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Spawned for seemingly no reason and hidden beneath the cobblestones of the city above -- here sits a little dungeon.
A timid, lonely, little dungeon with barely any monsters or traps to defend themselves. Located underneath an abandoned orphanage in the city of Duskmire.

Unfortunately, the wicked whims of fate decided to reveal the dungeon's presence to the people of the city above and burdened it with visitors before it was well and ready to stand against the perils of the world.
And thus their struggle began. A tale of rapid expansion, fierce battles, and horrible corruption.

From a single chamber and one measly [Goblin] to an impressive amount of rooms filled with loyal subjects.

You are the Little Dungeon.

The Dungeon is currently 7 days old

Previous thread
>>5115656

Archive
https://lws.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=The+Little+Dungeon+That+Could

Monsters
https://i.imgur.com/ldzUIXB.jpg

Rooms
https://i.imgur.com/iWBBd6D.jpg

Rules
https://i.imgur.com/dJQ3FRV.jpg

Current Dungeon
Pic related

Buildable Rooms
- Marshland (Trap, DC 5 Strength, 3 DP)
- Pit Room (Trap, DC 5 Wisdom, 3 DP)
- Jungle Room (Trap, DC5 Constitution, 3 DP)
- Branding Chamber (Utility, 5 DP)
- Room of Bewilderment (Puzzle, DC15 Intelligence, 5 DP)
- Boss Room (Utility, 5 DP)

Spawn-able Monsters
- Goblin (Spawned, DC 8 Strength, 1 MP)
- Bugbear (Spawned, 1st: DC 14 Wis / DC 12 Str, 3 MP)
- Goblin Brute (Corruption, DC 12 Strength / DC14 after kill, 1 MP)
- Goblin Savant (Corruption, DC 12 Intelligence, 3 MP)

I don't have a fancy cover edition
>>
Repeat from last thread

The Sadist nearly managed a smile, “Versatile,” it said, turning to the Scholar.
It raised an eyebrow, ”Why are you wearing goggles?”

An unceremonious gurgle escaped from the [Hobgoblin].
It’s muscles spasmed. Its features twitched.

”Because,” replied the Scholar, “This is where the fun begins.”

End repeat from last thread

Their attention switched back to the hobgoblin in the [Boss Room], which sneezed.
It checked its surrounding to ensure nobody had spotted such a disgrace and sighed in relief.
Then sneezed. Again. And Again. The grace of the act rapidly diminished.

The first sneeze was off the “in the elbow” variety, whereas the second was the over-the-shoulder kind.
By the end of the sneezing fit the hobgoblin was booming sneezes that would make the average middle-aged dad proud.
The back-bending, gonna-pull-a-muscle kind.

It’s skin began to discolour and boils formed and went in the span of seconds.

---------

This is the total list of mutations rolled.
You can pick three, but having everyone pick three at a time will end up a mess that’ll be hard to smooth out.

Therefor, we will pick one at a time. After that one is picked I’ll write a short response and we’ll pick the next one.
You will have an hour from the time of this post to vote on the first one, the following two will happen after fifteen minute voting rounds.
This is simply to ensure enough people see that mutation voting has begun and once they’re aware they can simply check back in those fifteen minute intervals.

Just a heads-up, mutations above 90 are self-indulgent retard tier.
If you don’t want to see those kinds of things in the quest, don’t vote for them.
>>
>>5174318

66 - Monstrous
Your body twists into a hulking, monstrous form that instils fear into your enemies.
Hostile creatures have disadvantage on all saving throws in the first round of combat.
The monster has advantage on saving throws within that same round. (Against Skills or Spells)

---

63 - Undead (Skeleton)
Flesh slumps from the bones of this creature. Innards collect in a pile on the ground.
This continuous until only bones remain. They’ve become undead.

Beyond Flesh Skill
Gain immunity to poison.
This creature does not breathe.

Withering Touch Skill
Once per invasion, you can invoke a withering touch.
On use, a hostile creature has to roll a DC15* Constitution saving throw or take a scaling amount of damage.
On a roll of 5 or lower (including modifiers) take 3 necrotic damage, on a 10 or lower take 2 necrotic damage, and on a 14 or lower, take 1 point of necrotic damage.

*Scales with monster tier

---

96 - A Weapon to Surpass Metal Gear
You gain a gun. More specifically, a Wesson & Smith Model 666 .357 Magnum.
It is loaded with a single bullet (per invasion). Once per invasion, you can declare the use of the gun.
Upon usage, the hostile creature will have to roll a DC15* Dexterity saving throw or take 3 piercing damage*.
If the hostile creature rolls 5 or lower (including modifiers) they die instantly.

*Scales with monster tier

---

7 - (Un)Lucky
Once per invasion, you can force disadvantage on a saving throw.
This has to be declared before the roll is made.
Mostly because “Reaction” rerolls are a nightmare.

Example
The [Drowsy Slime] should use its skill [Slumber] on the hostile cleric.
We’re using [Lucky] on this to give her disadvantage on the saving throw.

---

100 - Two random mutations (6, 75)
Will be revealed upon selection.

---

25 - Devilish Heritage (Male)
A deep-rooted fiendish nature rises to the surface.
The creature becomes devilishly handsome.

Silver Tongue Skill
Persuasion attempts and the making of deals will be more effective when this creature is in attendance.

Global Appeal Skill
You can speak and understand all languages.

Charm Skill
Once per invasion, you can force a hostile creature to roll a DC15 Charisma saving throw.
On a failure, they are charmed by you and stop attacking you.
This effect lasts until removed in some way.

A charmed creature can carry out simple instructions, within reason.

---
>>
>>5174320


25 - Devilish Heritage (Male)
Unfortunately you rolled 25 twice. There’s already so many dice in play that I’m hesitant to reroll.
Instead, you can pick the alternative version of this mutation: Devilish Heritage (Female)

---

45 - Built Different
A discerning eye can tell there is something off about this creature.
The mystery is revealed when the creature is bested.

Upon death, three goblins burst forth from the creature’s chest.
It was three goblins in a skin suit all along.
They immediately join combat.

---

44 - Volatile
Upon death, the creature explodes. This effect does not extend to creatures spawned by the monster.
All hostile creatures in the room need to roll a DC15 Dexterity saving throw or take 1 point of acid damage.

----

This concludes the mutation list this time around.
Voting for the first mutation will close around 1h from now.
>>
>>5174322
I vote
>63 - Undead (Skeleton)
Withering touch seem pretty cool, and immunity to poison and breathing will come in hand at some point, I'm sure.

Though
25 - Devilish Heritage (Male)
45 - Built Different
44 - Volatile
All seem quite nice

>96 is just a straight up gun
My sides. Kinda wanna vote for it just to pull the old "Parry THIS jackass" on someone at some point.
>>
Monstrous seems very powerful. Most mages would want to cast spells at the start of a fight, and this helps us resist them, and this can help us either deal a good first blow, or make a powerful usage of another mutation ability. My first pick.

Undead on the surface seems powerful, but I'm cautious because now we know clerics exist, and their existence in an invasion could hard counter our boss if our boss is Undead.

Gun is obviously very powerful, but it's silly and I don't want that in our dungeon.

(Un)Lucky is ok, but not good compared to the other options we have here.

Devilish Heritage seems very powerful, and I'd very much like to potentially sway one of our invaders to our side, especially if they are a low Charisma brute like Ben, though I don't think it's worth it to take both the Male and Female variants, I think just the one is fine. This would probably be my second pick.

Built Different seems bad, base goblins just aren't very good.

Volatile seems interesting. It's a good saving throw, though that it is Dexterity is a little disappointing. Still better than Built Different, would probably be my third pick.

>>5174322
>Monstrous

Does Devilish Heritage (Male) mean the skill only works against males, or that because the creature is a male, it only works against females?
>>
>>5174320
>66 - Monstrous
This as a starter, forcing disadvantage on the first turn means the Boss have a high likelyhood of scoring a hit, if not a kill first turn.

As for the others, I'm thinking the 100 is a guaranteed pick for the two-for-one value and then 96 for the most powerful spell of all. Combo the gun with the Disadvantage on first turn of combat means an almost guranteed kill on any high value target, such as a mage or a healer.

We'll see what other Anons want, almost all of these are either good or just whacky fun to get. Built Different into Volatile is just a massive fuck you to any party who thinks they're finally finishing off the Boss. Devilish Heritage too, while not a perfect combat skill, it's definitley worth considering just for it's utility usage. Being able to communicate with any sentient creature is not something to sneeze at, and if we ever get some sort of Merchant visiting us.
>>
>>5174320
Supporting >>5174336

Personally i think either Devilish Heritage or Volatile. I dont think we need a Skeleton on the first Level of the dungeon. It might not fit with the theme.
>>
Hadn't considered Monstrous that strong, since the boss has 6 health and fights will probably last a while... but I can see where others are coming from.

Didn't realise we could choose the 100 roll for two random mutations, gotta choose that odds are it will be pretty good.

Devilish heritage seems like a must to me, a 15DC roll to get a fighter out of the fight is huge. If we can command them to do something helpful then even better.
If combo-ed with monstrous it would be amazing.
>>
>>5174335
If we had both the male and femalr version of devilish heritage we would have the equivalent of a Succubus as our first boss......

I have to say that is pretty interesting possibillity. But as you said probably not really worth it. For that gun to make sense it would probably have to be on a construct themed level. Maybe we will be able to get some constructs further down since we have Goblins up here that are in popular culture depicted as being good with machines
>>
>>5174320
>- Devilish Heritage (Male)
>>
>>5174349
The fights will probably last a while, but most if not all of these are temporary buffs/effects. That said, Devilish Heritage is a notable exception with the charm, which can be buffed further with Monstrous.

I forgot about the 100 pick, that would probably replace Volatile for me.
>>
>>5174362
Monstrous, Devilish charm and the 100 sounds like a pretty damn solid combo.
I can definitely live with that.
With that in mind,

>>5174322
Changing my vote >>5174333 to
>66 - Monstrous
>>
>>5174349
Yeah, it'll be a tough choice. We can either get both Devilish Heritage and Weapon to Surpass Metal Gear (known quality), or sacrifice one to get two additional mutations (unknown quality, but greater quantity).
I can understand people not wanting the gun for obvious reasons, with it clashing with the setting, but the ability to annihilate a backliner instantly on turn 1 is simply too good for me to pass on. Death is the greatest source of crowd control.
Charming an enemy is good, yes, but the charm can be broken either via magic or just giving the charmed target a kick in the nuts or a punch in the stomach (I assume?). It's a little bit harder to bring someone back from the dead in the middle of combat however.
I don't think we should pick both simply because we should absolutely get the two random mutations, but if people don't want the Gun I won't cry myself to sleep over Devilish Heritage winning out over it.
>>
>>5174366
The gun is easily the best mutation, but yeah... it's a bit meme-y.
I wouldn't mind it winning, but I suspect it will stop being funny fairly fast, and the hobgoblin will be plenty strong without it.

Also I assume that kicking the charmed person in the nuts wouldn't work, and it would need magic to be removed, or a potion, or something similar.
>>
>>5174320
100 - Two random mutations (6, 75)
>>
Voting extended by 15 min
I gotta go run to the store.

Also, to clear something up: Devilish Heritage will work on either gender.
The difference between the two options is whether you end up with a male half-demon or a female half-demon.
>>
>>5174376
ok then, we definitely don't get both
>>
>>5174379
If it allowed us to use charm twice, that could be pretty good...
Not worth it over something else, but still.
>>
Voting closed
Tallying up the votes for the first mutation now.
>>
>>5174391

>Monstrous 4
>Devilish Heritage (Male) 1
>Two Random Mutation 1

Monstrous wins by a wide margin.

----

Quick question.

Should monstrous...
>A - Turn the creature into an abomination (Literal monster)
>B - Turn the creature into a larger, muscled variant of the hobgoblin (Monster of a man)

In essence, you can have either a boss monster or a monster boss.
This has no influence on the abilities gained from the "Monstrous" trait, it's purely for theme and story.
>>
>>5174400
>B - Turn the creature into a larger, muscled variant of the hobgoblin (Monster of a man)
I'm the IP-hoping guy phoneposting.
>>
>>5174400
>A - Turn the creature into an abomination (Literal monster)
>>
>>5174400
>B - Turn the creature into a larger, muscled variant of the hobgoblin (Monster of a man)
If we're also giving him Devilish Heritage (which seems to be the consensus) this makes the most sense from a thematic standpoint.
>>
>>5174400
>B - Turn the creature into a larger, muscled variant of the hobgoblin (Monster of a man)
Since I plan on voting for devilish charm, this would make more sense.
Though it does make me wonder how some of these mutations would have worked together.
Like skeleton and built different/volatile
What would be the explanation there?
>>
>>5174400
>B - Turn the creature into a larger, muscled variant of the hobgoblin (Monster of a man)

Lets make him ultra buff so he can deflect mindbulltes eith his solid abs

Am >>5174359
Will jop IP later again due to phone posting the entire day
>>
>>5174400
>B - Turn the creature into a larger, muscled variant of the hobgoblin (Monster of a man)

>>5174405
agreed
>>
>>5174400
>>5174404
>>5174405
>>5174406
I know i'm late for the party, but let's pick the 2 mutations. It will impact our build.
>>
>>5174406
The skeleton could have worn a robe to have the goblins jump out of
>>
>>5174412
How would those goblins be immune to poison/breathing?
Would they be skeleton goblins? Or just really good at holding their breath?
>>
>>5174317
I like your formatting QM
>>
>>5174379
But anon!!! That makes it even better!!!
>>
>>5174416
Good point. Maybe they wear tiny little gas masks... no they would probably choke themselved to death with those.

Maybe Ghost Goblins that haunt the bones and dont know they are dead which is why they can be cut down using normal weapons
>>
>>5174406
>The goblins were covered by a rob, wore bone-made stilts and flailed around with oversized femurs for arms
>>
>>5174400
A - Turn the creature into an abomination (Literal monster)
A abonimation of a Monster seems more intimidating and fitting for the Monstrous mutation than just a really buff hobgoblin
>>
>>5174406
I'd have to come up with something.
Normally, I roll on the mutation table and I take the monster and make it revolve around the rolled mutation.
For example, for the "Goblin Blight Bringer" I rolled "Poison" and for the "Raid Leader" I rolled "Keen Mind"

But right now we're in 1% territory. The only reason multiple mutations are possible all at once is because of a 100 roll which brought on 3 mutations.
And then we had another 100 roll which could turn into having 4 mutations.
We're in 0,01% territory.

We're doing the QMing equivalent of free-running on the edges of skyscrapers.
I never expected to get up here, the longer I'm up here the worse of an idea it seems, and I can't wait to go down.

>Like skeleton and built different/volatile
In this example it would be relatively simple.

The skeleton itself already defies logic, it is moved by some kind of magic.
Killing the skeleton would cause the innate magic that puppets it to blast out.
This could be either in the form of a scalding magic particles dealing acid damage.
Or it could cause something like a "Wild Magic Surge" that then manifests into 3 (very confused) goblins popping up.

I'd have to take some liberties with the non-mechanical part of the feature.

Or it can just be 3 goblins huddled up inside the ribcage of a very large skeleton with tiny oxygen masks strapped to their faces.
One that controls the arms, one that controls the legs, and one that moves the skull up and down to make the teeth clatter.

Voting closed
>B - Turn the creature into a larger, muscled variant of the hobgoblin (Monster of a man)
It seems like this won, I will rewrite what I have to conform. It does fit better.
>>
>>5174454
>We're doing the QMing equivalent of free-running on the edges of skyscrapers.

No don't look down or you will break your neck and slip up!

But absolutely thank you for going with the flow and not crushing the possibility down

am >>5174425 this guy finally posting from my computer.
>>
>>5174454
>We're doing the QMing equivalent of free-running on the edges of skyscrapers.
Thanks for running with it anyway QM.
For what it's worth, monstrous as we defined it and devilish charm (if it get picked) would work pretty well together, so we are sparing you from doing any Olympic tier mental gymnastics on that one. The only wildcard are the two random mutations.
>>
>>5174400

The hobgoblin’s skin tore as the muscles bugled, swelling to frightening magnitude.
Screaming, it swelled in size. Hands so large and meaty they could barely hold a sword.
But then, the monster evened out somewhat. The rest of the body bulked out, keeping the hobgoblin in proportion.

It dropped the sword, which clattered as it hit the floor. It was readily absorbed by the dungeon.
Moments later, much like the staff that had been granted to the [Goblin Savant], the massive hilt of a sword erupted from the ground.
The monstrously-sized hobgoblin got firm hold of it and yanked it out in one go.
A proper longsword for our upsized hobgoblin. One that would’ve been a great-sword to anyone else.

