>>4348033
“I see your point,” Sabela admits. “I didn’t want to start thinking that way… arrogance is a common character flaw among your strongest warriors, and that only tends to get amplified among awakened beings. In a sense, it’s good that you and your friends started off on this path having been humbled.”

“Cruel though that it came at such a high cost.”

“Of course,” you sigh. “You’re too right. And it’s continuing to cost us warriors dearly.”

“At some point it made me wonder if we should have ever...”

Serana sticks her arm out to bar your progress, then flashes a few hand signs at you.

[Watch out. There’s a pit ahead.]

Using the oil lamps you peer over the edge of the pit that snuck up on you so suddenly, eventually electing to drop one down. The little flame flickers as it falls, and fades, until the abyss below swallows it up entirely.

“That… would have been bad,” you muse. “I’m making a mental note to keep my eyes on the floor from here on.”

“They may well have used these as disposal shafts,” Sabela suggests. “It doesn’t look like we can go down them, does it?”

“Not unless you can grow wings,” you offer. “So?”

“Hm?” your mother replies absently.

“Can you grow wings?”

She shakes her head with a frown. “Don’t be ridiculous, Noel my dear.”

“Well, it was worth asking,” you sigh.

“It wouldn’t work,” she continues. “There’s not enough room to spread them out.”

“… are you messing with me?”

“Who knows?”

>Well, that only leaves one option: down the next flight of stairs.
>We got what we came here for. We know by now who made these ruins.
>Is it strange that we haven’t seen any writing anywhere so far?
>Other?

>>4348054
>>Is it strange that we haven’t seen any writing anywhere so far?

>>4348054
>Is it strange that we haven’t seen any writing anywhere so far?

>>4348054
>>Well, that only leaves one option: down the next flight of stairs.
and on the way back
>Is it strange that we haven’t seen any writing anywhere so far?

>>4348054
>Is it strange that we haven’t seen any writing anywhere so far?

>>4348054
>Is it strange that we haven’t seen any writing anywhere so far?

>>4348054
>>Well, that only leaves one option: down the next flight of stairs.

>>4348054
“Don’t you think it’s a bit weird that there isn’t any writing to be found here?” you muse, glancing at the walls as you start heading down the next flight of stairs. “Not even a warning posted over that bottomless hole back there.”

“No anchoring points for lanterns either,” your mother observes. “Maybe they could see better in the dark than humans can?”

[Or maybe they brought their own fire,] Serana suggests. [Don’t some of the old fairy stories describe creatures that could breathe fire?]

“It’s possible,” you muse. “Sabela, have you ever heard of any yōma, warriors, or awakened beings that could breathe fire?”

“No,” she admits, “though it makes a little more sense than you might think at first. After all fire-setting is part of the mining process in many places, isn’t it?”

“Point taken,” you agree.

“Though I can tell you have another valid concern,” your mother sighs, “in that we may be building these ‘dragons’ up too much in our imaginations. We should try to keep ourselves within the realm of the demonstrable.”

“Agreed,” you nod curtly.

You head further down the stairs, eventually reaching another chamber. This time the chamber isn’t totally barren and featureless: a small structure, like the above-ground portion of an open well shaft carved like a waist-high circular bench, sits in the exact middle of the cavern, and down that ‘well’ is another seemingly bottomless hole.

“Strange,” you frown. “I still don’t get what’s going on here.”

“If a species lived mainly underground,” your mother muses, “what is it that species would have in short supply that such a complex as we’re in might deliver?”

[This may not be complete, either,] Serana muses.

"Fair," you agree. "In fact it may make more sense if we assume this is either an incomplete work, or only part of a larger network."

"So what might it be good for?" Sabela repeats the gist of her question.

>Air?
>Water?
>Heat?
>Light?
>Other?

>>4349830
>Air?

>>4349830
>Air?
>Heat?

Reminds me of an air intake or heat exhaust.

>>4349830
>>Air?

>>4349830
>Heat?
>Air?

>>4349830
>Air?

>>4349835
>>4349830
good idea

>>4349830
>Air?
>Heat?
inb4 mecha piloted by dragons

>>4349830
>Air?
>Other?
Trans continental deep underground tunnel networks.

>>4350128
Zentraedi? If so, good thing we can sing.

File: Spoiler Image (88 KB, 640x457)

88 KB JPG

Hmmm
>Incomprehensible aliens arriving from space
>Eat people
>Dig tunnels
It's BETA.

>>4349830
“It could be meant for airflow,” you suggest, “or else maybe it was meant as a passive heat exchange system?”

“You’re thinking that hot air could rise up into these passages, cool, and sink back down through the vertical shafts at the ends of each set of drifts?” your mother muses. “It certainly makes some sense. But then why would the most recent tunnel, the one evidently created shortly before abandonment, be evidently heading for the surface?”

[So a complicated attempt at an airflow system?] Serana muses. [That seems to be what we’re settling on.]

“It makes sense,” you admit. “Even at the depths the miners up above work at airflow is a concern. If something were living deeper underground airflow might be a key focus in designing their living spaces.”

…

After descending for what feels like another hour, something starts to change.

“Stop,” you muse, calling your little group to a halt. “Put out your lamp, mother.”

“I’m curious too,” she wonders, doing as you suggest.

“There,” you declare, “I was right.”

Sure enough, though it may not be much, there’s some ambient light to be found here. It’s weak, and carries a blueish tint, but it’s undeniably present.

“Natural light,” Sabela muses. “Lamps back?”

“Yeah,” you agree, setting to work re-lighting the wicks.

[Strange,] Serana muses silently. [I wonder what the cause could be?]

You don’t have to wait long to find out.

…

“Fantastic,” you declare, stunned into near-silence by the scene. “It must be just warm enough down here for this.”

Before you is an open space, a dimly-lit cavern where the low spots are filled with water likely percolated down from above, kept at a more comfortable temperature by some unseen thermal source, with spectacular formations everywhere you look. And the source of the light, probably just strong enough for you to read by, is the numerous masses of glowing mushrooms.

“How odd,” your mother muses. “Usually luminous mushrooms give off a green color, but then again those usually consume wood. Maybe these glow blue because they feed on minerals?”

“Or maybe they’re simply hosts for something smaller?” you suggest.

“Also a possibility.”
>1/2

>>4351466
“You’re right though,” you agree. “The ones that help illuminate the vaults in Blackthorn Keep are all green.”

[You know I never really noticed?]

>Look around the inside of the cavern for any signs that someone lived here.
>There must be a natural way into this cavern. Find it.
>Examine the glowing mushrooms more closely. They’re unusual.
>Other?

>>4351468
>>Examine the glowing mushrooms more closely. They’re unusual.
blue is a very unusual color in nature, rather the only blue bioluminescence I am aware of is that algae

>>4351468
>>Examine the glowing mushrooms more closely. They’re unusual.

>>4351468
>>Look around the inside of the cavern for any signs that someone lived here.
>>There must be a natural way into this cavern. Find it.

>>4351468
>>Look around the inside of the cavern for any signs that someone lived here.
>>There must be a natural way into this cavern. Find it.

>>4351468
>>Examine the glowing mushrooms more closely. They’re unusual.

>>4351468
>>Look around the inside of the cavern for any signs that someone lived here.
>>There must be a natural way into this cavern. Find it.

>>4351468
>Look around the inside of the cavern for any signs that someone lived here.
>Examine the glowing mushrooms more closely. They’re unusual.

>>4351468
>Examine the glowing mushrooms more closely. They’re unusual.
Take some with us after.

>>4351468
“We came down here looking for signs of life,” you muse, “and here we’ve found it. Even if it’s… somewhat less than impressive.”

“You mean the mushrooms?” Sabela asks you. “I mean, if you’re really that interested in it.”

[May be worth looking into.]

You cautiously approach a bunch of the glowing fungus, sitting on a low outcrop near a wide, shallow pool of cold water. Taking a knee, you prod at one of the growths with the tip of your knife. The cap of the mushroom is about as wide as your fist, slightly translucent, with the glow being produced from under that cap. The light is mostly cast downwards, but some filters through the cap itself.

“I wonder if they’re edible,” you muse playfully.

[I wouldn’t chance it,] Serana replies, staring skeptically at the clump of fungi as she makes her thoughts known. [Glowing fungus deep underground in a cavern excavated by DRAGONS?]

She has to sign out the letters for the last word one at a time, since there’s no sign for it in your shared vocabulary.

“Good point,” you agree. “It seems like a huge risk.”

Meanwhile, your mother leans down, picks one off the cave floor, and takes a big bite out of it.

You stare at her in surprise as she swallows. “Mom? Weren’t we just talking about how we weren’t going to do that?”

Sabela stares at the cap, then wipes a bit of glowing blue residue from her lips. “That’s odd.”

“Yeah, it was,” you frown. “What part of it were you referring to specifically?”

“I felt like… I just knew it was nourishing,” she admits. “I can’t explain, it’s like it was instinctive.”

