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MALACRYTHE (DEFINITELY NOT DIANE): “A—anyway, is there anything that I, Malacrythe of Eristhenia, Harbinger of Ruin, can help you with?"

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AVA: “There is. We’re currently trying to stop a group of cultists from reviving an ancient evil and destroying the world. It’s kind of important and we were wondering if you’d like to pitch in.”

MALACRYTHE: “Ooh, evil cultists? That sounds positively romantic! If I weren’t a necromancer, I think I’d have liked to become an evil cultist.”

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STEVE: “You do realize that these are the bad guys? Who are trying to destroy the world?”

Malacrythe gazes off into the distance with a dreamy sigh.

MALACRYTHE: “Destroy the world—it has such a lovely ring to it, don’t you think? But if I’m to be a proper necromancer, I’m not sure it would be right for me to go around acting heroically and stopping villains. It just doesn’t seem like something a Harbinger of Ruin would do.”

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CARMEN: “But what if you weren’t a hero, but a brooding antihero instead? Just think about the melancholic potential! And besides, morally gray villains are pretty popular these days.”

MALCRYTHE: “Oh, an antihero! I couldn’t possibly imagine anything more captivating! Yes, you’re right. We mustn’t let these cultists have their way or else I shall never have the chance to conquer the world with my horde of the living dead. How can I assist?”

CARMEN: “We need more information. Can you tell us anything about the Tomb of the Entombed, or its inhabitants, or how you came to live here?”

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MALACRYTHE: “You mean, you want me to recount for you my woeful history of tragedy?”

CARMEN: “Uh, not exa—“

MALACRYTHE: “I must tell you, I’ve been preparing for this very moment for years! Oh, where to begin?”

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MALACRYTHE: “The laments of my life begin in a desolate alley in Funville, where as a young child I was abandoned by my parents, who were shortly thereafter devoured by ravenous dire pigeons. I had nothing to my name but the rags I wore and the crate I slept under. In the daytime, the flies swarmed thick around my head as though waiting for me to perish, and by night, I was lulled to sleep by the soft scuttling of the incessant swarms of rats with which I shared my lonely alley.”

AVA: “Oh, you must have lived in Ratfly Alley. I used to run a shop there.”

MALACRYTHE: “Oh, no, Ratfly Alley was much nicer. I lived in Ratcorpse Alley.”

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MALACRYTHE: “It was also full of corpses.”

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MALACRYTHE: “The corpses were my bosom friends, ever faithful and trustworthy. In them I confided my deepest, darkest secrets, and in turn they spoke to me. I heard the lugubrious susurrations that echoed within the cavernous depths of their skulls—whispers of the dead, yes, the resonance of souls long-departed. I realized then that I did have something other than my rags and crate! Within me dwelt the eldritch and arcane power of necromancy. Oh, how it yearned for me to harness it! I was too poor to afford even a shiny rock, let alone a magick crystal staff, but I could not surrender this dream once I had found it. I steeled my resolve and began to work.”

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MALACRYTHE: “I labored for many years, sweeping floors in dreary inns, cleaning gutters, selling rat stew on street corners, and sweltering in a mascot suit advertising for a luxury cot dealer, but finally I saved up enough money to begin my studies as a necromancer.”

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MALACRYTHE: “My destiny awaited me somewhere out beyond the horizon, somewhere far beyond the alley I called home. Gazing out at the setting sun, I knew that it was my time to venture forth and forge my own path. My travels were full of tears and ardor, for during their course, I—“

AVA: “—okay, okay, that’s more than enough.”

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AVA: “Good Godt, we don’t need your whole backstory. Here’s what we really want to know: are you Constance the demon hunter or not?”

MALACRYTHE: “Constance? No, I’m Dia—I mean, Malacrythe of Eristhenia, Harbinger of Ruin. I can’t say I’m familiar with anyone by the name of Constance.”

AVA: “Okay, then how about the Undying One and its cult? Know anything about them?”

MALACRYTHE: “Alas, I’ve never heard of any Undying One, though it is a scrumptious name.”

AVA: “The Aegis of Concord?”

MALACRYTHE: “It doesn’t ring a bell.”

AVA: “The Spear of Radiance?”

MALACRYTHE: “Not that either.”

AVA: “Healing potions? Do you at least know anything about where to find those?”

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MALACRYTHE: “I don’t keep any healing potions here, but I do have my raspberry cordial. I’m told it’s quite delightful!”

AVA: “…and does it have magical healing powers?”

MALACRYTHE: “Possibly?”

AVA: “Okay, fine, we’ll take it. You any good at combat?”

MALACRYTHE: “I do hold command over a legion of the undead.”

AVA: “How many?”

MALCRYTHE: “…two.”

AVA: “Okay, fine, we’ll take you too. Welcome to the Ludum Guild, Maverick.”

MALACRYTHE: “I hate to interject, but it’s Malacrythe of Eristhenia, Harb—“

AVA: “Don’t push it, Diane.”

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Malacrythe of Eristhenia, Harbinger of Ruin, has joined your party. What will you do?

>>2534865
Let's check out Room 10, by way of the R11 corridor

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>>2534965
I should probably have updated the map as well. You are currently in R10.

>>2535020
Oh, then whatever's north of R13

I thought it was all one room

>>2535020
>>2534865
the final room, then we SMASH the lich gem

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With Malacrythe, Lacrimosa, and Persephone accompanying you, you return to R13 to check out the northern door there.

MALACRYTHE: "May I ask what our current plan is?"

STEVE: "Well, we found this diary written by a demon hunter named Constance, and she said she left some useful treasure lying around near here, so that's what we're looking for: the Aegis of Conquest and, uh, something else too."

MALACRYTHE: "Ah, yes, an aegis; a word I most certainly know the meaning of."

STEVE: "I, uh, actually have no idea what it means. What is an aegis anyway?"

MALACRYTHE: "Well, if you insist, an aegis is, ah, much akin to an eagle, but...larger, and with greater magickal prowess."

STEVE: "Wow! I wonder how Constance got a giant magic eagle all the way down here."

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Speaking of magical birds, in the next room you find three of them dead at the feet of a marble statue. In the statue's hands are a golden shield and spear—they must be the Aegis of Concord and Spear of Radiance.

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AVA: "Bingo; found them at last."

MALACRYTHE: "Oh, are these the relics that you were seeking? If that's so, you ought to have told me you were looking for the Bastion of Gilt and the Lance of Morning Luster! I'd had taken you right here."

