>>3179527

The announcer calls your name and you step through the doors and make your way to the pit. As you walk past the throng and make your way down the ladder you consider your opponent. He’s certainly flexible, and his kicks are powerful, but his motions do not appear to be the most economical. There’s some wasted movement, in several cases the rotations he used to generate power turned his back to his opponent, and some of his moves were telegraphed particularly that jumping kick.

As you step off of the ladder onto the sandy floor of the pit you decide the best way to deal with him is going to be to dodge his strikes and then capitalize on the openings left by his attacks. As long as you can predict his attacks and react quickly enough it should be relatively straightforward. As you breathe in you can smell the blood scent. It’s thicker now following the last to fights where the brute and the bronze man got clawed up. It’s distracting, but not enough to break your focus.

You square off with your opponent and the announcer calls out for the fight to begin. You both drop into your stances. His is deep, while yours is more upright. You watch each other for a moment. You can see his arms are tightly bandaged over his wounds from the first fight, and you think you can see just a little pink appearing at points where he’s starting to bleed through but that could be your imagination.

“So why are you letting the announcer say all that garbage?” He asks you.

“The Buddha taught that there are three things that cannot be hidden long” You reply, keeping your eyes on him. “The sun, the moon, and truth.”

“That so” He says, and then he smiles and asks “So what does the Buddha have to say about two guys beating the shit out of each other for money?”

Immediately after saying this he begins to move, clearly expecting his query to have distracted you. He whips his right leg up and around at your torso twisting his hips all the way through as he strikes putting his entire body behind the kick.

You expected it however, and as his leg comes up you pivot on your back foot and slide your forefoot back, moving your torso back and slightly to the side just enough to move it out of the reach of his leg, but not so far that you can’t strike back.

File: mule kick.gif (5 KB, 358x158)

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>>3179529

As his foot swishes past your chest missing by a few inches you step back in. The powerful full body motion of his kick has twisted him around, and as the foot he used to lash out at you touches back down to the ground you are presented with his open right side. He’s not turned all the way around, but it’s enough, and before he can react to defend himself you step into him and punch him in the kidney, twisting your hips and putting your weight behind your fist.

It’s a clean hit and you feel your knuckles sink into his flesh. You didn’t hit him as hard as you could have, but you know a blow like that is painful. Debilitatingly so for some, which seems to be the case for your opponent as he falls forward towards the sandy floor of the pit.

Following after him you're quite surprised. You’d thought he was made of sterner stuff and don't really believe that could have been enough to end it. Which is why you almost react in time when he catches him self on his hands, aligns his whole body, and then kicks like a mule. Almost being the key word. Propped up on his arms and one leg, body lined up behind his leg his foot comes flying towards you like a rocket and his heel slams into your guts.

Luckily for you it was too low for a clean blow to the solar plexus or diaphragm. You try to move with it, roll with the blow as it were to lessen the impact, but it still knocks the wind out of you and doubles you over. You choke back bile and start to straighten out preparing to deal with the follow up strike you know is coming, but he’s already moving.

He moves like greased lightning, twisting his torso he pushes off with the hand opposite of his planted leg, he goes from belly down to belly up and plants both legs and both feet before pushing off of the ground with all four limbs and straightening himself out while swinging his previously planted foot at your head.

You try to pull your head out of the path of his kick, but you're a hair to slow, and it crashes into the side of your face.

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>>3179535

Your vision fades in and out and you see spots. Your ears are ringing and you can taste blood.

Blood. You can smell it, not just yours others. Multiple scents. There’s blood on the air.

Why do you taste blood? Your head, your head hurts, you must have been struck.

Your eyes focus momentarily, and you see the ground you’re standing on is golden, gold stained with crimson.

You blink, why is the gold stained with crimson? The beautiful golden heads of grain that fill the valley and sing in the wind and scream when the storm comes aren’t supposed to be touched with crimson, and they should not be underfoot.

Shouting, you can hear shouting. Why is there shouting, why do you smell so much blood?

Battle.

It strikes you in a moment. Battle, the valley has been invaded. You must have taken a blow to the head in battle against the sinners who stole the tranquility of your home. Though still foggy with pain your head is light. Your helmet and Kesa must have been knocked loose.

Seeing motion coming out of your peripheral and you turn sharply to face it. It’s blurry, but you can see the outline of one of the invaders in it’s horrible armor of bone raising an axe to strike at you!

Your hands are empty and there is no weight on your hip nor your back. You don’t have your Daisho, or your Naginata. In desperation you throw up your arms to keep the axe from splitting you open and pray your Kote holds.

It crashes into you and deflects off of your armored forearms, though you can feel the impact in your bones your armor held.

As it’s axe falls to the side carried by its momentum towards the ground you step in to strike at the monster in it’s armor of bone. The demon thinks it’s hard outer shell and it’s spikes will save it, that without your weapons you are helpless before it, but you will prove it wrong. You know how to kill it’s kind, barehanded or otherwise.

>>3179540


With a shout you stomp down on it’s instep and hear it cry out as you feel a satisfying crunch when the bones of it’s foot give out and shatter. They guard their knees so well these demons, they really should have learned to wear Sabaton.

To your surprise when you crush it’s foot it begins to fall to the ground, you had expected to have to sweep it’s other leg, but no matter. You wanted it on it’s back in any case.

Following it down and positioning yourself above it you strike out with a palm to the base of it’s chin and force it’s head back, baring it’s throat. Such fine armor these bone wearing demons craft from the dead, but every armor has it’s weak points, and the invaders throats are left bare.

You chamber your free hand and then strike down with it. It’s held mostly loose, with the thumb to one side and the other four fingers loosely grouped causing your hand to form the rough shape of a C. As your hand descends you ready yourself to group and harden your fingers when you make impact with the sinners throat, first crushing and then grasping and tearing in a lethal tiger’s mouth strike.

But something isn’t right, you can’t feel a helmet on the palm pushing his head back, only a bare jawline. And that’s sand shifting loosely underneath your feet, not crushed stalks of grain poking and scratching at you.

You blink, and the blurry image below you resolves into clarity. The bone armor disappears and you see Francisco's bare skin as your hand descends in the lethal strike towards his exposed throat.

Unable to stop or pull the strike fully you keep your hand loose and shift the aim down as much as you can at the last second, turning what would have been a tiger mouth into an open handed slap at the base of his throat.

You release his head and stumble off of him, and Franciso curls up and clutches at his broken foot.

>>3179544

Taking another step back you breath in deeply to begin calming yourself, and regret it when the smell of blood fills your nostrils. You clench your fists and then release the tension in your hands as you continue to breath. It’s hard to ignore how the scent paints the back of your tongue with an alluring coppery taste that makes your mouth water. Your heart is pounding and you feel a burning need to move, to pounce on the downed foe, but you restrain yourself and wait. Taking another step back to remove yourself from temptation you dig your feet into the sand and focus on the gritty sensation to ground yourself as you wait and watch Francisco to see what he does.

Slowly as the crowd cries out for the fight to continue he uncurls and releases his foot and pushes himself up until he’s standing unsteadily on one leg. Gingerly he lowers his broken foot and tries to put weight on it, and then winces and pulls it back almost immediately after it makes contact with the ground.

He watches you warily and coughs and rubs at the juncture where his neck connects to his torso. You can see it in his eyes, the question, why did you stop? Why do you hesitate when victory is in your grasp?

You wonder what he sees in your eyes. Can he see the madness that took you? Or the fear that filled your breast in it’s place when the delusion left you and you regained your senses and realized what you had almost done?

>>3179549

You wonder for a moment if his apparent vulnerability is a trick, if he’s trying to lure you into complacency and then strike at you again when your guard is down, but you dismiss that notion quickly. For a fighter whose style relies on kicking a shattered foot is likely an injury they cannot easily fight around.

The crowd jeers your inactivity as you continue to wait and see what Francisco will do, and then they go quiet as he raised up a hand and shouts “I forfeit”.
There’s a moments silence and then the crowd explodes, some screaming your name and others calling insults down at Francisco as the announcer shouts over them “Winner by forfeit Kentaro!”

As the crowd screams and ladders are lowered down in to the sandy pit you make your way over to Francisco, intent on explaining your actions and apologizing for the injury you dealt him. But you get no further in your apology than “One apologizes-” before he cuts you off angrily.