>Take a few of these mushrooms to examine under more controlled circumstances.
>Continue exploring the cavern, revisit this issue later.
>You’re not sure you trust this. There’s no way that ANY of this is normal.
>Other?

>>4352932
>Take a few of these mushrooms to examine under more controlled circumstances.

>>4352932
>>Take a few of these mushrooms to examine under more controlled circumstances.
both a light source and a food source?

>>4352932
>take a few ...

>>4352932
>Take a few of these mushrooms to examine under more controlled circumstances.
It's people, you heard it here first.

>>4352932
>Take a few of these mushrooms to examine under more controlled circumstances.

>>4352932
>Take a few of these mushrooms to examine under more controlled circumstances.
>Continue exploring the cavern, revisit this issue later.

Continue exploring, research humanshrooms later

>>4352932
“We may have found what we’re looking for,” you surmise, using your knife to cut a few mushrooms free from the surface they’re clinging to. “Find me a bag.”

…

For the sake of safety, you take your time in making preparations. You melt some candlewax into the base of an empty lamp, using burning oil in a shallow depression in the cave floor as a heat source, and soak a large piece of cloth in that wax before letting it cool. After you scrape off the excess, you’re left with a waterproof piece of waxcloth that you can place your samples into, then you can use a little bit of extra wax and a short length of cord to seal your samples in.

“There,” you declare. “Let’s head back to the surface and try to figure out what we have here.”

“And if we learn nothing, we can always come back,” your mother shrugs. “I agree.

[No contest,] Serana adds in agreement.

…

Once back on the surface you’re left with a dilemma: where to take your samples to investigate them more closely? Serana’s suggestion is that your next move depends entirely on how dangerous you judge the mushrooms to be, and whether you want to remain close to the mines where you first accessed the caverns.

>Test them in isolation, outside the city.
>Take them all the way back to Scaithness.
>Rent an inn room, but keep an ice chest nearby.
>Other?

>>4353308
>Test them in isolation, outside the city.

>>4353308
>>Test them in isolation, outside the city.

>>4353308
>Test them in isolation, outside the city.

>>4353308
>>Test them in isolation, outside the city.

>Test them in isolation, outside the city.

4chan gets their mommy back

>>4353308
>Other?
>Go Deeper
What? Are we really going to turn back now? We are almost at the end..... unless this is a Soma quest and the dungeon goes on for over 9000+ levels

>>4353308
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 9, 6, 5 = 20 (3d10)

>>4354798

Rolled 2, 8, 4 = 14 (3d10)

>>4354798

Rolled 7, 2, 7 = 16 (3d10)

>>4354798

Rolled 6, 3, 3 = 12 (3d10)

>>4354798

>>4354798
You decide to take your sample out of town entirely, to a simple mountain hut above the town of Tarskavaig made from stacked stone and timber, barely more than a bothy but isolated and currently unoccupied.

“Serana,” you muse, “I’d like you to build a fire in the hearth. We’ll dispose of the materials as we go.”

“I understand your concern,” your mother agrees. “What would you have me do?”

…

You’re very careful as you go.

The hut has a wooden cutting board and at least one knife sharp enough to do the task you’re going to ask of it. Your mother is an unusual case… you have her wash her mouth and face in hot water, enough for it to be painful for most people but nothing more than a nuisance to her, then you reclaim and re-boil the water to sterilize your utility knife and its scabbard.

Once you’re ready, you examine the mushrooms you gathered more closely.

You carefully slice one in half from its base through its cap, so that you can examine it in cross-section. Another you slice through its cap, so you can see it in a different cross-section. In all regards it seems like a normal mushroom, and you make sketches of it as you go to record that discovery.

The only difference you can see is that the underside of the cap, where what you think are called the ‘gills’ are, leaves a residue when you rub it against the blade of your knife. Sure enough, when you place that knife somewhere away from the light you can see that it’s glowing faintly in the dark.

Having discovered the cause of the phenomenon and seeing no further tests you can do in a bothy on the side of a mountain, you burn the waxcloth and mushrooms in the fire. You also toss the borrowed knife into the fire as well, and boil your own knife yet again just to be sure.

…

“So it seems that the only unusual thing about the mushrooms we found was that something on the undersides caused them to glow,” you explain. “Thoughts?”

[Is it even part of the mushrooms?] Serana wonders.

“It’s possibly a different organism,” you agree. “Though it’d be hard to prove.”

“I felt a powerful urge to feed on it,” your mother admits in turn. “Like a deer to a salt lick, like I just instinctively knew it would be good for me.”

>We can’t just have you eating glowing fungi you find in caves, mother. Are you sure I'M the child here?
>We have some other glowing fungi under Blackthorn Keep. I wonder if those would provoke the same response?
>The next logical step is to expose normal humans to them… but that would be TOTALLY unethical. So we look elsewhere for clues.
>Other?

>>4354886
>>We have some other glowing fungi under Blackthorn Keep. I wonder if those would provoke the same response?

>>4354886
>We have some other glowing fungi under Blackthorn Keep. I wonder if those would provoke the same response?

>>4354886
>We have some other glowing fungi under Blackthorn Keep. I wonder if those would provoke the same response?

>>4354886
>We have some other glowing fungi under Blackthorn Keep. I wonder if those would provoke the same response?
>Do you actually feel nourished when eating these mushrooms?

>>4354886
>We have some other glowing fungi under Blackthorn Keep. I wonder if those would provoke the same response?

>>4354886
>Did it nourish you?
>We have some other glowing fungi under Blackthorn Keep. I wonder if those would provoke the same response?

>>4354886
>The next logical step is to expose normal humans to them… but that would be TOTALLY unethical. So we look elsewhere for clues.

>>4354886
>>We have some other glowing fungi under Blackthorn Keep. I wonder if those would provoke the same response?

Mushrooms are a secret method to control Yoma, mom is compromised.

>>4354886
“Mother, did you feel that taking a bite from that mushroom did anything for you?” you ask. “Did it relieve your hunger at all?”

“Strangely… yes?” she muses. “It certainly came as a surprise to me.”

“I wonder,” you frown, considering the possibility. “We have glowing mushrooms in the vaults back at Scaithness. Would those have the same effect?”

“I have no idea,” your mother admits. “Having never considered the question.”

“Then I think that may be a sensible next step,” you suggest. “Agreed?”

[The others won’t like having your mother around,] Serana frowns.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” your mother asks.

The two glance at each other, perhaps vaguely aware that they were basically saying the same thing just now.

“Mother, you can wait for us across the loch,” you offer. “Does that satisfy the both of your concerns?”

[I think so.]

“Most likely, yes,” Sabela nods. “I think that would be a fine arrangement.”

“Then we should close off the caverns we discovered,” you suggest, “and head back to Scaithness.”

…

The lowest human-carved tunnels had already been sealed off, at least tentatively, as you left before. But this time you lower a significant amount of material to make cement, and seal the thing off properly. Into the combination of brickwork and cement you and your companions set a square wooden frame for a trapdoor, which you quickly cover over with a lime slurry to make it airtight. When it dries, anyone trying to access the lowest levels would need to chisel the lime away.

You also inform Lord Annemas that the caverns below that door are dangerous, too dangerous for humans to navigate them, and that the seal should only be broken by a half-blood warrior like yourself and even then only at the extremes of need.

>3d10, best of three

Rolled 3, 2, 7 = 12 (3d10)

>>4356212

Rolled 7, 10, 8 = 25 (3d10)

>>4356212

Rolled 1, 5, 6 = 12 (3d10)

>>4356212

Rolled 3, 9, 10 = 22 (3d10)

>>4356212
Come on! Roll high, me!!

>>4356212
The journey back to Blackthorn Keep is blissfully uneventful, and ends with you explaining your findings before your cohort. News of Camila’s death hits especially hard for your fellow single-digit warriors, especially your newest compatriot Aurora.

“I can’t believe it came to that,” she mutters, completely stunned. “She was always an amazing asset to the Organization, and even if she left the Organization she’d still be an asset in the fight against the yōma. So how? How could they just throw her life away?”

“Have you ever heard the phrase that it’s better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven?” Helen muses. “The Organization always had a vindictive streak. If an asset can’t be theirs they’d rather it not exist.”

“I’m curious,” Valentina interjects, “you mentioned some glowing mushrooms? Don’t we have something like that downstairs?”

“We do,” you nod curtly. “And I was going to take some across the loch to Sabela.”

“What for?” Justina demands.

“To see if she has the same response to them as she did to the ones we found under Tarskavaig,” you explain. “Think about it, if we’ve found something that she can eat instead of humans?”

“What difference do you think this will make?” Laura asks you cautiously. “I’m curious to know your explanation.”

>I think we may be able to help secure a future for humanity, if we can get these ‘dragons’ to stop eating humans.
>Any awakened being we can feed through alternate means is a potential ally that we don’t HAVE to fight against.
>I just want to help my mother. Any other good that comes out of it for us is just an unintentional bonus.
>I have no expectations, just curiosity.
>Other?

>>4356475
>>Any awakened being we can feed through alternate means is a potential ally that we don’t HAVE to fight against.

