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>>5034999
> Traits are the Hexagons near the bottom.
> Heirlooms are the Squares near the top.

> Have fun setting up your characters.
> The game starts in earnest tomorrow.

>>5034999
Interesting game, also nice trips

>>Name:
Gregory Lidenbrock
>>Attributes and Facaulties
End = 1
Shi = 2
Fit = 3
Str = 2
>PHY = 8
Coo = 2
Per = 3
Gra = 1
Rea = 2
>MOT = 8
Aut = 1
Emp = 2
Dup = 2
Vol = 3
>PSY = 8
Eru = 2
Rat = 3
Ima = 2
Rhe = 1
>INT = 8
>>Talent:
[Enduring]

>>5034999
>What's the posting schedule going to be like.
>Seeing that first sheet, is is 4 extra points per Faculties or total ? The OP pic makes it sound like total.

>>5034999
Klein

>PHYS: 4
End: 1
Shi: 1
Fit: 1
Str: 1

>MOT: 4
Coo: 1
Per: 1
Gra: 1
Rea: 1

>PSY: 5
Aut: 1
Emp: 1
Dup: 1
Vol: 2

>INT: 7
Eru: 2
Rat: 1
Ima: 3
Rhe: 1

Talent: Zen

>>5035027
Anon, I'm pretty sure you get 4 points total to add, not 4 per category.

>>5035027
>>5034999
Changing my sheat because I am a retard
>>Name:
Gregory Lidenbrock
>>Attributes and Facaulties
End = 1
Shi = 2
Fit = 1
Str = 1
>PHY = 5
Coo = 1
Per = 2
Gra = 1
Rea = 1
>MOT = 5
Aut = 1
Emp = 1
Dup = 1
Vol = 2
>PSY = 5
Eru = 1
Rat = 2
Ima = 1
Rhe = 1
>INT = 5
>>Talent:
[Enduring]

>>5035004
OP, for the purposes of Zen, is movement an action? In this diagram, MP and AP are separate, but in the header image it's quoted as an action.

>>5034999 (OP)
You have my interest QM, here's what I came up with:

>Name
James Dalloway

>PHYS: 4
End: 1
Shi: 1
Fit: 1
Str: 1

>MOT: 5
Coo: 1
Per: 2
Gra: 1
Rea: 1

>PSY: 6
Aut: 1
Emp: 2
Dup: 1
Vol: 2

>INT: 5
Eru: 1
Rat: 1
Ima: 1
Rhe: 2

>Talent
{Zen}

>>5035047
>What's the posting schedule going to be like.
I'll be processing one to two turns every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. That'll give players a window of 12 to 48 hours to post their actions.
Each Expedition will last around 10 to 15 turns. If a player is absent for three processing days then I'll hand off control of that character to the first lurker interested in playing.

>Seeing that first sheet, is is 4 extra points per Faculties or total ? The OP pic makes it sound like total.
Your interpretation is correct. You have four points to distribute in total.

>>5035262
Declaring movement is an action, and consumes an AP to enact.
MP represents the distance you can cover in the span of that action.

For example.
> [MOT]: 4 = > MP: 4/4
> [PSY]: 4 => AP: 4/4
> Walk 1111 (AP:3/4),(MP:0/4)
You'd use 1 AP to make the action, and at walking speed, be able to traverse 4 unobstructed tiles before pausing.

In the case of Zen, movement counts as an action.
Zen is for edge-case scenarios where you need to devote all of you attention intensely on a single matter.

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> The Inhabitants of the Crossroads congregate near a crumbling cluster of shacks.
> There, the caretaker announces that the settlement’s stock of essential supplies are running dangerously low. With the caverns immediately outlying the Crossroad’s picked clean, the only course of action available to them is to send an expedition out into the more perilous depths of the Neverlit to scavenge.
> A small team will be assembled. Volunteers will be accepted, of course, but a lottery will also be conducted to fill out the ranks. At that, the caretaker produces a pot filled with pebbles and encourages everyone in attendance to extract one.
> Whether you are a volunteer or are here by sheer circumstance, (You) end up as part of the expedition party. One other resident of the Crossroads - one of the older girls, for whatever reason volunteers to join the mission after the lottery is tallied.

> As the meager crowd slowly disperses, the Caretaker pulls your group aside. Not mincing words, he explains that the village has already scouted out a couple promising branches of the nearby cave complexes and offers you the choice of which one you’d rather explore. As you begin to peruse the options presented to you the Caretaker leaves you with a final piece of advice.
“Don’t linger in the dark too long. Take as you dare to then swiftly return.”


{Branch A} "Natural reservoir, high moisture. Abundant organisms. Movement in the water."
{Menace}: 10%
{Prospect}: 80%
{Domain}: Cup-shaped symbol.

{Branch B}: “Sharp, slippery rock formations, cluttered sight lines. Signs of human settlement.”
{Menace}: 20%
{Prospect}: 100%
{Domain}: Blade-shaped symbol.

>>5035497
>Branch B

"Look, guys, I think we should go here. Better chance of getting good stuff, and we can handle any problems we run into."

Thoughts on supplies:
-Everyone should grab a bindle- first come, first serve. Klein is surely taking one.

-Torches should go to the most perceptive party members- James and Greg should split em.

-Greg should take 2 rations and James and Klein 1 each- he's the closest we've got to a damage sink with 5 Phys and Enduring.

-1 bandage to Greg, 1 to the older girl? Maybe she's good in a fight, who knows. Klein won't take the bandage if someone else has a better idea for it.

Hey, QM, any chance we can grab some improvised weapons? Branches, a couple rocks?

>>5035545
Small loose stones are pretty ubiquitous through-out the Neverlit, there are only a few exceptions.
At the crossroads, there should be ample glassy pebbles and small shards of obsidian lying about. You don't even need to roll to find some.

> [Glassy pebble]: (Weight: 0.05 units), (Fragile: may break when struck)
> [Small Obsidian Shard]: (Weight: 0.1 units, (Fragile: may break when struck) (Sharp: May inflict bleed on hit.)

Now for an ill-timed explanation.
Weight interacts with carrying capacity. Containers, such as your bindles, are only capable of holding any number of objects up to a specific amount of weight.
Each of your hands can effortlessly hold a single object which is an eighth as heavy as you are. You can carry loads half as heavy as yourself on your back. Carrying heavier loads in either case is possible, but may incur fumble checks or movement penalties.

Also, It may be prudent of me to mention the weight of other items in your possession.
> [Meager Provisions]: (Weight: 0.2)
> [Torches]: (Weight 0.2)
> [Rag Bandages]: (Weight: 0.1)

You'll have little luck finding branches. Trees don't occur naturally in the Neverlit.
What scraps of wood that can be excavated from sunken ruins are usually of poor quality, but are non-the-less valued for their flammability and versatility. The Crossroads has a few pieces of wood left in their stocks, but they are reserved as fuel for the Lodestar.
> You could attempt to convince the Caretaker to donate some of them to your expedition. You'd have relatively strong leverage for negotiation, considering that the immediate survival of the Crossroad's depends on your success. (Do you want to attempt this?)

>>5035497
>>5035545
"I agree with you. If humans were there once then there should be something left worth taking, tho that does present some questions...anyway, if we are going on such an expedition then I think we shoud get to know eachother, my name is Gregory Lidenbrock, happy to meet you all."

>>5035586
Klein's gonna grab a few [3] glassy pebbles and a pair of obsidian shards, throw those in his bindle.

[Inventory][Weight: .65/2]
-2 small obsidian shards (Sharp, Fragile)
-3 glassy pebbles (Fragile)
-1 meager provision


"Save the wood, Caretaker. At least that way, we don't sink the rest of you totally if our quest fails.."

>>5035631
"Yeah, good to meet you too. I'm Klein. I wish I could say I was happy too, but I'm more just hoping to make it through this, yanno?"

>>5034999
Name: Pete

>PHYS: 5
End: 1
Shi: 1
Fit: 2
Str: 1

>MOT: 5
Coo: 1
Per: 2
Gra: 1
Rea: 1

>PSY: 5
Aut: 1
Emp: 2
Dup: 1
Vol: 1

>INT: 5
Eru: 1
Rat: 2
Ima: 1
Rhe: 1

Talent: Callous

>>5035497
Surprisingly, he volunteered too. Looks to be 11 or 12, short brown hair, brown eyes with a slight golden glint, not that you'd see it down here. Pretty slim, bordering on thin. Looks as bad as everyone else who's here, but at least he sounds determined:
"Someone need to do it." would be his answer to questions regarding his choice.

{Branch B}: “Sharp, slippery rock formations, cluttered sight lines. Signs of human settlement.”
{Menace}: 20%
{Prospect}: 100%
{Domain}: Blade-shaped symbol.

I don't like the idea of dealing with water... things, and this one looks promising.

Inv (1.2/2.5):
> 1 [Meager Provision]: (Weight: 0.2)
> 2 [Torch]: (Weight 0.4)
> 1 [Rag Bandage]: (Weight: 0.1)
"The essentials: 0.5"
> 4 [Glassy pebbles] (Weight: 0.2)
> 3 [Small Obsidian Shards] (Weight 0.3)
"Humans are good at throwing... I think ? I can't remember very well, but its better than nothing."

I'm ready, but I can still carry more if anyone wants.

Greg takes the supplies as stated by Klein in here >>5035545
After that he also pockets 2 Obsidian Shards, one in each pocket.
>>5035641
"I understand how it is but in times such as these it is rarely good for one to stop an count his sorrows. Let us make the most of this situation"
"Also it appears that our little expedition is already growing in numbers" Greg looks at the newcommers
>>5035349
>>5035652
and the silent girl awaiting an introduction.

>>5034999
Name:Anastasia Aslanova
Talent:Inspiring

=[PHS]YIQUE=4
[End] 1
[Shi] 1
[Fit] 1
[Str] 1
=[MOT]ORICS=4
[Coo] 1
[Per] 1
[Gra] 1
[Rea] 1
=[PSY]CHE=8
[Aut] 1
[Emp] 1
[Dup] 1
[Vol] 4
=[INT]ELLECT=4
[Eru] 1
[Rat] 1
[Ima] 1
[Rhe] 1

>>5035497
A girl who - by all accounts is decidedly ordinary - volunteers to carry whatever remains.

>Branch {B}

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> Branch A
0 votes.

> Branch B
4 votes.

---

> After procuring a torch from her domicile and sparking it to life. After a curt introduction, the elder girl - one Jennifer Colt - wordlessly leads your expedition out into the implacable dark. The journey is nerve-wracking, but blissfully uneventful. You aren't exactly certain how long your trek through the blackened bowels of the earth took, but you sure felt every moment of it.
> Jennifer discouraged any attempts at idle conversation as she navigated through the cramp and clutter of the underground, warning of just how far sound can travel through the Neverlit.
>Eventually, the expedition shuffles to a stop. Moisture slickens the ground beneath your feet, innumerable tiny rivulets of water trickle along groves in stone around you, little paths carved away by the frequency of their passage. Past the flickering radiance of your escort's torch, the passage ahead of you trends downwards into oblivion.
> After a moment's hesitation, Jennifer speaks up.
"This is the place. My torch just about spent, someone get another light ready... and watch your step I think there's a slope up ahead."

---

=Player Phase=
Players may now post their actions.
Processing will begin in 12 to 24 hours.

>>5035764
"...Well I brought an extra torch for a reason." He lights a torch and moves forward.

>LIGHT Torch (1AP ?)
>CREEP 45 (1 AP)
>EXAMINE surroundings (1+1AP)

Let me know if I got something wrong.

>>5035773
Immediately dropped my trip. Of course

>>5035764
Greg moves toward Pete for 1 AP before turning to the rest of the group and saying:
"Well then... I suggest we move together until we either find something interesting or we clear the room. Any other suggestion?"

>captcha: ARMRY
well this will be fun

>>5035764
>EQUIP Small Obsidian Shard (1 AP)
>LISTEN for abnormalities (2 AP)
>CREEP south-east 1 hex (2AP)

>>5035818
"Yeah, good idea," whispers Klein back, "but keep your *voice* down, man."

>>5035764

>PROCURE whatever that is on the floor @ [5]
"Are we moving together in a specific way?" James replies whilst walking across the corridor
>WALK 3 >CREEP 44
"Better determine it now than regret it later" he continues, now in a more hushed tone.
>EXAMINE, peek around the wall and into the interior of the corridor
End of Turn

{OOC}
To the QM, Bear with us while we get used to the system, fumble around and ask uneneding questions. Does talking with other players or allied NPCs fall under the Communicate action and therefore cost AP? Do Climb and Leap use MP or AP? Are the items listed in the middle of >>5035586 inside every player's inventory?
To the other players, I hope we can work together to not get horribly killed in this god-forsaken underground. Thanks and god bless.

>>5035764
>SMELL the scents in the air. (4AP)
>PROCURE any loose stones on the floor. (2AP)
>HIDE (2AP)AP)

>>5036598
Talking to anyone during an expedition does count as an action.
The game is paced rather briskly, with approximately 30 to 60 seconds of in-game time passing per turn.

Climbing and Leaping cost AP to perform and the distance you can traverse in either case is capped to your MP.
Leaping involves a {Grace} check, which becomes harder the further you want to jump. Climbing demands a {Fitness} check that gets harder in a similar manner.

I'm afraid not. That's just the weight of the items which the Crossroads lent you. Klein took it upon himself to distribute the gear and the majority of voices seemed to agreed with his judgement. So that's what happened.