The Sadist chuckled, “A run-in with that thing will have any invader trembling.”
”Now, onto the next order of business,” it continued. Turning away and assuming the Scholar would follow.

”We’ve barely begun to scratch the surface of its potential,” cried the Scholar instead, gaze fixed on the hobgoblin.

The Sadist raised an eyebrow, ”As much as I enjoy seeing the creature suffer as it mutates, I’d hate to see our new pet turn into a pile of magic goo before it can be unleashed on our enemies.”

The Scholar cackled, “Nonsense,” it screamed, “He can take it! More!”

------

Vote for the next mutation
>>5174320
>>5174322

Voting closes in 30 min rather than 15 as I have to get started on dinner.
>>
>>5174486
The hobgoblin’s skin tore as the muscles bugled, swelling to frightening magnitude.
Screaming, it swelled in size. Hands so large and meaty they could barely hold a sword.
But then, the monster evened out somewhat. The rest of the body bulked out, keeping the hobgoblin in proportion.
The skin reknit itself.

Forgot that bit.
>>
>>5174486
100 - Two random mutations (6, 75)
Unless there is some serious synergy that emerges, I'll vote for devilish charm after
>>
>>5174486
>100 - Two random mutations (6, 75)
Mystery box, what's in it.
>>
>>5174486
Supporting >>5174495
Lets see if there is something here that would make it less worth it to go with Mister Silver Tongue.

He will be very useful especially when someone shows up. Hopefully we can posses him or something like that and make negotiations done ourselves. It will be useful to be able to do that on the first level directly without letting someone go further into the dungeon.
>>
>>5174486
>100 - Two random mutations (6, 75)
Probably Devilish Heritage after this one but let's see what we get.
>>
>>5174492
>100
please and thank ya
>>
>>5174505
worth noting is that these mutations probably go away when he leaves the boss room, so any "negotiating" would have to be done there
>>
>>5174513
I am fine with negotiations taking place inside of the Dojo of the Master.
>>
>>5174513
yes your point being? It is still on the first level of the dungeon so a much better place than any other.

Letting the enemy past our weakest defenses and into reach of such a monster will make sure we seperate the wheat from the chaff real quick.
>>
>>5174520
just making sure people understand not trying to have him walk around places and have us lose the mutations
>>
>>5174522
okay. Then I misunderstood your intentions with your comment.
>>
>>5174486
Voting closed
>100 - Two random mutations (6, 75)
won
>>
>>5174486
2 random mutations
I'm >>5174411
>>
>>5174454
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/e/e4/Gretchin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130216102719

>the skeleton dies and reveals three monsters hiding among its ribs
>it's three gretchin
>>
>>5174600
I would have posted the image myself instead of a link but hiromoot has me range-banned from posting images. I WON'T BUY A 4CHAN PASS YOU MOTHERFAKAAAR
>>
Hey, does the gun-things works for 3 goblins in a skin coat? Like we pop 3 gun maniacs?
>>
>>5174620
well it might... though to be honest. Since it scales with Monster Tier it would only be like three DC 5 shots... at best.
>>
>>5174486
>>5174541

“It’s looking…unstable,” said the Sadist, wincing at the display before him.
The intimidating hobgoblin was vibrating in place like a bullied piece of Jell-O pudding.
”Enlighten me, if you will,” said the Sadist, line heavy with sarcasm, “Are arms supposed to do that?”

Inflating to the point of absurdity, the hobgoblin’s arms had ballooned to the size of its torso.
It waddled around the [Boss Room] like a bodybuilder that has to shuffle sideways to enter a building.
A sharp hiss followed and then the tell-tale sound of balloon deflating. The process took almost a minute.
A minute during which the Sadist had kept staring, unblinking, at the Scholar with a stern expression.

The Scholar faked a cough, “Ehum,” it said, “It seems like it’s done.”

---------------------------------------------------------------

Compact Muscles Skill
Although less flexible, your muscles brim with power.
Saving throw DC reduced by 2, but base damage has doubled to 2.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The Sadist frowned, “It seems like you got lucky,” it said, “It could’ve very well been paste on the dungeon floor.”

The hobgoblin hickuped and grew a third eye.

”What the fuck,” said the Sadist.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Silent Judgement Skill
A closed, third-eye appears in the centre of your forehead. The eye is invisible unless opened.
Once per invasion, you can open the eye to gaze at a hostile creature.
The target is forced to make a DC15 Wisdom saving throw.
On a failure, the target is unable to cast spells as long as they are within line of sight of the eye.

---------------------------------------------------------------

“You are losing control,” said the Sadist, almost snarling.
”I would suggest,” it added, pressing the final word, “That you stop.”

”There is a point where we needed to stop,” said the Scholar, cackling, “And we have clearly passed it!”
The Scholar simply flashed him a smile, a smile void of reason, “But let’s keep going and see what happens!”

------------

Vote for the final mutation
>>5174320
>>5174322

Voting closes in 30 min
>>
>>5174659
not the best mutation since we still need to hit the enemy to deal damage but DC 14 is still okay especially if we upgrade him with some corruption later. but yeah. i hoped for more. The eye though seems brutal. Can we do several things at once? Like Charm and use the Eye? and does it affect those Saves as well since they deal no damage usually?

anyway. Voting >>5174659
>25 - Devilish Heritage (Male)
>>
>>5174659
Voting for
>25 - Devilish Heritage (Male)

Not sure I like compact muscles, but oh well.
Silent judgment seems really useful though.

Would we be able to use both silent judgment and charm in the same turn?
If yes, then DAMN that is REALLY good.
Open in the first turn while monstrous is on and we crippled like half a party right there.
>>
>>5174659
>Saving throw DC reduced by 2
Yikes, that's not cool. Though with Monstrous dealing damage first turn is still likely, but with a base DC of 14 plus enemy modifiers after turn 1 we'll basically be rolling 50/50's or worse during combat. Not ideal.

>25 - Devilish Heritage (Male)
Right, time to finish this Build-a-Boss and see if Ben comes back to break us again.
>>
>>5174659
>25 - Devilish Heritage (Male)

>>5174679
At least we'll have a good chance at disabling a spellcaster and converting an enemy to our side. And doubling our damage isn't something to be sneezed at either.
>>
>>5174659
>Devilish Heritage (Male)
>>
>>5174659
>Devilish heritage.
Joining the consensus, utility might help in the long run.
>>
You know, when I said last thread that this hobgoblin would be the largest chad in existence, I didn't think that would true in such a literal way.
>>
>>5174708
kek. It is.
Let's name it chadicus
>>
>>5174708
>>5174727
well the most important part is yet to come. The choosing of a proper Name.

While the Name Chadicus would be...... interesting.... yeah lets go with that. I think he needs an actual Name. Like Chad if you want to go there.

I think Leonidas would be good. He is supposed to hold a narrow pathway against all odds and he is super Buff.
>>
>>5174742
>>5174727
i still like Chaplin myself.
Chaplin the Chad Goblin.
>>
>>5174659
Voting closed
>>
>>5174751
For that name i think he should have a big hammer or mace so he can show them his big slapping energy instead of slicing them to bits.
>>
Can we aim for a name that at least sounds Goblin-esque? Calling it 'Chaddicus' is quite literally the most creatively bankrupt thing we could do and it legitimately sounds completely retarded.

Looking at named Goblins from Warhammer Fantasy, we have things like:
- Grom
- Cruzzik
- Brak
- Skarsnik
- Snagla
Short names with a harsh sounds, so something along the lines of 'Gorshred' or 'Trorack' would be infinitely more thematic than Chaddicus/Leonidas/Chaplin. Then we'd add a suffix like 'The Defiler'/'The Destroyer' or something less generic pertaining to it's performance during it's next invasion. Just as long as it's not 'Chaddicus'.
>>
>>5174792
if you are getting out the Warhammer Names for Goblins why not go with Hobgoblin Names.

-Morcar
-Khengai
-Ghazak
-Oglah
-Gorduz

Though he might not be Backstabby or traitorous enough to be one of those Hobgoblins.
>>
>>5174792
I think we could take this and still give the hobgoblin a name that somehow incorporates the name Chad.
Of course, to do so we might have to get a little creative but maybe something like 'Chaddak' could work
>>
>>5174802
I didn't just want to rip a name directly from Warhammer but I guess there's nothing stopping us from doing it. I was just using the Goblin names as examples because they're our base unit for this floor, though it seems all Greenskins follow similar naming conventions with the exception that Orcs get much cooler suffixes than Goblins and Hobgoblins do.
>>
>>5174815
Well we can make use of '

Something like
-Cha'Addack
-Go'Kad
-Gorchad
-Chadcar
-Cruz'ichad

>>5174817
They are the biggest and the meanest greenskins aside from the Squiggoth. So in conclusion they get the best names.

and the Hobgoblins are relatively obscure.... well up until recently when GW once again brought them into the spotlight with the new Models
>>
>>5174659
>Our hobgoblin after a few threads and getting Compact Muscles a few more times
>>
For what it's worth, we could always just... not give them a name. It's worked so far.
Besides, I get the feeling that the boss is gonna get referred to as "the chad" regardless.
>>
>>5174857
Or we can just let him name himself. Because there is nothing more Chad then naming yourself.
>>
>>5174873
Now THIS idea I like.
>>
>>5174751
>>5174727
>>5174765
>>5174792
>>5174802
>>5174815
>>5174821
>>5174857
>>5174873
Gentlemen, picrel is my contribution to this debate.
>>
>>5174909
Where are his horns?

He is a half devil. Where are his horns?

This is a great abomination you made there. nearly fell of my chair laughing
>>
>>5174914
I didn't want to draw ugly red horns with gimp basic brush. Feel free to improve.
>>
>>5174917
Bold of you to think that there are just one type of demon horn.
>>
>>5174917
>>5174929
The horns attempt where condamned before birth by my shitty drawing skills.
However, messing with the color tones, I got something closer to my initial goal.
>>
>>5174659
The other anons are being polite so I will be the one to say it: Losing 2DC as a result of a 100 roll choice feels **SUPER** shitty. Perhaps this time and in the future ignore negative aspects of 100 rolls choices/results.

Im salty that we went with [100] 2 Randoms over [96] Gun. Massive potential to ( almost reliably w/ Monstrous ) OHKO the Healer/Squishy of our choice on Round 1 would have been an absolutely insane tactical tool to have available to us. +1 Damage and 'Cannot cast while in LoS' is still interesting and not terrible.

You all got Family Guy Mystery Box'd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKZJdaiJF84
Moving on.

>>5174932
I like Chadakplin as a name, I like the image thrown together, I personally vote for 11 MultiA for horns, if artanon wants to draw them in go with Satan or just the big horns of MultiA for simplicity?
>>
>>5174932
Good shit, hopefully someone can get the horns on there.
>>
>>5174949
Losing 2 DC does suck, but we +1 damage is still good. That being said, mutations *are* supposed to be theoretically an upgrade right? This seems like it's tottering on the line. At least now we know for the future to be cautious of low rolls for mutations.

I'm still glad we didn't take gun, I don't like the idea of firearms in a fantasy setting.
>>
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>>5174929
>>5174949
>>5174955
OK you happy now?
>>
>>5174965
Perfection.
>>
>>5174965
Simple amazing.
>>
>>5174964
For what it's worth, it's pretty good, it just has drawbacks in certain situations.
If we assume the enemy team will have to deal with 6 rolls to beat the boss, succeeding 3 rolls and dealing 6 damage is better then succeeding 4 rolls and dealing 4. It's a small lowering of success for a doubling of damage, very potent in the long run. It only become annoying when we have high modifiers (though choosing between STR and DEX helps with that) or if they have an odd number of health points, forcing us to overkill. If we get swamped by a large group of people with 1HP, then its just a downgrade. Against one Giga Paladin with 10 HP its pretty sweet though.

>>5174965
Very nice.
Add in some sort of stone wall as the background and it's perfect.
>>
>>5174965
Beautiful.
>>
>>5174965
Based
>>
>>5174975
I hate you, I have work to finish
>>
>>5174996
10/10 Anon
Masterful work
>>
>>5174996
Thank you so much anon, weapon was the only other complaint I had. Your work here is done. This is truly Chadakplin the Hellspawned's Final Form.

Ben and Friends are not prepared. May their arrival be swift and their defeat swifter.

Is he shaving? No, no mortal blade can cut the perfection of his beard.
>>
>>5174965
needs more fur
>>
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>>5175018
>fur fag
>>
I've got a full page of borderline homo-erotic fiction typed out here, but it seems we've got different ideas on what personality the half-devil should have

What is the half-devil's personality
>Masculine, but sensual. Incubus-like
>Masculine and radiating authority. Alpha male like
>Other (Write-in)
>>
>>5175024
>>Other (Write-in)
TAKE THE WHEEL QM
>>
>>5175024
>Masculine and radiating authority. Alpha male like
>>
>>5175024
>Masculine and radiating authority. Alpha male like
>>
>>5175024
>Masculine and radiating authority. SIGMA MALE like
>>
>>5175024
>>Masculine and radiating authority. Alpha male like
Are picrels not alpha enough?
>>
>>5175020
I was thinking on how bugbears look, baka
>>
>>5175024
>Masculine and radiating authority. Alpha male like
The Charm becomes less like sensual magic hypnotism and more like stern authoritarian shouting that forces people to obey.
>>
>>5175026
Normally I would, but they went through all the effort to make the above Chad image so I must honour the call.

>>5174996
I'll use this as the token art.

>>5175027
>>5175028
>>5175029
>>5175030
>>5175031
>>5175033
We were pretty close, I think.
I'll be posting shortly, gotta make some minor changes.
>>
>>5175034
It is a great honor you're doing me QM.
>>
>>5175024
>>Masculine and radiating authority. SIGMA male like
>>
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Once again, faint sparkles of magic rained from the ceiling and seeped into the hobgoblin’s skin.
It was very well aware it wasn’t allowed much of an opinion on the matter, but it was pretty done with this all.
The hobgoblin braced itself for another wave of pain and misery, its skin began to heat up.
It grit its teeth, but, strangely enough, it was a pleasant sensation. Comfortably warm.
It did notice that its skin discoloured slightly, shifting to a different shade of red.

After that, it began to feel what would be best described as a massage.
Slight corrections to the posture. Lengthening of the limbs here and there, making it less stocky.
The bones it its face worked themselves into slightly different alignments, a bit more angular.
Its entire body was being worked like clay, shaped into perfection.
Then the horns came in and that just hurt like a motherfucker.

The hobgoblin tried to cry out in pain, but something in its body forbid such an act.
He managed a masculine grunt. Yes, he. We’re stepping away from it. That’s how things should be.
The Boss felt a chill and looked down, for some reason his armour had gone.
Instead he just sported a set of chiselled abs, “That seems unnecessary,” said a deep, powerful voice.
He felt a bit on display for some reason, but considered himself lucky for at least wearing pants.

Running his hands over the set of horns protruding from his skull, he pondered, “Not quite a hobgoblin anymore, am I?”

An intrusive voice disturbed his serene moment of self-exploration, “What you are,” said the Sadist, “Is a servant.”
”Your job is to stay in this room and destroy whatever comes through that door,” it instructed.
The whole ordeal was almost like getting barked at through an intercom.

”Well, I sure do hope they arrive soon,” he said, sporting a devilish smile revealing his canines.
The horns and skin were devilish, too. If you haven’t caught on, he’s a devil. A fiend.
The whole package – including the package. An eleven foot tall collection of shredded, veiny muscle.
Our new half-devil began to sit down and the floor come up to meet him, fashioning itself into an ornate chair.
He managed a perfect lounge without even trying. The bastard.

A pair of deep-set eyes, golden in colour.
Gaze fixed on the door, ready to entertain company.
>>
>>5175067

“I don’t like him,” said the Sadist.

”What?” replied the Scholar, “Why not? He has FOUR mutations.”

“He’s infringing on my image,” said the Sadist.
It uttered a low hum of discontent, “This doesn’t feel right.”
The Sadist reached out towards a small item currently residing in the [Core Room].

[Item “Ring of Vitality“ has been bestowed upon “Unnamed“.]

”ARGH,” cried the Scholar, “YOU CAN’T JUST GIVE THAT OUT. THAT’S MINE. I WAS RESEARCHING THAT.”
It wasn’t stopping, ”HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO EXPLORE THE HIDDEN DEPTHS OF ARCANE IF I CAN’T EVEN INSPECT A RING. THE SOLE MAGICAL ITEM WE HAVE IN OUR POSSESSION.”