What will you do?

>>2535458

First, check for some invisible barrier the birds might have crashed into and killed themselves on.

Second, put something firm in front of the statue, so when it comes to life after we take the items it'll bang right into something solid.

>>2535553
this, poke that with a long stick

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Better make sure there's nothing fishy going on here before you try taking those artifacts. You poke around near the birds with the butt of your spear to see if there's some sort of invisible barrier that they might accidentally flown into, as birds are wont to do.

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However, as you draw near, the birds vanish yet again! There doesn't appear to be a barrier, so it must have been something else that killed them, if they were indeed dead.

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You give the statue a good prodding as well, but it doesn't react. Never can be too careful with these spooky statues, though.

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For the final part of your preparations, you rip the top of the mimic off its body and lug it into the statue room as a barricade, just in case the statue does decide to attack.

What will you do?

>>2535710
Ask Diane about the lich
Take the spear and shield and equip them on The Brick

>>2535861
The spear 1st, it may be one of those "you can only pick one" type deals

Also, ask the compass where the cultists are

>>2535861
>>2535871
Who will take them?

>>2535878
The Brick takes the spear, loverboy takes the shield after (assuming he can use both the fire sword and shield)

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While Steve and The Brick prepare their relic heist, you have a couple other things to take care of as well.

CARMEN: “Say, Malacrythe, I know we’ve asked you about pretty much everything else in the Tomb, but do you know anything about a lich that’s said to live here?”

MALACRYTHE: “Oh, you must mean Eldistachia Anathemalion, the Charnel Sovereign!”

CARMEN: “Is that, uh—is that really the lich’s name?”

MALACRYTHE: “Well, that’s what I call her…”

CARMEN: “So you’ve met?”

MALACRYTHE: “In a sense. To tell the truth, it was to study necromancy under the legendary lich of the Tomb of the Entombed that I came to this place. But alas, Eldistachia Anathemalion seems rather too busy to take on an apprentice. I’ve often gone to seek her wisdom in her unholy sanctum, but her skeleton attendants always drive me out before I can speak with her. Though since I don’t know Ancient Legalese, perhaps would be futile anyway.”

CARMEN: “What exactly is Eldystopian Anthemlion busy with?”

MALACRYTHE: “Oh, dark and obscene rituals, no doubt. She spends most of her time fussing over some statue and chanting. It’s all I ever see her doing. I don’t suppose it’d be wise to interrupt.”

CARMEN: “Just between you and me, Mal, but I think wisdom might be our party’s dump stat.”

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Meanwhile…

AVA: “Compass of Locating, point me to the cultists.”

The compass needle wobbles, points in several directions, then seems to give up and reset itself. You’re not sure what that means, but perhaps the cultists have split up? If the compass can only track one thing at a time, it would make sense that “the cultists” would be an invalid query. You don’t like the idea of accidentally bumbling into a cultist ambush, but perhaps they’d be easier to tackle one at a time?

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And over on Steve and The Brick’s end of the room…

STEVE: “Okay, barricade’s ready!”

THE BRICK: [ready signal]

Carefully, you reach out to take the Spear of Radiance.

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You grasp it firmly in your hand, when a strange sensation pulses through your body.

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A blinding light overcomes you!

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You find yourself in a realm of darkness and silence.

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STATUE: “You who would claim the Arms of Truth, bare your soul to the light.”

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STATUE: “A memory…”

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STATUE: “…a refuge…”

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STATUE: “…and a wish.”

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STATUE: “I judge you...untrue!”

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And suddenly you’re back in the Tomb of the Entombed, hurtling backwards through the air far too quickly.

>>2536358
What!? But Brick is pure! PURE!

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THUNK

STEVE: “Are you okay?”

THE BRICK: [winces; nods]

The impact has dealt 1 point of damage to The Brick.

AVA: “What happened? Was it a trap?”

THE BRICK: [weighing motion; taps chest]

MALACRYTHE: “A judgment of the soul?”

CARMEN: "Huh, I always took you for a pretty morally upright guy, The Brick."

THE BRICK: [embarrassed shrug]

AVA: "We've all got our vices, anyway. And on that note, I think I’m gonna have to pass on taking a turn at this.”

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STEVE: “Then I’ll do it.”

MALACRYTHE: “Oh, what selflessness!”

CARMEN: “Recklessness, more like it.”

AVA: “Steve, I don't think this is a good idea. What if you get hurt? Not that I’m unduly concerned for your wellbeing, that is—we just can’t afford any more injuries.”

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STEVE: “Someone has to do it, right? It might as well be me. And besides, I'm a tank. Taking the hits is my job!”

THE BRICK: [frantic waving]

STEVE: “I’ll do my best, and you can count on that!”

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As you touch the spear, a flash of light engulfs you.

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STEVE: “Wow, this place is dark! And empty, too. Is anyone here?”

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STATUE: “You who would claim the Arms of Truth, bare your soul to the light.”

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STATUE: “A memory…”

STEVE: “Hey, it’s Whisk! And Popper, and Mops, and wow, everyone’s here! How’s it going back on the farm? Are Ma and Pa doing okay? How’s—”

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STATUE: “…a refuge…”

STEVE: “—aaand now we’re somewhere else. Wait, is this Skov Forest? It’s been years since I was here. Me and the other village kids used to play here all the time, and at dusk if you climbed to the very top of the hill, you could see—“

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STATUE: “…and a wish.”

STEVE: “Carmen! The Brick! Ava! How’d you all get here? Or wait, is this an illusion too?”

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STATUE: “It is your wish. Your party. Your friends.”

STEVE: “Oh, I get it. But if it’s our party, then I think we should include Mala—Malabolg—Malaprop—Diane, anyway. I know we just met her, but I think she deserves to be here too.”

STATUE: “Very well.”

STEVE: “Oh, and the rest of the Ludum Guild, of course. It’s not a party without Herme. Or wait, do I have that backwards?”

STATUE: “As you wish.”

STEVE: “And don’t forget about Orion and Mars and Big Mo and—“

STATUE: ”Okay, okay, you can stop there, I get the picture.”

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STEVE: “There we go! I wouldn’t want anyone to be left out.”

STATUE: “Yet I sense another wish.”

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STEVE: “Ava? Hey, Ava, over here! Check it out! I think this talking statue is reading my mind. It's kinda fun; you should try too!”

STATUE: ”Hmm. I judge you…”

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STATUE: ”…true.”

