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/qst/ - Quests


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGj1GCcJOrk

The night is still dark as the stallion – Suna, the girl had called him – gallops through the swirling dust clouds back towards the oasis with heavy, grunting breaths. He is small, but fast, and demonstrates impressive endurance even carrying two people. You suspect Kiyya’s tribe has invested many generations breeding mounts that can survive in this wasteland. You will need his strength to run these beasts down and return to your brother before the hospitality of his hosts spoils.

Your thoughts turn to Dorje, whom you left behind in the Gnollish camp. You know that no course of action left to you was a safe one, but are tormented by the possibility you left him at risk. Your memories are incomplete, but your instincts – carved deeper in your mind than any memory – warned you not to trust them, not to display weakness to them. Would they grow impatient, and take Dorje a slave as they had the other two humans in their camp? There was no way to know for certain. What you did know was that without a guide, this desert would be many times more dangerous to you than it already was. You needed knowledge, and answers.

Scrubby trees come into view as make the final push back to the oasis just in time. At the edge of the world, the eastern horizon had begun to glow an ominous fiery orange, chasing the stars from view. Soon, the sun would rise again, and send life scurrying into the crevices and shadows to escape it. Kirari seems to have had the same thoughts as yours.

“Sandcats, like everything else in this place, are nocturnal hunters. They will be sleeping during the day, or at the least conserving themselves,” she says over your shoulder as she tightens her grip around your waist. “I doubt we will find them in their lair after killing one of them so recently – we will have to track them.”

“I know. It will be easier to track them in their new refuge during the day, perhaps catch them unaware. The desert heat will be against us, though...”

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

>Hunt the sandcats through the day
>Wait until nightfall to hunt the sandcats
>Do something else at the oasis
>Write-in
>>
>>145671

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ignoble_dark
Questions: http://ask.fm/Ignoble_dark
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=laughing+dog

>Voting

Most posts will be narrative, with the player and QM working together to create a worthy story. Every post will provide at least one might-based, nobility-based, and artifice-based avenue if applicable to the situation, and write-ins are both permitted and encouraged. Players vote for their preferred option, with majority determining the final choice. However, in the case of especially critical events, called “trials,” fate will be given its due through the roll of dice.

>Trials

During trials, after the majority have chosen a course of action, the QM will then roll 1d10, add the player’s relevant Aspect (Might, Nobility, or Artifice), and add any relevant bonuses from items or context. If the resulting sum meets the trial’s threshold, the player succeeds. If the sum falls short of the threshold, the player fails. For each margin of 3 the player exceeds or fails the threshold by, the outcome will be more severe (either positive or negative). Poor rolls by players in combat trials are assigned as enemy hits.

The thresholds for each trial are known only by the QM, and are different for every option. Depending on the situation, one option or another will probably be easier than the others. Sneaking past the elite palace guard will be easier than fighting all of them. Killing the feral tribe of cannibals is probably easier than talking them down diplomatically. This could change, of course, if the player is particularly proficient with one Aspect and deficient in another. Perhaps your Artifice is so bad that Might is the better option for getting past those palace guard, after all. Players should consider which approach is most likely to succeed given both the context of the trial and the character’s own skillset.

>Criticals

A trial roll of 10 that passes the threshold is a critical success, and reaps additional benefits. Conversely, a 1 that fails the threshold is a critical failure, and has additional consequences. A 10 that fails to beat the threshold still fails, but the player receives some accommodation, insight, or unforeseen benefit in the attempt. Likewise, a 1 that passes the threshold succeeds, but with a minor hiccup or unforeseen complication.

>Damage

Damage dealt by an enemy is equal to half its Might score (rounding down), and is applied to a character’s weapons and armor first. Once all weapons and armor are damaged, excess damage is assigned to a random Aspect (M, N, or A) by rolling 1d3. That Aspect is permanently reduced by this damage until it is repurchased with XP. Should any Aspect reach 0, the character is crippled and incapacitated until 1 week of medical attention restores the first dot of each Aspect. If any Aspect falls below 0, the character suffers death.
>>
>>145671
Good to see you

>Refill the water skins
>Hunt the sandcats through the day

We're human, we can take the heat and it will be an easier hunt with them tired and hopefully unawares
>>
>>145671
>Wait until nightfall to hunt the sandcats
Also refill
>>
Fuck yeah let's do this thang.

