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Prior threads can be found here:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Demonologist%20Quest

Alerts will be posted on the QM's twitter, which can be found here:
https://twitter.com/DemonologistQM

Additional resources
Inventory: https://pastebin.com/4azYmrHh
Character List: https://pastebin.com/SN1j50bJ

In Demonologist Quest, players will sometimes be prompted to roll dice when performing certain actions. The base amount of dice is five d10s and the number of rolls that meet or exceed the DC determines the outcome.

0: Critical failure
1: Major failure
2: Minor failure
3: Minor success
4: Major success
5: Critical success

Players can have allied assistance with a roll, in which case they roll a number of additional d10s determined by the skill of the ally.

If the result is a minor or major failure, players can choose to add a bonus to a roll through bargaining. This comes at the price of potential negative consequences unrelated to the success or failure of the task. The probability and severity of the negative consequence are determined by the size of the bonus being added. Critical failures cannot be bargained away, nor can bargaining result in a critical success.

If players choose to bargain, I will roll one d10 and the consequences will depend on the result of that roll. See image.

>>2737044
> Try to bargain harder. You don't want to appear like a novice who is willing to simply accept such harsh terms.
She's kinda right but it's more a question of principle: we can't let her walk over us, even if we have to explain that very delicately to her.

>>2737044
>Run towards him and crush him by dropping your whole weight on him. (+6 damage, you will incur a -10 penalty next turn if the attack fails.)
She’s a temperamental one, and also my really wrong either.

>>2737116
Got damn it, forgot to copy the option I wanted.
> Accept. She has a point. The art you acquired can easily be replaced, while the flame-calling power she is offering is much more valuable.
Not*

>>2737044
>Accept.
The terms are actually fair in relation to what's been given to our other demons. This is the largest thing we've asked for so far in raw power, and its the kind of object that provides the sort of service we'd actually summon her for (burning someone to a crisp). It's not good business to admit all of that outright, though.
So accept firmly.

>>2737044
FUCK YES, your back!

>bargain
We don't want to be seen as someone who is so easily swayed by beautiful women, dont forget hell talks a lot

>>2737044
Zeratna is pretty hot

Rolled 1 (1d2)

I'm going to roll to break the tie.

1: Accept
2: Bargain hard

Accepting. Now writing.

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After pondering your options for a few seconds, you decide that it would be best to simply accept the deal. No need to test the patience of a temperamental demon, not over something so much smaller than the potential advantages flame-calling will give you. "Agreed," you say.

Zeratna motions to the floor in front of her feet. "Bring me the sacrifice, and the silver."

As you bring each item to her and set it just inside the circle, the writhing flame that streams down from Zeratna's scalp snaps up the bits of wood and metal, devouring them almost instantly and leaving nothing behind. Then, once the last of the sacrifice is gone, you set the remaining Hell-forged silver inside the circle. The demoness kneels down in front of the silver, her lithe body flowing gracefully down to a sitting position. Right in front of you. A thought flickers through your mind as to what she could do kneeling before you with those luscious breasts and full lips. How you could force that frown off her face.

You quickly push the image aside, trying to focus on anything else. Bit by bit Zeratna scoops out tiny chunks of the silver and molds them into rings, linking them into a long chain. After forming the final chunk of silver into a clasp, she holds the chain up, tilts her head back, and opens her mouth. You momentarily forget how to breathe as you watch the demoness lower the silver chain down her throat in one slow, smooth motion. Zeratna lets go of the end chain, closes her mouth, and shuts her eyes. Her entire body pulses, the flickering red, orange, and yellow of her body washing out and being replaced by a bright and pure white light. Then she opens her eyes and reaches between her breasts, her hand sliding through her burning body and pulling out the chain.

She stands and makes as if to hand it to you, then pauses. Looking at the silver chain, you can see it is still glowing red hot. Zeratna holds another hand beneath it, and the glow seems to slide down the chain into the palm of her outstretched hand.

"It should be safe to touch now," she says, holding out the chain to you.

You hesitantly reach out and touch the silver chain. Though it is still slightly warm to the touch, it isn't painfully so. Taking the chain from the demon, you fit it around your neck and fumble with the clasp for a few embarrassingly long seconds before finally securing it.

"It would be unwise to test it here," Zeratna continues. "But to use it simply focus your mind on a target that you can see, hold out your hand toward it, and imagine it rusting."

You raise an eyebrow at that. "Rusting?"

"Yes," she replies impassively.

> Ask Zeratna a question. (Specify)
> Dismiss Zeratna, get some sleep and skip to COMMERCE in the morning.
> Dismiss Zeratna, go find some place secluded to test out your newly acquired abilities.
> Dismiss Zeratna, go to the local church to speak with Father Jansen
> Write in.

>>2737508
>Dismiss Zeratna, go to the local church to speak with Father Jansen
Also, damn is Marcus thirsty.

>>2737508
> Dismiss Zeratna, go to the local church to speak with Father Jansen
Vedek told us to be succinct and not to annoy her, and since we're apparently hornier than Setra we shouldn't risk pestering Zeratna.

>>2737508
>> Dismiss Zeratna, get some sleep and skip to COMMERCE in the morning.

The moment we talk to the church is when we can't stay any more due to what the mayor would have to say about us, so we need to do business first, then give the info right before we leave.

>>2737508
>havery we still not done the church stuff? Letters to church god dammit.

>>2737527
Have you seen her pic? Seeing her live, I can't blame him.

>>2737508
>Dismiss Zeratna, go to the local church to speak with Father Jansen

Going to talk with Father Jansen.
Now writing.

>>2737568
glad you're back friend! was worried about you :)

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Recalling Vedek's advice to keep things short and to the point, you decide to conclude your business with Zeratna for tonight.

Bowing your head, you say, "Thank you for your assistance, Zeratna."

"That will be all then?" the demon asks.

You nod. "Yes."

"In that case, farewell, Marcus." You think you might have heard a slight thawing of her icy voice just for a moment there, but it's probably just your imagination. It certainly got a workout tonight.

"Farewell, Zeratna," you reply.

With that, the flames that make up Zeratna's body flare suddenly, wrapping around her and then shrinking inward into nothing, leaving you alone in the room. You sigh and inwardly scold yourself for practically drooling all over a third circle demon just because she had an amazing body. This is probably just withdrawal. Going from every night to months and months of nothing has given you whiplash. Maybe you shouldn't have left her behind...

You push that thought out of your mind as quickly as it wanders in. No, you made the right decision, there was no way that was going to end well.

Setting thoughts of the past aside, you walk over to your pack and fish out the letters from the catacombs. From what you've heard of the local priest, probably the man Connor referred to as Father Jansen, he seems like a decent man. He'd likely be interested in evidence that the Mayor had his own brothers murdered.

You clean up the summoning circle and stow your ritual kit, then head down to the lodge's common room. Ibrahim and Hannah are finishing supper, and you wish Hannah a good night in case you're out that long. Ibrahim quickly inhales the rest of his food and then leaves the lodge alongside you.

The walk to the church is uneventful, you're mostly following the closest thing Rathburg has to main streets, and your destination is not too far from the main market square. The market is quiet, and though you can see a light coming from inside the church, it's fairly dim. You walk up to the main doors at the front of the church and pull one open with only a little bit of help from Ibrahim.

The inside of the church is mostly dark, the central nave is lit only by a collection of candles around an altar at the far end, with the pillars along each side cloaking the aisles in shadow. The light that you saw from the outside seems to be coming from a room off to your left as you enter, just past the stairs spiraling up to the church's bell tower. Ibrahim slowly pulls the door closed after the two of you enter, while you head over to the room with the light. Poking your head inside, you find a study of sorts. It is plain in appearance, but neat and well kept. A rack of scrolls sits along one of the walls along with a small bookcase. A small hearth on the opposite side of the room bathes the scene in a soft, flickering light.

