, you never quite allow yourself to cut loose entirely. Even so, your attack puts her on the defensive, causing her to duck and dive around your blows, laughing all the while. When you part once more, you're both gasping for air.

“Come on, old man,” Maia grins, “I think you're showing potential. You want to seal the deal here and now?”

Damn right you do, you growl back, unless she wants to give in?

“Not a damn chance,” she snaps, “Come on!”

And so the fight resumed.

>Please roll another 1D100, aiming to beat 50/70/90. I'll take the highest of the first three, and this will be at +10
>Also, name any spell cards you wish to use

Rolled 65 (1d100)

>>47424131

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>47424131
As the mountain

Rolled 5 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>47424131
no spell cards for now, I guess

Rolled 144 (1d620)

>>47424131

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>47424131

>>47424131
Could slap on

>[Titanos] As the Mountains
“Become as harsh and unyielding as the mountains, Wander, as I was.”
Until the end of the current combat, all damage is reduced by 5, and all attacks gain a +5 modifier.

Cause fuck it, why not? It lasts until combat is over.

Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>47424131

>>47424188
I agree with this

>[Titanos] As the Mountains

>Writing the next post now, going with using As the Mountains.

“Nice trick you got there,” Maia taunts, “You'd better not rely on it too much, though – I'll cut the damn magic out of you!”

She'll have to hit you first, you shoot back as you call upon your next “trick”. This time, it's the memory of Garl Yamada, that gnarled priest of Titanos. A proud warrior in his youth, you now let his strength pour into your limbs. Swinging your sword with incredible speed – it feels so light and easy, as if the steel was an extension of your own body – you push Maia back and put her, once again, on the defensive. Sparks fly as she lashes out, her small blade skipping off your sword as she tries to keep it from ever getting too close.

Then, in the middle of your furious attack, you twist your blade and bring the flat of it cracking down on her knuckles. Crying out in pain and surprise, Maia drops her blade to the coarse sand. In that moment, she is utterly defenceless – open and exposed, even as your sword flashes towards her once more.

She catches it, grabbing the steel in a bare hand and freezing your attack in mid-air.

“Nice,” she says with a casual nod, “That little twist at the end, I didn't see it coming.”

That's the point, you agree as you pull your sword from her hand. Just as you expected, there isn't even a trace of injury there. So, you guess, she's a god?

“Looks like,” Maia nods, “Not a very good one, though. Do you know how many worshippers I have? Three – all of them in Garuna, worshipping the image of a hero that's built up over the years. Like I said, you shouldn't believe those ancient stories – this blade can't cut through everything, and I'm not some conquering hero.”

So, you ask, what is she then?

“Come on,” Maia nods back towards her shrine, “Let's talk business.”

[1/2]

>>47424440

“You see, I wouldn't exactly say I'm the hero Veragi,” Maia tries to explain as she leads you back to the shrine, “More like... the idea people have about the hero Veragi. Over time, memories become stories. Stories become legends, and those legends give rise to... gods, I suppose you'd say.”

Small gods, you say with a slight smile.

“Wow, okay, I'm a little sensitive about that,” Maia frowns, “Being short didn't stop me cutting the head from Old Worm's body, did it?”

You've only got her word for that, you point out, and she's warned against trusting old stories before. In either case, have you earned the right to use her dagger?

“Ah, sure – it's yours,” Maia hands it over, offering the grip to you, “Might as well put the old thing to some use. I've got one condition – bring it back, will you? Doesn't matter if it's tomorrow or in ten years, as long as it comes back home eventually. Keep it until the day you die, even, just make sure someone brings it back. Reckon you can deal with that?”

You think you can deal with that, you agree, it's a fair condition. After all, you were only borrowing the thing – not stealing it.

“Ah, I suppose I should thank you for a good fight,” Maia yawns, sitting on her altar and restlessly kicking her heels, “If you've got any questions, I'll do my best to answer them.”

>What you said, about not being a hero. Was that true?
>Will this blade really cut through magic?
>I'd better go. My ship is waiting
>I had a question for you... (Write in)
>Other

>>47424588
>What you said, about not being a hero. Was that true?
>Will this blade really cut through magic?
>Did you realize the reason you're not getting more visits or worshippers is because your island was reckoned lost entirely? Took Nodens bringing his city back to find it.

>>47424588
>What CAN this blade do?
>I don't suppose there's a way to sharpen this, or make it into a spear?

>Offer to visit her followers sometime, or make a proper shrine somewhere.
Although in this case, how we design the shrine would greatly influence "her" form.

>>47424588
Tell me about them

>>47424588
>What you said, about not being a hero. Was that true?
>Will this blade really cut through magic?
"Hopefully by tomorrow all of Old Worm's taint will be destroyed for good."

