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>>49150645
"They're not," you tell Lora, firmly. "Sure, you can't change something without turning it into something /else/, but that's not the same as destroying it. If I paint the pipe Amy made for me, it isn't the same as smashing it with a hammer. You're talking like you or the gods think they can't do good any more."

"Of course they can, they're just...careful about it," Lora answers. "Careful in a way they weren't, in their youth. They made painful mistakes and grew wiser for them, and now they act through intermediaries. I...I suppose part of it is just the long-term perspective. Sort of like why they haven't come to save me."

"...Because you'd never trust them to keep their word again," you murmur.

Lora nods. "Eternity will do that to a person. They made the Iron Lands for the Firstborn, and eventually they decided that for them to really /belong/ to the Firstborn, they had to stop just changing shit at will. So they did. Unfortunately, you are about to wake."

"We can pick this up again later," you tell her. "I kinda liked this discussion, honestly. Deep without being, y'know. Fucking depressing."

Lora gives you a warm smile.

> Take the Wyrm's scale with you
> Give it to Lora to hold onto

AND

> Talk to River
> Get back to work (select a new target)
> Write-in?

>>49150721
> Give it to Lora to hold onto
> Talk to River

>>49150721
>> Take the Wyrm's scale with you
>> Talk to River

>>49150721
>Take the Wyrm's scale with you
>Talk to River

>Can we make a container for it that will prevent any spying against us?

>>49150721

>Keep the Wyrm's Scale with you.

We gotta try talking to him during a downtime. Figure out what his deal is in all of this. If Lora doesn't outright hate him, there may be something worth redeeming, or at least using for our own ends.

>Talk to River

See how she's holding up after going Zombie Army. She's probably fine, but we ignored her feelings for too long before and I don't want to make the same mistake again.

>>49150721
>> Take the Wyrm's scale with you
> Talk to River

Also note that even though the Wyrm promised not to use the scale against us, we didn't make any such promise in return.

Talk to River about Zombie Army. Let her know that part of being a LaCroix is calling us out on shit if she thinks we're going too far.

At work, will call and write around 7 PM or so.

>>49150926
Putting it in something gold-lined would help, though you're a bit short on forges at this moment considering how busy you are with the Lush.

>>49150721
>Take the Wyrm's scale with you.
A few tiny olive branches won't hurt.

>Talk to River.
Need to make sure Sis is okay.

>>49151069
Lora already said that her only problem with him is that he joined up with Dick.

It's hard to tell what exactly he wants or gains out of all of this, but I think part of his motivations are that he might just want to be free. Y'know, as a person, because if he actually left the Dungeon there'd be an army of murderhobos on his ass inside of a day.

>>49151225
>Also note that even though the Wyrm promised not to use the scale against us, we didn't make any such promise in return.
No, bad anon.

Did we ever figure out what the charms we made from Silence's bones did?

I'm betting that they'll become very, very handy later.

>>49154718
I'm hoping they make snide comments.

>>49155103
>one of them deflects blows
> "C'mon, stop trying to hit me and hit me"

Home at last. Will call and write Shortly(tm)

>>49150721
> Take the Wyrm's scale with you
I wonder if there is an enchantment that allows him to track us or something.

> Talk to River
What do you think we should do going forward?

>>49153928
Look, I'm not saying we SHOULD strike at him through the scale.

Just that we should look into it.

we should take the scaleb ut leave it somewhere boring, like in a closet, instead of with us for now

the wyrm may not scry on us through it but i bet one of the other chain holders might also have a scale

Called, tallying, writing.

Sorry about that, Real Life got me.

>>49159984
S'all cool.

>>49159984
The villainous cad!!

>>49159984
Conversing with dragons.

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>>49150721
You give Lora a hug. "Try to be well, yeah?" you suggest. "Get some rest if you can talk Richard into it."

"The old bastard's a harsh taskmaster, but I'll try," Lora promises.

You pocket the scale, before you awaken to Amy gently shaking your shoulder.

"What's the plan?" she murmurs.

"You and Nate get some shut-eye. River and I can take watch. I need to talk to her anyway."

Amy chirps softly and gives your forehead a kiss. "I hope you have fun," she murmurs, with a little grin.

"That's actually the idea."

"...Okay."

You give Amy a hug and get up to go find your sister. She isn't too hard to find; you find River resting up against one of the zombified lizards. She's chewing a piece of jerky with a distant, thoughtful expression. You take a seat next to her and get out a strip of your own to chew on.

"You do know that you're also allowed to tell me when I'm going crazy with power, right?" you open up, after a moment.

"I do. I appreciate the thought, though. Robert's been running me through commanding these things as a unit. Lessons he learned with his own army, you know?"

"That's...depressing in a handy way," you admit. "Sis, I need to say something and I'm gonna say it straight - if shit is funny, laugh. If it's sad, cry. Sometimes you have to be strong for other people, but when you don't need to...well, don't be. Or you'll go as crazy as I was going before Nate and Amy helped me realize where that was heading."

"I laughed at Broken Tooth!" your sister protests.

"And then you felt guilty as shit the moment the conversation went somewhere else," you point out.

"...Yeah," River admits, with a sigh. "I dunno, it was kinda a gut shot. How do you handle the whiplash of it all, sis?"

You gesture with your jerky. "Now you know why so many la Croix kinda don't give a fuck about a lot of things. It's self-defense. But, for a more helpful answer.../life/ is whiplash, River. So you take your laughs when they're on the table."

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>>49162362
"You give lots of fucks," River points out, her ears twitching curiously.

"Depends. I care about things that seem important to me. The health and happiness of people around me, f'rinstance. The respectful treatment of the dead and the living. My duties, the family name, my loved ones. But things like how I increasingly suspect we're going to meet a minotaur named Flank Steak later on? Nah. Things I can't change? Not worth the time to worry about. You can drive yourself insane, trying to uphold the family name and the weight of the world at the same time. 's part of why we don't really do the whole 'temporal power' thing. We rode that horse, it sucked."

"Went mad with power?" River asks.

"From what I hear, we got so sick of /having/ power that going mad with it sounded like effort and we pawned it off, but that was ages ago. Another time, another branch of the family, back in the transition period between us being massive assholes and...well, today."

"...Can you tell me more about our family?" River asks.

PICK A STORY

> Coming to the Blind Marsh
> The Late Lich
> The Rose Hunters
> Let River pick the story
> No story; move things along

And now I'm going the fuck to bed because real life and writer's block both suck. Votes remain open.

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

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>49162398
>> Let River pick the story

>>49162398
>> Let River pick the story

Let's give her some agency to pick what she wants to hear about.

>>49162398
> Let River pick the story
You wanna make a decision, here's one.

>>49162398
>Let River pick the story
you want to stroke the lore boner huh, we ant you to stroke it all over our faces. Blow a hot lode of lore on us.

>>49162398
>Let River pick the story
Just fuck me up Vox.

>>49162398
>Let River pick the story.
Oh yeah, it's Storytime motherfuckers! Also, I would /love/ to meet a minotaur named Huge McBeefslab.

>>49163030
That's super lewd, but I like it.

>>49162398
>Let River pick.
It will be interestign to see what she is interested in most.

>>49162398
>> Coming to the Blind Marsh
they are sound interesting

>>49162398
>> Let River pick the story

I'm alive. Will call and write soon.

Called, writing.

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>>49162398
You nod, pleasantly. "What would you like to know?" you ask.

"Well...I suppose I'd like to know why we come off as an organization instead of just blood relations. Like - and I'm not trying to be cheeky - but, like, with the relaxed attitude on adoption and everything there's tons of la Croix that aren't of the blood, as it were, and..."

"You're trying really hard not to get slapped the way Aria was," you say with a grin. "Don't worry, a lot of la Croix end up asking about this. And in a sense you're completely right - we /are/ essentially an organization which teaches and practices certain ideals and skill sets, many of them related to death. Healing, embalming, vampire hunting, that kind of thing. Necromancy, obviously, which is our pride and joy and also why we tend to drink."

River snorts.

"And the thing is," you begin, gesturing vaguely. "We have a lot of necromancers, right? And we used to have even more back in the old days. In point of fact, it used to be that you kinda got disowned if you didn't get into the family business."