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There's also a desk, and at that desk sits an elderly looking man in the red-brown robes of an Ephesian priest. The man doesn't seem to notice you as you enter. Instead, his attention is focused solely on a book sitting open in front of him and a loose page on which he is carefully writing. A collection of candles on the desk add a little bit of extra light to the room, but not much. You slowly move around the desk to see what he is writing, and you notice that he is copying a page out of the open book. You also note that his penmanship is fantastic, producing letters that are at once both elegant and totally uniform. Not wanting to ruin his work, you wait until he isn't putting pen to paper before making your presence known.

"Hello?"

The old man looks up with a start. "Hmm? What?" He looks around with a confused expression, but when he sees you his face becomes nothing but calm warmth. "Ah, hello there. My apologies, I didn't hear you come in. I get caught up in my work sometimes." He squints at your face in the candlelight. "You are new in town, yes?"

You nod. "Yes, I arrived just a few days ago." You hold out your hand. "Marcus, traveling merchant."

The old priest rises from his chair and walks over to you, taking your hand and shaking it. "Well then, allow me to belatedly welcome you to Rathburg. I am Father Jansen, I tend this church for the people of Rathburg. You certainly came here at an interesting time, Marcus."

"Yes, though from the looks of it things have more or less sorted themselves out."

Father Jansen sighs and shakes his head. "Perhaps, but not without cost. Just earlier today I was informed of another person murdered in the course of this disaster. That brings the total count to nine."

"It could have been much worse," you point out. "I heard the merfolk were threatening to slaughter the entire town."

The priest grimaces slightly. "True, but that fact does little to diminish the pain of those who have lost." He pauses and sighs, then adds, "Or the fear and suspicion that shall linger for some time to come."

> Give him the letters now, no need to linger here longer than you need to.
> You're in no rush, ask him some questions first. Perhaps about the mayor or the merfolk or his views on recent events. (Specify)
> Write in.

>>2738082
>> Give him the letters now, no need to linger here longer than you need to.
the longer we stay the more suspicion we get

>>2738082
> Give him the letters now, no need to linger here longer than you need to.

>>2738082
>Give him the letters now, no need to linger here longer than you need to.

>>2738082
> You're in no rush, ask him some questions first. Perhaps about the mayor or the merfolk or his views on recent events. (Specify)
How is the town recovering? Do they need any goods that the authorities can't provide? etc.

We don't want to lead with an outright "do you think the mayor is terrible?", but a bit of tact might get the Father talking.

>>2738082
>Give him the letters now, no need to linger here longer than you need to.

>>2738082

> Give him the letters now, no need to linger here longer than you need to.
We should name faith/moral as our reason for this action. Time to increase the quality of our cover story and be a nice follower of the Ephesian creed. Also, we should ask for anonymity.

Letters now. Writing.

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You clear your throat slightly. "I don't wish to impose, so I'll get to why I am here." You hold out the stack of letters that you brought. "I came here to give you these."

Father Jansen looks at the letters curiously. "And what might 'these' be?"

"A collection of letters implicating Mayor Hoffman in the deaths of his brothers," you reply.

The old priest's eyes widen and he looks back up at you. "What? How? Where did you get them?"

"David found them," you say. "He was hiding out in the catacombs after the Mayor sent a man to kill him. I found his body, along with these, in the catacombs while I was helping look for the thief a few days ago."

Jansen strokes his beard idly as he contemplates your words, then says, "I take it that Helga's visit earlier today to arrange for David's burial was not a coincidence?"

You shake your head. "No. I was the one who brought word of David's death to Helga, and at her request I brought his body up out of the catacombs for her so that he could be properly laid to rest."

The old priest nods solemnly, and when he notices your remorseful expression he puts a hand on your shoulder. "You did a fine thing," he says gently. "Helping a widow to find some measure of peace." You don't tell him the full truth of why that isn't as comforting as he might think. Instead, you simply nod. "Now," he says softly, "let us see what these letters have to say."

You hand the bundle of letters to Father Jansen, who takes them over to his desk and carefully unbinds the stack. He goes through several of them, squinting to read the faded pages in the candlelight. After a few minutes of reading in silence, he slumps back into his chair with a sigh, one hand resting on his brow.

"Part of me still doesn't want to believe it," he says. "But I've seen enough in my time to know that there are men in this world wicked enough to do such a thing. And I know William Hoffman well enough to know that he has all the morals of a drunken seagull." He turns to look at you. "Thank you for bringing these to me."

"I would appreciate it if you kept my part in uncovering these a secret," you say. "At least until after I've left Rathburg. Hoffman was willing to send someone to kill David to try to keep this quiet."

The old priest nods. "I understand."

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You're about to bid him farewell, but stop when you remember that you should probably warn the priest. "And you should be careful about who you tell," you add. "Telling the wrong person is how Hoffman found out that David knew."

"I will make sure to only tell those I trust absolutely," Jansen says with another nod. "I also intend to wait until I have enough support to act." After a moment's pause a look of realization flickers over his face. "Oh, I should probably give you something for bringing these letters," he says. "Some sort of reward." He leans forward in his chair and starts searching through the drawers of his desk, mumbling, "I must have at least a few silver around here somewhere."

You hold up a hand to stop him. "That won't be necessary, Father. I'm just trying to do the right thing."

"As am I," he replies. "And at the moment the right thing involves me giving you at least something as way of thanks." He finishes searching through his desk, stands up from his chair, and walks over to you. "Here," he says, taking your hand and pressing a few coins into it. "I know it's not much, but I've never been one to keep a lot of coin on hand when others can put it to much better use."

You look down at the coins in your hand and see three silver Trents shining back at you in the faint light. Realizing that you probably won't be able to talk the priest out of it, you simply nod and slip the coins into a coat pocket.

"Farewell, Father Jensen," you say.

He gives you a warm smile. "Farewell, Marcus."

With that you turn and leave. Ibrahim is waiting for you at the main door of the church, and the two of you start back toward Warwick's Lodge.

Alright, there is no good reason why this update should have take that long, so I'm going to call it a night here. We'll resume on Wednesday.

Goodnight everyone.

>>2738517
night man

>>2738517
>no good reason
Breaks are fine man.
Good update though. See you later.

While Marcus was super thirsty this doesn't surprise me too much. He's known to have a history with many women. Hell, the reason he's called Marcus is because of women troubles. I wonder if Marcus being a horny bastard has to do with us choosing Hannah

>>2739621
I don't think the problem was with women, I think it was with the church, and the woman in question he had to witness being killed on the wheel by them. he is a bit traumatized

>>2739957
I think that anon is talking about the woman we more recently left behind. Remember when we summoned demons for the first time and told them our new name?

>>2739964

I was thinking about the red head that clearly marked his mind, I thought it was because of her that marcus changed his name, and her implied fate was not good

>>2739974
The thing is, whenever they mentioned the woman back when he was Daniel, he doesn't seem traumatized but more embarrassed by the whole ordeal. and he kind of states it in this part "Going from everyday to months and months on end with nothing", he clearly had something going on.

>>2740562

nah men, the dude is clearly traumatized, whatever happened with his last lover was brutal, his dry spell lasting so long is another indicator that despite all his charm and ability to get girls he has not been doing it for some time because of something that happened.

some exemples from the thread:

when we paniked because of the inquisition he thought
>You can see Hannah and Ibrahim are already there. Good. You can all get out of here and get far away from this place. You don't have to lose them. You don't have to go through that again.


and then when he imagine Sarah's(red head) face on Hanna he thinks and says:

"Marcus, are you alright?" There it is again, clear as day. But it can't be her, she's gone. She's gone and she's never coming back.