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P1 - Klein:
> The Obsidian shard is barely larger than your palm, but it’s deceptively sharp - threatening to slice into your grip at the first opportunity. You get the impression that wielding this weapon might be just about as dangerous as being struck by it.
> Periodically you hear the plop of a droplet striking a puddle, the barely audible babble of the rivulets creeping downwards fills what silence remains. The cavern seems peaceful at the moment.
> You follow after Pete, scanning the tunnel ahead as you push forwards. You are mindful to avoid stepping in the various shallow puddles that have settled in the cave floor.

P2 - Greg:
> The faint plats of your footfalls don’t echo as you shadow Pete’s advance. The swaying beacon is comforting, almost hypnotic when set against the impenetrable gloom ahead.
> Jennifer’s gaze is locked ahead, but she bobs her head in acknowledgement.
“Yeah. That’ll probably be for the best.”

P3 - James:
> You sift through the pile of rubble. It’s mostly gravel and miscellaneous pieces of stone but you also find some larger chunks mixed in. The bigger rocks could be useful as building material, however they are also quite heavy, not to mention that stone is one of the few resources which are overwhelmingly abundant through-out the Neverlit. Your bindle visibly distends as you place the rocks inside.
> Circling over to the other side of the tunnel, you quietly edge along the wall leading into the next chamber.
> Peering past an outcropping of rock you examine the path ahead. The path abruptly falls off after a few more meters, it’s a rockshelf - a little less than two meters at its highest point.

P4 - Pete:
> Lacking a more convenient container, you’ve been holding the hem of your roughspun shirt out in front of you, using it as an impromptu sling to carry your single torch and collection of rocks. You are forced to dump your 3 Obsidian Shards and 4 Glassy Pebbles on the ground in front of you so you can properly light and carry your torch.
> Mindful of your footing, you sidle further down the tunnel. The blazing beacon clutched in your hand makes it all but impossible to conceal your position, but hopefully the crackling flame will serve as a suitable deterrent against anything dwelling in these caverns.
>You spend a moment straining your eyes against the darkness to no avail, but as you readjust the position of your torch you notice something catching the light a far way off.

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>>5036856
P5 - Ana:
> A scent vaguely reminiscent of petrichor hangs on the thin mist of water vapor drifting through this passage, residue from droplets falling from the cave ceiling. The air seems slightly less stale here, perhaps that’s due to the moisture or the slight draft inching through this tunnel. Your train of thought snags on an errant thought. ‘Petrichor... that’s the smell of dust after rain, but - what’s rain?’.
> Distracting yourself, you rummage through a nearby pile of sundered rock - a small shelf of rock collapsed away from the wall ages past. After a perhaps overly meticulous search, you uncover a peculiar stone, pale, porous and incredibly light for its size. After rolling it around in your hands for a moment, you decide to hold onto it.
> You curl up against a wall, and make yourself as small as possible. The shadows around you grow long and deep as the torchlight carried by your comrades shrinks into the distance.

[Menace Rises]
[Prospect Diminishes]

=Player Phase=
Players may now post their actions.
Processing will begin in 12 to 24 hours.

>>5036859
>Greg WALKs (44) towards the slope, carefull not to trip and fall. 2 AP
>He holds his breath and LISTENs for whatever might be down there. 2AP

>>5036859
Correction.
The game will resume 48-ish hours.

>>5036859

>CREEP 54
>CLIMB down carefully, simply holding the ledge then letting go
>EXAMINE the twinkling in the southeast

>>5036859
"I wonder what's down there?"
>CREEP 5545 toward the ledge. (8AP)

>>5035004
Nice game OP, hope to join next expedition since them's the rules. Had a question though: Can we pick both an heirloom and a talent or is it pick between?

>>5037557
It's in the character creation portion of the info image
>"Choose either an heirloom or a talent to start out with"

>>5036859
>CREEP 44 (1AP)
>BRANDISH Torch (1AP ?)
>EXAMINE surroundings (1+1AP)

After waiting a bit for Ana to catch up, Pete resumes moving forward, stopping a bit shy of the drop. He hold the torch forward and up to illuminate whatever's directly beneath the ledge, and takes a moment to see if he notices anything else.

>>5036856
>CREEP up to Jennifer's side (2 AP)
>LISTEN to what's over the edge (1 AP)

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There was a error in the thread's opening image, specifically the 'Cannonized Action' section. It explains some of the questions made regarding movement.
This issue has been fixed, an updated version of the introductory page will be posted once the current expedition concludes.
Pg, thank you for bringing this to my attention.

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P1 - Klein:
> Perching upon an overhang, you keep a lookout as Jennifer shimmies down her rope.
> You listen to the ambience of the cavern - the sparse pattering of stone crying, the groan of taut rope, the muted shuffling of your companions gathered nearby.

P2 - Greg:
> Most of the surfaces you’ve seen so far appear to be coating in some manner of mildew, casting the entire cavern in an earth green hue. As you approach the lip of the ledge, you notice how this fungus seems to thrive around running water. You also notice how slippery it is, and make a point of choosing the least overgrown segment of the ledge to stand on. It doesn’t help all that much, but you feel a bit more confident in your footing none-the-less.
> Stifling your breath, you attempt to pick out any suspicious noises amidst the murmuring signs of trickling water filling the cavern. As the seconds pass, your oxygen deprived heart thunders louder and louder in your eyes, until at last you relent and inhale. In that unguarded instant, you manage to catch the briefest scrabble of movement. Off to your right, somewhere just behind that jutting pillar of rock.

P3 - James:
> As you approach the ledge a drop of water lands on your shoulder with a silent splash.
>Firmly gripping some of the driest handholds you can find, you carefully ease yourself off of the ledge. Thanks to the prudence you exercised your young muscles are given time to adjust to the strain, managing to bear the load without buckling. Once the entirety of your weight is hanging off the ledge you let go, dropping the rest of the distance with a small splash. Besides some mildly wet ankles, you managed to make the descent unscathed.
> As you turn from the wall, you see something in the periphery of your vision: a small blur of motion just beyond the wavering glow of the torchlight. After spending several uneasy moments eyeing the outcropping of rock behind which the blur vanished you feel secure enough to shift part of your attention over to the object glinting in the distance. Unfortunately, shrouded in gloom as it is, there’s little that you can discern about it aside from the fact that it’s small - very small. You can tell that there are chunks of *something* lying nearby, freestanding pieces of rock maybe, there are also no obvious signs of danger immediately around it.

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>>5039318
P4 - Pete:
> Your torch crackles softly as you ease further into the branch. A gentle breeze caresses the back of your neck as it passes by.
> Shadows shift abruptly as you raise your torch, giving you an appreciably better sense of perspective for the objects around you.
> From your spot on the overhang, you slowly sweep your vision across the cave stretching out before you. Swiftly you key in on an oddity on the cave floor. Several small spots almost look like they’re… moving. After watching them for a while, realization dawns, you’re looking at swarms of small crawling insects, gradually navigating their way across the moisture-worn rock. You can’t really make out any more details about the critters from this distance, should you desire to play the entomologist you’ll need to get in close and personal. Tracing the dimensions of the cave you spot several other swarms going about their business. Curiously, they all appear to be travelling away from your expedition. They almost look as though they are converging on something.

P5 - Ana:
> Keeping low and quiet you re-enter the halo of radiance enveloping the rest of the party, leaving the creeping darkness behind you.

[Menace Rises]

=Player Phase=
Players may not post their actions.
Processing will begin in roughly 48 hours.

>>5039326
>Greg pushes the sleeve of his shirt forward, enveloping his hand, before he EQUIPs a [Small Obsidian Shard]*.
>He CREEPS towards Klein and Ana and WISPERS:
"I heard something behind that rock. "

*I assume that I can use the sleeve as a makeshift glove so that Greg doesn’t get cut but if I'm wrong then he just EQUIPs the shard.

>>5039326
>LISTEN (2AP)
>OBSERVE (2AP)

>Alerted by Greg's whisper, Pete tries his best to listen for the noise as he focuses his eyes on the rock Greg mentioned. He intends to wait for more people to go down before using the rope or handing of the torch before climbing down.

>>5039326
>COMMUNICATE (1AP) in a hushed but audible tone to the group
"Could you pass me that torch... Pete was it?" He says, looking at the other boy with his left arm outstretched towards him "I saw something scurry by that corner over there" he continues, now looking at the outcropping and pointing with his other arm "Anyone else see it?" he finishes, looking back at the entire party.
>After that, CREEP 333 (5MP,1AP)
>EXAMINE the new area to the south and southwest (2AP)
>PROCURE the miscellaneous objects @ 4 (2AP)

>>5039326
>CREEP South 2 hexes (4AP)
>TOSS a pebble into the darkness past the torch

>>5039326
>CREEP 4 and face the rock.(1AP)
>PROCURE a sharp rock lying around, something that can be a weapon. (7AP)

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P1 - Klein:
> For a brief moment your thoughts wander and you almost step off the ledge. Fortunately, you snap back to your senses saving you from a rough tumble. You safely descend the overhang using the rope, then creep along the cave wall a short distance before pausing.
> Keeping your gaze fixed ahead as the torch light pulls away, you collect a stray pebble off the ground before winding up and tossing it towards the rock formation where movement was last spotted.
A moment of intense concentration crawls by, and then is violently shattered by a clattering crash from nearby - it appears that James dropped a chunk of metal. Well, nothing has jumped out at you yet, perhaps all this ruckus managed to scare off whatever it was that you saw before.

P2 - Greg:
> In a moment of ingenuity, you adjust your sleeve and use to loose material to bind the flatter section of your obsidian shard with it. With this improvised handguard, you’re far less likely to cut open your own hand on your weapon and bleed out on the cave floor. You spare a brief moment to bask in the sense of accomplishment.
> You gesture to Klein and Ana as you edge over towards the pile of stones which they’re idling beside. By the time you reach them, Klein has already started descending to the next level of the cavern, however he’s still close enough to catch the gist of your whispered message.

P3 - James:
> After seeing that half of the expedition has already descended, Pete begrudgingly relinquishes his torch into your care to free up his hands. The dancing flame sputters and snorts in your face as you reach up to take it.
> With torch in hand, you hurriedly sneak across the clearing towards the twinkling objects, your eyes panning across the encroaching dark scanning for signs of danger. At one point, you almost trip after stepping into a puddle but fortunately you manage to regain your balance at the last moment.
> On the ground you see the remains of a lantern - now little more than a heap of mangled metal and shattered glass - and tatters of heavily stained fabric - bloodstains, you are looking at shredded articles of clothing left to rot after… something unsavory. There doesn’t seem to be any corpse around though. Thousands upon thousands of small ant-like insects swarm over the pile of objects in a spiraling pattern.

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>>5041849
P3 - James
> Taking a closer look at the insects, you notice that almost all of them are viciously attacking one another. Every two or more individuals are wrestling, stinging, or shearing each other apart using their terrifyingly prominent mandibles. Further, despite looking generally similar no two specimens are exactly alike - this isn’t a case of two nests waging war, every individual is attacking every other individual. After several moments of watching you pick up another detail - the immediate area is covered in ant corpses, or rather pieces of ant corpses. Not a single scrap of flesh seems to have been retrieved for consumption, instead everything was discarded on the battlefield and left to rot.
> Glancing around at your surroundings, your gaze catches on a strangely-shaped object crammed in between a rock formation to the east, lying just beyond the radiance of your lantern. Goosebumps run down your arms, you can’t be sure what that is, what you are looking at. But, even so, *you know*.
> Upon attempting to snatch up one of the pieces of metal debris - the tormented body of a lantern - a living tide of insects begin pouring out of a crack in its exterior. On reflex, you cast the scrap away from yourself - causing it to crash into the floor with a loud clang which echoes through the caverns - and frantically begin brushing at your arms dislodging any stray insects before they could launch their attack in earnest. Nursing several small cuts and stings on the back of your hand, you take another step back. These creatures seem aggressive and very unwilling to surrender their theater of war to outsiders. If you want to plunder what has been left here, you’ll need to drive these little soldiers away or else perform your banditry with far more finesse.

P4 - Pete:
> After a moment of deliberation, evaluating the situation and how many of your companions have already climbed down, you hesitantly pass your torch to James so that you can also climb down. Naturally, James almost immediately runs off ahead to investigate the distant glimmer that was spotted earlier, leaving most of the party engulfed in shadow.
> Pausing you to listen to the sounds of the cavern again. From your position, you watch as Klein prowls forward and tosses a stone in an attempt to flush out whatever was lurking over there. However, this ploy is almost immediately undercut as Pete suddenly recoils away from something he had picked up off the ground, noisily dropping it in the process. However, while the others were startling at the noise, or hissing curses in Jennifer’s case, you heard it: coming fractions of a second after the crash, almost as though an echo, a distant clatter out to the west.

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>>5041851
P4 - Pete
> Glancing back towards the torch, you take stock of what James is doing. He appears to be standing uncomfortably close to an ominously spiraling congregation of insects several magnitudes more numerous than the sparse swarms orbiting its perimeter, gingerly rubbing his free hand using his torch hand. Now properly illuminated you can make out what was glinting earlier, shards of broken glass, hundreds of twinkling specks scattered amidst stone, water and insect. There almost appear to be scraps of some sort of fabric, and a few chunks of metal. You genuinely can’t make out much more from this distance.
> Under the shifting glow of the torch, you could’ve sworn that for the briefest of instances the numerous natural protrusions and outcroppings lining this gargantuan chamber adopted the visage of gnarled, boney fingers jabbing down towards James with accusatory contempt.