>Other
"It's little wonder why so few people know your story since the city it took place in was forgotten about too. Nodens' city recently resurfaced, and as such so does Veragi's legend."

>I had a question for you... (Write in)
"Do you want me to spread the knowledge of this island to Garuna so that people can make pilgrimages out here?"

>>47424588
Hmmm. She's a good fighter.

Nameless Temple owns Dumas (and possibly Nodens' city). And this Island is only a day away from Dumas.

It could be possible for apprentices to come out here to learn a thing or two in combat while interacting with a god for experience.

>>47424649
It might work better as is. Offhand weapon with our sword in our main hand.

I think that's what Moloch was going for.

This dagger, you ask, can it really cut through magic? What does that even mean, you add, what kind of power does the weapon possess?

“It's something you've got to get used to,” Maia shrugs a little, “You need to get a feel for when someone is using their magic – sorcerers make this easy, they tend to use very grand gestures. When they're busy posing, you just...” she pauses here, slashing her empty hand through the air, “Slash! I couldn't tell you how it works, exactly, but it's something to do with severing currents of power. I don't know, that stuff was never really explained to me. Like I said, I wouldn't call myself a very good hero.”

Why not, you ask, was she speaking the truth earlier – was she too late to save the city?

“I... hesitated,” Maia smiles bitterly, “I spent so long working up the courage to do my duty – my “holy” duty – that I was too late to save anyone. When I finally arrived, Old Worm held court over a city of horrors. The high priestess had been... she wasn't human, and most of the city had fallen to the same fate. All I could was get revenge. Old Worm died, and Nodens judged his city to be beyond saving. Even those who hadn't been turned completely were tainted, he said, touched by sorcery. I was one of the few people to escape the city before it was dragged down beneath the water.”

Taking the true story with it, you add, that's why she has so few visitors out here – by all accounts, the island has been lost completely. You needed to reach Nodens' city to learn the location.

“Figures,” she laughs, the sound hard and cynical, “Some reward, huh? Well, I suppose it's more than I deserve, considering...”

Hopefully, by tomorrow, the last of Old Worm's taint will have been wiped out. With her blade in hand, you vow, you'll finish her holy duty.

“You're a good man, Ira,” Maia nods, a satisfied smile touching her face, “Better than I ever was.”

[1/2]

>>47424953

When you leave here, you offer, you could bring word of this island to the mainland. She might get a few more worshippers that way – you might even visit her shrine in Garuna, meet all three of her worshippers. What are they like, you ask, are they good people?

“Hmm, better than I deserve, perhaps,” Maia chuckles, “I'll admit, I find it a little funny – they offer prayers, and they praise my name, but they really have no idea who they're worshipping. It's all an idea, a concept that's built up over the years. It's strange, though – it's started to change me, who I am. You really think I could fight like that when I was a real human? Not even close – I fumbled around like a fool. They're good people, my worshippers, but I reckon they'd abandon me in a heartbeat if they ever saw me as I am now.”

Then what about some new worshippers, you offer, apprentices fresh from the Nameless Temple? She could teach them a thing or two about fighting, you don't doubt, and they would benefit from learning from a god.

“Hey, I like the sound of that,” Maia considers the idea, “I might have to pretend like I know what I'm doing, but I reckon I can manage that. You're really the kind of guy who goes above and beyond, huh?”

Well, you shrug, you're just doing your job.

“Yeah, well, you deserve a decent reward for it,” the young god decides, “Not just that museum piece. Just give me a minute to concentrate...” Frowning, biting her lip as she focusses, Maia holds out her hand – a weak and flickering light dancing around within her palm. A new spell card.

>New spell card gained
>[Maia] Veragi's Step
>”It's nothing personal, but sometimes a knife in the back is the fastest way to end things”
>Slit space and travel through, gaining the ability to teleport a short distance.

“That's the trick that won me Old Worm's head,” Maia tells you with a wink, “Use it well, you hear?”

[2/3]

>>47425074
I hope Ira won't need to wear a corset.

>>47425074
>Nothing Personnel Kid, the spell
Thanks M(a)ia.

File: BXeaBxDCEAAjhcS.jpg (60 KB, 600x450)

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>>47425074
>”It's nothing personal"

File: 1455687770881.gif (883 KB, 500x269)

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>>47425074
>teleport spell
>knife weapon
>"It's nothing personal"

Moloch, you cheeky monkey

>>47425074
>>”It's nothing personal, but sometimes a knife in the back is the fastest way to end things”
Psshh

>>47425074

After promising to use her gift – both gifts, in fact – responsibly, you row your little boat back out to the Hijiri. Murasa is standing at the very front of the ship when you arrive, a collapsible telescope clutched in her hands.