”Yeah,” said the Sadist, inaudible over the raving, “That’s better.”

”Oh, what’s this?” said the half-devil in his deep, commanding voice, “But we’ve only just met.”

”Shut the fuck up,” said the Sadist.

The Boss replied with a sensible chuckle and a wink towards an unseen audience.

[Total amount of Monster Points (MP) remaining: 2]
[Total amount of Dungeon Points (DP) remaining: 1]

----

Some possible follow-up actions

>Talk to the half-demon a bit
>Name things
>Move units around
>Send the goblin scout into the city above
>Other
>>
>>5175068
>investigate
How to reverse corruption
>Talk to the half-demon a bit
>Send the goblin scout into the city above
>>
>>5175068

Final boss monster stats

-------

[Unnamed] - Mutated Boss (6 HP*)
Base monster: Bugbear upgraded into Hobgoblin and then mutated four times

Best kept away from ambitious youths with heroic aspirations and a desire to kill demon kings.
Unnamed is neither a demon nor a king, but we can’t blame anyone for making the connection.

Monstrous Skill
Your body twists into a hulking, monstrous form that instils fear into your enemies.
Hostile creatures have disadvantage on all saving throws in the first round of combat.
The monster has advantage on saving throws within that same round. (Against Skills or Spells)

Compact Muscles Skill
Although less flexible, your muscles brim with power.
Saving throw DC reduced by 2, but base damage has doubled to 2.

Silent Judgement Skill
A closed, third-eye appears in the centre of your forehead. The eye is invisible unless opened.
Once per invasion, you can open the eye to gaze at a hostile creature.
The target is forced to make a DC15 Wisdom saving throw.
On a failure, the target is unable to cast spells as long as they are within line of sight of the eye.

Hit Them Where it Hurts Skill
A master combatant, a Hobgoblin will seek to target the enemy’s weakness.
They can freely swap between forceful blows and skilful lunges as they see fit.
This skill is reflected in the monster’s “Combat” section.

Silver Tongue Skill
Persuasion attempts and the making of deals will be more effective when this creature is in attendance.

Global Appeal Skill
You can speak and understand all languages.

Charm Skill
Once per invasion, you can force a hostile creature to roll a DC15 Charisma saving throw.
On a failure, they are charmed by you and stop attacking you.
This effect lasts until removed.

A charmed creature can carry out simple instructions, within reason.

Curse Mark of Superiority Enchantment
Creature’s health increases by 2
Creature’s saving throw DC increases by 2
Creature will undergo a random mutation and increase in tier

Ring of Vitality Magical Item
Grants +1 health to its wearer.

Combat
Attacks made by Unnamed will use a DC14** Strength or Dexterity saving throw against a single enemy.
Favouring whichever statistic of the hostile creature has the lowest modifier.

*Hobgoblin 3 health + 2 (from [Boss Room] enchantment) + 1 (from [Ring of Vitality])
**DC14 + 2 (from [Boss Room] enchantment) - 2 (from “Compact muscles”)
>>
>>5175068
>Send the goblin scout into the city above
Don't worry sadist, you'll start to like the boss when he cucks some poor adventurer out of their childhood friend right in front of them.

Don't think we need to move anything for now, but I am curious if the scout can find anything good.

>Updated the pic
You absolute madman, my sides.
>>
Session is over
Please vote on >>5175068 what to do next.
Right now things are pretty open-ended (for the time being), so feel free to write-in.

I'll check back tomorrow.
>>
>>5175068
>Name things
Chadakplin the Hellspawned for our bossy boss. Talk with him.
>Send the goblin scout into the city above

>>5175072
Here is my contribution to the reading of the skill list
>Monstrously Swole
>>
>>5175080
Thank you for running. We've been waiting for mutations resolution for a while, so I'm happy we carried through it. Our first boss was perfect, and it was a great opportunity to delve into drawfagness. Thank you all for the support in my shitty gimp btw.
>>
>>5175068
>Other
>Spawn 1 Additional Goblin
>Corrupt one Goblin into a Brute
Gotta beef up our minion count for the next invasion, even with the boss we shouldn't rest on our laurels.

>Send the goblin scout into the city above
See if we can't find a magic shop with low security that we can steal magic items from.

>Talk to the half-demon a bit
Ask it, as our most glorious creation to date, if it comes with a name. Otherwise spitball some names with him, our boss monster can't be nameless. He needs to introduce himself in an over-the-top way when people invade his dojo.
>>
>>5175080
Actually QM, this anon >>5175090 reminds me, can we corrupt bugbears? If so, into what and for how much?
>>
>>5175068
>Name things
Chadakplin the Hellspawned for boss
>Send the goblin scout into the city above

>>5175090
I don't think we should be spending MP on Brutes. They seem like a waste when for one more MP, we can get a Bugbear, which is significantly better.
>>
>>5175092
I think we add in previous thread the cost :
>(Cost of corruption goes up 2 per tier of unit. So [Sadism] would be T1 1 MP -> T2 3 MP -> T3 5 MP)
>>
Can we do both corruptions? Turning our boss into a sadistic mage as well would be useful
>>
>>5175067
>>5175068
>>5175072
> 11ft tall!
Holy fuck

> Name
Chadakplin The Hellspawned
> Talk to him
> Send the Goblin Scout into the City above
>>
>>5175100
I dislike the idea. Right now our monster has silent judgement and charm that coupled with monstrous makes a STRONG DC17. Giving it even more mutations would make it an annoying list of options to choose from aaaand that will get messy when voting. I think this mutated monster has also reached its cap.

We have MP 2 and DP 1. That's pretty shit...
>send the goblin scout into the city
And I support >>5175070
>investigate to how to reverse corruption.

If we can do the two things ofc
>>
>>5175068
>Name things
Chadakplin the Hellspawned for the absolute CHAD that is our boss
>Send the goblin scout into the city above
All we need now is that puzzle room and then we'll be safe to expand a shit ton.
>>
>>5175068
Supporting >>5175082
and > invecstigate how to reverse corruption if that is even possible.


>>5174996
This.... this is very much perfection of the monster that was created
>>
>>5175068
>Send the goblin scout into the city above
>>
Soooo... What's the plan at next invasion?
Let's say Ben makes it to Chadakplin's room. Should we propose some deal? Like release of current companions because they are too weak to face the boss at the moment?
That way, we can farm Ben's group, causing great suffering again and again?
>>
>>5175473
I would say we charm his pants off and kick him out of the dungeon butt naked and offer the stuff we get from him to the next person to leave us alone and not reveal our place in exchange for some good gear he can sell if they want to. If that is not possible your suggestion seems good.

As for farming. To do that effectively we need the chamber of branding. To make sure that if they return they will be hampered even more even if they get stronger.
>>
>>5175487
That, and we can't really release people without branding chamber anyway...
>>
>>5175494
We can release them... it is just unlikely that they will ever return again with a crushed foot or arm or dozens of shattered bones
>>
>>5175494
Hmmmm. Though that could be a fascinating research subject. Improvement through replacement of body parts.

Though that brings to mind an idea. Could we let someone just pass through the dungeon. Like maybe allow Grez to return to the bossroom and have Chadakplin Charm her.

Tell her that we are a benevolent creture and that what we did to her was repaymemt for what she did to us but we can forgive her if she lures new victims to us.

Mostly by offering her to not only return but improve her leg and freeing her from the prospect of becoming a pleasure slave or Organ Farm
>>
>>5175521
Supporting that.
Charming her, wiping the encounter, making her a proposition she can not refuse.
>>
>>5175522
Right now she is still very likely to just get killed off, since if she manages to crawl herself back into the dungeon even with a party, the brutes would target her first due to how weak she is in the physical department.

Maybe we can release her into the Bossroom directly after wiping the entire encounter. Especially with a fresh curse mark and a Branding Chamber she should be weakened enough to not be any threat at all.
>>
>>5175473
I dunno, it might be better to just kill Ben and company.
Way I see it, we are still not ready to be widely known, not by a long shot. The best way to ensure that no one suspects anything is to dispose of those that could spread that info. Right now, Ben wants to break us himself, so he wouldn't reveal our existence to anyone who could beat him to the punch. But if he gets beaten and we release him I'm worried he will swallow his pride and tattle on us to someone far stronger. Kill him, and there is no problem. Only problem would be the relatives/friends of those gone missing, but with any luck they'll have no idea where they went or where to look so we can just lay low.
Nothing is certain of course, but playing it safe seems like a good idea.

>>5175521
Could be a good idea, but we'll have to see if/when she shows up again.
>>
>>5175532
Well, we have relatives of the magician and the ranger to take care about right now.
>>
>>5175544
While i wanted to say that the mage is a massive nerd and would probably not be missed I just realised he probably studied somewhere and might have student loans to pay back still. So someone could come looking for him when the money runs dry. Or he might have a sponsor to rund his studies who also might wonder where he went.

>>5175532
Humiliating him might still be enough to keep him fuming enough to just show back up again. But you are right killing him amd stealing his shit might just be a better idea.
>>
>>5175555
(Checked)
I want to make it tradition to execute Ben's party members in front of him before we let him go. Really hammer in that psychological horror and turn him in to a dead husk of a person due to the loss of party members/friends that he's brought in to attempt to break us.
Maybe with a Branding Chamber we can apply a mark that won't let him mention us or our location directly. That way when he goes recruiting for new party members, it will be for a "secret mission/vendetta" rather than a Dungeon Delve. Secret Missions where the party leader shares no details could be more likely to attract overconfident/nosy rookies over seasoned adventurers, giving us an easier time with his Invasions.
>>
>>5175562
We might have to research the secret marks though. I think Branding chamber is a priority right now. Maybe even above puzzle and floor?
But puzzle will give us research points...
Damn, it's hard.
>>
>>5175564
If we succeed in repelling the next invasion, if it's similar in level and size to Ben's party, we should have enough DP to build both a Branding Chamber and the Puzzle Room.
>>
>>5175565
to be honest, I'm a bit afraid of the scaling of attacks. Like we jumped from the 2 people invasions to the 3 rats (lucky roll on the table) then 4 people...
>>
>>5175571
I would guess that for now the numbers will imcrease for beasts and for Humans the Quality will continue to increase quickly. Of course beasts and Humans will both get numbers and Quality but i would guess that beasts will scale more ok numbers while Humans scale more on Quality..... unless we toll luky and get kike a couple dozen drunk Hobos stumbling in. And right now we have few ways to deal more than 1 point of damage for those HP Bags that just refuse to die.

Also we should have enough DP after the next invasion to get like 9 DP. Since stronger creatures are worth more Points when consumed even with 4 creatures it should be possible.
>>
>>5175576
I only want to spend DP in high-quality creatures right now. So maybe a couple bugbear to get some profits out of the 2 next bugbear den extention, then only Hobgoblins.
>>
>>5175068
Voting closed

>Investigate how to reverse corruption
Using what means?

>Talk to the half-demon a bit
Other than asking it for its name, I haven't really seen much questions for Unnamed.

>Send the goblin scout into the city above
This we can do, I'll start with this.

Send the goblin scout into the city above
>1 - Go now (Mid-afternoon)
>2 - Wait for nightfall
>>
>>5175595
>2 - Wait for nightfall
Best keep uneccessary risks to a minimum right now. The Scout should be able to move about better and more stealthily during the night.
>>
>>5175595
>Investigate how to reverse corruption
>Using magic to extract the corrupt essence an seperate it either via Magical room or Curse Mark.

>Talk to the half-demon a bit
>"What is your preferred method to kill our enemies?"
>"Say something in Moonspeak"

>Send the goblin scout into the city above
>Wait for Nightfall

>>5175591
You mean MP dont you? Because yeah no more normal goblins. Hobgoblins and Bugbears from here on out. Though instead of waiting for upgrades here lets just go deeper to get better stuff. Otherwise adventurers might just scale out of control because we spent too much time on Early Game stuff
>>
>>5175595
Voting closed
>Wait for Nightfall
Short voting round as I want to get on with things.
>>
>>5175595
>Investigate how to reverse corruption
>Find a way to create/Obtain empty cores.
>Transfer corruption to said core to still get beneficies like empowered units
>Then, either learn some cultivation techniques or arcana to fill us again with pure energy. Maybe we will need to create some homunculus being to get whole again?

>Talk to the half-demon a bit
Scholar in me wants to know if he recalls anything from his infernal nature.
Does he have wants? Needs?
>>
>>5175619
get ooooooon with life
gotcha
>>
>>5175619
QM getting laid?
>>
>>5175894
A fellow fiction writer I see.

Update will have to wait until tomorrow.
I had a lot of catching up to do for my D&D campaigns and that kind of stole away my afternoon.
And now I have to go DM said D&D campaigns
>>
>>5175902
well have fun there then OP.

No rest for the wicked Dungeon Masters of our time
>>
>>5175902
Cool. It's great that you have a consistent campaing going on. I had one, once, that lasted three months and it was GOOD
>>
>>5175902
It's ok QM, we are non-update Tuesday so it's only freebies on that day anyway. See you tomorrow.
>>
>>5175768
>Find a way to create/obtain cores
>Transfer corruption to said core to still get benefits like empowered units
A Dungeon-hunting dungeon? That sounds like a perfect villain plot.
>>
>>5176558
>>5175937
>>5175914

I had a thought last night about things we could ask our little friend that answers our question.

Are there gods in this world?
If yes. Is there one for Dungeons?
Is there any magical significance to our own Spawnpoint? (Was a great magic ritual held here or is it a convergence point of some kind that magic is just naturally drawn to.)


Any other ideas of what might be useful to know?

Also i am just assuming that finding out things like specific lineages of nobles or the rulers of a country willbrequire us to go out there and find the knowledge. If we can just ask about it, it would be useful to know who the people in power, that we have to blackmail, bribe and generally try and stay away from noticing us, in this country are.
>>
>>5176558
Regarding the dungeon-hunting-dungeon, if this is possible we might not be the first one with the idea. So if people learn about us, we will probably get hunted by more powerfull being.

>>5176934
How is hell organized? Is there a main devil or more like a council of elders? Does Mephistomedeus or whatever is the arch-fiend name can grant powers? If yes we can extrapolate about clerical powers, which might be more common.
>I think we are playing dnd-like, so there will be Warlocks and Clerics.
>>
With all the renovations and monsters adjustments done, the Dungeon breathed a sigh of relief.
Surely, these adjustments should ensure that the next random group of adventurers wouldn’t be able to carelessly plod on over into the [Core Room].
Where do these people even keep coming? Well, the city above. A place Grez and her cronies called Duskmire.
A place that could very well be filled with dozens, if not hundreds, of people like Ben and Grez.
Opportunists that would seek to hammer away at the Dungeon’s core until nothing remained but a mindless slave.

The Dungeon glanced over its rooms and the monsters within once more. Proper preparations one would say.
But could one truly call themselves prepared if they didn’t even know what they were preparing for?
The only things the Dungeon knew about the world above was through whatever scraps of intel the invaders had unknowingly dropped.
A solemn realization. This wouldn’t do at all.

A mental ping was send to the [Goblin Scout], instructing it to get ready.
Come nightfall, they would go greet the neighbours.
>>
>>5177081

A couple of uneventful hours went by, most of which were spend figuring out the hierarchy between the personalities.
It was ultimately decided that the Sadist was in charge (by the Sadist), but also concluded that the Scholar did not care about rank and so any potential gain won by a leadership position was nullified by the fact that there was nobody to boss around.
The Scholar spent most of the before mentioned discussion not listening and staring, like a child peering through the window of a candy store, at the recently acquired boss monster as he was playing around with his new ring.
There may have been the occasional whimper coming from the Scholar.

The sun had clocked out for the day, its duties taken over by a bright moon, hinting that a full moon might only be mere days away.

The Goblin Scout was lead to the entrance of the dungeon, where it received a small pack to store any possible curiosities it might find.
Both sides of the Dungeon were there to see it off.

”You got your pack?” asked the Scholar, “Don’t lose it! Put anything worth taking into it and bring it back, you hear?”
”We’ll be able to investigate these things later and learn more about the upper world,” continued the Scholar.
It flashed the monster a smile, “We’re counting on you!”

”Don’t disappoint me,” added the Sadist.

And thus its lonesome bout of exploration began.
The emotional weight of the goodbye was slightly off-set by the discovery of shared senses.
Sight, sound, smell. All there.

”Marvellous. First-- err, second-hand experience!” cried the Scholar, “We’ll be there with you every step of the way!”

”I will be judging your every move,” said the Sadist.