“Save your breath Cabron, I’m not buying that false humility shit you’re trying to sell.” He spits at you. He gestures to his foot and hisses “We’ve all seen what you are, you’re a vicious thug no different than any other Ogre, so save me your lies and ‘sympathy’ I don’t want to hear it.”

Then he hops and hobbles until his back is turned to you and starts to make his way towards one of the medics whose come down the ladder and is walking towards him.

Do you

>Follow after him and try to apologize and explain
>Leave him to cool down and look for him after the tournament
>Leave to watch the next fights and prepare, if he doesn’t want to listen you can’t make him
>Write in

>>3179551
>Leave him to cool down and look for him after the tournament
I hope Natalia hasn't witnessed our moment of vulnerability, retreat and think about what happened.


Man, good to see you back.

>>3179581
This

We can't loose our mind again.

>>3179581
>>3179614

Calling the vote in about 20-30 minutes when I get home and start writing.

Thanks for participating. Good to be back, and I'm sorry for disappearing.

>>3179614
Supporting as well.

>>3179996
>>3179614
>>3179581

You decide it would be best not to follow him. His anger is still hot, fueled by his pain and the shame of defeat, he will not listen to you now. Better by far to seek him out after he has had time to calm down.

In any case you need a moment to calm yourself as well, though you have dragged yourself back from the precipice you still feel keyed up, and you cannot afford another episode. You hurry your way out of the pit and rush to the back room barely aware of your surroundings.

After entering the fighters waiting room you go to the back of the space and kneel down. You will need to take the time to think about what has happened here, to come to terms with it, but there is not time now. You cannot enter your next fight in your current state of mind. Knowing you must reflect and prepare yourself you begin to meditate and chant the Hannya Shingyo lowly under your breath.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VGeZDpaDdg

Emptiness, in emptiness no form, no feelings, perceptions, impulses, consciousness. You chant until the emptiness becomes real. Senses falling away as you chant to yourself and the words become reality. No eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no color, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no object of mind; no realm of eyes and so forth until no realm of mind consciousness.

You finish reciting the Sutra and pause a moment to be in your state of emptiness before rousing yourself as you register outside input in the form of shouting. Feeling calm one more you slowly rise to your feet and then bounce on your toes and stretch out your muscles, which had stiffened up while you were calming your mind, and look over at the projection to see what is occurring.

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>>3180019

You’ve missed the entirety of the first fight between the winged man and the massive man with the deformed face. The winged man lies on the sandy ground of the pit bleeding and broken, one of his wings twisted at an unnatural angle, and the scared man is circling his prone body with his fist raised bellowing his victory.

You continue to stretch and loosen up and the looser is carried out of the pit and the man who looks like a moving bronze statue descends into the pit to face the massive Ogre who won the last fight. The fight is short, but brutal. Neither fighter has a great deal of skill, they simply square off with one another and pound on each others flesh with their fists while the crowd exults in the violence.

Watching them punch each other you see another image flash through your mind. A toy you played with as a child, with a red figure and a blue figure that smacked each other until one’s head popped off. As you observe the spectacle you wonder if this won’t end in a similar fashion.

When the bronze mans fists connect with the larger man their edges dig into his flesh and leave abrasions and in some places cuts, but where the scared man’s fists hit his smaller opponent metal deforms and cracks and crimson blood flows from the gaps in his metal skin.

They keep at it longer than you would have expected they could have, but after several furious exchanges the Bronze man begins to slow, and then is knocked to the ground by a massive right hook and does not rise.

Again raising his hands the giant screams his victory and the crowd roars in approval. His skin is vibrant with blood and bruises but he stands unbowed, seemingly invigorated rather than winded as he eats up the crowds applause. It appears he will be your next opponent, and that one of you will be the champion.

What is your plan?

>He’s just finished two consecutive fights, he has to be weakening, try to overwhelm him
>He’s just finished two consecutive fights, he has to be tiring, try to wear him down
>He’s just won two consecutive fights, he’s dangerous, be careful and bide your time looking for an opportunity
>Write in.

Oh, rolls as well please. 1d100, best of first three to be taken regardless of what they vote for. The fight itself is going to be blow by blow, so you'll get more input as we go.

This is just to decide the initial approach you take and the opening moves. I've got to go for the night, but I'll check the thread in the morning and try to get something written up before I go to work, or if I'm unable to get it done before I have to go I'll work on it during breaks and at lunch and post the update as soon as I can, with further updates to come tomorrow evening beyond that.

>>3180023

>He’s just won two consecutive fights, he’s dangerous, be careful and bide your time looking for an opportunity

Or better: ground and pound, the most normal tactic. There is a reason it is so common.

Rolled 44 (1d100)

>>3180023
>He’s just won two consecutive fights, he’s dangerous, be careful and bide your time looking for an opportunity

Aim to reduce his mobility, or his attacking power.

Rolled 77 (1d100)

>>3180023
>>3180041

>>3180023
>>He’s just won two consecutive fights, he’s dangerous, be careful and bide your time looking for an opportunity

Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>3180239

Rolled 43 (1d100)

>>3180023
>>He’s just won two consecutive fights, he’s dangerous, be careful and bide your time looking for an opportunity

>>3180023
>He’s just won two consecutive fights, he’s dangerous, be careful and bide your time looking for an opportunity

Guy obviously has stupid strength, stupid stamina, and is just plain stupid. I say take him apart by out thinking him. Like surgery.

>>3180312
> Like surgery.

remembering the med school past, nice

>>3180101
>>3180163
>>3180185
>>3180239
>>3180240
>>3180250
>>3180312
>>3180321

Alright, calling the vote. Always nice to see a clear consensus. Probably not going to be able to finish the write up before I have to go into work, so expect something a bit later this afternoon after I've had time to work on it during my breaks and lunch.

In other news, that's a lot more votes than I had expected. Thank you all very much for participating. Out of curiosity if ya'll don't mind I'd love to know who are returning players and who are new to the quest.

>>3180392
was here from before

>>3180392
I was lurking the before and will continue to lurk. Nice to see you came back to this.

>>3180392
I was here from the beginning

>>3180392
have been lurking but not having time to vote

>>3180392
Have been here since the beginning :)

>>3180101
>>3180163
>>3180185
>>3180239
>>3180240
>>3180250
>>3180312
>>3180321

>77

"And now" calls out the announcer as you make your way to the exit of the fighter's waiting room. "The grand finale, the warrior from the east will meet the Titan of the west in the pit and only one will come out on their own two feet! Give it up for Kentaro and Big John!"

As you walk through the dimly lit room past the crowd to get to the pit you notice the shadows cast on the wall by the gathered throng. The echo thrown onto the wall by the ruddy light fades in and out of existance showing flashes of waving fists and ghostly inhuman siloutes.

"Big John" they cry as you walk to the pit. "Smash him Big John!" Some boo and hiss at you when you step by them. It seems the crowd prefers Big John's blood baths and theatrics to your cleaner fights.

As you reach the edge of the pit and the ladder you are to climb down to enter the arena you find yourself directly across from El Lobo. He catches your eye, and gives you a miniscule nod of his head as his lips quirk in a small lopsided smile revealing a single fang.

As you climb down the ladder into the pit you can feel Big John's eyes on you, and he leers at you as you step across the sand to face him.

His eyes follow you hungrily, and the shadows cast on his face by the poor light transform it from simply scarred to a monstrous visage like a demon mask used in a Noh play.

You dig your toes in and feel the grit grinding against your feet as you settle into a ready stance and prepare yourself. With each breath your nose is assaulted with the scent of blood and sweat.

The announcer calls for the fight to begin and the crowd roars as Big John lumbers towards you and launches a jab at your head with his right fist.

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>>3180903

The strike is telegraphed, you see it coming and begin to react almost before his fist begins to move towards you.

Stepping off line with your left foot you match his right fist with your left hand, pushing it down and to the side as you slide forward and to the left out of the way of his attack.

Your right hand comes up under your left and pushes on his right elbow, further moving his arm out of the way. You bring your left hand up and follow the line of his arm up to his face, striking at his temple with a backfist as you circle your right foot back and slide past him.

He bellows in pain as his head snaps back from your stike, and then swings around to face you while throwing a massive haymaker with his left.

As his fist swings wide you step in and turn so that your back is to his chest. As you step in and turn you reach out with your right hand and grasp at his wrist, while your left comes up under his arm and grabs his shoulder.

You drop your center under his and then lift with your legs as you yank down on his arm and shoulder, adding your own force to his momentum and flipping him onto his back.