“Saw you out there,” she remarks, “Fighting with some kid. Looked like she gave you some trouble, old man.”

You had the situation entirely under control, you reply tightly, and you're not that old.

“Old by my standards,” Murasa chuckles, “You don't see many old pirates, see? Old sailors in general, now I think about it – the ocean is a harsh mistress, especially when you go roaming this far out. Young men go out seeking fame and glory, like as not they don't come back.” The mirth in her voice dies as she gestures at the ocean around you. “Look at this place, Ira. If we didn't have that chart, do you think we'd have a chance at find your island?”

Looking around at the horizon – featureless, as blank and hollow as the sky above – you can only agree with her. This is the kind of place that devours men, swallowing them whole and leaving nothing behind to bury. If not for the ever-present grumble of sailors and the creaking of wood, there would be perfect silence. Spooky, in a way.

“Come on,” the former pirate murmurs, “Let's get out of here.”

>Back to Nodens' city – I gave my word, after all
>Take us to Black Rock
>We should get back to Garuna, and fast
>Other

>>47425178
>>Back to Nodens' city – I gave my word, after all

>>47425178
>>Back to Nodens' city – I gave my word, after all

>>47425074
the card sounds alot like something Mia would exhort.
>stab the fucker in the back.
>b-but...
>In. The. Back.

>>47425178
>>Back to Nodens' city – I gave my word, after all
One might call Ira violent, irritable, unsociable, and yes, old. But a liar he is not.

>>47425178
>>Back to Nodens' city – I gave my word, after all

File: I see what you did there.jpg (14 KB, 192x171)

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>>47425109

Back to Nodens' city, you tell Murasa, you gave your word that you'd return. You might have a great man flaws, but your word is sacred – you don't go back on it.

“Yeah, I hear old men are like that,” Murasa grins as she collapses the telescope and slips it into her pocket, “Always talking about promises and vows.”

This might be her ship, you growl, but you're not above throwing her overboard.

“You'd put your back out,” the former pirate retorts.

Really, you ask in an innocent voice, is that so? She doesn't look that fat. Without a reply for that one, Murasa settles for glaring at you for a few moments before her vicious façade cracks, and a rich laugh bubbles up from within her.

“You ever get tired of dirt beneath your feet, you look me up,” she insists, once she can talk properly again, “I reckon you'd fit right in here, and the Hijiri is always looking for more good men. She's a tart like that, you know?”

Sensing the implications in Murasa's offer, you quickly steer the conversation onto safer grounds – not unlike a captain steering their ship away from certain disaster. Back to Nodens' city, you repeat, is that going to be a problem for her crew?

“Might hear a few grumbles,” Murasa tells you after a moment of hesitation, “But that's the worst of it. The place spooks them out – it spooks me out – but we were safe last time. Might be, we can let our guard down a little this time around.”

Maybe, you tell her with a shake of your head, but you can't recommend it. Best to remain cautious, no matter how dead the city might appear. She saw what was festering beneath the surface.

“Yeah,” she mutters bleakly, “Guess I did. All kinds of things hiding in the dark corners of the land, isn't there?”

Perhaps so, you admit, but by tomorrow there will be one less of them.

[1/2]

>>47425420

The return trip to Nodens city – you can't help but wonder if it had a name once, before it was lost to the mists of time – is one spent in monotony. By now, ocean travel has lost its charm entirely, with the constant diet of salted fish and rock hard biscuits only making the situation worse. When you see the craggy, lumpen form of Nodens' city looming large on the horizon once more, you allow yourself a sigh of relief.

Once more, Murasa joins you in exploring the city. Despite her nerves, the place seems to draw her in, appealing to her adventurer's spirit. She gazes about in wonder as you walk through dead streets and deserted alleyways, marvelling at buildings that have long since lost both form and function. Some of them are more like caves than true buildings, caverns of worked stone and twisting coral.

And then, as you return to Nodens' pit, the wonder drops from her face, to be replaced by a cold mask – fear and superstition hiding beneath. The puppet Nodens chooses to speak through is still there, hanging limp and inert upon the surface of the water. If it lives, it gives no sign. As you gather your wits and approach, however, it slowly returns to life and motion.

“You returned,” Nodens gurgles, “A man of his word. Good.”

You said you'd return, you tell him with a shrug, he should have believed you – he's seen your history, hasn't he?

“I have,” a wet laugh escapes the god, “An interesting tale, to be sure. I can guide you, if you wish, to my... to the enemy.”

The hand again, you guess, right? You don't even need your question answered – you can already feel that shorn hand tugging at your trousers, seeking out your attention.