P5 - Ana:
> With a tentative stride, you wander over to large boulder circled by miscellaneous junk rocks.
> Filtering out external stimuli, you resolutely set about hunting through the rocky debris before you for something substantial to use as a weapon. After several minutes of meticulous stone-turning you uncover something grisly beneath a pile of heavy stones: a human ribcage. It would appear that you have accidentally disturbed a hastily constructed burial mound. Poking around further you discover a well cut slab of stone amongst all the rubble, its surface has long since eroded away but there doesn’t seem to be an inscription on it anyway. Probing the gravesite a little more, you uncover a moisture rotten leather parcel hidden beneath the headstone. Within you find a competently-crafted stone chisel with a grimy ribbon tied to the handle and a scrap of paper: an epitaph perhaps. Regrettably, moisture has taken its toll on even these sacred words of remembrance, however not nearly as badly. You can still make out a handful of words near the top.
“... never should have [illegible]... were right... [illegible].” ... can’t take y…[Illegible] ...m so sor...”

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>>5041852
[As James surges onwards a cloying wave of darkness sweeps over the rest of the expedition, obstructing senses and squeezing the breath from your lungs. Unease presses down upon you from all angles.]

Twisted phantasms made of razors and cruel needle-toothed grins fix their cruel, piercing gazes on Klein. They beckon.
[The Neverlit inflicts 3 points of Fear on Klein]

Darkness pools unsettling beneath Greg. Is that a shadow cast from something above him? What foul lunacy casts a shadow on darkness?
[The Neverlit inflicts 1 point of Fear on Greg]

The space around you teems with edges! Gnashing maws! Watch out, the air has teeth!
[The Neverlit inflicts 2 points of Fear on Pete]

Slow breaths, there is nothing there. Clear your mind and proceed.
[Ana resists The Neverlit]


[Menace Rises]
[Prospect Declines]

=Player Phase=
Players may not post their actions.
Processing will begin in 12 to 24 hours.

File: TwinkleTwinkle.gif (2.37 MB, 440x440)

2.37 MB GIF

>>5041853
Another poorly placed, and very brief, explanation:

> Fear is a status. It accumulates when in a tile with no/low illumination or when faced with something truly horrifying. You defend against it using {Volition}. If it exceeds your [PSYCHE], you'll take damage to a random [PSYCHE] or [INTELLECT] attribute.
> Ana's Inspiring talent does provide protection against [PSY] damage, but not [INT] damage. She can bolster your morale, but she is not capable of battling the night-terrors spawning from your fevered cognition on your behalf.

>>5041853
>Greg LIGHTS his torch while taking a deep breath to calm himself.
>With the obsidian shard in his hand and the torch in the other he JUMPs in front of the rock to cut the escape of whatever is in there, afterall, if their presence wasn't already discovered then his jump should be harmless.

>>5041853
>=Player Phase=
>Players may NOT post their actions.
Are you doing that on purpose ?


>CLIMB 4 (3 AP)
>CREEP 33 (1 AP)

>Pete would have liked to get over to the rope and use it rather than climb down in the dark, but he fears bumping into someone and falling off into the teeth.
>The rocks. Right.
> He sits down and uses his feet to locate the ledge before dragging himself over and carefully figuring out out a safe way down by touch. He hopes to be able to climb down safely and, from there, walk towards the light and away from the teeth.
>The dark.
>He sure has some choice words about what responsibilities being the Torch Bearer entailed for James, but those could wait for when they got out.
>If they got out...

>>5041882
Huh. No, that's definitely not intentional.
Looks as if I swapped the word 'now' with 'not' for some reason.
That is very stupid.

Also, there's a minor rendering error on the map, relating to held item sprites.
James is still holding the torch.

>>5041853
>CREEP into Jennifer's space (2 AP)
>WRAP the obsidian shard with sleeve (1AP) [Thanks for the idea, Greg!]
>GUARD the corner where the noise was coming from (2AP)

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>>5041853
A stupid mistake. I should've been more attentive to the range of the torchlight, though at least we got to know what happens if you remain in the dark.
What caused me to stumble? Did I miscount my points or can you not use AP to move afterall?

>CREEP backwards 66 (4MP)
>COMMUNICATE (1AP)
"Sorry... I got ahead of myself."
>EXAMINE the darkness for any other signs of danger (5AP)

>>5041927
Like any action, to perform a movement action you need to spend an AP, but MP is the actual resource used to limit travel.
Creep burns 2 MP per tile travelled.
You have 5 [Mot] which gives you a pool of 5 MP per move action.
You moved 333, which would require 6 MP - one more than you actually had to spare.

> ... can you not use AP to move afterall?
Ah, no. The suggestion that AP can be spent to extend movement originated from a typo that managed to slip under my notice. I rectify the mistake here: (>>5039066).
My apologies for the confusion.

>>5041853
>HIDE by the ledge and rope, ready to climb down in case something does appear from behind the rock. (6AP)
>CLIMB downward carefully.(2AP)

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P1 - Klein:
> Harassed by waking nightmares, you lurch back into the warm glow of the torch. Your breath pulls heavily on your frame as you shamble over to Jennifer.
> Empowered by residual traces of adrenaline, you tear a strip from your shirt sleeve and tie it around your obsidian shard as an impromptu handguard.
> Turning back toward the darkness, you raise your guard. Muscles tensed and back arched you face off against the unknown with Jennifer while the others collect their senses.

P2 - Greg:
> Bursting into a bouquet of luminosity, you thrust the freshly ignited torch out in front of you and squeeze your eyes close. Inhaling sharply, your eyes snap open and behold… nothing. The looming dread that haunted you has been banished like morning mist under sunlight..
> Compelled by an earnest desire to rapidly move on, you leap off the ledge - sailing through the clammy cavern air in a shallow arc before reuniting with the ground. Your landing was slightly awkward, leaving your ankle feeling slightly tender, but overall every turned out pretty well considering. You hear a thud behind you as Ana loses her grip on the rope and crumples to the ground in a heap.

P3 - James:
> Turning on your heel, you move back towards your flailing comrades. The light of your torch dispelling the unnatural gloom congealing around them as you draw closer.
> Somewhat disarmed after witnessing the malign effects of the Neverlit’s shade, you offer a shakily apology. The only concession Jennifer makes toward acknowledging you, is a slight softening in her expression before breaking off to watch your flank. Before she turns away, a tinge of grim concern waver across her face.
> With the others safely swaddled by the light of your torch, you take the opportunity to scan the perimeter of your glowing island of sanity. Thankfully no malevolent entities seem to be have capitalized on the moment of disarray, in fact the void encompassing the party is pensively quiet. However, surveying the terrain, you notice that there appears to be another abrupt drop-off a little further to the south, one that looks to stretch a fair distance too - might be a ravine. More traversable paths stretch to the east and west, well at least you assume they are paths - they may terminate in dead-ends only meters beyond your line of sight - it’s impossible to tell through this impenetrable gloom.

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>>5043061
P4 - Pete:
> Scrambling to action, you leverage yourself off the ledge as swiftly as your trembling fingers will permit. Somehow, you set foot back on solid ground without incident.
> Keeping low to the ground, you clamber further into the comforting bubble of light, only coming after falling in behind Jennifer and Gregory.

P5 - Ana:
>Shrinking down to the ground, you attempt to obscure your profile as you proceed onward.
>Utilizing the rope set-up by Jennifer, you begin scaling your way down to your companions. However, a cramp suddenly shoots up one of your arms causing your grip to falter and throwing you off balance causing you to slam into the ledge. The shock knocks the wind out of you and before you realize what’s happening you are plummeting into the unfortunately rugged stone below. On impact, your vision blurs and your muscles spasm as a thunderclap of pain surges through your nervous system. You bite into your lip, stifling a yelp of anguish - a genuinely commendable feat of self-discipline. However, this fumble has still well-and-truly compromised your concealment.

[James’ torch is growing dim. Looks as though it's almost spent. Have a replacement prepared before it burns out completely.]

[Menace Rises]

=Player Phase=
Players may now post their actions.
Processing will begin in roughly 48 hours.

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>>5043063
> <Pain> is the physical counterpart to <Fear>. It works pretty much the same way except that it's physical not mental.
> When <Pain> accumulates past your current [Physique] you sustain a point of damage randomly assigned to a [PHY] or [MOT] attribute.

> Ana's {Strength} has been reduced to 0, and by extension, her [PHY] has been reduced to 3.
> Among other little details this means that, at base, she'll roll 0d4 on strength checks and physical damage rolls. A bad place to be, but as long as she doesn't take any more damage to her {Str} she can always recover from these wounds back at the Crossroads.
> Remember, if your attributes go into the negatives you take permanent losses. Tread carefully.

>>5043063
>Greg puts the obsidian shard back in his pocket before he HELPs Ana to get back on her feet.(1 AP)
>He WALKs forward(33) towards Jennifer and Klein.(2 AP)
>He EXAMINEs the mass of insect corpses.(2 AP)

>>5043063 >>5042657
>WALK 5 (1MP)
>COMMUNICATE (1AP)
"You alright lass? Here..."
>Offer to HELP Ana up (1AP)

I'll wait for a player response before ending my turn

>>5043068
>ENDURE the pain. (4AP)
>GET UP with Greg and James' assistance. (2AP)
>COMMUNICATE (1AP)
"T-thanks. I think I can still move."
>CREEP 33 (1AP)

>>5043063 >>5043088
>WALK 233 (3MP)
>HOLD the torch close to some of the insects and withdraw it if there's an agressive reaction (1AP)
>COMMUNICATE (1AP)
"Hey... Greg, do you think the scouts from the Crossroads drop this lantern here? Maybe that creepy thing had something to do with it, did you see it too?."

>>5043088
>>5043763
>COMMUNICATE(1 AP) to James
"I have seen many creepy so please be less vague. To answer your question, I think of 2 possibilities: the lantern belonged to someone who either travelled towards the human settlement we were told about, or back from the settlement towards the Crossroads."
After/If Greg sees the blood stains:
"The owner of the lanter was probably attacked by these insects and threw it to scare them of. I seems that it didn't work."

>>5043063 >>5043906
>COMMUNICATE (1AP)
After first sentence
"How could I be more specific if it was just a- Ah forget it, it probably was just a trick of the light."
After last sentence
"We can only hope they're alive, friendly and fuel rich."
>WALK 3

>>5043063
>CALM himself (2AP)
>OBSERVE surroundings (2AP)

>Pete has the occasion to try and calm down as the newly lit torch gets closer to him. He also tries to make out any new details or threats in the revealed area, as he idly wonders if anyone has picked up the tool he saw near the rope before they climbed down. If not, he ought to go get it on the way back.

>>5043063
>MEDITATE for a moment (ALL AP)

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P1 - Klein:
> Rolling your shoulders, you respire heavily. You realize that there's been a catch in your breath for a while now, a weight lifts from your chest.

P2 - Greg
> As you hoist Ana up, you simultaneously shove your obsidian shard down your shirt. At an inopportune moment you wobble slightly against the weight of your injured comrade causing your improvised shiv to skim across your abdomen, opening a shallow, weeping wound.
> Patting at the fresh stain blossoming across the fabric of your shirt, you stride over to Klein and Jennifer.
> Truly astounding quantities of derelict exoskeletons are scattered across this section of the cavern. Poking through a random pile, you evaluate the anatomy of creatures which once wore them. On average, these bugs seem to grow no larger than the nail of your pinky finger, however their mandibles are extremely exaggerated relative to the rest of their body, comprising at least two-thirds of their bulk. Their exoskeletons are generally sleek and lightweight, except for thorny, hair-like protrusions which cluster around the joints. Some of the remains appear to be recent kills - still oozing with ichor, while others are little more than desiccated husks, however all have been brutally dismembered to some extent. While you cannot attest to the end product’s quality, these chunks of insectoid gore theoretically could be repurposed as supplies, provided you are willing to scrape a sufficiently high quantity of it off the ground.
> As you pick through the smatterings of ant carcasses, one of the bodies abruptly shudders to life and lunges for one of your fingers, thankfully it doesn't manage this feat on account of lacking a majority of its limbs. Still despite bearing multiple mortal injuries the insect painstakingly drags its pseudo-carcass towards you, pursuing you doggedly no matter what you do to deter the dying creature. Out of the corner of your eye you notice something that causes you to pause: several nearby columns of insects have diverted course, some even moving directionally away from the heaving mass of insectoid violence which previously enamored them. Dozens upon dozens of ants are beelining towards you, with more joining the turning tide with each passing moment.
>Absentmindedly you respond to James, as you turn on the spot carefully monitoring each group of encroaching insects. You feel a bead of blood trickle from the scratch on your torso.

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>>5046087
P3 - James:
> Moving with subdued urgency, you backtrack over to where Ana lay.
> With a twinge of concern in your voice you lean down and offer a helping hand.
> After an unsteadiness ascent you and Greg manage to lift Ana upright without exacerbating her injuries, even allowing her to lean on you until her body rediscovers its balance.
> Once you are reasonably satisfied that Ana has re-established control over her faculties, you turn your attention back towards the south. Once more approaching the pile of discarded curiosities and the scuttling masses congregating around them.
> You gently sweep your torch close over the periphery of the miniature melee, the ambient heat singing errant scraps of fabric. Interestingly, the insects react dramatically to the low-burning flame, swiftly scattering in all directions, only tentatively reclaiming their lost territory once the torch has been pulled back.
> Turning to Gregory, you pose a few questions that have been bouncing around your mind, hoping to glean insight from his perspective. Though, he sounds somewhat distracted.
> With a final sigh, your torch dies. Gossamer stands of smoke curl from the stay embers persisting in the charred wood.