You slowly move your hand away from your face and open your eyes, fearing what you might see. You see red hair in a long ponytail hanging down over you. You see a pair of bright blue eyes, full of concern, framed by two locks of loose red hair hanging down from either side of them. There she is, looking down at you like nothing happened. Like she never had any reason to hate you.

The words you wanted to say to her come spilling out immediately. "I'm sorry, Sarah! Oh Solace, I'm sorry!" You have no idea how you got this chance, but you're not going to waste it.

this is not an apology from an uncorrectable womanizer, it its an apology from someone who probably left her to die.....like we did with David or something, he says that she is gone forever, he begs for her forgiveness in the name of Solace and he thinks that even in death she hates him. That's some heavy shit

>>2740760
Fuck, maybe that's why he feels so guilty about David, because he has done it before.

>>2740760
anon Marcus clearly has multiple women in his past he's left behind, the most recent one was the reason we changed our name(again) to marcus and was described as a druid/amazon, this is the woman we are embarrassed about, and that our demoms have teased us for. the redhead is someone else that was probably farther back in marcus's past, that was very important to him.

>>2741315
yeah, he had numerous women I know, I just imagined the name change was because of the church knowing the name Daniel, where was that druid mentioned again? my memory failed me

>>2741468
When we summoned Remeer for an item and he was being himself.

>>2741555
it wasn't druid, it was huntress, to get the actual quote: "Another name change? Hmm." Remeer somehow manages to rub his chin with all four of his clawed hands in an exaggerated manner. "And I notice that huntress isn't hanging off your arm any more." His lower jaw rises, partially concealing the lower half of his eye. You can hear the smile in his voice. "Those two things wouldn't happen to be related, would they?"

>>2741759
maybe the red hair was the huntress?

>>2741759
and to follow up on this: You clear your throat. "I summoned you to ask for your advice on something," you say, trying to move the conversation away from the topic of a certain former companion.

"If it's how to escape from an angry, crossbow-wielding jilted lover, I'm afraid I don't have much experience in that area." Remeer laughs. It's a deep belly laugh, complete with the demon clutching its sides with its four arms.

You feel you face flush slightly, and decide to take a more direct approach

So clearly it wasn't the huntress who suffered a brutal fate, but a different women. i'm sure he is traumatized by that event, but what happened with the huntress was that he probably pissed her off somehow, and to get away from a (probably) very determined women, he changed his name to Marcus Fowler.

>>2741761
i don't think so. I think it was someone earlier in his past, but not the huntress.

Sorry, no thread today. Update will be Friday.

>>2741883
RIP quest

We hardly knew him.
What a shame he died forever and will never return.
I'll get the candles now.

>>2741772
>>2741759
Thanks for taking the time to clear that up, anon. I was too lazy to dig through and find the quote myself

>>2742635
It's what i do, see y'all friday.

You guys think we can summon a new QM to continue writing for us? I only know a QM from the first circle but he tends to be a bit flaky.

>>2743075
if Setra takes over we will have to move the quest to anonkun, this is a blue board after all

>>2743075
Probably got the QM curse. When I was playing in the dieselpunk nations quest, the QM's laptop went kaputt and that was the end of that.

>>2743075
I like this QM, we just have to wait, plx dont curse him

>>2743075
don't scare off the QM of the one quest that i actually read

>>2743075
Schedule anguish aside I wouldn't trade a flakey QM I trust for a summoned QM I don't know.

>>2743788
>>2743678
>>2743075
>1 post by this ID
>Bitching about how QM isn't running as much as you'd like
Fucking contribute to the quest if you like it so much. Read-only "people" are worse than Hitler, especially when they are so entitled they bitch at the QM, even though he warned there wouldn't be a session until Friday.

>>2743850
Only one of those is bitching though and it's obviously in jest...

>>2743850
k

>>2743850
k

>>2743850
Most of us just come to read the newest part of the story (of there is one) before moving on, we neither participate nor shitpost.

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>>2743850
>Read-only "people" are worse than Hitler

>>2744815
I guess it's true.
Hitler did, after all, participate.

>>2743186
>>2743678
>>2743788
>>2743819
>>2743850
Calm the fuck down lads, I was making a summoning joke.

>>2743091 is the only one without autism, apparently.

>>2741967
Ded at stillbirth

>>2743850
I dislike "discord for discussion xd" way more than read-only.

>>2744873
How dare you say I don't have autism?
this kind of slander can ruin my ID's credibility!

Don't listen to him guys, I'm totally autist, here's my 172-page thesis on why Aisha is best girl followed by a simple 27 step plan to make her abandon the lizard cock and be loyal to us...

>>2744873
or better, imagine a quest by Remeer

"so, the peasant girl you lured to the barn turns out to be a four-armed abomination! what do you do?

I draw my sword!

Yeah, about that, your sword is actually a piece of salami..."

>>2744920
Why 27? Why can't it be 30? 30 is a round and perfect number.
I don't think you're really autistic Anon... I think you're trying to pull a fast one on us!

GET HIM.

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>>2744920
REEEEEEEE

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>>2744935
>>2744926

shit shit shit

>>2744922
>I meant I draw my OTHER sword.
"Oh. OH. Yeah well, roll a d20 and we'll see what happens..."

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>2745063

>>2745076
"Well they're certainly taken aback enough to consider talking first and not killing you. What'll you do next?"

>>2745084
Whip my dick out and do the hellcopter

>>2745090
"You already have your dick out, moron. Roll d20 to see if you can pull off the [HELLCOPTER]"

Dyslexic Inquisitor: "I have you now, you fiend! How shortsighted of you, advertising your evil business outside your lair! What do your say before I have you thrown into into the pyre?"

"I am a Dermatologist, not Demonoligist."

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>2745108
let's see those blades spinning

>>2745145
That's what I call an avaragecopter

>>2745115
And you want to convince me that your impecably smooth and silky skin is not the product of sorcery? Lusty....wet...sorcery....

Ahem....

Take him away boys!

Look, as long as we eventually knock up Setra and avoid dying, I'll be content with this quest.

>>2745160
I'd rather Reemer myself, anon.

>>2745160
omg can this be an inheritance roguelike? We just have to make sure our character gets old enough to bang a demon (or worst case scenario another mortal) so we can play as their offspring a generation later? SO DOWN.

>>2745742
lame, half-breeds are probably overpowered

>>2745753
nothing says we can't be a squib. Or that it takes a long time for powers to manifest. Or even that they couldn't be just minor passives. An ungifted Setra halfling would probably just be... idk. particularly sleepy. Good at hypnotism. Maybe just really, really boring to talk to.

>>2745759
>demonologist + mechant quest, but you also have to manage your crippling narcolepsy from fucking you over every day
It would certainly be a nice spin on things

>>2745765
mhmmhmm! And you're in the weird position of trying to live up to the idea of a father you've never met, only heard about from all the rumors that fly around in hell that your mom tells you about.

>>2745770
your mom that is still actively banging 16 year olds anywhere she can find them. haha...

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>QM leaves for one extra day
>thread immediately derails and devolves

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>>2745828
I'm just happy to see people chatting.

Also, update in about twenty minutes.

>>2745828
It is inevitable.

In any case, I think Marcus should save himself for someone more exotic than Setra. Like that jilted lover who totally isn't going to track us down one day.

>>2745834
I hope all the shitposting and memeing is giving you ideas, QM. I know this is a blue board and all but you can still pastebin link stuff you could write, hint hint. I'm saying Setra route is a good idea.