He lands with an audible thump, even on the loose surface of the sand.

What do you do?

>mount him and strike
>go for a submission hold
>take advantage of his prone state to kick at him
>write in

>>3180905
>take advantage of his prone state to kick at him

Don't want his hands grabing us.

>>3180905
>mount him and strike

Just to check guys, before the pause we were planing to not get into any courts for now to help Nikolai with the colorless, and the courts seemed like mafias more than communities.
I'm talking about this because even if we don't win here El Lobo may invite us and I thibk we should not join them for now.

>>3180905
That was a good move. It’ll keep him good and mad. Let’s not capitalize on it just yet. We’ll take a few steps back, watch him like a hawk, and ready another counter.

We’ll let him wear himself out before we get really serious. Cat and Mouse.

>>3180729
>>3180582
>>3180446
>>3180411
>>3180393

Thanks for answering my questions anons, feels great to know you're still with the quest. Thank you. Wouldn't be the same without the players who brought us here. New players are still welcome of course, I don't mean to imply anyone new is unwelcome, just saying I'm glad I didn't loose you all.

>>3180947
>>3180937
>>3180932

Looks like opinions are pretty split on what to do for now, I'll give it a few more hours and we'll see how things shake out.

If anyone has any questions or needs a refresher on anything from previous threads feel free to ask.

>>3181147
I change to >>3180947

Lets keep him frustrated

>>3180947
Agreed this is someone who's going to get more and more clumsy as he gets more and more angry.
Of course the disadvantage is that he's also going to have berzerker strength so we really can't let him land a proper hit.

Alright go ahead and give me some rolls so I can start writing when I get home. 1d100 taking best out of first three, voting still open though.

Rolled 51 (1d100)

>>3181591

Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>3181591

Rolled 18 (1d100)

>>3181591

>>3181630
>>3181652
>>3181741
>>3181437
>>3181151
>>3180947
>>3180937
>>3180932

>67

Calling the vote and getting started on the write up, give me a bit.

>>3180932
>>3180937
>>3180947
>>3181151
>>3181437
>>3181630
>>3181652
>>3181741

As you stand over your fallen opponent conditioned instinct screams to finish it, to twist his limbs until his joints give out or crush his throat beneath your heel, your muscles tense as you prepare to move, but you reign yourself in and step back giving him room to regain his feet. This is a sparing ring, not a battle field. You must remember that, you must remain in control. You will remain in control, and you will use this fight to master yourself. Your opponent will become enraged, you can bait him and control the fight, wear him down until you can end it on your terms.

The crowd roars it’s approval as the scarred man pushes himself up and turns to face you, some calling for him to get up and other’s calling for you to put him on his back again. It appears they appreciate the prolonging of the match. He grimaces and bares his teeth at you, and then steps towards you with his fists raised, trying to crowd you into the walls of the pit.

You raise your hands in response and wait until he has moved closer, then before he is in range to jab at you, you twist on the ball of your forefoot and push off with your rear leg, twisting your hips and putting your weight behind a low kick to his thigh. As your strike connects he staggers, and you step to the side and slide around him back towards the center of the ring.

He lashes out at you with a wild back-fist as you move past him, but it’s poorly aimed and doesn’t have much force behind it. You deflect it up and away from yourself and respond by punching him just below his now exposed armpit.

File: Tomoe Nage.png (27 KB, 514x269)

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>>3181998

He shouts and draws his arms into his chest as you step back away from him into the center of the ring and wait for him to approach. As you wait for Big John to rally and attack you again some small detached part of your mind notes seeing members of the crowd waving bills out of the corner of your eye, and wonders what the odds on your fights were.

Big John brings his hands back up and rushes towards you, clearly intent on forcing his way into range to hit you with his fists before you can kick at his legs again. He moves in and then launches a jab with his left.

You push it down with your right hand as you step to the side, then you plant your feet in the sand and twist your hips throwing your whole body into a palm strike that comes up and smashes into his chin. As he stumbles back you step away from him again and bring your hands back up to wait.

Amazingly he stays standing. If nothing else you have to respect his ability to take punishment. He shakes his head like a bull and then spits a glob of crimson off to the side and glares at you.

“Don’t you dare look down on me you damn Gook” He bellows, and then he charges you and lunges with his arms spread in a grasping tackle. As he reaches for you, you squat on one leg and allow yourself to fall back, reaching up and grabbing his arms while planting your other foot on his hip. You synchronize with his momentum as you fall onto your back and pull down on his arms while pushing off with your leg, executing the Tomoe Nage throwing him up and over you.

For the second time in your fight he slams into the sand with a thud. Rolling over you push yourself back up and watch him as you regain your feet. He groans and begins to get his hands under him to push himself back up.

What do you do?

>Wait for him to get back up before taking the offensive
>Move in to grapple with him and try to force submission
>Strike at him as he is getting back up
>Wait for him to get up and continue to fight re-actively
>Write in.

>>3182008
>Wait for him to get back up stay defensive let him tire himself out

>>3182008
>>Strike at him as he is getting back up

it's an opening

>>3182008

>Strike at him as he is getting back up

Mix things up

>>3182008
>>Strike at him as he is getting back up
This seems to be the most pragmatic way of handling him. Striking him should not be a full offence, though. I suspect that him falling for each of our moves might be a trick.

Give us some rolls anons. 1d100 please.

Rolled 89 (1d100)

>>3182351
here you go

Rolled 42 (1d100)

>>3182351

Rolled 32 (1d100)

>>3182351

>>3182354
>>3182371
>>3182401


One day you all will roll low, one day....

Maybe I should go back to averages. I dont really know quest mechanic conventions, but best of first three doesn't quite feel right to me. Im open to mechanical suggestions, even if the suggestion is just "qm you're an idiot, best of three works just fine stop messing with the mechanics"

Anyway working on the writeup when I can during breaks. I'll post it as soon as it's done, probably this afternoon.

>>3182444
there are many options actually

there is number os success for example, you set a DC of for example 50 and each roll over 50 adds a degree of success, while 1 is a mild success and 3 is an impressive one

there is a number of best of by proficiency, we are good at fighting so that's a best of 3, but we are lousy at following someone unnoticed so that is a best of 1 and so on

and if you feel we are breezing through everything we shouldn't you can just raise the DC, but I understand that we have been rolling pretty well since the beginning of the quest

I like all the options I presented, don't really have a favorite, Bo3 is usually just easier and simpler so that's why most people go with it

>>3182455
we should get something half like stats or at least a dice modifier like more dice or a + on them or a min we can do on something regularly so we dont fail suddenly on something we have show we are really good at
like we are a doctor we have made this brew for a long while but the dice is completely random so we turn whats like soup and herbs into a deadly poison we fail for something that we should be able to do perfectly

>>3182455

These are all good suggestions, if it's alright with everyone we can try some things out and see what we like.

Don't get me wrong, Kentaro is supposed to be good at fighting, so having you do well here makes perfect sense. I just personally feel like I struggle to write an engaging fight in the first place, and it feels kinda boring/poor writing to me to just have you walking all over everyone, but I don't know how to justify more struggle since the rolls have been quite successful.

>>3182475 #

This makes a lot of sense, but I worry about getting too crunchy and having things slow down. We could use like an abreviated version of Wod stats I suppose if we were all comfortable with doing so, but that would complicate things a good bit.


Sorry for not having everything together, leaped before I looked as it were and I'm kind of figuring out how to qm as I go.

>>3182715
Well my vote is for the 'best of three of your good at it best of one if your bad at it' style, it's low crunch and allows for unexpected outcomes without making it too random

>>3182152
>>3182189
>>3182207
>>3182271
>>3182354
>>3182371
>>3182401

He coughs as he pulls his knees up and starts to lift his bulk from the bloody sand, a thin stream of blood and saliva dripping from between his lips.

This may be getting out of hand you think to yourself. Between having been slammed into the ground twice and his accumulated hurts from his previous fights it's clear he's running on fumes, but Big John still stubbornly pushes himself up.

As he starts to put some distance between his chest and and the ground you step closer and then kick out at his arm, knocking his hand out from under him. A cloud of loose sand is puffed into the air as he sprawls back to the sand. The crowd jeers and boos at you, or maybe they are decrying Big John's poor performance, it's hard to say.

"Yeild" you tell him as he gathers himself to try and get up again. "One has no desire to cause you lasting harm. Do not force one to render you unable to continue."