P4 - Pete:
> Your mouth feels dry. You ball up your fists and harden your thoughts, pressing residual apprehension back into your unconscious.
> At Gregory's approach, torchlight flows along the edge of a rather deep ravine several meters ahead of the party. Far to the right, you spot evidence of human activity: a thick wooden post embedded in the crude rock of the cavern floor. There’s some sort of rope tied to the post which extends off into the darkness.
> You briefly appraise the various rock faces, mineral shelves, and stalagmites around you, before turning your gaze upon the swarming insects recoiling away from James’ spluttering torch. Wisps of smoke begin lazily rising off the more flammable pieces of detritus in the pile. You glance back towards the grave Ana uncovered - its contents still unplundered - and contemplate whether backtracking would be worthwhile.

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>>5046101

P5 - Ana:
> Clenching your teeth, you roll onto your stomach and lie still for a moment. Eventually the agonizing bolts of sensation stabbing through shoulder blades mellow out into a haze of mere intolerable discomfort.
> Though your body aches terribly at the touch, you maintain a brave face in front of your associates as they help you get your feet back underneath you. A spell of dizziness threatens to topple you once more, but the feeling passes as swiftly as it came.
> There’s a slight croaking edge to your voice as you express your appreciation to the others. As they go about their business, you quietly clear your throat.
> Your back produces a series of disconcerting creaks as you shuffle onwards. They fade away after short while so you try not to dwell on it.

[Roaring shrieks pierce the silence and rattle through the cavern like thunder.]

[Menace rises]
=Player Phase=
Players may now post their actions.
Processing will begin again in roughly 48 hours.

>>5046103
>GIVE(1 AP) the closest entity to me the torch.
>WALK to where James droped the lantern(1 AP)
>RIP a small patch of your other sleeve and clean your torso of blood and DROP it 1 feet away from the torch. (2 AP)
>TAKE the lantern after the insects leave for the blood (1 AP)

Total AP spend = 5

>>5046103
>RECIEVE Torch (1AP)
>CREEP 3 (2MP/1AP)
>LOOT hexagon (2AP)

>Pete grabs the torch from Greg's outstretched hand and sets off towards the bugs. He moves slowly, keeping the torch at chest height, to make sure the bugs vacate the pile of dead bugs and other potential loot, which he intends to rumage through.

>>5046103
>WALK SW 1 hex towards Jennifer (1AP)
>GUARD the south (3AP)
>COMMUNICATE to the team in a low voice:
"Guys, keep moving. Come southwest, bring the light and let's grab what we can get and jet!"

>>5046103
>CREEP 54 (4MP)
>COMMUNICATE in response to Klein (1AP)
"And before we meet whatever made that noise"
>LISTEN for danger (5AP)

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P1 - Klein:
> You sidle up next to Jennifer. She remains silent but appears skittish, clearly troubled by your current circumstances. Periodically, she throws glances over her shoulder.
> Shifting your posture, you relax into a readied stance, eyes coolly scanning the inky outlines of the cave in front of you.
> With a trace of alarm in your voice, you encourage your fellow expedition member to hasten.

P2 - Greg:
> You pass off your torch to Pete, the warmth which the flame left on your body slowly ebbs away.
> As you step towards the lantern’s remnants, several marching lines of ants break formation and fiercely swerve towards your feet with surprising swiftness. However, their ferocity fails to match your deftness as, while not particularly graceful, you manage to evade with a series of well timed hops and dukes, eventually sliding into place beside Pete.
> The close proximity of fire seems to be keeping the diminutive creatures, but they have now amassed into a concerningly large army, one literally clamoring for blood, your blood. Deciding to experiment, you try to rip a strip of fabric from your shirt, soaking it with blood to gauge the aggressing swarm’s reaction. Unfortunately however, the fabric tears in an inconvenient fashion, destroying a critical seam and essentially rendering the article of clothing unwearable. Somewhat disgruntled, you nonetheless follow through on your plan and observe as a section of the swelling hoard of insects engulfs the blooded fabric, viciously tearing into it with gnashing mandibles. An unpleasant itch runs across your whole body, and the cut on your abdomen continues to seep scarlet. Perhaps you should take a moment to properly staunch it?
> Tapping the nearby lantern fragment with your toe, provokes a small stream of crawling critters to emerge, only to be immediately driven back by the heat of the torch. After a couple more safety taps, you tentatively pick up the hunk of metal. This crumpled device clearly was a lantern at some point, but a tremendous impact has not only shattered the device into pieces, but has even ruptured one section of the iron casing. As you turn the rust-caked ex-lantern in your hands, you feel something slosh around inside.

P3 - James:
> Clutching the flame-eaten husk of wood in your grip, you tip-toe towards the edge of the torch’s protective ring of illumination.
> After responding to Klein, you cast your senses out into blackened recesses of the cavern. It only takes a matter of moments for you to register the rustling noises sporadically emanating from behind the heavily shadowed rock formation ahead, the dimly outlined silhouettes of which remain ever motionless.
> Despite straining your ears to the point of popping your eardrums, you don’t notice anything else note-worthy or suspicious - no more monstrous annunciations nor any audible indicators of other humans within earshot.

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>>5048818
P4 - Pete:
> Greg hands off torch bearing privileges to you, during the transition you cannot help noticing a spot on Greg's shirt that glistens with moisture.
> Cataloguing that detail for later consideration, you step over the pooling multitudes of insects until you come to loom over the pile of infested junk. As you lower your torch towards it, the tiny flakes of glass scattered across the area catch the light marvelously - shining like chiliad suns. In the wake of the torch's baking glow, the skittering ant-like things evacuate their sanctuary in a roiling wave.
> Mindful of any lurking insects or stray specks of glass, you carefully pick through the loose assortment of objects. The heap contains several mangled hunks of rusted metal, and shreds of heavily decayed, and thoroughly bloodstained, fabric. Curiously there doesn’t seem to be any human remains here, just… the implication of one. Alternatively, perhaps whoever left all this here got away in the end.
> As you shift another piece of fabric, your gaze lingers on something half buried beneath discarded insect cadavers. You initially mistook it for a pebble, but on closer inspection it appears to be a section of a human finger, meticulously cleaned of every trace of flesh. The surface of this bone has been severely worn down by a plethora of tiny gouges and cuts and in places they penetrate through to the hollow interior. Your stomach flips, an overpowering sense of wrongness radiates off this gnawed shard of bone.

[Menace Rises]
[Prospect Declines]

=Player Phase=
Players may now post their actions.
Processing will begin in about 12 to 24 hours.

>>5048820
>PROCURE Fabric scraps x2 (2AP)
>WRAP Fabric around bone (1AP)
>CREEP 55 (4MP/1AP)

>Pete catches a glimmer coming from the east, but quickly discards it. Everyone else is intent on going the other way. He starts picking up the valuable fabric, hoping Gregory will do the same with the metal. After picking up a bit of fabric, he will try to wrap it around the finger. Though he was never bothered by the demise of others, something about it feels...off. Enough that he doesn't want to touch it directly. That done, he will keep gathering whatever scraps he can, hopefully ending with a sort of ball with the fingertip in the middle, that he should be able to carry in one hand with relative ease.

I'm not sure whether procuring has a per object or general cost, so I'll err on the side of caution.

>>5048820
>COMMUNICATE(1AP)
"Anybody willing to trade anything that can be used as a bandage for the corpse of a lantern?"
Until them
>INVESTIGATE the lantern and see if the thing inside it can be brought out(3 AP)
Total AP used = 4

I will end my turn after somebody responds me.

>>5048820
Insufficient AP? If the PSY value determines the AP limit then I had 6 AP to spend had I not?

>>5048879
>COMMUNICATE(1AP)
"I don't have any bandages but Ill take it if no one else does."
>EQUIP torch stump(1AP?)
>CREEP 55(4MP)
>PROCURE the pile of rocks @ 0,1 and 6(2AP or 1AP)
>EXAMINE the location the scratching is coming from (3AP)

In hindsight, we really should've taken more torches.

>>5049214
Ah, yes, you're absolutely correct.
Sorry for spooking you like that, a booking error on my part.
Please do disregard the stress gain, it never happened.

>>5049214
Although, with that said, your current action *does* appear to overdraw a little.
> Communicate (1AP)
> Equip (1AP)
> Creep (1AP)
> Procure (1AP)
> Examine (3AP)
> 7/6 AP
If you're still around, feel free to make corrections. It'll be a few more hours before I can sit down and start processing.

>>5048820
>WALK 1 hex south (1AP)
>GUARD the southwest (ALL remaining AP)

>>5049506
So movement does cost AP? I assumed that if movement and actions are going to be made distinct then moving would only cost MP, thinking that it would be similar to either Fallout and NEO Scavenger or to Underrail. I now see the latter part of >>5035449 and I did indeed miss this rule. My apologies.

Amending turn to:
> Communicate (1AP)
> Equip (1AP)
> Creep (1AP)
> Procure (1AP)
> Examine (2AP)

>>5049609
It's alright, several players have had trouble with movement system.
Honestly I should have provided a clearer explanation from the outset.

>>5048879
>Use the unwearable cloth to MAKE a rudimentary bandage to stop the bleeding.(1 AP)
With this action the total AP used is equal to 5.

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P1 - Klein:
> Focus fixed on the rubble-ringed stalagmite before you, you shift towards the gaping chasm to the south, coming to a stop next to Pete.
> You spare a moment to prepare yourself for whatever may come.

P2 - Greg:
> You inquire as to whether anyone has a bandage to spare, but unfortunately it looks as though no help will be forthcoming. Next to you, Pete gingerly wraps a small object in a piece of age-frayed cloth.
> As Pete begins ambling over to the chasm to the south, you begin fiddling with the damaged lantern, closely examining its structure. Even despite the diminishing light, you swiftly manage to locate a slight indentation near the base. After some dexterous interfacing, an internal latch surrenders to your probing sliding out with a low creak and exposing a modest canister partially-filled with greasy pitch-black substance: Lamp oil.
> As you begin plotting out the best way to transform your ruined shirt into bandages, your concentration is disrupted by a confounding itch on your foot. Glancing down you see a veritable carpet of ants, no longer cowed by the torch, surging from all directions and scaling up your pants. Resisting the immediate impulse to throw or drop your discovery, you instead elect to beat at the encroaching swarm with your mangled shirt - with minimal effectiveness. Upon reaching your exposed torso, countless grains of animate malice brandish fiendishly sharp mandibles and proceed to savage your form with incising bites, firmly latching on and tearing oozing gashes into your skin with disarming strength. Cruel stingers plunge downwards releasing sparking flashes of pain across the surface of your body. Half-strangled cries of pain and frustration crawl their way out of your throat as you continue to thrash against the besieging mass.

P3 - James:
>You squeeze the blackened stick in your hand. The sensation is mildly comforting, at least you have something to defend yourself with.
> Easing past several large puddles, you snake your way towards the hardwood post. The structure is mostly unremarkable and unembellished, the exterior is lightly splintering but overall the post is sturdy and securely planted. Currently, it is serving as an anchorage for a length of course rope which has been suspended over the ravine. Some simplistic markings have been carved into the wood near the base of the post.
> Peering down into the sheer drop, you do indeed spy the upper tips of various boulders and loose piles of assorted rock, amidst a shifting shroud of mist. By your reckoning they are at least 8 to 16 meters below your current position. Falling from this height would be devastating, if not outright lethal. There are several loose stones near a cave formation a short distance to the north-west which, while more immediately accessible, are still too far away for you to procure.

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>>5049807
P3 - James
> The formation to your west stands an unusually stout stalagmite. Around the eastern side, several large shards of various minerals and low piles of rock rubble have accumulated, obstructing the path forward somewhat. However, from within the umbra behind the stunted natural pillar you just barely detect jittering traces of motion.

P4 - Pete:
> You gather up every salvageable piece of cloth, pointedly ignoring the foul odors lingering in the fabric.
> Attentively, you encase the peculiar object in a strip of fabric. While you worked, you cannot help but notice how much the crumb of bone resembles a whistle. In the back of your mind, a conspiratorial whisper bubbles up into your surface thoughts. You immediately dismiss the revolting suggestion, but echoes of the sordid thought linger in your subconscious.
> “What would happen if you were to blow into it”?
> Hoisting your torch back up to face level, you move on. Sneaking over to the others, who have begun to congregate around the rim of a steep descent. Thin clouds of vapor lazily waft up from the rent in the earth yawning open before the expedition.

[Menace Rises]

[Lurkers are invited to bot Ana, as her player has been inactive for a considerable period of time.]

=Player Phase=
Players may now post their actions.
Processing will begin in about 48 hours.

>>5049810
>USE the [Meager Provisions] to get rid of the bugs.(2 AP)
>LEAP towards the group(2 AP)
>SEARCH my inventory for that [Rag Bandage] Klein gave me(1 AP)
>Apply it to stop the bleeding(1 AP)
Total AP used = 5

>>5049810
Sorry, had the longest power outage ever.

