File: Family Motto.png (31 KB, 600x700)

31 KB PNG

>>1057114
There is tired muttering amongst the crew. You put your pipe back in your mouth and puff thoughtfully on it, letting them discuss things.

"The ship seems unhappy," Sykes comments into the relative quiet.

"I've noticed it too," you admit. "...I think she needed Reeves more than either of them really thought they did."

"Bastard press-ganged me onto his crew and then just walked away," the one-armed girl says bitterly. A few angry glares are directed her way, but most of the crew seems to agree. "What'd we ever do to make him hate us?"

"...He didn't hate you," you soothe, trying to keep the pity from wringing your breast. "He just...he. He was selfish. He didn't have to hate you to want something else more than he cared for you."

"Fuck you too," the girl says bitterly, but there's no teeth to it; she leans against the sailor next to her and stares down at the wooden deck with a faraway expression.

You look back at Sykes. "I want this to end well for everyone," you tell him, softly. Gently. "Or at least as well as it can considering that I've got crew that are missing bits of themselves that, if we're being honest, are not coming back. When I agreed to be your Captain I made all of you my responsibility. I take that responsibility seriously."

"...You mean that, don't you?" the Chief Gunner asks, though it seems like he already knows the answer. "Why? We're murdering scum, Captain. You hate us."

"I do," you agree. "But you're still my responsibility."

The door to belowdecks opens up, and Rachael steps out. Her eyes are red, her revolver gone like everyone else's, and the look on her face is haggard and drawn.

"Stop talking, Captain," the First Mate tells you, dully. "Where are we going?"

You blink, then decide to just tell her. "We're finding an island to hole up on and discuss things."

"You can probably send the Chosen out to hire a boat to pick us up," Rachael tells you. "Now just...go away."

You look between the crew, Rachael, and your loved ones, and shrug before walking over to Nathan and Amy and sitting down with them.

It's hours past when the witchlights rise back over the water when the lookout shouts that they've sighted land, and you beach /Pallbearer/. Rachael directs the crew to start unloading the ship.

"You have to command it," the First Mate tells you. Her voice, as it has been for hours, is flat and resigned. "Tell the ship to disgorge the Hoard."

"...What's your game here, Rachael?"

Seized by a sudden anger, the First Mate throws her hat overboard, towards the shallows of the Sunless Sea around the island. "I give up, la Croix! That's my game. I'm folding my fucking hand. You win. I'll see to the crew and watch you take away the only thing I have in my life, and I hope that makes you fucking ecstatic, you piece of shit. Command the ship and let's get on with it."

"There's more to do than just empty the ship. The crew needs healing before we just -"

File: 348967594.png (69 KB, 300x162)

69 KB PNG

>>1057172
"Yeah, yeah, I fucking know," Rachael interrupts, bitterly. "...You have to burn the damn thing anyway. None of us could. None of us would dare."

You suck in a breath through your teeth.

> Is this about Reeves?
> I hadn't decided on burning the ship here, Rachael. What if we can't hire another one?
> Just command the ship; if she wants to be petulant about this, that's on her
> What's next for you, Rachael? Where do you see your life going?
> Write-in?

>>1057174
> Is this about Reeves?
Did she love him? Is that why she did a complete 180?

>>1057174
>> Just command the ship; if she wants to be petulant about this, that's on her
I feel kinda bad for her, but whatever we choose, letting them go back to the way things were isn't one of them.
>>1057197
>she did a complete 180?
she's always felt this way, she's just exhausted from the fight, and we threaten to take all she holds dear, all she has left; and we've proven serious about destroying her home.

>>1057174
>> Just command the ship; if she wants to be petulant about this, that's on her

>>1057214
>>1057238

Let's not stoop to her level here.

>>1057197

I think it's more a matter of her seeing the writing on the wall and realizing that it's all over.

>Can you honestly say that you've never wanted to leave the Pallbearer? That there's nothing you'd rather be doing?

So, let's try and find a future for her.

>>1057174
>> What's next for you, Rachael? Where do you see your life going?

>>1057174
I think we can combine the first option with the last.
> "Reeves abandoned the /Pallbearer/ for a reason. What about you Rachael? Isn't there something you want more than this?"

She's as frail and human as anyone else, and as much as she might annoy the shit out of me, being petty and throwing her crap back in her face is not going to resolve the situation.

We've discussed this before; we can't save /everyone/. It's just not possible or feasible. What we /can/ do is give them the tools, the drive, to /save themselves/.

Her previous outburst, about having outlived everyone she'd ever known, having seen the place she was born become something alien to her, its all about roots. She has nothing besides the /Pallbearer/, and it she has no idea what to do with herself away from that ship. Her fear makes her mad, so she's been directing that anger at Brianna.

I still say that introducing Rachael to some of our allies (especially Kells and Bridgette; she should really be able to relate to their lives and experiences) would be a good thing. If she's so terrified of death, maybe she can ask Caretaker to accept her as an apprentice. The old bag of bones is incredibly wise, and he's certainly not unkind. Certainly distanced from mortal men, but I think he could help her as well.

>>1057330
>I'm supporting this one.

>>1057174
>> Is this about Reeves?

>>1057330

Also supporting this one. At least it should get her thinking on her future in general.

(As for the crew who lost body parts... I wonder if they can still feel and move those limbs, by soul connection or somesuch. Would make sense, given what we've seen.)

>>1057330
Kells would be a great resource here. He used to be a pirate/bandit leader; turned decent, so he knows both sides of this.
... you know. If we're seriously discussing places to fold certain people into? Rachael and the Rose Cult. One of those will be REALLY GOOD for the other.

>>1057174
>> What's next for you, Rachael? Where do you see your life going?

Called, writing.

>>1057424
> ... you know. If we're seriously discussing places to fold certain people into? Rachael and the Rose Cult. One of those will be REALLY GOOD for the other.

Can I persuade you to expand on this?

>>1057174
> I hadn't decided on burning the ship here, Rachael. What if we can't hire another one?

Actually, I gotta get ready to go home. I'll call and write either right before or right after work; votes are opened again.

>>1057424
I'm thinking that the Basement (because we can trust Kells to keep an eye on them), the Lichyard (our annoying cousins), and the Mine (I dare them to fuck with Diving Shadow) could all be places in the Dungeon where they can settle and stay out of trouble.

Yep, gonna update a little after midnight when I get offa work, y'all.

>>1057505
They're both high level of Righteous Dick; either Rachael finds a order she can /connect/ to; (its not pirating but it's still similarly demanding, discipline and attitude wise), or she brings enough of a compatible outside view that helps the Rose Cult be that much more than it was.

>>1058397

This plan seems to have failed.

>>1059342
basically, it seems like a good ship

>>1057174
>> Just command the ship; if she wants to be petulant about this, that's on her
We're destroying her home and family; it's not unreasonable for her to be upset.

>>1060665
Yeah it failed entirely. Called, gonna write here shortly. Unless I miss my mark this >>1057330 is still the winning sentiment.

File: Passed it.jpg (12 KB, 198x255)

12 KB JPG

>>1057174
You sigh, then offer Rachael your pipe. She blinks in mild surprise but takes it, puffing on it with a faint, surprised sound of enjoyment. "Look, we were always going to have this talk," you tell her. "So can we have it with a minimum of you trying to hang me by my own entrails?"

"...Sure. Is that a thing you seriously expect?"

"I tend to exaggerate when I'm tired or stressed," you admit. "Look - how much do you know about what happened after you went belowdecks?"