His only response is to scream at you in incoherent rage and lunge desperately for your legs, trying to pull you down onto the ground.

You dance back out of reach of his hands and then snap off another quick kick at the side of his head. You don't put much force behind it, you don't want to kill him after all, but as you connect his head rocks to the side and he falls prone to the sand on his back.

You pause a moment to see if he'll get back up, but he doesn't move. He seems still as a corpse.

Do you

>move in to check on him
>wait for the fight to be called and the medical teams to come down
>write in.

>>3182923
>wait for the fight to be called and the medical teams to come down

>>3182923
>>move in to check on him

damn us and our big heart

>>3182923
>>check on him while also being in a safe position
can we take his back while also checking his pulse, this might be a trap

>>3182923
It's a trap but fuck it, check on him.

>>3183053
I agree with this. It’s what our inner med student would do. And we’re in a position where we can afford a bit of risk.

Rolled 66 (1d100)

Calling the vote. Im on my way back now, I'll get writing as soon as I get home.

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>>3182932
>>3183005
>>3183035
>>3183053
>>3183192

As the announcer begins to count and he remains still lying on the ground you begin to grow concerned. True you had pulled the kick, but even so a blow to the head is always dangerous. Assuming head trauma or possible trauma to the neck and spine you know that prompt diagnosis and proper treatment are vital for the patients long term prospects. An interruption in the ability to breath likewise requires prompt action, and his chest seems very still.

It could of course be an act, an attempt to lure you in. You are aware of this, but if it is not you cannot in good conscious stand by and do nothing. Better to risk it being a trap than regret inaction in the event he required your assistance.

Moving quickly you go to the side of the fallen giant and crouch down in order to better observe him and determine if he has a pulse. Careful not to get any closer than you have to in case he’s playing possum you maintain some distance and reach out to check the pulse point on his wrist.

Your place two of your fingers just bellow his thumb on his wrist and feel for his radial artery. After a moment you feel the soft pulsing of his heart and breath a soft sigh of relief. Emboldened by his lack of reaction to your touch you lean in a little bit closer to take a better look at his neck as the announcer continues his count and you hear the ladders hitting the sand

As you move in you’re close enough to notice his eyes fluttering, and realize they are held just barely closed. You start to pull back as his muscles bunch, but you aren’t able to get out of the way in time as he rolls over and grabs your arms

Heaving himself up he pulls his bulk on top of you and knocks you onto your back. You circle your hands to release his hold on your arm, but as you free a hand he punches you in the face momentarily disrupting you and filling your vision with spots.

As you shake off the blow he sits himself down on your chest and grabs you by the throat and shoves your head against the ground. The sand is softer than bare earth but still not forgiving, and you can feel it rattle your brain as your skull thumps against the ground.

With both meaty hands around your throat he begins to squeeze and push as he tries to throttle you.

What do you do?

>Grab his hands by the thumbs and try to peel them clear of your throat.
>Retaliate by striking him in the face and hope his grip loosens
>Attempt to break one of his elbows.
>Hip heist and try to buck him off of you, he’ll have to let go of your throat to catch himself and keep from falling.
>Write in.

Lets be honest no one was actually surprised by that, but there had been a good chance for him to be legitimately unconscious and for him to be legitimately seriously injured. The dice spoke.

Oh, and roll's please. We'll stick with best of first three for consistency for now.

Rolled 90 (1d100)

>>3183508
>>Hip heist and try to buck him off of you, he’ll have to let go of your throat to catch himself and keep from falling.

Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>3183508
>Retaliate by striking him in the face and hope his grip loosens

He'll be unconcious with his hands around our throat

Rolled 12 (1d100)

>>3183508
>Hip heist and try to buck him off of you, he’ll have to let go of your throat to catch himself and keep from falling.
This is exactly where we didn't wanna be but it was the most in-character choice.

File: Changeling. The Lost Prev(...).pdf (2.28 MB, PDF)

2.28 MB PDF

>>3183596

Honestly I really appreciate the willingness to take a less than optimal action because it was what you believed the character would do.

I would have been fine with it had you all chosen otherwise, I had plans for making it work, but I love the level of dedication to playing the character and not just power/meta gaming.

gonna give it another hour or two to allow for participation from anyone who might not have noticed yet and then I'm going to call it and start the write up.


In the mean time, on a more meta level, I've something I'd like to propose. So attached is part two of the pdf for the preview of Changeling the Lost second edition. It has the rules for character creation, and more importantly the list of contracts. There's some really good stuff in 2e, some concepts I really like, which I'd like to make use of.

I'm going to be borrowing ideas for antagonists from 2e. Actually I already have, but I'd like you all to have access to it as well so that if you guys wanted to try and pull some of it's themes for Kentaro you'd have the information necessary to do so. Some of the contracts for instance are pretty sweet if you want to give them a look.

If you all are interested I'll put up the rest, I just want this resource to be available to you all, cause in the long run I think it could be a lot of fun and improve the experience of the quest, and if you like changeling the lost you'll probably like 2e. All of my friends I've shared it with love it.

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>>3183596
>>3183556
>>3183549

The world narrows down to the two of you. There’s nothing but the sand beneath you, his leering visage, and the pounding of blood in your ears. As his meaty fingers dig into your throat you plant your feet into the sand and grasp his arms, before heaving with your whole body, lifting your hips off the ground and arching your back as you push on his elbows.

Your scarred opponent is thrown forward and off of you by the violent motion of your hip heist and lands on the sand.

Before he can recover fully you roll over, push yourself up on your hands and knees, and pounce onto him. Landing on his chest you immediately strike him in the face with your palm.

He tries to pull up his hands to protect himself but you force them down and strike him again, smashing your elbow across his jaw.

You hear a crack and his jaw hangs slack and out of alignment with the rest of his face. Blood and drool dribbles from the side of mouth.

Still conscious he lashes out and pops you in the cheek, and you respond by breaking his nose.

He swings at you again, but you block it with your forearm and then elbow the side of his face one final time before he goes still.

You check to make sure he's still breathing and then you get off of him before turning him onto his side so he won’t choke on his own blood. Then you step back away from him, chest heaving from the Adrenalin pounding through your system and take stock of what's happening.

You look around as the sound of the cheering and roars of disapproval vie with each other for dominance. The firelight paints the faces of the spectators red, and all you can smell is blood. The medical team slides down the ladders and rushes to the fallen form of Big John, and the announcer's voice rises over the din declaring you the champion.

You’ve won, what do you do?

>Make sure Big John gets proper medical attention
>Get out of the pit and look for the Bookie and see about getting your cut of the winnings.
>Get out of the pit and look for Natalia, get some distance from what's happened.
>Wait to see if El Lobo will try to meet with you
>Write in

Sorry for the late write in, had something I had to take care of.

>>3182800
Thats good for me more dice and + the better we are

>>3184056
>Make sure Big John gets proper medical attention
>Wait to see if El Lobo will try to meet with you

>>3184056
>>Get out of the pit and look for Natalia, get some distance from what's happened.

Let's put our head back in the game, these fight are getting to us

>>3184056
This one does not like liers and fakers that was dirty but we must make sure he gets proper medical care even if he is a lump of crap that tricked us and tried to crush our body

>>3184056

>Make sure Big John gets proper medical attention

>Get out of the pit and look for Natalia, get some distance from what's happened.

Lobo will come to us, if he doesn't we ask bookie to meet him

>>3184194
Yeah, I agree, dirty move, but still we have to make sure.

>>3184056
>>Wait to see if El Lobo will try to meet with you
That is why we are here, after all.

Sorry for the delay everyone, busy day. There will be a writeup this afternoon, but it's gonna be a bit. Just giving y'all a heads up.

>>3184056
>Get out of the pit and look for Natalia, get some distance from what's happened.

>Get out of the pit and look for Natalia, get some distance from what's happened.

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>these votes
>mfw

Calling the vote. Give me a bit.

>>3184186
>>3184188
>>3184194
>>3184196
>>3184285
>>3185078
>>3185245


As the medical teams move towards the fallen form of Big John you approach the man with the slimy skin and fin-ears you had spoken with after fighting Alexander. Big John was perhaps not the most honorable or skilled of opponents, in truth he seemed to you little more than a thug, but even so all life is precious.

“Want to make sure this one gets looked after alright too then?” The Eel-like man asks you as he gestures his head towards the scarred man lying on the ground.