And thus its bout of exploration began.
>>
>>5177082

The direct surroundings of the dungeon entrance were fairly bare.
It seemed to be connected to a set of tunnels, large scratch marks indicated it the handiwork of some manner of beast or bug.
There were many of these tunnels and they ran long and deep.
One of these creatures must’ve bumped shoulders with a cellar as one of the cellar’s walls had been topped inwards not too far off from the dungeon.
Broken bricks lay scattered on the cellar floor, the occasional footprint clear in the dirt and dust that lay in-between.

The scout gingerly stepped through the rubble, taking care to not add any footprints.
A smell of rot clung to the air, a quick glance pinpointing their origin to crates and sacks filled with rotten wares.
Some of which had their lid slightly ajar – an unfortunate attempt at the contents by somebody desperate.

A rickety, wooden staircase dominated the left-hand side of the room – the goblin made the ascend.
It opened into a large building, equal parts damaged stone and rotten wood.
The floorboards were waterlogged to the point it was akin to stepping on sponges.
A raindrop hit the scout on its enormous forehead. A sizeable hole decorated the roof.

”Suitable accommodations for these creatures,” said the Sadist, nose wrinkling.

”Should we tell it to look around?” asked the Scholar, “Might be something interesting near.”

“What’s here but rats and roaches?” replied the Sadist, “The enemy is out there, not in here.”

>1 - Explore the building
>2 - Go outside
>3 - Get on the roof and inspect surroundings
>4 - Double back and check out the tunnel system
>>
>>5177084
Voting closes in 30 min
Hello again
>>
>>5177084
>3 - Get on the roof and inspect surroundings
Grez already mentioned everything of value was taken from the Orphanage already, so searching the building is most likely a waste of time. Best to get some quick bearings on our immediate surroundings first.
>>
>>5177084
>3 - Get on the roof and inspect surroundings
Taking a look around first seems prudent.
>>
>>5177084
>3 - Get on the roof and inspect surroundings

While we could maybe find someone in the ruins seeking shelter from whatever elements are out there we should first find out how close we are to the outside of the city and if we can maybe see the fires of patroling guards.
>>
>>5177084
>3 - Get on the roof and inspect surroundings
>>
>>5177084
>>1 - Explore the building
Rats or hobo are still a free way to rake in some DP and MP
>>
>>5177086
Voting closed
>>
>>5177084
I think the most effective use of our scout is going to be luring weaklings into the dungeon opportunistically. It's probably not feasible this first foray, but placing bait to lure more Giant Rats and the like near and eventually into our entrance would be handy. Perhaps we could even get a colony established outside our door.
>>
>>5177165
If that won't work, we could use two scouts to hunt to weaklings and drag them into dungeon for MP.
Although that does bring up question, can we get anything, if we kill people outside the dungeon, and what happens to our creatures, if they die outside?
>>
>>5177183
I'm sure we'll find out shortly.

Along similar lines of luring in creatures, perhaps we should consider having more of a honeytrap room at the entrance to the dungeon rather than a jungle deathtrap. Something that naturally grows fruits to lure in animals and orphans, so that we can harvest them when we order our minions to attack.
>>
>>5177189
A big 4x4 room modified to grow fruits and berries edible and tasty.
>>
>>5177165
>>5177183
>>5177191
We definitely need branding room.
people leaving the orchard can definitely be seeing as 'invasion repelled'.
Farming nearby rats would be more efficient if we could release them so they could come over and over again.
>>
Ambiance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u73l0yMy4WU

”Show us a view of the area,” instructed the Sadist.
The scout saluted at the command given by the voices in its head and began to look for the stairs.
After a little search and a slight scare when one of the steps gave away, the goblin made it to the next level of the build.
The hallway containing the staircase had a small, badly rusted sign in it saying: “Loriander Orphanage“.
Evidentially, the building was made up off three floors. A ground floor, a first floor, and an attic.
The attic contained something less of a window and more like a hole in the wall.

The goblin poked its head outside, tested the sturdiness of the wall, and skittered outside like a roach.
A pair of buildings stood next to the orphanage, the three of them surrounded by a wall, but no gate.
There was some evidence that there had might once been a gate, but scrap iron fetches a fairly decent price.
The current building was likely the dorms, the place were the orphans would eat and sleep.
Whatever the other two contained was anyone’s guess, but one of the buildings had a pulley system attached the front.

It was raining quite heavily. The goblin took in its surroundings, it was definitely a more run down area of the city.
The buildings were close-set, the streets in-between them mostly ones that have been walked into existence.
A dog barked in the distance, hoping to be let inside.

At the end of the street was a large building with an orange glow betraying the presence of the warmth inside.
People could be seen moving in and out of the place, the sounds of merrymaking could be heard even here.
The kind of public joy that would likely result in a noise complaint. One that nobody would bother doing anything about.

The occasional shop could be seen along that same street, their signs swaying in the breeze that accompanied the rain.
Although the distance made it hard to make out their names, the pictures on the signs didn’t seem to want to cling to the same sense of mystery: a butcher, a general goods store, and something to do with money.
A sturdy looking gentleman sat outside that last one, wearing a cloak that tried and failed to shelter him from the rain.
The people that possessed skill in words and digits in a place like this was probably directly correlated to the amount of meals they had in a day.
>>
>>5177198

The rain stole some of the long-distance vision from the goblin, but it could still make out a impressive looking wall in the distance.
The city seemed to be made up of quarters or districts and long, sturdy walls in-between made sure people didn’t forget the ones they belonged to.
An even larger city wall with men patrolling them surrounded the combined quarters, though some sections of the city had far less people standing guard and overseeing things.

There was a district with large houses sporting gardens bigger than an entire neighbourhood from the current one.
Peppered between those were not churches, a church would have lowered the land value, but mighty cathedrals.
There seemed to be many gods and their worshippers were not about to let a different group of devoted folk outdo them.
A large hill rested on the edge of this district, featuring a fortress of some kind.

To the right of that district was an area dominated by homes and warehouses, the houses within not quite as lavish as the one from the previous district, but definitely a lot better than the ones in the current district – and they were probably smug about it.
Horse-drawn carts could be seen moving on the cobblestone roads, pedalling supplies from storage to shop window.
It also seemed to be the home district of the alchemist’s guild, since a portion of a building exploded and nobody seemed all too upset about it.
There was probably a carpenter in the district somewhere that was lulled to sleep by the sounds of financial security.

North-east from that district was one containing lengthy, spiralling towers.
Some of these were connected through walkways, some weren’t.
A robed fellow stood near the window of one of these towers and threw a piece of parchment into the air.
The parchment hastily folded itself into the shape of a paper bird and flew off.

There seemed to be a few more districts off in the distance, but no matter how much the scout’s eyes bulged under the Sadist’s command, it was hard to get a clear picture of what they contained.

--------

>1 - Check out the other buildings next to the orphanage
>2 - Investigate out one of the stores down the street (Stealth check)
>3 - Sneak closer to the tavern-like structure at the end of the street (Stealth check)
>4 - Travel to another district (Stealth check, DC depends on district)
>5 - Go back to the dungeon
>>
>>5177200
>>1 - Check out the other buildings next to the orphanage
>>
>>5177200
Voting closes in 30 min
Forgot to mention, but the rain will add a +5 modifier to the goblin's stealth check.

Here's the important bit of the scout's statblock

------------------

Prowler Skill
Goblin scouts are embarrassed of the size of their forehead and prefer to remain hidden.
Hostile creature have to succeed on a DC12 Wisdom (Perception) check to detect the scout.

------------------

So the DC is 17 while the rain persists.
>>
>>5177200
>Check out the other buildings next to the orphanage
Initial surroundings first. It's no good to explore farther out when you don't know what's close to home (and what you'll be walking back into after you've explored afar).
>>
>>5177200
>>1 - Check out the other buildings next to the orphanage
We can move on to something else after.
We should definitely take advantage of the rain while we can, 17 DC is very nice.
>>
>>5177200
>Sneak closer to the tavern-like structure at the end of the street
>try to caught and bring back bird, cat, dog, hobo, passed out drunk guy, whatever

Let's use the rain as an opportunity for some free DP.
We are at Waterdeep, right?
>>
>>5177200
>1 - Check out the other buildings next to the orphanage
>>
>>5177200
>1 - Check out the other buildings next to the orphanage
>>
>>5177198
and with the rain the goblin might just get the bath it so badly needs.

and while the bank(the sign with money would probably make for good looting it woudl also get the gaurds down here real quick. maybe a little breaking and entering could be good though)

>>5177208
>>5177209
>>5177204
to be honest... if we ever want to live with some degree of certainty here well... we might need to destroy or enslave the citys populace and extend our influence to the surface.
>>
>>5177218
The plan is to grow powerfull enough fast enough to not be wiped. We'll need some branding chamber to put up some nice magical "branding" to get peope keep coming back without figuring out it's for the sadist's delight.
>>
>>5177218
>to be honest... if we ever want to live with some degree of certainty here well... we might need to destroy or enslave the citys populace and extend our influence to the surface.
I mean, sure, but how do we do that exactly?

It's best to just lay low and let as little info leak as possible, until we become strong enough that even stronger parties will not be able to reach the core. Then we can maybe start worrying less about becoming well know.
>>
>>5177200
>1 - Check out the other buildings next to the orphanage
Get a good look at the district we're in before we do anything else.

So the furthest away of the districts we can see we have some sort of Mage Guild, if we want high quality magic items they are most likely to be found there. Though there'd probably be security measures that would make it difficult to steal anything from them as of now.
Between that and us we also have the posh, upperclass neighbourhood. Probably not as difficult to steal from as the Mage Guild but should have Guards patrolling it.
Lastly we have what I assume is the Merchant Quarters, with their warehouses of goods. This is probably a location we should aim to investigate after we finish up the current poor man's district, the warehouses could definetly hold something of value while not being an impossibility for our Scout to steal from.
>>
>>5177218
>to be honest... if we ever want to live with some degree of certainty here well... we might need to destroy or enslave the citys populace and extend our influence to the surface.
Take note that the only minion out of all the mutations and upgrades we've gotten, only the Scout can leave the Dungeon. Enslaving the town is most likely impossible as we can't get minions out from the Dungeon to do the actual enslaving and conquering.
>>
>>5177225
>>5177230
>>5177238
well regarding the branding chamber. I think that will be a huge thing to make sure we can drastically increase in strength and stay low key.

We know from Grez that there are Curse Seals that can enslave others. So if we can brand people to become our slaves we can use them to get increasingly important people down to us through subversion and slowly take over the structure from within until we can just command people to come down to us and then take over the city with a billion little cuts. But that is just a soap Dream until we figure out how those Curse Marks work and how much they can influence people before others start to notice.

Then we could have the population as our servants on the surface. But as you pointed out that will be far in the future.
>>
You know, incase we get invaded again, why dont we station the scout in our core room to ambush anyone who beats the rest of the dungeon?
>>
>>5177231
The warehouses/merchant district is definitely our best target, at least with just a goblin scout. Anything else is too well guarded or risky. Wouldn't wanna piss off some noble and get the highest authority in the city investigating where the goblins are sneaking into the city from.
With any luck, some merchant won't be able to do too much besides scratch his head if we get caught.
Besides, I'm sure warehouses can have all sorts of cool stuff.

>>5177243
I suppose if we can somehow replicate slave marks (big if) then it could work, but that is only so long as we can maintain secrecy of the seals, and the dungeon itself. Otherwise people would just check anyone exiting the dungeon. Our priority should be getting stronger anyhow, then it doesn't matter what is on the surface.

>>5177245
Monsters cannot be placed in the core room, unfortunately.
>>
>>5177257
>Monsters cannot be placed in the core room, unfortunately.
big rip
>>
>>5177257
Disagreeing. Our priority should be getting stronger while staying as low on the radar as possible for the time being.
>>
>>5177266
>Disagreeing. Our priority should be getting stronger while staying as low on the radar as possible for the time being.
What part are you disagreeing with?
I quite literally wrote
>Our priority should be getting stronger anyhow
>>
>>5177202
Voting closed
Next update will come later today, have to take care of some errands like dinner and such
>>
>>5177275
disagreeing with anyhow, that I nuanced.
But this is nitpicking
>>
>>5177276
Hey QM, are we later today yet?
>>
For now, it would be best to at least secure the direct surroundings of the building that hid the dungeon.
The three buildings all surrounded the same little square, which contained a well.
On the left-hand side of the well, was a decently sized home that might’ve once upon a time been the envy of the lower district. A person of means would’ve likely lived here in the past.
Directly opposing it, on the right-hand side of the well, was a barn-like structure with a pulley-system jutting out from the front.

The goblin skittered its way back into the home and took the stairs down, like any sensible person would.
History has few tales to tell about the heroic individuals that leapt from rooftops and promptly broke their neck.
It’s a dangerous case of survivorship bias that has cost many people their lives.

The rain continued to fall. The goblin’s first steps onto the outside world had it go ankle-deep in mud.
It casually walked through the courtyard. After all, sneaking is suspicious.
The neighbours would’ve likely seen orphans come and go from the building, so an orphan-sized goblin walking about, its features and skin hidden by the dark of night, would draw no attention.
It’s the well-know, but rarely mentioned, act of being public in public versus being private in public.

The scout walked over to the left-hand building. A two-story mansion – if you were to stretch the definition of the word.
Although the building had fallen into disrepair much like the dorm, it wasn’t nearly as bad.
It had been mostly constructed out of stone, with wood used for decorative purposes like panelling and shutters.
The wood that had been used was still looking decent. Higher quality stuff.
Dominating the front was a set of double-doors, slight ajar.

”Hold,” said the Sadist, nearly shivering in delight, “I would recognize that sound anywhere.”
Somebody inside was sobbing.

Outside of the gates of the orphanage, barely a hundred feet down the road, an argument erupted.
A discussion mostly conducted in curse words.
The winning argument, it seemed, had been a glass bottle to the face of the opponent – which fell down into the cold mud.
The victor wobbled its way over to the prone individual and picked up the bottle – only to find out that it had shattered.
Whatever contents had remained had joined the enemy in the dirt.
A purposely loud sigh boomed across the neighbourhood, one meant to annoy.
Sadly, it seemed like nobody was rushing from their houses to fight a drunken man in the rain.

So instead this person made his way down the road.
Shoulders slumped and eyes downcast. Ben staggered towards the orphanage.

>Hide in the barn
>Infiltrate the mansion
>Climb down the well
>Go back to the dungeon
>Write-in
>>
>>5177604
>>Infiltrate the mansion
I think the prone person is Grez. The sobbing one might be related to one of our victims?
>>
>>5177604
> Hide until Ben passes, drag the body back to the Dungeon
>>
>>5177604
Voting will remain open for a while
I'll check back tomorrow
>>
>>5177604
>> Hide until Ben passes, drag the body back to the Dungeon
>>
>>5177640
>>5177626
Hey, that's fairly clever. If it's reasonably possible let's do it.
>>
>>5177604
>Infiltrate the mansion
This seems juicy. Gotta learn what we can.

I highly doubt a dead body will have any use to us. Why bother?
>>
>>5177661
Okay on second reading the man is most likely not dead, ignore my dumb ass.
Still prefer info for now. Bit early to risk them waking up mid dragging anyhow.
>>
>>5177604
>>Infiltrate the mansion
Gotta learn their plans for next time they head for dungeon
>>
>>5177604
>Infiltrate the mansion

Well well well..... Ben is staggering towards the Orphanage. That means we might have to contend with a drunkard next. And maybe we can find out who is sobbing.

Grez was either outside with Ben in which case no one will probably care to much if she still lays there for a while. Or if she made it to the mansion and holed herself up there we know where she will most likely be holed up and maybe can send her an invitation if she brings snacks.
>>
>>5177604
>Infiltrate the mansion
>>
>>5177604
>Infiltrate the mansion
Ben staggering into the Orphanage means if we try to drag the body back down to the Dungeon we'd be forced to contend with him. Keep scouting, maybe he'll have left later after we're done scouting.
>>
Voting closed
>Infiltrate the mansion

Follow-up question
>1 - Sneak inside (Stealth check)
>2 - Let the goblin go inside without hiding

Voting closes in 30 min
>>
>>5178329
>1 - Sneak inside (Stealth check)
>>
>>5178329
>Sneak inside Stealth Check
>>
>>5178329
>1 - Sneak inside (Stealth check)
>>
>>5178329
>1 - Sneak inside (Stealth check)
>>
>>5178329
>>1 - Sneak inside (Stealth check)

It is Grez that's inside. As this is most livable building here, Ben most likely lives here also. I wonder, if Ben even knows Grez is alive, if he has been just drinking after the raid.
>>
>>5178355
Well he seemingly staggers towards the Orphanage. He might crash there for the night.

