>>4391598
>Can I have any help?

>>4391598
>>Can I have any help?

>>4391598
>Can I have any help?

>>4391598
>Can I have any help?

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>>4391634
>>4391636
>>4391604
>>4391602
>>4391646
You're not sure what to expect of this task he has in mind for you, but dealing with monsters sounds... unpleasant.

"Can I have any help?"

"Of course you can! You wouldn't think I'd send my protégé out into the world without my blessing!"

With a curl of his bony fingers, he beckons you across the room to him, as he takes some jewelry off the stone study table.

"A pretty necklace for you, my sweet! This belonged to my wife, wear it with pride!"

With skeletal hands, he drapes an admittedly very lovely jeweled necklace over your head and around your neck, though as nice as it may be it still makes your skin crawl to be touched by him.

"Now I can keep watch over you, know if you're dallying. I shall be quite cross if you do, and you'll find the gold chain similar to a noose!"

In a panic at his words, you quickly jump back from him but it's too late. The accursed jewelry is already around your neck, and try as you might you can't take it off, his cackling laughter filling the chamber as you struggle with the gold chain.

"As well, that ritual I performed to save your wretched little life... well it's certainly made an aberration out of you, that ought to help."

"Yeah, you keep saying that but..." you look yourself over again, like many times before in the last few months. Still a completely ordinary young human woman. "...I'm not sure it's true."

"Well, maybe not. Try interacting with any monsters though, they should recognize you as one of their own."

You spend the next few hours preparing, what would normally take you perhaps twenty minutes (because you've barely any belongings left), drags on because of the lich hounding you the whole way. Nagging and offering unwanted advice all the time, making clear again and again his demands.

"Don't forget the monster manual... you can take my copy, but don't lose it! It's worth more than you are!" he yells at you, yet at the same time hesitates to hand you the dusty old tome. "...oh, and if you need any money, feel free to take what you need from the treasure room before you go."

Well now, compared to all the other unpleasantries, this is surprising news to you. Normally the lich is so guarding of his treasure, but here he's permitting you to take as much as you wish. If only you were still an adventurer!

>Fill your pockets and take your leave.
>Seek help from one of the lich's other minions.
>If he's not paying attention... you could rob this old skeleton. At least you could get some real treasure out of all this.
>[Write-in.]

>>4391666
>"Thanks bone daddy"
>Fill your pockets and take your leave.

>>4391666
>Fill your pockets and take your leave.
“Thanks, old man”

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>>4391671
>>4391760
>>4391685
Maybe not the help you were hoping for but it's better than nothing... actually, did he even really help you?

"Thanks bone daddy."

"I'm... going to allow that, once."

Hoping to get out of this dark and damp old place then, you hurry to the treasure room and take a few moments to marvel at it all. Imaginings of what your life could have been like, if you'd managed to find this chamber without having awoken the lich...

You fill your clothes pockets with gold then, far more than you could expect to need, but you won't turn the chance down. Jingling as you walk along then, and your clothes weighed down much more, you make your departure from the crypt as the lich sees you out. Incidentally he also remembers to hand you one last item, a magic canister about the same size as a wine bottle, which can preserve things stored within such as monster blood or saliva or what have you.

"And remember, anything you can get will do! Obviously I want them alive, but if you can't even get them dead, even just samples of... whatever, from any monsters will do."

"Alright already, I've got it... thanks, old man."

He continues to yell after you as you make for the exit, hearing echoes of his voice as you avoid traps on the way out. Eventually though you emerge into the daylight again for the first time in a week, standing amid the mountainside ruins that mark the entrance to the tomb.

"Alright Esther... don't mess this up." you speak aloud to yourself, as you look down from the mountainside to the diverse terrain and lands before you. Freedom, or at least semi-freedom, for the first time in months. The lich wasn't specific on what monsters he was after (though if you returned with say, a dragon you wonder if he wouldn't free you outright), so you consider where you might start with this task, and what you'd be after.

As you navigate your way out of the ruins, you also ponder what strengths you have in order to facilitate this process of gathering monsters or monster samples for your master, and his twisted designs of breeding a defensive force befitting his tomb and his ego.

>Strength - Strong as an ox, though only human you're able to throw down with comparable monsters, and can deal with them well enough.
>Dexterity - Nimble as a cat, as sneaky and agile as you are, you should manage to rely on your dexterity in dealing with monsters.
>Constitution - Tough as nails, in dealing with monsters you can at least survive the interaction, and won't have to always worry about your wellbeing.
>Intelligence - Smart as a whip, your mind is your greatest strength and a powerful tool in figuring out how best to deal with monsters.
>Wisdom - Wise beyond your years, your adventuring experience and good sense should prove invaluable in dealing with monsters.
>Charisma - Sweet as honey, for some monsters your appearance might sway them, and for others your empathy will.

>>4391779
Go ahead and choose one characteristic, which will define you. Of course you won't have to always stick to this trait, but it'll just be what you're best at.

>>4391779
>Sweet as honey, for some monsters your appearance might sway them, and for others your empathy will.
No need to fight when we can persuade

>>4391779
>Charisma - Sweet as honey, for some monsters your appearance might sway them, and for others your empathy will.

>>4391779
>Constitution - Tough as nails, in dealing with monsters you can at least survive the interaction, and won't have to always worry about your wellbeing.

It's also getting a little late so we can pause for now but continue tomorrow, for any other players to get a chance for an important decision like this.

In the meantime you can figure out what sort of monster(s) you want to try going after first. Or, if you'd rather appreciate your relative freedom for awhile first. Standard medieval fantasy, if it wasn't clear already.

>>4391811
I say we just search around and see our options

>>4391819
>>4391811
Anything (you could imagine) is on the table really, it's just a question of how much you'd have to travel, how difficult a journey it would be to find such creatures.

Like you're in a temperate region currently, which you've spent your life in and are familiar with. You could search around and see what you find among the hills and plains and forests and swamps here, or if you so desired you could seek out volcanic worms or dire polar bears, however the more outlandish you choose the (likely) harder it will be to seek. But again, not impossible.

>>4391779
>>Charisma - Sweet as honey, for some monsters your appearance might sway them, and for others your empathy will.

>>4391779
>Intelligence - Smart as a whip, your mind is your greatest strength and a powerful tool in figuring out how best to deal with monsters.

>>4391779
>>Intelligence - Smart as a whip, your mind is your greatest strength and a powerful tool in figuring out how best to deal with monsters.

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>>4391779
>>Intelligence - Smart as a whip, your mind is your greatest strength and a powerful tool in figuring out how best to deal with monsters.

I have ideas...
ranging from Resident Evil BOWs over Pokemon to Deathclaws

>>4391779
>Intelligence - Smart as a whip, your mind is your greatest strength and a powerful tool in figuring out how best to deal with monsters

I'll say let's try to tame/breed a monster powerful enough to take down the lich.

>>4391779
>>Intelligence - Smart as a whip, your mind is your greatest strength and a powerful tool in figuring out how best to deal with monsters.

>>4391779
>Intelligence - Smart as a whip, your mind is your greatest strength and a powerful tool in figuring out how best to deal with monsters

>>4391779
>Charisma - Sweet as honey, for some monsters your appearance might sway them, and for others your empathy will.
Been a while since a quest gives me the option to play anything that doesn't unga or bunga.

>>4391779
>Intelligence - Smart as a whip, your mind is your greatest strength and a powerful tool in figuring out how best to deal with monsters.

The monster manual will help us lots on this quest I feel and hopefully weve learned some weak if not useful magicks from the lich

We'll continue in a few hours from now, but in the meantime it seems like

>Intelligence

has the majority of votes? Unless other votes come in before we resume. If that is the result, then in the meantime you can choose one other detail which relates to intelligence, your experience as an adventurer. You were a

>Sorceress, magic from within
>Alchemist, magic from the environment

Just a little bit of added flavor, for fun really. It won't be that important to the quest, just an idea for a better sense of who you are as a person.

>>4392717
>>Alchemist, magic from the environment

>>4392717
>Sorceress, magic from within

>>4392717
>Alchemist, magic from the environment

>>4392717
>>Alchemist, magic from the environment

>>4392717
>Alchemist, magic from the environment

sounds like more fun and more suitable to breeding monsters.

>>4392717
>Alchemist, magic from the environment

>>4392717
>Sorceress, magic from within

>>4392717
>>Sorceress, magic from within

>>4392717
>Alchemist

I think you mean, monster vet in training

>>4392892
You gotta know how to make a potion to make the monster not want to kill you all the times

>>4392903
Also gotta know a potion to get monsters in the mood to make other monsters.

>>4392905
Plus we could make mutagens and steroids to make em stronger

>>4392922
Or, and this is a crazy idea and really a waste of time though I think we should do it, make a healing potion for hurt monsters.

>>4392926
But one of the crucial ingredients for healing potions is cat piss and strawberries and where are we gonna get the Cat piss with all those monsters around?

Will be resuming in a bit now, seems like Intelligence took the cake and Alchemist is your experience.