“Indeed” you reply to him with a small incline of your head. “One means no insult, one is sure you are capable of providing the needed care, but it would provide this one with peace of mind.”

“Yeah sure” He tells you as he shakes his head incredulously “You can come along if you want. Kinda odd though, to pound a guy into unconsciousness like that and then be concerned about his well being.”

How to explain it to him? You aren’t even sure you understand yourself at this point. It seemed so much clearer when you entered in the tournament. It was to be a contest of skill, not without it’s risks, but with it’s own rules and honor. You understood you could be harmed, and that you would likely harm your opponents, but it wasn’t supposed to have occurred like this.

It wasn’t supposed to have ended with one of your opponents unable to walk unassisted and another being carefully lifted onto a stretcher with his neck and head supported to ensure they moved as little as possible until it could be determined if he’d suffered any serious trauma, his face a bloody dripping mess.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this, you muse as you climb the ladder and watch as they lift the stretcher bearing Big John up out of the pit carefully with ropes. It was supposed to be more like your fight with Pork belly this afternoon, a clean contest where your opponent would yield when they knew they were beaten.

You didn’t want it to be like this you think to yourself as you escort the stretcher back into the back room with it’s waiting cots for the injured. You didn’t want it to end with your clothes splattered with drying blood. You don’t want the way the blood scent makes your mouth water and the euphoria of victory that races through you.

You need to get out of here. You see the medics have Big John well in hand, they can deal with it. You aren’t needed here and you don’t want to be around the reminders of what’s happened. For a moment you consider whether or not you need to wait here, to see if El Lobo will reach out to you. After all the whole reason you went through this was to meet him. You push that thought aside quickly, if El Lobo wants to meet you he can send someone to find you, you don’t have to be in this room for him to do it, and El Lobo wasn’t the only reason you entered this tournament.

>>3185527

You need to remember the good that will come out of this, the people your acted for. Luke, the money you promised to help him raise in order to prevent him from being maimed, tonight will go a long way towards that. Natalia, you kept her from sticking her neck out in your place, and the reputation you’ve started to establish will make you better able to help her and Nikolai.

Natalia, you need to go find her, to get away and remind yourself why you did this. You step out of the medical room into the main space, and as soon as you do you get mobbed by spectators.

“Congratu- Absolutely awe- Brutal ma- to my pla- Teach m-” They shout over each other in a confusing din that you can barely pick words out of let alone complete sentences. In attempting to press in close to you they coral you back into the medical room, and you take the opportunity to close the door before they can enter.

“Yeah you might want to wait until the crowds dispersed a bit” The Eel guy speaks up from behind you “what with you being man of the hour and all.”

“One does not wish to remain here in this room” You tell him somewhat more sharply than you had intended. “One wishes to speak with the companion one came here with.”

“Well if you don’t want to stay here there’s a few smaller rooms back through there you could wait in” He says to you as he gestures with a webbed hand at a doorway on the other side of the room. “And I can go grab your friend and tell them how to get to you if you want.”

“One would appreciate that, but one would not wish to take you away from your work” You reply.

“Wouldn’t be pulling me away from my work at all” He says with a shrug as he gestures over to where Big John is being seen to by a few other changelings “My parts already done, I’m just part of the stretcher team really.”

“Still one would not wish to inconvenience you” You tell him. “Surely you have other things which require your attention, one can find a way oneself.”

“Buddy it’s no trouble” he says as he flashes a needle toothed smile. “Just tell me who you want me to get.”

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>>3185541

“Thank you” You say with a small smile as you give him a small bow. “One appreciates your consideration. One wishes to speak with Natalia, a blonde woman with shark skin who should be near the bar.”

“Shark skin, blonde hair, got it” He tells you as he walks toward the door. “Just go wait in one of the back rooms on the right and I’ll go get her, I’ll even try to be discrete about it.” He winks and chuckles and then steps through the doors.

You quickly make your way across the room and step through the door he pointed out to you. It leads you into a small hallway, turning right you find a few doors to your left. You knock at the first and then after a moments wait slide it open. It leads to a small room just big enough for you to extend your arms fully without touching the walls containing a bench and an open locker.

You sit down on the bench and breath as you wait to see if Natalia will arrive. You’re there for perhaps a little more than five minutes, less than ten, though it’s hard to say as there is not a clock in the room you find yourself in, before you hear the door knob moving.

You look up as the door slides open and Natalia steps through.

“Hey Kentaro you in he-” She says as she steps through the doorway and then she stops mid word as her whole body stiffens.

She sniffs the air once, twice, and then her shoulders slump and her body relaxes as she breaths in deeply.

She turns to look at you languidly, and you see that her pupils have dilated massively, to the point that her Iris’ are no longer visible to you. All that is left of her eyes are hungry black pits.

Still working, more to come, just wanted to post this while I keep writing.

>>3185555
oh yeah, she is a sharkblood and we are covered in the red stuff, poor gal, this should be interesting

>>3185555


Her lips pull back as she glides towards you. Your eyes are drawn to her teeth and you can’t help but notice they come down into points and seem rather sharper than is normal. The look she gives you isn’t really a smile, its more like the bared teeth of a predator, the grin of the fox in the hen house.

She reaches out slowly and runs her hands down your arm and grabs you by the wrist, raising your hand up to look at it.

You look at the hand she’s cradling between her own. You hadn’t noticed, but your knuckles are bleeding. You must have torn them when you broke Big Johns nose, perhaps you snagged them on his teeth. You aren’t sure how it had happened, but even now despite the time that has passed there is still a small sluggish leak crimson between the clots that are forming, and Natalia seems fixated on it.

“You smell delicious” She murmurs as her thumb strokes your bleeding hand and smears her thumb with your blood. Her voice is low and throaty.

She brings the bloody digit up to her mouth. Her tongue peeks out from between her teeth and swirls around her thumb licking off the red stain before she wraps her lips around it and sucks. Her eyes close and she moans softly.

“But you taste even better” She says as she opens her eyes and looks at you. Her not-a-smile grows reapers wider than before, showing more of her teeth. You see even her molars look sharp.

“Just a taste” She pants at you, her breathing becoming more labored as she leans in towards you, her cheeks flushed. “Just a little nibble. It’ll only hurt a bit, and I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

What do you do

>Try to reason with her
>Try to escape
>Restrain her and wait to see if she calms down
>Write in.


Do you ever have that moment when you stop and think to yourself, what am I even writing?

>>3185697
>Try to reason with her
But also don't let her taste any blood. Something tells me it will all be over if that happens.

>>3185760
Yea, this. Blood is her crack, and we're not gonna be an enabler.

>>3185697
>>Try to reason with her

>>3185697
>Try to reason with her

" It's the blood Natalia, I felt it too in the arena, it makes us do....things...I almost killed that man in there."

Try to shift focus.

>>3185760
>>3185851
supporting
>Try to reason with her

>>3186039
Man, thinking about it now this is probably how people controlled her in the past, we must be careful because she is going to be very sad/mad/embarrassed when she snaps out of it.

We have to help the poor girl, we know how it's like to lose control and be a victim of our instincts.

>>3185760
this is important, besides not giving her any blood we shouldn't let her leave this room while she is like that or she may attack someone.

Well, looks like we have a pretty clear consensus. If anyone else has anything they'd like to add or their own two cents to throw in feel free, but I'm going to get started on the writeup. Probably have it done by lunch or second break.

>>3186233
I like these two
>>3186087
>>3185760

Try to relate to her, don't vive her blood and prevent her to leave, be kind and understanding, she is passing through something she can't quite control like we passed through at the ring.

>>3186242
>>3186087
>>3186069
>>3186057
>>3186039
>>3185851
>>3185760

You stand up and try to create a little space between the two of you, but there isn't much room to move in the room. She's still holding onto your bloody hand, and her grip tightens slightly as you pull away.

"Don't be scared" she says, still breathing heavily as she steps forward and tries to close the distance between you. "You can trust me."

"Natalia, this isn't you." You say softly as you pull your hand free and grasp her shoulders to keep her from getting closer. "One understands, it is difficult to resist. One felt it in the ring, but you must fight it, please. One knows you do not want this."

"You've known me less than a day" she tells you "You've no idea what I feel, or what I want"

"But " she says slowly dragging out the word as she places her hand on your thigh. "I'd be quite happy for us to get to know each other better..." she trails off as she slides her hand up your leg towards your crotch.

Your hand snaps down and catches hers before it can move any further.