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You find yourself once again in the Tomb of the Entombed, with the Spear of Radiance and the Aegis of Concord in hand! You must have passed the statue’s test and proven yourself worthy of the Arms of Truth.

Huh. You were kind of expecting the aegis would be more...aquiline.

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CARMEN: “Steve, I can’t believe you actually succeeded!”

THE BRICK: [thumbs up]

MALACRYTHE: “What striking bravery!”

AVA: “Not bad. For you, anyway.”

You can't tell whether Ava's smirk is supposed to be mocking or not. Regardless, you now possess the Sigil of Warping, the Aegis of Concord, and the Spear of Radiance.

What will you do?

——————————

That's all for tonight; thanks for playing!

>>2536390
OMG, Steve is a Disney princess!

>Heal up Brick, give him the Sword of Chima, grab the lich's crystal and go confront the lich!

I told you guys there was none purer than Steve!

>>2535031
>north of R13
This.

Also, we never asked the necromancer about the lich or soulstone.

>>2536507
I voted to ask about this.
I blame the QM.

>>2536507
Huh.
Nevermind. I must have had a glitch when I updated.

>>2536399
Great ideas, however...

>Heal up Brick
With cordial?
We could try.

>give him the Sword of Chima
Makes sense, if the activation and deactivation code phrase work when pantomimed.

>grab the lich's crystal
Last time, that hurt.
Although it was Ava that tried and Steve the True might have more luck, if we want to gamble our hit points.

I'd rather not.

>go confront the lich!
Might as well.
Maybe give Carmen the sword of chima?

Steve's gotta keep the spear and aegis though.

How's the charge on our sparky gem?

I think we should pick off the cultists one at a time before we confront the lich. Ultimately they may be a source of information. If we use the nightshade potion we can even disguise ourselves as one of the cultists and attempt to gain more information. We should use the compass to locate the female one and fuck her up.

The key question here is if the lich is evil or not. We can even ask the compass where "r" is, if she is located in the liches room then we know the lich was the demon hunters friend. If the lich is decidedly evil we can try throwing the anti magic hammer at the lich heart before confronting him. Also as skeletons are inherantly magical I think the magic hammer is better for brick then the sword

We don't have to do all of this but we should do some of it before the final encounter

>>2536787
This is a good plan. The cultists are undeniably bad for everybody, so we should at least try to take out one of them.

>>2536852
>The cultists are undeniably bad for everybody
True.
But are they good for loot?
Are they?

They are, probably.

As it stands, after using the cordial and rearranging equipment, these are the commands:

- Use the compass to locate R.
- Use the compass to locate one of the cultists.
- Have Steve steal the lich's crystal
- Have The Brick destroy the lich's crystal.
- Use the Nightshade Special to disguise a party member as one of the cultists.
- Hunt down the cultists one by one.
- Go through the last door and confront the lich.

In what order do you want to carry out these commands?

>>2536510
Malacrythe and Carmen discussed the lich here: >>2536329

>>2537789
I have this lingering fear that the lich is the lesser of a few evils and destroying its phylactery might not be the smartest thing at the moment. Part of me wants to just storm the last door and see what's there because the suspense is killing me. I would also support jumping one of the cultists but that could go wrong pretty fast.

What do the rest of you anons think?

>>2537789
> Use the compass to locate one of the cultists.
> Hunt down the cultists one by one.
the female one, after carmon can nightshade the others

>>2538029
I am in agreement but I dont think the cultists are very powerful.

>>2538141
Alright, let's see if the Compass can locate "the female cultist", and if she's in the lich's lair then I guess we're SOL.

>>2538492
She would wave to have had to phase through the magic barrier, the ogres never saw them. And if she is in good company of the lich then we know the lich is a bad guy after all

>>2538130
I'm on board with hunting the cultists, but we might want to hunt for the closest cultist.

>>2539036
Yeah, I guess one's as good as another.

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MALACRYTHE: "You know, it was awfully brave of you to undergo the statue's test before any of the rest of us."

THE BRICK: [waves hand modestly]

MALACRYTHE: "I should imagine after that fall you're feeling worse for wear. Would you care for some of my raspberry cordial?"

THE BRICK: [raises eyebrow; points to bottle]

MALACRYTHE: "Oh, no, all my concoctions are non-alcoholic. I may be a necromancer, but I do respect Funville's liquor laws! Underage drinking is a municipal concern, after all."

THE BRICK: [sighs; takes the bottle anyway]

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Regardless of its alcohol content, Malacrythe's cordial is quite delicious. It really hits the spot after being transported into the depths of your own mind and having your soul scoured by a sentient statue.

The Brick heals 1 HP.

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You turn your attention to your armaments next. Now that Steve has a new spear and shield, the Chima Sword of Elemental Fury ought to go to someone else. The Brick, being skilled in melee combat with heavy weapons, would be the perfect candidate, except...

STEVE: "Okay, repeat after me: multi-pronged marketing!

THE BRICK: [...]

STEVE: "Oh, right. Well that's not going to work."

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You hand it off to Carmen instead. Under normal circumstances, going around swinging a blazing claymore in the middle of combat would be quite far from her comfort zone, but someone's got to do it.

CARMEN: "So I just say the magic words and it catches fire? I wonder if I could use this on stage as a makeshift pyrotechnics rig. Okay, here I go: multi-pronged marketing!"

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LAVAL: "I suppose you'll have to do."

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And with that, the inventory shuffle is complete.

HP: All party members are at full. Malacrythe's maximum HP is 1. Persephone and Lacrimosa have 1 HP each, but can be revived by Malacrythe outside of combat.

POTIONS: zero

CARMEN: Chima sword; crossbow; voltstone (100% charge); sheet music
STEVE: Spear of Radiance; Aegis of Concord; axe
AVA: rapier; Compass of Locating (not set); Nightshade Special
THE BRICK: anti-magic hammer; spear; shield
MALACRYHE: staff

AT BIG MO'S: nothing

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On to the next part of your plan: tracking down the cultists. Searching for all three of them didn't work, so you decide to narrow your search down to one of them. You pick the female cultist so that Carmen, the only one of your party who speaks their language, will be able to use the Nightshade Special to impersonate her afterwards.

AVA: "Compass of Locating, point me to the female cultists. You know, the Hermione Granger-looking one."

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The compass immediately picks up on the cultist's location. Based on the needle's movement, it seems your target is also on the move. However, you can't tell what floor she's on.