>Walk 55, avoiding stepping on the ants. (1AP)
>HIDE (3AP)
>EXAMINE that ominous pair of red eyes. What could it be? (4AP)

>>5049810
>COMMUNICATE (1AP)
"Jennifer's right. Everyone ! Move back to the entrance, we are leaving !"
>HOLD Torch towards Gregory to get rid of the bugs (2AP)
>CREEP 21 (1AP/4MP)

>Pete heeds Jennifer's advice. Slims pickings, certainly, but it's become increasingly obvious their presence is attracting unwanted attention. As Gregory lands near him, he does his best to wave the torch around the other boy's body to try and spook the bugs biting him. After that, he starts making his way back towards the exit, keeping the torch low to part the bug flows. Hopefully the other follow. There is still a lot to carry back to the Marker, so now is not the time to die.

>>5049810
>WALK one hex south (1 AP)
>UNTIE the rope from the post and cut it (REMAINING AP)

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>>5049819
> Total AP used = 5

>>5051882
>USE the [Meager Provisions] to get rid of the bugs.(1 AP)
>LEAP towards the group(2 AP)
>SEARCH my inventory for that [Rag Bandage] Klein gave me(1 AP)
>Apply it to stop the bleeding(1 AP)

>>5049810
>WALK 2216 (1AP,4MP)

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P1 - Klein:
> In a bound of motion, you rush over to the wooden post and take ahold of the rope bound there. To quit the expedition after gaining so little would be shameful, the rope emits a low creak of tension as though replying to the sentiment.
> With as much expediency as your adrenaline-charged digits can muster, you begin the process of disassembling the series of knots keeping the rope in place. After several moments of spirited prying, you manage to loosen several key loops and the rope comes apart in a single calculated tug. You only have a moment to savor this small victory as - instead of slackening slightly at the release - the moment you unmoor the rope, it pulls hard in your grip, a great weight hanging on the line descends rapidly, bereft of adequate support, throwing you off your feet and over the edge of the cliff in the process. For an instant, it felt as though time slowed to a crawl - the world blurring into a mosaic of dark greens and blacks as you sailed through the air - but then your stomach flipped as the sensation of falling overtook you and your brain pivoted fully into frenzied panic. Driven mostly by blind instinct, your hands claw at the space around you and, miraculously, find purchase on a thin ledge slightly below the top of the ravine - you grit your teeth as inertia jolts through your body, threatening to pull your arms from their sockets.

P2 - Greg:
> Blinking through the withering anguish, you retrieve your ration and fiercely toss it before the antagonistic insectoids, if not to divert their attention then merely out of spite. Alas, the creatures largely ignore the scattered foodstuff.
>For a second or two longer, you futilely persist in your ‘fight’ instinct before it is overwritten by ‘flight’. You attempt to leap towards your allies, or away from your attackers, or both - however in your entirely warranted haste that leap devolved into something more reminiscent of a lunge or perhaps a mad dive. As a silver lining, a good deal of the vicious crawling devils were shaken loose as your body slid/tumbled across the cavefloor, and the remainder were repelled as Pete interceded with his torch.
> Feeling somewhat pale, you fumbled around for a moment before retrieving a spool of rag bandages from the incredibly modest depths of your bindle. You spend a while checking yourself thoroughly for any potential holdouts, a compulsion motivated primarily by the fact that you could still faintly feel the tingling itch of insect legs clambering across your skin. Eventually, you dispelled the paranoia and - despite the tremble in your fingers - began liberally staunching the most severely bloodied areas of your body.

P3 - James:
> Stopping for nothing, you swiftly and quietly retrace your steps back to the entrance of this branch, coming to a stop at the rope set up by Jennifer.

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>>5052316
P4 - Pete:
> With that announcement, you turn on your heel and start moving back towards the expedition’s extraction point.
> As proceeded forward, Gregory - bloodslick and partially coated in extremely excited insects - threw himself over in your general direction. Stepping forward you swept your torch over and around his spasming form - driving off the attacking bugs in short order - before positioning yourself between the swarm and Gregory, obstructing them lest they attempt further aggression.

P5 - Ana:
> As you move deeper into the cavern, you take great care to step over and around the little trails of insects at your feet, all resolutely marching for the chance to sup on fresh blood.
> Pressing yourself against a wall, you peer into the darkness looming just beyond the radiance of the torch, and behold the telltale reflective gleam of lurking eyes.
> As you squint against the gloom, attempting to get a better view of whatever entity is stalking your party, the gazing eyes of the stalker snap over to you. For a long moment, all is still. You can still hear the seething groans of Gregory, the tremendous crash of something collapsing nearby, and the ominous shudders and screeching which echoed out from the south, but it was all muffled as you affixed all of your attention on the being before you. Slowly, immeasurably so at first, the thing inched out of the impenetrable pitch and waded into the shadowy semilight just beyond the torches' reach. You have absolutely no idea what this creature is, a stout thing with a round, vaguely amphibious figure mounted on a pair of muscular taloned legs. By this point the creature had crested a pile of rocks, and gazed down at you with two rows of three bulging eyes each filled with an indecipherable intent of an almost avian persuasion. The alien body perched before you was tensed - poised to strike - then vibrating with a foreboding rasp of a hiss its body slightly parted at the front, exposing an interior absolutely lined with spindly hooked fangs.

[As the expedition begins to retreat, Jennifer and Klein fall outside of the protective halo of light.]
[Looking down, Klein spies predatory shapes slicing through the congealed fogbanks, silently converging beneath the spot above which he so tantalizingly dangles.]
[Jennifer bites into the side of her mouth, the sharp taste of iron distracting her from the stygian gloom collecting around her.]

[The glow of Pete’s torch grows fainter by the moment. It will not burn for much longer. Have a replacement ready.]

[Menace Rises]

=Player Phase=
Players may now post their actions.
Processing will begin in about 48 hours.

>>5052319
Do I have another torch? When you told use the weight of the items (here >>5035586) you used the plural form.

>>5052428
You guys were given three torches that were split between you. You've burnt two so far, James has the last unused one.
Jennifer also has a spare torch, but she'd prefer to save it for the return trip to the Crossroads.
Each {Torch} item is a single object, which weigh (0.2 U) and burn for about 5 turns.

>>5052319
>ENDURE the pain ... (2 AP)
>... and RISE UP(1 AP)
>WALK(61) away from the insects (2 AP)

Total AP used = 2 +1 + 2 = 5

>>5052319
>What is that red glow ?
>Imminent death.
I find this funny despite how bad it is for us.

>COMMUNICATE "James, torch's almost out over here. The others need yours. Come back here or hand it over, will you ?" (1AP)

I'm going to try and split my action, here. I'm not certain this is possible. I'll wait for James to decide, then post the rest.
If I can't do that, just tell me QM and I'll redo it tomorrow.

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>>5052738
I thought Greg had the last one. The provision posts didn't make it clear who had how much only who should get them.

>>5053310
I'd agree with you if those creatures weren't right on top of us, making the timeframe too short. Using this last turn of your torchlight to help Klein and Jennifer and then running back is better than me giving you another one. You have 10 hexagons worth of movement if you sprint, enough to help them and get back to the rope.

>>5052319
Assuming I can climb from where im standing,
>CLIMB with rope, bite the handle of the club to free both hands (3AP)
>LIGHT torch (1AP)
>HELP up expeditioners within reach (2AP)
If not, take an AP from the climb action and put it in a WALK movement action to reach the proper hexagon.

We were really in over our heads on this one.

>>5053310
> I'm going to try and split my action, here. I'm not certain this is possible.
Depends what you mean by splitting actions.
If you mean posting some actions then waiting for other people to react before posting the rest then that's fine. Just make sure not to wait until the eleventh hour, I may not notice the addition if you're too late.

>>5053470
> I thought Greg had the last one.

> [P2 - Greg:]
> (Act1 - Greg LIGHTS his torch while taking a deep breath to calm himself.)

I'm relatively confident that he doesn't.
Speaking openly on the subject, given how many small, niggling details have piled-up over the course of the game, I'm quite relieved that I elected to maintain an abridged record of events instead purely relying on the thread.

>>5053310
>>5053470

>THROW Torch at eyes in front of Ana (1AP)
>LEAP 6 (2AP)

>As he sees James get away with the torch, Pete realizes he is fresh out of comfortable options, and acts out based on what childlike instincts he still has.
>Bugs hurt if they touch you.
>Monsters fear the light.
He throws the almost spent torch in the direction of Ana, hoping that it will land past her, maybe even on that... thing. He then jumps away from the now unopposed bugs and towards the glow of the torch. He has done what he can, the others will have to think of something. Now is the time to live, not die a stupid hero's death.

>>5052319
>GRAB Jennifer's hand (?? AP)
>SPRINT towards James' light, and then to the northernmost edge of the light (REMAINING AP)

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(Just experimenting with something a little less verbose, bear with me.)

> Glorious defiance encapsulated in the snap of a dying flame.
> A fearful soul breathes relief, twice spared gravity’s abuse.
> Shivering strains of adhesive gossamer trailing through the labyrinthine pitch seize flesh.
> A savage atrocity streaks forth, driven by a primordial directive

[Menace Rises]

[Neverlit Phase]
Please refrain from posting.

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>>5054550
> Monstrous jaws close around a squirming abdomen, hook-like fangs retract and - rending and spasming - they extract a sanguine toll.
> Despairingly entwined in aeriform thread, the elaborate noose of webbing is pulled taut bringing the fly eye-to-eye with its gracious host
> An errant kick scatters the dying embers of hope.

[Player Phase]
Players may now post their actions.
Processing will begin in about 24 hours.

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Infodump:
> Most <statuses> activate their effects upon exceeding a Faculty, usually a specific faculty.
> In the case of <Bleed>, upon exceeding [PHY], the effected player will sustain 1 dmg to a random [PHY] attribute per turn (at the end of the turn) until the condition is cured. This effect can stack, so be careful.
> Additionally, be advised that the presence of blood may attract, or induce behavioral changes in, certain denizens.

>>5054643
>SPRINT(6) (1 AP)
>LEAP upwards ...(2 AP)
>... and CATCH the rope(2 AP)

Total AP used = 1 + 2 + 2 = 5 AP

Also holy kek, it's the tutorial mission and we already lost 1 player and 1 NPC.

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>>5054643
>HELP up Klein (1AP)
>HELP up expeditioners within reach (4AP)
>GTFO, i.e. SPRINT 121 and then whatever other number to get out (1AP,?MP)

>>5054679
The moment I noticed the weird cackling, the red eyes and everyone else continuing on, I knew this would be a kino moment that Sandcastles would bless us with.

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>>5054643
>>5054679
>>5054700
Holy shit this really escalated badly.

>>5054700
I find it funny that, in game, only the boys have survived so far.

>>5054679
>>5054700
I understand why you ran, but I need you to realize that Jennifer has our only torch. I'm not sure you'll have enough for the way back. Hell I'm not even sure we know the way back. You may be a bit screwed.

Also, could one of you pick up the stone chisel on your way out ? It looked useful and you're standing on it. Thanks.


I know I'm playing the callous kid and that I should be running too, but I'm debating doing something incredibly stupid and possibly pointless right now, QM. Even have an appropriate pic/gif ready
and all. For drama's sake. A little Hail Mary.

The finger still shrieks. I wonder if it will affect them or us. Only one way to find out, right guys ?

>>5054762
I counted 4 creatures to our left, 3 down below and who knows how many on the right.
James still has his torch and I have the lamp fuel to keep it lit.
I would say that we could make it out if we all climb up given that the creatures have Jennifer and Ann to chew on while we go but I am all for you using that finger.

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>>5054741
That is pretty funny.
However, I recommend you use an AP and the rest of your MP to sprint with me and whoever else makes it.

>>5054762
Where was it said that Jennifer has another torch?
> I'm not sure you'll have enough for the way back. Hell I'm not even sure we know the way back. You may be a bit screwed.
1. What Anon said in >>5054778
2. Jennifer got us here in one torch and we were walking, unless she lit other torches and Sandcastles omitted it in >>5035764
3. Given that we got here on one torch, it shouldn't be far and therefore not too hard to get back to.

And even if everything I said is wrong, dying due to being lost is better than being eaten alive.
>Also, could one of you pick up the stone chisel on your way out ? It looked useful and you're standing on it. Thanks.
If the stone chisel is hidden from plain view then it would be metagaming in my opinion, since only Ana knows about it and it would be unreasonable for my or anyone else's character to search through what seems like a normal pile of rocks in this critical situation. >>5054643 If the chisel is clearly visible then I amend my turn to
>HELP up Klein (1AP)
>HELP up expeditioners within reach (3AP)
>PROCURE chisel and note @ my feet (1AP)
>GTFO, i.e. SPRINT 121 and then whatever other number to get out (1AP,?MP)

>>5054852
I am already GTFO of there, I put more APs into the leap and rope catching so I don't fall.

>>5054852
>Where was it said that Jennifer has another torch?

Here, I think:
>>5052738

As for the chisel, I assumed it was exposed during Ana's search and it's blade is reflecting the torchlight, causing the glow we can see right next to you on the picture.

I wonder if Jennifer could use it. Light has proven effective, and a torch to the face ought to do something to whatever reeled her in.
Also, caption= SKYKX. So far away above, now.

>>5054881
I meant getting out of this entire cave like im doing with my sprint movement action, you've only gotten out of the immediate danger zone.

>>5054883
>Here, I think: >>5052738
My mistake then, I didn't remember that.

>As for the chisel, I assumed it was exposed during Ana's search and it's blade is reflecting the torchlight, causing the glow we can see right next to you on the picture.
That little white cross? My mistake again then.

Where is Klein by the way? This is would be a terrible turn to skip.

>>5054903
I'm here, just trying to figure out if I can get us anything else from the ruins of this terrible Expedition.