>>4356475
>>Any awakened being we can feed through alternate means is a potential ally that we don’t HAVE to fight against.
>>I just want to help my mother. Any other good that comes out of it for us is just an unintentional bonus.

>>4356475
>Any awakened being we can feed through alternate means is a potential ally that we don’t HAVE to fight against.
>I just want to help my mother. Any other good that comes out of it for us is just an unintentional bonus.

>>4356475
>I think we may be able to help secure a future for humanity, if we can get these ‘dragons’ to stop eating humans.
>I just want to help my mother. Any other good that comes out of it for us is just an unintentional bonus.
>A lot of curiosity.

>>4356475
>I just want to help my mother. Any other good that comes out of it for us is just an unintentional bonus.

>>4356475
>Any awakened being we can feed through alternate means is a potential ally that we don’t HAVE to fight against.
>I just want to help my mother. Any other good that comes out of it for us is just an unintentional bonus.
>I doubt most awakened beings are going to be as human as my mother, she held onto her and it cost her, most others are still monsters, willingly. But if we can make an alternative or fallback...

>>4356475
>>I just want to help my mother. Any other good that comes out of it for us is just an unintentional bonus.

>>4356475
>I think we may be able to help secure a future for humanity, if we can get these ‘dragons’ to stop eating humans.
>Any awakened being we can feed through alternate means is a potential ally that we don’t HAVE to fight against.
>I just want to help my mother. Any other good that comes out of it for us is just an unintentional bonus.

>>4356475
>I just want to help my mother. Any other good that comes out of it for us is just an unintentional bonus.

mommy

>>4356475
>>I think we may be able to help secure a future for humanity, if we can get these ‘dragons’ to stop eating humans.
>>Any awakened being we can feed through alternate means is a potential ally that we don’t HAVE to fight against.

>>4356475
“It solves several problems at once,” you admit, “if it works at all. Every awakened being that’s not eating humans is an awakened being we don’t have to kill… and that includes my mother.”

“Noel, do you really believe this would make a difference?” Laura presses. “How many awakened beings have you met who would accept that arrangement?”

“Two,” you reply immediately. “And if we never cultivate that possibility then we’ll never know how many more there might be, or what the effects of ‘that arrangement’ might actually be.”

“Fair,” Laura admits. “I can see this is important to you.”

“It is.”

“Then we’ll see what happens,” Helen decides. “Unless anyone has any objections to voice?”

…

No one had any objections, or if they did they said nothing about it. So you soon find yourself rowing across the loch with a fistful of luminous green mushrooms in a sack, which feels just as strange as it sounded in your head. Your mother is seated on a low broken wall waiting for you.

“Well, it’s the moment of truth,” she muses thoughtfully. “You have the mushrooms?”

You open the sack and let Sabela peer in, where she can see the faint green glow and confirm what it is you’ve brought her.

“Alright then,” she nods, taking the sack from you and popping the first mushroom into her mouth.

She chews, then swallows, then repeats the whole process. She continues until all the mushrooms are gone, then tips the back to make sure she got them all. Dissatisfied, she tosses the sack aside.

“It didn’t have the same effect?” you guess.

“It must have been the luminous substance that left the residue,” she sighs. “Not the mushrooms themselves.”

>Maybe it’s a different organism altogether? One that feeds on the mushrooms?
>Then what does that substance have in common with human entrails?
>Then maybe we can find a way to produce that substance in a controlled way?
>Other?

>>4357928
>Maybe it’s a different organism altogether? One that feeds on the mushrooms?
>Then what does that substance have in common with human entrails?

>>4357928
>Maybe it’s a different organism altogether? One that feeds on the mushrooms?
>Then what does that substance have in common with human entrails?
Gut microflora? Can youma actually survive on human shit?

>>4357928
>Maybe it’s a different organism altogether? One that feeds on the mushrooms?
>Then what does that substance have in common with human entrails?
Bacteria?

>>4357928
>>Maybe it’s a different organism altogether? One that feeds on the mushrooms?

>>4357928
>>Maybe it’s a different organism altogether? One that feeds on the mushrooms?
>>Then what does that substance have in common with human entrails?

>>4357928
>Other?
Maybe its like insulin and helps produce stuff in their bodies that the body needs?

>>4358034
Dont think insulin is a thing in medieval fantasy land

>>4358051
I'm use a meta reference to describe the mushrooms effect as possibly like insulin.

Otherwise I might need to start making up a word to describe "medieval fantasy land NOT!insulin, and no one will know what I'm talking about.

>>4358059
Sure, but that is still not an option to say or act upon in quest.
Without the proper knowledge Noel can't make either the connection you are hinting at or say this, so keep such comments in the meta realm by finding proper analogies that fit in the time.
Or write our a description that would lead to a similar solution.

>>4357928
“Maybe it’s a different organism?” you muse. “One that feeds on the mushrooms? And what does this have in common with human entrails?”

[Maybe that same organism is present inside human entrails?]

“If it existed in the environment that could be the case,” you admit, “but last I checked humans don’t glow.”

“No, but Serana may have the right idea,” your mother agrees. “It might not be anything about the human body itself, but something within the human body. As this glowing substance and the mushrooms exist together, there may be something living alongside humanity that we don’t know about.”

“How can we go about proving that?” you wonder.

[I don’t think there’s an ethical way,] Serana tells you.

There are a few moments of quiet before Sabela speaks up. “I think it might be better to discern whether there’s any real danger if we produced more of the substance we found outside the caves.”

[We did kind of assume it was a danger.]

“For the sake of safety,” you agree. “How do you propose we test it?”

“By trying to get it to grow on things other than mushrooms,” Sabela suggests. “Or in the daylight.”

>I think it’s worth a try. I’ll suggest it to Helen and the others.
>I don’t think there’s a way to do it safely. So we find another way.
>Other?

>>4359678
>>I think it’s worth a try. I’ll suggest it to Helen and the others.
Now I'm imaging Sabela sprinkling it on every food like salt and pepper.

>>4358918
No.

>>4359678
>I think it’s worth a try. I’ll suggest it to Helen and the others.

Midichlorians

>>4359678
>I think it’s worth a try. I’ll suggest it to Helen and the others.

>>4359687
Oh no no no no!

>>4359678
>>I think it’s worth a try. I’ll suggest it to Helen and the others.

>>4359678
>I think it’s worth a try. I’ll suggest it to Helen and the others.

mommy pls

>>4359678
>>I think it’s worth a try. I’ll suggest it to Helen and the others.

>>4359678
>I think it’s worth a try. I’ll suggest it to Helen and the others.

>>4359678
>I think it’s worth a try. I’ll suggest it to Helen and the others.

>>4359678
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 4, 4, 8 = 16 (3d10)

>>4360936

Rolled 9, 10, 2 = 21 (3d10)

>>4360936

Rolled 7, 8, 2 = 17 (3d10)

>>4360936

>>4360936
You take your idea back to the keep, where Helen seems less than enthusiastic.

“What makes you think this is safe?” she demands. “You know I’m willing to stick my neck out for you, same as I know you would for me, but this sounds like something troublesome.”

“Using waxcloth and sealing wax I was able to transport the mushrooms safely,” you explain. “So I could do the same again. Take them somewhere isolated to test growing conditions, and the ideal way to destroy them. I learned already that fire seems to work.”

Helen considers your words carefully. “What is your plan?”

“There’s plenty of material to build with across the loch,” you suggest, “and enough workers to complete the task. Cores of reclaimed stone clad in earth. A dedicated hearth. Keep it isolated while we work.”

“I can help cut stone,” Valentina offers.

“Training?” Justina muses.

“That’s a good idea,” Valentina nods. “Alexa, Nessa, Jenna, and Lucia? You want to come with me?”

“Do we have to?” Jenna asks wearily.

“No,” Justina shrugs.

“Do you ever have to do anything?” Valentina counters.

“I think it’s a good idea,” you admit. “Discipline is an asset too.”

“Then design and build the place where you’ll work on it,” Helen suggests. “Then we’ll assess whether it’s a good idea to continue.”

>3d10, best of three

Rolled 2, 8, 2 = 12 (3d10)

>>4361137

Rolled 8, 5, 7 = 20 (3d10)

>>4361137

>>4361137

Rolled 6, 5, 4 = 15 (3d10)

>>4361147
>>4361137
*HMMMMMM SOMETHING WENT WRONG*
i wonder what it was ....

>>4361137
Things come together fairly well.

The construction project is complete in just a few weeks, with multiple aspects of the design being worked on all at the same time. Most important of these aspects are the load-bearing walls at each end of the single room, into which a total of six ovens and a large fireplace have been built. The tight-sealing cast iron door to each oven has been fitted with a small glass viewing port, which will allow you to assess the presence and growth of the glowing substance inside. Upon success or failure of any experiment a fire can be lit underneath the oven in question, raising the temperature high enough to destroy any living substances.

When the glow stops, you’ll know that the substance inside has become inert.

Not long after the slate tiled roof goes on, Sabela returns with your first few sealed samples of the strange, glowing material.