Given this, you feel confident that the cultist in question is currently within the zone highlighted in green on the dungeon map. She may move again, though, and you don't know which of the other cultists are with her, if any.

What will you do?

>>2540359

Move to R.13 towards R.2, when we reach there we look at the Compass again.

>>2540359
Turn the compass on its side to determine the floor.

>>2540491
Holy cow, that's genius

>>2540491
what a god

>>2540460
Since we're dealing with multiple floors now, which R13 do you want to go to?

>>2541160
Does turning the compass sideways help?

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>>2541163
Yes; when you turn the compass sideways, it indicates that the cultist you seek on either Floor One or Two, but not Floor Three.

>>2541174
I'd say we go to F2R14 and try again the compass, both regular and sideway, to see if she walked away again and if she's on F2 or F1.

>>2541174
>>2541181
Supporting this.

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You retrace your steps back to the Colossus chamber and check the compass there in both orientations.

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The cultist is somewhere in the lime green cone, on Floor Two. It's possible that she has moved from where she was the first time you checked, but also possible that she didn't.

What will you do? If you choose to go to a room, please give a path to that room.

>>2541270
I'm really worried about R3, since i think the ooze wall is still here(?), so I'd go R13 and if she's not there (and noone else is), back R14>R9>R7 and use compass again. Personal opinion, of course, I'd wait for other people support / suggestions

>>2541292
Steve previously destroyed the slime wall in F2-R3 with the firesword. The magic barrier wall in F3-R3 was still active last you checked, however.

>>2541297
Oh sorry, then I'd personally change my path to F2 R14>R13>R3 and check compass, if compass is pointing east, then R7 and R9. Of course, unless we meet her or something stops us.

>>2541270
I'd say 13-3-7-9, on floor 2

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2541297
this, but...

im going to guess R.7. since thats the room the gobos were sliced and diced.

have Ava stealth scout each room before entering

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You proceed to R13, with Ava leading the way as your scout, at least ostensibly.

AVA: "Damn, this thing is great. I can't believe I never got myself one of these before."

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AVA: "I must be getting close based on how the needle's reacting. Just got to keep my eyes on the compass in case she makes any sudden moves."

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AVA: "Not that it'd help her any. When it comes to ambushes, I'm a pr—"

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Oh.

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The cultist swings her axe at you, dealing 1 damage!

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You go flying from the impact and land near the door back to R14 with a loud thunk.

What will you do?

>>2543359
Call for help and take a defensive stance until the backup arrives.

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AVA: "I need some assistance here!"

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STEVE: "We've got you covered!"

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You engage the cultist with the might of your whole party. She attempts to cast some variety of shadow magic at Ava, but Steve blocks it easily with the Aegis of Concord.

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Carmen makes short work of the cultist with the one melee attack she knows: whacking someone in the face with something that's on fire. Works every time.

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You have the cultist surrounded and direly injured. You're skeptical that her wounds will be enough to kill her, but she's not going anywhere any time soon.

What will you do?

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>2543454
At first I was thinking about finishing her, but as i can recall there's a prison cell with skeletons on F1, and since Dia- Malacrythe is with us, I'm sure she would love to meet new friends (and we surely would love new recruits in the Legion) or at least we can dispose them easily. And then put Hermione there. Well be good if we can find something to tie he as well. Also, we have to pick some weapons for Lacrimosa, and Persephone on our way.

>>2543454
Time for a forceful interrogation!

>>2543517
I support this non-murderhoboey line of thinking.

>>2543517
>>2543648
Wait, are we sure the dragon is still sleeping? As far as i can remember, we didn't (luckily, i like dragons) kill him. But... since Malacrythe was able to get past him without the potion, maybe we better ask her how.

>>2543517
>>2543694
Excellent ideas.

>>2543517
I'll go with this mighty six
Ask her simple stuff like
"How do cultists greet each other" for when we transform. Also strip her of her clothing unless the potion facilitates that

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2543839
That's lewd, but I approve.

>>2543454
I just noticed that fuckboy crow is there. Fuck off crow

>>2544228
>that fuckboy crow is there
Good eye.
Definitely Lich or Entombed minions.

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You have Lacrimosa and Persephone grab Hermione and carry her off.

AVA: "I'm thinking we need to go back to Floor One. There's a prison there we can toss her in. Only problem is the dragon guarding the stairs."

MALACRYTHE: "Oh, you mean Pyradyne the Burning Scourge?"

AVA: "Sure, Lucky Pierrot or whatever."

MALACRYTHE: "...are you even trying?"

AVA: "Anyway, I have it on good authority that you know a way around him."

MALACRYTHE: "Yes, you can leave that to me!"

AVA: "Great. In that case, let's—"

You pause as a chill runs down your spine.

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But of course there's nothing there when you go to look. Must have been that bird spying on you again, but its presence felt somehow different this time.

Regardless, you're sure you'll cross paths with it again sooner or later. For now, on to Floor One.

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Pyradyne greets you with a toothy smile as you emerge from the stairway room. The nap does not appear to have improved his mood any.

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AVA: "So what's your master plan here? I hope it's good because I'm feeling pretty attached to my eyebrows."

MALACRYTHE: "Wait, you read about that?"

AVA: "Yep, and I sure hope that sometime in the last year you figured out a better way around your pal Paradigm here."

MALACRYTHE: "Just so you know, I do have a much safer solution this time!"

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MALACRYTHE: "Pyradyne! It's your eternal friend Malacrythe come to visit! That's a good boy; now, sit."

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MALACRYTHE: "Who adores a good chin rub? Oh, Pyradyne, who adores it? That's right—it's you! Who's a good elder black dragon? Is it you, Pyradyne? It's you! Psst, now's your chance! Run!"

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MALACRYTHE: "You're such a good boy, Pyradyne. Now sit tight; I'm sure we'll be back soon."

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You find your way back to the jail cell. The skeletons are right where you left them, still waiting for an unfortunate victim. This time, you'll be more than happy to oblige them.

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Of course, the fact that you sold the cell key to Big Mo for a couple Mo Bucks might prove a problem.

AVA: "You wouldn't happen to know any spells for unlocking doors? I may have forgotten my lock-picking kit."

MALACRYTHE: "Fortunately for us, I happen to have a skeleton key."

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MALACRYTHE: "Minions of Eldistachia Anathemalion, the Charnel Sovereign, heed me!"

SKELETON: "Quis?"