>>4392717
>>Sorceress, magic from within

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>>4392481
>>4392436
>>4392406
>>4392386
>>4392362
>>4392258
>>4392016
>>4391882
>>4391855
>>4391802
>>4391801
>>4391797
>>4391794
Intelligence is your forte... but you're decently attractive as well. Not as much as the bard, but you could say charisma was your secondary talent if you had one. Though not enough to have the kind of empathy and persuasion someone primarily charismatic would. The rest of your traits, you're not bad in any of them, just not great either. Fairly average, as far as humans go.

As for your experience, well as the rumors go your mother had been a witch, and your family always got a little trouble for it. Whether or not it was true, she taught you everything she knew about finding things in the environment, mixing them up together in a brew, and concentrating the effects for either good or ill. This is quite a fantastical world you live in replete with magic, so while you might not be able to cast spells like your former group's wizard, you have your own ways around as an alchemist to reach the same conclusion more or less.

These two benefits, your intellect and your experience in alchemy, you hope will come in handy in your quest to do your master's bidding and collect monsters!

---

Having left the ruins behind, you stand at the height of the steep slopes down the mountains here.

"...mmmh, won't be daylight for too much longer..."

You're still adjusting to the freedom you have, able to go about the world once again rather than trapped inside a tomb. However without the lich around, you're back in the wilds of the world once again, and subject to the dangers. The lich believed you would fare better against monsters, but that's nothing to say of simply encountering wolves or a bear. Some journey that would be, cut short by wild animals.

Late afternoon, you've got several hours left before nightfall, with not many belongings. Hunting monsters is the primary goal of course, but the order in which you go about it, is up to you.

>Spend the rest of the day setting up camp in the ruins, and going over the monster manual.
>Try to reach Tarvas, a frontier village down the mountains and the nearest settlement to the tomb... that you know of. You can find proper accomodations there.
>Toss caution to the wind and just set off wandering, eventually you're bound to find someplace worthwhile!
>[Write-in.]

>>4393014
>Spend the rest of the day setting up camp in the ruins, and going over the monster manual.
Shelter is the first thing we need to secure, even if it's just thrown together.

>>4393014
>Shelter

The lich may accuse us of dawdling but we are doing our research.
Lets see if we need to sleep with our new state

>>4393014
>Spend the rest of the day setting up camp in the ruins, and going over the monster manual.

>>4393014
>>Spend the rest of the day setting up camp in the ruins, and going over the monster manual.

>>4393014
>Try to reach Tarvas, a frontier village down the mountains and the nearest settlement to the tomb... that you know of. You can find proper accomodations there.

>>4393014
>Spend the rest of the day setting up camp in the ruins, and going over the monster manual.

>>4393022
+1
For sure this, we will wanna be rested for the journey and some light studying will be good for what we should expect to see

>>4393056
Reaching Tarvas will be safer during the day, and with the money the lich gave us we should be able to get a horse and cart as well as some basic materials for potion/spellcraft stuff

>>4393014
>>Spend the rest of the day setting up camp in the ruins, and going over the monster manual.

We are not gonna fuck this up and we are not going to go through a place where we do not know what to expect
Around the Lich's swamp his negative energy might keep harmful things at bay but en route to the village anything could jump at us,and if we know what that is we already got a base to pull on for animals that can live around the swamp with no issues

>>4393014
>>Spend the rest of the day setting up camp in the ruins, and going over the monster manual.

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>>4393110

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>>4393022
>>4393023
>>4393024
>>4393027
>>4393042
>>4393129
>>4393110
>>4393056
>>4393079
>>4393081
You'd prefer proper accommodation for sure, but decide it isn't worth the risk. You came to the ruins from Tarvas originally with the rest of your former group, so didn't worry much then. As long as you're on your own now though, you have to be more careful, you're smart enough to understand that!

So with the remainder of the day, you can set up camp in the ruins, just something simple as a lean-to under a ruined overhang and something to sleep on. There isn't much in the way of firewood up here so you'll have to go without it, but it's not nearly winter yet where you'd worry about freezing.

With a decent little spot for yourself then, you can settle in before sunset and occupy your time with the monster manual. You'll want to get to sleep eventually, but even without a fire you can still read after nightfall since portions of the old ruins still glow magically at night, on inscriptions and stonework.

"Wait, what the... what the fuck? Who wrote this?!"

For the months you lived with the lich, despite having to clean and organize his library of dark knowledge, you didn't get much chance to read his books. And as an alchemist, a lot of it wasn't really your scholarly interest. However you can't deny you're at least curious to know what the monster manual has in store, as you open the pages with keen interest...

...to find that it leaves much to be desired. You're no great artist but you yourself could draw and write better with your eyes closed. You thumb through the pages and find they're all consistently awful and full of utterly obvious misinformation. Looking for an author, you find the atrocious signature.

"Sigis... you idiot..."

Your own lich master, appears to be the creator. His own monster manual... well hardly a manual, more like a journal. As crazy as the old skeleton is, it translates to paper. You suppose it isn't... completely useless, some few details (in awful handwriting) appear accurate, like locations to find such monsters.

But the rest... you imagine you could get your own journal and make a superior work, especially if you're going to seek these monsters personally.

>Get some sleep, disappointed, so you can get up early and travel well tomorrow.
>See if you can't gather at least some alchemical goods around the ruins, and the tomb entrance... you don't want to venture much farther than that.
>Attempt to discern what little information you can, such as any monsters you might find in this immediate region at least.
>[Write-in.]

>>4393142
>>Attempt to discern what little information you can, such as any monsters you might find in this immediate region at least.

>>4393142
>Attempt to discern what little information you can, such as any monsters you might find in this immediate region at least.

It explains why he would want someone to collect Monsters for him if he has enough interest to...write a...book (?) about it

It's nothing pertinent but a Lich is a powerful beeing and they don't come from nothing and whatever information can be drawn from his ravings the better

>>4393142
>>4393158
Like for example what Lord Skeledaddy likes

>>4393142
>Attempt to discern what little information you can, such as any monsters you might find in this immediate region at least.

>>4393142
>Attempt to discern what little information you can, such as any monsters you might find in this immediate region at least.
I say after we return we teach Skeletor how to write better.

>>4393142
>>Attempt to discern what little information you can, such as any monsters you might find in this immediate region at least.

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>>4393187
>>4393185
>>4393158
>>4393157
>>4393208
>>4393154
You set up camp with the purpose of settling in for the night, so you're not about to go wandering. At the same time though, the reading material is woefully underwhelming. Without anything else to do though, you suppose you could try to learn what little you can from the monster manual... mountains perhaps, since you're among them at least.

>Intelligence - no roll required to read the Sigismund's Big Book of Monsters

Although it's not easy, you're smart enough to make heads and tails of this haphazard journal on monsters. Able to navigate the pages for some particular things you're after, like location, which for the most part seems to be accurate for the monsters. One of the only consistently accurate things at all.

"Argh, he can't even spell correctly!"

Of course you feel like you're actually losing intelligence just by reading this "book", and understandably become quite frustrated with it. However after an hour or so, after sunset and into the evening, you read by the glow of the ruined stone behind you and can narrow your searching for a few particular monsters...

>Make a roll, 1d100, for how worthwhile the entries you choose are. Basically, if this small mountain range the tomb is in, has any notable monsters.

Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>4393212

Rolled 35 (1d100)

>>4393212

Rolled 8 (1d100)

>>4393212
Come on, stupid book.

Rolled 72 (1d100)

>>4393212

Rolled 54 (1d100)

>>4393212

Rolled 52 (1d100)

>>4393212

Rolled 86 (1d100)

>>4393212

>>4393212
WHAT ARE THE RULES FOR ROLLS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Bo3 or whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat

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>>4393268
>>4393250
>>4393243
>>4393239
>>4393227
>>4393224
>>4393216
>86

By the time you begin to get a headache trying to read and remember the entries of the book, you manage to collect a small list which... according to the book at least, you might find in this small mountain range, between the few peaks. Of course it's no guarantee, and the book was written perhaps centuries ago so who's to say if it's up to date.

However, the ones you think have promise, include;

>Dire Goats
>Harpies
>Mountain Trolls
>Pegasi
>Great Eagles
>Basilisks

Of the lot, Sigis seems to place the greatest interest and emphasis on basilisks, however even as a (formerly) novice adventurer you know those monsters to be the most dangerous of the lot. But then, you'd expect the greatest reward for such creatures. On the other hand, you recall your lich master having experience with horses when he was alive, so maybe a pegasus would be to his liking?

The rest, well all of these you imagine could make for viable monsters to seek for the old skeleton. It's just a matter of what you want to go after, and how? Keeping in mind that, you don't have to venture out right away (though could if you wanted to) and still could return to civilization for supplies or even help first. And of course, you also don't have to focus on the small mountain range here, you simply searched for mountainous monsters only because you find yourself here this night. Nothing stopping you from still departing as you'd intended, to head for some other terrain or biome in which to find monsters.