…

It takes another several weeks to even form a theory of what you’re actually looking at, but thanks to your borderline paranoid sterilization protocols and willingness to consider the various alternatives, you’re able to present your findings.

“So, what have you learned from all that?” Laura asks, having beaten Helen and Aurora to the question at the heart of your meeting.

“Whatever it is, it seems to feed on whatever it attaches itself to,” you explain. “It can be hosted on fungi of varying types, but not on living plants or on any sort of meat.”

“You tried pig intestines, didn’t you?” Alexa asks.

You nod in confirmation. “It took some careful examination, but it seemed to do poorly there at first. And it never seemed to attack the intestines themselves, only… well, you know when food goes bad?”

“It rots, or spoils,” Valentina answers you. “As for why it happens, I guess I never really thought of it?”

“Sometimes if it gets really gross, things start growing on food that’s been spoiled,” you explain. “The pig intestines gave me an idea, so I tried growing the glowing substance on spoiled and rotten food. To some degree, it worked in each case… but not for long.”

“Why not?” Helen presses. “Was it because it exhausted the spoilage?”

You nod. “That’s what I think. But since fungi are living, growing things, the substance has a longer presence on those hosts.”

“And how do we destroy this stuff?” Jenna demands.

“And does it pose a threat to humans at all?” Aurora adds.

Serana, who has been quietly observing your efforts the whole time, shakes her head.
>1/2

>>4362214
“I don’t think so,” you reply. “I tried using potted plants too. Just like with the meat and the fresh vegetables, I couldn’t get our mystery substance to take hold for some reason. But that doesn’t mean it’s totally safe.”

“As for what kills the stuff… fire, boiling water, and high-proof alcohol all seem to kill it. That is, if it’s even something you can call alive to begin with. Burning, boiling, or rinsing in alcohol extinguishes the glow, and even if what’s left starts to spoil again the glow doesn’t return.”

“Do you think you can produce it safely?” Helen finally gets to the main point of all this experimenting.

>I think so, yes. But only in small quantities, enough for one, maybe two awakened beings.
>It should be tested on a living animal first. I don’t like the thought, but we need to know.
>There’s no way of knowing short of letting a human eat it.
>If we could somehow contact one of these “dragons”, we could find out for certain.
>Other?

>>4362216
Since 4chan banner people I have been asked to
>suggest using your own flesh, cut of in small parts
Cant belive i just wrote that

>>4362216
>I think so yes, but only in small doses

>>4362216
>>It should be tested on a living animal first. I don’t like the thought, but we need to know.

>>4362216
>>It should be tested on a living animal first. I don’t like the thought, but we need to know.

Progress is --unfortunately-- not always clean or pretty.

>>4362216
>>It should be tested on a living animal first. I don’t like the thought, but we need to know.
>Use some of our flesh also.

File: Spoiler Image (114 KB, 1024x604)

114 KB JPG

If we're going to be moving on to 'live' things, perhaps we can start with pulped insects and then move on with live ones.
inb4 Cordyceps.

>>4362216
>It should be tested on a living animal first. I don’t like the thought, but we need to know.

>>4362216
>Other?
Test directing Yoki energy at it, like through our white firsts, pulsing yoki energy outside into the environment, or try and focus burn it out like when we tried to cure the infected villagers.

>>4362216
>Try applying Yoki on the stuff.

>>4362216
“There are a few tests I’ve been… hesitant about,” you admit.

Helen favors you with an odd look. “Oh? And what tests would those be?”

“Feeding it one of my severed fingers,” you clarify. “Forcing yōki into it with my White Fist technique. Exposing a live animal to it, like a rabbit.”

“You know, things that would be helpful to know but that I wasn’t sure I felt comfortable doing.”

“I think this is important enough to figure out the answers,” Helen tells you. “Does anyone else have any objections?”

Without any such objections, apart from Alexa’s obvious personal disapproval of using any ‘cute’ animals as test subjects, you proceed to set up for the second and probably final round of tests.

…

The glowing substance doesn’t seem to ‘take’ on your finger, which you severed and regrew specifically for the purpose. Like with the other samples of meat or organs however exposing the rotten remnants of your own finger did result in a growth of glowing residue, albeit temporarily as it seems to consume the rot. If you view it objectively it reminds you a little of how maggots are sometimes used to treat badly infected wounds, where the foul little creatures will only eat flesh that has started to decay leaving any remaining healthy flesh alone.

When you try applying your yōki to that sample through the cast-iron door to one of the ovens, you find that the residue glows almost indistinguishably brighter, and in a slightly paler shade of blue. But it doesn’t seem to help that sample survive any longer, as it still dies like all the other samples eventually have. Subsequently applying your yōki doesn’t revive the glow either.

Last, you have the running experiment with a rat that was caught for you in town, in a shallow bowl greased with olive oil. You feed it mushrooms and spoiled vegetables that have been ‘contaminated’, and the rat seems not to mind the glowing substance too much. It doesn’t seem to show any problems after you mixed the substance into its water either. In fact, unless there’s some sort of horrific consequences much further down the line it seems as though there aren’t any problems to exposure.

…

“So those are my findings,” you eventually report to your full cohort. “The rat was still alive until I killed and incinerated it, the residue seems to respond to yōki but can’t feed on it or anything of the sort, and it doesn’t seem to damage fresh human flesh any more than it would animal meat.”
>1/2

>>4363999
“Do you believe this is a substance that these rumored ‘dragons’ once fed from?” Aurora asks you sternly. “And do you believe that it can be used to feed an awakened being?”

>I think the evidence suggests yes. It responds to yōki, only sustains itself on rot and decay, and Sabela seemed to eat it instinctively.
>I don’t know what to believe. But I don’t think there’s any evidence that it’s dangerous to humans, at the very least.
>I don’t think I know enough about HOW this works to say anything for certain. And I don’t think we WILL know unless we try.
>Other?

>>4364000
>>I think the evidence suggests yes. It responds to yōki, only sustains itself on rot and decay, and Sabela seemed to eat it instinctively.
but
>I don’t think I know enough about HOW this works to say anything for certain. And I don’t think we WILL know unless we try.

>>4364000
>I don’t know what to believe. But I don’t think there’s any evidence that it’s dangerous to humans, at the very least.
>I don’t think I know enough about HOW this works to say anything for certain. And I don’t think we WILL know unless we try.

>>4364001
>>4363999
supporting

>>4364000
>>4364001
This right here

>>4364000
>>4364001
This, also nice get, King.

What if you apply yoki to it, and then feed it to an awakened being

>>4364000
“I don’t know enough about why or how any of what I’ve learned is true,” you admit. “But what evidence I have suggests the answer is yes. My mother certainly seemed to instinctively know it was edible to her, ‘like deer to a salt lick’ is how she explained it to me.”

“Then I think it’s worth trying,” Aurora admits. “Any dissenters?”

“I’d like to agree,” Laura adds. “Honestly… I wasn’t anticipating it, but I have to admit I want to see this succeed.”

“Why?” Jenna asks, before quickly glancing in your direction. “I mean, I know it’s your mom and all… but still. Abyssal one, in case anyone’s forgotten.”

“I knew Sabela, a long time ago,” Laura explains. “Before she awakened. If there really is anything left of her… then she deserves our consideration.”

No one seems to be able to make an argument against that. And so, the very next day, you begin work deconstructing the building on the far side of the loch and rebuilding it from the ground-up to safely and reliably produce more of the glowing substance you found deep under Tarskavaig in what may or may not be a dragon’s lair.
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 4, 3, 2 = 9 (3d6)

>>4366020

Rolled 5, 8, 6 = 19 (3d10)

>>4366020
come on Dice gods, we beseech thee!
please?

Rolled 10, 8, 5 = 23 (3d10)

>>4366020
Alright lets roll with right dice

>>4366036
you did it, well done anon

Rolled 8, 1, 9 = 18 (3d10)

>>4366020

>>4366020
By the next month, you have enough mushrooms growing in the newly-rebuilt facility that you can scrape together a meal every week or so for a single awakened being… and so you do so for your mother.

You’re not the only one watching intently as Sabela takes her first bite from your glowing mushroom farm: Laura and Serana in particular seem to be immensely invested in the outcome. Your mother chews carefully, her expression focused and thoughtful. Then she swallows.

There are a few moments of silence.

“Could use some pepper,” Sabela muses, suddenly shattering the tension.

>That settles it. How does your cohort view a formal alliance with Sabela?
>Offer to let Sabela settle in on the far side of the loch. Not a true alliance, but a cordial association.
>That’s a good first step, but actual trust will take more time.
>Other?

>>4366126
>Offer to let Sabela settle in on the far side of the loch. Not a true alliance, but a cordial association.

>>4366126
>Offer to let Sabela settle in on the far side of the loch. Not a true alliance, but a cordial association.
>>That’s a good first step, but actual trust will take more time.

>>4366126
>Offer to let Sabela settle in on the far side of the loch. Not a true alliance, but a cordial association.