CARMEN: "That means 'who?', by the way."

MALACRYTHE: "Uh, minions of the lich? Servants of evil? Whomever you obey, heed me! I am Malacrythe of Eristhenia, Harbinger of Ruin! I summon thee to my legion of the dead!"

The skeletons shudder, collapse, and then after a short pause begin to move again.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>2544607
>sold the cell key to Big Mo
Damn, I was thinking about getting it back while making this plan, but forgot to write about it. We should still get it, just in case.

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After a quick power cycle, the skeletons seem to have switched their allegiance settings to Malacrythe.

SKELETONS: "What is thy bidding, o dark mistress of demise?"

MALACRYTHE: "That's much better. Now, my foul minions, I have an especially important prisoner whom you must detain."

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Lacrimosa and Persephone dump Hermione unceremoniously into the cell, exit, and lock the door.

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With Hermione safely in the skeletons' captivity, the interrogation begins.

CARMEN [IN STILTED LEGALESE]: "Well, well, well. It seems the tables have turned."

HERMIONE [IN BADLY TRANSLATED LEGALESE]: "What are you talking about tables, and insulting, stupid?"

CARMEN: "Uh, never mind. The important thing is that you are our prisoner so you ought to tell us everything we need to know or else we will have to use force."

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HERMIONE: "Do you think these bars hold me? Are ye so foolish, and very terrible; and at the same time not committed to more with me and kept the charge of the innermost sanctuary of the Lord?"

CARMEN: "Wait, can you slow down for a second? This isn't making any sense."

HERMIONE: "The Undying One sees all, and thus, nothing but you and I by his grace, that we may not have been able to live, except now."

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CARMEN: "Let's start over. I need to know some things about you and your friends, like how you greet each other, whether you have secret passwords, what your goal is, and so on. If you tell me what I want to know, we will be merciful."

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>>2544648

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HERMIONE: "To die sooner than betray my master, and you would sooner die than overcome! Others, at present to know your hold of my life. Our master is to them, and they will be prepared. Returned here are the chiefs of our God. Together with them to break the seal of the tear, and deliver the Undying One! He will lie to the world, and they eat it in his mouth!"

Well that's not very useful. Or intelligible.

What will you do?

>>2544750
kill her and chop her up, no point in leaving the skeletons to guard her when we can use them.
>Others, at present to know your hold of my life. Our master is to them, and they will be prepared
forget about the night shade potion plan since the crow is clearly going to rat on us. find the next cultist and murder him too, have the skeletons lead the way and Ava with her 1hp near steve.

>>2544963
I don't support the murder and i doubt Diane is able to control five skeletons. Yet, I support the part with Ava near Steve, but I hope there will be other inputs than "chopping peoole up"

>>2545024
what else can we do but kill her? Remember that goblin room when all the goblins got ripped apart? What ever did that is A: unaccounted for and B: there was a black raven in that room, we have no idea as to the full extent of the cultists power.

The fact is, she is too dangerous to keep around

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2544963
Yeah let's not chop her up. She's probably fine where she is for the moment. This worked pretty well, so let's find the closest cultist if the compass can interpret that request, or Blondie if it can't. Either way keep the skellies in front and try to jump him before he can steal any of our precious HP.

Dooming us all with a roll.

>>2545082
>Yeah let's not chop her up

Why, she can cast magic and is doing god knows what. Whats your plan? to get all three cultists in the same room together? or are we just going to spare the girl?

>>2545108
>Whats your plan?
Knock 'em out and tie them up with an x71, I guess. Originally this plan was just to get them out of the way and slow down the breaking of the seal until we figured out whose side it was best to be on. You do make a good point, though. We only have enough jails for one, and if Dia- I mean Malacrythe of Eristhenia can make a skeleton key, somebody else might be able to make one out of the jailskellies and free Hermione, or else she might be able to hinder us with her magic.

Shit, this dungeon is corrupting us. I was hoping we could just get them out of the way long enough to fix this place and then they would turn back to normal non-glowing eye printing, but you do raise a good point in favor of killing them all.

Let's get someone else's opinion before we kill them. I think we should just tie them all up as best as we can and storm that final door, but I'm just one IP out of 13 and the game will be fun either way.

Also, the reason I said chop her up was in case she's not of the staying dead variety IE:"Undying One" is her master. Not because im morbid and want this quest to get DARK.

>>2545373
Yeah I figured. It's pragmatic!

>>2545192
>Knock 'em out and tie them up
Her any way.
No point in taking any other prisoners, but we're looters-er, adventurers not executioners.

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HERMIONE: "Red blood will die on the ground! A black feature will veil the sun! One of them will rise again in the time of their visitation they shall perish, and the witch—"

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bop

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That's quite enough out of her. You have the skeletons tie her up with a handy rubber b—you mean with a handy rope from the nearby crates, and hope she won't break out. Malacrythe can keep the three skeletons on guard here, but five is her limit when it comes to controlling the undead.

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One down, two to go.

AVA: "Compass of Locating, point me to the blond cultist."

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The blond cultist is somewhere within the blue cone, either on Floor Two or Floor Three.

What will you do?

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2545622
Down the stairs toward Big Mo's and see if he's on that floor.

This might sound crazy, but I would like to go back to Sildenafil while we're on that floor and explain that we accidentally released the cultists who are trying to end the world and she should help us out with some healing potions.

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>2545695
I would leave sildenafil alone but i think we should take the woman with us and not leave 3 skeletons guarding her.

Hers a plan: Kill /KO the next cultist, then have everyone play dead with carmon using the nightshade potion to make herself out to look like the guy we just killed /KOed. When the female cultist wakes up to everyone playing dead and carmon (in disguise) we attempt to fool HER into thinking this one cultist overcame our party. This may seem convoluted but i think the other two cultists have been warned of our activities by the crow.

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On second thought, you decide to take the KO'd cultist along with you, plus the three additional skeletons, now named Belladonna, Desdemona, and Amy (you're still working on that last one). It seems like you'll be able to keep better track of her if she's with you, and no one else will be able to free her behind your back. Of course, if you ever decide to throw her back in the slammer, your skeleton friends should be able to handle that on their own, just so long as no one ambushes them.

With that adequately settled for the moment, you head down to Floor Two.

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You first stop outside Big Mo's to take a quick compass reading, and then over to the laboratory to take a second reading and hopefully pinpoint the blond cultist's location a little better. You're also jonesing for some more healing potions, and the only person left who might be able to supply you is Sildenafil.