>>2745839
stop that man, no demon route, bad anon

>>2745834
I fucking love that gator man

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You're about halfway back to Warwick's Lodge when Ibrahim stops and holds out a hand, motioning for you to stop as well. The two of you stand there for a moment, listening to the sounds of a sleeping town drifting through the cold night air. It takes you a moment, but you're able to pick out a faint noise echoing from down a side street. It sounds like a voice, though you're not able to make out much more than that.

Ibrahim starts creeping slowly toward the side street, peering into the darkness. Only a sliver of light from the crescent moon above and a few dim lights from the windows of surrounding buildings keeps the street from being completely obscured. As the two of you move down the street, the voices you heard become clearer.

"Leave us alone!" The voice is relatively high, but not quite feminine. Probably a boy whose voice hasn't deepened yet.

It's almost immediately followed by another voice, similar to the first. "Let me go!"

"Quiet you little runt, or I'll break your yapping jaw," says a third voice, this one definitely a grown man.

As you and Ibrahim move down the street, you're able to pick out where the sounds are coming from. It's an alleyway up ahead, from which a faint light spills out onto the side street. Quietly walking up to the corner, you peer around and spot the source of the commotion. At the end of the alleyway are a handful of figures, barely illuminated by a lantern hanging from a post roughly halfway between you and the group. Three are children, a bit shy of their teens, while the other two are grown men.

One of the children is currently struggling in the grasp of one of the men, while the other two have backed up as far down the alleyway as they can, one of them trying to shield the other.

"We don't mean no harm," says the second man, the one not manhandling the child. "Just hand over your pretty little friend and the two of you can run along."

At that point the struggling child kicks the man holding him, causing the man to strike him hard over the head. The child goes limp.

The second man chuckles a bit, then says, "Well, you can run along at least."

> Intervene with diplomacy.
> Intervene with mundane violence.
> Intervene with magical violence.
> Don't get involved, move on.
> Write in.

>>2745895
>Intervene with diplomacy.

>>2745895
>> Intervene with magical violence.

>>2745895
> Intervene with mundane violence.

>>2745895
>Intervene with diplomacy.

You can't just dangle this in front of our faces QM and have us NOT take the bait.

>>2745895
What on earth are they even doing?
>Intervene with diplomacy.
So long as Ibrahim doesn't tire of our shit we can take things like this slow.

>>2745914
I will admit, I figure people will probably choose to get involved. The real question is how.

>>2745895
>Intervene with diplomacy.
What the hell are you assholes doing?

>>2745931
If one of those kids is a thief that they're trying to question or get what was taken back this behavior makes sufficient sense, or that's one of the parents and somebody is in for a scolding. If they're at all logically inconsistent it's gonna be more than words they'll get.

Diplomacy it is.

Roll 6d10.

Rolled 5, 7, 1, 7, 3, 7 = 30 (6d10)

>>2745957
TIEM TO TALK!

Rolled 7, 5, 10, 1, 3, 9 = 35 (6d10)

>>2745957
F

>>2745961
> 3 successes = Minor Success
Writing.

Rolled 9, 7, 9, 3, 6, 7 = 41 (6d10)

>>2745957

>>2745947
they said to hand over the pretty friend, this is pedo rape

>>2745895
>Intervene with diplomacy.

>Threatening disembowelment with a side of prolonged, slow death counts as diplomacy, right? It is neither mundane nor magical violence.

>>2745895
I hope we got to use our torch soon.

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You step around the corner and start moving toward the group at the end of the alley, Ibrahim following close behind.

"What's going on here?" you say as you approach.

The two men turn toward you, the larger of the two dropping the unconscious child that he's holding onto the ground. "Nothing," the smaller of them replies. "Who the Hell are you?"

"A concerned bystander," you say, coming to a stop about twenty feet from the two men. "And you're making a substantial amount of noise for someone doing nothing."

"Sorry bout that," the smaller man says, stepping forward. As he moves closer to the lantern halfway down the alley you get a better look at his face. He's decently handsome, though the smile on his face strikes you as just fake enough to be slightly unsettling. It's like he doesn't really understand what smiling is, and is just doing his best to imitate something he's seen. "I was just having a little chat with my sweet baby girl and her friends," he continues. "See, she's out past her bed time and she really should come home."

At that, the boy at the back of the alley who is shielding another child behind him pipes up. "You're not her pa!"

"Shut it, boy!" the larger man shouts back at him. "Or do you want to get a good drubbing too?"

Your eyes narrow at the smaller man. "I think it's time the two of you left. You've made enough of a scene for one night."

"She's my girl," he protests, gesturing back down the alley at the children. "I'm not going home without her."

"Really," you say coldly. You point at the two men. "If that's the case, then I'm going to count to three. On three, I want both of you to say her name."

The two men stand in silence for a moment before the smaller one chuckles. "You're a clever one, ain't you? Alright, I'll be straight with you. That girl's a thief. She stole a gold Karen from us and we want it back."

From behind the boy at the end of the alley, you hear a voice cry, "No I didn't!"

Again that prompts a harsh shout from the larger man. "Quiet!"

Your gaze remains locked on the smaller man. "If that was really what was going on here," you say, "then you wouldn't have felt the need to lie right from the start. You did that because you knew, without knowing a thing about us, that we wouldn't approve of what you're really after here."

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The expression on the smaller man's face briefly shifts to one of genuine frustration before snapping back to a smile. "Alright, look at it this way," he starts, walking closer. Ibrahim steps up slightly ahead of you, positioning himself with his arms free. The smaller man takes a coin purse off his waist and opens it. "A clever man like you must have something better to do with his time than worry over a few pesky kids. I'm guessing your time is valuable, so here. I'll give you some coin for your troubles, and we can all walk away from this happy men." He holds out a handful of coins, the dim light of the lantern hanging from a post lets you see that they are copper Darrens.

"Only if you walk away without the children," you reply.

He chuckles slightly and shakes his head. "That's not how this works, friend. But don't worry, we won't hurt them. There's no reason for a clever man like you to waste any more of your time on those brats."

You briefly taste a bit of bile welling up in the back of your throat. "Keep the Darrens," you say. "Use them to hire a working girl."

The smaller man puts on a look of surprise and confusion. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Stop being coy." You point back up the alley toward the side street. "Leave. Now."

Again you see that glimmer of frustration from the smaller man, and again it quickly disappears behind a smile. "Fine, fine," he says, holding up his hands. "We'll leave." He motions for the larger man to follow him. The man briefly looks back down the alley at the children, then gives the boy lying on the ground a frustrated kick in the gut.

"James!" the girl cries, and tries to move toward the boy, but the one shielding her holds her back.

Your hands ball into fists, but you stand off to the side as the two men walk back up the alley, turn the corner, and disappear from sight.

> Talk to the kids, try to help the one who was hurt, and offer to walk them home if they'd like.
> Leave, try to follow the two men discreetly. Kill them if the opportunity presents itself.
> Leave, head back to Warwick's Lodge.
> Write in.

>Talk to the kids, try to help the one who was hurt, and offer to walk them home if they'd like.
Do not use the healing thing... use regular methods. Children don't keep secrets.

>>2746280
>>2746263
Forgot my link. Also, of course escort them because those guys probably aren't leaving the general neighborhood.

>>2746263
> Talk to the kids, try to help the one who was hurt, and offer to walk them home if they'd like.

Talking to the kids.
Writing.