>>4366126
>Offer to let Sabela settle in on the far side of the loch. Not a true alliance, but a cordial association.
>That’s a good first step, but actual trust will take more time.

>>4366126
>>Offer to let Sabela settle in on the far side of the loch. Not a true alliance, but a cordial association.
>>That’s a good first step, but actual trust will take more time.

>>4366126
>Offer to let Sabela settle in on the far side of the loch. Not a true alliance, but a cordial association.
>That’s a good first step, but actual trust will take more time
>Other?
What if we rebuilt one or more of the castles for her? Have more mushrooms growing there?

>>4366126
>Offer to let Sabela settle in on the far side of the loch. Not a true alliance, but a cordial association.

>>4366386
The concern, from the perspective of Noel's cohort, is that this stuff is still too much of an unknown factor. In their thinking there's still a chance however small that it could get into a random human's lungs and go full Eros, growing into an out-of-control infection. Hell, so far as they know this could be the source of the yoma.

At the moment the best you can say is that after some testing of the stuff and some additional monitoring Sabela can eat it and seemingly not cause any problems.

>>4367022
I understand the concern of cultivating fairly unknown organisms but I thought we knew better than that, like back when we came across some villager mob that burned someone to death in their house, we explained that's not how people turn into yoma.

Also how well does Noel decontaminate after she leaves the contained testing "cave" she built? I would think she either goes in the nude or has to wash and bathe after everytime she goes in, and given well, their lack of "advancements" to say what the organization can do or pull off, I'd think they'd soon find the area outside of the testing area to start glowing soon.

The only other thing I can think of is if we should worry about Sabela snapping and going crazy out of the blue and eating everyone.

>>4366126
“If that’s the only complaint, seems as if this has been a massive success,” you muse. “I’ve been giving this some consideration, and I think it may be appropriate to build permanent lodging for Sabela on the grounds of the ruined castle where we’ve been experimenting with this substance… which finally needs a name now that I stop to think about it.”

[Just to clarify,] Serana quickly signs to you, [you’re not proposing a true alliance or partnership. It’s not the same as throwing the doors open to her.]

“No, that’s a fair point,” you admit. “In diplomacy I think the term would be an alleviation, an easing of existing tension between two parties, not a true unification.”

“You’re correct to make that distinction,” Sabela agrees quietly, finishing the last of her small meal. “As are all of you for wishing to keep me at arm’s length. I have no intention of becoming your pet abyssal or anything of the sort. But my daughter has sought to do right by me, as I seek now to position myself to protect her and that which she holds dear.”

“Forgive me if that sounds a little more confrontational than I’d like,” Sabrina retorts.

“I only care for your opinion insofar as I still care for the thoughts of any other warrior,” Sabela admits calmly, staring Sabrina down. “Likewise, despite your attitude, I can promise now to treat you in any future interactions we may have with the dignity and compassion that I believe any other half-blooded woman is due.”

“And if it were to be the majority view of your cohort that I should leave, or were Noel to ask it of me, I would leave willingly.”

Sabrina crosses her arms for a moment, considers Sabela’s words, and eventually nods. “I think you believe in what you’re saying, and I know this must mean a lot to Noel. So I’ll reluctantly agree to it. But I do also believe this is one situation where we must all explicitly agree, or else voice our concerns.”

“I think you spoke for me perfectly,” Aurora admits. “I have no remaining objections.”

“Anyone else?” you ask. “Speak up, I hope by now you know I won’t be mad if you do. Sabrina’s right in that we all need to be on the same page.”

After a few moments of silence, Valentina speaks her mind. “I trust your judgment, and that’s all there is to it.”

>Focus on finalizing all the details of this new arrangement.
>Shift focus: there’s still the question of the runestones to be answered.
>This may be a rare case where reporting to the Organization is warranted.
>Other?

>>4367404
>>Focus on finalizing all the details of this new arrangement.
then
>Shift focus: there’s still the question of the runestones to be answered.
also catch everyone up on suspicions/theories on the dragons and their implications

>>4367404
>Shift focus: there’s still the question of the runestones to be answered.

>>4367404
>>4367438

>>4367404
>>4367438
this

>>4367404
Supporting >>4367438

>>4367404
>>4367438
Supporting

>>4367404
What eventually becomes Sabela’s new home is styled after a fortified house, with the reclaimed stone and rammed earth structure where you’ve been growing the glowstain serving as a ground floor. It’s secured by its thick structural walls, tiny windows set high above the floor, and a heavy, fortified door. The upper floor is more hospitable, sealed by lime plaster with a second course of wood planks atop it. There are larger windows facing out onto the loch, a comfortable sitting area and fireplace, a bedroom, and a small but fairly modern kitchen.

…

Meanwhile, you and your cohort begin to make discreet inquiries into the question of the runestones. Your hope was to find someone who might have taken an interest in the runestones and started a collection… so you make sure that Noventus is the first you approach so that he can contact petty landed nobles who may be the sort to start such a collection.

It takes until Sabela’s home is finished before you find yourself contacted by letter: one of the nobles Noventus spoke with has several definite and a few possible rune stones, and has evidently kept track of where he got them from.

“It seems almost too good to be true,” Valentina frowns.

>You’re right. That’s why I’ll take a team of three and be ready for a fight.
>It’s probably fine. I’ll take a Hazari honor guard and that’s it.
>I’m a queen. I should send for him to be brought here, to the Keep.
>Other?

>>4370042
>I’m a queen. I should send for him to be brought here, to the Keep.

>>4370042
>I’m a queen. I should send for him to be brought here, to the Keep.

>>4370042
>You’re right. That’s why I’ll take a team of three and be ready for a fight.

Flexing that we are a queen can work, but I like more active approach.

>>4370042
>I’m a queen. I should send for him to be brought here, to the Keep.

big flex

>>4370042
“I’m the Queen,” you muse, almost as though realizing it for the first time. “I should be calling for him to come here and not the other way around, shouldn’t I?”

[That’s a fair point,] Serana admits.

Valentina clasps her hands cheerfully. “We can all see these rune-stones he supposedly has! I’ve always been curious about them, you know?”

“It would definitely be interesting,” Helen admits thoughtfully. “Alright, I think this time abusing your royal privilege a little would be fine.”

…

“Lord Bartholemew Constantinus the Third,” the man at your gate introduces himself with a flourish a week later. “At your service. Queen Noel Tiberius di Hazaran I presume?”

You nod politely, examining the rather odd man carefully. Somewhat portly, with bushy grey sideburns connected by a moustache, and big round spectacles… he certainly paints the image of a man given over entirely to antiquarian pursuits. Even if he weren’t you might say that it would have suited him.

“Come in,” you offer politely. “I would like to begin at once.”

“I must say it is a rather unusual occasion!” Lord Constantinus admits. “However I must also confess that my collection is rather… unwieldy. And the entrance to your castle seems quite treacherous for a horse laden so heavily.”

“We can have them brought up by hand,” you offer. “The soldiers can see to the smaller ones, with help from my compatriots where necessary.”

“Of course,” Constantinus muses as several soldiers cross the bridge coming the opposite way. “Might I also say what a spectacular fortification this is? I was under the impression it was an ancient ancestral seat, not quite to modern standards.”

“I had some things rearranged,” you admit. “The Inquisition supplied the new guns, and also necessitated a new design to the town’s defensive layout. In some ways it served as a trial for the newly restored border fortifications that followed.”

“Well you have my compliments, ma’am! Particularly for such an old fort the transformation is quite remarkable!”

…

The stones are brought in, seven of them complete and fragments of a further eight, the results of Lord Constantinus gathering them together over two decades. It’s actually rather spectacular, taking up much of the formal dining and reception room.

“Wooow!” Valentina’s face practically lights up with delight. “I’ve never seen so many!”
>1/2

>>4371888
“So, my Queen,” Lord Constantinus asks hesitantly. “I am quite curious… why exactly have you called me here? You must forgive me if I find it somewhat difficult to believe that someone as important and by nature forward-thinking as yourself would take a sudden, unprompted interest in curiosities from the distant past.”

“You’re right,” you admit. “Lord Constantinus, I do have a very practical interest in these ‘curiosities’ as you call them. The exact reason is something I have kept in confidence with a limited circle of involved persons.”

“Of which I cannot be included?” he muses, grasping the unstated situation. “Well then, might I at least ask what you hope to learn from calling me here along with my collection?”

>I want to know where these all came from. Is there a common pattern? A specific clustering?
>I want to know what they actually say, and in what language they say it.
>I want to know how old they are, how long they have lain abandoned.
>Other?

>>4371895
>>I want to know where these all came from. Is there a common pattern? A specific clustering?
>>I want to know what they actually say, and in what language they say it.
>>I want to know how old they are, how long they have lain abandoned.
honestly, we can ask all of this, since its all important
we might have to swear him to secrecy after this is over since he is gonna learn some things about them

File: 90325375[1].jpg (55 KB, 434x434)

55 KB JPG

>>4371907
>>4371895
This anon has it

>>4371895
>I want to know where these all came from. Is there a common pattern? A specific clustering?
>I want to know what they actually say, and in what language they say it.
>I want to know how old they are, how long they have lain abandoned.