>When this is over, Nodens, I want some answers
>Tell me about her, your high priestess
>Fine, I'll get moving
>Other

>>47425537
>>Tell me about her, your high priestess

>>47425537
>Tell me about her, your high priestess
Then
>Fine, I'll get moving

Let's have a chat after this over. I figure you could use an update on future events and I could use your knowledge.

>>47425537
>Tell me about her, your high priestess

>>47425589
>future.
Whoops meant current events.

You'd like to know a little about her, you remark, his high priestess. You make your request calmly enough, not quite sure what might come of it, and Nodens simply ignores you. At least, at first – a creeping stiffness takes over his puppet body, until he is completely motionless. Then, seemingly a long time after you spoke up, his inhuman mouth forms a single word – a name.

“Rosaria,” he croaks, “That was her name. I could tell you everything there is to know about her, every step she took and every word she ever said. Yet, without delving into the annals of history, I could tell you nothing – I have forgotten her face, her voice, all the things that I cared for. Time has not been kind to me, Ira. All I have left is the impression she left upon me, a vague and indescribable thing. I have no desire to see that spoiled – to see what Old Worm made her into. Destroy... IT. The world will be a better place for it.”

Then you'll get moving, you hear yourself murmur, you'll be back when it's all over.

“I'll know when it's finished,” Nodens gurgles, the words bubbling out of him, “All history flows down to me, in this pit.” He repeats that once more, like a mantra, as the life falls away from his puppet. Soon, the only part of it that moves is the severed hand, still plucking at your clothes and trying to scuttle away.

Fine, you tell the little thing, you're going.

“He loved her,” Murasa says to you once you've left the pit, her voice uncertain, “Can gods do that?”

It's hard to say, you tell her with a slight shrug, they might think they can. In reality, it's more likely to be an obsession, a compulsive desire to possess the object of their desires. Even the purest sentiments will be filtered through their divine eyes – eyes that are not human, no matter what they might look like. Still, it's obvious that he cared for her in his own way – and whatever else, this Rosaria doesn't deserve her fate.

[1/2]

>>47425799

The hand leads you, once more, through miserable streets. This time, though, you feel a deep anger stirring within your gut as you walk. It's an injustice, what happened to the high priestess. What was her crime, other than catching the eye of a butcher? There was no crime – she was an innocent, caught up in Old Worm's vile schemes. It's only when sharp pins of pain jab into your hands do you realise that you had been clenching your fists, hard enough that your nails had been tearing into the palms.

There's sorcery in the air here. You can feel it in the black hatred rising up from your heart, and from the sickening nausea churning within your stomach. Holding that hatred close, you focus your baleful eye upon the skittering hand. Hurry up, you snarl at it, this is taking too damn long.

It seems to hear you, to understand, and a new haste enters its flailing motions. Down sloping streets, you once again delve towards the underbelly of the city. If you had been the best of it – the temples and the colleges – then this is the worst, the slums and the squalor. Puddles of black filth lurk in every shadow, pulsing slowly as fat leeches feast upon the slime. Drawing your sword, you stab it through one of those leeches and watch, dispassionate, as it dies.

A pointless act, especially when countless more lurk around every corner. It didn't even make you feel any better.

Pausing the hand stops outside a particularly squalid looking building, twisting around to point downwards. She's here, you deduce, at the bottom of this place.

“I'll stay here,” Murasa says quietly, checking her rifle, “If anything tries to follow you, I'll take care of it.”

>Good. I'll take care of the mother
>No, I want you here with me
>Scared, Murasa?
>Other

>>47425966
>>Good. I'll take care of the mother

>>47425966
>Good. I'll take care of the mother
>Scared, Murasa?
>I've fought worse.

>>47425966
>Good. I'll take care of the mother
"Stay safe."

Rather not have her caught in the middle of Mama Abomination and Ira Rage Mode. It's going to be bloody.

>>47425997
You say that like you know what we are fighting. This could very well indeed be the worst we fought. (Doubt it though, the thing that stole our powers and took Howa's leg was probably the worst.)

>>47425966
>Good. I'll take care of the mother

>>47426039
That's what I was saying yes. Since it seems to by like Murmur but made for ripping and tearing. I.E. a sorcerously shackled and controlled god gone absolutely mad and had enough power to make Titanos blanch.

File: Rosaria.jpg (230 KB, 1241x731)

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Good, you tell her, you'll take care of the mother.

“Thank the gods,” she breathes, “I won't lie – I don't want to go down there, not for all the gold in the land.”

Oh, you ask, scared?