>What do you do?

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>>4393288
Just be like, everyone rolls! And we'll see what's good... or bad rolls.

>>4393291
>>Basilisks

>>4393291
>Basilisks
No pain no gain

>>4393291
>Go to town and gear up
then
>Harpies
Everyone knows harpies like shiny things, and we have those! And with some gear we can stop them from just robbing us.

>>4393308
fuck you anon. I am ANTI-SMUT. Wait, what harpies are we talking about?

Would it be too wild to get one brief description of each, QM?

Anyway, I vote for

>DIRE Goats.

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>>4393291
>>Dire Goats
Goats can eat fucking anything and dire animals are notoriously fucking hardy and come in many variants,must be some mutagens in there.

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>>4393310
The monster manual is both wildly inaccurate and contradicting, as well as being largely illegible. So it's not much use there, but from your own experience you know a little about these monsters, you've heard stories and such;

>Dire Goats - monstrously large goats!
>Harpies - one of the classic hybrid monsters, part bird part human.
>Mountain Trolls - the stony variant of troll-kind, not the biggest but probably the toughest.
>Pegasi - the iconic winged horses from heraldry and heroic myth, that soar among mountain peaks.
>Great Eagles - pretty much just giant eagles, supposedly intelligent, but notably not "dire" which denotes monstrous characteristics/behavior.
>Basilisks - great monstrous reptiles of foul biology, that supposedly can kill with a gaze... so the stories go.

Of the ranges you could find these monsters, dire goats and mountain trolls you would encounter in the foothills, harpies and basilisks you'd encounter in the middling heights and lower mountain peaks, pegasi and great eagles you'd encounter at the very highest mountain peaks.

>Alchemist - you know that the rarest/most valuable ingredients, of this collection of monsters, come from trolls and basilisks

Beyond this knowledge, well you can probably deduce some things, but you'd need to seek out other sources of information as the monster manual is a bad source to rely on.

>>4393325
dire goats it is!!

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>>4393325
Clearly the end goal is Dire-Eagle-Harpies so I can have my monster waifu sit on me

>>4393291
however, the

>watdo

should be To sleep right now, because we would be all shitfaced if we don't.

I doubt us the newby adventurer amateur alchemist won't be capable of capturing things that fly... unless we find eggs or newborns?

Nonsense, DIRE goats.

If they are so DIRE, they would come charging straight ahead right? Why not making a trap and lead it onto it?

>>4393291
>Mountain Trolls

>>4393334
I will have to agree with this one. We can get the big snakes later.

>>4393335
OFF TO LIVE.FICTION WITH YOU SMUTFAG

>>4393337
Again, as your master said, he'd prefer living monsters (newborns are living!) for you to capture, but anything from them is fine, even samples or ingredients.

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>>4393355

For sure, a newborn seems the easiest to capture... See pic related with me please.

>>4393365
>>4393335
Egglayers lay many eggs that are easily cared for without the parents
ERGO
DIRE-HARPY-EAGLES

Semi intelligent too for guard duty

>>4393372
*groans* damn you smuuut

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>>4393338
>>4393335
>>4393334
>>4393331
>>4393340
>>4393308
>>4393306
>>4393299
Going over the list of regional monsters once more, you figure any of them could be good choices, but come to settle between either dire goats or mountain trolls, with harpies and basilisks being close contenders. There's many reasons to choose any of them really, from ease of interaction and capture to value and rarity. Your clever mind becomes filled with all the different possibilities and reasons, such that it takes you awhile to fall asleep even though you try to get to bed...

---

You awaken shivering the next morning from strange dreams of falling upwards into the sky. Unfortunately you had only your clothes for warmth so you're quite cold, though fortunately it's not winter nor are these mountains high enough either as to risk of freezing to death... probably.

You're awake though, and hungry. Rested, but hungry, after no dinner last night nor any breakfast to speak of. You can weather it though, as long as you know you're headed for some relief. So gathering up your few belongings, you figure to depart from here for your desired destination.

>Go hunting these monsters right now! You can try to find any food on the way!
>Head for Tarvas, as you may have intended. Civilization and preparation await.
>Venture elsewhere, like the forests or swamps. As long as you've got an easier location to forage in than these mountains, you can survive well enough on your own.
>[Write-in.]

>>4393415
>Head for Tarvas, as you may have intended. Civilization and preparation await.

>>4393415
>Head for Tarvas, as you may have intended. Civilization and preparation await.

>>4393415
>Head for Tarvas, as you may have intended. Civilization and preparation await.

>>4393415
>Head for Tarvas, as you may have intended. Civilization and preparation await.

>>4393418
>>4393419
>>4393425
>>4393428
>>4393441
Up and ready for the day, and driven by hunger, you depart for Tarvas. Partly for want of preparing before you go a' monster hunting, but mostly because it's been several months living as a servant inside a crypt, and you'd love nothing more than a chance to fully embrace your semi-freedom for a few days at least... or really as long as you can get away with it! The chance for a proper bed, some real food, and the company of others again. You vaguely remember the way back, and so can make the journey down the mountains and through the forested foothills to the settlement.

>Make a roll, 1d100, for the travel. You don't have to worry about finding your way, but who knows what might happen along the way?

Rolled 63 (1d100)

>>4393454
What are the dice rules in this quest?

Rolled 35 (1d100)

>>4393454

>>4393460
Best of the rolls, for anyone who wants to roll. Don't roll super low though!

>>4393454

Rolled 71 (1d100)

>>4393454
>>4393476
loopy as shit my b

Rolled 7 (1d100)

>>4393454

>>4393486
shiiiit. At least it isn't a 1

Rolled 43 (1d100)

>>4393454
As long as it isn’t a one

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>4393454

Rolled 12 (1d100)

>>4393454
here comes the 1

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>>4393470
Oh and, the more clarity you provide, the better it will help the roll odds! You can post with just a roll, but if you specify what you're more specifically interested in doing (if applicable) then it will improve your odds as I have a better idea of your goal in regards to the odds.

>>4393562
>>4393509
>>4393486
>>4393485
>>4393587
>>4393482
>>4393462
>>4393460
>71

Though it is a pretty lengthy journey down from the mountains and through the forested foothills, on this side of the mountain range (as opposed to the swampy other side), thankfully the travel is fairly peaceful. You get accosted by some forest goblins who attempt to mug you, a lone woman out in the forest, but you're able to distract them and run away faster on your longer legs.

Eventually by early evening you reach the outskirts Tarvas, a village out here on the frontier. The very same settlement you had come to with your former group before departing for the mountain tomb. It's mostly for travelers across the border to and from, but also is a valuable outpost for rangers and foresters and such in the area. This region is still fairly untamed since the collapse those centuries ago, so folks of all sorts and races happen by as they venture through the wilds.

"Oh I hope it's Firsday, I could really go for the stew..."

Pretty tired and sore from the entire day spent traveling, and not easy travel at that, your first instinct is to just rush to the tavern. A hearty dinner, a strong drink, someone to laugh with, and a big soft bed. How very much you desire these things...

...however, you have the good sense to remember your former group. It seems unlikely that they would still be here after months, but the plan was about looting the tomb. Leaving empty-handed, you don't think all of them would just accept that. Though that's their own business, but the reason for your concern is...

What would you do if you encountered them again? They did leave you to die after all, which of course left you in service to the lich. You're not sure you wouldn't have done the same in their shoes, but now you're... relatively free, and wonder if you could just forgive them, if you saw them again. Especially now that you serve the lich anyway.

>Your concerns are... probably ungrounded. You can head to the tavern without worry! Freedom!!
>Better safe than sorry. Just go for the inn, they do serve food there as well... even if it's not to the quality of the tavern.
>Check around the village first, see how things have been going since your... absence. You may want to stay outside of town in fact, the first night.
>[Write-in.]

>>4393589
>>Your concerns are... probably ungrounded. You can head to the tavern without worry! Freedom!!

>>4393589
>Your concerns are... probably ungrounded. You can head to the tavern without worry! Freedom!!
Maybe be a bit circumspect as we head in, and eat/drink on our own until we know who is here and who isn't.

It's also pretty late so we'll pause here and resume tomorrow, and also giving other players a chance to read up and make a choice.

Till then, you can also figure out what your next steps are, now that you've come to town and probably should have awhile to yourself... maybe a week or so, maybe more before you'd expect the lich to start tightening the necklace. Monster hunting is the priority of course, but that's not the only thing your life has to be about.

>>4393589
>Your concerns are... probably ungrounded. You can head to the tavern without worry! Freedom!!

>>4393589
I dunno guys, seeing the adventuring party to the eye might get weird... and it might cause us to lose some privileges ||like breathing||.

We MIGHT try and make the party feel guilty or smt and get them to help us or, fuck that, hire them and more to capture monsters. In fact, now that we are in this wild town, the large amount of coins that clink and clank surely will be noticed so, we rather get rid of those FAST if we appreciate our guts inside because the way I see it, they will get acquainted with a dirty shank or worse very, very quickly.