"/Why/?" River asks, confused.

"Because we were /assholes/," you reiterate. "There was a big concern, back in the day, about the family itself. Some of that remains, like how folks take our name, always, if they marry in. A couple of folks with really creepy ideas about blood purity but we maaaaay or may not have thrown them down a flight of stairs before they started doing weird incest shit."

River /stares/. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"I wish," you sigh. "I really do. Do you have coffee?"

"No," River sighs.

"We're stopping at the next place we attack and making some fucking coffee. Anyway, before we spread out all over this place we were mostly settled down south, in and around the Thread. The moment we escaped the kingdom that'd started to nail us to sticks we sorta...stopped, you know? We needed to take stock, figure out who'd survived, who'd fallen, and take time to mourn and plan our next move."

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>>49166454
River nods. "Sounds like a good idea, even if that was back in the Age of Assholes."

"I'm going to call it that from now on," you say with a snort. "That name's /perfect/. Anyway, that was the time in which we really started adopting in significant numbers. A lot of us had lost children, or siblings, or parents, to those crosses. And while we were big on the idea of getting revenge, we'd just been, y'know, thoroughly informed that we couldn't win that fight. So we tried to pick up and move on with our lives, and in a lot of cases that led to new parents being adopted into the family, or grieving people picking up other unfortunates in an effort to make everyone involved feel less miserable. And we taught necromancy to those folks, but a lot of the family - most of the family - treated them like they weren't 'real' la Croix. And lo and behold, a bunch of them went full zombie army and quite a few even turned against the family."

Your sister winces.

"This persisted for /years/," you tell her. "And was used to justify looking down on our adopted kids and the spouses that married into the family, until we finally lost an entire branch of the family - the Jagged Shore la Croix - when one of their adopted kids had enough of being beaten and pushed around and unleashed a pack of demons on their village in the middle of the night before killing himself. A council was called to settle the matter. The matriarch of the family at the time was Catherine la Croix, who opened up the council with the following words: 'You idiotic little shits are going to kill us all'."

River sputters and laughs, and you give her a big grin.

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>>49166709
"What became known as the Bloodline Council debated the matter for four days," you continue. "At first a proposal was made to cease adopting, but this ran into the whole marriage issue and no one wanted to have to kick more people down flights of stairs, especially considering the tragedy that had just befallen us. Eventually it was Jacques la Croix that proposed the radical idea of just treating our adopted sons and daughters like they were our own, loving them just the same, and generally not being pointlessly evil pieces of shit to them for no reason."

"...That was radical?" River asks.

"It was a darker time," you mutter. "...And we were assholes. But the council decided to try his proposal. The word was spread through the family, along with grim penalties for those found discriminating against adopted la Croix. And after a good ten years, a new council convened to discuss the fallout, and it was decided that the solution had worked, and would be continued from then on."

"Family politics sound a bit scary," River admits.

"It's less like that these days," you admit. "We spread out, you know? There's a lot of la Croix and in some cases we're pretty dissimilar to one another. The name will get you places, but...y'know." You shrug. "We stick together because it's better than being alone, but the day and age when we stuck together because there was literally no one else? That's over, and I'm pretty glad about that."

"You looking forward to founding the Dungeon la Croix?" River teases.

> Definitely
> I still don't know if I want to live here
> Oh gods. You just reminded me of Henrietta's magic school thing.
> Write-in?

And now I must go be Gainfully Employed until about 7 PM or so, plus or minus time to grab some dinner. Votes remain open.

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

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>49166787
>> Definitely

>>49166787
>> Write-in?
"I've already started, haven't I?"

>>49166787
>>"I've already started, haven't I? Oh gods. That just reminded me of Henrietta's magic school thing. "

>>49166787
>> Oh gods. You just reminded me of Henrietta's magic school thing.

We kind of did okay that

>>49166787
>What about the Rose Cultists?
> Oh gods. You just reminded me of Henrietta's magic school thing.

>>49166454
>We're stopping at the next place we attack and making some fucking coffee.
Glorious. So very much a woman after my own heart. Amy is a lucky girl.

>>49166787
>Oh gods. You just reminded me of Henrietta's magic school thing.

>>49166787
>>"I've already started, haven't I? Oh gods. That just reminded me of Henrietta's magic school thing. "

>>49167524
D'aaw.

>>49166787
> I still don't know if I want to live here
> Oh gods. You just reminded me of Henrietta's magic school thing.

Approximately two hours and change to call.

On my way home, will call and write after dinner. Still open for questions and discussion.

>>49170775
Why is the Sunless Sea filled with water? What keeps it from soaking into the ground? If the Sunless Sea is above or in the water table, why aren't the lower levels flooded?

>>49171603
The way lower into the dungeon might be higher than the surface level of SS, also it and the Mire are part of a large rock cavern most likely.

>>49171603
Harpy magic.

>>49166787
>> Write-in?
I was kind of hoping I could stop being a La Croix. Theres enough of us, now.

>>49167265
this

>>49170775
I have a question

Why did the giant champion agree to a fight where he would discard his arms and armor? Yeah he was physically stronger then his opponent, but just because I have more upperbody strength then a gator doesn't mean I'm volunteering to go into the swamp on it's terms

He was fighting naked against a beast with claws and fangs and thick scales I presume. The fact that Red Troth created a bunch of giants and they developed culture and technology before the champion ventured forth to fight indicates that he intended for them to be more then just brute strength fighters anyhow, or else he would have just made one REALLY BIG giant and hedged his bets that thumbs would be the key factor

>>49171603
The Sunless Sea is primarily stone and could be thought of, in a sense, as a massive pair of rivers. Saltwater wells in on one side and drains out on that same side, forming the 'near' half towards Port Atrium. Past the bar, underground rivers feed the 'far' side, which drains out through the Drowned Stair and into the Mire and the Delta that surrounds it.

>>49172291
Eeenteresting. Can you elaborate?

>>49172789
> Serpent
> Claws

In any event, Troth chose the contest. He wanted to prove his understanding of strength, which he, well, didn't.

>>49172829
I don't know what kind of serpent

What exactly did Troth think was strength, exactly?

Opposable thumbs?

>>49172867
You may want to recall that Kratos means 'force'. Troth felt that raw force, raw brute strength, could overwhelm any problem it applied to. At the time he was rather focused on the idea of war and had not yet gained the nuance he shows today in the idea of conflict and strife. The Forgemaster, as a smith, had a better idea of what raw might was and was not good for.

>>49172939
Humans aren't really the best exemplification of raw force in the natural world. We're good for endurance and clever thinking but we kind of lack the giant teeth, tough hides, or sharp horns of many other animals who might better examplify 'raw force'

why did Troth think what is basically a sacaled up human examplified 'raw force' better then say, a giant tiger?

From the sounds of it the serpent should have been Troth's pick, and the clever giant with his capability to create being the forgemasters

>>49172796
But stone absorbs water.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permeability_(earth_sciences)

>>49172996
Well at least in part because I ripped the details of the fight from the story of Kratos and Canopus in Greek myth but also, y'know, /because/. There was an argument, this is how they resolved it, much like the Anvil Oath between Troth and the Lady of Ravens.

>>49173253
canopus the pilot of king menalaus ship during the trojan war?

>>49173335
Welcome to ancient mythology, where the names get reused and the stories often conflict. Blame England.

>>49173390
how long till update?

>>49173440
Fuck, right, I need to actually do that. Sorry - called, writing.

>>49172796
Well, there's a whole bunch of offshooot la croix, now.
Bri needs to be the Heritor, but nothing says she needs to be La Croix anymore. She started that way; but I suspect that ... given the real, actual, honest to god and not a trap or giving up, _retirement_, and putting down the necromancers mantle, she wouldn't wait more than a single heartbeat to not have to be that anymore.

>>49174343
I disagree, she has pride and joy in her name, despite the hardship that comes with it.

Removing herself from it isn't IC

>>49174343
Wow.

Get fucked.

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>>49166787
You groan. "Don't remind me."

"What?" River asks, blinking.