Rachael passes you the pipe back, and you take it gratefully while she talks. "Reeves betrayed us," she says quietly. "He was never a prisoner. He would have abandoned us to the curse, if he could."

You give Rachael a sympathetic look. "I imagine you have some less than charitable feelings about that."

"Why should I?" the First Mate says, her voice bitter and bare. "It's not like anything else that I've ever loved or valued has bothered to stick around in my life. I'm not even surprised. Just...let down."

"Reeves had everything this ship could offer him, Rachael. Power, control, glory, wealth, and he still left it behind. /Pallbearer/ was his ship, and it wasn't good enough for him. Why should it be good enough for you? Isn't there /something/ you want more than this? Anything at all?"

"What is it you want to hear from me, la Croix?" Rachael asks. "What do you think you're going to get here?"

You shrug. "An idea of who you'd like to be."

"...Look, necromancer. I've spent so long with time meaning nothing to me that I can't imagine any more what it's like to age. To die. You probably think I'm a coward, and maybe I even am. But I don't know how to spend a day like a day any more; I don't know how to weigh the value of months, years, how to deal with mortality. I just...don't." The pirate looks away, over the water. "What happens when you turn me loose and I don't know how to /live/ any more? If I just dream what's left of my time away and die forgotten."

"I very much doubt your victims will ever forget you," you tell her, in a quiet voice.

"Some legacy that is."

You chew the stem of your pipe and close your eyes, ordering /Pallbearer/ to disgorge the Hoard. The treasure manifests on deck, immediately making the ship sag deeper into the sand, and there is a general cry of frustration from your exhausted crew.

"Deal with it later!" you call out to them. "Get some rest." You look over to Rachael. "...A friend of mine claims it takes a rather special person to handle immortality, Rachael."

The First Mate snorts. "Don't imply things you won't follow through on. Why should I live forever when you condemn the rest of the crew to die? What do you care? I've clearly put myself beyond any need you have to pity me or care for me."

You sigh and shake your head, then gesture for Rachael to follow you down to the island. "We'll get some sleep and then deal with the treasure and the ship tomorrow."

"And what about the crew?"

File: death.jpg (49 KB, 642x744)

49 KB JPG

>>1062111
"I'm getting some advice on that while I sleep," you answer, frankly. "And I'm gonna go ahead and skip dinner...breakfast...fuck it, and start on that now."

It doesn't take long to locate Nate, Amy, and River. Amy cradles her hand on her lap; it's still sore, even after the application of healing potions, and absolutely no one in this pile of people at the foot of an ash tree (for some reason you had been expecting palms, but it's not right down here for them) seems to have the faintest interest in moving.

"Rachael, I'll get back with you in a bit," you tell her. "Everyone else...don't wake me up."

You curl up with Nathan and Amy - the latter strokes your hair with her good hand - and drift off in moments. It's been a long, long day.

Lora's looking like hell. Most of veins in her neck and face stand out with an ugly rust color, and she leans forward heavily, with her elbows on her knees. The angel breathes in a slow, deliberate pattern.

"I did the best I could," you apologize, softly.

"First time with iron," Lora tells you, a little breathlessly. "Unpleasant."

"...I imagine. Is this a bad time to ask your advice?"

"We don't have a lot of other times."

You light a cigarette and take a long drag on it, trying to decide what you want to know. "Reeves is dead. If I burn the ship, is it over?"

"It will be over. The crew will become mortal," Lora confirms.

You let out a long breath.

> Ask if there's any way to make Rachael immortal
> Do not

AND

> Propose a solution for the crew in general (what?)
> Ask Lora's advice on the crew
> Keep your own council on the crew

I've been paying attention to your discussion re: disposing of the crew but I figure it doesn't hurt ot offer options.

>>1062305
>Ask if there's any way to make Rachael immortal
> Ask Lora's advice on the crew

>>1062305
> Do not
It's a nice gesture, but doesn't help her; perhaps living on borrowed time again will help her regain some of what she lost. And she's right: why should she get immortality when the rest of the crew doesn't? Because we spent the time to talk to her?

>If I burn the ship, is it over?"

"It will be over.

So, the crew becomes mortal, unless one of them gains a ship, which them becomes the new /Pallbearer/?

> Ask Lora's advice on the crew
Might as well get her take on things.

>>1062372
No, it'll be over for good. Right now the curse is held together solely by the ship itself.

>>1062305
> Do not.
Rachael has to learn to be human again, just like all the others. We aren't here to hold her hand, just to give her the push to become someone new.

> Ask Lora's advice on the crew.
Most of them are like Sykes, I think. The like to believe that there can be an end to it, but they don't have any hope. Of course, there's no way were letting them settle in the Sunless Sea. No more ships for these guys.

>>1062305
> Do not
> Ask Lora's advice on the crew
We already said that we would ask about the crew, but I don't think Rachael should be made immortal. We already have an immortal friend stuck on a floor, and she doesn't seem happy about it. Rachael seems like she already lost a part of her that most people seem to when they live for too long, almost like being a lich that can still feel and live like a human, but having a hollow in you that can possibly never be filled. While I don't think we should kill her outright, I think it's time for Rachael to start towards the end of her life.

>>1062305
>do not
> Ask Lora's advice on the crew

>>1062305
> Ask if there's any way to make Rachael immortal

Might as well. We don't lose anything by knowing our option

>Propose a solution: change the nature of the curse. instead of the pallbearer being a pirate ship, it could be a mercy ship

>>1062305
>>Ask if there's any way to make Rachel immortal

>>Ask Lora's advice on the crew

>>1062305

>Do Not

I really don't know what's waiting for her on the other side, but she's going to need to face it one way or another. Whether or not it's better than the straight-up oblivion she was going to get eventually otherwise is up for debate.

>Propose a solution for the crew
>The crew probably don't have a lot of really good options right now, and I know a non-insignificant portion of them are really scared, not just of dying, but of what'll come after. Also, their threat recognition is probably really messed up, since most have probably learned to ignore getting hurt to the point where they pretty ignore their wounds. What're the odds you think the Quell would be willing to adjust the curse and get a crew of really desperate folk who want to work off a debt?

Half a billion people suffered for that boat, but at this point I almost can't help but see the crew as more victims of it. Just in a different way. And they're still assholes too, don't get me wrong. But Rachel probably isn't the only one who think they're pretty much on a straight shot to eternal suffering and misery. And really, this is a stop-gap measure. It's meant to try and ease the crew back into being people and accepting their eventual death with the end of their service. It's not immortality, it's a very long piece of community service that you must finish.

Putting a number of years to that sentence and having them use it to legitimately help people (somewhere else very far from here hopefully) might not buy them positive karma or anything, but it should help at least little. Probably let those who want to leave do so, because they'll face their fate eventually.

If we go for it, it's probably best to make the captain an appointed position by the Quell.

That said, I am about 50/50 split between this and setting fire to the thing.

>>1062305
> Do not
> Ask Lora's advice on the crew

>>1062305
>> Ask if there's any way to make Rachael immortal
Asking doesn't mean doing; but if there's a card on the table, we should know what it is.

and

>> Ask Lora's advice on the crew
Again, asking doesn't mean doing, but it does give us another perspective and angle on all this.

>>1062305
> Ask if there's any way to extend Rachael 's lifespan indefinitely, making it clear that it is only an option we're considering and in all likelihood a last resort.
> Ask Lora's advice on the crew
>Ask about changing the nature of the Pallbearer.
Is it weird that I feel bad about maybe having to kill a possibly alive murder-boat?