Our strongest power is that monsters see us as one of them. I guess most monsters don't see eye to eye with one another, but probably the ones listed on the book tolerate out presence. Maybe going solo and trying to nab a harpy egg or a baby DIRE GOAT (damn it I want dire goats) is not too wild of an idea. Even, the monsters might flat out pay no mind if we take one of them kids.

Another thing that makes me HMMM is that Forest Goblins tried to attack us. That means they are not monsters. Is reasoning what divides monsters and non-monsters? Maybe dragons are NOT monsters since they think. So I wonder if the monsters listed in the book can be <reasoned> with or they just be (monsters).

>>4393589
>Your concerns are... probably ungrounded. You can head to the tavern without worry! Freedom!!

>>4393648
It depends how much faith you have in the idea of the lich's curse on you. You've been a little skeptical since you notice no differences in yourself, nor anything to do with any monsters.

Though whether or not it is real, it's worth considering how monsters would interact towards each other. You don't know if goblins count as monsters or not, but if they did, well them acting hostile to one another could explain their hostility to you. A group of dire goats might get along for example so you'd have to see how they react to you, but goblins infight among themselves anyway so some supposed monster curse may not change their reaction towards you.

>>4393832
We can only experiment huh!?

>Anyway, I'd rather pursue a loner route for now. The QM can focus on worldbuilding and setting up rules that help us get a grasp on things. If suddenly the stuff turned into a party of 5 people it might become... taxing.

>Of course, this is me being meta! A bad anon! Bad anon go away!

>Better safe than sorry. Just go for the inn, they do serve food there as well... even if it's not to the quality of the tavern.

>>4393589
>Your concerns are... probably ungrounded. You can head to the tavern without worry! Freedom!!

>>4393589
>Your concerns are... probably ungrounded. You can head to the tavern without worry! Freedom!!
If goblins want our coins, maybe we can persuade them to work for us later.

>>4393589
>Check around the village first, see how things have been going since your... absence. You may want to stay outside of town in fact, the first night.

>>4393589
>Your concerns are... probably ungrounded. You can head to the tavern without worry! Freedom!!

It's probably more than a little awkward when a thought-dead member of the party turns up, but hey, you don't hold a grudge..... Right?

If we could ask around with some of the foresters or rangers in the area to get a better picture of what monsters are around, it would probably be a better source of intel than Bone Daddy's book.

>>4394093
Asking around, do you mean of the small mountain range monsters, or of the forested region you are now in? If you want to know about the forest now, as before you could make a roll to see what sorts of forest monsters may be around.

Well, a roll when you actually get to asking folks, if that's what you decide on.

>>4394093
What? ENOUGH WITH EXPOSITON

We. Must. Breed.

Of course, we gotta capture some monsters first...

Is a good course of action

#1 Deciding what to capture
#2 Buying/Hiring/Renting things appropriately?

Also, please PLEASE, let's get rid of those coins already

>>4394475
>#2 Buying/Hiring/Renting things appropriately?
I think we need to establish our own supply chain.
the only thing that we likely can get is undead labor to maybe farm mushrooms underground.
Then we need some herbivores that can survive on mushrooms and give good nutritious to our carnivores.

>>4394491
Getting way ahead of ourselves here.The lich can take care of these details he gave us a job.Should have a good rest then stock up on adventuring gear such as:
-weapons
-tarp and blanket
-cured meat/dry fruit
-alchemy gear
let's not hire mercs, they will probably steal or otherwise betray us. And that is including former party members, they already proved untrustworthy.

>>4394636
I agree setting up an ecosystem while a good idea is a long term goal.

As for Alchemy gear I was thinking we should definitely include sleep/paralyze potions or ingredients to make them ourselves

>>4394649
And bombs. Let's go witcher.

>>4394669
And mutagens full witcher style

>>4394636
>>4394649
Good ideas
>>4394669
>>4394684
Interesting

We should probably exchange a few gold coins for somethimg more manageable like copper or iron coins.
We wouldn't want thiefs to see that we pay stuff with gold coins alot

Going to be resuming in a bit.

>>4394908
yuhu!!

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>>4394093
>>4393993
>>4393977
>>4393882
>>4393704
>>4393638
>>4393605
>>4393601
>>4393599
You do have good reason to be cautious you think, however more than anything you just want to embrace your freedom again, what little you have for how little time. Tossing caution to the breeze then, you take a deep breath and head into Tarvas with a spring in your step.

First time you've been among other people in several months, just the presence of others lightens your heart.

"Hello~!"

"My sheep!"

You greet everyone you pass by on your approach to the village, drawing mixed reactions and causing a shepherd trouble as his flock panics by your vibrant greeting. Soon enough though, you find yourself navigating the few streets over to the tavern.

A decently sized little building for the settlement, The Split Boulder is a drinking hall that serves both a tavern for the community as well as the closest thing to a town hall. Between this and the church to a few of the gods, it's here that folks of this frontier community spend their time even when it's not just eating and drinking. Of course it's no secret why; the dwarf owner, knows best how to keep people's spirits up in this dangerous little patch among the wilderness.

"New in town? You alone?"

"Um... no I was here before, some months ago."

"...oh right, I think I remember you! You were with some friends last time? We saw them through not so long ago."

The place is too disorganized (at least in the evenings) for customers to be served so you have to make the effort yourself at the counter, as you try to squeeze past various folks already been here for some time. Behind the bar though there's a few keeps who try their best to see to anyone who makes themselves known, while the owner works away visibly in the back room with help.

In total there's probably about thirty or so people in the place, not counting staff. Pretty much anyone who's anyone in this village, that doesn't have somewhere to be tonight. Either travelers passing through, locals getting off work, or visitors to the settlement like those ranger types and even a few adventurers.

>Free rounds! You're in the mood to celebrate your temporary freedom! Plus you might make some new friends.
>Don't get too carried away, just a wholesome meal and a drink, and keep to yourself... but keep your ears peeled.
>Try and seek some company, to share dinner with. Not the whole damn tavern, but someone(s) you could have a conversation with, and learn any information from.
>[Write-in.]

>>4394984
>>Don't get too carried away, just a wholesome meal and a drink, and keep to yourself... but keep your ears peeled.

Try to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible.

>>4394984
>Try and seek some company, to share dinner with. Not the whole damn tavern, but someone(s) you could have a conversation with, and learn any information from.

>>4394984
>Try and seek some company, to share dinner with. Not the whole damn tavern, but someone(s) you could have a conversation with, and learn any information from.
Anyone who might know their way around monsters.

>>4394984
>Try and seek some company, to share dinner with. Not the whole damn tavern, but someone(s) you could have a conversation with, and learn any information from.
Support for a hunter type, we can claim we're looking for alchemical reagents (and also collect magical reagents while we're out there)

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>>4394989
>>4394992
>>4394994
>>4394998
>>4395001
You're certainly aware of the danger of being too careless, but honestly you're willing to take the risk for some company. Anything better than a shrieking skeleton, and hey, it's not like you're buying rounds for everyone and drawing attention.

"Somebody shut that dog up!"

"-gah!"

"Kick it out!"

Thinking to share dinner with someone at least, you nervously look around for any whom it seems like it wouldn't be too awkward to approach. About midway though, you get attacked by a dog in the tavern that had been growling and barking at you the whole time, maybe it doesn't like the smell of goblins.

Not a big or mean dog though so it doesn't hurt you, just bite and tug at your clothes, but it's still startling. Thankfully it's quickly noticed and a couple people intervene as the owner chucks the dog out after.

"You alright miss? They shouldn't have let the damn mutt in here."

"O-Oh, yes I'm... I'm fine, thank you..."

A decent-looking fellow, fit and armed. Probably a hired guard to one of the passing traders or important-types, he makes a friendly gesture after the trouble with the dog. He might be some good company for the evening, maybe even longer term help if he's this considerate. Just to consider your options though, you take a look around before making an offer for dinner together...

You notice there's an older woman celebrating her birthday here with some folks, something you could easily get in on, and apparently she's a local who forages around these parts. There's also a rough-looking older man in the corner by himself, you heard something about him being a seasoned hunter... though maybe not a sociable type. As well, there's a young lad who's flirting is being sorely rejected by a woman, apparently she wants nothing to do with a local trapper.

And lastly there's-

"-!"

Your blood runs cold, as you see a familiar face. The elven ranger from your old group, it seems he's still here and talking with an off-duty guard. The rest of the group might have moved on but he stuck around... you hope he hasn't seen you yet. But then again... despite the hateful feelings you have towards him, he is someone you already know, and got along with before...

"Everything alright miss?"

The friendly young man notices your discomfort, wondering if you might need further help.

>What do you do?

>>4395077
Go talk with the hunter

>>4395077
Talk with the hunter
Let’s see where this goes

>>4395077
Talk with the young man.

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>>4395178
>>4395126
>>4395287
You wouldn't mind spending the evening with the young man, in part because you think it would just be easiest to do. However, just slightly more is your concern about being noticed by anyone. Not wanting to attract any further attention, you decide it best to go for the most obscure option.