>>5054903
Last time I went over my AP limit I almost got eaten by bugs. I am not risking it while I am still down here.
>>5054907
We have the lamp oil, the smashed lantern and the spooky finger, probably the chisel too since it can be seen here >>5054643
I don't think we can get anything else.

>>5054913 Had enough with the spoilers now
That's why I said to use 1 AP (taking it from one of your other actions) and then use the rest of your movement points. Although, maybe you don't even need an extra AP since you've already declared movement but that may be a misinterpretation of this ruling >>5035449

>>5054907
There's nothing left that is worth its price in risk and time. Atleast that I know of.

>>5054939
Yeah me too.
I think that a good strategy would be for the players that are already on top(you and Klein in a moment) to help those down(me and Pete) climb up before evacuating together so that if a creature goes after us we could fight back in the chockepoint as a group with lower chances of TPK. With this in mind, the top priority right now for me and Pete would be to climb up with the chance of failure being as low as possible.
This is why I put all my points into climbing up and I would advise you to wait for us before retreating.
Likewise, I have the lamp oil and Pete has the weird finger and those 2 items are the only things we found so unless you 2 o back empty-handed we need to help one another.

>>5054998
>I think that a good strategy would be for the players that are already on top(you and Klein in a moment) to help those down(me and Pete) climb up before evacuating together
That's what I am doing right now.
>With this in mind, the top priority right now for me and Pete would be to climb up with the chance of failure being as low as possible. This is why I put all my points into climbing up and I would advise you to wait for us before retreating.
Fair enough. Although if you've already spent the AP required to move, you'll only need your MP. >>5054643 QM, If you MOVE ACT and then MOVE again do you spend 1 AP on movement or 2?
>Likewise, I have the lamp oil and Pete has the weird finger and those 2 items are the only things we found so unless you 2 o back empty-handed we need to help one another.
Empty-handed? I'd rather come back alive.

>CLIMB the rope up (1AP)
>SPRINT to where the soapstone was previously located (?? AP)
>RETRIEVE the soapstone (1AP)

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>>5055022
> QM, If you MOVE ACT and then MOVE again do you spend 1 AP on movement or 2?
Two.
Each individual movement action requires an AP to execute. Devoting multiple AP to a single movement action is possible, but basically just serves as shorthand for making multiple movements in succession.
Example:
> (AP: 4 // MP: 4)
> Act1: Walk 4444 444 (2AP)
Is essentially the same thing as...
> Act1: Walk 4444 (1AP)
> Act2: Walk 444 (1AP)

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>>5054643
*eternally screaming internally*

>BREAK FREE(7AP)
>SPRINT 266(1AP)

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>>5055257
Thanks for the clarification QM, I'll amend my turn to
>HELP up Klein (1AP)
>HELP up expeditioners within reach (3AP)
>PROCURE chisel and note @ my feet (1AP)
>Start to GTFO, i.e. SPRINT 12 (1AP,1MP)

>>5055275
See here gentlemen? What happens when you don't give this quest what it's due, when you skip a turn?
Sandcastles and his Neverlit collect their debt, resulting in the complete and utter demoralization of the anon.

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>>5054643

>USE [The Edge Licked Fingertip] (MAX AP)

>As he sees the group scramble away and hear the scream of the girls, Pete feels no fear or anguish. He just feels annoyed. It had been going well. He had done all the "right" things, and still, it all came crumbling down anyway. So screw doing the reasonable thing. Time to listen to the voices.

>He unwraps the finger with his free hand, touching it directly, lifts it up to his lips, and calls upon the intruding thoughts he can feel are right there to tell him what to play as he exhales. Come what may.

I am well aware I could be fucking us over, and am almost certainly fucking myself over, but it could work out. And if it doesn't, we get drama.
Also, no joke, my caption is YATPK. You're All TPK. Thanks for the vote of confidence, 4chan.

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> Frantically several members of the ill-fated expedition move to evacuate the branch. A daring few pause momentarily to pocket trinkets as they depart.
> Roiling animosity overflows from an iron-forged will, inspiring a retaliation of such concentrated vitriol that even boogeymen cannot help but recoil.
> From the sunken shadows of a side passage, the rasp of torch coming to life. Vast networks of Cobwebs begin to smolder and catch alight as their abominable administrator howls its displeasure.
> Amidst escalating chaos and the encroaching tide of predatory horrors, a boy rises a morbid curio to his lips and, lungs full, blows. The sound which ripples out resonates bone-chilling woe and carnivorous triumph, and heralds an awful omnipresent pressure - a sensation of being known, of being watched, of being hunted. Meanwhile, beneath the cavern’s myriad cracks shadows stir, then erupt as hoards of quarrelsome insects skitter forth from their claustrophobic abodes.

> As you wildly paw through the rubble, calloused fingers from beneath firmly interlock with your own and pull you downward as though you might be pulled through into the very walls of the Neverlit and drowned in solid mineral. You tumble backwards, but when you look again you can find no sign of irregularity.
[The Neverlit inflicts 2 Fear to Klein]

> The darkness is alive with abhorrent unearthly cries, the denizens of this place are awake and they are baying for blood, your blood. The implications of this revelation sends hairline fractures dancing across the surface of your mind.
[The Neverlit inflicts 8 Fear to Pete]

[Neverlit Phase]
Please refrain from posting.

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>>5055568
[The scent of searing flesh wafts through the tunnels, accented heavily by smoke and screams of unhinged desperation.]
[Scissoring maws close in on exposed flesh, how gleefully they shad the lifeblood of others.]
[A girl, pain-wracked and gore-soaked, stumbles unsteadily. She dimly hopes that everything would cease spiraling around her in such a disorientating manner.]

[Player Phase]
Players may now post their actions.
Processing will begin in about 48 hours.

>>5055662
COMMUNICATE(1 AP) Yell:
"James come here and help us!"
>HELP(2 AP) Ana climb up
>HELP(2 AP) Pete climb up when he arrives.

Total AP used = 1 + 2 + 2 = 5 AP

Man Jennifer can't catch a break. At least her sacrifice won't be in vain.

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>>5055662
*heavy breathing*

>CLIMB the rope(6AP)
>STAUNCH the wound using a makeshift bandage comprised of my clothing.(2AP)

>>5055311
You've got it all wrong. The suffering only strengthens my will.

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>>5055662
Thread theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv_m90xRzaM
Jennifer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VymrTy6ZoDo

>STOW the chisel and note, pocket them both(1AP)
>SPRINT 54 (1AP,1MP)
>COMMUNICATE, shout (1AP)
"I got it Greg!!" "Still alive eh!? If the both of you want to stay that way, get up here and let us leave RIGHT NOW!!!"
>HELP up expeditioners within reach (3AP)

>>5055670
>>5055674
You're both willing to stay here for another turn?

>>5055674
Nice going, struggler...

>>5055756
>>5050927
I tried using that quote. It's definitely even more thematic now, but I wonder if anything would have gone differently had I used the actual gif. (and of course my caption is P0MWD.)


Also, QM, that post has me thinking:
>>5054852
Is it possible to make IF statements in order to avoid AP wastage or would it deemed be too powerful ?
Example:
I do something then sprint to a player to help them up a ledge. They pull themselves up before I reach them. Do I lose the AP or can I set up a secondary action which would look something like:

NOT AN ACTUAL ACTION

PICK UP Whatever (1AP)
SPRINT @ Player1's location (1AP/...MP)

IF Player1 is climbing
THEN HELP Player1 up (2AP)
IF NOT CALM yourself (2AP)

Your call. I'm just throwing ideas around. This can be seen as powerful or a QOL improvement.

>>5055756
No child left behind, Jennifer doesn't count, I'm pretty sure she is well out of childhood.
One more turn for Pete and Ana to climb up and we are leaving.

>>5055662
No answer, so I'll try it anyways. It should be noted I am "storing" the finger in my mouth, as it is small enough to fit. This should incur a higher AP cost for communicate actions, but it doesn't matter to me right now.

>SPRINT 2333 (1AP)

IF Jennifer Grappled
THEN
>KICK Grappling Monster (1AP)
>DRAG Jennifer 5 (1 AP)
>EXTINGUISH Jennifer using my shirt (1AP)

IF NOT
THEN
>DRAG Jennifer 5 (1 AP)
>EXTINGUISH Jennifer using my shirt (2 AP)

>Using his tongue to push the disgusting finger inbetween his teeth and cheek, Pete breaks into a sprint towards the fire. >What he does next will depend on wheter Jennifer breaks the grapple.
>No matter what happens, he will try to extinguish her with his own shirt as fast as possible.

I'm definitely stretching the game system here, sorry QM. But I can see a way, so I've got to try. Besides, better ask those question sooner rather than later.

>>5055779
Appreciate the attention, but I'm determined to persist in my foolish endeavor. Besides, Pete is canonically around 12, so it doesn't quite count, right ?

>>5057072
Good luck you mad bastard, either way you earned yourself a place in Heaven.

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>>5055777
That's suicidal and pretty based

>>5057083
We have 2 turns of torchlight left by the way so you better get ready to turn on that lantern

>>5055662
Amending my turn to
>STOW the chisel and note, pocket them both(1AP)
>SPRINT 54 (1AP,1MP)
>COMMUNICATE, shout (1AP)
"I got it Greg!!" "Still alive eh!? If the both of you want to stay that way, get up here and let us leave RIGHT NOW!!!"
>HELP up expeditioners within reach (2AP)
>RID Ana of insects with both my torch and free hand (1AP)

>>5057089
The lantern doesn't work, we can however rip a piece of cloth and soak it in oil before putting it on the torch.

>>5057092
From my reading, the lantern's exterior metal is mangled and the glass is busted but the burner still works. Although it would indeed be better to use the oil on the torch if the fuel tank is broken on the inside.

>>5057097
I read the post again, the tank seems fine. Maybe if you are willing to gamble on it in the next turn and use an AP to help me I will try to get it to work. If nothing comes towards us I will use 3 APs to try and light the lantern and 2 to evacuate with you after. You have 5 AP so if you use 1 or 2 to help me it would leave you at minimum 3 APs to use as you see fit.
That is if you want to try the lantern.

>>5057108
>Maybe if you are willing to gamble on it in the next turn and use an AP to help me I will try to get it to work.
Lighting the lantern is a better gamble than trying to add lamp oil onto the already burning or burnt out torch.
>If nothing comes towards us I will use 3 APs to try and light the lantern and 2 to evacuate with you after.
How would you use 2 AP to evacuate? You only need 1 AP per movement or are you planning to move act and then move again?
>You have 5 AP so if you use 1 or 2 to help me it would leave you at minimum 3 APs to use as you see fit. That is if you want to try the lantern.
Sounds like a plan to me and I have 6 AP not 5.

>>5055662
>WALK 6 (1AP)
>RETRIEVE any items on the ground (1AP)
>SPRINT TO and GUARD James (4545) (2AP, 1AP)

We gotta go, holy shit.

>>5057128
>are you planning to move act and then move again?
No, I made a mistake. I will use 1 AP to sprint from this pandemonium after we light the lantern.
>I have 6 AP not 5
My bad, I looked at your Int inatead of your Psy.

>>5057072
Sorry, been awfully busy for the past couple days.

>>5055777
> Is it possible to make IF statements in order to avoid AP wastage or would it deemed be too powerful ?
I'll allow it for this mission, but limit yourselves to 1 If-else conditional per turn. The prospect of trying to wrangle 16 separate spaghetti-code actions is more horrifying to me than any milk-eyed grotesquery.
With that said, this concept may end up being reincorporated later as a learnable skill.

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> Shadows flicker briefly and the faintest echo of a clatter descends. Just above eye level and obscured by natural geometry, a tight crevasse is discovered in the cave wall.
> Marching from the precipice, a pale, beleaguered figure is lifted to relative safety by two of her comrades. Sprawled atop a fringe of jaded stone, the unlikely survivor licks her wounds.
> In a show of grand heroics, a bold child launches himself into the flank of a slathering monstrosity sending it reeling long enough for him to drag another unfortunate out of immediate peril. The rescued girl is practically insensate however, wheezing through smoke-clogged lungs and trembling within skin marred by dreadfully severe heat blisters and concerning blotches.
> All at once, the wider reaches of the branch abruptly go silent.

[Neverlit Phase]
Please refrain from posting.

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>>5057963
> With a maneuver as timely as it was panic-propelled, Pete hurls himself out of the path of a pouncing beast’s salivating jaws, keeping a firm grip on the indisposed Jennifer all the while.
> The shrouded peripheries of perception boil with unnatural activity. The umbral gloom of the Neverlit distorts with abstract suggestions of angular predatory figures radiating murderous intent. Whether something stalks you from the shadows or if the shadows themselves have begun stalking you is uncertain. The only concrete certainty that remains is that, unless you exit immediately, your life will be measured in minutes.

[Player Phase]
Players may now post their actions.
Processing will begin in about 48 hours

>>5057072
>>5055674
>>5057128
>>5057138
Honest question: is there even anything we could do to help Pete at this point? I counted 6 cratures on his right and I am not sure is the shapes in shadow are suposed to be imaginary or not. The torch will go out the next update and we are unarmed.

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>mfw Jennifer might actually make it

>>5058024 >>5057138 >>5055674
The only thing we can do now is get him and Jenny up here and pull the rope after them

>>5057072
You and Jennifer better sprint over to the rope, climb it and then sprint again. We cannot afford another delay.