>>145687
backing
>>
Rolled 5 + 3 (1d10 + 3)

>>145687
>>145696

"We will return to our camp by the water's edge, refill our skins and water the horse. We can pick up their trail and find them during the day."

You know the heat will be oppressive, but you want this task done as soon as possible. Having your party divided as it was made you uncomfortable, and the sooner this was done, the sooner you would be reunited.

You pull up the reins as Suna trots into the grasses around the water, letting Kirari dismount first. She fills your waterskin and leads the stallion to the far edge of the watershed where it is least likely to be noticed.

In the meantime, you return to the scene of your skirmish with the cats, finding the dry blood in the dirt where you killed one of them. Kneeling low, you begin to uncover their trail...

(1d10+3 Artifice)
>>
Rolled 6 + 3 (1d10 + 3)

>>145728
>>
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>>145728

It is not so simple as you had hoped. You find the path through the grasses they used to retreat easily enough, but the softer sands have shifted through the night just enough to make progress slow. Several times, you have to backtrack and begin again. If the wind kicked up as it did two nights past...

Kirari joins you in time, carrying Dorje's spear in place of her sling.

"We have the water, which means it is only a matter of time until we find them. Even so, I don't want to be here longer than a day."

"I know, Keje. Just be careful - we were lucky to down one so easily last time. We shouldn't underestimate any predator that can survive in this wilderness."

You nod in silent agreement, and look eastward to see he disc of the sun now rising over the earth...

(Kirari's tracking roll: 1d10+3A)

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

>Continue tracking together
>Split up, cover ground more quickly
>Find another strategy (Write-in)

>>145739
(I got the rolls, just need some time to write each post)
>>
Rolled 2 + 3 (1d10 + 3)

>>145745

(aaaaand then I forget the options field, again. QM rookie ftw)

This is Kirari's roll
>>
>>145745
>Continue tracking together

We don't want to be apart if we come across them and we don't have any bait for them
>>
>>145745
>Continue tracking together
yeah, don't underestimate them
>>
>>145745
>Continue tracking together
Definitely don't split up, but we do need to do this quickly. Would it be possible to bait the creatures with some of our meat? Set up some sort of trap?
>>
>>145758

This might be preferable once we close the distance, unless we catch them asleep.
>>
>>145787
agreed
>>
>>145745
>Continue tracking together
>>
Rolled 4, 8 = 12 (2d10)

>>145752
>>145755
>>145758

"You are right, we should not risk dividing ourselves further," you agree with her.

The sun has now climbed higher in the sky, and the heat begins to wash over you. You are strong yet, but fatigue will take its toll if you continue to make progress so slowly.

The sandcats seem to have circled the oasis cautiously for a time, but departed deeper into the wild - probably when the Gnollish hunters arrived. You redouble your efforts, looking for the slightest disturbances left in the soft earth.

(1d10+Artifice for both you (+3 for your A, +1 for Kirari's help). It is now 11 am)

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

>Continue tracking together
>Split up
>Set a trap
>Write-in
>>
>>145808
>Set a trap
>>
>>145808
>Continue tracking together

We can set a trap when we're closer to their lair, that way we choose the landscape for the fight
>>
why the fuck is there a thread 4 when number 3 is sitting there with 100 replies on the same page?
>>
>>145808
>Continue tracking together
no reason to set a trap in the middle of nowhere while the beasts sleep

imo the best moment to do that would be before sundown or before sunrise and near their lair, that'd give them the opportunity to fall into it before they hunt or after an unsuccessful one
>>
>>145823
>>145812
exactly, the trap would be a much better idea after sundown. I realized that almost immediately after posting.