Also, if Rachael becomes immortal, the rest of the crew probably will want to as well.

>>1063473
To be fair, we've had to kill a fair number of people who probably never wanted to be doing what they were doing, from the Baron's goons to the soldiers following Riley and the Lush.

Dick has a lot to answer for, and we're going to punish him for every life lost.

>>1063483
I don't know why some folks want Rachael to keep her immortality. It's counter-intuitive to our argument that she needs to move on with her life.

>>1063493
On the immortality thing, I'm mostly worried about her having no idea how to handle mortality. She can probably learn, but considering all our options seems like a good idea.

Also, some crew might want to try and make up for all that they did, and there's almost no way they could fit that into a natural lifespan. This is probably just wishful thinking, though.

>>1063577
She HAS learned. She's sane, she's stable, and she's been alive an incredibly long time. She'll have to do something other than piracy, probably, but even then she can return to piracy. If anything, she's probably the only one who HAS learned how to deal with immortality.

>>1063870
i wonder why the pirates weren't afflicted with the same wandering of the mind liches do

>>1062305
> Seconding >>1062528

Give Rachel a sort of "transition" to mortality or turn her into the ship. Group ship mind!

>>1063933
Part of the reason Liches go so crazy is because they no longer feel the pains and joys of life; hunger, sex, fatigue, etc.

The crew of the /Pallbearer/ still does.

One day I'll have a day free when I actually think I will. I've gotta leave this overnight.

>>1063944
what is going to happen to the pallbearer anyway? Does it have a soul? will it be judged?

>>1063997

Personally, I think the Pallbearer's more like an animal than a truly intelligent thing. No one asks to be born, but born it was nonetheless.

I'm going to continue to say that straight up asking about immortality is a bad idea, not least because it doesn't actually solve the problem. It just enables Rachel and the rest of the crew to continuously put off their fear of death.

I suggested turning the Pallbearer and the crew over to the Quell because if there's one thing that's been made abundantly clear in this quest, it's that EVERYTHING DIES. Or changes over time. It's part of why Rachel's as hurt as she is. Everything changed but her, and she watched everything about who she was before being claimed by the boat shrivel up and die, without ever being connected to the world again. I imagine a lot of the crew are just are rudderless as she is.

But facts are facts. She's gonna have to die.

It's why I advocated a 'sentence' from the Quell changing the curse. They serve that god, and in exchange get the time to reconnect with the world and make their inevitable peace with it, hopefully making the world a better place in the meantime. It's a bit generous, I'll admit though. And I'm not exactly a hundred percent sure the Quell would go for it.

But it can't hurt to ask. The worst it can do is say no.

I'd probably want to emphasize that this isn't so much immortality as it is a stay of execution.

>>1062305
>> Do not
>> Ask Lora's advice on the crew

>>1064035
Y'all do recall that the Quell said the ship would have nothing from the gods but what they could take, yes? The curse needs to be broken before anything else involving the divinities is an option.

>>1064054

Ah, I did not remember the exact wording there, thank you.

... We may just have to set the ship on fire and use the money to pay for things to ensure stuff doesn't get out of hand.

>>1062305
> Ask if there's any way to make Rachael immortal

> Ask Lora's advice on the crew

Maybe she has some use for them?

>>1063493
It's the same kind of difference between killing someone in combat, and killing someone after they've surrendered.

Besides, it isn't like the Pallbearer - or heck even the rest of the crew - had a choice in what they became.

If we were fighting them then sure killing them would be fine. But we took on the responsibility of being their captain and in charge of them so we owe it to at least see if there is some sort of way to fulfil that responsibility we VOLUNTARILY took on.

Otherwise we're just Richard with better PR.

>>1064054
So why can't we take some sort of cure from them?

>>1064118

>It's the same kind of difference between killing someone in combat, and killing someone after they've surrendered.

While that's true, I'd definitely say this isn't the case. This is the option between letting a immortal psychopath with a broken compass become regular mortal, or letting them continue to be an immortal psychopath with a broken moral compass and no way to reign them in.

Like, Rachel herself points out that it's grossly unfair.

And the questions we ask shape Bri and her mindset. We want to try and give the crew and Rachel a fair shake.

We don't want to make /Pallbearer 2/: Dry Land Boogaloo.

> Do not

Give it a (final) rest, Rachael. Can't conquer your fear of mortality by staying immortal.
...you still need to get out of the Sunless Sea, though, and start your community service elsewhere.

> Ask Lora's advice on the crew

They're gonna be mortal and disoriented. All of them. And will also have to get out of here.

> Ask if there's any way to make Rachael immortal

> Ask Lora's advice on the crew

>>1062305
> Do not
> Ask Lora's advice on the crew

>>1064054
so we break the curse then impose a different one

>>1062305
>> Ask if there's any way to make Rachael immortal
>> Ask Lora's advice on the crew

>>1062305
Thirding

>>1062528

It doesn't hurt to ask. We can always decide to not tell Rachel.

>>1064142
See, my thing is that if we don't work WITH Rachel on this, she might go off and do something wacky to regain immortality.

Like become a Lich, or a Vampire, or make a deal with a Fae etc.

So I'd rather see what terms WE could help her become immortal under, rather than just cut her loose. It's irresponsible.

>>1062305
>> Do not
>AND
>> Ask Lora's advice on the crew

>>1064035
I'm uncomfortable with us being an "arbiter of death" position.

Like, it's our job to help people come to terms with dying, but I don't really think we should be going around forcing people to die.

> But facts are facts. She's gonna have to die.

Why? If it's not worth our time to fix for her, if it was some sort of judgement on the life she's lived, if we simply couldn't do it - these are all reasons I could live with.

But some sort of moralistic "NO! You have to be mortal!" kind of reasoning doesn't sit well with me.

This is like, the complete reverse of the "Should you resurrect Silence" situation.

>>1064260
>If it's not worth our time to fix for her
It definitely isn't.

>>1064263
Then we probably shouldn't have accepted being her Captain.

Honestly I just wish we'd chosen to fuck the ships up from the beginning.

>>1064142
This sounds like a recipe to have Rachel go work for Richard in exchange for getting her immortality back.

>>1064260
>forcing people to die.
We've killed plenty of people.
>But some sort of moralistic "NO! You have to be mortal!" kind of reasoning doesn't sit well with me.
She's going to be mortal by default, the argument is whether to change her back into an immortal.
>Then we probably shouldn't have accepted being her Captain.
how does that have anything to do with Racheal's immortality?
>>1064268
Only if she wants it; based on what she's been saying, I doubt she /wants/ to continue to be immortal. Also, if we start handing out immortality out of a fear of people going over to them enemy, everyone will start asking for it. And this still doesn't explain why she should get special treatment.

She needs help getting eased back into mortal life, kind of like how the Traitor needed help getting eased back in normal life without being able to see the future all the time.

>>1064260
We're not forcing people to die, they do that on their own. Our job is to help them make piece with that fact and maybe live a happy life despite the knowledge that it will eventually end. We're not an arbiter of death, we're a friend of death.

Crazy idea: Leverage Rachaels fear of dying against her.
She has to do Good Things; and if she does her lifespan extends out a week or a month or so each time.

I like the idea in >>1057330 of trying to introduce Rachel to Kells. His desire to find redemption for some of the nasty things he's done as a pirate might help give her some direction with her life.