"Henrietta's school thing. It. She. I still haven't really made up my mind about it," you admit, sighing. "It sounds like a really good idea. It /sounds/ like something that could make necromancy...y'know, /good/. Teach people to use it in service to the public good, to respect the living and the dead. But I have some reservations, only one of which is 'I'm pretty sure the rest of the family will disown me'."

"Oh?" River asks.

"We're hedge mages, River. We don't get along well with the idea of schools."

"...Okay, what are you other reasons?" River asks.

"Well, it's like this. When you start making a formal study of various forms of magic you have to experiment, record your experiments, get them peer-reviewed, that sort of thing, yes?"

River nods.

"I blind people, rot them alive, raise cannibalistic undead slaves, and generally give people bad fucking days."

You see the descent of River's expression from 'oh' to 'ohhhh' to 'Gods fuck where are we going to get all the corpses for that I did not think this through' and nod.

"The directly beneficial uses of necromancy aren't as hard to practice," you point out. "Even the darkness thing is pretty easy to practice in a safe and ethical fashion but the other stuff gets a bit...well, sick. And it's one thing if folks donate their bodies to the betterment of our understanding but hellfire, I am /not/ digging up graves for it. I've read some tomes of what Grandmother called 'wizard necromancy' and that shit...I mean, yes, a lot of necromancers are or go insane, but that shit was just fucking sick."

"I can imagine," River says, tapping her temple.

"So I need some time to think, and to bring up these logistical concerns with Henrietta, and maybe consult the ancestors on the matter," you conclude. "I /like/ the idea, I just have, y'know. /Concerns/."

"What would it mean, if the rest of the family disowned you?" River asks.

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>>49176024
"Welll....there's basically two kinds of doing that," you admit. "In the first kind, I and my descendants end up a lot like the Rose Cult la Croix, where we keep the name and uphold the duty but are seen as separate. There'd be bad blood for a few generations, definitely some scorn, but ultimately we're still /family/, with all that entails."

"What's the second version?" your sister asks.

"Someone, but probably the vampire hunters, murders us all in our beds and buries us in boxes to seal our ghosts away. I don't think that's likely, though. That's for branches that go bad. Or...well, people. Like Aunt Carol, rest her soul." You sigh. "At least she's had the chance to move on. I hope I can see her again, in the Sunless Lands."

River shifts her position, moving her legs to stretch them, and lets out a deep breath. "Whatever we hit next, the Lush is gonna know we're here. These grasses won't hide us forever or even for much longer. They're only around the very borders of the place."

"So once we go loud, we're in for it?" you ask.

"Pretty much. What do we hit next?"

> Hit the farms; you need to liberate the citizens
> Attack the Seedhouse; it's vital to the future of the Cornucopia
> Try to sneak into the Quickling Grove; you can leave the lizards in the grass while you do diplomacy with the harpies
> Attack the entrenched position at the river; it's tough, but you could take out a lot of the Lush's forces by surprise

>>49176110
>> Try to sneak into the Quickling Grove; you can leave the lizards in the grass while you do diplomacy with the harpies

>>49176110
> Hit the farms; you need to liberate the citizens

>>49176110
> Try to sneak into the Quickling Grove; you can leave the lizards in the grass while you do diplomacy with the harpies
We need to capitalise on what we did with Piercing Cry. Any opinions on that River?

>>49176110
>> Try to sneak into the Quickling Grove; you can leave the lizards in the grass while you do diplomacy with the harpies

Isn't this what we made the charms for? To hide us from the Lush?

We did think to wreck the corpses at the Lizard pens so the necromancer can't raise them to ask questions right?

>>49176110
>>> Try to sneak into the Quickling Grove; you can leave the lizards in the grass while you do diplomacy with the harpies

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>>49176024
>You see the descent of River's expression from 'oh' to 'ohhhh' to 'Gods fuck where are we going to get all the corpses for that I did not think this through'
Illustrated

>>49176812
PRETTY MUCH

>>49176110
A surprise attack would be nice but....

> Try to sneak into the Quickling Grove; you can leave the lizards in the grass while you do diplomacy with the harpies

Which can still be a surprise attack if we have Sir Fetch await our orders with the lizombies.

>>49176110
>49176110
> Try to sneak into the Quickling Grove; you can leave the lizards in the grass while you do diplomacy with the harpies

IS.
BRI.
FULL.
OF.
E G G S
G
G
S

>>49179788
Not yet, but give her a week after the BBEG bites the dust, she and Amy will be full of them. Nathan will be with Brook recovering from a broken hip.

>>49179995
That reminds me.

We don't make enough boner puns with Nate.
>I'm a necromancer, watch me raise this bone!
>hurr durr spongy tissue
>*argument about baculums*

>>49180110
You know, we need to make some boner puns with Nate, after we gut the Lush. Rape kinda makes dick jokes distasteful.

>>49179995
>>49180110
Remember that deck of cards that Brianna gave to Nathan? You would not /believe/ the cute, funny, and naughty promises contained within.

One of those is the 'Spread those Hero Genes' card, with prerequisites of 'Ring on Finger' and 'Death to the Dick'.

>>49180186
Kek, family fun night is just a chance to fuck each others brains out.

You know something we haven't checked but should: the evidence that the Librarian sent us. I want to know if its real, Diviner bullshit or a picture of dickbutt. Its too bad we have out hands full with the Lush to find out,

>>49180289
I expect it to be legitimate.

But I also give fifty percent to it being just the guys that built the dam cutting corners on it so it caved in on its own eventually.

>>49180195
>Not introducing the kids to the rest of the family, living and otherwise. Except for Mark. Fuck him.
>Not playing games in the graveyard with ghosts and undead farm animals.
>Not trying to hold back tears and failing as Mom's spirit sings a lullaby to put the kids to bed.

For shame anon, for shame. You lack imagination.

>>49180929
That comes later, and we got a motherfucking lullaby choir.

>>49180354
I don't think we should allow Brianna to pursue vengeance in any direct fashion. I mean, remember Aunt Carol? She became the cliche necromancer villain to punish the thieves that desecrated her sisters grave, and it was all in vain.

I think, once this is finished and we have said evidence in hand, we should give it to that General Thorn (who also seems to have come from the Blind Marshes, and was immediately positively-disposed towards Brianna), or to Henrietta herself. They can see to it that those responsible are brought to justice, and restitution delivered to the surviving kin of those who died in the flood.

>>49180978
These people killed an entire village, Anon.

Just saying, Vengeance is something they deserve, but more importantly Justice is something the villagers deserve.

We turned down the librarians offer because we don't accept revenge at any cost, not because we don't accept it.

Passed out at my desk. Awake long enough to mention this. Will call and write when I wake back up; votes remain open.

Thank you for your patience.

>>49181175
... We kind of did accept the offer though?

Bri got very very angry, and told him that even if he hadn't tried to 'bribe' her, she'd have probably taken the geargrinders to safety, since they were effectively unborn children at that point.

We're not interested in vengeance too much. The biggest thing Bri probably wants to know is just the /why/. After that, she'll pass along the info like has already been said. The offer of the information is a double-sided blade in a lot of ways. It creates a distraction for us, along with an incentive, and might buy time in the form of having us leave the dungeon to resolve it.

We can't go back to the marshes until we're done.

The La Croix, the entire Marsh, deserve justice. Justice at the expense of those still living, they'd object to.

>>49181373
Good night Vox.

>>49181423
>We can't go back to the marshes until we're done.
Yeah, but it's an easy matter to just pass the package along to authorities in-between floor takeovers. Hell we can straight up ask them to only act on it if we lose.

>>49181423
Pretty much this.

We don't actually have to carry anything up either. Just have a Harpy deliver it to someone of authority on the surface, like Henrietta.

>>49181480
If we lose, the world ends. So, yeah.

>>49181519
Could even tell her through the bell

>>49176000
Wow, someones getting butt-hurt over a suggestion. Did you already get fucked in the past because someone else suggested something you didn't like?
Are are you just an asshole?

>>49183198
Your mother fucked your father but didn't marry him, which is why the man she did married hates you so much.

Coincidentally though you also happen to be an unlikable cunt so good luck finding anyone at all to ever replace the love you never got and no longer deserve.

>>49180289
>>49180354
The evidence might be interesting to learn from, but Brianna shouldn't do anything about it except turn it over to Henrietta - or whomever held those lands in their county - because Nate and Amy would go all heronic and shankbird on their asses even if Bri didn't go undead army on them.