>>5058017
>HELP Greg light the lantern (2AP)
>HELP up expeditioners within reach (2AP)
>PULL up rope (1AP)
>SPRINT 1122 (1AP,2MP)

>>5058017
>LIGHT the lantern(3 AP)
>HELP up coming expeditioners (1 AP)
>SPRINT 1122 (1 AP)

Total AP used = 3 + 1 + 1 = 5 AP

>>5058017
>HELP UP allies without reopening wounds.(6AP)
>WALK 1122 (2AP)

>>5058017
I'm not sure Jennifer will be able to walk next turn. As I'm weighting my options, can I get some more details on movement penalties and fumbles on carried loads that you mentioned here ?
>>5035586

Jennifer should be the same weight as Pete, being both prepubescent children, so double his back carrying capacity.
I'm willing to take a speed reduction, but fumbles might get us killed, so I would appreciate a clearer breakdown, thanks.

I'm also coming to understand why things act the way they do down here. Took me long enough. Neverlit is really a pretty big clue in hindsight. It explains a few weird things we've seen.

>>5058775
=Fumble=
Trying to move further than your MP limit will incur a chance to fumble, with difficulty scaling exponentially relative to the amount of overdrawn MP. (1=1d4+mal, 2= 2d4+mal, 3=4d4+mal, 4=8d4+mal)
You resist fumbles by rolling {Grace}+adv.
Generally fumbling will cancel all pending actions, ending your turn. Additionally, incurring multiple degrees of failure on a fumble check puts you at risk of sustaining damage or status effects such as <Knockback>, <Knockdown>, or <Daze>.

---

=Weight=
Jennifer has a [Physique] of 6. Giving her a weight of 3. She is heavier than you by 0.5U.
By leveraging your whole body, you can drag, push, or pull loads that weigh as much or less than you with no penalty. Heavier loads do incur MP penalties, and again these losses appreciate exponentially but relative by magnitudes of weight. To illustrate, consider the following:
> (W = Player's weight)
> (L = Load)
> If (L > W & L <= W*2) then Mp is divided by 2
> If (L > W*2 & L <= W*3) then Mp is divided by 4
> If (L > W*3 & L <= W*4) then Mp is divided by 8
> If (L > W*4 & L <= W*5) then Mp is divided by 16
Finally, if it is not mathematically possible for you to shift a load then attempting to do so may also trigger a fumble check.

>>5059302
So she falls under this category:
If (L > W & L <= W*2) then Mp is divided by 2
1AP= 2MP
5 spaces to rope.
Walking= 2 spaces/ AP = Need 3 AP.
Sprinting= 4 spaces/ AP= Need 2 AP.

Okay.
Firstly, do these calculations stay the same if I'm carrying Jennifer on my back?
Because secondly, I'm not sure if I can sprint while dragging.

>>5059532
Alright, I'm going to play it safe for the sake of not fucking everything up and also speeding this along.

>DRAG Jennifer 16665 (3AP)
>LIFT Jennifer up to the others (1AP)

Means I can't attempt climbing this turn, by at least if I get tackled on the ledge I won't go prone.

>As he drags Jennifer away, Pete barely twists his body away from the thing he just kicked in the head as it lunges to and past him. A small part of his brain still functioning normally notes that the humanoids seem to recover quickly from blows.
>The rest of his mind his focused on the best path to take to reach the ledge and the others. At least they seem to be waiting for them. What was he thinking ? I doesn't matter now. He'll have to drag Jennifer, since she probably can't stand. She'll likely get a few bug bites on the way, but it beats staying in the dark with the teeth.
>He could hear them skittering in the ground when he used the whistle. For now, he can avoid thinking about them, thankfully.
>Even though they peer at him from the shadows.
>Do these teeth have eyes ?
>What kind of question even is that ?
>Focus, dammit !
>Just a few more minutes, and they'll all be out of this place.
>Or dead...

>>5059741
Unnecessary to do all of Jennifers actions for her.

She's badly burnt and bleeding but not crippled, have her do some movement and then the climbing and climb after her. Greg, Ana and I are helping you both.

Look at all those green split-heads and remember that we cannot afford another delay, you most of all.

>>5058017
>THROW the obsidian rock at any creature attempting to assault Pete (3AP)
>SPRINT 1221 (2AP)

>I feel bad about not being able to help her out more after she saved me.. but I can't die here.

>Pete's a braver guy than I am, that's for sure.

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> Precious moments are spent rescuing a mangled soul from being swept away by a swelling tide of thorned enmity, if only for a couple moments longer.
> All have a clear path to the exit, sans one. When one member of the expedition moves to collect the rope they are halted by the frail protestations of a burnt hand.
> In a desperate reprisal, a fragment of volcanic glass is hurled towards a chittering blur of motion, but misses the mark.
> In the distance, the wretched remains of a once guileful predator are silenced. The tremendous force of the blow snuffing out the roaring radiance that had engulfed it.

> Shallow, humid breaths lap at the nape of your neck. Taloned feet clap against the hard stone of the cavern where you stood not moments prior. Chills run down your spine.
[The Neverlit inflicts 1 point of Fear on Pete]

>>5060377
[Neverlit Phase]
Please refrain from posting.

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>>5060379
> A torch dies, hedging the expedition's fate on a low flame cowering upon the scant contents of a disused oil pan.
> Fangs sink into innocent flesh and jaws lock into place. Lamentations fill the air as the virtuous fall. O'er all a vast vulpine head hangs, wreathed in shadow and silently sizzling with tension.

[Player phase]
Players may now post their actions.
Processing will begin in about 24 hours.

>>5060466
>SPRINT 5544 (1AP)
>THROW the torch at the cretures(2 AP)
>HELP Pete get up (2 AP)

>>5060509
Appreciate the gesture, but I'd rather you keep the torch for the return trip so we can get rid of the fear stacks.

Besides, it's extinguished, so it wouldn't do much.

I assure you the situation is still within acceptable parameters.
Despite appearances, I have the upper hand.

Watch your feet.

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>>5060466
As I knew, there could be no further delay.
May he rest in peace. Pete, the King of Hearts, the Suicide King.

Still, we will do what we must. I will do what I must. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REmg1gEcOak

>EXAMINE the strange wall @ 3 (2AP)
>...need to REMEMBER, do not forget it for you must always remind yourself of what could help you in the future (2AP)
>wait... where's Jennifer?! What is Greg doing?! COMMUNICATE (1AP)
"JENNIFER, GREG!! WE HAVE TO LEAVE!!!"
>I'll slow down for them but I can't be afraid to leave without them, WALK 1111 (1AP,4MP)

Felt the need to write some dramatic fluff for a dramatic ending. The REMEMBER action is also (partially) fluff and I leave it to the QM to rule on it's effect.
>>5060520 I suspected as much. Although I still don't know how you would both get out and live with those injuries. In any case, I will patiently await for the next step of your master plan.

>>5060520
Listen mate, I'm 80% sure that the cave wall on the west will collaps and the cretures will start pouring in so work with me here. You are right that the torch can be used better but I will help you so that we don't lose anyone in the first bloody expedition. How about this: I will sprint to you, help you up and we both carry Jennifer back so none of use gets the penalty, how's this plan?
>>5060537
Fine but could you walk only 2 tiles so I may reach the light with one SPRINT action?

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>>5060618
Trust the plan Greg, besides, there's no way you will get him up with those 3 critters attached to him. Im willing to amend my movement if you only drag Jennifer over here and communicate that.

>>5060662
I don't see why we have to risk it. He uses the finger, I help him up and we both carry Jennifer back. I keep the torch for if the wall collapses and if not then we should all be able to sprint back to the group.
If you see a mistake in this plan let me know but to me it seems the best course of action as to come back without losses.

>>5060618
By west wall, you mean the crevasse ? Looks like bonus loot/chamber more than a passageway. If anything lived there, it would have come out by now.
I'll need the help getting up, since I'm only allocating 1AP to that.

The rest are going to go to the next step of my plan that is only partially made up as I go along.

I won't get movement this turn, but since I don't have access to the DC for what I want to do, I will take smaller but certain gains over jeopardizing my own survival. At least in this specific instance.

Also, I think Jennifer can walk now, so that's neat.

I'll do my write up when I wake up tomorrow, though.

>>5060662
Thanks for the vote of confidence, James.

>>5060682
By the west wall I mean the white lines near Ana here >>5060377
Also fine, do your writing tomorrow, I will change my vote then too.
I trust that you have a good plan, I just don't trust the dice.

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>>5060676
As I said in my post, Im the one that's missing it. I don't think the next step of Pete's master plan is using the finger whistle thing since that doesn't solve the 3 creatures currently mauling him. Just communicate that you're going to get Jennifer and Ill wait another turn for you in my current position.

>>5060694
I agree with Pete that it is just a passageway.

>>5060682
No need to thank me, just keep doing what you do best king.

>>5060698
I will change my vote tomorrow, I won't throw the torch and use 1 AP to communicate, the other I will probably use to help Jennifer. Anyway, that may or may not be a passageway but for me it just seems like something we are too underlevel to deal with.

>>5060466
Changing my action from
>>5060509
To
>COMMUNICATE(1AP):
"James wait! I'm getting Jennifer. "
>SPRINT 5544 (2 MP/1 AP)
>HELP Jennifer up (2 AP)
>SPRINT back to the group with her (1122?) (2 MP/ 1 AP)
Total AP used = 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 5 AP

Also Godspeed to you Pete, you glorious bastard.

>>5060705
>>5060698
To get this on paper I will need help to get up. Jennifer can probably walk to the exit.

My plan is in fact the whistle.

As seen here:
>>5055568
The creatures will have to make a check to keep targeting me, and are close enough to take damage. That will make them flinch, and possibly stagger backwards to block their brethren.
I grab the rope, get helped up, and we all sprint to the exit next turn.
I'm looking at either 3AP on the whistle to guarantee damage, or only 2 to use one to break their weakened grip.
I didn't see a check when I first used it, which makes me wonder if more AP does all that much.

>>5060466
Changing my action (again) from
>>5061053
To
>COMMUNICATE(1AP):
"James wait! I'm getting Jennifer. "
>SPRINT 5544 (2 MP/1 )
>HELP Pete up (2 AP)
>SPRINT back to the group with Jennifer and Pete (1122?) (2 MP/ 1 AP)

>>5061053
Is this good?

>>5060466
Good luck.

>SPRINT 5544 (1AP)
>HELP Pete up (5AP)
>SPRINT 1122 1111(2AP)

>>5061073
Meant to ask you
>>5061068

>>5061077
>>5061074
With Ana's help, yes. Now let's hope I didn't draw the wrong conclusions about the finger.

>USE Fingertip (2AP)
>CLIMB ledge with help (1AP)
>SPRINT 1122 (1AP)

>>5060466
Amending turn to:

>EXAMINE the strange wall @ 3 (2AP)
>...need to REMEMBER, do not forget it for you must always remind yourself of what could help you in the future (2AP)
>wait... where's Jennifer?! What are Greg and Ana doing?! Going back!? How can we keep doing this?!, SPRINT 554 (1AP,1,5MP)
>Let us leave this terrible place. SPRINT 1121 (1AP,2MP)

>>5061074
Could you spare an AP to pull up the rope?

>>5060466
>RETRIEVE any objects on the ground (1 AP)
>EQUIP obsidian shard (1AP)
>THROW obsidian shard at nearest pursuing creature (2AP)
>SPRINT out of here (1AP)

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> Answering the strained screech of a profane artifact, a cyclopean set of bladed digits sweep down from on high - scythe-shaped flickers in the stagnant gloom effortlessly sundering both transient offal and timeless rock. In the wake of the mercy-stoke boy and beast are dismembered, reduced to shreds under its callous ministrations. Meanwhile his companions - repelled by the force of the strike - look on in muted horror.

(1/2)

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The anticipation is killing me.

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>>5061285
> Illuminated by the dull glow of burning oil, a gaunt face flinches back as grotesquely slender limb probes through the claustrophobic spaces behind a narrow fault in the cavern wall.
> The patter of hurried footsteps echo through the branch as the expedition begins to withdraw, all the while harried by the innumerable prowlers and stalkers which inhabit this pit.

[Player phase]
Players may now post their actions.
Processing will begin in about 48 hours.
Almost to the end now. My condolences to Pete, your heroism wasn't fruitless.

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>>5061404
What else is there to do Sandcastles?

>RUN FOR YOUR LIFE JAMES

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>>5061404
>APPLY pressure to the bleeding wound to stop the bleeding(2 AP)
>HELP Jennifer catch up(2 AP)
>EVACUATE (SPRINT to the exit) (1 AP)

You better watch over us from up there in Heaven Pete, pic rel.

>>5061411
Well, you could either extract or throw yourselves back into the jaws of death.
You don't really have enough time or room to do anything else of major significance, as far as I can see.
Though, I'm not going to rob you of the opportunity to try.

(By the way, it slipped my mind to mention it in the update but James did memorize the hidden passage. If he should ever return to this branch it will be revealed by default.)

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>>5061414
To Pete, the Suicide King:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WChTqYlDjtI
Rest in Peace.

>>5061404
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUG9VzHoEoc
The Questers' Expedition VS. The Denizens of the Neverlit c. ????
'Tis but a scratch, you vomit green bug-eyed cretinous monsters. Us Questers will eventually™ make a triumphant return to take our rightful place in the darkness, kicking your asses to the depths where you belong.

>>5061462
Fair enough, just don't want to wait until wednesday for an update. (Good, I hope we can make use of it eventually™)

>>5061404
>FLEE for life and limb (leave the map, all AP)

What an absolute clusterfuck. I think we lost more than we gained, not even counting casualties.