>> Ask if there's any way to make Rachael immortal
>> Ask Lora's advice on the crew

>>1062305
Forgot to actually vote

> Do not
> Ask Lora's advice on the crew

>>1064278
Taking away someone's immortality is pretty much forcing them to die. That's some Inquisition level double-think if you're pretending it isn't.

>>1064275
> I doubt she /wants/ to continue to be immortal.

She outright stated she did. She's been immortal for a LONG time now

>>1064310
Rachel doesn't fear dying. She fears wasting her time and not using it because she's gotten used to being immortal over the years. Decades. Centuries.

>>1064409
Immortality that was only sustained by a curse that cost the lives of literally millions of people. If you want to say that taking away that immortality is forcing someone to die, then you have to admit that allowing it to continue would have also been forcing people to die.

And if you're angling at finding a new way to make Rachel immortal, I have to ask why. Why her? Because she's afraid of death? Most people are. Why is she somehow more deserving of immortality than any of them?

>>1064416
She can go talk with Lark about that. Seems like she's got a dose of elven perception of time, and he might be able to walk her through the humanization process.

People that we should refer Rachel to:

- Kells: Former pirate seeking to redeem himself, might help her find some purpose in her life.

- Bridgette: Newly immortal and trying to deal with that, with some pretty serious strings attached. Basically the opposite of Rachel's situation. The two could give each other some help in adapting to their new situations.

- Caretaker: Very familiar with the problems of unnaturally long life, also very wise and probably has some experience coming back from being less than virtuous.

- Lark: Decently familiar with warped perceptions of time and the process by which one adapts to a more human perspective.

- Natalia: Used to be able to see the future, now also stuck adapting to normal life without supernatural powers.

>>1064425
Why? Because we signed on as her Captain and we now have an obligation to help her deal with it the way she wants to. We can try to tell her that we think she should become mortal, but forcing it on her by inaction is just as bad as taking it away from her by intent.

Allowing it to continue doesn't have to mean it is fueled by the deaths of others either, that's why we're asking Lora about it.

>>1064449
You going to force the Caretaker to give up his "unnatural" immortality too?

>>1064465
>Because we signed on as her Captain and we now have an obligation to help her deal with it the way she wants to
What drugs are you on?

>>1062305
> Do not
> Ask Lora's advice on the crew

>>1064467
His immortality IS unnatural - an angel made sure he didn't go bonkers.

Rachel has no such option.

>>1064467
No, because his immortality isn't contingent on murdering literally millions of innocent people.

God damn but I'm enjoying watching this discussion.

I'm going to try my best to update before work but ATM I'm cleaning out what's left of my car so we can junk it and I've got eighty thousand other things to do today that I didn't realize I had to do when I went to bed last night. Should be a slow-ish shift at work tonight so the thread is open for Q&A even if I don't update.

I am so sorry guys. I really am. I feel like shit for the recent update pacing.

>>1064465
You still haven't answered why Rachel deserves immortality, but the rest of crew doesn't. Or, for that matter, why would shouldn't give everyone immortality?

>>1064500
I wonder if his not-go-crazy is dependant on Lora sustaining it, and what would have happen to him if Lora bites it.

>>1064607
Don't worry about the slow rate. As long as you keep us abreast of your posting plans, we'll keep.

>>1064713
Does the rest of the crew even WANT immortality? She pointed out she's been around significantly longer than the rest of them.

Like, does she even qualify as mentally "human" anymore?

>>1064856
No. Mentally she is basically elven. But that is something that can be changed. She can be humanized like River and Lark were.

>>1064884
That's fucked up dude. So should we take away Rivers life span then, since she isn't mentally Elven any more? Humanis First?

>>1062305
> Ask Lora's and Rivers advice on Rachels problem

Let's see how other immortals would feel about it maybe?

> Ask Lora about changing the Pallbearers curse

>>1064975
Ugh.

River behaves like a human because she basically ran away from home during her formative years (kinda like Aisling from Mourners, if anyone here has read Vox's deliciousness). Lark explained to her that because of /how/ they were made by the Forgemaster, they think differently than humans.

Rachael is traumatized by counless years of violence, almost certainly has PTS; immortality has only compounded her problems. She doesn't think like a 'true'' elf, raised by elves, would, but her emotions and memory have changed to reflect her circumstances.

So this >>1064449 still works. Lark and River adapted to living on a human timetable. Hell, Lark might actually be close to Rachael's age; he took issue with having a romantic and sexual relationship with River because, by elf rules, she's still a minor.

Maybe convince Lark to take Rachael as an apprentice, while we ask a favor of Diving Shadow and have Momma Bird keep an eye on her?

>>1064975
Her life span is not reliant on the murder of millions of innocent people.

>>1065022
Mild correction: Lark was surprised to learn that he's essentially a 30-year-old dating someone 18.

>>1065022

There's also the honest truth that elves were built to last a little longer. Forgemaster made them that way.

And again, I don't see a major point to pursuing immortality, especially since it's basically a crutch for Rachel. A crutch that none of the other crew are getting, and I'm not entirely sure she deserves.

Again, we can ask everybody to head up to the surface and ask the Quell to give them some sort penitent service thing, but even that would have to have a hard limit on it.

Because the whole not-dying thing is what got the crew in this mess in the first place, and this is still probably more than most of the crew deserves.

Like, if there were a proper court of law down here, I'd probably start looking to arrange things to have them in prison. But there's not, and we agreed to be captain, and that means looking after the crew.

... On a completely different note, does anyone have any idea how we're going to transport all that treasure without it either getting stolen, attracting robbers, or crashing the local gold markets?

>>1065561
We're a necromancer; just tell them its cursed and we're bringing it up to the new Temple of all-Gods to have it blessed and cleansed.

>>1065561
So TL;DR Nigs gonna Nog, stay in your lane?

>>1065737

I have no idea what this means.

But basically, I don't think we should enable her. Instead, look into therapy.

>>1065825
On home computer now.

But your therapy is like Gay Conversion therapy. I mea the argument of if she deserves to be helped or if forcing mortality on her is a judgement for things she did while under a literal curse from God.

If we hadn't decided to voluntarily share the curse and become her Captain and be put in a position if responsibility for her, I would say "Fine. Burn the ship, sorry the boat stops here."

But we have to do what is genuinely best for her now. Like, if everyone only lived to be 18 and you had managed to live to 40, would you be cool with someone saying you have to accept that most people die at 18. But it's cool, week give you a week to put your affairs in order and come to terms with things?

Honestly if I was Rachel I would immediately look for a way to regain immortality / stab us in the back. Or the chest.

Honestly killing Lora was the best plan from an objective point if view. You know, to save all of creation and what not.

>>1065891
> But your therapy is like Gay Conversion therapy.
I don't think that's really comparable to therapy for learning to deal with your own mortality. Her immortality required the deaths of millions to sustain it, and that needed to end. Ending the Pallbearer puts her in the position of other firstborn, who pretty much all have to come to terms with their own mortality eventually. Fear of death and a desire to cling to life isn't a new thing. In fact it's consistently been a very thorny subject for humanity for all of our history, and people have been coming up with ways to deal with it for as long as we have records. Historical attitudes toward homosexuality have varied, and whether or not it is even a bad thing is a point of contention. Death and mortality, however, are constants that simply are, and you're going to have to deal with it eventually one way or another.

> Like, if everyone only lived to be 18 and you had managed to live to 40, would you be cool with someone saying you have to accept that most people die at 18. But it's cool, we'll give you a week to put your affairs in order and come to terms with things?
If you living to 40 relied on you murdering people, I'd say that would be pretty generous really.