Well, they'd offer, anyways.

>>49174343
Interestign idea, but I think Bri wouldn't really be happy about that. Necromancy isn't just ajob to her - if anything, she's got the wizard's habit. It's magic, magic, no matter how it is explained, is meant to be explored, and the more non-zombie exploration into it she can do, the happier she'll be. And having an extended family would be a ttaste of real home, and she can have that with the LaCoiz, and not anywhere else really, because, well, necromancer.

>>49183316
Ah, asshole it is, then. 'k, you're not worth my time. Have fun telling the world they're wrong when it was you all along.

>>49183955
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dbR2JZmlWo

>>49183790
I think she likes helping people more than necromancy; but it's the tool she knows and was raised into. Given a tool with less.... drawbacks; and the decreasing importance of that, (as it's already pretty well covered) I think she'd gladly take a change of vocation if the end was the same.
See : Fetch, and the actualization of her wanting to be a hero.

>>49184615
Which, incidentally, reminds me of FF4 Cecil a bit.

>>49184615
It's true that Bri wants to help people first and foremost, but I think you're underestimating how much being a necromancer plays into that. As a necromancer, we can help people in ways non-necromancers can't, and most other necromancers /don't/. We'll either need to keep doing that, or teach other people to keep doing that, and both of those are gonna require us staying a necromancer (if, in all likelihood, more teacher and practitioner later in life).

Having said all that, I also think being a necromancer, and a la Croix, is so central to Bri's sense of self that I can't see her giving either of them up under any circumstances.

I'm alive. Chores first, then will call and write. Sorry about that.

>>49185031
Stop being sorry about life. It's life, enjoy it.

>>49180354
I honestly get the feeling that we might already know one or more of the killers involved.

Guilt is a powerful emotion.

>>49185173
Who?

>>49185952
The people who apparently planned to break the dam that flooded the Marsh LaCoix family area and killed everyone Bri knew.

>>49185990
I meant who do we already know that you suspect?

>>49186027
I for one am half expecting it to be Dick. but that would be strange and unusual.

Called, writing.

Bump

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>>49176110
"We're going to hit the Quickling Grove, see what we can do about these harpies," you tell River. "Right after I finish this jerky."

"Sounds like a plan."

Getting everyone roused is a matter of a couple of minutes - you end up giving Amy the rest of your jerky. You get Broken Tooth a field potion and a lizard to ride while her shoulder recovers. You mount your boar - everyone else nervously climbs onto the lizards - and get moving.

You take point, with River riding in the rear to run herd on the zombified lizards. The grasses rustle as you move through them, whispering your movements. You wince, hoping you don't get spotted before you can make it to the Quickling Grove. You really don't need to shoot more harpies today.

You poke your mount out from the grasses to cross a road when you see it - there's a scarecrow, standing in a field of wheat. A squad of ten soldiers cautiously approaches it, puzzlement written all over their faces.

"This definitely wasn't here yesterday," one is saying. "This scarecrow vanished more than two weeks ago. What -"

The scarecrow moves faster than the eye can follow. By the time you realize two of the soldiers have been shot in the neck with hand crossbows, it's already down from its pole and picking the stick up with a swift, smooth motion. The scarecrow cuts the soldiers' legs out from under them, then brings the pole down. Something breaks, followed by the gurgling sounds of a man choking to death.

> Save the soldiers
> Watch
> This looks like a whole lot of not my fucking problem

>>49188649
>> Save the soldiers
More captives and turn coats

>>49188649
Can we tell if the soldiers are the Lush's? If they are, just
> Watch

>>49188649
> This looks like a whole lot of not my fucking problem
We got the fairies to diplomance. We can lizard the overenthusiastic sack of straw if it gets too close to comfort for us.

>>49188649
>Watch
Possible allies.

>>49188649
>> Watch

>>49188649
> Watch

>>49188649
>Watch
This is definitely interesting. And what would the scarecrows even be classified as? Golems, elementals, or something more akin to puppets?

>>49189304
It's probably a very skilled person playing pretend.

>>49189775
Magic makes pretend deadly.

>>49188649
>Watch

>>49188649
>> Watch
Didn't we hear about someone in the resistance using scarecrows? Sounds like something we should investigate, but like, in a friendly way.

I gotta hit work y'all. Votes remain open; I'll be back around 1 AM or so.

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

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>49188649
> Watch
Dis gon be good. If the scarecrow is a foe, then I'd rather deal with it after it deals with the soldiers. Seems like we might have found some work of the witch Eric talked about earlier. I'd like to keep an eye on the teamster and see how he reacts.

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THE BATTLE OF CANNOT HOLD: http://pastebin.com/jdNdrWKg

Okay so basically I mis-read my schedule but I still have to work tonight, from 8 PM to midnight. That means I'm leaving again in about 15 minutes, but I had time to write up >>49192575 for ya. I'ma add it to the reference doc now.

>>49192575
Well fuck.

She did like traps...

>>49192575
That is both adorable and badass. I am glad for the choices that led to it.

>>49192575
Cute, badass, and raises some kinda troubling questions
Where the fuck does geargrinder knowledge come from!?

>>49185952
>>49186027
I suspect Cooke might have something to do with it, but its only a suspicion

>>49192637
>http://pastebin.com/jdNdrWKg
Thank you, that was lovely.

>>49188649
>> Watch

One of these parties is sure as hell on our side here, if only in the old "enemy of my enemy" sense.

I doubt it's the Lush's soldiers.

>>49193443
As with many of their ill-understood mysteries, those that create geargrinders suspect it is to do with their hearts.

>>49193443
The existence of the Divine Tongue implies that there are unseen connections throughout the world. Just saying words like "Bloom" or "Die" in the tongue calls forth those concepts, and you direct how those concepts end up expressed through your will. Maybe the geargrinders are somehow connected to the unseen web as part of the process that forges them.

It's likely an unintended part of the process, and geargrinders don't know how to use it anyway other than instinctively because no one can teach them how to use it. Maybe with some research, someone could teach it to a geargrinder or forge a geargrinder with awareness of the source of its knowledge.

It'd make a possibly terrifying weapon. Best case you end up with a clairvoyant, worst case they can construct the Divine Tongue and use it for themselves.

Or I could be spouting shit out my ass. I've been working a lot, and I'm not as bright as I think I am most days now. And I forget literally everything we've learned about the geargrinders up until this point.

>>49194902
The thing that I found most disturbing was that last line implying a rather intimate knowledge of another persons past and or memories.

>>49195073
The heart she was given was the blueprints of the glass forgeworks that Natalia made into her base of operations for years, and in which she confronted her son and lost the Sight. This is highly relevant.

Hour and a half and change to call.

Home. Gotta eat, then will call and write.

Called, tallying, writing.

>>49192575
That was awesome Vox. Kal holds a lot of promise, and it'll be /very/ interesting when she and Nathan meet.

>>49194192
>>49195940
Hmmm. So, Cuckoo had a music box and Kal has the glassworks blueprints. I wonder what Oak and Cobalt have?

An oak sapling and the DLQ equivalent of War & Peace.

>>49200029
> it'll be /very/ interesting when she and Nathan meet.

> "Hello brother!"
> "What."
> "How would you like to meet your 599 other siblings?"
> "WHAT."

At the rate Nate's going, he going to be mostly metal soon anyway, so really his new siblings are just ahead of the curve.

>>49200597
Oh shit, better hope he doesn't fall to the Dark Side. It'd be Darth Vader with a competent droid army.

>>49195940
I'm calling it; Kal for the first Geargrinder to learn and master magic. Also, a qt. Probably. I mean, there wasn't a whole lot of physical descriptors there.

Also, archive's idea >>49194902 of a possibly clairvoyant and functionally immortal android (age and sickness aren't a worry, since old or worn parts can always be repaired or replaced) that could feasibly learn to use the Divine Tongue is damned cool. And fucking scary. Scarier than a Skynet/HAL Librarian ever could be.