“You bet,” Murasa doesn't take the bait, giving you an earnest nod, “A tight space, beneath the ground? Even if it wasn't full of those... those monsters, I'd be afraid of it. Won't lie about it either, I'm not happy if I don't have the sky above my head. Whatever is lurking down there, you're welcome to it. That's what you want, isn't it?”

Her last comment takes you off-guard. What does she mean?

“You got a look in your eye,” Murasa looks away, “Like you're spoiling for a fight, like you're hungry for something to kill. I've seen it before, and I know to steer well clear.”

Pausing for a moment, you have the rare chance to taste the hot rage building within you, your natural humanity rebelling against the false life breathed into what was once Rosaria. Then the veil is upon you once more, and the world in tinted red. So what if you want to kill, to destroy whatever sleeps beneath? It's a righteous cause, bringing her the peace and mercy that she deserves. With that thought burning within your mind, you draw your weapons – your sword and your dagger – and enter the building.

You can hear it move, a sloshing of water mixed with the slap of flabby limbs. The bottom floor of the building – you don't know what it used to be, and you don't care either – is half flooded. In the centre, floating like a bloated corpse, you see Rosaria.

Her face – the remains of it – is terrible, all the worse for the parts you recognise as human. Lips that would have once charmed many men open, and a terrible moan spills out.

>Please roll 1D100 for this, aiming to beat 60/70/90. I'll take the highest of the first three

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>47426221
Let's use that anti sorcery card as well.

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>47426221

>>47426237
We can use the blade for negating.

>>47426221
Let's do Wrath again. Start it early, get the most gains.

Rolled 18 (1d100)

>>47426221
Lets get Song of Discord active as well.

File: Salute_to_Abyss.jpg (385 KB, 1920x1080)

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Rolled 79 (1d100)

>>47426221
Time for Ira to get furious!
https://youtu.be/SJBtVt-NZ3c

>>47426274
A roll too late but damn good music

>>47426266
>>47426237
Guys 2 things.

1. Against a single target the dagger works just as well.

2. Using Song of Discord makes Abominations more feral. That usually means more dangerous.

Let's use another spell that's useful.

Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>47426221
wrath

>>47426299
ya
>>47426309
We should not need the song for this fight

>>47426309
Yeah, good point. Changing to Wrath of the Gods.

>>47426274
You know with dagger and sword, Ira probably looks kinda like an Abyss Watcher. Probably as viscous as one too if we roll well.

Approaching Rosaria, you reach out with your sword and skim it across the surface of the dark, oily water. Flinching a little back from the blade, Rosaria rears up – as much as her bloated, flabby body can allow her, at least – and hisses at you. Then, with the serpent rasp still filling the air, loose sacks in her throat begin to swell.

With Titanos' rage and wrath rising up once again, you dart closer to her, ducking low as she spits a thick spray of reeking fluid – acid, you'd guess – over your shoulder. A few drops of it sizzle against your coat, but you pay it no mind. No, all your thoughts are directed towards your holy duty – wiping this abomination out, and crushing the last traces of Old Worm's legacy once and for all. With Maia's blade in hand, you'll finish the job she started all those years ago. That same midnight blade flashes out as you swing it at Rosaria's throat, catching her rubbery flesh and gliding right through it.

At first, it is as though the supernatural blade left no wound at all. Then the blood flows, pale and greasy, from the shallow cut. As you draw the dagger across her throat, you stab low with your sword, tearing it down through the flab of her belly. Dark things – writhing and pulsating – spill out of her, pooling around your feet and swelling. Her leech-children, given new life as you bring them, too early, into the world. They wriggle and they squeal, their lamprey mouths opening to show more teeth than any newborn should ever have.

This sunken basement just got a lot more crowded.

>Please roll 1D100, this time aiming for 70/80/90. I'll take the highest of the first three, and this will be at +10
>Again, say if you wish to use a spell card.

Rolled 64 (1d100)

>>47426465
As the Mountain

Rolled 38 (1d100)

>>47426465

Rolled 22 (1d100)

>>47426465

>>47426480
>>47426497
we should use a spell guys.

>>47426465
>>47426480
Lets...Sublime Strike to take the 90+. Since they aren't rolling against us right now we don't really need As the Mountain's DEF bonus just yet.

>>47426465
>>47426520
Seconded. Let's take the 94.

>>47426520
good idea

Rolled 59 (1d100)

Slick, still cloaked in the slime of its afterbirth, one of those leeches pounces at your leg, sinking those small teeth into your thick boot. Kicking it away, you snarl and drive your heel down into the loathsome thing, crushing the life from it. Rosaria moans again, her full lips parting to reveal neat, orderly teeth. Nothing that inhuman should have such pristine teeth – it's just not right.