And regarding Grez.... well he might just kill her if he finds her again
>>
>>5178329
>>1 - Sneak inside (Stealth check)
>>
>>5178329
Joining the bandwagon

>1 - Sneak inside (Stealth check)
>>
These sure are some long 30 minute voting periods
>>
>>5178393
well i think Today QM has another DND Session and probably has to prepare for that and it creeped up on them again.. like on Tuesday
>>
>>5178393
kek
>>
>>5178418
You got it in one. I think it might be best to stop calling out "voting windows" on my off-days.
>>
>>5178472
if you want to continue using the Time windows. Just put a timer on and just jump in for a second to say voting closed and maybe inform people if you will be writing again.that day or will be busy.
>>
>>5178477
>>5178472
Yeah! and telling us you are writing is an statement! one that will force you to comply mwahahaha. I am happy you know about survivor bias.
>>
Oh boys, are we update-Friday?
>>
>>5179290
we can only hope and see if we scared QM off or if he just needs more time for writing the Update
>>
No signs of life so far? Anything would be appreciated QM
>>
Moved to update Saturday
>>
>>5179539
Okay
>>
>>5179539
alright. See you tomorrow then.
>>
The torrent continued, the noise overpowering all sounds safe for the squelching footsteps of Ben as he lumbered forward.

Ever valiant and always watchful, the individual’s approach did not go unnoticed by the goblin scout.
It also enjoyed the presence of two backseat scouts that pointed out things to it that it already knew.

”Somebody’s coming!” said the Scholar frantically, “You should hide!”

What a suggestion. Amazing. Truly something the scout could not have come up with themselves.

”It’s one of the invaders from earlier,” growled the Sadist, “You should go stab him.”

To be fair, this was a new idea. Something that the scout hadn’t thought about.
But considering the fact that it was a bad idea, the suggestion was ignored.
The scout decided to try hiding in the dilapidated mansion.

--------------
I sadly don't have a lot of this time afternoon, but I'll try pop in again when I can over the weekend.

Need a 2d20 Wisdom roll for Ben Nielsen vs Goblin Scout
He has disadvantage on the roll because of his current condition.
Ben has a +2 modifier to his wisdom.

Please include the following message:
Rolling for Ben Nielsen to detect Goblin Scout
>>
>>5180173
DC17
>>
Rolled 18, 19 + 2 = 39 (2d20 + 2)

>>5180173
>Rolling for Ben Nielsen to detect Goblin Scout
>>
>>5180176
...fuck
>>
>>5180176
Congratulations, you are failure. At least Ben is drunk so we should hopefully be able to disengage from this without losing the scout.
>>
>>5180176
aww Shit........

This could have gone a lot better. Lets hope that either he kills himself in his drunken Stupor or that he will think it was a bad dream tomorrow.
>>
>>5180176
>>5180177
>>5180180
This doesnt have to be bad, with a ben down in spirits he might follow goblino and go through dungeon, if he reaches chad we can do a deal
>>
Didn't Ben roll like two nat 20's last invasion? He's got some serious plot armor bullshit going on.
>>
>>5180190
>>5180176
amirite???' Ben keeps rolling high, like he was Hero class instead of whatever juvenile merc he is right now
>>
>>5180205
This whole quest is just Ben's origin story.
>>
>>5180205
>>5180206
then we are gonna have to kill Ben before he manages to unlock the true Power of the Class before he achieves Demon Lord Slayer Status and we would have to turn into a post game Dungeon to contend with him.
>>
>>5180176
This isn't necessarily bad, if we can lure Ben back into the dungeon using his anger. He probably assumes it's basically the same as it was when he left.
>>
>>5180176
Holy shit the plot armor
>>
>>5180176
man
>>
>>5180218
>>5180206
>mfw the entire quest is playing catch up with him
>we get so used to just survive against him our power conception is all fucked up, to the point that we don't notice the high tier parties invading because they don't make it through the second floor
picI can't post images fuck you and your rangebans hiromoot
>>
Hey, are we update-Sunday?
>>
>>5180938
idk man... I wish it were
>>
Ben squinted in the night-time downpour, using his hand to keep the rain out of his eyes, something was there – in the courtyard.
His vision swam a bit, it hadn’t been long since he had been kicked out of the tavern – he was often told he was an emotional drinker.
The wailing and complaining kind. The kind that spoils the mood and turns the ale sour.
Whatever was out there had been trying to hide, it also wasn’t very tall.
”Hey, k-kid,” Ben tried, “I’m sorry, but the orphanage is not…not really a thing anymore.”
He nearly tripped over his own feet, but corrected and found his balance, “No need to be scared though, I can find you a place.”
Ben truly had good intentions, but was painfully aware that his current state didn’t do much to alleviate any possible fear.
>>
File: GoblinScoutAdventure.jpg (108 KB, 1000x1107)
108 KB
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>>5181579

“What the hell is he saying?“ said the Scholar, “He’s like a hundred feet away and its pouring out here.”

”Doesn’t matter. The wretch spotted us,” growled the Sadist, switching his gaze to the goblin, “I thought you were good at this.”

The scout whispered something in the goblin tongue under his breath, it seemed like a curse word.
It actually was good at this, the odds of being detected by somebody in the current conditions were laughably low, yet it happened.
This didn’t seem fair. It resisted the urge to flip off Ben.

“Run into the mansion, whatever is bawling in there will distract him,” commanded the Sadist.

After a shrug, the goblin scout did as instructed.
As stealth was no longer the order of business, it simply dashed into the direction of the mansion, sliding in the wet mud, and yanked open the shutters of a window within line of sight of Ben and vaulted over the window sill.
Its muddy feet slapped down on cold tiles, a kitchen.
Most of the furniture was gone, only the oven and similar heavy equipment remained beside a rotten basket and some waterlogged cook books.

The goblin’s entry had not gone unnoticed by the current occupant of the mansion.
”H-hello? Who’s there?” said a careful voice, exploring the unknown. The voice of Grez.
There was some movement from the other chamber, somebody struggling to get up.
The half-orc winced in pain and fell back tot the floor, causing the floorboards to groan underneath the sudden weight.

Peeking its head into the hallway connecting the chambers, the goblin explored its options.
There was a staircase winding up directly opposing the door to the kitchen and three doors down the hallway to the left.
Two of which exited towards the right, leading towards the other side of the building, and one, slightly ajar, leading to the left.
The whimpering of Grez was clearly coming from the left-hand room, an orange glow leaked into the hallway through the cracked door – possibly a candle.

The scout’s eyes darted around, looking for an escape, or a place to hide.
Its vision was coloured in shades of grey as a result of its darkvision, but that was enough.
It spotted a backdoor hidden behind some debris.

“Excellent,” said the Sadist, “Escape through the back entrance.”

The scout took the first step, but was then stopped.

”Hold it,” said the Scholar, “Did you forget what we came here for? We should explore or at least eavesdrop or something.”

>1 - Stay in the kitchen (Stealth check: Eavesdrop)
>2 - Exit through the backdoor (End scenario)
>3 - Go to first room on the right (Stealth check: Eavesdrop & Explore)
>4 - Go to second room on the right (Stealth check: Eavesdrop & Explore)
>5 - Go the chamber Grez is in (Detected)
>6 - Go upstairs (Stealth check: Explore)

Stealth roll will be made (if necessary) after a decision has been made
>>
>>5181580
>>3 - Go to first room on the right (Stealth check: Eavesdrop & Explore)

Lets check it out.

do you have a free day QM or did you just manage to finish off something you started over the weekend?
>>
>>5181580
>3 - Go to first room on the right (Stealth check: Eavesdrop & Explore)
>>
>>5181580
>3 - Go to first room on the right (Stealth check: Eavesdrop & Explore)
I want to learn SOMETHING from this expedition, besides the basic city layout.
>>
i am VERY convinced that Ben WILL spot us again. The Mans Luck is unreal in some aspect. Still we can not succeed if we do not even try.
>>
>>5181583

>Do you have a free day QM or did you just manage to finish off something you started over the weekend?

I mostly work from home, but sometimes I can "work from home".
It's morning here so maybe too early to tell, but it doesn't seem to be a busy day.
I should be able to work on some updates while I await replies on emails and tickets.
>>
Voting closed
>>
>>5181585
>>5181586
>>5181590

Need a 1d20+2 Wisdom saving throw (DC17) for Grez Wildflower vs Goblin Scout
Grez has a +2 modifier to her wisdom.

Please include the following message:
Rolling for Grez Wildflower to detect Goblin Scout
>>
Rolled 12 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>5181614
Rolling for Grez Wildflower to detect Goblin Scout
>>
File: 1472071765374.png (10 KB, 500x500)
10 KB
10 KB PNG
>>5181615
Oh lord, thank the Dice Gods we didn't whiff this check. I was absolutely expecting a turbo failure here with our luck.
>>
Grez crawled over towards the walking cane she had put beside the door.
She used it to steady herself, wobblily trying to get up. The floorboards protested under the half-orc’s weight at a single spot.
One hand resting on the cane, the other she extended towards the solitary candle she had just lit after hearing the noise.
The cane slipped out from under her and provided the floor with a deep scratch.

Reflexes are a powerful thing. A quick movement made without interference of the mind.
The mind, however, would’ve had an opinion on this particular manoeuvre.
In an attempt to catch herself, she put her full weight on the foot with the pulverised toes and sucked in her lips as the pain hit her.

----------------------

There was a bunch of falling, whimpering, and muffled moans of pain coming from the other chamber.
The goblin scout used the moment to sneak into the hallway and slip into the first chamber on the right.
It opened and closed the door with barely a sound, not that much could’ve been heard over the noise of fat raindrops beating away at the walls, shutters, and roof.

The pattern continued, the room was fairly bare safe for a solid, wooden desk that likely weighed into the hundreds of pounds.
Whatever chair had belonged to it was missing. There was a large bookcase that dominated the right-hand wall, half the contents were on the floor.
One of the hinges of the shutters in this room had long since given up, the shutter itself at the mercy of the wind.
Open, close. Open, close. Rain sprayed through window at regular intervals, turning the books into mush.

The room was held together by, what would’ve once been, a fancy looking carpet that squelched under the footfalls of the goblin.

A door opened in the distance. There was a gasp, followed by a moment of silence.
”Grez,” said Ben, barely audible through the walls and the noise of the rain, “How are you alive?”
The message was repeated, but the tone was different, “How the fuck are you alive?”

Grez’s face was a mixture of fear and relief, “B-ben,” she said, clutching her cane and trying to get to her feet.

Ben marched forward, anger clear on his face, and kicked the cane out from under Grez.
She, once again, went plummeting to the floor. He almost went down himself, but stumbled himself back into balance.

----------------------

“Ugh,” said the Scholar, “The poor girl cannot catch a break.”

“I know, right?” replied the Sadist, smiling, “Isn’t it amazing?”
>>
>>5181647

Nothing if not headstrong, Grez once again tried getting up.

“No,” barked Ben, “You s-stay there on the ground. In the dirt where you belong.”
He placed a hand on the pommel of his sword, “And explain to me how the fuck you survived!”
”I saw you get eaten,” he added, “Just like the others.”

Normally, Grez would have a lie at the ready. A tale to spin to turn things in her favour.
But Ben had never fallen for those. Yet, he seemed unstable now, “Are you drunk?” she asked.

“Everyone’s d-dead,” replied Ben, the stammering and swaying answering the question, “Except you.”

“I got lucky,” lied Grez, “The dungeon was torturing me, it broke all the toes on my left foot, but I managed to escaped.”
She shakily put out her left foot wrapped in clumsily applied bandages, trying to add some credibility to the lie.

“Bullshit!” cried Ben, unsheathing his sword, “The dungeon would have no reason to let you out of its grasp.”
”No,” he said, disgust creeping into his face, “It let you go. Why?”

“I don’t know,” she yelled, picking up on Ben’s anger, “It just cast me out.”
”I woke up at the entrance of the dungeon with my foot mangled and crawled out of here,” she said. ”Once I was in the courtyard, I waited for a while. Hoping that somebody else would follow, but nobody did.I’m glad you’re alive, Ben.”

“Shut the fuck up,” snarled Ben, “You lead us to that dungeon and you’re the only one that survived? What am I supposed to make of that other than the fact that you’re the dungeon’s loyal WHORE.”

Grez’s jaw dropped.

“Betraying your own kind,“ said Ben, poison dripping from the words, “Pathetic.”
He shook his head in a poor attempt to forcibly sober himself up.
Ben glanced down, watching as blood seeped through the bandages on Grez’s left foot, “All five?”

She nodded sombrely, “I tried to borrow more money so I could pay a healer, but they laughed me out of there.”
Grez clutched her walking cane a little tighter, “They said that if I couldn’t make money on my feet…“

”You’d make it on your back?” finished Ben, smiling, “Told you.”
”That foot is not looking so good. Infection, maybe. A few more hours and they’ll likely have to amputate it somewhere around the knee,” he said, “But hey, there’s plenty of people in the upper district with unique tastes when it comes to whores. You’ll be a speciality.”

Grez’s face sank, crestfallen.

A kindly smile returned to Ben’s face, “Don’t worry,” he said, “I wouldn’t let that happen. You’re the last family I have.”

Eyes rimmed with tears, Grez returned the smile, “Ben…”
An expression that wilted the moment Ben grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out of the mansion, into the rain, and towards the dungeon.

”The whorehouse is a fate far better than you deserve.”
>>
>>5181648

The scout and his two unseen passengers listened as Grez was dragged away, screeching.

“They’re coming this way!” cried the Sadist, its presence disappearing from the goblin.

There was a moment of quiet, the goblin mentally nudged its other hitchhiker.
It could stay here and explore the room and maybe the rest of the house or it could give chase.
By the sound of things, Grez wasn’t going to go down easy and Ben had to contest with his uncooperative body almost as much as with his captive.
They made progress, but slowly.

“Maybe one room?” asked the Scholar, hungrily, “Sadist probably has things handled on the other side.”

>1 - Check out the current room
>2 - Investigate some other room (Mention room number)
>3 - Tail them from a distance (Stealth. DC17)
>4 - Straight up attack Ben and Grez with the [Goblin Scout]
>5 - Other (Write in)

Should the vote end up going towards investigating chambers then a decision can be made afterwards regarding whether or not to investigate more chambers or give chase.
>>
>>5181652
>3 - Tail them from a distance (Stealth. DC17)


This place is abandoned very much right now and i doubt anything worth anything would be here. I would like to make sure that Grez and Ben make it to the dungeon. And we can send the scout back out later to check out the rest of the mansion if we so choose.
>>
>>5181652
>5 - Other (Write in)
Catch the guy Ben knocked out, pull him back sneakily in the dungeon for free points.
>>
>>5181656
+1
>>
>>5181652
>3 - Tail them from a distance (Stealth. DC17)
I doubt there is anything in here we would want.
And I'm curious what Ben has planned.
>>
>>5181652
>3 - tail them from a distance (stealth. DC17)

We should see if we can rescue her, get that Stockholm syndrome really going.
>>
>>5181652
>3
We should see where this goes, maybe do some leaping from rooftops in the rain to keep eyes off us
>>
>>5181652
>1 - Check out the current room
Ben is still occupying the path between us and the Dungeon, so dragging the beaten up hobo back to the Dungeon is dangerous. Ben will absolutely notice us with his broken Hero passive skill that makes him incapable of rolling below an 18 (he totally has that) and might try and stab our Gobbo to death.

This building has been scavanged by people already, though what we might consider valuable differs greatly from what your average downtrodden peasants might consider valuable. The Books specifically could gold things of interest to us. A scavenger might overlook a book that contains the 'History of Duskmire', 'Magic Spells for Dummies' or 'Sewers: A Basic Layout for Hidden Pathways', but they would very much be a steal for us.
>>
>>5181652
>1 - Check out the current room
>>
>>5181669
+1, let Scholar look for anything noteworthy and interesting as the Goblin Scout explores
>>
>>5181652
>1 - Check out the current room
>>
>>5181652
>Tail Ben and Grez
>>
So is this day an update day or not. Stay tuned and we will see.
>>
Oh boy... Are we update-Wednesday? Now I'm hyped
>>
>>5183379
We are update Wednesday, yes.
Didn't find a lot of time to work on updates during work, but I do plan to update later today.
>>
Voting closed
>Catch the guy Ben knocked out, pull him back sneakily in the dungeon for free points.
2 Votes

>3 - Tail them from a distance (Stealth. DC17)
5 votes

>1 - Check out the current room
4 Votes

Tail them from a distance (Stealth. DC17) wins

Need a 2d20 Wisdom roll for Ben Nielsen vs Goblin Scout (DC 17)
He has disadvantage on the roll because of his current condition.
Ben has a +2 modifier to his wisdom.