"Y-Yes... I'm alright."

You thank the courteous fellow again, before nervously making your to the old hunter's table. Though, he noticed you well before you directly approached him.

"Hello... is uh, this seat taken?"

"Whatever it is you're selling, I don't want it."

Ornery with experience, or maybe just age, it takes a bit of convincing effort to get the old hunter just to tolerate you sitting with him. Kado is his name, you offer to buy dinner or drinks but he refuses, so you just settle for taking care of yourself while you rather awkwardly sit across from the older man at the table.

Nervously too, as you try pulling your hood over more in the hopes of not being noticed by the elven ranger.

"If you're hiding from someone, there's better places than here."

Eventually you get to talking, or rather more just asking questions while he responds with hardly more than single word answers. He's obviously suspicious of you, but is willing at least to talk about his profession and experiences in the area. Probably because he doesn't consider you a threat, or competition.

"You writing a book or something? I don't want my name in it."

"O-Oh no, nothing like that..." you say, thumbing through the monster manual.

As it is then, for the most part you can ask and learn about the forested region you are currently in, bordering the mountain range. There's bound to be monsters, probably unique monsters within the forests here, that you could also pursue with the benefit of Kado's experience. Or you could ask about the mountains that you've already given some focus towards, however this man hunts about the forests here not the mountains, so perhaps an adventurer would be better suited for that or simply just asking around for any rumors.

>Seek to learn what you can from the old hunter, about the forests of this region and what dwells within them. [Dice roll 1d100, for what monsters might be around.]
>Just try to pass the time, hear some stories, enjoy dinner but otherwise call it a night. You got what you wanted and you're not focusing on the forests here... yet.
>Thank the man for his time, and see if he knows anyone around here with experience among the nearby mountains.
>[Write-in.]

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>>4395305
>2

You know this dice system has unlimited dice rolls.... but I'd love to see what a 2 nets us

>Seek to learn what you can from the old hunter, about the forests of this region and what dwells within them. [Dice roll 1d100, for what monsters might be around.]

Rolled 50 (1d100)

>>4395301
>Seek to learn what you can from the old hunter, about the forests of this region and what dwells within them. [Dice roll 1d100, for what monsters might be around.]
>>4395305
kek

Rolled 83 (1d100)

>>4395301
>Seek to learn what you can from the old hunter, about the forests of this region and what dwells within them. [Dice roll 1d100, for what monsters might be around.]

Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>4395301
>Seek to learn what you can from the old hunter, about the forests of this region and what dwells within them. [Dice roll 1d100, for what monsters might be around.]

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>4395301
>Seek to learn what you can from the old hunter, about the forests of this region and what dwells within them. [Dice roll 1d100, for what monsters might be around.]

Rolled 29 (1d100)

>>4395301
>Seek to learn what you can from the old hunter, about the forests of this region and what dwells within them. [Dice roll 1d100, for what monsters might be around.]

yeah... this will be way more reliable than the lich' book

>>4395377
Huh had a feeling it was gonna be one
Darn should have said it in the post

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>>4395377

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>>4395377

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>>4395305
>>4395329
>>4395319
>>4395331
>>4395333
>>4395377
>>4395378
>1

How very interesting, and what a valuable resource this old hunter will be! Why, you could even use his help and make the job so much easier for yourself! Truly, you are blessed for such an opportunity as this.

"Anything you want to know girl, not like the knowledge is doing me much good these days."

"Oh, perfect! Thank you so much, this is everything I could ever nee- augh!"

Ecstatic over the value of your new acquaintance, you try to find some empty pages in the monster manual on which to make some new entries for whatever the hunter can tell you. Before you can start transcribing this wealth of knowledge though, something slams into the back of you, as fellow patron of the tavern ends up thrown onto your table.

"You bastard! I'll have your tongue for that!"

"I spit on you, and your mother!"

Shouted insults, rising anger, and thrown blows. A good old... or bad old in your case, barroom brawl! Couldn't have come at a worse time, but soon many people invariably wind up drawn into the conflict of flying fists and tossed furniture, despite the efforts of the staff to stop things. You yourself just try to escape, or even just hide, but slip across the stone floor on someone's spilled drink. Before you know it, someone has hoisted you up overhead, and thrown you sliding along the bar countertop as you crash through an array of drinks and meals.

"-uuuuuaaaaaaAAAAHHH!"

Reaching the end of the countertop, you slide off and land on the floor among a mess of tankards and plates, yourself a mess of food and drink as well. And just barely do you duck beneath a flying chair as it smashes into the wall above you.

>Hide! Search for any hiding spot you can!
>Screw this, you want some payback! Get involved!
>Escape! Through a window if you have to!
>[Write-in.]

>>4395417
>Hide! Search for any hiding spot you can!
Stick around so we can talk to the ranger after the brawl is finished.

>>4395417
>Escape! Through a window if you have to!

Grab the book and go! Civilization seems more dangerous than the wilds, at this rate. Hope we got some food in us, and we still need to find somewhere to sleep safely.

>>4395417
>Look for the hunter you won't have your info slip by and see if you can escape or hide behind the man

>>4395437
*Escape with the man or hide behind*

>>4395417
>Screw this, you want some payback! Get involved!

>>4395417
>Escape! Through a window if you have to!
Dammit

>>4395437
+1

Seems like a pretty even split, with two votes for several of the choices! If anyone wants to tiebreak, or I can roll to decide.

>>4395466
I break the ties!

>Escape!

Rolled 2 (1d3)

>>4395432
>>4395434
>>4395435
>>4395437
>>4395442
>>4395446
>>4395452

Very well, roll to decide!

>1 for hiding
>2 for escaping
>3 for seeking the hunter

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>>4395491
>>4395495
Well that was convenient!

>>4395417
Screw this! You're not waiting around here to get your head busted! You have thoughts of hiding, or seeking out the old hunter, but your instincts are stronger still! In fear, you jump to your feet and as best you can, you rush for the nearest exit in a panic...

...a window!

"-ARGH!"

With a terrible crash, you jump off a table near the window, and leap right through it in a shattering mess. Landing outside in the dirt among a pile of broken glass, you lay dazed for some moments... but otherwise safe from being mistakenly beaten to a pulp by some drunk fool. Only having suffered some scrapes and bruises, you're pretty sure you prefer it this way!

Now, if you can just find a safe spot to wait till this whole thing blows over, and then you can find the old hunter aga-

"...Esther? Is that... is that you? You're alive?!"

A familiar voice? Oh no, this is the last thing you wanted... the elven ranger, your former adventuring partner. Seems he had a similar idea of escaping once the fight broke out... typical, the moment danger occurred, he fled like when he and the others abandoned you.

Then again, you also fled...

>Play dumb. You're not Esther!
>Recognize, and respond. [Specify your feelings towards him/on the matter.]
>Rebuke him, you've got more important things to do than waste time with a traitor. Either seeking out the old hunter, or just calling it a night after all this trouble.
>[Write-in.]

>>4395527
>Recognize, and respond.
"Do you care about what happened to me ?"

>>4395527
>Play dumb. You're not Esther!
Let's not stick around for this "lovely" reunion.

It's also pretty late but we'll pause here for now, and continue tomorrow, giving anyone else the chance to read up and make a choice.

In the meantime you can figure out if you're now more interested in the forests here for monsters, perhaps, or if you're still focused on the mountains. Or both! But trying to manage both will be more difficult obviously.

>>4395531
+1
If he does say he cares then say something along the line, if you care so much then don't speak about seeing me to anyone and leave me be cause we hate their guts and wish to never see them

>>4395527
>I'm alive, yes. *Give him a pointed look and jingle the necklace and hope that he gets the idea*.

>>4395531
Support

>>4395643
+1

>>4395531
+1

and stay alert. Around elves never relax!

>>4395527
>Recognize, and respond.
I mean you survived and if anyone else survived they clearly left you for dead so you are in a position of power here

>>4395527
>>Play dumb. You're not Esther!

>>4395527
>Recognize, and respond. [Specify your feelings towards him/on the matter.]
"No thanks to you and the others!" Angry despite knowing we'd probably do the same thing, i guess?

>>4396047
This, got to guilt trip him. Maybe he can be of use.

>>4395527
>>4396053
+1

Will be resuming in a bit now.

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>>4396795
>>4396053
>>4396047
>>4396003
>>4395955
>>4395850
>>4395746
>>4395660
>>4395644
>>4395643
>>4395540
>>4395534
>>4395531
Part of you would like to just ignore all this, play dumb and pretend you're someone else so as not to have to deal with this. However your emotions rise as he tries to interact with you, and you find it hard to just let it pass, the hurt you have for being left by him and the others leading to your current situation... also, you're clever enough to know an opportunity when you see one, even if it's not an opportunity you're especially keen on.

"...I'm alive, yes... no thanks to you and the others!" you yell at him with a glare.