Kicking yourself into motion, you slip under one of Rosaria's flailing limbs – somehow, it has aspects of both a tentacle and a human arm – and cut through it with the dagger. Both flesh and bone parts easily as you drag the blade through it, but that's the least of what you've got in store for her. Ignoring the leech-children boiling and churning around your feet, you twist you strike out with the gleaming steel of your sword. All your concentration is poured into this blow, this sublime strike. The effort pays off, and your blade tears through the top of Rosaria's skull. Her head, now an uncovered bowl, reels back. Thick gruel – you'll never eat porridge again, you think deliriously – spills out of both pieces of head.

She doesn't die. The bitch doesn't die.

Even without the top half of her head, Rosaria lumbers around to track you. With the rapid growth of a cancer, spines of bone tear from one of her remaining arms. At your feet, the leech-children have become one single mass, their forms running together like quicksilver and ensnaring your legs. You're trapped – you can't move!

>Please roll 1D100, aiming to beat 70/80/90. I'll take the highest of the first three, and this will be at +15. Additionally, name any spell card you wish to use
>I'll roll a 1D100 for Rosaria's attack, aiming to beat 40/60/80

Rolled 75 (1d100)

>>47426664

Rolled 83 (1d100)

>>47426664

Rolled 7 (1d100)

>>47426664
as the mountain

>>47426689
>>47426694
>>47426664
Okay we got 90+. Now lets deal with our immobility.

>[Maia] Veragi's Step
>”It's nothing personal, but sometimes a knife in the back is the fastest way to end things”
>Slit space and travel through, gaining the ability to teleport a short distance.

Teleport away from the slugs and near something vital on Rosaria.

>>47426664
Didn't we have a 'freedom of movement' spell, if we do use it

>>47426723
>>47426664
Would using Maia's teleport negate Rosaria's attack since we are getting out of the way?

>>47426768

>That's a good point. I think it would, since we'd be evading it completely.

>>47426803
Alright. Lets do that then. Strong card.

With your legs pinned, Rosaria can take as long as she likes to deliver her attack. Rearing back with that massive cudgel, hewn from splintered bone and dripping, poisonous needles, she prepares to crush you like a bug.

She thought you were helpless, just because you couldn't move your legs – a mistake.

Pulling back your arm, you throw the dagger like a hatchet, that curiously curved blade whistling out of your hand and striking her straight in the remains of that human face. It lands perfectly, the blade biting deep and shattering the last vestiges of her humanity. Reeling back, her unbalanced attack falling into floundering shambles, Rosaria can only squeal in frustration – if, indeed, she has enough of a mind left for that.

Sweeping your now empty hand through the air, you call upon the magic of Maia's dirty trick and then you JUMP.

It's disorientating, throwing off your sense of both time and distance, but it frees you from the clinging morass. Appearing behind Rosaria, you twist around and thrust with your sword. Unhindered by mercy or compassion, you spear her with the long blade and drive her down into the filthy water. Plunging a hand down after her, you seize the grip of Maia's dagger and pull it free, tearing through the rubbery flesh that still clings to her bones. With her innards pierced by your sword, and nearly all of her head torn away, there can be no natural life remaining within Rosaria's body.

But then, she's not a natural being, is she?

Drawing your sword free, you draw in a deep breath of the foetid air and then drive it down once more, stabbing into Rosaria's pale flesh. You stab down again and again, barely aware of your shouts that accompany the merciless assault. Only when Rosaria has been reduced to shreds, ribbons of shattered and dissolving flesh, do you stop and allow yourself to breath again.

[1/2]

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>>47426984
Brutal.

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>>47426984

>>47426984

With the old rage cooling to a vague shame – losing control in such a way never feels good afterwards – you slouch up the stairs to rejoin Murasa. She stands in the doorway, the street beyond littered with the stains of dissolving leech-children. Empty cartridge casings lie around her in a loose circle, and the air reeks of spent powder.

“Once you got to work down there, they all went mad,” she explains, “They never even spat at me, just tried to get down. Protecting their mother, I guess. Say, I thought I heard something down there – sounded like you were shouting something fierce. That what I was hearing?”

Yeah, you mutter, it was.

“So...” Murasa doesn't meet your eye, “I guess you killed it, then?”

It's pretty dead, you agree. Things like that just make you sick, you explain, they... disagree with you. Then again, you've always had a temper...

“Huh,” Murasa looks you up and down, the filmy blood clinging to you and your weapons, “Remind me never to piss you off, friend.”

If she'd seen you down there, you think to yourself, she wouldn't need reminding. The scene would be burned into her mind until the last of her days.

“What?” she asks, catching some of your dark mood in the expression that passes across your face, “Something bothering you, Ira?”