>>1066062
Why do you keep ignoring the part that this us a world where you can be immortal without murdering people? I mean, it's not like she had a choice either given the whole literal "curse from a God" thing.

That's the entire point behind asking Lora if there is another way for Rachel to keep her immortality.

If anything, just making her mortal smacks of sour grapes and is less likely to make her come to terms with anything, much less atone at all.

>>1065891
>But we have to do what is genuinely best for her now.
Which is learning to cope with mortality.

>>1066326

Because it's enabling a terrible life-style for a person who admitted that they have no functioning moral compass?

And really, your whole 'live to 18' thing is a terrible analogy.

Imagine instead that everyone lived to 80. Rachel is now 742, and we're turning off the immortality. She's not going to collapse into dust. She's just going to have to live with (assuming she was 20 before the curse set in) being 802. The numbers are placeholders, but they're still reflect the basic points of the matter.

She's lived a LOT longer than she would have anyway, and we're not killing her, just letting her live out the rest of her life.

And as for this lovely gem...

>Why do you keep ignoring the part that this us a world where you can be immortal without murdering people?

Nothing here is without a price. Even her old immortality was more 'live until you are destroyed, and then be destroyed utterly. Also, feed my murder-boner.' Consider the method Bri already knows to relative immortality, which is lichdom. Which has terrible side-effects for your mental state, ignoring the fact that all your flesh rots off your bones. The Caretaker had to get a deal with Lora in order to stay sane, and I'm pretty sure almost every other method for immortality involves some kind of major price.

I don't mind helping her get back on her feet, I don't even mind putting in a good word with the Quell and helping these people get back on their feet.

But if there's one thing that this quest should have beat into your head, it's that everything dies, one way or another. It either changes into something else, or outright dies. Our pirate-gator has built in limiters to stop him from hurting people as he gets older and goes crazier, Lora and the gods have gained maturity, fucking Reeves and the crew were warped by the boat which itself was warped by all the murder and the curse.

Hell, the DUNGEON ITSELF was being strangled to death by Dick and his chains, and we're having to try and fix and help things on every level. Change and death are what we leave in our wake, but also new life and opportunity.

That being said, Bri herself has ZERO interest in immortality, other than undoing it if an enemy is using it. She's invested in living and doesn't want to die, but she was basically brought up knowing /exactly/ what Necromancy was, and that she was casting from lifespan. Her plans for lichdom included setting a timer so that she didn't hurt anyone from staying around too long. She basically started the quest willing to die, and part of her growth was /changing/ as she realized that she was in love and had a cause worth fighting for.

Hell, she doesn't get any more resurrections, and she's more than okay with that.

Add to that, she's La Croix. Who when they aren't being necromancers, are like a mix between undertakers, priests, and doctors. Helping people cope with death is right up their alley. This is just coping with a different kind of death, is all.

Okay so as near as I can tell, 'do not ask how to turn Rachael immortal' has won by /one vote/. If anyone wants to contest that tally, you've got twenty minutes to do so before I write. As of now, votes are CALLED.

>>1066434
As someone who did not vote, I would like to confirm that I agree with this sentiment.

Aight, it is decided.

Writing.

>>1066434
>Do not ask how to turn Rachael immortal.

>>1066463
Freaking time differential.

>>1066466
You're fine. That was an, "If you think I miscounted speak now," warning, not a "vote now" warning.

>>1066469
Well, I hadn't voted before anyways.

Have you found any tanzanian peaberry coffee yet?

>>1066478
Truth be told I haven't had the money to bother looking.

File: Lora's Other Problem.jpg (33 KB, 538x438)

33 KB JPG

>>1062305
"Okay," you decide, after a long moment of silence. "I...am at a bit of a loss for what to do with this crew, Lora. And, yes, I realize I'm asking someone whose people skills are so bad the world is about to end because of them -"

Lora tries to laugh and ends up coughing painfully instead.

"-but generally when faced with this sort of situation the family solution is 'kill them all until they stop coming back' and that doesn't sit right with me here," you conclude. "I'm responsible for these people. Most of them are as much victims of the ship as anyone they hurt, and I can't just turn them loose in the world with some gold coins and my best wishes. I've got /some/ ideas, but they mostly either involve turning the crew into someone else's responsibility or petitioning the Quell. You know, the god that did this to them in the first place."

"Awkward," Lora agrees. She adjusts her wings and coughs again, the sound ragged and thin. "Quell probably not avoidable. It owes them. For the curse. The scales are not balanced."

"The Quell owes a lot of people for that curse," you answer in an even tone.

"The Quell pays its debts." The angel drags Grief's sheathed blade closer to herself and leans on it. "The one who shot me. Why?"

"Her name is Rachael. She's the First Mate, for now. She's...she's afraid to die, Lora. Afraid to be judged. Afraid to lose the last thing she has in the world. She thought if she killed you, the world would be safe and she wouldn't have to give up the ship."

"Probably right. But I want to live. The Hoard?"

"Secure," you tell her.

Lora lapses into a long, thoughtful silence. Then, "Pirate hunters."

"...Come again?"

"The crew has experience." Lora swallows hard and visibly throttles the urge to take a deep breath. "They know the seas. They know how ports are defended. How to examine and defeat those defenses. As advisors, teachers, sailors, they are invaluable. The ones with families or homes can go home. The others can be retained as pirate hunters, engineers, naval officers."

"Is the open sea really good for them after all this?" you ask, a little worried.

"Erebus always said the sea stays with you," Lora answers. You put out your cigarette, feeling vaguely guilty. "Bri?"

"Yeah?"

"...Is it a good thing, to be a god?"

> How do you answer?

And now I'ma go to sleep. I need to scrap my car tomorrow so updates may be a bit delayed. Votes remain open.

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

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>1066549
"It's a good chance to create great good. It's also a risk to create immortal pirate crews that have plundered, murdered and destroyed for many, many lifetimes. I wouldn't personally know, being a human myself, but I wouldn't be here and doing what good I can if it wasn't for the gods. I imagine it's not quite the same, but you've been given some god-like responsibilities. So I ask you: do you feel like those responsibilities are good to have?

>>1066549
Fuckin' saved.

>>1066549
>It's a difficult thing. You have nearly infinite power, and a huge responsibility. Is it a good thing? I don't know. But it can be a wonder, I'm sure. To see what you have done, to watch what you have been party to, and painful, because not all goes well.

>I imagine it's like being a mother or a father, except more so.

>>1066583

I think this anon has the right of it.

>>1066583
I couldn't put it better than this.
>almighty vox needs ye olde greentext for a vote, so here it is

>>1066583
>This

Just to make things abundantly clear then.

>>1066549
>"It can be, I'm not an expert on the subject but I can, with complete confidence, say that you'd be more than qualified for the position."
Lora has the most experience with mortals out of the entire pantheon, and all of that gives her a view point no other god will have.

>Giving Rachael and anyone who wants it a shot at redeeming themselves.
>While not losing their immortality.
>And helping prevent piracy.
I wish I had thought of this, it seems absolutely perfect.
>Somewhere in the future.
>Palbearer is now digital.
>Sinks the piratebay servers.

>>1066838
>>While not losing their immortality.

...What makes you think they get to stay immortal?

Pallbearer is going to burn. The curse is going to end. Their immortality was part of that curse.