He had approached you looking to help after your escape through the window, but your shouted words cause him to falter as much as if you'd punched him. Elven fragility you suppose, he's quite taken aback.

"...i-it was... it was hopeless! We all would have died if we... do we really have to talk about this here, now?" he says, nervously looking about for anyone that might be watching and listening. Well there are plenty of other folks about, but they're certainly more focused on the brawl taking place inside the tavern, as someone smashes outwards through one of the doors.

For both your sake he still tries to take your side, kneeling by you and hesitating to grab and help you to your feet. Better for him that he doesn't touch you.

"Do you care about what happened to me, Llewyn?" you ask him tersely.

Rather than rage anymore, you just feel hurt as you try to hold back tears. Admittedly you probably shouldn't take it to heart too much... people in this line of work, adventuring, tend to be out of necessity. Oftentimes the dregs of society, just looking for whatever work they can get or hoping for a quick score. No honor among thieves? Well loyalty is in short supply among adventurers.

So you probably shouldn't feel that upset over all this, but you can't help it. Maybe because... well you can't admit to yourself, but maybe because if the tables were turned... you'd probably have run away with the others as well and abandoned a downed comrade.

As it was though, you were the one betrayed, so for your own sake you go with your bitter feelings to help you cope with all the misery and upset of these last months.

"Well I stayed behind here... we all thought you'd died, but I stayed because I wanted to... fetch your remains at least. A proper burial or... at least not leave you to undeath. I've been... trying to gather people to help, but it's not an appealing proposition to make."

It might make you feel better to just dismiss him as lying, but you can see he has difficult grappling with the issue. Certainly your former group didn't want to abandon you, but to save their own lives they did. However the rest of them just moved on, while Llewyn seems to have stuck around at least out of regret for what happened. Definitely, he regrets what happened.

Though whether that's enough for you to accept his help, let alone forgive him, is up to you.

>No! Regardless of his actions afterward, he still left you to die! You want nothing to do with him!
>You're not ready to forgive him, not yet or maybe even ever. But you are willing to use him, guilt him, exploit his help.
>You suppose... it's live and let live. You're not suddenly friends again, but you don't want to hold onto grudges at least.
>[Write-in.]

>>4396996
>You suppose... it's live and let live. You're not suddenly friends again, but you don't want to hold onto grudges at least.
We would have 100% done the same thing

>You suppose... it's live and let live. You're not suddenly friends again, but you don't want to hold onto grudges at least.

>>4397000
>You're not ready to forgive him, not yet or maybe even ever. But you are willing to use him, guilt him, exploit his help.
Let's see if you can help us at least

>>4397000
>>You're not ready to forgive him, not yet or maybe even ever. But you are willing to use him, guilt him, exploit his help.

>>4397000
>You suppose... it's live and let live. You're not suddenly friends again, but you don't want to hold onto grudges at least.
Well now he know we are alive what is he gonna do now?

>>4397000
>You're not ready to forgive him, not yet or maybe even ever. But you are willing to use him, guilt him, exploit his help.
We got a job and we need a live monster, we can make tranquilizer potion, he can fire tranq darts. He gets to simp for us, we get to give papa bone his monster, win win.

>>4397000
>You suppose... it's live and let live. You're not suddenly friends again, but you don't want to hold onto grudges at least.

Hey all just a heads up, but I'm going to duck out for a bit to get dinner. Maybe an hour, but we can resume as soon as I get back. Hadn't planned on it, but got the chance so might as well get it out of the way earlier today.

>>4397069
cool! QM has a healthy life. That's good news qm.

Alright I'm back now and continuing shortly.

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>>4397054
>>4397041
>>4397038
>>4397036
>>4397023
>>4397020
>>4397017
>>4397015
You don't want to forgive him, and probably you won't. But you can't deny that you'd have done the same thing in his position, which makes you angry. Rather than just dwell in upset and frustration though, you try your best to cope with these feelings and set aside your grievances... at least outwardly. There's more important things at hand than to remain angry and upset, and you'd like to just move on from this.

...move on from this, with the manipulated help of the elven ranger.

"I don't... think we can be friends again, Llewyn. But I appreciate that you cared about me."

"You thought I was your friend? I'm... flattered!"

He seems delightedly surprised, and though you really only meant it as a figure of speech, the elf takes it to heart... just what you want. You accept his help, reach your feet again, and together depart from the tavern as the brawl starts to move outside to the street and guards are on their way.

---

The inn is a much better venue for this sort of things, with the in-house eatery downstairs. Actually having a table to yourself and a waiter to see your needs met.

"You're hunting monsters? I... suppose I could help with that, now that I don't have to return to that tomb to retrieve... well, now that I've got nothing else to do for the time being. It'll be some time at least before any of the others come back this way again."

You offer to pay for dinner together, a feigned goodwill gesture to smooth the waters between you, outwardly at least so that your true purpose can be hatched. The old hunter was your first choice. but Llewyn is a capable ranger himself who you already have experience with. Plus, he has that guilt which you can manipulate him with. Better than seeking out dangerous monsters on your own, if you've got a guy keen on trying to make things up to you.

Plus, an elven pretty boy around isn't such a bad thing, something to look at while you travel together.

"Can I ask though... what happened to you? Like I said, we all thought you were dead for sure, after what happened to Curtis. You seem fine though, after a run in with an undead like that."

You've got the gold to offer to fund your efforts together, so that Llewyn doesn't need to look for other work, and you can get the supplies needed. He's got some small amount of money like you all did together, enough to take care of himself, but your abundance of actual gold certainly seals the deal.

He's obviously curious though, both for your sake and for the sake of the job you want his help with, as the serving fellow brings a dinner you can more properly enjoy without risk of a drunken brawl breaking out.

>Be truthful with him, the lich spared you as his servant and now you're doing his bidding.
>Be indirect, you barely escaped with your life but need monsters (or monster ingredients) to lift a curse the lich placed on you.
>Lie! The lich was destroyed and you made off with some of his treasure! The monsters you just want for your own purposes.
>[Write-in.]

>>4397219
>Be indirect, you barely escaped with your life but need monsters (or monster ingredients) to lift a curse the lich placed on you.
At the very least don't tell him the truth in the tavern, wait until you leave the town.

>>4397219
>Be indirect, you barely escaped with your life but need monsters (or monster ingredients) to lift a curse the lich placed on you.
We are not in the right place to talk about these things, plus we don't know how he would react to the truth.

>>4397219
>Be indirect, you barely escaped with your life but need monsters (or monster ingredients) to lift a curse the lich placed on you.

>>4397219
>>Be indirect, you barely escaped with your life but need monsters (or monster ingredients) to lift a curse the lich placed on you.
He shouted something about ancient curses and cackled. Don't feel any different but better to be on the safe side, right?

>>4397218
>Be indirect, you barely escaped with your life but need monsters (or monster ingredients) to lift a curse the lich placed on you.

MOMSTERS

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>>4397223
>>4397227
>>4397232
>>4397243
>>4397303
>>4397249
You'd prefer not to lie if you can avoid it, but in this instance... well there's no good way you can really explain it. At least not in a scenario such as this, over dinner and only having just met again. For the sake of simplicity, you think it best just to take the easiest route.

"Well after... you all left," you still glower at him, sensing his heart sink at this, "I would have been killed, but the lich was... careless with his magic. He caused a cave-in, that had me trapped in the tomb there. I thought I was going to die, struggling to find food or water. I barely escaped alive when I found a way out, but I was cursed for leaving, so I need to hunt some monsters in order to... well, make a potion or something which can break the curse."

You can't know for sure if he believes you, but you feel it's a pretty convincing story you came up with. Certainly it does a good job of explaining your return here, and need to seek out monsters. Llewyn seems to accept it, and is willing to help if it means breaking any curse upon you... something he feels responsible for even if you're not dead. For this, you could ham it up about being cursed, act like your life is ruined or something. But you'd prefer not to have to keep up any more of an act than you have already.

"Alright then, I'll help however I can. What sort of monsters do you need?" he asks, hesitant at the idea of actually seeking monsters, but he believes you if you say it's necessary to break a curse. You're the alchemist after all, he's just a ranger.

>What do you know about the nearby mountains?
>You're familiar with forests? What sorts of monsters are around these parts?
>Actually I was curious about... [Specify nearby biome - swamps, plains, riverlands, hilly]
>[Write-in.]

>>4397319
>What do you know about the nearby mountains?

>>4397219
>>Be indirect, you barely escaped with your life but need monsters (or monster ingredients) to lift a curse the lich placed on you.

>>4397319
>>You're familiar with forests? What sorts of monsters are around these parts?

>>4397319
>[Write-in.]

>Do you have any idea to help me capture DIRE GOATS?

DIRE GOATS.

Cut to the chaaaase guys. We know about


>Dire Goats
>Harpies
>Mountain Trolls
>Pegasi
>Great Eagles
>Basilisks

Already!!!

Let's drop into action!! Make the knife-ear steal a pegasus egg, it's egg laying season after all! or maybe settle down with a great eagle.