>>4371895
all of the above
also is his collection for sale, hypothetically?

>>4371895
>I want to know where these all came from. Is there a common pattern? A specific clustering?
>I want to know what they actually say, and in what language they say it.
>I want to know how old they are, how long they have lain abandoned.
>Wouldn't Lord Constantinus like to become the head of the newly created Royal Archeological Society?

>>4371992
It'd be the "Royal Antiquarian Society" as archaeology as a scientific process wouldn't exist.

>>4372096
Until we invent it.
We've invented microbiology already.

File: Map-June_2020.jpg (135 KB, 1375x707)

135 KB JPG

>>4371895
“I want to know everything you can tell me,” you insist sternly. “What do they say, what language do they say it in, how old are they, and is there any pattern to where they were found? All of these questions and probably more I haven’t thought of yet could be relevant, and any I can have answered may be enlightening.”

“I can provide only some answers,” Lord Constantinus admits. “But here is what I can say with some degree of certainty, these objects are very old.”

“And what do they mean?” Valentina repeats your question. “I’ve always wondered, the letters look nothing like ours.”

“Well that’s just the thing,” Constantinus continues. “They’re quite mysterious because of that fact… even the oldest documents in the monastic libraries of Daria share the same basic characters and grammatical structure of the languages that exist today. That goes the same for old Hazari as well as the common Eastron form.”

“I did find it odd as a girl that Hazari and Eastron shared an alphabet,” you admit.

“And most of us never knew enough to ask the question,” Laura admits. “There aren’t that many languages spoken today, are there? Hazari, Eastron, old Sakian around the area of Lake Hyviott.”

“There’s also an enclave in Sila that speaks old Silastrian,” Helen adds. “That one too uses the Eastron alphabet. So far as I’m aware it always has.”

“Which in addition to the amount of wear on the stones seems to suggest great antiquity,” Constantinus explains. “If this alphabet predates the standardization of the Eastron alphabet in Hazaran then they must be at least three centuries old, which is the age of the oldest official documents I could find that are in any reasonable condition of preservation.”

“And they’re found in Hazaran?” you press. “Anywhere else?”

“Only in mountainous regions,” he clarifies. “While most of my examples are clearly from Hazaran several are not. I have three which I can definitely trace to Cuilan, and one which is from Shukzan. One other I procured from a trader in Shukzan, though I cannot be certain of its provenance.”

“Provenance?” Jenna repeats.

“A record of ownership,” Constantinus continues without missing a beat. “An unbroken and verifiable chain of custody from discovery to present. Several of these runestones can only be traced so far back before serious questions arise of who possessed them, and where they got them from. Others are more secure. Only three, all from Hazaran, have any sort of documented evidence attached to them.”

“All three were found on the properties of various lords, who recorded their finds in their annual tax documents as “found wealth”, if you can believe it.”
>1/2

>>4373561
“You have to commend their honesty,” you muse. “Rare among lords these days.”

“Unfortunately so,” Constantinus laments. “Quite regrettable. In any event, I have brought transcriptions of what details I have, as well as etchings I have produced. You’re free to keep them if you like.”

“That’s remarkably thoughtful of you,” you admit. “Thank you for your consideration, I will be happy to receive them.”

“Nonsense!” Constantinus insists. “It’s hardly every day that a monarch takes an interest in something so obscure as a minor lord’s antiquities collection, so getting to show these objects off is a point of pride!”

“Tell me though,” Aurora muses, “why are you so fascinated by these stones? Other nobles might pass them off as fancy rocks.”

“As I might say of gems,” Constantinus counters cheerfully, “or gold, or steel! The runestones may have no intrinsic value, at least not in the sense of something that can be sold or used, but they have been woven into Hazari myth and memory since the beginning: and that is of a value all its own, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I certainly would,” Aurora admits. “It’s still refreshing to hear you say it so earnestly.”

“Constantinus,” you muse, having a thought. “How would you like to coordinate with the Palace in an official sense? I’m sure one with an antiquarian bent such as yourself would have much to work with in our official records, both cataloguing the royal archives and collections, and in identifying objects of our shared Hazari heritage worthy of protection.”

“I would be happy to accept!” Lord Constantinus declares with a polite bow. “Hardly even a question of responsibility, as it would simply give me an excuse to indulge myself.”

>Ask what Constantinus knows about the outside world and its inhabitants.
>Maybe Vigilus can help you solve the riddle of the earliest written records.
>You’d be interested to know what the other awakened beings are up to.
>Other?

>>4373604
>>Maybe Vigilus can help you solve the riddle of the earliest written records.

>>4373604
>>Maybe Vigilus can help you solve the riddle of the earliest written records.

>>4373604
>>Ask what Constantinus knows about the outside world and its inhabitants.

>>4373604
>Maybe Vigilus can help you solve the riddle of the earliest written records.
>You’d be interested to know what the other awakened beings are up to.

>>4373604

>Maybe Vigilus can help you solve the riddle of the earliest written records.

>>4373604
>>Maybe Vigilus can help you solve the riddle of the earliest written records.
>>You’d be interested to know what the other awakened beings are up to.

>>4373604
>Ask what Constantinus knows about the outside world and its inhabitants.
>Maybe Vigilus can help you solve the riddle of the earliest written records.

>>4373604
You decide that the only realistic way to follow this line of inquiry, which will take you through to an ultimate conclusion, is to go to Daria and ask Father Vigilus for his help in tracking down the earliest documents possible. This way you can see for yourself the issue Lord Constantinus mentioned, and determine whether the first written records in Hazaran were truly written in the alphabet of the East. If true, it implies that writing sprang into existence practically fully-formed, and surprisingly late… which in turn may confirm what you were told about this island.

If everyone living here always wrote in the same alphabet it implies that they arrived here already using that alphabet… that your ancestors were transplanted here from another continent, and that records of this journey were somehow erased and the memory of it forgotten.

It seems totally absurd, but at the same time you’ve seen some absurd things during your life so far. So would it really be that absurd to think that the same Organization capable of building indestructible swords and surgically splicing incompatible species together could manage that level of information manipulation?

“I think it could be worth looking into,” Helen agrees when you mention it to her. “Go quickly and return… and take someone with you. I think Valentina expressed some interest.”

“Then I’ll gladly take her with me,” you agree immediately.

…

“Seems like we end up relying on these gentlemen for academic stuff all the time,” Valentina muses as you approach the foot of the path leading up to the monastery. “Funny how important chance meetings can become, isn’t it?”

“Some of the monks would say it wasn’t chance,” you reply calmly. “Ramblings about the cosmos aside it does seem to have been a boon, I agree.”

At the gate you find yourself ushered into a room where the sliding doors have been opened wide onto a green courtyard, within which several monks sit in quiet, contemplative work transcribing documents. Among these is Vigilus, who immediately rises to his feet only to greet you with a deep bow.

[Queen Noel, welcome to our humble monastery.] he signs to you once he lifts his face again.

You raise an eyebrow at his silent ‘tone’. [False shows of humility don’t suit you, old man.]

With a silent grin, you exchange a quick but warm embrace. [How have you been, Vigilus?]

[Bit of trouble with my stomach,] he admits, walking out into the garden with you and Valentina. [Ah the joys of old age. You have been keeping yourselves busy I take it?]

[Business has been a bit slow,] you admit. [But that leaves time for other things.]

[Good things or bad?] he asks.

[We take one with the other,] Valentina signs with a quirky grin. [I am Valentina, a pleasure to finally greet you properly!]
>1/2

File: meteora_5.jpg (151 KB, 800x534)

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>>4374767
[So, old documents you say?] Vigilus muses, leading you into the library before stopping and stroking his chin thoughtfully. [Not just old, but the OLDEST?]

He emphasises it by signing out each letter individually.

[That’s right,] Valentina confirms.

[And not a transcribed edition,] you add. [The oldest original document you have at the monastery.]
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 10, 3, 1 = 14 (3d10)

>>4374772

Rolled 10, 8, 6 = 24 (3d10)

>>4374772

Rolled 9, 2, 7 = 18 (3d10)

>>4374772

>>4374772
After some time spent searching, you and the others come across a very old document… an official taxation record, double-entry book-keeping, with each season separated by brief accounts of local events. It would make decently good reading even if it weren’t relevant to your search, like a window into another time. But the dates are given in the old system, the number of years in the reign of the local warlord. And it just so happens that one of the warlords mentioned at the very beginning of the records is a familiar name.

[This here,] you muse, tapping at the name with one fingertip before continuing. [Are you sure this is the original document?]

Vigilus nods politely. [Absolutely. Someone familiar to you?]

[A warlord?] Valentina muses. [From where?]

[From Scaithness,] you grin. [The man who founded the first defensive structure where Blackthorn Keep would eventually be built.]

[You mentioned that the Keep is over a century old,] Valentina recounts. [How long has there been a fortification there?]

[This document was penned four centuries ago,] you explain. [During the days of the first great castles of Hazaran. And it’s still readable today.]