>>49201032
Geargrinders are generally tall and long of leg and arm, with sharply-flexing joints that give them a spindly feeling that belies the thickness of their housing. Most of a geargrinder is gears; their wood-and-metal bodies house the gears that keep their enchantments fueled, which are in turn kept going by frequent winding or, for fancier designs, passively absorbing ambient sorcery (this is rarer for a few reasons, but most of them are 'it's a bitch to do and generally requires a high-magic environment like the Dungeon or a city). They often have glass or crystal eyes in a 'face' that is either a blank wooden mask or a painted expression, with blank being more common in non-combat models.

The Librarian's geargrinders are notable for the stylized '3' on the back of their chest plating, and for being built to combat spec.

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>>49188649
You decide to watch, for now. There's three soldiers down already and the other seven are still on the ground. What is it -

The scarecrow pulls a gladius from the scabbard of one of its victims - you see the short blade come up over the wheat - and brings it back down. The effigy leaps, pouncing on another soldier, and kills its fifth man.

"Retreat!" one of them yells, in a panic. He staggers to his feet and tries to run away; the reward for his cowardice is a pilum between the shoulder blades. The heavy weapon punches through his armor and knocks him to the ground, where he's lost amidst the wheat.

The scarecrow stands, a pilum in one hand and the gladius in its other, while the last four soldiers stagger to their feet, scrambling for their weapons.

"Gods above," River whispers. "It fights like Hatchet."

"I'm fucking noticing," you agree.

One soldier, braver than her fellows, lunges. The scarecrow kicks its pole up, straight into her throat, and buries its gladius in her skull even as she staggers back. You catch her choked cry of shock, the welling of blood, before she, too, collapses into the wheat.

The effigy throws its pilum, and then there were two.

The survivors throw down their weapons and sink to their knees, begging for their lives. The scarecrow stares down at them, for a long moment, before it kicks its pole back up into its hand and points, firmly, towards the smoke that still smolders from the lizard pens.

"We don't know!" one of the soldiers pleads. "It seems like there was a stampede!"

"The higher-ups think it was resistance!" the second adds. She starts to cry, which stops when the scarecrow raps her, then her compatriot, upside the head. Both go out like lights.

The effigy turns its head and glares at you with its button eyes before it points its pole at you.

> What do you say?

>>49201226
>La Croix, at your service

>>49201226
>"We're starting a riot. Grab a lizard and let's go!"

>>49201226
>Hi there, we are new to the neighborhood and happen to be after the Lush's head, the fire at the pens and was us by the way. The lizards are also under our control. My name is Brianna La Croix and this is my sister River. Wanna talk over some coffee, or do you not even need to drink?
and was anyone else hit with connection problems too?

>>49201226
So I take it you're part of the infamous resistance, I'm hear to kill a giant rapist care to help?

>>49201226
>"Yup, that's my work alright. But those were just an appetizer. The main course is a certain giant fucker who I intend to reduce to much smaller pieces."
>"The name's Brianna, by the way. Brianna La Croix. A pleasure."
>Doff hat.

I dunno, be cheeky but at the same time respectful? Those soldiers might not have been complicit in the Lush's torture of Lora, but they turned on their friends and neighbors just like the folks from Split.

It's hard to be clever at 7am. I haven't even had my coffee!

>>49201226
> The fire part was unintentional.

>>49201423
This.
>My name is Brianna La Croix and this is my sister River
>The fire going out of control was unintentional, but we needed a funeral pyre for the soldiers of the dead man known as the Lush.

>>49201578
Implying we are going to respect the Lush's corpse.
That isn't a good thing ya know.

>>49201614

It's more succinct than anything else, and gets our three main points across: we're the necromancer they fear, the fire was a funeral pyre for the enemy, and we hate the lush.

The scarecrow is both fast and strong, and succinct and to the point can save lives.

>>49201656
But coffee>>49201381

>>49201614
It actually is, since we're supposed to be respectful of life and death.

>>49201656
The scarecrow, on the other hand, does not need to know this. I mean, shit, it just got done killing several people. I don't think it cares about a little arson.

Why are we tipping our hand so soon? Just because whomever is controlling the scarecrow (or if it's actually self-aware, which is terrifying all on its own) hates the Lush and his followers does not immediately make them our allies.

>>49201226
>"The upper floors send their regards."
Says a whole lot in a few words.

>>49201381
Apparently there were problems straight across 4chan.

>>49201226
>Are you against the Lush, too?

>>49201226
>What do you say?
>"I admit, the fire wasn't planned. Can you talk?"

Bump

Literally woken up by a need to vomit. Going to try getting more sleep.

>>49203639
Might be time to decide if you want your stomach ulcer to become a gaping hole or not

>>49203639
Well, fucking hell. That's not good. Please take care of yourself Lich.

>>49203701
I'm hoping it's just the cheese salsa from last night. Sleep now.

>>49201578
Seconding this.
>My name is Brianna La Croix and this is my sister River
>The fire going out of control was unintentional, but we needed a funeral pyre for the soldiers of the dead man known as the Lush.

>>49203639
>>49204056
Eeek. That sounds extremely unfun. Definitely take some time to rest, Vox.

I'm alive. Will call and write soon.

>>49206000
Being alive and being well are different things, please concider your health for the continuation of DLQ.

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>>49206104

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>>49150645

Goddamnit, Vox, I AM TRYING TO CATCH UP, and how the fuck am I supposed to do that when you keep adding more and more threads to the archives?

>>49206649

Side note - I started reading around the Vintner's death, caught up on the archives, then played with the thread through the Baron's demise. I was one of the more cogent voices calling for the Poet to be offered mercy - "Mercy is the softest knife," and all - and if life hadn't eaten me, I'd have been part of this all along.

Because Vox, you absolute madman, you're fantastic. I'm working my way through what I've missed since, hope to be back in the swing in a week or two.

It'd be going faster, but I'm reading the comments as well. Jesus fuck, did people get salty while I was gone...

>>49206721
It was pretty entertaining.

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>>49206721
The best parts of the story are ahead of you, and 3 great waves of salt

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>>49206721

Sharpest. Sharpest knife. I'm an idiot.

>>49206807

I just got through the nonsense around best bird's wings - yeah, crescendo is a better name, but it lost the runoff, who gives a shit? - and I'm hoping that's one of the "Great Waves."

Because otherwise, cuntshit. I'm in for it.

>>49206836
Fun fact: the wing's names has never, ever been relevant again. The whole fight was completely meaningless

>>49206855

AS WAS PATENTLY OBVIOUS AT THE TIME, TO THE GREAT SURPRISE OF ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, EXCEPT THE ONE GUY WHO SAID HE WOULD HAVE TO SEE IT EVERY THREAD AND DEMANDED VOX TO RETCON IT OR HE WOULD CHEAT EVERY VOTE FOREVER.

IS THAT GUY STILL HERE?

DOES HE KNOW?

DOES HE KNOW HE'S AWFUL?

>>49206878
Meh, we kinda just hoped the faggot offed himself.

>>49206649
>>49206721
D'aww. I look forward to having you back, anon!

>>49206574
Now now sanity is not whats in danger here, you do need your stomach to live.

Okay, I'm well enough to eat at this point so I'ma acquire some breakfast, then call and write. Thank you for your patience, and I am sorry for the disturbance.

Called, writing.

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So, I found a picture of the Bloodline Council mentioned in the story to River.

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>>49201226
You doff your hat at the scarecrow. "Name's Brianna la Croix. This is my sister River. The fire was us; we needed a funeral pyre for the Lush's soldiers."

The scarecrow points into the grasses.

"Mine," you admit, with a shrug. "River and I made them so we could better wage our war against the Lush."

The pole is pointed towards the distant Theater, and then towards the much-closer Quickling Grove. What is he - oh, /why/. Duh.

"Even if I thought a surgical strike could work, I have no grudge against many of his soldiers, who are not willing servants," you say, firmly. "I want to minimize the loss of life."

The scarecrow takes off its straw hat, then pulls at the sack-cloth of its face. The mask comes off smoothly, revealing two things - a pale, nearly bloodless face, and a previously-concealed feeling of death.

"Then there is work to be done," the revenant tells you, his voice echoing subtly. He pulls his mask back on and dons his hat before putting his pole back up over his shoulder. "Do your business with the harpies, necromancer. Then seek me at the Granaries. Be prepared to prove your intentions."