No, you lie, you'd better hurry and get back to Nodens. He should know about this.

Maybe you'll give him the sanitized version of events.

>I think I'll leave things here for today. Next thread on Friday, and I'll stick around for a while in case of any questions!

>>47427123
Thanks for running!

So now you have Naz, but the best girl's name is taken by an upstart kid of an Emperor. How is this fair?

>>47427123
>Maybe you'll give him the sanitized version of events.
Probably for the best...

Excellent thread Moloch, thanks for running.

So that Mia expy. Or was it Amelia and Mia? Felt like she had Amelia's attitude, but then again I can see Mia like too if she got cynical and jaded.

>>47427123
So are we a sorcerer's worst nightmare? Ascetic isn't going to know what hit him/her.

>>47427123
>Maybe you'll give him the sanitized version of events.
I think there is no need as "All history flows down to this pit"

>>47427283
We're anyone's worst nightmare honestly.

>>47427192

Originally, there was the pair of them - Naz and Toramaru - but I ended up streamlining things a little. We're going to be on the boat for a while longer, though, so she might still have the chance to show up!

>>47427215

It was sort of aspects of both, I'd say. Mia with a more jaded perspective of things. That said, I didn't mean to imply any real connection between this and Devil Summoner - it was just a reference that went a little further than I'd first planned.

>>47427283

We'd certainly have the edge over any sorcerer that relies purely on magic. Which is pretty much all of them, really.

>>47427304

That's certainly true. However, there's no need to rub it in his face. Creepy fish gods have feelings too!

>>47427283
With luck Asscetic will underestimate Ira

>>47427323
>That said, I didn't mean to imply any real connection between this and Devil Summoner
I think we all knew it was just a reference. It was fun though.

Is there a Amelia expy in the works or is it more of a 'We'll see.'?

>>47427323
So did the leeches all die when Rosaria died? Is Nodens' city (we gotta give it a name) abomination free?

>>47427398

The city is now abomination free. Now that new leeches aren't being created, Nodens could destroy the ones feeding off him. The ones lingering in the streets will die on their own soon enough.

>>47427368

I've been considering that for a while, actually, but I've not been able to decide anything for sure. There are some ideas, though, so we'll see how things play out.

>>47427469
So what's going to happen to Nodens and the city now?

I guess people could repopulate it now, but does Nodens want that? And does Ira or Murasa own it cause they discovered it?

>>47427323
>there's no need to rub it in his face.
ya, but Ira speaks bluntly and hard truths, no need to bee gentle

>>47427581
He has tact when he needs to/deals with people he respects.

>>47427555

Ownership would be a difficult thing to decide. Under the law of the land, the Emperor can give out land - and, technically, parts of the ocean - but Nodens might have different ideas. In all likelihood, Nodens will let most of the city sink back down again. His little section of it, his pit, might well remain above the waves for now.

>>47427604
>>47427581

We'll have the chance, I think, to decide Ira's tone when the time comes.

>>47427651
Would he want priests and what not making pilgrimages to his pit or would he rather remain a secret for now?

>>47427684

I don't think Nodens would specifically desire to remain secret, but he wouldn't ask for priests and pilgrims to come and visit either. For the most part, he's quite detached from "reality", from current events and modern times. A consequence of being so heavily tied to the past, perhaps.

>>47427651
>Yo Ra, I'll owe you anything if you could get Sho to add the waters in *describe where NodenCity is* and North as far as you dare to our county

>>47427717
So the trick with Maia and our idea for her to work with apprentices in the future would be to let her small amount of worshipers keep believing in legends? Make it 'truth' to the public?

>>47427722

I could imagine the Emperor being happy to hand that particular stretch of land over to us. The island to the north, we technically "discovered" it, while Nodens' city is more trouble than it's worth. Easier to let a religious type deal with the grumpy old god!

>>47427783

Generally, as long as her worshipers keep their brand of faith alive, Maia won't have anything to worry about. In time, she might change to better fit their legends, but it could take a very long time indeed. Spreading her stories around the public could speed the process up, though

>>47427886
>Easier to let a religious type deal with the grumpy old god!
A grumpy old Wanderer for a grumpy old god. Pottery.

>>47427886
>Spreading her stories around the public could speed the process up, though
I suppose Aya's article could use another story. It would go well with the headline of 'Holy shit Nodens is awake!'

>>47427886
So at Black Rock, as far as we know there are: Ascetic's cult cell, Kala's warrior priests, and Kala herself at the island. Is that correct?

>>47427961

As far as we know, yes. It's probably getting pretty busy by now!