"Natalia" You say, still speaking in a soft soothing tone. "You told this one yourself that you do not care for what the scent of blood does to you, you spoke of loosing control to its influence with regret. One saw the revulsion that passed over your face at the memory."

"One may not have known you for long." You continue "but the Natalia this one knows respects herself too much to act like this, and this One respects you too much to allow this to go further. This One will not give you blood."

Something savage passes over her features at your denial, and she lunges at you with jaws wide.

You grab her under the jaw and hold her off of you. Words have left her now, she growls and hisses as she snaps her jaws and strains against you, trying to clamp her teeth into your flesh.

You are hanging on and wait for her to ride it out and return to reason, when there's a soft knock at the door.

"Excuse me" a voice calls from the other side. " I'm sorry to bother you, but Baron Vasquez wishes to speak with you, and sent me to escort you to him if you are willing."

What do you do?

>tell him you are indisposed and to come back later
>see if you can maybe lock Natalia in here to calm down while you go meet the Baron.
>Tell him to wait a moment and see if Natalia will calm down sufficiently to convince to stay here or perhaps come with you
>write in

computers are down, so until we can get working again looks like I'm a bit more available than normal.

>>3186381
>>Tell him to wait a moment and see if Natalia will calm down sufficiently to convince to stay here or perhaps come with you

Wrap our hand in cloth to make the image and scent go away,
Call out to her to please listen to us and calm down, we will help her with this if she wants

>>3186381
>>Tell him to wait a moment and see if Natalia will calm down sufficiently to convince to stay here or perhaps come with you

>>3186381
>Tell him to wait a moment and see if Natalia will calm down sufficiently to convince to stay here or perhaps come with you

Hide our bloody hand and try to make the bkeeding stop, she is comming with us to the meeting and then out of here.

>>3186381
>>Tell him to wait a moment and see if Natalia will calm down sufficiently to convince to stay here or perhaps come with you

It might be best for her to stay here and calm down.

>>3186402
>>3186414
>>3186418
>>3186481

Again, looks like a pretty clear consensus. Gonna get started, but if you have something more you'd like to say feel free. I'm gonna be working on this on and off for the next few hours, so it's not to late to get your opinion in.

>>3186481
>>3186418
>>3186414
>>3186402


"A moment please" You call out to him through the door as Natalia continues to struggle against you. "One apologizes for the inconvenience, but if you could wait for this one in the medical room, one should be with you shortly."

"Of course" he replies. " I'm sorry for interrupting you."

As you listen to his receding footsteps you spin Natalia and press her up against the wall of the room so that you can free up a hand, your bloody hand to be specific.

You bring your arm up to your mouth and tear at the bandages that bind the end of your sleeve with your teeth and start to twist and unroll them.

When you've got a good length you grasp one end between your pointer finger and palm and begin to twist your arm and wrap the cloth around your bleeding hand.

You layer it around multiple times until there are several more layers of bandaging than are strictly necessary in order to try and stifle the blood scent and then pull it tight.With your hand bound you turn your attention back to Natalia.

"Breathe" You tell her. "Breathe, and come back to yourself. Remember that we need not be the monsters they tried to make us, you can choose otherwise Natalia. If you can hear this one, then breath."

She continues to struggle against your grip, but slowly her efforts become less vigorous and her breathing starts to even out.

"Breathe" you tell her again as she begins to still. "One knows that you can overcome this, and one will help however one can, but you must calm yourself. Breathe."

As you speak she ceases to struggle, and then after a moment she speaks

“What, where, what’s going on?” She says, her pitch slowly rising with panic. You can feel her muscles tensing again.

“Natalia” You say soft and slow “Remain calm, this one means you no harm. Do you know where you are?”

“Kentaro?” She asks. “What’s going on? I was coming to see you, the fish guy told me you’d be back here and then...” She trails off for a moment.

“Oh fuck” she whispers before saying it again louder. “Oh fuck, no, not again!”

She twists her head against your hand trying to look at you, and you release your hold. As she whips around to face you and her eyes dart back and forth looking you over you see that her pupils have returned to normal. “I didn’t, you aren’t?” she stutters out.

“Harmed?” You reply softly “No, one is quite alright.”

She breaths out as sigh of relief, and then slumps down to the floor and buries her head in her arms.

What do you do?

>Natalia, are you alright?
>Natalia, what just happened?
>One is summoned to meet with El Lobo, will you be alright here while one goes to meet with him?
>One is summoned by El Lobo, but one does not wish to leave you alone, would you be able to come with me?
>Write in.

>>3187857
>One is summoned by El Lobo, but one does not wish to leave you alone, would you be able to come with me?

>>3187857
>>One is summoned to meet with El Lobo, will you be alright here while one goes to meet with him?

>>3187857
>One is summoned to meet with El Lobo, will you be alright here while one goes to meet with him?

Rather not expose her to a Court presence as of now

>>3187857
>Natalia, are you alright?
>One is summoned by El Lobo, but one does not wish to leave you alone, would you be able to come with me?

Ask how she is and then at least offer to be with her, that mist have been tough

>>3187857

>Natalia, are you alright?
We wouldn't just leave her like this without checking

>>3187857

>Natalia, are you alright?

>One is summoned by El Lobo, but one does not wish to leave you alone, would you be able to come with me?

>>3187866
>>3187896
>>3187950
>>3188018
>>3188027
>>3188063

Calling it. Give me a bit.

Still asking myself, what on earth am I even writing?

>>3188127
You know what dear qm, quality storytime.

>>3188127
You're writing something that has my attention, and I hope you don't stop.

>>3188127
Arived late to vote but what Inwanted is to check on her and that's what we got I think.

you are writing a good quest that I like very much qm, thank you for it.

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>>3188127
>Natalia's face when

>>3187866
>>3187896
>>3187950
>>3188018
>>3188027
>>3188063

Crouching down next to where she is sitting slumped against the wall, you reach out a hand, and then reconsider it before placing it on her shoulder and pull it back.

“Natalia, are you alright?” You ask.

“Peachy” she says, but she doesn’t look up at you, her face still buried in her arms with her blonde hair falling like a curtain hiding her features from view. “I probably just came onto one of the few decent people I know like a psychotic slut whose idea of foreplay is opening up veins with her teeth.”

“Natalia-” You begin, but she cuts you off.

“Don’t” She says, still hiding her face. “Just don’t, I know what blood does to me. Don’t patronize me.”

“Natalia one nearly killed a man tonight” You tell her. “One lost oneself for a moment and a life was nearly ended, if one had come to his senses even a second later one would have killed him. One does not think less of you for what happened.”

“You’re just saying that” you hear her whisper.

“No Natalia” You reply. “One does not say what one does not mean, but you do not wish to hear this one. The Buddha teaches us that ‘You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.’ One does not think less of you for this, and one wishes you would not cause yourself suffering with self recrimination. To dwell on it and loath yourself is not the way to healing.”

“What do you want me to do” she hisses back at you “Just pretend it didn’t happen? Ignore it?”

“No” You say. “One does not wish you to ignore it, one hopes you will overcome it and one will support you in doing so, but the Buddha also teaches that ‘We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.’If you allow your thoughts to be consumed with negativity, then you and your world will suffer for it. Your affliction cannot be ignored, but neither can you allow it to drive you into despair.”

“Listen that’s very wise and all” She replies with a huff “But I really don’t want to hear zen quotes right now. Can we just go?”

>>3188676

“One is summoned to meet with El Lobo” You tell her hesitantly. “But one does not wish to leave you alone. Would you be comfortable accompanying this one?”

“No” She tells you. “I’m not going to any fucking meeting. I don’t want anyone seeing me like this, and you don’t want to show up at your first meeting with a Baron of the Summer Court dragging a crazy broken bitch behind you. Just go, I’ll wait here.”

“One-”

“I said go” she shouts at you.“Just go to your meeting, I’d like to be alone for a bit. Please, please just go. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

Do you

>Respect her wishes and leave to meet with El lobo
>Refuse to leave her alone in her current state and continue to speak with her
>Respect her wish to be alone, but ask someone to make sure she doesn’t try and leave while you go to meet with El Lobo
>Write in.

>>3188152
>>3188167
>>3188239

I appreciate the vote of confidence, and I'm glad you all like it. I hope I continue to produce content you enjoy.


>>3188239

Sorry you missed the vote anon, I may have called it too early.

>>3188284

....I'm not sure I understand what this is meant to convey. I'm not sure I want to. That picture is strangely disturbing. Good to see you, but that's kinda creepy man.