Please include the following message:
Rolling for Ben Nielsen to detect Goblin Scout
>>
Rolled 8, 14 + 2 = 24 (2d20 + 2)

>>5183628
>Rolling for Ben Nielsen to detect Goblin Scout

please just work you s****y thing.
>>
>>5183635
whooooo

Ben is not unobservant he just does not care that they are being followed. Just my theory.
>>
Oh man! Finally an OK roll... I do wonder what's the point in tailing them since we know where they are going to. The dungeon's entrance is not that far from where the goblin is, so the unconscious dude was peak points...
>>
>>5183645
we might actually find out what Bens Plan is. and may even be able to draw him into the dungeon by taunting him.

Also i do wonder if we could allow someone to come to the Bosschamber by having the Goblin Raid Leader escort them to the Boss Room.
>>
>>5183650
kek, maybe? But I think the traps would kill them if they fail the saves. I it a concept I like, that we can't just order the dungeon to not harm people, and only those worthy to broker a deal can get to the... uh, dealer
>>
Rolled 16, 9 + 2 = 27 (2d20 + 2)

>>5183628
>Rolling for Ben Nielsen to detect Goblin Scout
>>
The scout hunched down and ran their hands over the waterlogged books on the floor.
Most of them were in pretty bad shape, the pages clumped together and the ink runny.

Have you ever had a foreign conscience invade you through the nostril? It doesn’t feel that great.
It also says things like, “What are you idiots doing? After them. Tail them,” said the Sadist.
The scout focused on trying to get its eyelids to stop twitching as the presence of the Sadist retreated.

It readjusted its hat and went to sneak after Ben and Grez.
Although it felt like it was being fairly quiet, it was heard to tell with the Scholar moaning and complaining about hidden knowledge being left behind.
Luckily, it turned to quiet whimpering after a while.

Tracking the pair turned out to be pretty easy.
There was a giant drag mark in the mud with the occasional wild footprint beside it, it lead straight to the dorms that hid the dungeon.
Even if there hadn’t been any, the shrieking from Grez would’ve made a fairly easy sound to hone in on.

The scout looked over its shoulder as it tip-toed towards the dorms, making sure nobody followed. Nobody did.
Perhaps things would be different in the upper districts, but it seemed like the people here have learned to ignore sounds like these.
Private sounds, like the groan of the floorboards just outside your bedroom, were things they’d concern themselves with.
Big, public sounds, like somebody shouting bloody murder, were everybody’s problem. And therefor not theirs.
The goblin skulked into the dorms, feeling a little less conflicted about murder.

Cries for help. Pleading. Scratch marks on the floorboards.
They had made it tot he cellar now, it wouldn’t be long before Ben and Grez would arrive at the entrance of the dungeon.

Grez was unceremoniously tossed down the stairs like a sack of potatoes, only less desired.
She lay there at the bottom of the staircase for a moment, panting. Blood mixing with dust.

>1 - Don't reveal yourself and continue to follow
>2 - Instruct the scout to attack Ben
>3 - Dash past Ben and stab Grez
>4 - Other (Write in)

-----

I’m fairly certain the private vs public sounds line ain’t mine, but I couldn’t find the origin.
Don't sue me.
>>
>>5183809
>>3 - Dash past Ben and stab Grez
fuck her
>>
>>5183839
No, there's no reason to stab her with /that/ dagger.

>>5183809
>Don't reveal yourself and continue to follow
Betcha he's doing the doubleplay
>>
>>5183809
>>2 - Instruct the scout to attack Ben
If we finally get rid of Ben then Grez is easy pickings and we can get some peace and quiet for a change.
At least until the rat army pays us a visit that is.
>>
>>5183809
>2 - Instruct the scout to attack Ben
If we can actually deal with Ben then that'd be great, fuckers the Protagonist with his roles.
>>
>>5183809
>1 - Don't reveal yourself and continue to follow
Honestly would've prefered anything else to whatever we're doing now, Ben taking Grez to the Dungeon was to be expected after that exchange and the context clue of him dragging her towards the Oprhanage, so not sure why it was neccessary for us to follow him. He'll either chuck her in the Dungeon until she stops coming back out, or he'll outright kill her and leave the body outside for the Merchant thugs to find in a few days.
>>
>>5183809
>1 - Don't reveal yourself and continue to follow

The Sadist is enjoying this. What other reason would he need. And if we can find out more about Bens motivation it will give us a much better to deal with Grez later.

Maybe we will even get the chance to push him over the edge of the entrance to the dungeon and just Nuke him while he is alone, unarmored and drunk. That would be a good end for his Career.
>>
>>5183809
>2 - Instruct the scout to attack Ben
>>
>>5183809
>>5183809
>>1 - Don't reveal yourself and continue to follow
>>
>>5183809
>1 - Don't reveal yourself and continue to follow
If ben tries to launch grez in the dungeon, we can use the scout to push him inside.
>>
>>5183809
>1 - Don't reveal yourself and continue to follow
Killing Ben is very unlikely since he has 2 hp and took no damage in the dungeon, and if we wanted Grez dead we would have killed her earlier.
>>
>>5183809
>1 - Don't reveal yourself and continue to follow
>>
>>5183809
>proceed with the voyeur
>>
>>5183809
>1 - Don't reveal yourself and continue to follow
>>
Voting closed

Winner:
>Don't reveal yourself and continue to follow
>>
>>5185310
Oh boy... This is update-Friday!
>>
Grez was fairly nearly tired of screaming, but looming death is a powerful motivator.
Unfortunately, not one that seemed to rouse her now raspy vocal cords.
Her leg hurt. It still did. She didn’t even mind being dragged around anymore, she only wished he’d use her hand or the collar of her shirt, rather than the hair.
Perhaps this was preferable to the life that was waiting for her.
A crushing debt, no ways of escape, a foot that would never properly heal, and nobody to help her.

Although the goblin could’ve provided some aid here, it decided not to. Too much risk.
The goblin watched as Grez was dragged into the cavern beyond the cellar.
Bricks toppled and scratched against the cellar floor as her body was hauled over them.
A short while later, they arrived in the front of the dungeon.

A abrupt slap to the face, courtesy of the cavern floor, snapped Grez out of her slump.
They were barely three feet away from the entrance.

Ben threw his hands wide as he stood before the entrance, “I brought you your bitch!”
He looked down on Grez, “Brought you a meal,” he said, “Much like how she brought my friends here.”
”Just like how she brought my brother here,” he added.

Grez paled at the prospect before here. Another round in the dungeon’s torturous depths.
Pained and played with until another piece of her was broken, mangled, or shattered.
That is of course, assuming she’d ever see the light of day again.
Fear took firm hold of her then, tears began to fall.

”A gift!” roared Ben as he gripped Grez by the arm, “But don’t get used to them.”
”Unlike some people, I don’t plan on making this a habit,” he said.

“Ben,” tried Grez, voice raspy and cracking, “You’re wrong!”
”I never meant for anyone to die,” she said, sobbing, “You WANTED to come, remember? This was our ticket out!”

“I’m done listening to any of your bullshit,” replied Ben, finding his balance, “Those fancy words of y-yours are what got my brother killed. He might’ve been a bit simple, but he was just a kid for the gods' sake. He didn’t deserve to die.”

“It’s not me that killed them,” said Grez, “But the dungeon. It’s the dungeon you should be angry with!”

Ben drew in a deep breath, taking a moment to compile a sentence.
He thought back to what had happened earlier that very day.
When he pleaded with the dungeon and as a reward it decapitated Myrin before him.
”Dungeons are beyond reason,” he said, “They’re simply predators.”
You break them or they break you.

Ben stared into the jungle before him. Considering all the dangers within.
“Still, the dungeon isn’t to blame,” he said, ”Its time will come, sure, I plan to reduce this place to a pile of rubble, but it isn’t to blame for what happened.”

”The dungeon did this,” Grez repeated, like some sort of final conclusion.
Grez felt his grip on her arm loosen, perhaps it was working.
She tried to catch her breath, to recuperate.
>>
>>5185350

“No,” said Ben, flashing Grez a smile that told her all hope was lost, “I don’t blame it anymore than a sword or the ground.”

Despite everything, or maybe because of it, Grez’s face twisted in fury, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Though it’s the ground that kills people,” said Ben, “You don’t fault it. Nor the fall.”

“You’re delusional, Ben,” shouted Grez, “Drunk out of your mind! Let me go! Don’t do anything you’ll regret!”

“I don’t intend to,” said Ben, his hand clamping down on Grez’s arm like a vice.
“Before the ground, before the fall,” he said, hate seeping into his voice, “There was you.”
“You pushed them,” he snarled, “With your stories. With your temptations. With your lies.”
”They were a bunch of kids and you got into their heads. Talked them up. Made them think the sky was the limit. You build them up, pushed them, and then they fell. They fell and broke apart on cold, hard reality,” screamed Ben.

His mind’s eye flashed over the victims, “I miss them already,” he said, sighing, “Y’know, I was gonna marry her?”

”What?” said Grez, getting lifted up by the arm like a ragdoll, her drenched figure hovering half a feet off the ground.
Face level with Ben’s stomach and her feet scratching the cavern floor, looking for purchase.

”Goodbye, Grez,” he said.

The half-orc grit her teeth and summoned all of her strength.
With a grunt of effort, she curled her free hand into a fist and slammed it into the middle of Ben’s leg, behind the knee.
Ben felt his legs buckle as Grez tried to topple him into the direction of the dungeon.

A high-stakes contest of strength.
The loser of which would be at the mercy of the dungeon.

------------

Still nearby, the goblin scout’s eyes went wide at the development before it.

Grez Wildflower
-1 Strength, Normal roll

Ben Nielsen
+3 Strength, disadvantage on the roll

Have the scout…

>1 - Help Grez (Advantage to Grez)
>2 - Help Ben (Advantage to Ben. Since he already has disadvantage, it evens out to straight roll)
>3 - Sneak up and push both (Scout is undetected, both enemies roll with disadvantage against DC10)
>4 - Stay back and watch for now

In all cases but #3 you can choose to push or attack later.
>>
>>5185351
>4 - Stay back and watch for now
I really don't think we care who wins this outside of maybe it being nice if both get pushed in, but that isn't likely to succeed. We do have something to lose though, we don't want the scout to be detected or die outside the dungeon, since we don't know if that means it dies forever or not, and it's certainly better to have it remain undetected than what little we gain by giving a boost to one of them.
kinda confused why we're spending so much time on these two, especially with the high likelihood that both will die to us eventually given the nature of this quest, probably sooner rather than later
>>
>>5185353
I think that we want both of them to die, that way everyone who knows about us is dead and we can grow on our own without armed adventurers invading us before we're prepared.

>>5185351
>Sneak up and push both
>>
>>5185351
>3 - Sneak up and push both (Scout is undetected, both enemies roll with disadvantage against DC10)

If we can kill Ben we will be able to consume him and have the Brnading Chamber on the next day. We can then 'help' Grez assuming she survives.

>>5185353
for Grez it is pretty obvious. She has a Slave Crest on her we can use to enslave people to our will. Even if we break her to hard by researching it we should be able to get invaluable knowledge out of this.
>>
>>5185356
Obviously it's better if both get in, but we're rolling against both of them with a DC *10*. Even with disadvantage it's not very likely we succeed on both, and if we don't, we're likely to lose the scout, which is a very valuable asset.
>>
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>>5185371
Go big or go home
>>
>>5185376
this is the exact same pointless greed that lost us one of our lives but ok
>>
>>5185351
>4 - Stay back and watch for now
This is a contest of strength, whoever loses is irrelevant to us since it's highly improbable they can leave the first room without dying to our minions. Losing our scout to an unlucky roll isn't the worst part, the worst part is if Ben realizes we can send minions out of the Dungeon and decides we're a bigger threat than he thought and swallows his revenge feelings and calls in the big guys to take us down.
I will not lie, having Ben as our rival sounds fun to me. I don't want to unceromoniosly kill him now when he's drunk and lonely, I want to see if he can become the edgy protagonist out to avenge his waifu. Also I want to see him fail invading us in the future, and every time he does we clip the head of off one of his companions before we release him. Make it tradition, if you will.

If we are to intervene and help anyone, we ought to help Ben push Grez in to the Dungeon. I still want to attempt to recruit Grez through Stockholm Syndrome and turn her in to some sort of Hero unit if we get feral Orcs on the lower levels (her main stat is Charisma and Wisdom, perhaps we can turn her in to a Commander/Mage if that's at all possible, or run her through some strength training to make her a traditional warrior), so if she does end up in the Dungeon we can have her escorted to the Boss Room and have her brainwashed/persuaded in to helping us grow, in return for having her slave mark removed and her foot healed. Or given Gold to pay a healer to fix her foot, if we can figure out how to dispense money (because apparently we can do that according to Grez?).
>>
>>5185381
I'm not sure I understand what instance you're talking about. The odds have been stacked against us pretty heavily both times we've been broken so far, and we've had bad luck to boot.
>>
>>5185351

>1 - Help Grez (Advantage to Grez)

I think we should help her out and chuck ben into the dungeon. Then have the goblin give her a thumbs up and a wink or somesuch. Really dive in the you killed all your friends and everyone you know. We do need to find a way to communicate with her to basically tell her we will pay off her dept if she feeds us bodies.
>>
>>5185351
ammending my vote from >>5185365
to supporting >>5185384


>>5185384
you are correct i think. just letting him go might sting a little but risking him knowing that we can leave the dungeon, is probably not worth it the chance of getting him inside.

and hopefully he will return within two days or so, so we can create the branding chamber.

I am not sure if we can just let Grez through. I think right now even the jungle would just kill her and unless we can release her in the Boss Room i see little chance that Chadakplin can talk to her.....

maybe she can read and we could have the Boss just write her a message that the scout delivers to her from inside the dungeon while she stands just outside.

Also how much will it fuck with Ben if we were to reveal to him that we are way more than a simple predator.
>>
>>5185351
>4 - Stay back and watch for now

I want to push the loser in first chance I get.
>>
>>5185351
>>4 - Stay back and watch for now
>>
>>5185351
>>4 - Stay back and watch for now
>>
>>5185351
>1 - Help Grez (Advantage to Grez)
It's always a good idea to kill the protagonist early on.
>>
Voting closed
Winner
>4 - Stay back and watch for now

Need a 2d20 Strength roll for Ben Nielsen
He has disadvantage on the roll because of his current condition.
Ben has a +3 modifier to his strength.

Need a 1d20 Strength roll for Grez Wildflower
Grez has a -1 modifier to his strength.

Please include the following message:
Rolling Strength for CHARACTER

One character per person
>>
Rolled 4, 19 = 23 (2d20)

>>5185659
>Rolling Strength for Ben Nielsen
Let's see if his protagonist power still holds.
>>
>>5185659
>Rolling Strength for Grez Wildflower

>>5185658
>Ben isn't the protagonist
>>
Rolled 2 - 1 (1d20 - 1)

>>5185667
>>
>>5185668
This man has literal protagonist plot armor, I fucking swear.
>>
>>5185662
>>5185668
Come on, with both of this low rolls can't our gob jump on the opportunity to fuck both of them up ?
>>
>>5185704
I don't want to push Ben in to the Dungeon, I want Ben to leave now after he 'fed' us Grez. Afterwards, if Grez survives the Constitution Check against the Jungle, we escort her to the boss room with the least non-threatening minion (either the Scout or the Savant) and present the deal: Bring us more materials, with the aid of the Scout. Be it giant rats lurking in the tunnels, drunk hobos or other orphans, as long as it allows us to grow bring it here and toss it in. In exchange we remove the Contract Mark, and if we can materialize Gold, we get her enough to pay a Healer to fix her foot. She has no other options at this point.
>>
Perhaps the strength was there, but the speed to make use of it was lacking.
Ben’s booze-battered senses were a bit tardy, perhaps a second.
But a second was all that Grez needed.

The half-orc pulled with all her strength, sending Ben stumbling and flailing his arms wildly.
He swayed this way and that, his fate uncertain. He bend forward in an attempt to centre his weight and stomped his foot down.
Unknowingly, right on the bandaged foot of Grez.