>continue tracking together
>>
Rolled 14, 13 = 27 (2d20)

>>145830
>>145823
>>145812

You continue tracking through the heat, which silences even the sound of insects around you. sweat covers your backs, but neither of you are spent yet. If you could survive 20 miles barefoot across this terrain and still survive that storm, you are confident one day of hunting in this heat won't fell you.

There - some sand yet undisturbed by the wandering winds, leading northwest. You wave Kirari over, and she falls into pace with you. Spears ready, you progress further...

(Rolling 1d10+A for each of you, Keje then Kira)
>>
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Rolled 3, 4 = 7 (2d10)

>>145844

(...christ, d20s...ok, 14 is good enough)

As you stalk further, you hear something - the slightest sound of weight displacing dust. Closing your eyes, you listen more closely...with sudden clarity, you realize you are not hunting them...you are being hunted.

"Kira!" you call, too late.

The alpha sandcat and its mate leap from the rocks behind you, moving to pounce on both of you at once. You turn your spear to them, but they are fast, and have the element of surprise.

Kirari is separated from you as the cats herd you apart, moving away from your thrusts and then trying to get in closer to pull you from your feat or throw you down to the ground...

(rolling M for each of you, 1d10+8 for Keje and 1d10+5 for Kira)
>>
>>145854
welp
>>
Rolled 4, 8 = 12 (2d10)

>>145854

You are lunge at the beast, trying to skewer its center of mass, but the agile predator deftly evades you and, before you can raise your guard again, closes the distance enough to strike with its clawed paws. You feel hot, stinging pain as it tears into the flesh of your leg, almost dropping you to your knees.

Kira screams as she too is struck, though her weapon is still up and she is not pinned.

(Rolling again, you have each taken 3 damage to your armor and weapons.)
>>
Rolled 1 + 5 (1d10 + 5)

>>145854
>>
Rolled 2 + 5 (1d10 + 5)

>>145861

You swipe again at the alpha sandcat, grazing its shoulder. The animal shakes off the light wound, though, and once again lunges for you, this time snapping your spear in its jaws. You take the sharpened end of the sundered weapon and desperately use it to keep the creature at a distance, but it knows it has you, snarling in rage and hunger.

Just as it coils its muscles, readying for the pounces that will ground you on your back, Kirari's spear sails through the air and lodges itself into the beast's flank, making it recoil in surprise and pain.

Seizing the chance, you lunge forward with your own speartip...
>>
Rolled 1 (1d3)

>>145877

...and fail to pierce its vital areas. It snarls at you, sinking its teeth into your arm and making you cry in pain (take 3 more damage, to be resolved after).

Its strike on you has left Kirari to run forward and grab her own spear, still lodged in the creature's flank. Driving a final thrust, she pushes it farther into the animal's ribs, piercing its heart and sendign it to the ground lifeless at last.

When the beast stops twitching, Kirari runs to your side and examines your injuries.

(rolling 1d3 for which stat is damaged)
>>
>>145900
Well, that was a fucking mess.
>>
>>145900

Your arm is wounded severely, enough that she has to sling it for you.

"You will survive, but we have to get you back soon," Kirari says, binding the claw-shaped gashes.

"Harvest the pelts now. We have what we came for..." you say, each word a struggle.

Kirari obeys, skinning the animals with your dagger as the midday sun rises directly overhead. The two animals had nearly killed you both, and had succeeded in destroying your weapons and ravaging your primitive armor. You can scarcely believe how powerful they were.

(-3 Might)

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

>Return to Oasis and rest, hike back to Gnolls at night
>Back to Gnolls now
>Write-in
>>
>>145923
Get back now. Animal mouths are filthy, and we should medicate the wound somehow.
>>
>>145923
>Return to Oasis and rest, hike back to Gnolls at night
>>
>>145923
>Return to Oasis and rest, hike back to Gnolls at night

>>145927
well there's probably a few leftovers in the medical sack Kirari brought... i hope
>>
>>145932

Backing this.