He legs off, moving with long, easy strides.

"Was that -?" River asks.

"A revenant," you agree. "Someone who died without his revenge."

"...This is why you help people get it in life, isn't it?"

"Yep."

> Have Fetch follow the revenant
> Just proceed

>>49210483
>> Just proceed

>>49210483
>Just proceed
Wonder how the Lush fucked up hard enough to make this guy.

>>49210483
>> Just proceed

>>49210483
> Just proceed

>>49210515
Given what the Lush does, there's no shortage of possibilities, that's for sure.

>>49210778
That's the point, the Lush fucks a LOT of people. Even with the Necromancer working for him, how the hell is there not more of them revenants.

>Just Proceed.

Honorable intentions, and all that.

>>49210831
I suspect there are a number of them, which is whom the rebels have rallied around - the straw figures Fetch heard reference to, carried to identify themselves to the revenants.

>>49210859
And, evidently, to hide their undeath.

>>49211684
Talismans. Of course.

Called, writing.

> We don't vote to stalk the guy

I'm surprised.

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>>49210483
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Am6iIqPXHY

You consider sending Fetch to follow the revenant and discard the idea as fast as it appears. If Fetch got caught the undead creature wouldn't appreciate the breach of trust, and in any event it's a revenant. If it says it's after the Lush, you're gonna go ahead and believe it. You cross the road as quickly as possible and press on.

You're noticing more and more harpies are landing in Quickling Grove. When you and your companions - now including Eric and Broken Tooth - dismount and sneak towards the trees, you can make out the sound of an argument. Quickling Grove is large - one of the largest single places in the Cornucopia - with a dizzying variety of fruit-bearing trees from all places and climes, growing in stark defiance of the ambient conditions. The human workers of the Grove are hidden inside shacks, storehouses, wagons, well away from the screeching of the harpies that disrupts the peace and echoes off of the trees.

"What's going on?" you ask.

"There's a debate," Broken Tooth says, listening in. "...Between Red Song and Raking Swoop. It's about me."

You and your compatriots press yourselves against the trees near the clearing where the harpies nest. Most of them are in the branches, watching their two leaders circle each other with angry expressions.

"We have /orders/," Raking Swoop snaps.

"Hang our orders!" Red Song shouts back. "Piercing Cry's /missing/. She could be the captive of the resistance or worse. When she joined my murder I made her the same promise I made everyone else, to help keep her safe."

"Don't /bullshit/ me!" Raking Swoop screeches. "Killing Dive gets shot and you don't take revenge because 'that's war' but the moment a nice piece of tail gets captured -"

"I AM NOT TRYING TO FUCK HER, YOU JEALOUS WITCH!"

> Intervene
> Let it happen

>>49214908
> Let it happen

>>49214908
>Other: Consult with cry
You know these birds how do you see this playing out, should we stop them?

>>49214908
>> Intervene
We should probably head off the harpy debate, since we do kind of want these people as allies.

>>49214908
> Shout: "JUST FUCK ALREADY!"

Hey, I know Vox answered questions about harpy mating habits/marriage before. Something about them not usually being monogamous or something? Anyone know where the hell it is?

>>49214908
Either

this>>49215270
or

this>>49215430

>>49214908
>Other: Consult with Cry

>>49214908
> Intervene DRAMATICALLY

Have Sir Fetch announce us.

>>49216469
Yes

>>49214908
My guess, Raking Swoop is tsundere for Red Song. Maybe it's because of Amy and Hunting Talon, but something tells me that angry arguments transitioning into hate-sex is a standard thing among harpies.

Try to confirm with Piercing Cry, then maybe
> Intervene
By shouting "JUST FUCK ALREADY!"

>>49216469
>>49216816
>>49214908

> Thirding this.

>>49214908
>This>>49216859
I think it combines the best.

>>49214908
>>Other: Consult with Cry
she should have a better handle on the situation here.

>>49214908
>> Intervene
I feel like this would give us a little more respect and also a little of the surprise factor to help tell them our master plan without them murdering us on the spot. Also I find the "JUST FUCK ALREADY!" gag too fitting, though I'd be fine if we didn't go that route.

To those voting to ask cry about what to do remember how harpies are more "act now because you feel like it" and not so much the "think about it till you know whats going on" types.

>>49214908
>Other: Consult with Cry
the shouting "JUST FUCK ALREADY", while amusing, seems distinctly out of place in the middle of an actual mission.

>>49214908
>Intervene.
Ah, harpy debates. Truly the world would be a more just and happy place if this was how our leaders conversed. Plus, we'd know when they actually meant business. Because, y'know, they'd be personally bludgeoning the ones responsible for causing the problem.

Although he was undeniably insane, I'd love to bring Andrew Jackson back from the dead, just to watch him beat the fear of God back into the US government.

>>49216859
Can you imagine the kind of hate-sex between a lamia and harpy? It would be like a Kaiju battle, complete with explosions and laser beams.

>>49214908
> Intervene

> Have Fetch announce us and ignore their previous argument, as is polite.

>>49215649
I say both of these. then just have Fetch walk out for our introduction >>49216469

>>49217602
If it wasn't harpies maybe.

>>49218371
... this.

Okay so the good news is the hospital got rid of the gut pain.

Bad news is, there was a hospital.

I'm gonna hit bed, I'll update when I wake up.

>>49220744
Oh no! Take care Vox!

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>>49220744
Vox, are we gonna need to have the tooth talk again?

>>49220744
There you go! Glad you're well now!

>>49214908
>> Intervene

Bump for the lich sleep.

>>49210483
>"A revenant," you agree. "Someone who died without his revenge."

... Um, the Lush has a necromancer on staff, right? So, he should know about revenants, along with all the other nasty stuff that starts to pile up when you have a shit-ton of really serious regret. On top of that, the Diviner more or less deliberately created some by creating the right conditions.

A death of madness and suffering, the kind of suffering he deliberately creates. I mean, he needs it for his Drink, and I imagine actual death adds an extra kick, but... Unless the revenants also continuously generate suffering (something I'm not sure they do given that they're dead, but then he could wring the despair out of Lora, so....) he's essentially creating undead kill suicide squads interested solely in killing him and his troops.

He has to have foreseen this, right? His whole deal has been scary competency. Even if he gets a little more Drink for each revenant on the floor, it's a shit trade if they start destroying the morale of his own troops and picking them off by attrition.

There's an active insurgency here, which is good to see. But a competent commander, like the Lush is supposed to be, knows that the best way to deal with an insurgency is to eliminate the problems that cause it.

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>>49220744
...

Alright guys, place your bets.

>>49221886
I think part of it is due to the fact that the Lush WANTS to die in a blaze of glory. He wants to have his name written in history and he doesn't care how it happens.

>>49222017
Then he shouldn't do it in a hole in the fucking ground.

>>49221886
So...the Lush is like Thanos from marvel? Just trying to get his murder suicide for death herself.

>>49222025
Well he can't go out, can he? He's chained there and if he drops the chain, he doesn't get his name in the history books.

>>49221886
>the Lush has a necromancer on staff, right? So, he should know about revenants
I dont think Lushy pays his necro to inform him of such things

>>49222073
Eh, Thanos is irredeemably evil, but also terrifically insane. So murdering entire species and burning their worlds is basically his version of love notes and bon-bons.

The Lush though? Being the last son of a dying race does not excuse being an arrogant, hedonistic, pain-worshiping asshole.

>>49221886
What if he's expecting to die and getting sloppy because it's just harder to make himself care?

>>49222324
He probably is a nihilist, and decided that the only point to life was to force every last ounce of temporal pleasure out of it as you could, and that the price (death, destruction, etc.) was worth the reward. It helps that he started off as a hedonist with a taste for fine things.

The scarier part is HOW THE FUCK DID DICK FIND THESE FUCKING PEOPLE HOLY SHIT. I'd have been less surprised if they were native to the Dungeon, since it's like a goddamn Mecca of the unusual, but they weren't. So /what the actual fuck/. He's like the talent scout from Hell.

>>49222724
Nate's mom helped Dick find him and unlock his potential.

>>49222724
I've brought this up before, but it's still fucking ridiculous.