-------------

“Remind me again,” said the Sadist, arms folded, “We lost to these people?”
”Yes,” replied the Scholar, matter-of-factly, “Yes, we did.”

-------------

Grez screeched and repurposed her hands to clutch uselessly at her toes.
The mud-covered bandages turned a crimson red.
A hand clutched her neck and, with a mighty push, send her toppling forward.
Rolling into the dungeon.

-------------

[One hostile creature has entered the dungeon]

Name: Grez Wildflower
Type: Humanoid (Half-orc)
Level: 1
Health: 1
Strength: -1
Dexterity: +1
Constitution: -1
Wisdom: +2
Intelligence: +1
Charisma: +3

-------------

Its grubby hands itching, the goblin scout lurked nearby.

The goblin scout will…
>1 - Push Ben into the dungeon (DC12 Wisdom to detect the goblin)
>2 - Stay back and watch for now

To be clear, if Ben fails the DC12 Wisdom he will not spot the goblin during the following attack if said attack succeeds.
Like an unknown person shoving you in the back and disappearing from line of sight immediately after.
>>
>>5185732
>2 - Stay back and watch for now
Right Ben, it's time for you to leave now. Go back up and drink away your sorrows knowing your waifu has been incorporated in to the Dungeon.
>>
>>5185732
>>2 - Stay back and watch for now
extremely curious what he will do.
>>
Vote closing in 22 min
>>
>>5185732
>2 - Stay back and watch for now
>>
Voting closed
>2 - Stay back and watch for now
>>
>>5185733
>>5185758
>>5185773
Ok guys, can we at least go drag the drunk guy in the dungeon?
>>
>>5185785
I don't mind as long as it doesn't interfere with other investigation outside the dungeon or somehow result in the scout getting caught
>>
>>5185732
>>1 - Push Ben into the dungeon (DC12 Wisdom to detect the goblin)
bruh
>>
>>5185732
>Push Ben into the Dungeon
Goddammit guys we will not get a better chance than this.
>>
>>5185802
>>5185804
Sorry guys, but voting already closed.
>>
Upcoming update is gonna be delayed until tomorrow as I'm uncertain about something.
I'll just put it up to a vote.

Should the dungeon be forced to submit to its own mechanics?
>1 - Yes - Consistency is key
>2 - Yes - Consistency is key, but allow monsters to roam (inside the dungeon) outside of invasions (including boss)
>3 - No - The dungeon should be in control
>4 - Other (Write-in)


Example:
Normally, all traps and monsters will automatically attack any invaders.
I'm wondering whether or not the dungeon should be able to allow passage to certain individuals.
In this instance, should I be putting up a poll to make the trap room not instantly attack Grez?
It would certainly make the story more dynamic/flexible, but also more prone to abuse.

The players already have fine-tuned control over the goblins in the [Jungle Room] because the [Goblin Raid Leader] is there.
But as it stands all traps will auto-fire. I'm wondering whether this should be a choice, rather than something automatic.
Sure, this would piss of the "Sadist" in a story fashion, but he doesn't actually have a mechanic that prohibits this.

If we go with the "traps always fire" route, then Grez could go down, but it wouldn't be a story chokepoint.
She could still be captured and propped up in any room in the dungeon and be talked to by the boss.
Sure, releasing her afterwards would trigger the "Sadist" trait, but that's a choice you can make.

Of course, all of it wouldn't even be a problem if we could simply say "assigning" a monsters to the [Boss Room] doesn't mean it can't move in the dungeon (#2)
This way the specifically picked traits for cross-communication could actually be used.
Right now I'm thinking about future scenarios were vendors or supporters might show up, but they wouldn't even be able to talk with the dungeon without risking death.

Let me know what you all think.

A certain choice winning the above vote doesn't instantly mean it'll get implemented.
I'd have to think over it for a little while to see if I can think of any ways it could get abused.
>>
>3 - No - The dungeon should be in control
>>
>>5185881
>No, the dungeon should be in control
You're running a quest, not a video game. Mechanics are there to supplement the story, not be the exclusive dictators of it.
>>
>>5185881
>3 - No - The dungeon should be in control
The default behavior can easily be that dungeons attack whatever enters them unless there are extenuating circumstances like this one. I don't see a problem with the dungeon retaining control like this, it makes sense. It also follows the theme of corruptions making us lose control in some way, where we otherwise have control of how the dungeon functions.
>>
>>5185881
>>3 - No - The dungeon should be in control
>>
>>5185881
> Dungeon is in control

Our Boss should be able to approach the Entrance, or Dungeon allows passage to the Bosses room as the narrative directs.

The Dungeon already has other mechanics we have not dabbled in yet ( being able to choose to apply Curses, give gold, interact with Merchants. ) So there is already precedence through narrative to do more than just allow in invaders and kill them mindlessly.
>>
>>5185881
Ben seems to believe that the dungeon simply operates on instinct and will get rid of her. Since we have already been able to choose to spare her, and have been able to order our minions around at will. Either his knowledge is imperfect (probably), our understanding of ourselves is imperfect (yes), or we are an anomaly (possible).

As it stands, I think the dungeon is largely in control. Monsters can be commanded, mindless or not, but natural hazards or mechanical traps may require guidance or protection from denizens. Think of it like flexing a finger as opposed to controlling your immune system. But if the dungeon is an anomaly, anything goes.
>>
>>5185353
>Spoiler
Fuck you man, this QM bothered to make a story to go with their game. That is way above your average quest
>>
>>5186079
I mean, I do appreciate the story, I'm just concerned about a feeling of, idk, wasted time or disappointment if these two end up dying within another invasion or two after we spent weeks building them up, especially if we last for a decent amount of time and end up meeting many other characters anyways.
>>
>>5185881
>2 - Yes - Consistency is key, but allow monsters to roam (inside the dungeon) outside of invasions (including boss)
I am all for the idea of the mechanics being prioritized over the dungeon's wishes, because those rules existed before this being and having the dungeon being limited is more stimulating for us, because we have to think more when designing the layout.
I also understand why the rest want the dungeon to be in complete control and that is because that control seeps into the players, giving them more satisfaction. Thing is, satisfaction is way tastier when there is frustration in between.

Think about XCOM for a moment. Your cool guys die in a non-bullshit manner and what do you do? WELP, let's reload the save. Removing all consequence trivializes XCOM and makes the experience a casual one. And the have the same feeling on this vote.
IF YOU CHOOSE OPTION 3 YOU ARE A COOMER BECAUSE YOU CAN ONLY HAVE INSTANT GRATIFICATION AND YOU CAN'T DEAL WITH EVEN THE TINIEST OF DELAYS
>>
>>5185881
>2 - Yes - Consistency is key, but allow monsters to roam (inside the dungeon) outside of invasions (including boss)

I am fine with this if we can just release someone in a specific room after we knock them out with traps. Might be a tad less satisfying than having complete control. But seriously who can say they have absolute control over their body including their immune System.

An i think limitations can be quite a good way to force people to think of alternate Solutions. If we do not want to let someone through the Trap Room (that we plan right before the Boss Room) we can just have the Boss walk out of his room. He might not get the benefits from fighting outside it but will still be able to use his mutations from the brand inflicted upon his flesh. That makes a lot of sense to me.

Also on later floors the minions might be more social and actually do something interesting outside of sitting around a campfire and eating their own snot. Then the Boss might actually want to interact with its cousins.
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>>5185881
>2 - Yes - Consistency is key, but allow monsters to roam (inside the dungeon) outside of invasions (including boss)
Maybe disabling the trap can be link to a room? Which allows us to do that-for an initial investment
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>>5185881
Voting closed
Thanks for the feedback.
I thought things over and I'm gonna go with:
>2 - Yes - Consistency is key, but allow monsters to roam (inside the dungeon) outside of invasions (including boss)

For the following reasons:

The only reason why traps triggering by themselves is a MECHANICAL issue is because of the "Sadist" trait
People would be able to just get beaten If it wasn't for the fact that the "Sadist" corruption trait forces a injury on captured individuals.
What would it matter if the goblins bonk you on the head once or twice if it means you'd just be able get popped outside without issue? Not mechanically at least.
The ability to turn off traps therefor seems like a nerf on that trait. A work-around.

I'm aware that people might consider the "Sadist" corruption like a ball and chain at some point.
I've already worked out some events for this. Should majority vote desire it, it could be changed. (In-story mechanic that you have to encounter)

The ability for monsters to communicate with one another in a way that is understandable by the dungeon
>Also on later floors the minions might be more social and actually do something interesting outside of sitting around a campfire and eating their own snot.
>Then the Boss might actually want to interact with its cousins.
Essentially this. For any monster-to-monster communication to take place the monsters need to be able freely move between chambers.
Face-to-face chats rather than "mom calling you for dinner" cross-room yelling.

The moment a HOSTILE invasion begins, all monsters will be forcibly moved to their assigned rooms
This is to prevent 20 monsters jumping on a poor soul if all monsters happened to have had a family get together or something in a specific chamber.
It would break the "max amount of occupants per room" rule.

It would mean that I can introduce greater variety in traps
Maybe there will be traps you can disable, but their description will state so.
This way you could fill the path to the [Boss Room] with traps you can disable to allow passage.

Either that or what >>5186232 said.
Some kind of mechanism that you can buy for DP and install in a chamber.
Maybe both. Not sure yet.

Example
It would be pretty hard to stop a [Jungle Room] from doing its thing, but a dart-trap or other kind of mechanical trap should be able to be toggled on/off.

This entire issue will stop being a problem the moment you acquire a monster that can talk other than the boss
You could then place it in the very first room like some kind of doorman. "State your business. Murder? Jolly good."
For now, you could simply have the boss saunter over.

Summary
>Monsters (including Boss) can now move freely between rooms in the dungeon
>A captured invader can be released or "popped up" in any room (Was already possible, but just repeating)
>A released invader can leave the dungeon without further harm (To avoid a capture loop)
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>>5186279
Acknowledeged.
>I'm aware that people might consider the "Sadist" corruption like a ball and chain at some point.
We knew at the point of the first corruption choice this was the road we would be going. Taking away the disadvantages of that choice would make it meaningless, but I whole-heartely support the maybe-change. Branding chamber can be a solution, management could easily turn into psychological torture.
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>>5186279
>Some kind of mechanism that you can buy for DP and install in a chamber.

>It would be pretty hard to stop a [Jungle Room] from doing its thing

>Installs giant fans that suck out the poisonous spres and nasty critters get pacified with smoke and distributed food in small trays when the dungeon wants to turn off the Jungle.

This would work for me OP. I guess that some people might not be happy with this however.

>The moment a HOSTILE invasion begins, all monsters will be forcibly moved to their assigned rooms

Pic related. The invaders face when he enters the first floor Jungle room and sees the entire Goblin Family around their biggest of big Bros Chadakplin just looking at him an smiling before being teleported out in a Flash of light.


>I'm aware that people might consider the "Sadist" corruption like a ball and chain at some point.

Not a big Problem for me. Just the path of Torture is something the Sadist will have to learn more about. Psychological torment can be just as satisfying and after breaking their will to fight you can still make them your Chewtoy via physical torture. We need to get the Sadist a Puppy...... i think a Hellhound should do. That he could train to use invaders as Chewtoys. And the next thing we want to get is the Branding room and the Trap Room. Probably with the Branding Room first to extract the secrets of Grez Slave Seal before we might have to get rid of her.
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>>5185773

>2 - Stay back and watch for now

Grez hit the jungle floor. The dangers within were ready to pounce.
Beetles and bugs scuttled and skittered over tree roots and plants.
The jungle came alive. United in their desire to devour the invader.
Goblins lurked behind bushes, bringing forth their weapons.

Some things in the dungeon were much the same, yet others were different.
It used to be a structure with the sole purpose to repel invaders, but now it was so much more.
The unnamed titan sat on his throne in the [Boss Room]. This creature represented change.
For through his skills, the dungeon could (unknown to some) reason. Could make deals. Parley.

---------------

Before we decide how to act on Grez’s invasion with the creatures you can control, we have to roll to save against the [Jungle Room]

Need a 1d20-1 Constitution saving throw (DC 8) roll for Grez Wildflower
Grez has a -1 modifier to her Constitution.

Please include the following message:
Rolling Constitution for Grez Wildflower
>>
Rolled 9 - 1 (1d20 - 1)

>>5186290
>Rolling Constitution for Grez Wildflower
The girl has already beat the jungle twice, I have faith in this roll.
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>>5186292
By the skin of her teeth, damn
>>
>>5186292
Grez saves

The poisonous homebodies of the [Jungle Room] darted into the range.
However, even traumatic experiences are, in fact, experiences.
At this point, there wasn't a person on the planet more familiar with the perils of the dungeon than Grez..
The moment Grez hit the dirt, she knew what was coming for her.
Flat on her stomach, she rolled towards the side -- narrowly avoiding a set of poisonous frogs that had leapt her way.
A giant centipede came to say hello, but was rudely interrupted and then send flying.

It seems like a unexpected end was no longer an option for Grez.
But, no fear, for an expected end was still very much on the table.
The goblins tightened their hold on their respective weapons.

What will the Dungeon do?

>1 - Attack Grez (Starts combat prompt)
>2 - Goblins stay hidden
>3 - Goblins come out, but don’t attack
>4 - Goblins stay hidden and Boss is called.
>5 - Goblins come out, don’t attack, and Boss is called.
>6 - Other (Write-in)
>>
>>5186299
>3 - Goblins come out, but don’t attack
I am not interested in Grez, but I do want to see an orc loli get scared shitless
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>>5186299
>6 - Goblins come out but don't attack and the Raid Leader gestures for Grez to follow. If she can not move drag her deeper into the jungle where Ben can not see and call the Boss
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>>5186299
>4 - Goblins stay hidden and Boss is called.
The goblins might scare her to flee, we don't want that. Boss will handle the "negotiations".

Considering how her last family(?) just metaphorically threw her to the wolves, and there is nothing good waiting for in the city, there is a real chance she will accept a deal to lure people into the dungeon if we assure her that we can get rid of her slave mark once we build a branding chamber. Or say we have to test her first or something.
>>
>>5186299
ammending my vote from >>5186303
to support >>5186306


Well i would like to bring the negotiations to a point where we can not be easily overheard by Ben so maybe we can get the Boss to order Grez to follow him.
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>>5186306
This.
>>
I really don't understand why we're trying to keep Grez alive- was it specified that we can remove the mark with a branding chamber previously? As it is she's a ticking timebomb- if she stays here people will come looking for her based off of the brand, and if she's enslaved she'll probably end up giving up information on the dungeon if she sees any hope in getting money or better treatment out of it.
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>>5186346
We can get the Crest off of her without having to research it much. And if we can not make it in time to her deadline? Guess what we can still eat her. After this with how her foot is the only way we are letting her out here is with Money for a healer and a Charm from the Boss to make sure she comes back afterwards.

And the Sadist stated that he is an expert on Brands. We might not be able to remove it completely but modification is as one of the previous Party Members mentioned possible.
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>>5186348
Fair, as long we make sure she doesn't leave before hashing out an agreement with us we can always just eat her if things fall through. Yeah, it's worth a try then.
>4 - Goblins stay hidden and Boss is called.
Leaning towards the write-in since Ben learning about the boss beforehand would be a shame, but I'm worried Grez would just die if she had to roll against the Jungle again.
>>
Oh, wait, we just have to inflict injury, not death, I'm out of it. Changing vote to this then.
>6 - Goblins come out but don't attack and the Raid Leader gestures for Grez to follow. If she can not move drag her deeper into the jungle where Ben can not see and call the Boss
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>>5186350
you might want to link your vote to the post it is relevant to. Just to make it easy on the QM to actually count votes.
>>
>>5186350
>>5186299
>>
>>5186350
+1
>>
>>5186299

>>5186350
+1
>>
>>5186299
well now that there would be a tie between 4 and my old write in........

Ammending my vote again from both >>5186313
and >>5186303
to finally go with.