Lucky for you (if not for her), you find her frantically running around the laboratory. It's a lot more barren here since the last time you came through, with most of the furniture gone. The trolls must be working faster than you expected.

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When Sildenafil spots you, she dives out of sight behind the counter.

SILDENAFIL: "Floor. Floor. Floor."

CARMEN: "What...exactly are you doing?"

SILDENAFIL: "Don't mind the floor noises; there's nothing to see here; just regular old floor having a floor old time. Floor. Floor."

STEVE: "Sildenafil, it's me, Steve! I never got to sing the rest of my songs for you!"

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SILDENAFIL: "Oh, it's you. You, uh—you here to try and rough me up again? I see you brought the brute squad this time. Pity I can't stay and chat; I've gotta run, see. Things are going down. Big things. Spooky things. If I were you, I'd scram too."

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CARMEN: "Actually, we're here to ask you for some help. We may or may not have accidentally set free a number of demonic cultists, and they're going to probably try to end the world."

SILDENAFIL: "Sketchy types in black and white?"

CARMEN: "You've seen them?"

SILDENAFIL: "Yeah, I saw 'em all right. Two of them passed through here earlier, but I hid just in time. Of course, that was after the trolls came by and, uh—and stole everything that wasn't glued down."

AVA: "We definitely don't know anything about that."

SILDENAFIL: "And I've been getting this awful vibe from downstairs. Feels like there's some apocalypse at hand; like it's gonna be the, uh—the Second Coming of Christiansen."

CARMEN: "And we're here to make sure that doesn't happen, so could you possibly spare us a couple healing potions? It's for a good cause, namely all of us not dying."

SILDENAFIL: "Gonna have to pass on that one. You made this mess? Sort it out yourselves. I'm out."

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MALACRYTHE: "Sil, we really do need your help. Could you spare just a couple potions?"

SILDENAFIL: "Well if it isn't little Diane. What, did you get roped into this mess too?"

MALACRYTHE: "It's actually Malacrythe of Eristhenia, Harbinger of Ruin now, and I'm here of my own volition. I feel I have a responsibility to protect this world, if only so that I might conquer it later."

SILDENAFIL: "Is that so? Always knew you had a good head on your shoulders, kid. And I suppose I do owe you one for helping me find Rosalyn's, uh—Rosalyn's potion book way back when."

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SILDENAFIL: "Alright, I'll give you my last three potions. Been saving these for a rainy day; guess this is about as rainy as it gets."

STEVE: "Wow, thanks, Sildenafil!"

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SILDENAFIL: "Don't mention it. No, really, don't even talk to me. Just make sure we all don't, uh—don't bite it. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta run."

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With that, Sildenafil grabs her bags, bottle, and potion book, and leaves in a hurry. You suppose that's a success? You give Ava one of the potions and stow the other two for later.

POTIONS: 2

CARMEN: Chima sword; voltstone (100% charge); Sigil of Warping; sheet music
STEVE: Spear of Radiance; Aegis of Concord; axe
AVA: rapier; Compass of Locating (blond cultist); Nightshade Special
THE BRICK: anti-magic hammer; shield
MALACRYTHE: staff

LACRIMOSA: cultist's axe
PERSEPHONE: The Brick's spare spear
BELLADONNA: sword; shield
DESDEMONA: crossbow
AMY: Carmen's spare crossbow; Hermione

AT BIG MO'S: nothing

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You check the compass here too and compare the results against what you got outside Big Mo's.

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The blond cultist must be within the overlapping zone, and on Floor Three. That leaves R2, R3, R5, R8, R9, R12, R13, R14, and whatever room or rooms lie beyond the final door.

What will you do?

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2546193
get to R.9 Asap

>>2546193
Go to R9 via R3
Beware of an ambush by the other cultist

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2546193
>>2546232

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You make haste to F3-R9. You have a hunch that you'll find the cultist there, and a sinking feeling about what else you might find.

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Whatever it is the cultists are planning, you hope you'll make it there in time to stop them.

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When you arrive at R3, you find the magical blue barrier broken. That can't be a good sign. The compass points northeast toward R9, confirming your fears.

>>2546277
Wait, why are we going downstairs?
Has foul magic muddled our senses?

>>2546286
>>2546206 rolled to go to R9, which I assumed meant F3-R9, since the compass shows the cultist on F3. I hope I didn't get that wrong though.

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>2546281

Have Ava sneak check those fucking birds!

>>2546290
I just forgot that the floors are counted down.

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You send the rest of the party ahead, but tarry behind yourself, sensing a familiar presence.

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AVA: "Aha! Got you this time!"

The bird is cold to the touch, almost metallic, but you squeeze it tight and don't let go.

AVA: "What are you up to? Why are you following us? Are you in league with the acolytes? The Entombed? The lich?"

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BIRD: "Poor soul, haven't you realized? He never really meant it. It was careless, as empty as his words. You should have known it was impossible."

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And then the bird is gone, leaving you with nothing but an empty hand and a nagging thought. But there's no time to entertain that now; you need to get to R9.

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You race ahead, push open the door, and—

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Whatever transpired in this room, you've come here much too late.

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The cultist hangs skewered on one of the skeletons' lances. He appears very much dead, though it may be unwise to jump to conclusions with someone who calls himself an acolyte of the Undying One.

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A little further in lie the shards of the lich's soul crystal. The gem has been shattered and all the skeletons bound to it rest in pieces, scattered across the floor.

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The room is still and silent.

What will you do?

>>2546320

Locate the third, and final, cultist. Make sure this one has actually bought the farm while searching the room

>>2546320
Locate the third cultist ASAP

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While Malacrythe cheerfully and thoroughly verifies the blond cultist's demise, you consult the compass yet again.

AVA: "Compass of Locating, point me to the black-haired cultist."

>>2546320
-Decapitate the dead cultist, take his head with you and throw it into R.13 before we go into the final room
-Get some of the defensive gear from this room and equip it to our friends the skeletons
-for the love of god please decapitate the female cultists and also take her head with you to throw into R.13
>muh morals
-stab the female cultist deeply through both legs and leave here in this room tied up, we can come back for her after.
-locate the third cultist who is probably in the boss room
-say your prays and go to the boss fight

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You see all of three options for the final cultist's location, but unless he really likes lurking in corners or hanging out in front of doorways, you suspect he has gone beyond the final door. If you follow him there, you may not return.