The amount of people /capable/ of learning the Divine Tongue without exploding themselves could probably be counted on one hand, and he just so happens to pluck one from some random... academy, I think? I don't remember.

Natalia was probably struggling before, but I bet she wasn't as bad off until a certain someone pushed her over the edge with DESTINY bullshit.

Then there's the Baron's Loyalty, wherever he found a master-craftsman capable of making gear-grinders in large numbers, convincing the asocial and amoral Diviner to work with him, and of course, who can forget the fucking Wyrm.

I'd say something about the literal ghost ship, but he summoned that. So, the question there is how he managed to take their /captain/ hostage.

Dick's bullshit in a really scary way.

>>49223340
Wyrm is native to the dungeon I think, it may have been implied so, as a thing dumped into it like the god killing spear.

>>49223848
I'm really interested in finding out why the Wyrm signed up with Dick.

>>49225348
Rebelling against Lora like a petulant child

>>49225463
Probably this

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>>49222724
Called, writing.

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>>49214908
On the one hand, this is hilarious. On the other hand, you got your fair share of schadenfreude earlier and this is no time to get greedy.

<Fetch, would you be so kind as to announce us?>

<Yes, my queen.>

Your familiar walks, formally, into the clearing and makes a noise that you're pretty sure is him trying to imitate clearing your throat. Red Song and Raking Swoop miss him entirely, as do the observing harpies.

So he tries again. Some of the harpies in the branches notice and point. One tries to get Red Song's attention but he and his mate are circling with angry eyes and miss Fetch entirely.

So he crows, like a rooster greeting the dawn.

"My mistress, Brianna la Croix, requests your attention," Sir Fetch announces into the silence that follows. You step out and tip your hat, then gesture for Broken Tooth. She emerges with a wry expression on her face.

"Piercing Cry, you're alive!" Red Song says, visibly relieved.

"You don't have to act so relieved," Raking Swoop mutters.

"Would you two just fuck already?" you snap. "I've come a very long way to talk to you and your love life is at the very bottom of my priority list. /You/, her eyes are up there. /You/, if you can't trust him, why is he your mate? Happy? Good."

You gain an uncomfortable awareness of the number of harpies at convenient diving distance, but Broken Tooth comes to your rescue.

"We have been betrayed," she tells her leaders, making sure to make eye contact with both. She settles her gaze on Raking Swoop and you're not sure if it's an appeasement or a challenge, but the harpy woman seems to appreciate it. "The allies of the Lush attacked the Roost, murdering our kin and taking their wings from their backs. The pact is broken."

There is a flurry of chirping and bird noises, which Red Song arrests with a brief screech. "How do you know this?"

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>>49227414
"My father told me," Broken Tooth says quietly. "This necromancer's allies and companions helped fight off the invaders. We owe them a debt."

Raking Swoop takes a few awkward steps forward. She examines the wound in Broken Tooth's shoulder with a professional eye, and then nods and looks to you. "What can we do to repay this debt?"

"You don't -" Nathan starts, only to shut up when you hold your cane in front of his face.

> Leave this place and take as many civilians as you can carry with you. I'll signal the Reverend to open the doors
> Can you clear those bats out of the sky, and anything else nasty flitting about?
> I need a volunteer to track the Lush's necromancer for me. Sir Fetch will assist with coordination.
> How do you feel your odds are on taking out the gate to the caverns where they grow the mushrooms, and liberating the border farms?
> Write-in? (Please be reasonable)

Pls no multivote. Pls. /Pls/.

>>49227535
>Can you clear those bats out of the sky, and anything else nasty flitting about?
Blind the Necromancer and he'll send things to come looking, hopefully.

>>49227535
Vox...you know saying don't multi vote is just going to egg them on harder right?

>>49227535
>> How do you feel your odds are on taking out the gate to the caverns where they grow the mushrooms, and liberating the border farms?

Is this actually a question or a DO THIS option? Because I only want to ask the question.

>>49227535
>> Can you clear those bats out of the sky, and anything else nasty flitting about?
I wannna do evac civvies; but it's hard to be sure we're not liberating a spy or a sleeper or an informant just yet.

>>49227535
>> Can you clear those bats out of the sky, and anything else nasty flitting about?

>>49227535
>> Can you clear those bats out of the sky, and anything else nasty flitting about?
have them do things we are unable to do
> Leave this place and take as many civilians as you can carry with you. I'll signal the Reverend to open the doors
> I need a volunteer to track the Lush's necromancer for me. Sir Fetch will assist with coordination.
> How do you feel your odds are on taking out the gate to the caverns where they grow the mushrooms, and liberating the border farms?
all the things!

>>49227901
seconding ALL THE THINGS!

>>49227656
's definitely along the lines of 'this is what I'd like done'.

>>49227535
>> Can you clear those bats out of the sky, and anything else nasty flitting about?

And now Gainful Employment, until just after midnight or so. Votes remain open.

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

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>49227535
While I do think asking them what their capabilities are is a good idea I think realistically the way they can be useful and have a decent chance of success is probably.
> Can you clear those bats out of the sky, and anything else nasty flitting about?
We take those out using the harpies and the lush loses both his recon and rapid response.

>>49227535
>>> Can you clear those bats out of the sky, and anything else nasty flitting about?
Fuck bats

>>49227535
>> Can you clear those bats out of the sky, and anything else nasty flitting about?
The Lush is gonna have a lot more trouble on his hands if he can't get good intel. Getting people out safely is tempting also, but it's just too prone to casualties if the Lush spots the escaping civilians and sends his cavalry to intercept them.

>>49229592
But we have his lizards. Don't we?

>>49227535
>How do you feel your odds are on taking out the gate to the caverns where they grow the mushrooms, and liberating the border farms?
At the very least this is intelligence gathering even if they CAN'T help us; that would give us "rescue the civilians and get out" as an option.

>>49230227
I'm working on the assumption that some of his cavalry may have been out on patrol at the time. We certainly have /most/ of them.

>>49227535
>> Can you clear those bats out of the sky, and anything else nasty flitting about?
We already took away much of his cavalry (and made it our own) to deny quick responses to our actions. Take away his eyes so he can't see where we move, and he'll have to consolidate his forces tightly to maintain control. His remaining cavalry will need to be dispersed to relay the status of his outposts, leaving him little to counter our advances with.

Surrender becomes a more viable option for remaining soldiers, since the Lush can neither see nor stop desertions anymore beyond some well-placed sleepers, but numbers alone should see most soldiers overcome them.

Perhaps he abandons everything but his capital. He'd be a tough nut to crack, but we'd control enough to alleviate our supply issues, and we could bring more forces to bear in time.

We still need to make Lora that gumbo.

We need something to discuss.

Like setting Brooks up with someone! But who? Crashes Often could be interesting if she likes priestly DILFs.

>>49232522
We'd need a long enough time frame with her to make it

>>49233294
restless, anon?

>>49233294
>something to discuss.
experiment ideas for figuring out what Silence's charms do?

Home. Will call and write in a bit.

>>49233294
We could start coming up with baby names for Brianna, Amy and Nate's future children!

I vote naming the first daughter after Grandma Madeline.

>>49235900
Another potential daughter/son name is Azzy. Short for our favorite embodiment of entropy itself.

>>49235956
>Son named Elliot.
>Daughter named Madeline.
>Second daughter named Caroline.
Hmmm, what else...Did we ever learn the names of Brianna's parents?

Called, writing.

I have https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7CUOa7wsd0 stuck in my head and it's making writing this scene fucking difficult.

I gotta hit bed after this update, will make new thread in morning.

>>49236531
Not a bad song, but holy crap, five seconds of that and I can see what you mean. Like an alien parasite than wants to lay its eggs in your cerebellum.

>>49236531
I don't know how to deal with your meme living sometimes, Vox. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST86JM1RPl0

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>>49227535
You lower your cane, assured that Nathan isn't going to interrupt you by saying something unhelpfully selfless. Now is not the time or place for that, which is why he's the Hero and you're not.

"Can you clear the skies out for me?" you ask. "I know there's not many of you; I won't ask you to fight the Lush's soldiers for me. But having those bats gone would be a boon, and anything else he has in the air."

"There's that demon of his," Broken Tooth mutters.