>>2746263
>> Leave, try to follow the two men discreetly. Kill them if the opportunity presents itself.

guys you fucked up, this guys are predators, and they are out for blood, they are just going to find another victim, we have to follow them

>>2746333
can we talk to the kids while Ibrain follows them? he is more then enough to take care of this

>>2746263
talk to the kids while Ibrain follows them and kills them when they are alone

>>2746377
>>2746388
Can we do this or its to late

>>2746411
The vote was closed so I assume no you can't.

>>2746419
I wished he posted sooner. Oh well. Pedos go free, no local attention-grabbing vigilantism tonight.

>>2746377
>>2746388
>>2746411
I'll add that as a decision to the next story post.

>>2746374
I just realized I took this quote from Sin City

but instead of women's blood, its loli's blood

glad i didn't miss too much, except for a couple of pedophiles.

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You hurry over to the fallen boy and kneel down next to him. You are relieved to find that he's still breathing, though unconscious. You turn to the other two children, who are hesitantly approaching you. "Are the two of you alright?"

"I- I think so, sir," says the other boy. "But what about James?"

You turn back to the unconscious boy and lightly try to stir him awake, careful not to move his head or neck. He lets out a pained groan. "Ugggh..."

"James?" you ask. "Can you hear me, James?" The other two children move closer, gathering around the boy lying on the ground.

He slowly slides back into consciousness, though he's clearly still very disoriented. "Wha- what's going on?" He clutches the sides of his head with his hands. "Uhhh... My head hurts"

"You took a heavy blow to the head," you say.

James looks a bit startled by your voice and glances around. "Wh- Who are you?" It takes him a worryingly long amount of time to notice you, and when he does he squints at you. "You look fuzzy," he says slowly.

"My name is Marcus," you reply, then motion to Ibrahim. "This is Ibrahim."

"They scared off those two bad men," the girl adds.

"Two- who?" James looks over to where the girl is standing. "Bad men?"

"Concussion," Ibrahim says flatly.

The other boy looks up at Ibrahim. "What?"

"He'll need a few days of bedrest," you say, turning to the other boy. "Would you like us to walk you home?"

The boy looks over at the girl. When she nods, he turns back to you and says, "Please, sir."

> Activate your regeneration bracelet and try to stealthily slip it onto James while you carry him home.
> Don't.

Also
> Send Ibrahim after the men.
> Don't.

>>2746433
based

>>2746502
>Send Ibrahim after the men.
>Activate your regeneration bracelet and try to stealthily slip it onto James while you carry him home.

You know what. This is why we got it in the first place and an extension of why we're in Torien. Practical, well-intended demonology. We're not staying in town long enough to suffer the consequences, so fuck it. Heal the kid with the super conspicuous good luck charm.

>>2746502
>Don't
>Send Ibrahim after the men
Using demon magic isn't the best idea right now, neither is pedo hunting but we have to be somewhat a nice person.

>>2746502
>Don't
>Don't

>>2746502
>> Send Ibrahim after the men.
> Activate your regeneration bracelet and try to stealthily slip it onto James while you carry him home.

>>2746502
>Activate your regeneration bracelet and try to stealthily slip it onto James while you carry him home.

>Send Ibrahim after the men.

>>2746502
>activate
>send

That's the reason we got the regen iten, to help us and to help others

>>2746502
> Don't.

> Send Ibrahim after the men.

Sending Ibrahim and activating the bracelet.
Now writing.

>>2746502
>don't
>don't
Let's not call attention to ourselves or murder anyone. We can just tell the parents and let a good, old fashioned peasant lynching take care of the issue instead of a murder mystery.

>>2746559
they gonna get ibrahim'd bro

>>2746559
no attention called my friend, we can't do good without breaking a few eggs, the eggs are pedos in this case

>>2746585
I don't think you guys should've involved in this besides tell those 2 to scatter.

>>2746589
Well, we like making decisions that aren't the best but are certainly the most interesting ]

>>2746592
I mean I wouldn't consider hunting down a couple pedos to be that interesting. Not more interesting than demonology for sure.

>>2746596
In the future of Torien that we envision, pedos get shanked by demons. See? It all fits. It's related at least. There's a relationship between the two. One thing and another thing. Yeah I can't reach further than this.

>>2746602
Okay I'll leave you to your pedohunt

>>2746596
it's more interesting than not hunting down a bunch of pedos

>>2746596
It's pretty interesting for me, I don't think Marcus would let it slide, he has being a consistently good guy, maybe not hunting pedos but certainly helping the kid with the regen

>>2746618
Exactly. The pedophilia hunting is just a bonus.

>>2746502
> Activate your regeneration bracelet and try to stealthily slip it onto James while you carry him home.

Send Ibrahim after the men.

We going to be leaving the next day or so

This is running a bit long, so I'll go ahead and post what I have so far.

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A thought occurs to you. While those two men might have left these three alone, they could be seeking other prey. You taste bile again. Standing up, you lean over to Ibrahim and whisper to him. "Ibrahim?"

"Yes?"

"Can you follow those men?"

He raises an eyebrow, but simply says, "Yes."

"Please kill them."

"Gladly," he replies, then quickly turns and hurries back up the alley. "I'll meet you back at the lodge," he says as he leaves. He checks the corner carefully, then takes off down the side street and disappears from sight.

You kneel back down next to James and take out a piece of dried fruit that you had been keeping as a snack. In the low light, you doubt the children will recognize what it really is. "James," you ask, "do you see this?"

"Not really, no," the boy replies groggily.

"It's a bit of Matheri root from the south. It should help with your head." Inwardly, you briefly wish you still had some actual Matheri root, given how useful it can be. While the children are focused on the piece of fruit, you picture a sapling growing into a tree in your mind, then slip the bracelet onto Jame's hand. At the same time, you place the piece of fruit in James' mouth and he swallows it. After a moment, you move to scoop James up off the ground. "I'll carry you back home," you say, "just try to rest." Standing up with the boy in your arms, you turn to the other children. "Where does James' family live?"

"This way, I'll show you," the other boy says.

The three of you start walking through the streets of Rathburg, gradually winding your way to what you're fairly sure is the southeast. After a few minutes of silence, you decide to speak up. "So, as I mentioned, I'm Marcus. Who are you?"

"I'm Brian," the other boy says, then he points to the girl. "That's Nora."

"Eleanor," she says shyly.

"If you don't mind me asking, what were the two of you doing out at night? It's not safe after dark."

"Well... We-" Brian begins, stumbling over his words nervously. "We heard that there was something spooky up near the town hall last night. Weird sounds and lights and stuff. We wanted to see if it was true. And we heard that the demons were gone, so we thought it would be safe."

You sigh and shake your head. "Demons are not the only dangers that come out at night. Far from it."

"I know, I know," Brian says, looking down at his feet. "I swear, we won't sneak out like this again."

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You arrive at a small house in the southern part of Rathburg and Brian knocks on the door for you. There's a sound of hurried footsteps and a relatively slender man answers it.

"Who-" he starts, then notices the boy in your arms. "James! James, are you alright?!" You hold the boy out for the man and he quickly takes James in his arms. As he does, you surreptitiously slide your regeneration bracelet off of James' wrist and slip it back onto your own.

"Careful," you say, "he took a pretty hard blow to the head. I'd advise letting him get some bedrest for the next few days."

"What?" asks another voice from inside. A brown-haired woman hurries up to the door and quickly starts examining James as he stirs slightly in his father's arms. "What happened?" The woman looks at you, then notices the other two children that are half hiding behind your legs. "Brian? Nora? What were the three of you doing out so late?"

"We-" Brian says hesitantly. "Well, we wanted to see if the rumors of weird stuff up at the town hall were true, but there were these bad men. They wanted to do something with Nora, and when we tried to leave they chased us into an alley." He brightens up a little bit and motions to you. "But Marcus here and one of his friends scared them away!"