We're sure having a tough couple days here. Hopefully once we free the other humans we can get back to friendly territory.

Is anyone else getting the vibe that we're a thousand years old or some shit?

We woke up in an ancient church, and the humans don't seem to speak our language, which I'm sure used to be common around here
>>
>>145946
we totally are, and that chick who owns the horse is a descendant of our tribe
>>
>>145932
>>145935

"You are not fit to travel in this heat with these wounds untreated. Let me take you back to the oasis, bind you properly, then we can travel through the night."

You consider it, though the knives of pain make concentrating difficult. Finally, you relent, humble enough to know your own limits. "Very well."

You help Kirari as best you can with one good arm as she skins the animals. You notice that she did not escape being wounded, either, three red cuts like rivers are carved into her lower leg. It doesn't seem to be slowing her down as much as you, however.

It takes two hours, but you skin the beasts and leave their husks to bake in the sun, no doubt to be devoured by whatever other monsters lurk just out of vision in these wilds.

By the time you return to the water and the shade of the mountains the toll of pain and heat fatigue has worn you nearly to your limit. Kirari has you sit in the shade of the rocks, near the shrine, and uses the last of her medical supplies you so painstakingly bartered for on your open wounds.

You blink a few times...and awaken at nightfall. You look about you, disbelieving. Had you really slept through the entire day?

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

>Find Kirari, time to go
>Make another pass around the oasis for forage
>Check the shrine again
>Write-in
>>
>>145968

>Time to go

Let's not forget our bro is stuck in a gnoll camp at nightfall. And they seemed pretty hungry. Best to hurry home.
>>
>>145968
>Find Kirari, time to go
>>
>>145968
Is the horse still with us?
>>
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>>145973
>>145975

"Kirari?" you all, cradling your slung arm. You pace through your camp, looking for the woman. Why would she leave you?

You stop in place, a strange sensation passing over you like a long shadow. There are eyes watching you...

You turn and see the same specter that disappeared into the dark passageways of the tomb beneath the monastery, that watched you from the distance in the desert. Its dark silhouette sits atop a crag of worn stones, staring down at you with eyes that reflect the moonlight in a pale yellow. Mangy, matted fur is coated slick with inky blackness that seeps down its legs, bleeding out its paws to stain the stones beneath it with a vile shadow. Dangling lifelessly from its jaws is the whispering snake, locked tightly in a drooling vice of fangs.

You try to back away, but you are frozen by its eyes, paralyzed as if under the weight of a night terror. You know this thing is not of this world. “What are you?” you choke out, watching the serpent’s blood drip from the apparition’s maw.
It does not answer you. You notice now the patterns scrawled into its sides. The jagged, intertwining lines you have seen before, painted into your own flesh.
“What do you want with us?”
The Laughing Dog turns its head eastward, perking its ears in the direction of a rising tempest in the distance. You follow its gaze and see a great cloud, like the sandstorm that nearly shredded you to pieces. Instead of howling winds, though, the storm rides upon a chorus of shrieking voices, like the wailing of a million tormented infants. It crawls across the landscape, consuming everything its path...even the sky tears itself into pieces and shatters like glass in a broken mirror. Shards of stars plummet to the earth, breaking into mists of blood and darkness.
It will be upon you. You try to run, but your feet have sunk into the sand...sand that slithers about your ankles. The entire world melts from stone and earth into a carpet of writhing snakes, thin tiny serpents crawling across impossibly coils of reptiles. The mountains themselves twist and deform into coil around you. You sink lower into the thrashing pit, your screams drowned out by a choir of hissing serpents and weeping women. Your hand reaches out for someone – anyone to help you...but there is no one. The last light dies as the cloud rolls over you, burying you in the slithering void...

You gasp as the nightmare departs, sitting up with a start and instinctively reaching for your weapon beside you. It isn’t there – you broke it. Slowly, reality trickles back to you.
“Keje? Are you okay?” Kirari asks seeing you awake with a start. She is loading the furs on Suna’s back, preparing to travel.