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> Tightly clutching at an oozing gash on his forearm, Greg grasped the hobbling form of Jennifer and, bracing her on his shoulder, exited the branch with all possible haste.
> Through the labyrinthine passages of the Neverlit the Expedition frantically scrambled, a fragile bead of luminosity marching solemnly along blackened routes, only barely staying ahead of the braying Everhunt hoard.
> Eventually however, the seething chorus of their pursuers grew distant and the familiar mollifying climate projected of the Lodestar creeped over the ragged group. Hearts still pounding, and weighted down by injury, the surviving members of the expedition stumble back into the Crossroad's. The monumental bulk of the Lodestar looming impassively above, faintly shimming with a muted halo of monochromatic light.
> The Caretaker approaches, famished onlookers observe from a distance.

[Expedition has concluded]
(Have light source.)
(Guided by scout.)
(Pursued by denizens.)
[Return journey transpired without incident]

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> Immediately upon noticing Jennifer, the Caretaker directed several residents to transfer her somewhere where she can rest, glumly lamenting that they lack the materials or facilities to properly mend her injuries. Shifting mental gears, the weedy boy turn to you his face lighting up slightly as he imparts his gratitude to the party, losing such an experienced scout would have been a dire blow to the community, and the Caretaker is well informed of the unforgiving realities of the Neverlit: the fact that your group were willing recover such a grievously injured resident despite the hardships involved is truly commendable. (+2 Goodwill)

> After a moment, the boy's face drops as he mentally tallies up the individuals present. Dipping his head at the realization, he goes silent for a moment and with a grave demeanor simply says:
"Ah."
"I'd vainly hoped that I wouldn't need to prepare a memorial this time." (-1 Crossroads Morale)

> Recomposing himself, the Caretaker turns to busy himself with cataloguing the expedition's various acquisitions and expenditures. However, after several seconds he stops then directs an incredulous query your way:
"So much sacrificed for so little, basically nothing at all..."
"Is- this truly all that you could find? At this rate..."
> He attempts to veil his panic with humor, but a dense tinge of concern underlies the comment. His brow furrows fractionally, as he runs calculations through his head. He doesn't seem to care for the conclusions he is arriving at.
"No, forgive me. It's not your fault, just a inopportune run. The next branch will be more fruitful."
> Shooting you a shaky half smile, he returns to his appraisals, though Gregory manages to make out a despondent murmur slip through gritted teeth.
"It *has* to be." (-3 Goodwill)

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>>5063730
> The small audience gradually disperses, their disappointment is almost palpable - threatening to one day blossom into restrained discontent. Dismissing those concerns, you breath a sigh of relief, somehow you managed to survive that ludicrous excursion.
> The hourglass empties quietly as you idle your time away, a balm for the strain and stresses you've been subjected to. Despite everything, in this moment you touch upon something adjacent to peace.
[All minor statuses are cured. Damage persists however and must be healed via Downtime actions.]
[Please select a downtime action to perform.]

Thanks for playing and bearing with me while I iron out the wrinkles in this system.
I'll be running another expedition in a couple weeks. I'd like to start sooner, but there's some RL matters that demand my close attention.
I appreciate your patience.

>>5063930
>EXPLORE
>Greg will go the Caretaker, tell him what happened during the expedition, ask to help him with whatever he is doing now and maybe engage in a bit of small talk, to get to know him better.

Thanks for running this quest mate.

>>5063930
(Should I wait before joining?)

>>5063976
Feel free to design a PC, you can even take a downtime action if you want.
You may choose one of two backgrounds:
> New arrival: Fresh face, clean slate. Assign 4 Attributes choose a talent or heirloom. (Increments Pop by 1)
> Crossroad Resident: The same as the Arrival, but gain an bonus stat point, heirloom or gear piece. Be advised, there's also a chance that your character will have conditions, attunements, or other unpleasant baggage. (Overwrites an NPC, 9 left)

There aren't any reservations though, you'll need to be present when the next game starts if you want to join.

>>5065069
>Choose either an heirloom or a talent to start with
>>5034999

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>>5063930
I knew the supply situation was bad but I didn't think it would be this critical.
We better do our damnedest on this next trip to the Neverlit.
Downtime Actions:
>Read note, in the light preferably
>Train [Rat]ionality

>>5065209
He's allowed to take both since he chose to be a resident as stated in >>5064505

>>5065069
Welcome aboard, your talent choice worries me.

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>>5063962
After a few minutes of searching you track down the Caretaker, finding him halfway down the crater beneath the lodestar fussing with one of the various enigmatic mechanisms sticking out of the heat-tempered rock. Sliding down an incline of glittering gravel, you saunter over the the gaunt boy and proactively engage him in conversation, regaling him with the pertinent details of your recent operation. The boy diligently listens until you finish recounting your tale, then commiserates with you over the loss of Pete.
[Perception: The Caretaker's expression tightens ever-so-slightly when you mention the macabre, ant-gnawed fingerbone.]
Blinking slowly, The Caretaker traces a finger the along the complex confluence of interwoven geometries emblazoning the surface of a metallic plate inlaid into the ground, then flatly states:
"It's unfortunate that we'll never get the chance to get to know him better. Can't even honor his bravery by giving him a proper burial-"
[Duplicity: A practiced statement. It's mechanical, almost second nature.]
He meets your eyes for a moment and something in them causes his voice to catch in his throat. Running a hand through his unkept hair he hunches over slightly, his next words bubble from his throat viscously, carefully curated.
"Sorry. I don't mean to come across as insincere. I'm not, it's just..."
The caretaker shifts his gaze over to one of the ramshackle lean-to structures, a pair of shabby children restlessly idle nearby.
"Most of the residents here are relatively fresh, their seniority over you is measured in days. Even the eldest has only been with us for a little over a month, but there were plenty that came before..."
His eyes become slightly unfocused and chuckles humorlessly.
"The names, the faces, the voices... the memories. At a certain point everything starts to bleed together and..."
He shakes his head, a small scowl half-formed on his lips.
"Never mind. Forgive my rambling, I tend to get all introspective when carrying out these laborious quality assurance errands."
He lightly claps his hand against the ward in front of him.
"Uh also, not to be impolite, I do enjoy the conversation, but I'll need my undivided concentration for this next task. Why don't you go mingle with some of the other residents in the meantime?"

>>5065561
Roll [Rat]d4. You need to get the highest result on these dice in order to graduate to the next level.
Even if you do fail you'll gain a +1 to +3 on your next attempt to advance this attribute, the higher you get the better the bonus. These bonuses are specific to whichever attribute you are working on, they are cumulative, and will only wear off once you successfully advance their associated attribute.
Good fortune to you.

>>5065069
Roll [Coo]d4. Same spiel as above.
Best of luck.

Rolled 2 (1d4)

>>5066125
>Working on that Coordinaton

>>5063930
>Volunteer for the next Expedition and use downtime to chip a proper knife out of the obsidian chunks lying on the ground

>>5066125
>Why don't you go mingle with some of the other residents in the meantime?
So I guess I can do other things during the downtime? If that's so then

>>BID him goodbye
>TRAIN [rea]ction

>>5066277
Ah, if that doesn't take enough time, train [Rat] I suppose.

Well, gg and good luck to all of you on the next expedition.
I don't plan on making another character for now, so I'll limit myself to maybe whispering advice to anyone who comes visit my memorial.

Here's one free of charge:
Remember that AP is dictated by your [PSY] and MP by your [MOT]. If you have 5 in each, you get 5 AP and 5 MP, not the basic 4. Unlike [PHY], whose limit weight increments every 2 points. If I had remembered that, things could have gone very differently indeed.


Also, for the sake of everyone, I'll be the one to ask the QM: what penalties apply when a pop is hungry ? Because as I see it, it would be very advantageous to do what is done in most survival games, and only feed starving pops, eventually getting everyone on the same schedule of eating once every two expeditions. That saves a ton of food and helps getting reserves going. Maybe do it by halves if there are penalties to morale. I also suppose those that go on an expedition should eat if not doing so would reduce their stats.

This is the stuff that we need to think about now, because it has obviously not been thought of before, and that has gotten the rest of you in the shit. You can't bring back 15 supplies in one expedition, I think. Not enough hands, and too few backpacks and bags. Rationing is going to be essential, the way I see it.

>>5063930
>Recuperate

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Rolled 4 (1d4)

>>5066125
Rollin for the Rat.
What did the note say btw?

>>5066362
Something I'd like to know is what do these NPCs do while we're on an expedition? Do they just sit around and wait? It doesn't sound like we have the resources to send multiple expeditions but surely they can find something useful to do.

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>>5066722
First try baby! Thank you dice gods!

>>5066331
> So I guess I can do other things during the downtime
Unfortunately not. Each player only receives a single action per downtime phase.
For your efforts, you earned a little goodwill and some contextual information about the Caretaker and the Crossroads. Getting Goodwill will be useful in the long run, as it modifies your interactions with the inhabitants of the Crossroads, and can be spent to get the NPCs to perform various tasks on your behalf. Information is less obviously useful, although without developing a working understanding of your circumstances the chances of escaping the Neverlit are preposterously remote.

>>5066362
Good question. Here's the long and short of sustenance and survival.
> PCs with <hunger>: Cannot recover from damage, both physical or mental.
> NPCs with <hunger>: Cannot be directed via Command downtime actions.
> PCs with <Starving>: Same as <hungry>, plus all attributes are reduced to their minimum values, and all actions receive disadvantage.
> NPCs with <starving>: Same as <hungry>, plus they reduce the Crossroads morale by 2 upon gaining the status.
> As mentioned prior, failing to feed a starving pop will result in their death, which will have further repercussions for morale.
Now regarding the minutia of supply distribution.
These hunger statuses are automatically managed in a very particular order, PCs get priority on food (this is mechanical contrivance, there are no narrative roots to it), then any remaining food is distributed to the NPCs in order of the most to the least hungry. Players may elect to give up their own rations to others if they so choose. Splitting or sharing supplies straight-up won't work.

Regarding morale:
> If it falls below 0 residents will begin leaving the Crossroads out of desperation, at a rate of 1 Pop per turn.
> These pops may steal resources, items or gear stored by the Crossroads on their way out.
> Pops lost in this way usually won't be found alive again, for obvious reasons.

>>5066750
[Per]: The note has undergone significant degradation due to prolonged exposure to moisture. However, you can make out that there were once three lines of text, written using charcoal or something similar.
[Rat]: It appears to be a epitaph of sorts. Final words offered to send off the dead.
[Emp]: Near the end the handwriting becomes noticeably shaky.
You can discern the following exerts from the note:
“... never should have [illegible]... were right... [illegible].” ... can’t take y…[Illegible] ...m so sor...”

---
> Something I'd like to know is what do these NPCs do while we're on an expedition?
There are a few proactive individuals. Some collect moisture from the cave walls, some mend damaged gear to the best of their ability, others organize and monitor the settlement's stockpiles, occasionally a group are deployed to scout out new branches, but yes most simply loiter, directionless and discouraged, and wait until they are inevitably selected to become part of an expedition.

>>5066761
Sounds like we need hella food and fast.

>>5066761
Ok thanks

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P1) Klein
> Despite only wielding an abstract conception of how one would go about carving a chunk of raw obsidian into a knife, you waste no time second-guessing yourself. After tracking down a sufficiently hefty chunk of the glassy mineral, you settle in against a nearby wall and begin scraping, scratching, and chipping away at the stone. The process takes hours of ceaseless labor and an exhaustive number of retries, but you eventually manage to produce something resembling a weapon, a rather unsightly one but functional all the same.
(Gain a -Obsidian Knife-)

P3) James
> After some time, you find yourself in a familiar locale: the tarp-draped shack in and around which your Expedition party was mustered and briefed. Within, you find a soot-browed resident sorting and logging a scant collection of materials. You decide to avoid distracting this person and instead begin scrutinizing the various catalogues, receipts and manifests littering the table. They are very dry reads, and aren’t particularly enlightening to boot. However boredom is a powerful motivator, so you decide to challenge yourself to some arithmetic puzzles-- adding, subtracting, dividing, and multiplying at least three of the recorded values in various ways, building little equations in your mind and seeing in how many ways you can resolve it to zero. Time gets away from you, and by the time you begin to feel the pressure of weariness you’ve achieved 80 unique victory states. Finding an unoccupied bedroll to rest in, you slip into unconsciousness, feeling ever-so-slightly smug over your conquest of mathematics.
([INT] is permanently increased from 5 to 6, {Rat} is permanently increased from 1 to 2)

P4) Ana
> You lay your aching bones down upon a thin layer of matted fabric and canvas cloth, and sleep overtakes you immediately. Your rest is deep, yet curiously fitful - manic impulses sweep over you in waves then recede back into nothingness before you can glimpse comprehension. When you finally rouse from this tidal dream some time had passed. Your body remains stiff and heavy, but the soreness has passed. You flex your musculature in a long arched stretch, and delight in the lack of discomfort you experience.
([PHY] restored to 3/4, {Str} restored to 1/1)

P5) Daniel
> Feeling the need to sharpen your hand eye-coordination you try your hand at juggling. Now, you’ve never attempted to juggle before and as is quickly established you are certainly no unrealized savant of manual dexterity. Pebbles are sent skipping wildly along the ground time after time as trajectories are misaligned and timing is miscalculated. You’d like to think you refined your technique a little, maybe traded-out mad flailing for a marginally more dignified scrambling gig. That’s an improvement right?
(Your next attempt to train {Coo} will be modified with a +2 bonus)