"Pa?" James mumbles softly as he drifts back into consciousness.

"James, are you alright?" his father asks. "Can you stand?"

"I- I think so? My head doesn't hurt as much now." James' father slowly sets him down on his feet, and his mother immediately kneels down and hugs him tightly.

"I gave him some Matheri root to help with the pain," you say. "But he should still stay off his feet for the next day or two."

"I'll put him to bed," his mother says. "Come on, James." The two of them head off into the house, James briefly turning back to you and waving before disappearing from sight.

"Thank you, sir," James' father says. "Marcus, was it?"

You nod. "Yes."

"Thank you so much, Marcus," he says, taking your hand in his and shaking it. "I'm Richard."

You smile back at him. "Happy to be of assistance, Richard." Releasing his hand, you motion to the two other children. "Now, I need to walk Brian and Eleanor home."

Richard nods, his expression and tone hardening somewhat as he looks over at them. "I'm sure their parents will want to have a long talk with them about sneaking out after dark."

"We won't again," Brian protests weakly. "We promise."

"Don't promise that to me, Brian," Richard says sternly. "Promise that to Roland and Beth. They must be worried sick about you."

"I know, I know," the boy says, looking down at his feet to avoid Richard's gaze.

The man turns back to you with a sigh. "Goodnight, Marcus," he says, smiling. "And again, thank you."

"Goodnight, Richard," you reply, then turn and head off to walk the other two children home.

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A similar scene plays out with Nora and then finally Brian, their parents flipping back and forth between relieved and frustrated. As you're walking back to the Lodge, you look down at the bracelet on your wrist. While you're certain it's been longer than twenty minutes since you activated it, you picture the leaves falling from a tree just to be sure.

Returning to the Lodge, you enter the common room and spot Ibrahim waiting for you at one of the tables. Though it's sometimes difficult to tell with him, you think he looks troubled.

"Did you find them?" you ask as you sit down next to him.

"Yes," he replies. "Already dead."

You give him a puzzled look. "What? What happened?"

"I am unsure, but something killed them before I could catch up with them." He motions up and down the centerline of his body with one hand. "Opened them from groin to throat with a large blade, wielded with great strength."

While you're certainly not sorry to hear that those two men died, Ibrahim's description worries you. Briefly your mind turns to the demon you encountered in the catacombs with the scythe arms. But you saw that demon melted on the beach the night you dealt with the merfolk chiefs. "Did the bodies still have blood?" you ask.

"Yes," Ibrahim replies with a nod.

So whatever killed them wasn't a demon. But what else could have done that?

>>2746920
we need to leave

>>2746920
the plot thickens....so many hooks man...

>>2746920
let me rephrase
GET TETHIS AND GET IN THE DAMNED CART

Just because they didn't drain the blood doesn't mean it's not a demon, Marcus. You can just pay a demon well enough to not.

Or, one of the merfolk could've bought some stealthy demon to cover their fucking tracks (which makes sense for not taking the blood), or the cabal instantly sent something out here to check after our little interrogation (since that demon would've given the cabal a report if they asked for it), but that doesn't give a motive for dealing with these nobodies like covering tracks sorta does.

It doesn't matter either way though because whatever it was, demon or not, was good enough to get to them before Ibrahim could. That means it was there the entire time. Waiting.

Whatever it is is still fucking there. Who else have we met recently did they fucking kill?!

>>2746964
PANIC

>>2746964
I doubt it was a demon. Given Ibrahim specified the wounds were made with a large blade. It might just be a mundane mad man.

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There's not much you can do with the news, as distressing as it is, so you and Ibrahim retire for the night. Though you're happy that you were able to save James, Brian, and Nora from those two men, the knowledge that the two went on to meet a gruesome end under mysterious circumstances makes it difficult to sleep.

The morning comes with little fanfare, and you're heading down to prepare your wagon to head up to the market when you notice that the stables seems to have gained some additional occupants. Alongside your pair of horses are four more, notably larger and stronger than your own. Out back, chained to a heavy wooden post, is a large carriage with two men standing nearby. One is a portly and well-dressed man who spends all his time talking at the other, a large man busy unloading something on the far side of the carriage.

From where you're standing near your own wagon, you're able to catch a few things that the two are saying.

"Where the Hell could they have gotten to? Weren't you watching them? What do I even pay you for?" The portly man fires off questions at a rapid pace, as if more interested in simply saying things than getting answers.

"You pay me to guard you, not them," replies the man on the other side of the carriage. His voice is so deep and gravelly, and he sounds more than a little bit tired with the portly man's questions.

"Don't get smart with me," the portly man snaps back. "Why haven't you found them yet? This town is tiny, where could those two have gone?"

"Hiring them was a mistake," the other man says. "They weren't reliable."

The portly man scoffs at that. "This from a deserter."

A low rumbling noise comes from the other side of the carriage. If you didn't know better, you'd say it almost sounds like a growl.

> Continue eavesdropping.
> Move on, head to the market for COMMERCE.
> Move on, stop by the Salted Wound to get Atoreshk's report, then leave town.
> Write-in.

>>2747004

> Move on, head to the market for COMMERCE.

>>2747004
>Move on, head to the market for COMMERCE.

>>2747004
> Move on, head to the market for COMMERCE.
Atoreshk ain't going anywhere... and we still need to buy stuff for our next route IIRC.

Maybe it's just unwarranted paranoia. Yeah. Nothing.

>>2747004
>> Move on, head to the market for COMMERCE.
Do this and gtfo, we've done our civic duting of hunting pedos and finding out something weird killed them, i'd rather not deal with more shenanigans in this city.

COMMERCE it is. Roll 7d10.

Rolled 9, 4, 6, 8, 5, 7, 8 = 47 (7d10)

>>2747037
F

>>2747039
satisfactory

>>2747039
> 5 successes = Critical Success
Writing.

Next story post will be the last of the night.

>>2747039
Nice, now that we will most likely make shit tons of money, what could possibly go wrong?

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>>2747070
> what could possibly go wrong?

>>2747088
awwww shit

>>2747088
i'm sure he's a very friendly, very big salt water crocodile.

We need to drop some "demons are cool, guys. no, really" pamphlets and get out of town, this place could become more trouble than it's worth.

We can always come back, after all, this should be a prime spot for undermining the church considering the exposure people have to demons.

the dawn has arrived to kill me
goodnight DQM, thanks for running.

>>2747199
yeah, I'm planning on leaving too, we have to check on that cabal anyway.

>>2747004
I guess we know who killed them

>>2747199
After this we should look for apprentices or converts, like one for Ibrahim.

>>2747199
>>2747297
I guess we are already relatively high profile in this town. We should leave it and search for promising conversion candidates in the next place. Maybe we should stop somewhere more backwater where the Ephesian priests stop only irregularly.

We made good money here though; maybe we can spend it on nice equipment. Maybe we could let someone forge Ibrahim some nice armour (I`m thinking about studded leather) and a better sword if he wants one? And also we should get something nice for Hannah. We should also teach her some basics of self-defense.

>>2747331
weren't we going after the cabal, maybe stop the stupid masters and direct them to something good? I mean, they already know demonology and their heart is in the right place, they just have been too reckless about it.

In the end, we have the same goal, to end the church.

Okay, it looks like falling asleep in the middle of writing up the last post of the night is a thing now.

We'll resume Monday.

>>2747364
sweet dreams you sexy croc

>>2747331
Totally in support of all of that. Ibrahim hasn't mentioning needing or wanting an upgrade but if we're gonna do cabal related anything seriously he'll need better stuff. Hannah needs to be taught daily because that's the only real way to make good progress on fighting and besides that, if we fail super hard and die harder she's left alone, yeah. She needs to learn the stabby. Her own weapon would be a good idea, though I don't know what she should get.