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

>I’m fine...let’s be on our way.
>Tell her what you saw
>Write-in
>>
>>145989
>Tell her what you saw
we should leave the horse at the oasis and reach the gnolls on foot

should be easier to haggle with them without that tempting them
>>
>>145989
>Tell her what you saw
We got cut off last time we brought up the doggo, time to see if anyone else is having these visions.
>>
>>146010

No sense keeping it to ourselves. She is a mage of some kind too, maybe she remembers more of the legend?
>>
>>145989
>Tell her what you saw
>>
>>146010
>>146013
>>146018

"I'm fine," you say, standing and wiping sleep from your eyes with your good hand. "Tell me, Kirari...since awakening in that tomb, have you seen anything strange? Anything you can't explain?"

"You mean like snakes that speak men's words, or walking corpses that try to devour you?"

"No. Have you seen anything bizarre in your dreams?" You struggle for words to describe what you mean. "Have your dreams followed you when you awake?"

She looks at you with concern. "I...have seen things when I sleep. Things that don't make any sense."

"Nightmares?"

"No, more real than that. I can feel them happen," she says.

"So do I. And have you seen it? The four-legged creature?"

She looks almost relieved to hear you describe it. "I heard something two nights ago, when we last camped here...a laugh, like from those pets the Gnolls keep. I went to see, and there it was...watching me. Watching us. I thought to call for Dorje, but it was gone when I looked away the next moment. I checked for tracks, but saw none."

You consider this, then tell her the dream you just had. She listens to you, not interrupting as you recount every detail. "You are a priestess, Kirari. What does it mean?"

"I have seen the same dream, Keje. I just thought it meant I was sick. Now, I think something is trying to communicate with us."

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

>Continue conversation (write-in)
>We can discuss this later, for now let's head back
>>
>>146072
>We can discuss this later, for now let's head back
let's save the rest of this for when Dorje is with us
>>
>>146072
>>We can discuss this later, for now let's head back
Great we're both crazy then. Maybe we will luck out and it's a guardian or something nice.
>>
>>146072
>We can discuss this later, for now let's head back

We should ask Dorje if he has seen the same
>>
>>146072
Let's agree to discuss this with Dorje when we get back, check if he shares our visions. Maybe then we can work out some meaning together.
>>
>>146080
>>146087
>>146088
>>146091

"We should see if Dorje has had the same...experiences as us. It is good to know, though, that I am not just "sick" as you put it."

Kirari agrees and finishes packing up the horse. You mount first, then she behind you, and start at a brisk trot back to the Gnollish camp. You fade in and out during the journey several times. The pain has dulled with sleep and the application of Kirari's herbs, but still you are effectively walking wounded. You can only hope that the sacrifice has been worth it, and that the Gnolls will accept the trade of these pelts for their prisoners. If not, you have weakened yourself and destroyed what few weapons you have for naught.

You pass into a daze and then back into reality as the gates of the outpost come into view ahead. The Gnollish sentries peak over their ramparts, ears aloft and eyes bright, then yip and chatter amongst themselves until the gates are opened for you.

Dorje is waiting at the entrance, seemingly unharmed, lifting a great weight of anxiety from your shoulders. The prisoners, too, are still bound where you last saw them.

"Brother, you don't look well," Dorje says, eyeing your injuries.

"I will survive. Has there been any trouble since we left?"

"No, not that I can tell. These Gnolls are curious, I think, but have expressed no malice towards me."

"Good, then let us see if they hold true to their previous bargain."

You dismount and, with Kirari's help, unload the sandcat pelts, presenting them to the outpost's alpha female. She unrolls them and sniffs fervently with her canine nose, growling and yipping to her escorts. Eventually, though, she takes them from you instructs her underlings to release their slaves into your custody.