>>1066549
> Being a god is neither a good thing nor a bad thing. What it is for you depends on what /you/ are. If you are able to handle immortality, and handle power, and do good /forever/—not every moment, but never /stop/ doing good, for the entirety of your eternal life—then yes, being a god can be good.
> If you're asking for yourself, then...knowing what I know of you? I believe that you would make a good god. In fact, in some ways you might make a better god than some of the actual Gods, or at least, better than they were. Because you have the benefit of being able to learn from their mistakes, and your own.

Called, writing.

File: 1453555347970.jpg (162 KB, 625x830)

162 KB JPG

>>1066549
You think about it. "I mean, it's not an /easy/ thing," you begin, feeling your way through it with a thoughtful expression. "Incredible power shackled to an incredible responsibility, you know? But you do know."

Lora nods, and says nothing.

"I don't know if it's a good thing," you admit. "But I can imagine that it's wonderful. I get this...this /pride/, just watching Kat explore her world and live her new life and be herself, and to see that happen on a godly scale? That's gotta be a great feeling. But it can be painful too, because sometimes you fuck up, and now everyone has to deal with it because great power means great consequences. I have to imagine that it's like being a mother or father, just...more. More everything, you know?"

"I think about it a lot," Lora admits in her hoarse voice. "Easy to blame them for things. Easy to excuse them for things. Hard to think about the middle."

You nod. "Yeah," you agree, solemnly. "We expect them to have all the answers but...parents don't, sometimes."

"Tell Emily that I am sorry."

"She'll have the joy of vengeance to comfort her," you promise. "...But I will."

"Good luck."

You awaken with a faint groan, then smell food and sit up fast enough that Nate falls into the sand with a surprised yelp. You give him a guilty grin and look around to see that the treasure of the Hoard has already been unloaded and stacked with the rest of the cargo. You frown.

<They took nothing from it> Reunion comments, at your side. You look down at the machete.

"You watched?" you ask, quietly.

<They are loyal people. They took nothing> Reunion repeats, before lapsing into an uneasy quiet. You take a deep breath and stand up. Nathan hands you your sword-cane and gets up himself.

"Ames is eating and spending some time with Emily," your husband tells you. You nod, and limp towards the ship. You are not surprised to find Rachael waiting near it.

"It's time," you tell her, softly.

"What about the crew?" the First Mate asks.

"I'm lining up jobs for them. We can negotiate it on the way up. In fact, I'd like you in on that, since you know the most about the ship and the people on it."

"...I'm not going with them. They know what I tried to do. They won't tolerate a mutineer."

"That's fine. I have some folks you might like to meet anyway. You any good in a fight without that pistol?"

Rachael laughs. "Yeah. I guess I am. Why?"

"Care to teach swordsmanship to a cult?" you ask. Rachael looks at you, trying to figure out if you're joking, then shakes her head.

"Fuck it," the First Mate decides. "Sure. These barrels are oil. You'll need it."

Nathan helps you spread the substance all over the ship, as much as you can. At some point Flitter comes over, bringing the geargrinder Yew with her, who assists.

Through it all, Rachael watches with a dead, resigned expression.

File: Mourn.jpg (148 KB, 467x500)

148 KB JPG

>>1067991
You light a match and ignite the trail of oil that goes up the gangplank. The crew looks up, in surprise, in happiness, in anger, in sorrow, as their home is consumed by the greedy flames. The column of smoke that goes up is thick and dark, and spreads along the roof of the cavern until it is lost amidst the clouds that scuttle to and fro above the Sunless Sea.

"Give my regards to the two Chosen and instruct them to hire transportation from here to Port Atrium," you tell Rachael, even as you feel the grip of the curse leave you.

"Aye, Captain."

END PART IX: WHAT THOU WILT

* * * *

BEGIN INTERLUDE IX: THE WHOLE OF THE LAW

The journey up would be more of a logistical hell if not for Natalia and her geargrinders. Nathan's mother and his new, for lack of a better word, siblings, are more than happy to contribute to transportation in the form of crates, chests, barrels, strong arms and backs, and almost offensive levels of enthusiasm. The only real downside is the incredible amount of that tick-tick-tick sound they all seem to emanate, which is starting to get on your last nerve.

Still, no one is even remotely stupid enough to disturb the lot of you on your journey up. Providing the crew each a cut of the Hoard has still left a remarkable amount of money, and you need to decide what to do with it.

> Dedicate the treasure primarily to projects within the Dungeon
> Use the bulk of it to fund the new entrance into the Roost
> Split it between your allies (the Roost, the Athenaeum, and the citizens of Lakehallow and the Lichyard) to do with as they will
> Write-in?

And now I go to work. Votes remain open.

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

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>1068031
>> Use the bulk of it to fund the new entrance into the Roost

>>1068031
>> Use the bulk of it to fund the new entrance into the Roost

>>1068031
>> Use the bulk of it to fund the new entrance into the Roost

>>1068031
>> Split it between your allies (the Roost, the Athenaeum, and the citizens of Lakehallow and the Lichyard) to do with as they will
We're not in a rush to get the roost done, might as well spread the wealth

>>1068031
>> Write-in?

We should use some of it to improve the town whossisname at the entrance.

Make a big show of how the Duchess' support of the Dungeon is making things better.

>>1068031
I'm thinking we either;
> Fund the reconstruction of the Temple in the Lichyard.
Or just go with;
> Split it between your allies (the Roost, the Athenaeum, and the citizens of Lakehallow and the Lichyard) to do with as they will

Depends on what most of the other anons want really, there isn't a wrong option here. They're all good things to pursue.

>> Use the bulk of it to fund the new entrance into the Roost

>>1068031
>> Write-in?
Buy out the dungeon Abovegrounds from the Kingdom and become independent. <_< >_>

>>1068031

This is... a surprisingly difficult answer.

The Roost /needs/ the money for their tunnel the most, and since their floor has so many layers of access, that alone could help them out by essentially making it a premier trade point for goods going in and out of the dungeon.

It could also make the people on the other floors feels left out a little bit.

Like, I'm 60% sure that the very few people who live in the Atheneum don't actually need that much in the way of money. On the other hand, I have no idea how they pay for their food, other than acting as guides so scholars can do research and not die horrible deaths from the traps and riddles. Which actually makes me wonder where said traps and riddles came from. I mean, it essentially used to be Lora's little book collection, so I can't imagine that she'd really find it very convenient to answer the riddles whenever she wanted to go and reread her favorite book of sappy poetry, or whatever she enjoyed reading. Then again, it might've just been the Caretaker making those.

Everybody else has gotten hit at some point helping us out though. Between the invisible murdermonsters, assassins, the Lush making an ass of himself...

I think that putting a little something back into everything should help with that.

> Split it between your allies (the Roost, the Athenaeum, and the citizens of Lakehallow and the Lichyard) to do with as they will

Ironically, this also continues to make Bri the Anti-Dick. He got some of the floors to coordinate resources, but for the most part he guided his Chainbearers into working as hard as they could to isolate their floors from one another. We see a few instances of cooperation, but those are all the product of one Chainbearer working directly with another for some reason. The Traitor needed metal for her designs, and bullied the Baron into giving them up. And while some of her guns certainly made their way down (even odds that Dick has one in his office for the inevitable final duel), she outright refused to give any to the Lush. The Lush helped Jack out, but at least part of that was his own manipulation. The giant was looking to politely get rid of the last of his troops that weren't complete scumbags, and Jack had essentially /zero/ defenses on his floor anyway. He got rid of bothersome people, got a sweet spear, and bought more time for his floor to prep stuff.