Remember that we are not FORCED to return with a living monster either for we can return with parts of some. The lich has some... trick or smt. Dam lich...

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>>4397338
>>4397337
>>4397335
>>4397325
The forests are probably easier for you to work in, since it's terrain you're more familiar with as well as closer to civilization. However, the mountains are around the lich's lair so it'd probably be best to consider all the options available there first.

"What do you know about the nearby mountains?"

"Not much about them specifically, but I've heard the talk and rumors around here, and I have experience with mountainous places in general."

Llewyn willingly explains to you what he can and what he knows, greatly improving your understanding of the area and your ideas for how to proceed. He knows more than you about each of the specific monster types, as well as having some ideas of how to hunt them.

Probably the biggest benefit though, is that he knows (or has heard) the lack of some specific monsters in the nearby mountains.

"I heard that stone trolls in these parts were culled to extinction, they caused a big enough problem for it apparently. As for pegasi, they aren't in season here, they're migratory after all. In another six months though, you could expect to see them return."

A bit disappointing that two options on your list are effectively eliminated, however that does narrow things down and make your choice simpler. Besides, you were only going off what Sigis's monster manual said about mountains in general so there was no guarantee that the ones around his lair would be the same as all others, when it comes to monsters.

"What about... dire goats? Would you be able to help me capture any?"

"The big, nasty ones? It's what the great eagles eat. I'm not sure we could catch a fully grown one... too big to move on our own, but a younger one? It wouldn't be too difficult. Dangerous though, they always gather in groups from what I know."

That's good to hear, and improves your hopes for the matter. Of course you're still not decided fully on which monsters to pursue, but it's good to know that Llewyn should be able to facilitate any which you might go after, and improve your chances of success.

>You only just arrived, so you can appreciate your freedom here for as long as the lich will permit.
>Get a good night's rest, because you're heading out tomorrow!
>Urgency is in your mind, but you'd want to make sure you're fully prepared, even if it takes a few days and expenses.
>[Write-in.]

>>4397401
>Urgency is in your mind, but you'd want to make sure you're fully prepared, even if it takes a few days and expenses.

Do we have expenses? Damn right!
Do we have a few days? Err... the lich might get antsy and squeeze our neck once or twice, no biggie.

Goats are goats, dire or not. But monsters... what <is> a monster? Just, something civilization arbitrarily assigns or some sort of "mechanic"? Do monsters acknowledge each other and band against humans? Is "monster" something that preys on people? What about, magic?

There are so many questions yet so little answers... what if, WE were the monster all along????

>>4397401
>Get a good night's rest, because you're heading out tomorrow!
Let’s make bone daddy proud!

>>4397401
>>Get a good night's rest, because you're heading out tomorrow!

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>>4397414
>>4397416
>>4397461
Preparations are always handy, but Llewyn seems capable enough to not need them. At least not for a first monster hunting effort, you can test and see what you're capable of along with how difficult this could prove to be.

Plus, you'd like to resolve this curse situation as soon as possible, if you can. With that in mind then, you finish your dinner and work you a rudimentary plan with your elven comrade, before you turn in for the night. An actual room and bed of your own for once, upstairs of the inn. Just being able to lay out and relax on the sheets for the first time in months, seriously makes you consider just lazing about here in Tarvas for as long as you can until the lich becomes impatient. Maybe a few days, maybe a few weeks, but getting to enjoy yourself freely again...

...but true freedom, you hope awaits you. If you can complete the task required of you, and the lich is satisfied, then maybe he'll make good on what he said and release you. Only maybe, but that's enough for you to focus on the matter at hand.

---

You enjoy a wonderful night's sleep in a bed, the chance to temporarily be free of all the stress of late. It's not a permanent remedy unfortunately, but enough to give you reason to want to get up for the day and head out. Knowing that the sooner you get things done, the better.

"You don't want to buy any supplies? Well there's not a lot available here, but-"

"No, I want to end this curse as soon as possible, if you don't mind."

You've already eaten breakfast and are ready to leave by the time Llewyn comes down from his own room, having paid for himself obviously and apparently for some time now, ever since he stayed behind of the group in the hopes of retrieving your remains. Seems he paid for his stay here all this time by hunting, foraging, and taking odd jobs in the area, which benefits your needs quite well.

"By the gods, you've really got them spooked."

"Dumb animals... whatever, I walked here, we can walk there."

You'd wanted to get a pair of horses perhaps, to aid in travel. However despite having several animals available, the salesman can't get a single one of them to calm down around you. Must not like strangers you assume, but they're far too anxious or even hostile, to be ridden by you. Not that you needed a horse, it just would have been nice but you can fare well enough without one. Especially now that you've got Llewyn with you in case of any trouble.

Within the hour then, the pair of you are departing Tarvas. Leaving behind the settlement and roads for the surrounding forests, heading eastwards for the nearby mountain range. There, you hope to find what you're looking for.

First though, just as last time, you have to brave the forest! Now with two of you, you don't expect trouble, but you never know...

>Make a roll, 1d100 for the travel en route to the mountains, after which you can set about your monster hunting.

Rolled 26 (1d100)

>>4397522

Rolled 16 (1d100)

>>4397522

Rolled 88 (1d100)

>>4397522
Keep our eyes peeled, don't act too suspect, and we'll be fine.

Rolled 19 (1d100)

>>4397522

It's getting pretty late so we'll pause for now and resume tomorrow, and give others a chance to read and reply.

Also in the meantime you can finalize what monster you want to try and hunt after first, and maybe roughly figure out your plan, since you'll likely be actually monster hunting come tomorrow.

Rolled 71 (1d100)

>>4397522
saving thread with m' roll

Anyway, we are heding to the mountain range... do we start by just killing something? Just saying

Rolled 91 (1d100)

>>4397522

>>4397588
Can we make some kind of paralytic potion with nearby resources?

If not what else can we attempt to make?

>>4397522
Dire goat sounds good, though the elf would probably come most in handy in the forest.

GM, did we stock up on supplies/gear in town? What's our inventory? Please don't tell me we just marched in and out with a bag full of gold without buying anything useful

>>4397675
As an alchemist you're not limited by bound magic like a sorcerer, so you can make pretty much whatever concoction you can think of (with a roll when the appropriate time comes).

However, the more effective or complicated an intended potion is, the more difficult it will be to make, as well as potentially more hazardous.

So a paralytic poison wouldn't be especially hard to make, but one that could work on a creature the size of a dire goat for example? More difficult.

>>4397680
Yes he's more experienced in forests, but can still provide support.

As for gear, at that point of voting, players didn't want to stick around and buy things, and just get to hunting as soon as possible. Your inventory includes;

>Clothes
>Knife
>Bag
>Basic alchemy supplies
>Lich necklace

For what it's worth though, your elven ally Llewyn has a good amount of supplies for his usual efforts of hunting and foraging around the region, and he also is able to survive well enough in the wild.

Maybe next time you can focus on buying supplies! You are intending to just hunt one monster, after that you don't have to keep at it and could return to town before anything else.

>>4397706
Of course it will work, what's why we make it in batches.

>>4398141
*that's

QM why no update, why

>>4398433
???

>>4398525
I think he means since we are done with rolls he wants an update on the travel to the mountain

>>4398557
Normal playtime isn't until a couple hours from now. Do other QM's do 24/7 playtimes?

>>4398567
It usually depends on the qm, i think
When exactly is your playtime gonna be?

>>4398576
Like an hour or so, exactly.

nice!

usually qms are all over the place, really.

The quest curse hit all of us...

>>4398567
Some QMs just update whenever they can, which usually leads to an update every couple of hours. Others concentrate updates within the span of a couple of dedicated hours. It's up to every QM to decide how they want to run their quest (you are the one putting the most effort into this) and no style is inherently better, but it's best to announce your update schedule if you can so people won't get confused.

Resuming in a bit now.

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>>4397656
>>4397646
>>4397587
>>4397581
>>4397560
>>4397554
>>4397523
>91

Together with Llewyn then, you journey the same path from Tarvas to the nearby mountains. A path you know only too well by now, as you navigate the forest and traverse the rocky highlands before the stone rise. You're not too keen yourself to be returning, and you can tell your elven companion is very nervous to be traveling even in the same direction he knows a lich's tomb is.

In any case it takes most of the day for the travel, the pair of you having left Tarvas in the morning and reaching the mountain foothills by nightfall. Fortunately you didn't see much trouble along the way, just a mixed group of bandits you sneaked past in the forest, and a distant giant in the highlands you smartly avoided. The real benefit though, was that you were able to forage for ingredient supplies along the way, with Llewyn's help. Nothing especially valuable or rare, but enough to make a stable range of standard potions for any difficulties that may come.

"We're going to camp out here? I want to keep going."

"You can't see at night, and I'd rather not go hunting without some rest."