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

>Stay for the day, if they let you
>Leave now, find a new camp for the day or go back to the oasis
>Converse with the freed prisoners
>Talk to Dorje about the visions
>Write-in
>>
>>146120
>Converse with the freed prisoners
let's see if they know where we should go next... maybe they know of a good spot to rest, or have a hidden stash somewhere
>>
Backing
>>146134
>>
>>146120
>Converse with the freed prisoners
>>
>>146120
Maybe, if it doesn't ruffle any feathers, we explore the camp some? See if there's anything else to see before we leave.
>>
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>>146134
>>146159

The chains are removed from the two slaves, who seem bewildered at first. The young man makes his way over to the three of you and cautiously offers a polite bow of his head, a tenuous, almost smug smile across his face. He says something in a language you do not understand.

The girl, on the other hand, glares at her Gnoll captors with naked belligerence. They return the favor by all but throwing her towards you, roughly depositing her at your feet with a snarl and growl. She shakes it off, though, when Suna, her horse walks over and she begins to talk to it affectionately, placing her hands on his side.

You try the man first. "Can you understand me? Our words? Understand?"

"Words..." he repeats with a thick accent, partially mimicking your voice, as well. "Words...talyeh...strange." He points to himself. "Royt. I...work...words," he says, gesturing to his throat and then writing on his palm with one finger. "Words....time."

"And you, girl? Can you understand us?" you ask the young woman. She pulls her eyes from her horse and regards you, also offering a respectful if bow of her head. "Kiyya. Teme-salai," she points to the markings on your arm. "Kora-thei?"

"Home? Where are your people? Your home?" you ask her.

"Home..." she lowers her voice. "Tel-Amarset. Home."

"The girl is obviously from the desert, the man from the city. I think in time, either can learn our language well enough to converse with us, perhaps even translate," Kirari says.

--------------------
>Ask the man to take you to his home
>Ask the woman to take you to her home
>Stay at the camp
>Return to oasis
>Write-in
>>
>>146206

Let's go to Tel-Amarset. Seems like the girl might be one of our people somehow. The guy is welcome to join us, of course.
>>
>>146206
>Ask the woman to take you to her home
it's probably closer, and there's probably more healing herbs at her village
>>
>>146206
>Mount the alpha female as a show of dominance, rule the gnolls with a naked fist.
(no, no, I joke. not trying to be that guy)

But if our party is really up to 5 people and a horse, in a desert, I say we head back to the oasis, fill up on water and forage, then try to hunt or scavenge something to to trade for supplies if we plan on making another long journey to a different settlement. We really don't have much right now.

btw did the Gnolls keep their prisoner's belongings?
>>
>>146239

(except the horse, which you also bought, yes they did)
>>
>>146206
>Ask the woman to take you to her home
>>
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>>146251
>>146237
>>146234

"The girl communicates with us the most easily, and seems to recognize our people at least in passing. She is our best chance for answers."

"And what about him?" Dorje asks, looking to Royt.

"We can take him with us," you say. "Perhaps he can learn our language more quickly, perhaps we may need him to lead us to whatever settlement he hails from."

"We don't have much left after fighting those sandcats, and now two of you are wounded. Is it wise to head deeper into the desert?" Kirari asks, unsure. "I will of course go, but I fear what might happen if we are beset upon by something else."

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

>We have the girl with us, and she seems to be able to survive out here easily. We can trust her to guide us.
>Reconsider
>Wait a time, recover some strength, then make the journey
>Write-in
>>
>>146283
>Wait a time, recover some strength, then make the journey

local foraging then trade for supplies ftw.
>>
>>146283

"We can trust the girl, more than anyone else. I don't like our odds in a city where we don't speak the language. The girl's seems familiar to some extent. As for the journey, I hope the girl will know the area more than we do."
>>
>>146283
>We have the girl with us, and she seems to be able to survive out here easily. We can trust her to guide us.
>>
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>>146295
>>146297

"If a girl that young can make it on her own out here, I feel confident trusting her. We have enough rations left for two days, and I assume she will know where best to hunt and forage along the way."

Kirari still seems unsure, but she trusts your judgment and raises no further argument. Dorje asks for his spear back, leaving him with the only such melee weapon and Kirari with a sling. It will have to do.