There's still the matter of the guns, cannons, and armor for the Dirge, which leaves me wondering how Reeves managed to get that out of Natalia.

Anyway, thinking more on the matter, this was probably deliberate on Dick's part. It gives them more reason to distrust one another, and instead focus on just holding their own floor. And if they're focused on solely their own problems, it's unlikely they're getting good solutions or realizing that Dick is dicking over everyone involved.

>>1069901
Yeah. And honestly, a wealth rush isn't gonna help the dungeon economy much at all; it'll just cause mass inflation. The only way it's not destructive to the existing economies and inter-floor dynamics is if it's directed outside, to the Abovegrounds.

If everyone is suddenly X richer, then they're all on the same footing as before; nothing's changed.

Keeping it like a reserve or buffer for when needed would be entirely sensible, ala a managed trust fund.

>>1070119

Honestly, I wonder if we shouldn't have a sit-down with the other floor leaders to find out what exactly needs fixing, what we need to contract out, and what we can do in-house.

New Hell and the Mine are probably more or less functional, but I'm willing to bet that the Cornucopia needs warm bodies desperately so they can start farming properly again and get the flow of food going. Between that and getting the entrance for the Roost finished, we could get a stream of workers down there to help finish cleanup, get reconstruction going, and then start replanting.

That'll help keep the price of food down, which means it's more affordable, which helps everybody out in the Dungeon really.

>>1068031
>> Split it between your allies (the Roost, the Athenaeum, and the citizens of Lakehallow and the Lichyard) to do with as they will

Called, will tally and write once I get some dinner.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Well fuck me. We've got a 4/4 split between "Roost" and "split it between your allies." Time to roll a 1d2; 1 is Roost, 2 is split.

>>1070517
That could honestly be helped by working with all of the other levels of the Dungeon.

Put it out to everyone that there is now (unfortunately) land available for settlement in the Cornucopia, for those who wish it.

Some of the former crew of the Pallbearer might take this opportunity up as well, to move away from the past and to make new lives for themselves.

File: tumblr_ok0e1toY8a1qhqxfro(...).jpg (199 KB, 800x826)

199 KB JPG

>>1068031
You stop in the Lichyard on your way up and journey to the family shrine. The guards on the walls give your motley procession a series of odd looks, but most of the people you brought with you stay back.

"Last chance to back out," you tell Rachael, sotto voce. "I dunno if you've dealt with Rose Cultists but these ones are la Croix too. They tend to take this shit super seriously."

"Can they teach me how to live again?" the First Mate asks, distantly.

"Yes," you promise.

"Then do it."

"Aria," you call out. Your cousin folds her arms atop the gate. "I bring you a lost soul in search of answers. Rachael Trust seeks the wisdom of the Rose and a new purpose in a life newly bereft of one."

Aria's eyes go to Rachael. "This is a sacred place to the family, Trust. Can you show respect for the dead and our traditions?"

"I can barely show respect for myself, la Croix," Rachael answers, bitterness dragging at her words. "The Captain said you could teach me how to live again."

"...I suppose I'll have to take that answer. Open the gates to admit the neophyte and get a bath drawn."

You wince. "That last part wasn't necessary, Aria."

"From where I'm smelling?" your cousin says dubiously. "I beg to differ."

* * * *

On the one hand, the lift up into Glen can carry a lot of shit. On the other hand, gold and treasure is /fucking heavy/. By the time the necessary multiple trips up are concluded, the staff that maintains Glen's warehouse is slack-jawed and staring at your mass of geargrinders and ex-pirates.

"Is someone going to go get Henrietta or what?" you say at last, while you light your pipe. Brandon runs off to obey, hastening away from the gleaming gold.

"You have to take your share, Captain," the one-armed girl tells you.

"Come again?" you ask, blinking.

"Captain gets two shares." The crew murmurs a chorus of agreement. "You need to take your shares."

"...This money is going -"

"Not your shares," the girl interrupts. Her pale brown eyes are deadly serious.

> ...Alright. (Take your shares)
> Refuse
> Pretend to take them, then sneak your shares back in later

>>1072078
> "Is this a thing from when Reeves was Captain? Because as far as I'm concerned, that ended the moment my sister lit him up like a bad cigar."
> "I will however take any suggestions on /how/ to use the..extra gold. Consider this a little test."

Brianna isn't mad at them; they're still stuck thinking like bitter pirates. We need to help break them from that line of thought.

If you don't want a write-in though, I'll just go with;
> ...Alright. (Take your shares)

>>1072094
This is actually sorta kinda standard procedure; pirates don't exactly get /wages/. They get shares of the plunder. The word 'share' here is more a unit than anything else, and number of shares were typically handled by rank in accordance with whatever contract you agreed to when you got hired. These Codes were the inspiration for the Pirate Code in the Pirates of the Carribean film.

So while the rate - two shares - was likely set by Reeves, "everyone including the Captain gets paid" is standard.

>>1072078
>"But, why?"
flowing into:
>...Alright. (Take your shares)
If the answer is satisfactory.

>>1072078
> ...Alright. (Take your shares)

>>1072078
>> ...Alright. (Take your shares)

Though I do like the bit about the bad cigar.

>>1072078
>Take your shares reluctantly.
>Distribute them among your rather personal warband specifially, though later, because every single one suffered with you along the way.

>>1072107
>This

Like, we were captain for maybe a week? And we killed their old captain, burned down their ship, took away their immortality, and are forcing them all to seek new non-murder related jobs.

That they're going along with it is great, but getting paid for it would be a bit above and beyond what we'd expect.

Like, I want to know if this is just obligation or an actual token of respect.

> ...Alright. (Take your shares)
We don't really have need of the money, but maybe it'll be useful as gifts or greasing some palms in the lower levels.

>>1072259
It doesn't matter how long we were captian; this loot was "taken" while we were captain, and thus we're owed our due.

>>1072259
The only thing more superstitious than pirates are gamblers, anon. In addition, we may have only been captain for a short while, but we lead them in battle, fought for them, and bested the man who betrayed them.

After he have given them trheir shares of the treasure, it only makes sense that they would want to give us our two - BUT we can claim the blade as one share - it's an artifact after all.

>>1072298
>BUT we can claim the blade as one share - it's an artifact after all.
They're probably going to refuse this because it was given to us and thus not part of the hoard, they're a crafty bunch.

>>1072078
>but why?
Following into
> ...Alright. (Take your shares)
If the answer is satisfactory

Gonna level with y'all, I didn't get nearly enough actual sleep and I gotta hit work until about 9 PM or so. I'll update roundabouts that time; in the meanwhile, votes remain open.

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

Thank you all for reading and participating!

>>1072078
> ...Alright. (Take your shares)
>Claim Reunion counts as part of the shares, take only things that would be immediately useful.

Called, writing.

File: Perching.png (259 KB, 519x858)

259 KB PNG

>>1072078
You really don't want this argument to extend until Henrietta gets here, but you still have to ask. "Why?" you insist, gesturing from the one-armed girl to the treasure and then back to her.

"We got our shares," she says, simply.

"You can't just not get paid, you have new lives to -"

"We got our shares," she repeats, firmly. "You need to take your shares. Two, exactly double what you gave any of us. That's the code. You gave us our split of the plunder."

"...Okay, but /I/ didn't plunder any of this," you point out.

"Actually, I might beg to differ," Mister Sykes rumbles thoughtfully. "Did ye, or did ye not, attack the man who owned this treasure, destroy his ship, kill him, and claim what was left of his holdings?"