Since this is a significant decision, I will wait for more players to chime in before taking any irreversible actions. In the meantime, I'll handle any preparations or other plans you have in mind.

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While the rest of the party ponders, Malacrythe gets to work tidying up.

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Cremation is probably better than these cultists deserve, but from experience you know it's the surest way to keep a corpse from coming back to haunt you.

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There; that's one corpse out of the way. Now, about the skeletons...

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You pile up the remains of the crystal-controlled skeletons along with their armor and set to work customizing your own legion of the dead.

>>2546349
We need to off the female cultist, because she binds 3 skeletons on minding her.

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You're pretty happy with what you come up with.

Lacrimosa is decked out as the leader of the group with a magick crystal axe, an ethereal cowl of ash, a shield with an arcane eye crest, and a helmet at accentuates her cheekbones. It's a striking look for your right-hand skeleton, sure to strike true terror into the hearts of your foes!

Meanwhile, Persephone has a dashingly mysterious cloak and hood, marking her as the skeletal party's rogue, and she dual-wields heavy crossbows. You're not actually certain how that works, but it sure looks cool!

Oh, and the rest of the skeletons got whatever else was lying around. You may have been playing favorites just a little.

What will you do?

>>2546369

No choice but to enter that hole, and que the boss music

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>>2546369
Thats not Persephone and Lacrimosa, you swapped out the skeletons. Persephone had a faded face, it gave him character

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MALACRYTHE: "Ah, but wait a moment; is that skull really Persephone's? Keeping track is such an ordeal..."

You quickly shuffle them around until they look right.

MALACRYTHE: "There, I believe that's correct. Probably."

>>2546369
Wait for the lightning stone to recharge, if necessary, and then it's the boss battle!

>>2546369
But first camouflage Ava as the female cultist using the potion and send her in first to recon.

I say Ava because Carmen's skill in Ancient Legalese is not up to par anyway.

>>2546398
I disagree, if the cultists are the enemy of the lich he will target her.

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The problem of Hermione the cultist remains. Until now, you've put off deciding her fate due to the party's conflicting feelings on the matter, but something needs to be done before you cross the final threshold.

AVA: "I vote we kill her now. We can't afford to waste three skeletons guarding her."

STEVE: "I dunno, Ava. That just feels wrong to me."

AVA: "Then what's your brilliant plan?"

STEVE: "We could give her the Nightshade Special and transform her into a bedridden old lady. I don't think she'd be much of a threat like that."

CARMEN: "Or we could exile her to Elfland with the Sigil of Warping. Out of sight, out of mind, right?"

THE BRICK: [shuts eye; puffs up chest]

STEVE: "Oh yeah, the ogres might be willing to mind her for a little while."

MALACRYTHE: "If you're feeling squeamish about executing prisoners, we could also leave her in the custody of Pyradyne. That's not to say that Pyradyne wouldn't potentially eat her, but at least the blood's not on your hands."

What will you do?

————————

Since this has also been a point of contention, I'll wait for others to voice their thoughts on Hermione's fate as well.

That said, I will be heading to bed shortly, and won't be able to update Fungeon Crawl until around 4:30 PM PST tomorrow (I'll be able to answer questions, though). I will take commands regarding these matters until that time, and after that we'll probably begin the final act of this quest. Thank you all for playing!

————————

>>2546394
The lightning stone currently has a full charge.

>>2546405
Since we need to preserve Steve's purity, I propose we give her to the ogres.
Maybe they can convert her to the side of good with The Power of Minifigs

>>2546406
Before I'd ask ogres if they both agree and can manage to keep an unwilling cultist who can use magic. I'd be really happy to see her converted to the cult of minifigs.
If they refuse, I'd say dragon is the answer ... or we could try to sell her to Big Mo, i wonder how he'd react.

>>2546405
You can sigil warp people?

>>2546680

Going to second this.

>>2546808
The Sigil of Warping can transport one thing at a time to Elfland, though the the time and place of arrival tends to vary. According to Constance's records, she used the Sigil mostly to send letters to her penpal. Using it on something larger, like a human, may place strain on the Sigil, but it should work at least once.

>>2547195
Not worth

>>2546680
Go with this. If we have to feed her to the dragon, don't tell steve.

>>2547215
We could actually leave Steve alone with Ava, to try talking alone for a couple of minutes. It's been a while since the kiss, right?

>>2546405
>>2546680
>>2547215
This.
Mars & the Ogres, then Mo, then Pyradyne.

Should we collect the pieces of the lich crystal?
Seems worth pocketing.

>>2547446
Wait for post endgame

>>2547446
That'd be a death flag.

>>2547631
>endgame boss is a japanies truck

>>2546337
No gore on blue boards please

I'm still getting things ready, but hopefully Fungeon Crawl should resume within an hour.

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While you're in the soul crystal room, you decide to sweep up the remains of the lich's soul crystal and save them for later. They seem inert now, but perhaps they still possess a lingering trace of magic. Also, they're the literal shattered fragments of a broken heart, and there's no way Malacrythe is going to pass up on the opportunity to acquire something as melancholy-sounding as that.

With that done, it's time you dealt with Hermione.

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AVA: "Hey, Mars, Orion; we brought you a present."

You toss Hermione onto the bearskin rug. It's amazing that all this being dragged around and dropped on things hasn't woken her up yet.

MARS: "I didn't know they made bigfigs that were quite this large."

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MALACRYTHE: "Not a figurine at all, but an actual person."

ORION: "Ah, Anne. I see you've met our friends the adventurers."

MALACRYTHE: "It's Diane, actually. Wait, no, I mean—"

AVA: "Remember when we warned you about the cultists? Well, this is one of the three. One of the other two is dead, and the third is in the lich's chamber, which is where we're headed."

CARMEN: "We can't watch over her ourselves right now, but we were wondering if you'd be willing to keep her captive for the time being."

ORION: "We'd be quite happy to, my friends. I feel we still owe you for finding us that Mr. Gold."

AVA: "...damn right you do...

STEVE: "She's very dangerous and can cast magic, so be careful if she wakes up!"

MARS: "Don't sweat it. I think we can contain her."

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Hermione goes to join the police officer in the ogres' cabinet.

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ORION: "Now, if you've got the time, would you like to see our latest piece? I call it 'That god's name is Ab—'"

CARMEN: "No time, sorry; We've got an end of the world to go and stop."