In your mind you kind of figured to just return the ruins a ways further up the mountains, since you know you're not in any danger, but forget for a moment that you're playing Llewyn with a ruse. He's found a rocky overhang to set up camp for the night, already getting a fire going so you suppose to just play along. And to be fair, you can't argue with getting a good night's rest before hunting monsters. You did spend the whole day traveling by foot of course, and your desire to see this task completed can only carry you so far before fatigue and blisters set in.

It's not the worst thing though, a chance to rest and make your final preparations with what you have, before tomorrow. It's just that you're not too keen on having to interact with Llewyn for the evening, already having to spend the day traveling with him and trying to just focus on the path and foraging. But then, you could just focus on your work now as well, while he rustles up something to eat and minds his own preparations.

>Focus on brewing up some alchemical concoctions, any you think you might need for tomorrow with what you gathered today.
>Well, some company is better than no company. You don't mind spending time and talking with your elven ally that much. [Specify.]
>Finalize a plan together, for tomorrow. You've had some good ideas, but are still not 100% sure which of the available monsters you're going after yet.
>[Write-in.]

>>4398742
Bah, fuk that. No need to talk wth the ranger!

>Focus on brewing up some alchemical concoctions, any you think you might need for tomorrow with what you gathered today.

Prepare something that explodes!! M

>>4398742
>Focus on brewing up some alchemical concoctions, any you think you might need for tomorrow with what you gathered today.
Make some concoctions that sleep, stun or disable, and a smokebomb to get out of dodge if we bite off more than we can chew. Maybe some poisons to use on the ranger's arrows?

>>4398884
>>4398870
Those are things you're capable of making, well except actual explosives, but a smoke "bomb" is fine.

How potent do you want to try making them though? The more concentrated you brew something, you'll have to roll for it with a penalty. Anything which can affect medium (humanoid) sized creatures, you don't need to roll for. More than that and you will, so depending on what you intend to hunt tomorrow, will determine if you want to brew something stronger.

Or of course you could just rely on multiple uses of normal-strength potions for a larger target. Just that, it will mean more time acting hostile/in combat with the target, compared to say, a single strong brew.

>>4398742
>Focus on brewing up some alchemical concoctions, any you think you might need for tomorrow with what you gathered today.
How about some pheromones to act as bait?

>>4398925
That would likely work well as bait, and a keen sense of understanding what you're hunting. However in that specific example you'd need to make contact with the target monster first so you can know what to duplicate essentially. Like you can't know what pheromones a creature would use without having encountered (and ideally gotten a sample) first.

>>4398742
>>Finalize a plan together, for tomorrow. You've had some good ideas, but are still not 100% sure which of the available monsters you're going after yet.

>>4398898
ALRIGHT!
let's brew something that goes POOF and disorients whatever monster we plan to capture

>>4399049
Agreed!

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>>4399042
>>4398950
>>4398925
>>4399049
>>4399067
>>4398884
>>4398870
Rather waste time enjoying a pleasant evening by the fire and conversing like decent and well-rounded people, you'd rather focus on concocting all sorts of nasty brews that may come in handy tomorrow!

>Alchemist - No need to roll for basic potions

Between what you foraged through the forest and highlands today, and with use of the fire, you can fill more than a few containers with an array of brews for various situations you could imagine. Llewyn mostly keeps to himself with his own equipment to mind, but over a campfire dinner you can explain the use of some of what you're making in regards to him. Stuff he can tip arrows with to help in hunting.

"As long as it helps, sure!"

You work into the night for some time, but have a colorful array of liquids to make use of come tomorrow, with dreams of numbered monsters jumping over a fence in your head...

---

The sound of distant thunder awakens you, as you sit up startled and see that Llewyn is already up. Light sleepers those elves, he must have stirred some time ago but has things ready to, even some food ready from last night. No fire though.

"Is a storm coming? Going to rain?" you ask in concern, both for the hunting effort and just out of comfort, not wanting to be out here in the mountains amid rain or snow.

"I don't think so, maybe if we were down in the forests... so what's the plan?"

Bringing your belongings closer and munching on some leftovers for breakfast, you consider how you can work together with Llewyn to hunt your desired monster. Whatever it be, you'll set out as soon as you're able and be on the hunt!

>Dire goats it is! Seems like it would be the easiest for you, to start with.
>Something nastier, you want to have something to show for all this effort. Especially to your lich master, you desire to hunt one of the other monster types.
>Actually... what does Llewyn want? You dragged him up here and he's the ranger, might not be the worst idea to let him make the decisions and lead the effort.
>[Write-in.]

>>4399131
>Dire goats it is! Seems like it would be the easiest for you, to start with.

>>4399131
>>Something nastier, you want to have something to show for all this effort. Especially to your lich master, you desire to hunt one of the other monster types.

Basilisks.

>>4399131
>Dire goats it is! Seems like it would be the easiest for you, to start with.

>>4399131
>Dire goats it is! Seems like it would be the easiest for you, to start with.

DIRE. GOATS.

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>>4399217
>>4399184
>>4399180
>>4399146
>>4399138
You doubt that dire goats will really get you the kind of benefits in the long term you're seeking, things like your freedom at least. However, it seems best not to tempt an awful fate, and start with something simple instead.

Well there's nothing simple about dire goats, but it's about as simple as monsters come up here in the mountains.

"Alright, let's get some goats... or, a goat, at least!"

---

Together with Llewyn, mostly him doing the tracking and hunting work, the two of you seek out those herds of monstrous goats which roam the mountainsides.

And unlike something as elusive as great eagles or basilisks, Llewyn manages to pick up tracks by late morning, and come midday the two of you are staring down a group of the monsters... from a distance, hiding behind some rocks.

"Oh what the hell, they really are monsters!"

"You've never seen dire animals before?"

Obviously the first thing you notice is the size of the creatures, as they mill about on the mountain slope, munching on what flora they can find and traversing the difficult rocks. They range in size from as big as a person, to as big as a horse or so. Surely getting trampled or headbutted by one, could easily prove deadly.

However the other thing you notice, is the variance in their appearances. They're definitely all mountain goats, but some seem quite mutated from the standard. Some have multiple sets of horns and in strange places, some have distorted features and appendages, some have strange colors or textures... and some you think you can see, even have fangs. Not all of them are mutated horrors, but more than enough for your liking are.

"Is... is that one's horns made of stone?!"

"I think that one has six legs..."

It gives you some second thoughts about all this, but not enough to turn back now, as you and Llewyn look to one another to figure out your plan of action.

>What do you do?

>>4399275
+1
Yea separate the herd & follow the baby to capture it

>>4399271
>>4399275
+1 for isolating a young one, and getting a dead adult dire goat would help both for food and extra material, if we're shooting at the herd anyway.

Rolled 40 (1d100)

>>4399314
>>4399286
>>4399275
If you can isolate a young one then, try to lure it away with you, while Llewyn attempts a distraction.

>Make a roll then, 1d100 for your effort in the plan!

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>4399323
Weee. Gote.

dice+1d100
>>4399323
Let's hope for the best

Rolled 75 (1d100)

>>4399323
goats aren't a notoriously angry species, right? right?

Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>4399337
:|

>>4399338
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXhdQkNDT40

Rolled 18 (1d100)

>>4399323

Rolled 22 (1d100)

>>4399323

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>>4399323
>>4399325
>>4399331
>>4399338
>>4399344
>>4399379
>>4399380
>75, 40

Having worked out what seems like a decent enough plan together then, you and Llewyn undertake the hunt of these dire goats.

"Fortune be with you!"

"Yeah yeah..."

You more or less split up as you take a different hiding spot a ways away, before Llewyn begins his part of the plan. While you watch and wait though, it occurs to you how goats normally behave and suddenly you wonder the logic of this plan.

"Wait, won't they just run away, like... well, other animals?"

You almost consider calling out or returning to Llewyn to inform him of your concern. However you already see him standing atop the rock and preparing to loose an arrow. You watch in anxiety for what you expect will happen, as the arrow flies and pings off the horn of an adult.

Against expectations though, rather than all the animals panicking and fleeing, instead their collective attention turns towards Llewyn after another arrow or two, once one of the goats is actually hit. After aggressive displays, a number of the goats just charge right after your elven comrade, causing him to panic and take to flight.

"Well I... guess that's a distraction."

Unfortunately it's not like all the adults go chasing after the elf together, probably just the males if you had to guess. The rest just cluster together with the young for the most part for safety... you don't really see a good chance for any young goat alone, but you can't pass up the chance from Llewyn's distraction.

You'll just have to settle for one of the more outlying young goats with more a distance from its mother, and you'll have to be quick if you want any chance of this.

"Alright little goat... taaaaaake tha- woah!"

Intending to incapacitate the young goat with one of your potions thrown from afar, as you make a running approach to hurl the bottle you nearly get trampled on the approach by one of the adults you hadn't seen to the side.

Nearly got trampled. On instinct, all you can do is yell in panic, flinch and alarm at the sizeable creature approaching. However when you don't die, you bother to look and see that the goat is just... investigating you? Like it had tried to charge you at first but now that it's close, it's just smelling you and such.