You are about to mount the horse when you remember it isn't actually yours. Or is it? You have technically bought it, and therefore both it and the girl belong to you. No, it would be best to return it to her in good faith...you need allies, especially ones that may know who you are and what has happened to you. You hand the reins to Kiyya, who accepts them gratefully and mounts her stallion.

Two of the Gnolls on the walls snarl down to her, letting out a few barks and brandishing their weapons. She spits in their direction, agitating them further, but the alpha female intervenes before things get nasty. With that, all of you are out the gate and on your way.

*****

You travel through what is left of the night, stopping in the shelter of a sandstone formation that provides some semblance of shade as the sun once again begins to rise.

You dig into your rations - the day-old meat you harvested from the cat not two days ago. Though your food is low, it's water you are more concerned about. You hope Kiyya knows what she is doing, taking you deeper into the terrain and further from the oasis.

As you stop to rest, she talks with Kirari, slowing speaking and trying to parse words. Dorje, likewise, tries to extract some information from Royt.

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

>Converse with Royt
>Converse with Kiyya
>Converse with Dorje and Kirari
>Write-in
>>
>>146363
>Converse with Dorje and Kirari
>>
>>146363
>Converse with Dorje and Kirari
let's continue talking about this dream business
>>
>>146367
>>146378
>backing
Time to get to the bottom of this.
>>
>>146367
>>146378
Supporting. Though really we could talk to all of them, right?
>>
>>146367
>>146378

This first
>>
>>146404
Kiyya could know something, yeah, but it sounds pretty hard to convey for now
>>
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>>146367
>>146378

You summon Dorje and Kirari as the sun passes directly overhead, making even this shade uncomfortable. Kiyya and Royt keep a distance from each other - there is obviously some bad blood between them, but nothing that puts them at each others' throats.

"Dorje, have you seen anything since awakening that troubles you? Anything particularly bizarre?"

He seems unprepared for this question. "Bizarre?"

"Any dreams that feel too real, or times when what's real feels too dreamlike?" Kirari asks, paraphrasing your own words from last night.

He looks troubled for a moment. "I...have. Yes."

"Describe it to us," you tell him.

He draws a deep breath, choosing his words carefully lest he sound mad. "When you left me with the Gnolls...I walked outside the walls a bit. The creatures stink when you are near them too long. I heard something - a laugh. I thought it was one of those filthy pets the Gnolls keep, and thought little of it, but when I turned to head back I saw...something else."

"A Laughing Dog, covered in our markings?" Kirari asks.

"Yes. Carrying a serpent in its mouth."

You and Kirari exchange a look. "And your dreams?" you ask.

"Last night, I saw it again. It was...terrifying. The world ending."

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

>Write-in
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>>146434
well, sounds like we should really investigate the prophecies of our clan, sounds like there's something big coming up
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>>146434
We too have seen that creature and had that dream. It seems we were awoken for a reason.
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>>146434

"I don't know if they're just dreams. I think in some way, our world did end. Let's not forget where we started - in a tomb. Whatever the Laughing Dog is, he has shadowed us from the start, and I don't know what that means. I don't think he's a friend, at any rate."
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>>146472

"We too, have seen this dream. Perhaps we were awakened at this time for a specific reason."

"That does not explain why we were buried in the first place, and by who," Kirari points out. "That temple did not belong to our people. Either we were placed there by others, or we were buried by our own tribe in foreign lands."

You consider this. When you first awoke in your sarcophagus, you remembered the sounds of battle - pain, noise, clamoring steel. All three of you were soldiers - you have ranks, combat roles. That could not be coincidence, could it?

Dorje seems to have been thinking along the same lines. "What kind of people are buried in foreign soil? Casualties. But I cannot say who we were fighting, or for what reason."

"Neither can I," you agree. "And this creature, - which has followed us from the beginning - is it hostile to us?"