STEVE: "It's probably going to get messy, so if you hear demonic shrieking coming from down the hall, you should barricade your doors and grab your weapons."

MARS: "Don't worry about us. Our artistic insights aren't the only thing that's razor-sharp."

And with that, you say farewell to the ogre brothers and return to R3.

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You approach the final door.

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CARMEN: "Everyone ready?"

THE BRICK: [nods resolutely]

MALACRYTHE: "As ready as I can be."

STEVE: "I'm good too. Ava?"

AVA: "I'm fine, Steve."

You run one last inventory check just to be sure.

POTIONS: 2

CARMEN: Chima sword; voltstone; Sigil of Warping; sheet music
STEVE: Spear of Radiance; Aegis of Concord; axe
AVA: rapier; Compass of Locating (final cultist); Nightshade Special
THE BRICK: anti-magic hammer; shield
MALACRYTHE: staff; lich soul shards

LACRIMOSA: magick axe, shield
PERSEPHONE: crossbow; crossbow
BELLADONNA: sword; shield
DESDEMONA: spear; shield
AMY: axe; shield

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And finally, you enter the lich's chamber.

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Within, the battle has already begun. The last of the three cultists stands atop a stone altar locking blades with a floating, skeletal figure. There is no mistaking the lich of the Tomb of the Entombed.

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LICH: "Non succedetis, qui domino mendaciorum paretis."

CULTIST: "Es qui mendacia dicis!"

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Engaged in their own battle, neither party appears to have noticed your presence.

What will you do?

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>2548622
Blast the cultist in the back with MULTI-PRONGED MARKETING

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2548622
Let them weaken each other a bit. Also, give translation

>>2548622
Everyone with shields goes forward.
Strike the lich with the Spear of Radiance.
The Brick should be ready to block any incoming magic with his anti-magic hammer.

Also I agree with >>2548641, wait for a right moment before you do anything of it.

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The combatants are talking too quickly for you to decipher much of what they're saying, though you caught a couple words like "master" and "lies". Alas, Ancient Legalese was never your strong suit. Maybe it's time to apply some of your actual talents.

CARMEN: "I call upon the radiant power of the television series! The enduring might of the theme park attraction! The all-encompassing force of the MMORPG! The ancient mystique of the spin-off junior reader novels! And the damned omnipotence of the lifestyle products!
In the name of multi-pronged marketing, wipe my enemies from this plane with your blazing fury!"

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A direct hit! And also an indirect hit as the cultist goes hurtling into the lich.

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Both hit the ground with a crash.

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The cultist, however, is the first to rise again.

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What will you do?

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>2548731
Impale him on your spears. All of them

>>2548738
I was going to say, this guy sure is confident. there are like ten of us.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

But uh, dont get any of that guys blood on the alter

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>2548731
While the others distract the cultist, Mal raises the lich as a friendly skeleton

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While the cultist charges straight at you, you bring Steve and Desdemona to the front with their spears.

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It goes about as well for the cultist as you would expect.

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STEVE: "Wow, is that it?"

AVA: "I think that was the easiest final boss I've ever had to deal with."

CARMEN: "Not to rain on the parade or anything, but I'm pretty sure the lich is still alive, or whatever you want to call it."

AVA: "Yeah, but doesn't the lich seem like a total pushover? It was fighting this one cultist for how long before we came and took him out? If it couldn't beat him, there's no way it can beat all of us. I vote we smash it up and have Diane raise it as one of her skeleton lackeys."

ACTUALLY, IT'S MALACRYTHE: "This may alarm you, but it currently seems to me that the lich is more than capable of raising herself."

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LICH: "Gratias ago, sed sero venistis."

CARMEN: "Oh, I think I understood that! That means, 'I give you thanks, but you are too late.'"

What will you do?

>>2548868
Nothing

>>2548868
Are you Lady & Co.? And who the heck is the Undying One?

Also,

>ACTUALLY, IT'S MALACRYTHE
My sides can't take this abuse

>>2548877
As in, wait to see what happens. Lich is clearly a bro

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CARMEN [LEGALLY SPEAKING]: “Are you a friend or foe? We’d like to avoid bloodshed, if we can. Though I guess we’re the only ones with blood, but…”

LICH [SLOWLY]: ”If you stand against the Entombed and its servants, then we are friends. But if you seek only riches to plunder and a monster to slay, like so many others before you, then this is your sole warning: turn back or perish. Time runs low; I cannot waste it on the likes of you.”

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CARMEN: “We’re here to prevent the Entombed from breaking free. We found the records of a demon hunter who died fighting for that cause, and we intend to finish her work.”

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LICH: “Then you have my gratitude, for I was that demon hunter. In life, my name was Constance.”

>>2548939

No, our friends are the guild, the ogres, Big Mo, and possibly Sin and the Dragon.
There's no winning here. Kill everything because as soon as the first thing is dead another will take its place. Be it the cultist, lich, Dia--err, whatever.

>Sigil warp lich to Elfland where mini dolls are best equipped to handle his evil
>End boss this cultist.

Or something.

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>2548957

Sorry was in the moment

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CONSTANCE: “When I first set foot in this tomb, I had no idea what evils lay in wait for me. I had banished many demons before, and I thought a few cultists would be a simple matter. I was wrong.”

>>2548957
This set of posts hasn't quite wrapped up yet; sorry for the confusion

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CONSTANCE“The cultists worshipped a demon they called the Undying One, or the Lord of Lies. It was a scourge of many planes, a corruptor of many souls, until ages ago, when a great mage defeated it and sealed it within this tomb. It was a mighty seal that mage set upon the demon, but alas, also temporary.”

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CONSTANCE: “I spent most of my life’s energy maintaining that seal on the Entombed, but it was futile. I knew that soon after my death, the seal would finally break and the Entombed would escape. I despaired that it could ever be vanquished, and in my despair I split my soul and became a lich so that I could remain here till eternity, holding back the Entombed myself.”

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CONSTANCE: “I had faith that my persistence could keep the Entombed sealed away forever, but its minions were persistent as well. And now they have returned and broken the crystal where I housed half my soul, and my time once again comes quickly to an end.”

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CONSTANCE: ”Soon after we have finished speaking, I will perish and the fetters upon the Entombed will shatter. When that time comes, you must do whatever it takes to prevent the Entombed from escaping. Its powers are weakened, but if it is allowed to roam free upon this plane, it will feed upon the lies and doubts of the world and will soon—“

???: “Ah, so there you are.”