>>3188680
>Respect her wishes and leave to meet with El lobo
Let's show her some trust.

>>3188680
>>Respect her wishes and leave to meet with El lobo

poor gal, must be tough

>>3188680

>Respect her wishes and leave to meet with El lobo

It's time to give her some trust and space, even if she does run off it's understandable.

>>3188680

>Respect her wishes and leave to meet with El lobo

Well, that backfired, we called her here because we were feeling overwhelmed by the violence and people around and our bloody arm ended up overwhelming her, let her rest I say.

>>3183678
Gave the pdf a look and some sword and shield contracts seem right up Kentaro's alley, there are several of them that have an improves version for Ogres llike him.
The Shared Burden cobtract is specially interesting for Kentaro, helping others at his own expense.

Rolled 8 (1d100)

>>3188840
>>3188870
>>3188911
>>3189064

Looks like we have consensus. Gonna get to writing. Probably won't be posted until later this afternoon around second break.

>>3189099

Yeah that's a fun one that works really well with kentaro. I also like the Elemental Weapon personally. Having taken a look what do you think of 2e? I actually really like how they've done the contracts compared to 1e. Personally I feel like the system is better, since you don't have to buy wasted dots if you want something.

>>3189321
I prefer it too yes, they are more personalized by the type of changeling and dividing it in 6 aspects was very nice.

>>3189321
Man, that roll got me worried, either lobo will not like that we left him waiting, he bet on another guy or we will cone back to Natalia as a crying mess.

Hope its none of the above and its another terrible thing.

File: Changeling. The Lost Prev(...).pdf (1.85 MB, PDF)

1.85 MB PDF

Updates nearly done, been a crazy day. For those who are interested, here's part one of that pdf for 2e, and i should have the write up posted within the hour if nothing else comes up.

Something did in fact come up, I'll post as soon as I get up in the morning, but right now I really just need to sleep.

Sorry Y'all.

>>3192471
Sleep well :)

>>3188840
>>3188870
>>3188911
>>3189064

“Very well” You tell her.“One will conclude one’s business and return shortly then.”

She doesn’t answer you, and she still doesn’t look at you as you stand up and pull open the door to leave the room. As you step out into the hallway and begin to push the door closed behind you, you hear a muffled sob, and then the door shuts.

You pause for a moment at the doorway, and then turn away and quickly walk over to the medical room. When you pull open the door and step inside the first person you see is a diminutive hunchbacked man that might perhaps come up to your waist if he stood straight leaning back against the wall next to the doorway.

He has long and spindly fingers which are wrapped in string, in the moment you watch him they weave dexterously in and out between the strands suspended between them, and then he pulls the string tight to reveal an intricate pattern. Red luminescent tattoos wrap around his knuckles and up his wrists, flashing and shimmering as his hands move. He looks over at you and smiles through his well kept ginger beard. He’s very thin, emaciated in appearance really, and his smile makes his face look almost like a grinning skull.

“Ready to go then?’ He asks you as he pushes himself away from the wall.

“Yes” You reply “One appreciates your willingness to let one conclude one’s business, and apologizes again for the inconvenience of being made to wait.”

“It’s no trouble” He says as he shuffles towards you and gestures at the door. “Come on then, lets get to it.”

He slides past you and through the doorway before turning left. “Right this way” he calls out over his shoulder. You follow him out into the hallway. The faint sounds coming from where you had left Natalia cause you to tense momentarily, but your guide doesn’t so much as bat an eyelash. His lack of reaction makes you wonder if he can’t hear her, or if perhaps he simply doesn’t care.

The sounds grow faint and disappear as your guide leads you further down the hallway to the left and past a few more doors and hallways that branch off to the sides until you come to a descending staircase. You follow the redheaded man down the stairs, which lead to a large polished oak door with brass knockers.

File: two-tone-wood-executive-h(...).jpg (241 KB, 645x469)

241 KB JPG

>>3193635

Your guide seizes one of the knockers and thumps it thrice, and a voice from within calls out “Enter.” Pulling open the door and standing to the side the diminutive man gestures with one of his elongated hands for you to go in.

The room you find yourself in as you step through the doorway is a stark contrast to the rest of the rooms you’ve been in tonight. The main hall with the pit, the medical room, the fighters waiting area, all were utilitarian and almost primitive in their simplicity. This room is comfortable and luxurious.

Your feet sink deep into thick burgundy carpeting as you step through the doorway. Unlike the rest of the hollow, which has been lit dimly by flickering firelight, this room is well lit by several multifaceted crystal globes suspended from the walls by mounted candelabrum made of brass. They appear as if someone had taken the radiance of noonday and trapped it in a gemstone. The centerpiece of the room is a dark hardwood desk, complimented by the matching hardwood chairs and liquor case-cum-bookshelf, behind which El Lobo waits for you.

“Thank you Rory for bringing my guest” He calls out to your guide, while looking over your shoulder “Wait outside please.”

Then he turns to look you square in the eye and says “Kentaro, please come in, sit.” and gestures towards the chair in front of his desk. You step forward and sit down, noticing a pair of softly steaming china cups sitting there waiting as you do so.

“My man at the bar tells me you prefer Green Tea” El lobo says as you sit down gesturing at the cups between you. “I’m afraid I didn’t have any on hand. I hope Chai will suffice. I have a business partner who’s quite fond of it so I had some on hand.”

“One is honored by your generosity Baron Vasquez” You reply with a small bow before you sit down.

“It was no trouble” He tells you with a wave of his hand. He gives you that crooked smile again and then leans in slightly. You can feel the temperature rise as he does so, the hirsute man radiates heat like a furnace, making the space uncomfortably warm. “I hope you will forgive me, but I find myself a rather busy man these days, so I’m afraid I’ll have to cut short the pleasantries and get to the point. I have an offer I’d like to make you Amigo, but only if you can swear to me that what we discuss will never be spoken of outside of this room.”

How do you respond.

>One is honored, but one wonders why you would make such an offer to this one, as we have never before met
>One is honored, but one is hesitant to make such a vow without further consideration
>One apologizes, but one is not looking to join the Honorable Summer Court at this time
>Write in

>>3193654
so he is not offering a place among them then?

or is it implicit on his offer that we would have to join?

>>3193706

We don't know, we just know that before he'd be willing to talk about the details he want's assurance that whatever we talk about doesn't get spread around.

>>3193654
>One is honored, but one is hesitant to make such a vow without further consideration

well then, I won't outright deny it since he didn't offer and it might be offensive, but I have no intention of joining

>>3193706

Now whatever that implies to you, that's up to you to decide.

>>3192745

Thank you anon.

>>3190039

That is for me to know, and you to find out. Sadly that was not a roll that made me cackle, twas a "damn" roll, at least until I had a bit to consider the implications and what I could do with it, and then I cackled.

>>3189335

Take a look at how they do seemings and kiths in part one, I love how modular and customizable it is.

>>3193654
>One can help you if you need, but one is not looking to join the honorable summer court if that is necessary to do so.

>>3193654
>One apologizes, but one is not looking to join the Honorable Summer Court at this time

>>3193654
"One will listen and keep to your want of secrecy, but it doe's not guarantee that one will accept the task."

Remember, we're doing this for the ghost lady and her kids.

>>3193881
This

Add that we want the information about the dia de los muertos

>>3193881
I change to this

Gonna give it another 45 minutes or so and then I'm calling it. Last call for votes.

Calling it.

>>3193768
>>3193880
>>3193881
>>3193895
>>3193913

“One will listen to your proposal” You tell him slowly, “And one will respect your desire for secrecy, but one cannot guarantee that one will accept.”

“Of course” He replies “You’d be a fool to leap without looking, and I don’t work with fools.”

“Very well then” You tell him. “One will give one’s word to keep our discussion secret. But first, if it is no great inconvenience, one has a question one wished to ask of you. It should take no more than a moment of your time.”

“Alright” He says as he picks up his cup and leans back in his chair, quirking up one of his eyebrows. “What’s the question?”

“When is the Día de Muertos and how are it’s rituals properly observed? You ask him as he takes a sip.

“Día de Muertos?” He says somewhat incredulously placing the cup back down. “The day of the dead? It starts on October thirty first, lasts until November second. We set up ofrenda for the dead, alters with food for the spirits of the deceased, pictures to remember them by, a candle for each spirit. Paths of cempasúchil are made to lead the dead back to the ofrenda. Incense is lit. Honestly I don’t remember why we light it senior, my madre told me once but I don’t recall. You just do it.”