[It’s in old Hazari,] Valentina agrees. [But yeah, the letters are the same as we use today.]

Well, that seems to support what you have come to suspect.

[I know of no documents older than this one that have not been transcribed,] Vigilus admits thoughtfully. [But ours is not the only monastery in Daria.]

>Could you introduce us to another monastery which may have older documents?
>How often do your monasteries even communicate with each other anyway?
>That will be sufficient. It largely confirms what we’ve come to suspect.
>Other?

>>4375819
>>How often do your monasteries even communicate with each other anyway?
>>That will be sufficient. It largely confirms what we’ve come to suspect.

>>4375819
>>How often do your monasteries even communicate with each other anyway?

>>4375819
>Could you introduce us to another monastery which may have older documents?
>How often do your monasteries even communicate with each other anyway?

>>4375819
>Could you introduce us to another monastery which may have older documents?

>>4375819
>>Could you introduce us to another monastery which may have older documents?
>>How often do your monasteries even communicate with each other anyway?
I know we might have other things to attend to, but I like Scholar!Noel

>>4375819
[How often do you communicate with other monasteries?] you ask. [And how do you do that?]

[Not often,] Vigilus tells you. [That is because when we meet, we ALL meet.]

[You mean all of the monasteries?] Valentina asks for clarification.

Vigilus nods curtly. [It’s usually a mess.]

[There are quite a few distinct monasteries,] you muse. [It’s not surprising that there’d be as many disagreements between them.]

[Do any others have old papers?] Valentina asks. [Could you introduce us?]

[Possibly,] Vigilus muses with a pensive expression. [Let me think… yes, there may be one.]

[Who?]

[You want to find Brother Alexus. He is the head abbot at the Rouslaan monastery.]

[Anything we should know about him?]

[He is a difficult man,] Vigilus informs you. [While the monks there do not take vows of silence, their codex of rules is much more extensive. He may not be keen to allow you access to their archives.]

[Would the medallion you gave me carry any weight with him?]

[Some. But do not expect it to be an all-purpose answer.]

[I understand,] you bow politely. [Thank you.]

…

“So that’s the Rouslaan monastery,” you muse.

Valentina cranes her neck to look up at the top of the crag, rising from an already steep forested hill. “It’s amazing they built so many of these monasteries in places like these.”

Together you climb the overgrown path to the base of the crag, then up a narrow and precariously steep stairway set into a cleft in the crag on which the monastery is perched. Those stairs pass the lower whitewashed walls of the monastery, where you can see small windows above the level of your head, and open onto a small courtyard where two monks stand watch with staves.

“Halt,” one of them orders as they both bar your way. “Your kind are not permitted on the grounds of our monastery. You need to leave.”

>Tell them that Vigilus sent you and show them the medallion.
>Tell them that you need to see Brother Alexus. You can wait here for him.
>Explain what you’ve come here to view, and see what they say.
>Other?

>>4379069
>>Tell them that Vigilus sent you and show them the medallion.
>>Tell them that you need to see Brother Alexus. You can wait here for him.

File: rouslaan.jpg (192 KB, 900x586)

192 KB JPG

>>4379069
Forgot the reference pic I had in mind.

>>4379069
>Tell them that Vigilus sent you and show them the medallion.
>Tell them that you need to see Brother Alexus. You can wait here for him.

>>4379069
>>Tell them that Vigilus sent you and show them the medallion.
>>Tell them that you need to see Brother Alexus. You can wait here for him.

>>4379069
>>Tell them that Vigilus sent you and show them the medallion.
>>Tell them that you need to see Brother Alexus. You can wait here for him.

Wow what a ride. I just got done archive binging after taking a break a few threads back. Things really started moving.

I wonder what happened to Sabela's select few underlings or if they are even still around.

And did Tomas mention TWO large islands? Oh my, that has some interesting connotations.

>>4379069
You quickly produce the medallion Vigilus gave you, and show it to the monk guards. “We’re here to speak with Brother Alexus. We can wait here.”

The monks regard you cautiously. “So you won’t be entering our monastery.”

“That’s the idea,” you nod in agreement.

After a few moments, one nods to the other. “I’ll go speak with Brother Alexus. You stay here and watch our… guests.”

“Of course,” the man agrees immediately.

…

“Why have you come here bearing the sigil of Brother Vigilus?” a middle-aged man with a clean-shaved head and dark eyes demands, having been fetched by the guard who left.

“You are Brother Alexus?” Valentina asks.

“I am,” he declares. “I do not know what Vigilus was thinking, giving something like that to someone like you.”

“Maybe you should consider the question more carefully,” you reply calmly despite the obvious provocation. “I can assure you that Vigilus had his reasons, even if you can’t think of what they might be at the moment.”

After a moment, Brother Alexus nods curtly. “Why did you want to speak with me?”

“We’re looking for old documents,” you explain.

“The oldest you have,” Valentina adds. “Whatever they might be, we’d be interested in.”

“And why would two barely-literate half-monsters such as yourselves be interested in such topics?” Alexus asks.

“Why you...”

You raise a hand, and Valentina falls silent.

>Explain to him that you’re investigating a theory that your ancestors came from a different land.
>Just tell him you’re investigating theories regarding the roots of the Eastron language.
>You’re the Queen of Hazaran, you need not satisfy the curiosity of a single rude monk.
>Other?

>>4380555
>>Explain to him that you’re investigating a theory that your ancestors came from a different land.
if he doesn't respond to that
>You’re the Queen of Hazaran, you need not satisfy the curiosity of a single rude monk.
use the rank

>>4380555
Supporting >>4380559

>>4380559
>>4380555
Supporting.

>>4380555
>>4380559
This

>>4380555

>Explain to him that you’re investigating a theory that your ancestors came from a different land.

Challenge him to a scrabble game to see who has the bigger vocabulary

>>4380555
>>Explain to him that you’re investigating a theory that your ancestors came from a different land.

>>4380555
>Explain to him that you’re investigating a theory that your ancestors came from a different land.
"Why, I do what all the quality do; I indulge my hobbies." Why be confrontational when we can be insolently insouciant?

>>4380555
>Explain to him that you’re investigating a theory that your ancestors came from a different land.

>>4380599
Also this.

>>4380555
>3d10, best of four

Rolled 3, 7, 4 = 14 (3d10)

>>4381552

Rolled 2, 5, 10 = 17 (3d10)

>>4381552

Rolled 6, 10, 2 = 18 (3d10)

>>4381552

Rolled 8, 6, 4 = 18 (3d10)

>>4381552
i apologize

>>4381552
“I’m investigating a theory,” you explain, “regarding the earliest history of our ancestors in this land. It’s based on the apparent simultaneous adoption of the Eastron alphabet for multiple spoken languages.”

Brother Alexus stares at you quizzically, as though he had been expecting you to communicate through nothing more than barks and growls. “For you to do that you would have to be fluent in old Hazari.”

“Luckily, I am,” you reply with a smirk. “I think you’ll find I have many talents, Alexus.”

He narrows his eyes at you, then turns his back. “Very well. I will have one of our monks search for the documents you request.”

“Wait here.”

“How long do you intend to keep us waiting?” you ask with a frown.

“Until my man is done,” Alexus replies curtly.

…

As it turns out, that’s until morning.

You end up spending a cold night sitting at the top of the stairs with Valentina, perched precariously within arm’s reach of safety, not sleeping for fear of moving in your sleep and tumbling all the way back down to the base of the crag… which even for either of you would be far from pleasant.

But eventually, Alexus does return.

“You took your sweet time,” you grumble.

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” Alexus muses.

“You...” Valentina grumbles, before you cut her off again.

“I understand how you feel, Valentina,” you admit. “But not now. Alexus, what have you found?”

“We have three documents which may be of interest to you,” he explains.

“I can’t help but notice that you brought none of them,” you frown.

“That’s right,” he nods curtly. “They’re quite old and fragile, and so they can’t be moved.”

“And you won’t allow us to come in and examine them,” you narrow your eyes.

“Good to see that you understand.”

>I ‘understand’ that you’re being deliberately abusive. I thought your religion taught you to be better than that?
>I’m sure you can come to an arrangement for the Queen of Hazaran. For the sake of your diplomatic standing.
>You’ve just made an enemy of Hazaran. I hope your little game was worth it, Brother Alexus.
>Other?

>>4381800
>I’m sure you can come to an arrangement for the Queen of Hazaran. For the sake of your diplomatic standing.
self suficient as monasteries may be, I'm sure the brother is reasonable enough to see what is unsaid

>>4381800
>I ‘understand’ that you’re being deliberately abusive. I thought your religion taught you to be better than that?
Regardless
>I’m sure you can come to an arrangement for the Queen of Hazaran. For the sake of your diplomatic standing.

>>4381800
>>I ‘understand’ that you’re being deliberately abusive. I thought your religion taught you to be better than that?
>>I’m sure you can come to an arrangement for the Queen of Hazaran. For the sake of your diplomatic standing.