You /stare/.

"Ye plundered it fair and square, Captain. Ain't none could say fairer than that, and if there's one thing suffering under the Quell's curse has given us an appreciation for, it's the whole of the law. Take your shares and have the joy of them. Double ours."

You sigh and then enlist River in helping you quickly - /quickly/! - pick out an appropriate combination of gold, small art objects, and jewels, and not a moment too soon. Barely a minute has passed before you hear Henrietta's refined voice start swearing in shock and surprise at the scene in this warehouse.

"So about funding that dig," you tell her, with a wry grin.

> Save your funds for now
> Invest your funds
> You could honestly use a bigger house for the three of you. Kells' former home is only so big...
> Write-in?

* * * *

You stay on hand for the next two days, helping to get the crew introduced to people, arrange for travel, meet their prospective employers. A few hitch rides out with caravans or departing nobles, heading for family or home towns that they haven't seen in years or decades. Most end up on their way towards Wrackholm or snapped up by Amalie to assist in the planning and protection of trade routes.

The one-armed girl, whose name is Gemma, seems rather intent on staying. She makes herself useful around Glen but never seems to be terribly far from you or one of your companions. Even after Mister Sykes gives his farewell, Gemma stays.

You are enjoying your evening meal in the Unlucky Bastard while Amy gives Princess Amalie advice on the pair of harpies she's fostering (the Mistress of Coin was, it seems, deadly serious about her offer) when Gemma stands up from her table and walks over to yours.

The young woman tosses a small sack of what, on a moment's inspection, turns out to be silver coins in front of you.

"Teach me," she tells you.

"I'm a little busy for an apprentice," you tell her.

"I can wait," Gemma answers, with a one-armed shrug.

> ...This seems pretty high up on the list of poor new career choices
> Alright. I'll need students for the school I might be opening up anyway. And if I don't...well, I can always use an apprentice
> Don't you have anywhere else to go?
> Write-in?

>>1076800
> You could honestly use a bigger house for the three of you. Kells' former home is only so big...
Let's go property hunting! I'm sure we can find the right spot somewhere in the Dungeon. And we can rent out Kell's old house too!

> Alright. I'll need students for the school I might be opening up anyway. And if I don't...well, I can always use an apprentice
Having one arm also might be a reason she's wanting to do this. Among other things, sure.

>>1076800
> Invest your funds
OhgodsIdon'tknowhowtodealwiththismuchmoneyheretakeit.

> ...This seems pretty high up on the list of poor new career choices
Though that will almost certainly fail to dissuade her, it's the truth.

>>1076800
>>1076800
>You could honestly use a bigger house for the three of you. Kells' former home is only so big...
Because they wanted us to have it, why not spend it on our self.
>Write-in?
>"I'm getting a vague feeling of déjà vu... First, I would like to know why you are so set on this."
Reasons are important.

>>1076800

Not going to lie, 'Plunder fair and square' was a reason I'd thought about, but didn't think was going to happen.

> Invest your funds

Saving isn't doing anyone much good, and investing should help us out later. And it's not like we really need a house right now.

As for Gemma....

>What do you expect to learn, and why come to me for it?

Let's ask some questions.

>>1076800
>> Invest your funds
>>1076800
>> Alright. I'll need students for the school I might be opening up anyway. And if I don't...well, I can always use an apprentice

>>1076800
>Make sure she's a)Wanting this for good reasons and b)Absolutely certain.
>If all checks out then:
>Alright. I'll need students for the school I might be opening up anyway. And if I don't...well, I can always use an apprentice

>>1076800
Write ins.
>You could use a bigger house for the three of you - or at least increase the size of Kell's home, since he deeded it to you. Saving the rest might be wise - you're not done here.

> ...This seems pretty high up on the list of poor new career choices....but on the other hand, can you tell me why? You've obviously been thinking about this.
>If it is just about replacing your arm, honestly, necromancy isn't gong to help you.

>>1076800
>> Invest your funds
> ...This seems pretty high up on the list of poor new career choices

> Invest your funds

>What do you expect to learn, and why come to me for it?

>>1076800
> Invest your funds.
Maybe we can help the school/orphanage? I know that Nate would appreciate it.

> "...No disrespect, but I'm gonna need a very good reason why you would want to the family arts. Most folks, even the unusual ones, are more than a little..put off..by what I do."

>>1076800
> Save your funds for now
>>What do you expect to learn, and why come to me for it?

>>1076800
>> Save your funds for now
We don't need the money, but I figure we can use it to be a generous gift-giver or briber as needed.

> ...This seems pretty high up on the list of poor new career choices
First confirm that, yes, she want to learn necromancy. Then confirm that, yes, she knows using it literally costs you life. Finally, tell her to sit on this for a while, see what else the world has to offer before committing to this. Say, a year or so?

>>1076800
> Save your funds for now
>What do you expect to learn, and why come to me for it?

>>1076800
> You could honestly use a bigger house for the three of you. Kells' former home is only so big...
Investing now may be a good idea, but there's no telling we'll have the funds later to expand the house.

> ...This seems pretty high up on the list of poor new career choices
Sounds like Jewel is going to have a new friend. I'm in agreement with other anons about getting her reasons for this.

>>1076800
Well...that's as good as reason as any.
>Invest the money in the new family house, and the new money hole, I mean trade route.
Nathan's little bird person babies need a perch, and I don't think Kell wants to have kids stand on him when he comes to chill out on the shore.
I know its in bad taste, but I cant not want to do this with someone this blunt.
> ...This seems pretty high up on the list of poor new career choices
> Alright. I'll need students for the school I might be opening up anyway. And if I don't...well, I can always use an apprentice
> Don't you have anywhere else to go?
why the hell would she want to do this?

>>1077704
Wait let me rephrase this a bit.
> Don't you have anywhere else to go?
then the obvious job warning we give everyone else.
> ...This seems pretty high up on the list of poor new career choices
Then the natural fuck it answer if its a good one.
> Alright. I'll need students for the school I might be opening up anyway. And if I don't...well, I can always use an apprentice

>>1076800
Its been awhile, can someone remind me when Amalie offered to take care of a pair of harpy kids?

Called, writing.

>>1077722
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/48487747/#p48519127
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/48487747/#p48519375

> "I do believe there's a traditional assurance for this," Amalie mentions lightly. "Fostering, yes? The Roosters can send some of their young men and women to learn and live among us. We will send some of ours to learn and live among /them/."
> "That's easy enough for you to - " the count from earlier begins, forgetting Cooke's presence against his back.
> "Starting with my own daughter," Amalie says firmly. "Mister Cooke, Count Lucas seems pitifully short on wine. Do give him a glass."

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/48487747/#p48519638

> "That went well," Amalie comments, mildly. "Quick side note, Ms. la Croix?"
> "Yes, Highness?" you ask, your eyes on her. Amalie puts a hand on your shoulder and leans in close, murmuring in your ear.
> "If I don't get my daughter back with as many pieces attached to her as I sent her with," she murmurs, "I will burn this duchy to the ground and bury you in the ashes. And if you think hiding in your hole in the ground will save you, think again."

> Call votes
> Hours later, finally writing

I'm just gonna start a new thread here. Thank you for your patience.

File: Cool Faggot.jpg (41 KB, 600x726)

41 KB JPG

>>1079037

>>1079037
It's 'kay Lich, life has been weird and annoying for a lot of folk.

NEW THREAD

>>1079735
>>1079735
>>1079735
>>1079735