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You know I gotta say Demonologist QM: Having Solace's actual title be "The Black Sun" is giving me some serious Digital Devil Saga 2 vibes.

>>2747364
>We'll resume Monday.
>Monday July 23, 2018
>no post
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

>>2753792
could be on martian time

>>2753792
Sorry, there have been some delays due to countertop strangeness. Update will be in 45 minutes.

>>2753805
fair enough, just glad it isn't getting delayed (and as i say this, it's getting delayed)

>>2753805
44 minutes

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You decide that the two men and their conversation doesn't interest you, and instead you return to preparing your own wagon for the day ahead. Hannah and Ibrahim join you, and the three of you climb up onto the wagon and get underway.

Rathburg seems to be getting back into the swing of things now that a few days have passed since the merfolk wrecked the market. Though fear and uncertainty kept some people away for a time, necessity has brought them back out to trade. All this proves to be very beneficial for you, and you're able to offload your remaining wares at a tidy profit. By the time noon rolls around, you've more or less cleared out your stock and have brought in 75 silver. You now have the equivalent of 163 silver.

You're also able to acquire a fair bit of information on the flow of goods through Rathburg. Though the town itself does produce some things itself, the best items for sale are things that have come in from elsewhere, items that have only stopped here in Rathburg to await someone like you to carry them on the next leg of their slow journey deeper into Torien. The border with the Dvergan Empire is not far to the west, and the free cities of Kahgran lie across the Borel Sea to the north, giving you access to both dwarven and orcish goods that could fetch a good price to the south or east.

Then there is the issue of the cabal. If you're planning on delving deeper into their schemes, you might want to consider investing in arms and armor. Vedek also mentioned that there is information in Geldor that the cabal hasn't been able to obtain because it has an Ephesian Saint sitting on it. If you want to make a play at acquiring it, you'll definitely need to be better equipped than you are now. The local smiths and armorers have some equipment that wasn't quite finished before the bulk of the fighting men departed for Varena that you could pick up at a bargain price.

Finally, you notice something intriguing when you're browsing through the main market after clearing out your own stock. It's that portly merchant that you noticed earlier. From the looks of it, he came from the direction of Dvergan-Argashk, and in addition to a variety of more mundane trade goods he also appears to be selling dwarven-made weapons. Though they are quite expensive, they are in a league of their own when it comes to quality.

> Focus on acquiring trade goods first.
> Acquire some local equipment first.
> Speak with the merchant, try to acquire dwarven equipment.
> Write in.

>>2753883
> Speak with the merchant, try to acquire dwarven equipment.

>>2753883
>Speak with the merchant, try to acquire dwarven equipment.

We need to ask for Ibrahim's input on what kind of weapon, too. Wouldn't make sense to buy something he's not familiar with. It'd be good time to fill him in on exactly why we're preparing more, too.

>>2753883
> Focus on acquiring trade goods first.

Merchant, dwarven equipment, now writing.

>>2753883
Speak with thr merchant

But I would point that I would like to make the 3 options since I plan on investigating on the cabal, we cannot pass a chance to criple the church

I would propose that we ask ibrahim if and what kind of armament or protection he would like and what would be most useful for Hannah.
not one of us should be without at least a little protection, it could be easily explained with us traveling so much too

>>2753919
Did QM died

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You motion for Ibrahim to follow you, then step back behind the wagon from which you've been selling your wares so that you can speak with him in private. It's not much, but the bustling of the market around you should help keep what you say between the two of you.

"Ibrahim."

"Yes?"

"I've been gathering information on the people who were behind the whole mess with the merfolk, and I think we may need to do something about them. Both they and the Ephesian Church are searching for a holy relic. An amulet, one created by Solace Himself before He disappeared and thought lost in the Great War."

Most of Ibrahim's face retains its usual impassive expression, but in his eyes you can see an intense interest at the mention of the relic. "And you wish to find it first," he says.

"Precisely," you say with a nod. "The Ephesians would use it to promote their own, twisted doctrine, and the cabal that created this conflict would likely do something similarly stupid with it. We may end up actively fighting against both groups. I have been able to acquire some items from certain friends," you say, showing him the Sanguine Ring that you are currently wearing, "but we will also need more conventional arms and armor."

Ibrahim nods. "I can advise you in that regard."

"Thank you." The two of you walk back out into the market proper, and you point out the spot where the portly merchant from earlier has set up shop. "We'll start with that merchant over there. I saw that he had some dwarven weaponry."

Approaching the portly merchant's stall, you greet him with a smile and a wave. "Hello, sir."

"Hello there!" he replies happily, launching into a rather flamboyant greeting. "I am Konrad von Robensburg, purveyor of the goods of the highest quality this side of Argashk. See anything that strikes your fancy?" He motions to an array of items set out for display, most of it metalwork ranging from swords to craftsmen's tools. "I'll have you know that there are no merchants in all of Torien who can compete with the fantastic selection of craftsmanship that you see before you."

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You allow yourself a chuckle before turning to Ibrahim, curious as to what sort of weaponry he would prefer. "Ibrahim?" Then you stop when you notice that Ibrahim's gaze is fixed on a figure behind Konrad. Following his gaze, you turn and look over at a man standing in the shade of the awning above Konrad's stall who you hadn't noticed at first. Despite his enormous size, he remained so perfectly still and silent that your eyes had glossed over him when you approached Konrad.

Standing roughly eight feet tall, with stoney flesh and a face like a wild animal, the man is very clearly an orc. Though his face lacks many of the features of a human, you can see that his eyes are focused intently on Ibrahim. The two of them stand there in silence, and for a moment you could swear that neither of them were even breathing. The orc's hands rest on the pommels of a pair of large blades, one on each hip. As the realization dawns on you, you look back at the orc's face and even with his inhuman features you're able to pick out a look of recognition as he stares at Ibrahim.

Finally, the orc speaks in the deep, gravelly voice that you heard earlier in the morning. "Are we going to have a problem?" he asks plainly.

Ibrahim's eyes dart over to you.

> Yes. Call the orc out for murdering two men last night.
> No. Subtly assure the orc that you're not going to say anything about the murders.
> No, but yes. Tell the orc that there won't be any issues, but try to get Konrad aside so that you can tell him that he's employing a murderer.
> Write in.

>>2754116
> No. Subtly assure the orc that you're not going to say anything about the murders.

>>2754116
>No. Subtly assure the orc that you're not going to say anything about the murders.
Given that's what we were planning to go and I rather suspect that he did it for the same reason it would be rather hypocritical to make trouble for him.

>>2754116
>No. Subtly assure the orc that you're not going to say anything about the murders.
Do not rock this particular boat that happens to be an eight foot tall dual wielding ironclad boat.

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>>2754116
> No. Subtly assure the orc that you're not going to say anything about the murders.
Whatever his reason, he did a net positive to the town, and saved us some trouble down the road, most likely. Brush it off and let him be.

>>2754116
>No. Subtly assure the orc that you're not going to say anything about the murders.
No problem here.

>>2754116
>> No. Subtly assure the orc that you're not going to say anything about the murders.

>>2754116
>> No. Subtly assure the orc that you're not going to say anything about the murders.

>>2754116
>no problem here


But ask why he did it, just so we know if they had ANOTHER reason to die

Alright, sorry about the delay, I had to go move a washing machine.

Now writing for no problem.

Sorry, helping with remodeling work must have taken more out of me than I thought, because the juice just isn't flowing for me tonight.

We'll resume Wednesday.