>>47427932

And the printing press should be ready by the time we get back to the Nameless Temple - very convenient!

>>47427906

I'll admit, I enjoy writing grumpy old men. Nodens is the pinnacle of that.

>>47428012
>Nodens is the pinnacle of that.
Nodens calls the Mentor and the Seer fuckin' children and treats them as such.
>they both are salty about it

>>47427932
How about this for a headline:
No-Name Noble is given the once sunken holy city of Nodens

>>47428096
Gotta have Sho approve that first. Maybe when he comes to the Nameless Temple on his Tenngaru tour.

>>47428060
Nodens probably really doesn't like those two. As much as Mentor has tried to make up for it, Nodens is focused on the past.

>>47428117
yea

>>47428060
>>47428141

As far as Nodens is concerned, that's what they are - a pair of punk kids playing with forces they don't understand. He knows exactly what sins they've committed, so he understands them like few others.

>>47428141
>>47428141
I'm having this vision of Nodens going REEEEE everytime we mention the Mentor.
>Fucking sorcerers, get the fuck out of my island REEEEEEEEE

>>47428189
Any cult cells making plays while we were gone? Ascetic's is building up to something but we are (probably I hope) stop that shit hard.

>>47428233

For the most part, the other cells are very small - many of them are simply hiding out as much as they can for now, just in case the military gets wind of them. The few that are actively interested in striking back against the Emperor are too weak to really achieve anything.

>>47428263
So after Ascetic and Seer are defeated the cult is mostly defeated?

>>47428290

Yes. The remaining cells are basically troublemakers and protesters, rather than terrorists and fanatics. There might be an upswing of vandalism and petty crime, but that's about as much as they'll manage.

>>47428306
That leaves the Empire and the military. The only way I can see us making sure military tones it down a bit/stops being corrupt is by grooming Sho by giving him more perspectives and ideals.

We have to make this Tenngaru Tour he is taking count, specially since Hirohito wont be there.

>>47428365

Well, it's a little early to be certain, but I think the Tenngaru Tour is going to be very significant indeed!

>>47428397
Making Sho a more open minded individual is the best way to solve things without any more violence. Marrying him to Miura will help with that too, so we gotta make sure she stays safe. Also Aya's newspaper, stationed at a place where well traveled Wanderers past through, can keep the military in check since any kind of atrocity they commit the public will know about it,

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>>47428397
I feel like it's not intentional and that it keeps working out this way but did you notice with the DS expys we keep getting them more involved with the story than most of the smaller gods?

Like with Not!Petra and how Ira keeps going back to her shrine for security and Maia, with her proximity to Dumas, potentially becoming an instructor for apprentices.

It's funny.

>>47428560

I do find that a little odd. I wonder if I'm a little biased towards them? Certainly, I tend to work Not!Petra in whenever the occasion arises. Obviously, it's because a disused shrine is a useful place to have in a story. Obviously.

>>47428447

I think that just about sums up the best approaches to take. Things might not go so smoothly, but those ideas should be a good place to base our plans around!

>>47428642
>I wonder if I'm a little biased towards them?
Well the Maia idea came from anons. With Not!Petra though...it's okay to admit you still think she is best girl, even in comatose statue/picture/shrine form.

>>47428642
Would you say Sleeping Gods is almost finished then?

>>47428642
Was Small Gods a reference to the book?

>>47428727

I'll admit, some of that was sincere - the abandoned shrine makes for a good reference point, rather than needing to come up with different locations within the capital.
But she's still pretty great, and I don't regret including her

>>47428817

I'm certainly getting into the concluding phase, but I'd struggle to say exactly how "finished" it is. That said, I'm already working on ideas for what I'll do next.

>>47428867

Not deliberately so. "Small gods" is a term I use for fairly minor gods, as opposed to something like Nodens. Also, it was a joke about Maia being incredibly short.

>>47428889
So there are like dozens of dudes on Black Rock and Kala herself, all probably hostile-ish. And just one of us.

I think our magic and wit are the only things that are going to help us on that island.

>>47429102

If it comes to fighting, we've got Murasa and her crew. It may be possible for them to draw the enemies out and keep them busy while Ira sneaks through. Still, there would be risk involved with that as well.

>>47429161
If we commanded Acsetic's men to 'Kill Acsetic' with Lapis magic would they do it? That doesn't constitute as 'causing direct harm to self's right?

>>47429213

Giving them the orders to turn on their leader, or each other, would work, yes. I can't guarantee that they'd be able to take the Ascetic down, though - without spoiling things too much, he's pretty hardcore in his own way.

>>47429247
They don't need to. If Acsetic kills them all thats less people we have to worry about.

Just brainstorming by the way. Thinking of options, etc.