“You say it lasts for three days” You reply. “Is there significance in this?”

“Si” He replies, still clearly somewhat baffled “The first day is for the spirits of niño, the second for adults, and the third the whole family gathers they say. This is a strange thing to ask gringo, why do you care?”

“One requires the information to fulfill an obligation.” You reply. “Thank you Honored Baron. One appreciates your willingness to listen to this one’s question and answer earnestly, however odd it may have been. “

While there are some differences, it reminds you of the ceremonies you are familiar with which are used to honor deceased ancestors. Having heard his explanation and knowing the date you feel confident you should be able to fulfill your obligation with some preparation and thought.

>>3194675

“Think nothing of it” He tells you. “Now your word that this does not leave this room, may you be known a liar if it does so, so that we can get down to business.”

“One swears that one will not speak of what one discusses with you here” You reply to him. “May one be known as a liar if one does so.” As you speak the words you feel a pressure, something twisting itself around you, and the feeling of energy you are coming to associate with Glamour.

“Excellent” El Lobo says. “To business then. I hope you will forgive me my caution, but I’m sure you will understand once you’ve heard my proposal.”

He pauses for a moment to gather his thoughts and reaches out to pick up a picture frame on the edge of the desk. As far as you can tell it’s the only picture in the room. He looks at it a moment and then asks you. “Do you have children Kentaro? Nieces and nephews perhaps?”

“No” You reply “No one does not.”

“But you have family yes?” He asks you, rubbing his thumb over the picture frame. “Those you love?”

“Yes” You reply, thinking of your father and mother, and wondering what has become of them in the time you spent in the land of the spirits “One does.”

“This is mi familia” He says as he hands you the picture. It shows a younger and much less hairy El Lobo with one arm around a smiling woman with dark hair and his other hand on the shoulder of a grinning child, a young girl with gaps in her grin from missing baby teeth. They are all posed in front of a field of flowers. “I care for them more than anything in this world, and I wish to hire you to protect them.”

How do you respond

>You do not know this one, why would you choose this one?
>One wonders why you do not entrust them to a Knight of Summer.
>Why do you believe them to be in danger?
>Write in

>>3194684
>>Why do you believe them to be in danger?

>>3194684
>Why do you believe them to be in danger?
>You do not know this one, why would you choose this one?

>>3194710
+1

I wonder for how long it would be, being tied up to it woulb be bad.

>>3194710
+1 as well.

If it's until he can find a more permanent solution, take it. If it's a full time job, then decline.

Last call for votes, gonna give it another half hour and then get started.

>>3194684
>>3194710
From the sounds of it, this job sounds like it might not be against our principles. The details matter, though.

File: Changeling. The Lost Prev(...).pdf (1.47 MB, PDF)

1.47 MB PDF

Calling the vote. Here's part three of the pdf of 2e preview for those who want it.

I'm sorry gents, having a bit of trouble getting something together I'm happy with, and it's getting quite late.

I'll come back to it in the morning. My apologies. Figured I'd let you know rather than just going silent.

>>3195304
Thanks for the heads up, no worries, things are picking up nicely

>>3194697
>>3194710
>>3194715
>>3195009

“Why do you believe them to be in danger?” You ask him.

“Well” He says slowly as he leans back in towards you. “You know what they say about powerful men and their enemies. I have gained enough favor to move up the ranks yes, but I am not beloved of all who are above me in the Court, and certainly not of my new peers. There are those who see me as a threat, and those who see me as an arrogant upstart. I have no proof that they would strike at me directly through my family, but it has been done before, and this is not even considering the possibility of being targeted by someone in one of the other Courts. I cannot take the risk.”

“Forgive this one’s ignorance” You reply. “But if you are of the same Court, should you not be allies? Are you not bound to one another?”

“We are bound to the Court” He tells you. “Bound to our direct superior and those above them, and to a lesser extent their peers, but the ties that bind those of the same rank or those that bind the higher rungs to those beneath them that are not their direct subordinates can be somewhat….loose, and the politics of the Court can become viscous at times.”

“One begins to comprehend your concern.” You say as you nod your head slowly. “But why turn to this one? We have never before met. One wonders why one was chosen.”

>>3197063

“There were a few reasons.” He replies. “I certainly wasn’t looking for someone to do the job tonight, but you caught my eye, and I didn’t get this far by letting opportunities pass me by. You’re clearly new to the city, unaligned with any of the courts. The odds of anyone already having a hook in you are low. You were bold and willing to take risks.You showed me respect.”

“And you are a Killer, but you aren't a Murderer” He tells you as he looks you square in the eyes. “I saw it in the second fight, you may know to restrain yourself, but you know how to kill as well. You are not a sport fighter. This in and of itself is nothing special. There are many of our kind who are killers, they are a dime a dozen as they say, but I saw your concern for your opponents as well. You can kill, but you do not wish to. This is rather more rare and valuable to me. I need a man with some morals, not just a red handed Sicario.”

Putting aside what he has said for a moment you ask him the next question pressing on you. “How long would you wish this one to work for you, and what specifically would be expected of this one?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know how long the job will last” He tells you with a frown. “However long it takes me to solidify my position and smoke out those who wish me ill to be certain, perhaps a bit longer than that to be safe. As for the job itself you would be one of several working alternating shifts shadowing my family and keeping them safe. Preferably without disturbing them. You would of course be very well compensated for your efforts, monetarily and with the full weight of my support and favor as a Baron of the Summer Court, though I would require of you a binding Oath.”

“So” He says as he spreads his hands “The cards are on the table Kentaro, what is your answer?”

How do you respond?

>One is honored to have been chosen and will gladly work for you
>One is hesitant to commit to such an extended task, perhaps we could reach a compromise
>One apologizes but one is not interested in such work at this time
>Write in.

Sorry about the delay anons. Writing this was just painful for some reason, not really sure why, but in the end I decided I just had to put it out and get past it, so here we are.

>One is hesitant to commit to such an extended task, perhaps we could reach a compromise

>>3197072
>>One is hesitant to commit to such an extended task, perhaps we could reach a compromise

>>3197072
The support and favor of a Baron is nothing to scoff at, newly promoted he may be.

>One is honored to have been chosen and will gladly work for you. "Family is sacred, and those who would strike at innocents are scum".

>>3197072
>>One is hesitant to commit to such an extended task, perhaps we could reach a compromise

"One would help to protect your family, but you would have to trust this one"
I'm more worried about the oath he wants, it would be bad to be one of his paws and be dragged into this political mess

>>3197495
>I'm more worried about the oath he wants, it would be bad to be one of his paws and be dragged into this political mess
Excellent point if we decide to work for him protecting his family should be the ONLY thing we agree to.

>>3197495
>>3197540
Agreed

Well, looks like a pretty clear majority. Give me some rolls, d100 please.Best of first three to be taken.

Rolled 21 (1d100)

>>3197889

Rolled 54 (1d100)

>>3197889

Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>3197889

well, not bad

Rolled 91 (1d100)

>>3197889

>>3206877
now you've done it

First, I apologize for the extended absence. I'll level with you, I had a bit of a breakdown. Doing better now.

So, I've done some thinking, and after a lot of consideration, I've decided I really want to continue this, but that if I'm going to do so I need to get it on a set schedule.

So here's what I am proposing. I will commit to post 3-4 write ups on Thursdays and and 3-4 on Sundays assuming there is sufficient participation to allow write ups every 3 hours or so. Those are the days I'm free enough to slot out a good chunk of time for this. There may occasionally be updates on other days of the week, but basically it would come down to Thursday and Sunday as the days when the quest is up and going and I'll be around to write.

I'd like to continue if I haven't pissed you all off to the point of dropping this. I know, I'm a dick and flake, and I'm sorry. I'm going to try and be better, but the habits of years are hard to break. So if that schedule works for you, and you are willing to keep playing let me know. If there's at least a few people interested I'll post next thread Thursday picking up from where we are at now.

>>3214766
I'm interested and the schedule works fine, thanks for the heads up qm

>>3214766
I love the character and your writing so, yeah, I'll play.

Link the new thread here if this one is still up.

>>3214766
I'd like to continue, my times are not regular but if I'm around I'll post.

>>3214766
I'm game. If this thread is still up when the new thread pops, link it for others

>>3214766
Yup, lets play