>>2754432
Protein up your juice level and add a zinc supplement brah. No worries.

>>2754432
reeeee

>>2754462
>>2754472
The two faces of /qst/ everybody

Orc seems reasonable,
Maybe had good reason...
Maybe an ally.
With weapons..
Maybe you helped him kill men outside of view from children and escort service back home was benevolent in his eyes..
Not all orcs malevolent can we deflect the aggression and co conspire with bad guy killing orc?
And buy weapons ..
Not heaps, just good blades..
Concealable blades.
One for our girl, one for us and get our man whatever he likes comcealable and sometjing overt like broadsward / axe or spike hammer for taking down armoured dudes whateve he likes i think he deserves a raise..

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>>2754432
>We'll resume Wednesday.

>>2761399
He didn't say which wednesday

>deluding myself

>>2757862
Or maybe, its murderorc who has a good reason for being not-murder, but had the chance to murder the night before when nobody was watching.
Maybe hes not good at all.
Maybe he is juuuust managing to hold back his murder boner when he sees our own murderhobo.

>implying

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We have to wait a week wednesday to buy some fgood weapons?
Sadface.
Kinda makes me want to lure the orc into the catacombs and torch him

>>2763429
orc is good guy murderhobo
obviously adventurer material

should recruit honestly tbpq&thmg

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>>2763435
>Recruiting a chaotic good while we're true neutral.
Recipe for disaster.

>>2763490
We're motivated by the desire to help people and improve society pretty sure we fall somewhere in the CG or NG side of the spectrum.

>>2763490
We're not that true neutral, for example the pedo hunt really did not benefit our MC in any way shape or form. We're more like neutral good.

Alright, so I've spent the last few days trying to figure out what my problem is in terms of hammering out updates. I'm pretty sure I made some textbook beginner mistakes regarding pacing, particularly in the Rathburg section, and that's contributed to killing my interest in writing. That has also fed into another mistake I made, namely creating an option that I didn't enjoy writing. I will confess, actually writing out the mercantile aspect of this story is not something I find very enjoyable. In order to try to pick up the pace again, I'm going to be truncating a lot of the trade aspects going forward.

We'll resume on this upcoming Wednesday (8/1) starting with an interlude from the perspective of another character before returning to Marcus and company.

Choose the character for the upcoming interlude:
> Saint Mathias, Ephesian reclaimer
> Geoffrey Voigt, cabalist
> Lukas Weber, former cabalist
> Shirin Kalani, Mashari investigator

Thread is archived here:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2737044/
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Demonologist%20Quest

>>2767524
>> Shirin Kalani, Mashari investigator

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>>2767524
>> Shirin Kalani, Mashari investigator
Also, i don't mind if you truncate the trades stuff. You're willing to state these things instead of just killing off the quest. That puts you above the average GM around here at least.

>>2767524
>I will confess, the mercantile aspect of this story is not something I find very enjoyable.

Usually when someone writes something they can't enjoy it becomes obvious over time. Your trade descriptions relating to goods from places and people around them have been quite thorough since their inception, I actually got the impression you put a lot of thought into Marcus' profession, though we could change it at a moments notice should it be necessary. Actually, it might be necessary if we're going to pursue the cabal. Since hell talks enough that any disguise stops working within a day after we've summoned someone. Which is inconvenient as ever-loving fuck, yet also useful if we want to track the bastards.

It comes to mind that true trade involves managing basic economies in the background and tweaking things relative to changes in the times. Even minimally, that kind of background information management can build up into an unmanageable mess. Hopefully you weren't trying to do something like that? It's not fun unless you're really into that stuff, I'm glad you're able to find a way around it.

For unsolicited advice, it would be to not get so concerned about pacing relative to story events, but only relative to choices. If I were to place a harsh criticism in regards to that, I don't see a world in which Marcus would've selected any other choices of the one's everyone picked regarding, for one example, the child molesters. It comes across as filling time because I can't imagine not picking those options. Of course Marcus wouldn't have stood by and let it happen after already having chosen to get involved, and mostly everybody isn't voting to be a violent retard in the middle of a city, so the options come across as a given. Things like that feel unconcerning, it's not much of a choice, since (I think) there's no way Marcus would've acted differently. There have been only a few other things like that, and though it's not a big deal overall, but if a choice boils down to morals we're accustomed to they're not really important, since they don't challenge anything Marcus is, or has.

Unrelated to any of that, If paranoid anon was anywhere near correct in guessing that a demon had been sent to monitor us and act under specific obfuscating conditions, that would've been actually scary. I even felt a little dread that maybe the priest or widow were taken care of and Marcus was inadvertently leaving bodies in his wake because of a malicious cabal summoner trying to get back at us in a scorched earth manner. It gives me the idea that we could totally summon a demon to do that to someone if we're feeling particularly fucking awful and vindictive. Like, holy shit, civilization functions surprisingly well even though some society hating shithead could grab themselves a Tethis and tell them to go wild.

Anyway,
>Shirin Kalani, Mashari investigator.

>>2767524
>Demonic Mercantilism quest is over
Boo

>>2767524
>> Lukas Weber, former cabalist
I want to know more about the fucker we are probably going against, and what is his relation with that 8th circle demon

as for the mercantile, I always tought it was just a cover but some anon took it very seriously, which surprised me because there are many other interesting things to do. Take your time, we like what you write and I'm looking forward to chasing that cabal

>>2767524
>> Shirin Kalani, Mashari investigator
Well shit, the trade part was one of the bigger reasons why I joined this quest.

>>2767524
> Shirin Kalani, Mashari investigator

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>>2767524
I actually wouldnt mind toning down the merchant aspect a bunch, it definitely seems to get in the way of Marcus' actual priorities, and sometimes it seems public opinion focuses more on merchanting than heretic-ing.

I'm also glad this quest wasn't abandoned, the world and writing are great, i'm just a huge fan of this universe.

Don't get discouraged DemonologistQM, eventually you'll get everything ironed out. Remember, it's just as important that you enjoy writing this as it is that we enjoy reading it, so goodluck!

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>>2767524
>>2768002
I was so focused on feedback I forgot to actually participate.
>Saint Mathias, Ephesian reclaimer

>>2767524
>> Shirin Kalani, Mashari investigator

It's better to write something that you enjoy writing than to force yourself to write something you don't want to. Glad that you identifying that and making adjustments QM, I'd hate to see this quest die off.

>>2767524
> Shirin Kalani, Mashari investigator
You're based for admitting this shit instead of flaking like some faggot. This is a good quest and I wouldn't want it to die due to an ill-fitting travelling jew simulator.

>>2767524
> Shirin Kalani, Mashari investigator
Thank you QM for acknowledging that you didn't like the trading aspect of your quest. I think when we get back we could possibly change professions. Since we're only a merchant because its a good disguise.

>>2767524
Make the merchant aspect an automatic thing I guess? Also interludes yuck

>>2767524
>> Saint Mathias, Ephesian reclaimer
I want to know how the other side sees things.
As for the merchant aspect, I see no problem in boiling it down.

Rolled 26273793, 4057021, 32510319, 15385818, 36151743, 8555541, 17223659, 12043940, 22497492, 4940309, 12413229, 17808446, 4647556, 29567806, 27258501, 35351032, 11763216, 29248493, 37309897, 23063273, 33386227, 4761219, 22561956, 38715523, 3782362 = 511278371 (25d39600322)

Yeah like if we had enough money we could Rothschild styles set up banks in different towns take over the world ...

Or maybe more like howls moving castles styles have a shop.that exists in multiple places that out girl can run..

Or maybe a brothel ...

So many options for Marcus the lecherous demonologist