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>Write-in
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>>146521

"Not directly hostile at least. It was willing to watch us struggle through the desert at the point of death as well. It seems to be more like a jackal than anything else. Did it awaken us - or is it tracking us because we should be dead? I hope the girl's tribe will know more."
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>>146521
>No
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>>146521
"probably not"
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>>146521
>"It hasn't attacked us so far. But that doesn't mean its intentions for us are good"
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>>146540
>>146536
>>146534

"It has unsettled me, but I'm not sure," Kirari says. Dorje also shakes his head, unsure.

"I can't be certain, but I know it is covered in our markings," you say, showing the tribal tattoos on your good arm. "And these markings, I think, belong to our people. I can't speak plainly for its intentions, but I feel it is connected to us somehow. When we were trapped in the crypt, and I did not know for certain which way to flee, I chose the path this apparition took. That path led me to the false wall that ultimately let us escape."

"Then...it is watching over us, perhaps?" Kirari ventures.

"If these nightmares are its way of 'watching over us', I'd rather it leave us be," Dorje replies.

"Agreed. I don''t think we can know more about it, though, until we uncover more of our history, and learn what has happened to us. Perhaps that will provide the piece we need to understand this creature's designs upon us."

Your conversation is interrupted by a scuffle between Kiyya and Royt, a brief flash of anger that dies down as quickly as it started. Royt just smiles and shakes his head, while Kiyya stares daggers at him as she looks after her horse.


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

>Continue conversation (write-in)
>Continue your journey
>Other (write-in)
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>>146582
>Continue conversation (write-in)
Maybe we reached a point where it is not safe for all and i must go alone from here
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>>146582
try to communicate with Kiyya, and see if you can get an idea of what's between these two
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>>146605

Seconding this and also ask about the trip to her settlement, how long it will take, foraging along the way, etc.
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>>146605

Backing. If nothing else we can practice the two languages they speak.
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>>146582
>>Other (write-in)
Ask the girl how long it will be and where food or water could be.
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>>146605
>>146687
>>146688

You grumble a bit, seeing the altercation. Was this going to be a problem? "Kirari, can you figure out what grudge these two have? We also need to know how long it will be before we find water."

Kirari walks over to Kiyya, speaking slowly and trying to coax meaning from the few words they share. You don't catch much, but you see Kiyya blush a bit and make a squeezing gesture with her hand. Oh.

"Apparently, when they were captured and tied together...he got a bit closer than she liked," Kirari explains. "Nothing serious, I don't think. As for water..." she stammers a bit with Kiyya, who points to the sky and hold up one finger. "One day. She knows were to find some."

A day...you would be uncomfortable, but you could last that long. "Very well."

You spend the remainder of the day resting, the burning in your injured arm slowly numbing itself and fading away. The three of you try to learn some of the words your new friends speak, and discover that Kiyya knows only her native language - that which is closest to your own. Royt knows her language, though not natively. He also seems to know the local trade language...the common tongue.

"Akkaric," he calls it. "Akkaric," pointing to himself, "Imashei," then pointing to Kiyya. "Akkaric, words delah Najjat. NAJJAT," he emphasizes, drawing a city in the dirt.

You point to the map, expanding it with your hands. "More?"
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>>146768

I am going to call it here for tonight, guys. Thanks for playing, I will be back in a couple of days to pick this back up.

Feedback welcome
Ask.fm for questions
Twitter for announcements
Archive for previous stuff

Some advice: review the bits of fable you lore you have recovered in previous threads, and spend XP to get health back. You have 8 XP.
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>>146803

Thanks for running man
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>>146803
thanks for running
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>>146803
Thanks!

Is it 1 to 1 XP for HP?
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>>146890

As it stands it's 2xthe dot in question, so dot 3 = 6 XP. I may change this or change the XP gain rate depending on how frequently the characters get injured, since the aspect dots are both your HP and your stats.
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>>146803
What happened to the items?
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>>151489
Alpha cats fucked our shit
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>>151489

damage you take goes to items first, so they got broken. They can be repaired, but until they are the weapons are useless.



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