>>4381800
>>I’m sure you can come to an arrangement for the Queen of Hazaran. For the sake of your diplomatic standing.
if he continues to be so petty and obstinate, then enemy

>>4381800
>I’m sure you can come to an arrangement for the Queen of Hazaran. For the sake of your diplomatic standing.

>>4381800
>I ‘understand’ that you’re being deliberately abusive. I thought your religion taught you to be better than that?
>I’m sure you can come to an arrangement for the Queen of Hazaran. For the sake of your diplomatic standing.
Perhaps hes harboring sympathies for the inquisition?

>>4381800
>>I ‘understand’ that you’re being deliberately abusive. I thought your religion taught you to be better than that?
>>I’m sure you can come to an arrangement for the Queen of Hazaran. For the sake of your diplomatic standing.

>>4381800
>I ‘understand’ that you’re being deliberately abusive. I thought your religion taught you to be better than that?
>I’m sure you can come to an arrangement for the Queen of Hazaran. For the sake of your diplomatic standing.

>>4381800
“What I understand is that you’re being deliberately abusive,” you frown. “I would have hoped you could make an exception for the Queen of Hazaran, but I see now you take too much perverse pleasure in this.”

“What do you mean, the Queen of Hazaran?” Alexus demands, seemingly taken aback. “Why is she coming into this discussion?”

“She was always part of this discussion,” you counter with a smirk. “She’s me.”

“You?” Alexus scoffs. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am Noel Tiberius di Hazaran,” you explain. “Daughter of King Tiberius of Scaithness, Queen regnant-in-exile of the Kingdom of Hazaran.”

Alexus narrows his eyes. “You’re… actually serious, aren’t you?”

“Completely,” you insist, smirk giving way to a frown. “And I have to say, monk, that I find you utterly repugnant. I have come to expect this sort of behavior from the Inquisition and its agents, not from the monks of Daria.”

“Are you affiliated with those scum?”

Alexus shakes his head vigorously. “No, no, of course not!”

“Then you have no excuse for your behavior,” you muse.

>The government of Hazaran holds some sway in Daria and the rest of southern Sakia. Just saying.
>Just let me see the documents I want to see and we can go our separate ways without further acrimony.
>Copy the documents and bring them to Father Vigilus. Never speak to me again.
>Other?

>>4382761
>>Just let me see the documents I want to see and we can go our separate ways without further acrimony.

>>4382761
>>Just let me see the documents I want to see and we can go our separate ways without further acrimony.

>>4382761

>Just let me see the documents I want to see and we can go our separate ways without further acrimony.

>>4382761
>>Just let me see the documents I want to see and we can go our separate ways without further acrimony.
don't force me to get political on your ass

>>4382761
>Just let me see the documents I want to see and we can go our separate ways without further acrimony.

>>4382761
>Just let me see the documents I want to see and we can go our separate ways without further acrimony.

>>4382761
>>Just let me see the documents I want to see and we can go our separate ways without further acrimony.

>>4382761
“Tell you what, Brother Alexus,” you muse, “let me take a look at those documents and we’ll be on our way. We’ll never have to see each other again.”

Alexus chews his lip nervously for several moments, what feels like minutes, before he makes his decision. “In light of what you’ve told me, there might be a… work-around in this situation. The rule in our monastery is that the impure shall not tread upon the sanctified land.”

“I will have linens brought up from the quarters.”

“Linens?” Valentina asks you with a sidelong glance.

“For us to ‘tread upon’, I think,” you muse. “Is that about right, Brother Alexus?”

“That is the thought, yes,” he admits.

“See?” you smirk. “It’s all just a matter of perspective, isn’t it?”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 7, 7, 5 = 19 (3d10)

>>4383654
*Come on! Big money!*

Rolled 2, 1, 6 = 9 (3d10)

>>4383654

Rolled 4, 8, 4 = 16 (3d10)

>>4383654

Rolled 2, 9, 7 = 18 (3d10)

>>4383654
Rolling for fun.

File: Girls_und_Panzer_tank_sea(...).jpg (155 KB, 1200x630)

155 KB JPG

>>4383673

>>4383688
Apparently good cropping is also an enemy.

File: 1402541200555.jpg (150 KB, 1280x720)

150 KB JPG

>>4383692
yeah I had a better version of it but I couldn't find it until just now.

>>4383711
Saved with gratitude.

>>4383654
The monks, true to their word, lay out bed linens in sequence for you to walk across on your way to their archives.

“I’m really amused at how literal this is,” Valentina muses.

You can’t help but chuckle. “The dumbest things usually are pretty funny when you treat them seriously.”

…

Inside the archives you find two documents prepared for you. Neither seems to be nearly as old as the ones Vigilus had to show you, but one is definitely in old Hazari while the other is in an equally antiquated language spoken now only in northern Sakia.

“So that’s two languages now where the earliest example of writing uses Eastron,” you frown. “I feel like that just about clenches it.”

“I’d agree,” Valentina admits. “So this bizarre story she came to us with… your mother I mean… it’s actually looking like it’s true?”

>I think that’s what we have to conclude now, yes. We’re all immigrants here, isolated from a wider world.
>At least some part of it seems like it’s true. But we can’t say what that implies beyond that face validity.
>I wouldn’t go that far. Just because we haven’t managed to falsify it yet doesn’t mean it MUST be true.
>Other?

>>4384018
>At least some part of it seems like it’s true. But we can’t say what that implies beyond that face validity.
P

>>4384018
At least some part of it seems like it’s true. But we can’t say what that implies beyond that face validity
It seems true that everyone started with a shared language at least,

>>4384018
>>At least some part of it seems like it’s true. But we can’t say what that implies beyond that face validity.

>>4384018
>At least some part of it seems like it’s true. But we can’t say what that implies beyond that face validity.

>>4384018
>>At least some part of it seems like it’s true. But we can’t say what that implies beyond that face validity.

>>4384018
>Other?
Didn't Alexus say they had three documents that would interest us? Where's the third?

>>4384018
>At least some part of it seems like it’s true. But we can’t say what that implies beyond that face validity.
Also >>4384062

>>4384062
+1

>>4384018
“It seems to have some face validity,” you admit. “But we’re only just grasping the true implications behind that face validity.”

“Not to mention that so far it’s based on just three documents,” Valentina muses. “I wish the third document here had any sort of date on it. It seemed old at least?”

“Yeah,” you frown, “but how old? If we can’t figure that much then what would the document even tell us?”

“Nothing,” Valentina agrees, “at least nothing worth adding to what we already know.”

“Then I think that for now we can proceed under the assumption that what we’ve learned is substantively true,” you declare.

“And how do we do that?” she wonders aloud.

>We need to find a way off this island. Learn what’s going on in the outside world.
>We need to start getting the political situation HERE under control first and foremost.
>The Awakened Beings should be our primary focus for the time being.
>Other?

>>4385059
>>We need to start getting the political situation HERE under control first and foremost.
I wager the AB can hold themselves onto a stalemate, individuals can be consistent even if they are essentially demigods. Seeing what can be done to stabilize the political situation seems like the priority if we don't want to come back to a completely changed area in many aspects, although short of freezing them all in time it's always easier said than done.

>>4385059
>We need to find a way off this island. Learn what’s going on in the outside world.
Getting the political situation under control soubd like a start of a conquest storyline, and that's not what I want to play.

>>4385059
>We need to find a way off this island. Learn what’s going on in the outside world.

>>4385059
>We need to start getting the political situation HERE under control first and foremost.

>>4385059
>>We need to start getting the political situation HERE under control first and foremost.

Getting off the island doesn't really matter if we're not presenting a united front.

>>4385059
>We need to start getting the political situation HERE under control first and foremost.

>>4385059
“We need to finish getting things under control here,” you decide. “This place is our home, it’s where we were born and raised, where everything meaningful to us is. I don’t think there’d be much disagreement if I said we should get our own house in order so we have something to come back to.”

“I think you’re right,” Valentina agrees. “Nobody’s going to disagree with that.”

“Only question is where our priorities should be,” you muse, “it’s always trickier to work with specifics.”

“What are you thinking?”

>Our biggest problem is the regular yōma. We STILL don’t know how to stop them at the source.
>The Inquisition is on the back foot. I think we need to finish them before they can recover.
>The Organization is the key. I fear they’re connected to EVERYTHING else, one way or another.
>Other?

>>4386840
>>The Inquisition is on the back foot. I think we need to finish them before they can recover.

>>4386840
>>The Inquisition is on the back foot. I think we need to finish them before they can recover.
the yoma and the organization may keep playing together for the foreseable future, it is their business model. The yoma cannot be allowed to run amok without the organization to keep them in check. The inquisition must be removed by elimination, you must end the enemy fully

>>4386840
>>The Inquisition is on the back foot. I think we need to finish them before they can recover.

>>4386840
>>The Inquisition is on the back foot. I think we need to finish them before they can recover.

>>4386840
>The Inquisition is on the back foot. I think we need to finish them before they can recover.

>>4386840
>Our biggest problem is the regular yōma. We STILL don’t know how to stop them at the source.