"The taster?" you ask.

"The fuck is a taster?" Raking Swoop asks. "No, it's one of those cat-headed shapeshifting pieces of shit. He turns into a roc and joins our patrols sometimes. I'd love a piece of him."

".../If/ you kill him, he has to die for real," you tell her.

"I can make that happen," Broken Tooth promises. "I'm not the daughter of a priest for nothing. And the Roost is full of lore on how to kill your enemies so they don't come back, mainly because otherwise we'd be overrun with them."

"I cannot express enough how much that demon must /never make it back to Hell/," you stress.

Broken Tooth looks into your eyes, then nods. "I understand."

"This is your will?" Red Song asks.

"It is," you agree.

"We will make our preparations immediately," Raking Swoop tells you. "And then we must go and see to our own, in the Roost."

"I'll tell them to keep an ear open for you," you agree.

Your bell chimes - the code for the Roost - and you take it out and answer it. "La Croix."

"Hatchet," comes the answer. "The goods have been delivered. Natalia's attending to them now."

"One moment," you say to both him and the harpies, before you move away from the group to have your conversation in something more like privacy. "The evidence?" you ask, softly.

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>>49237821
"Delivered, along with a written accounting of how it was gathered. The Diviner investigated the matter, and demons were employed to steal the evidence in question. The Librarian had originally intended to buy you off the way the Poet attempted to, but changed his mind."

"I imagine he did, after seeing what happened when Lisa and Brigette tried the same," you note. "...Do you think it's legitimate?"

"I don't know for certain, though Natalia promised she'd check it," Hatchet answers. "But the story checks out. And having known geargrinders in my time...they have trouble making bad deals. The idea of breaking a contract never really occurs to them unless someone else does it first."

"Mm."

"This is important to you, isn't it," Hatchet says. It's not exactly a question. "Important enough that you took a deal with your enemy to get it. Something you really, truly desired to have, even if you couldn't name that want to yourself."

"What are you getting at?" you ask.

"I want to know what you'll do with it," Hatchet asks.

> I'm going to find out why they did this to me, and then destroy everything they gained from it.
> I don't know. And I can't stop thinking about it.
> I'm going to expose their names and crimes to the world.
> ...No. I don't want to go down the paths knowing this will lead me down. Burn it, Hatchet. Burn it and scatter the ashes.
> Write-in?

>>49237618
Meme living? What do you mean?

Also, if you're gonna rickroll someone it pays not to try it on a site where you can preview the video without clicking on it.

>>49237848
> I don't know. And I can't stop thinking about it.
But right now, I need to focus on what's in front of me, the Lush. So when this gets done, I can look through it and decide. So keep it secret, keep it safe.

>>49237853
>Write In
>While I would LIKE to expose their names and crimes to the world....I'd want to know WHY first. THEN I would like to make a decision. Because if someone worked so hard to plan this out, there's a reason beyond the normal hate for necromancers behind it. The normal hate doesn't account for so much collateral damage.

>>49237848
>> I don't have the luxury of time to think about it now. I knew I wanted this information and such deals do not come dime a dozen, so I took it. Once I have more time for myself I'll think about it.

>>49237821
Holy shit we got a demon down, HOW MANY DOES THAT FUCKER HAVE?!

>>49237963
Seconding this.

>>49238000
Lora mentioned he had several.

>>49238000
We knew that he had several and that they all should be killed completely rather than just banished.

>>49238000
Three Raks and the Taster, all know the secrets of The Drink

>>49238000
He obviously has his Taster and the Rakshasa's that make his Drink, but considering his hedonism and cunning, I'm surprised there aren't more. Though that does make me interested in just what he's offering that the Secondborn would want. Besides the obvious, of course.

Also, trips witnessed. WITNESS!!

>>49237963
Seconding.

Also, I'd like everyone to consider something; we are, ultimately, on an adventure, an Odyssey, to quite literally save the world from destruction. And when we are done, NO ONE IS GOING TO BELIEVE US.

Oh, sure, there's the Gods and other such folks who're privy to all the information. But to everyone else? We're just some plucky Heroes who don't stoop to murderhoboing. We start spouting shit about Death being enslaved and a mad genius plotting the world's end, and we'll be laughed out of town.

>>49237853
Vox . . . . That's Tears for Fears. You faggot.

The original singers of the song.

You faggot.

>>49237848
>>> I don't have the luxury of time to think about it now. I knew I wanted this information and such deals do not come dime a dozen, so I took it. Once I have more time for myself I'll think about it.

I like this.

>>49238269
The LaCroix are kind of used to that. Most people can't see or touch ghosts, remember. So when they fix 'haunts' no one believes them there, either.

>>49238269
Remember when we forced the Duchess to co-parent a half-angel along with the head of one of the Angelic Choirs?

Pretty sure we're flying high-profile on this one.

>>49238507
Technically that was River.

>>49237848
>> I don't know. And I can't stop thinking about it.

We need to know. That doesn't mean we know what we're going to do with the knowledge, but we /need/ to know.

Bump.

>>49237848
> I'm going to expose their names and crimes to the world.

>>49237848
Kind of an important turning point for Hatchet, maybe, given his situation?

> First of all, I didn't take a deal to get this. I would have protected the innocent gear grinders just as I would any other innocent.

> But the dead deserve Justice. Not revenge, because that won't bring them back. But to ensure that the people who would do such things, and sacrifice others for their own gain, don't profit from it.

> I'm going to find out why they did this to me, and then destroy everything they gained from it.

>>49237848
>I just need to read it, to learn why it was done. I've wanted to find out for so long and it has been eating away at my life to be in the dark. I can't tell you what I'll do after I read it. For all I know it really was an accident or unintended side effect. Hatchet, that evidence will change my past and my future too, I might be a different person then the one who answered your question and the answer next time might be different too.

>>49240336
What if they gained land to raise their children?

We don't know what they gained. Intel>action.

>>49237963
>While I would LIKE to expose their names and crimes to the world....I'd want to know WHY first. THEN I would like to make a decision. Because if someone worked so hard to plan this out, there's a reason beyond the normal hate for necromancers behind it. The normal hate doesn't account for so much collateral damage.

For all we know, it could've been an accident. Negligence, perhaps. Or maybe just someone doing something dumb that cascaded out of control. Maybe it was just a simple little contract that someone was duped into accepting, and they're racked with guilt over the destruction and loss of life they created. Maybe it was a relative of someone Aunt Carol killed who decided to seek revenge any way they could.

We're still probably going to turn the notes over to somebody else to investigate while we're down here, but the important thing is to learn from this experience and find out why.

>>49237848
>I don't know. And I can't stop thinking about it.
>Write-in?
>"Maybe... Maybe I just want to find out why."

>>49237963
Supporting.
>>Write In
>>While I would LIKE to expose their names and crimes to the world....I'd want to know WHY first. THEN I would like to make a decision. Because if someone worked so hard to plan this out, there's a reason beyond the normal hate for necromancers behind it. The normal hate doesn't account for so much collateral damage.

>>49237848
>>>Write In
>>>While I would LIKE to expose their names and crimes to the world....I'd want to know WHY first. THEN I would like to make a decision. Because if someone worked so hard to plan this out, there's a reason beyond the normal hate for necromancers behind it. The normal hate doesn't account for so much collateral damage.

I'm alive. I'ma take a shower while this thread dies, then write the new one. After that I need to Prevent Homelessness and then head to a friend's house; updates may be slow.

I kinda want to run this setting in Fate but I'm not sure how to model the magic.

Still open for questions, votes, discussion, fan content, I don't wanna leave this thread up y'all.

Is auto sage at 315 or 310? I can never remember

>>49243850
310.

SO now we have just 2 posts to go.

>>49243731
no

>>49243859
No posts now.

Called, writing.

>>49243045
It's Fate. It runs on bullshitting. Why would you need to model anything?

>>49244064
Because it does not in fact run solely on bullshitting. The game does have actual rules, y'know.

>>49244156
I know. I've played. But since everything basically works the same, given reasonable applicability/bullshitting to the task you want to accomplish, I'm trying to figure out what would require modelling.

NEW THREAD

>>49244258
>>49244258
>>49244258
>>49244258