>6 - Goblins come out but don't attack and the Raid Leader gestures for Grez to follow. If she can not move drag her deeper into the jungle where Ben can not see and call the Boss
>>
>>5186350
+1
>>
>>5186299
>3 - Goblins come out, but don’t attack
>>
Voting closed
Winner
>6 - Goblins come out but don't attack and the Raid Leader gestures for Grez to follow. If she can not move drag her deeper into the jungle where Ben can not see and call the Boss
>>
Oh boy, is it update-Sunday?
>>
Op is kill?
>>
>>5188243
Don't kill me off just yet, updates mostly happen on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
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>>5188489
Oh boy, this is update-Monday!
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>>5188489
Oh shit look at the date. Update monday!
>>
still one hour and half in update-monday.
I want to believe.
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>>5189031
For me it's 4 and a half hours so idk
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>>5189031
Today's update is that the update is pushed to tomorrow, sorry.
I should have some time in the morning and early afternoon.
>>
>>5189066
Oh boy, it is update-Tuesday!
>>
As you guys mentioned for the goblins revealing themselves, I'm assuming the bugbear stays hidden.
---

One by one, the goblins revealed themselves. Some snarling and others cackling.
Not wanting to tip its hand too much, the dungeon ordered the [Bugbear] to stay in hiding.
The goblins moved in closer to Grez, who in desperation began grabbing fistfuls of dirt and flinging it at them.
”Stay back!” she screamed. It was a stereotypical line, but then again there wasn’t a whole lot of thinking going on.
Sheer panic enveloped Grez as the child-sized monsters inched closer still.

Recovering from the sudden ordeal, Ben stood panting near the entrance.
The abrupt surge of adrenaline felt like it had sobered him up, but not for long it seemed.
Still, in the end he was out here and she was in there. Ben chuckled between breaths.
His brow furrowed as he spotted a new kind of goblin, one wearing robes and wielding a staff.

Drenched and muddy, Grez crept into a ball. The beating would start any moment now.
For a moment that stretched into eternity, nothing happen. Nothing but the guttural goblin speak.
She risked opening an eye, staring through the space between her fingers.

A horrid creature with green-flecked skin, with claws and fangs dripping something vile, seemed to pounce on her then, but was held at bay by the other goblins.
A goblin in make-shift armour barked something in goblin at the aggressive one, whom only snarled in return.
The snarling creature received a hard slap for this, which only seemed to rile it up more.
In response, the armoured one drew its weapon and pressed the tip of it into the other creature’s neck, which went quiet.
The green-flecked goblin slapped the sword aside, roared something inaudible, and took a few steps back.
It spit at the ground as it did so – causing it to sizzle.

Grez slowly began to unfurl herself from her foetal position as the immediate danger seemed gone.
With fear finally moving out of Grez’s mind space, the brain relaxed, took off its shoes, and finally did what it does best.
Which is come up with very scary ideas indeed based on a small pebble of information.
The goblin currently standing over her, the one in the armour, had defeated her last time.
Punched her in the stomach and kicked her consciousness to a few hours later.
In response to this revelation, she balled up again, but added a high-pitched screech for good measure.

Ben winced, “Well,” he shouted, trying to make himself heard over the goblins, “KILL HER!”
”Any one of you,” he roared, pointing at each of the remaining goblins in turn, “Come on!”
”You had no problem stabbing my friends,” he continued, “Do it!”
>>
>>5189478

There was a general shuffling of feet and the goblins then side-eyed the raid-leader.
It didn’t even seemed to warrant whatever ideas were forming with a word, it simply stared – which was enough.
The goblin raid leader grabbed Grez by the unbandaged leg and began dragging her deeper into the dungeon.

Ben’s eyes went wide, hardly believing the scene before him, “I knew it,” he said, barely above a whisper.
Rage then supplied the necessary volume, “I fucking knew it!”
”You better get real cosy in there,” he roared, “If I ever see you in the street again I’ll fucking kill you!”
”Don’t care if there are people or guards,” he screamed, digesting the apparent betrayal, “I’ll kill you!”
He suppressed the urge to dash into the dungeon and finish her now. He'll need a team.

--------------

>1 - Order the Goblin Scout to push Ben into the dungeon (DC12 Wisdom to detect the goblin)
>2 - Keep the Goblin Scout in hiding
>3 - Other (Write-in)
>>
>>5189479
>3 - Other (Write-in)
>Stay in hiding with the scout and send him after Ben to make sure that when we are done with Grez she can leave the dungeon to do our bidding and and not get herself beaten to death by Ben.


Ben is a brute. Even with disadvantage he has a chance of less than 30% to fail his save. And i would rather keep the scout back to make sure Ben avtually leaves. Or maybe make sure he tumbles down some stairs
>>
>>5189479
>2 - Keep the Goblin Scout in hiding
Kinda want to set the Scout on auto-pilot after Ben leaves, send him back up to scout the Mansion out properly while we finish the deal with Grez.
>>
>>5189479
>2 - Keep the Goblin Scout in hiding
>>
>>5189479
>3 - Other (Write-in)
While Grez is dealing with the dungeon, the scout shall capture the drunk and bring him back. We'll feed him for MP, get the branding room for the sadist.
>>
>>5189479
>>5189526 +1
>>
>>5189479
Voting closed
>>
>>5189593
Oh boy, more updates!
>>
>>5189596
i kinda doubt it unless QM's Session and Prep Time was canceled for today.
>>
>>5189596
>>5189616

Oh boy, maybe it is update-Wednesday?
>>
Update
It might be a good while until I can actively provide updates again.
I'm scrambling to find the time to prepare for all my D&D campaigns.
Two of them are going into their final stages, so I should be able to find the time soon.
>>
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>>5190974
Understandable. See you when you have the time, QM
>>
>>5190974
OK.
Take your time and come back to us with your good writing and tons of contents
>>
>>5190974
I get your pain QM.

Take care not to run yourself ragged. I certainly did when i tried juggling three games and playing in one more.... never again
>>
>>5190974
y-you are DMing not one but TWO games? Wowa... need help? I bet we can come up with ideas or design... a dungeon
>>
>>5191229
I run 4 games. Which is why my schedule here was Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as those are the days I don’t DM.

But work has been annoying lately and I need to delve into my evening hours in the off-days (those are the quest update days) to find the time.
>>
>>5191798
that's huge
>>
>>5191798
>I run 4 games
>and qm a quest
>and work
wtf QM, why do you hate yourself? This would be difficult to do without a job.
>>
>>5191798
....4 games......... jesse maria und josef.......

You QM are a man of determination unbreakable will and sheer insanity. I bow my head to you
>>
>>5191798
what the fuck bro. you must be suicidal
>>
>>5191798
>ITT
>QM is too angry to die
>>
>>5192368
Is it update-monday?
>>
>>5195335
Let's hope so. Altgough, hope is a fickle currency in those trying times of post- >>5190974 context
>>
>>5195350
was it a party wipe? did the players ruined QM's campaing by attacking a vendor that didn't want to lower his prices?
>>
>>5195477
I wasn't a part of said campaign. Only imagination can tell us what happened
>>
>>5190974
Bump. Take your time QM we will be around
>>
I don'tthnk the thread can be more bump
>>
We can still keep it alive and celebrate joyfull moment of a not so distant past where I would have monkey-typed at 8AM...

"Oh boy, it's update-Wednesday"
>>
>>5196985
Its okay man. Your not the only obe that misses the anticipation.

Alas. Roleplaying Games are a cruel mistress and four games demand as much time as a Full time job. Lets just hope QM will not die suffocated by the demands of his players.

But you are right. Lets be meryy any day now he could have enoguh material proared to find some time to breath and that possibilty is a joyous one indeed
>>
>>5197012
Oh god...... my spelling is attrocious. I need a Ring of the Grammarian
>>
>>5197013
It's ok, english is hard. It's even harder if it is not your first language.
>>
Can you people shut the fuck up with your trite ritual posting already? I'm waiting for the QM to resume, but every time there's a new post it's one of you mongoloids posting about "le updoot mendoys :DDDDD" for the seventeenth time.
The QM will post when he's ready to continue. Until then do the rest of us a favor and sit your ADHD riddled ass down and wait.
>>
Barely stopping to breathe, Ben turned and rushed back into the direction of town.
To make preparations, to put together a team. This wasn’t over yet, not by a long shot.

The goblin glanced left and right and began to give chase. It followed Ben as he raced back towards civilization.
It didn’t seem to have to spend a lot of effort to remain out of sight, Ben had others things on his mind.

The rain has more or less ceased, but the darkness remained.
With barely a sound, the goblin scout skittered his way back to the top of the dorms – keeping a lookout.
Although the scout possessed the luxury of night vision, it didn’t stretch far beyond the walls of orphanage.
Luckily though, there were a fair amount of hooded lanterns dangling from chains on various buildings.
They provided some measure of vision in the dark of night. The hours had ticked on and many more people were shuffling their way through the muddy walkways, lost in thought or simply thinking of excuses to to tell their wives.

For now, the goblin was instructed to keep an eye out and report any suspicious or alarming behaviour.
High-up and out of sight. The goblin scout was in great spirits.
Up until moonlight reflected off his large forehead, forcing him to adjust his cap.
>>
>>5197048

Meanwhile, back in the dungeon a certain half-orc was less enthusiastic about her current circumstances.
Whilst being dragged, Grez had kicked at the goblin’s hand at first and even managed to escape from its grip, allowing her to hastily crawl back to safety.
Unfortunately, she ran into an obstacle on her way to the entrance. Namely, a seven foot tall [Bugbear].
It looked at her in puzzlement and, after receiving a command, dragged her away to the [Boss Room] in a sort of blank-stared “might break your legs by accident” sort-of-way.
She limply allowed herself to be dragged now, occasionally wincing as a large insect got uncomfortably close or when she was being dragged across the ground of the [Bugbear Den], the sharp-pointed gravel of which lent it the texture of sandpaper.

The [Bugbear] dropped her in front of a set of large, double doors flanked by skulls.
It walked over to the door and opened them with a grunt of effort.

Grez couldn’t recall seeing this door before, but the skulls were a clear give-away. A [Boss Room].
A thousand thoughts that were a million times worse than what was planned to happen raced through her mind.
Caught in her own world filled with paralyzing fear, she barely noticed as the [Bugbear] dragged her into the room.

The [Bugbear] entered the chamber, nodded to the towering creature lounging on the throne, and absent-mindedly dropped Grez in the room before making a hasty retreat.
It closed the door on the way out, which shut with the sort of finalizing sound that [Boss Room] doors are known to do.

The noise snapped Grez back to reality. She pushed herself up from the ground and scanned the room.
Her heart sank. Sitting there on a stone throne barely ten feet away with a red-skinned creature that would stand eleven foot tall at the very least.
It was vaguely humanoid if you were to ignore the giant horns.
She sheepishly eyed him, and it was a him – that much was frighteningly obvious, up and down.
As her eyes went up, she struggled to meet his golden-eyed gaze. Swallowing, she resigned herself to stare at the floor.
”This is supposed to be a goblin dungeon” she whimpered quietly, “How is this possible? Devils? It makes no sense.”

Grez looked up towards the figure that remained lounging on the throne, leaning on a fist.

”Welcome,” said the man on the chair with a voice so deep it reverberated through Grez.
The single word was part friendly gesture and part command. Feel welcome.

It was somehow scarier than anything else Grez had imagined.
>>
>>5197049

Mud squelching as he made his way through the decrepit neighbourhood, Ben arrived at a building with a bodyguard wearing a rain-drenched cloak.
A sign displaying a stack of coins swayed, the attached chains voicing complaints.
The man got up with a groan that indicated that whatever Ben was here for – it better be worth getting up for.

“I’m here to,” Ben began, then swallowed, “Make a business proposal.”

The large bodyguard flashed him a nasty smile, revealing some of his mismatched golden teeth, and opened the door.
”Right this way, sir,” he thundered with a voice that drank a gallon of whiskey a day and ate the bottles.

From his vantage point, the goblin scout watched Ben disappear into the moneylender’s shop.

----

Goblin Scout

>1 - Remain on lookout
>2 - Creep into town, hoping to listen in to Ben’s conversation
>3 - Explore a building on the orphanage grounds
>4 - Scout out some other place in the city (Name district)
>5 - Return to the dungeon

Unnamed & Grez

>1 - Ask Grez about herself
>2 - Ask Grez about the [Contract Mark]
>3 - Ask Grez about the city of Duskmire
>4 - Ask Grez about something else (Write-in)
>5 - Use “Charm” on Grez (DC15 Charisma save)
>6 - Threaten Grez
>7 - Attack Grez
>8 - Other (Write-in)
>>
>>5197055
>3 - Explore a building on the orphanage grounds
We might as well try to find something of value. It was mentioned that books were scattered on the floor, those could contain something valuable.

I would love to listen in on Ben, but I'm not really sure it's worth the risk. If we get discovered, not just by Ben but by the moneylender as well, it would be pretty bad.
Besides, knowing about what they are discussing will hardly help us prepare for it better. Let say we learn that Ben tells them about the dungeon, and asks for a huge loan. What are we supposed to do about it? We KNOW Ben will come back either way, and we cannot control what information he decides to spill until we kill him, so all we can do is improve the dungeon.
At best, we will learn whether or not he sells out Grez, but even if we get a heads up, she would still become worthless to us since we can't make her go to the surface and trick people to come to us. At that point it wouldn't matter if we learned it early or not.
Maybe I am overlooking something, but the way I see it spying on Ben is not worth the risk. We will figure out what he does soon enough.

>1 - Ask Grez about herself
>2 - Ask Grez about the [Contract Mark]
>4 - Ask Grez about something else (Write-in)
>>Offer to rid her of the Contract Mark if she lures weaklings no one will miss into the dungeon.
Open with the pleasantries, then move to the meat of the issue.
Charm would only work while she is in the boss room/dungeon right? With that in mind, it is best she agrees to any deal while in full control of herself.
>>
>>5197055
>4 - Scout out some other place in the city (Warehouse District)
There's a wall between the slums and the Warehouse district, see if we can find something like a sewer grate that passes under the wall to avoid the patrols. Failing that scale the walls and pray we dodge the guards.

>3 - Ask Grez about the city of Duskmire
Asking about the city before Grez herself would make the conversation flow smoother. Ask about the history of the city, if she knows any. Is it a famous town, any individuals or Guilds we should know off and finish off with the districts. We can then segway in to how the slums became the slums (since it wasn't always this run down if the mansion is anything to go by), and then further segway that in to how she ended up there.
>>
>>5197069
+1
>>
>>5197055
>>5197069
+1 about Grez.

However, let's use the scout to drag the drunk one ben knocked out near the tavern, and maybe try to find or steal some old/Stale bread to attract rats near the entrance.
>>
>>5197055
supporting >>5197069
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>>5197033
I ritual post if I want. Plus, I'm pretty sure QM is happy to see his quest comeback anticipated.
>>
>>5197055
>>3 - Explore a building on the orphanage grounds
Yeah, we may be able to set up a trap or other surprises at the orphanage.

What SUCKS is that it seems that after Ben's dealings the dungeon won't be a secret and that means danger. Hopefully the ill prepared come in in droves and we get delicious DP

>3 - Ask Grez about the city of Duskmire
I want to get an idea of how fucked we are
>>
>>5197055
>3 - Explore a building on the orphanage grounds

>5 - Use “Charm” on Grez (DC15 Charisma save)
>1 - Ask Grez about herself
>2 - Ask Grez about the [Contract Mark]
>>
>>5197055
> Goblin Scout

While I would love to listen to Ben's conversation I dont believe it will be worth the risk.

Return and explore building, or capture the passed out drunk and drag him back to the Dungeon for easy DP.

> Grez
Charm. Ask about the Contract. Ask about the City.
>>
>>5197055
>>3 - Explore a building on the orphanage grounds
>5 - Use “Charm” on Grez (DC15 Charisma save)
>>
Voting closed
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>>5197963
okay
>>
>>5198051
Yeah, I sometimes start writing or adding to lore to support the votes that have been made, but don't always manage to post an update right away.
Would kind of suck if I wrote a bunch of stuff and come back to find that people suddenly wanna go into an opposite direction.
I get that kind of behaviour enough during D&D.
>>
The Dungeon sent a mental ping towards the goblin scout, explore the house you were in previously before dawn comes.
A nod of understanding. The goblin scurried his way back into the dorms and snuck his way into the small office with books scattered on the ground.

“Have a good look around,” said the Scholar, nearly panting, “Don’t miss anything!”

-----

Refer to bottom picture of >>5181647
Point out which book or what item you'd like the goblin to investigate.
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>>5198821
The top left wrapped up thing on the floor, and the book on the top of the bookshelf
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>>5198821
Book on the top of bookshelf, package/letter, books in the floor of room 1
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>>5198821
The book in leather bindings on top of the bookshelf, the sealed package on the desk and the two ornamented books lying on the floor. I marked the last two on the map for clarity.
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>>5198821
Supporting >>5198831

>>5198816
Always sucks if you want to do something or introduce some point of information and the players just ignore by going somewhere completely different from where they wanted to last session
>>
>>5198831
>>5198880
I meant top right

>>5198879
+1
>>
>>5198821
If that is true then changibg my vote from >>5198880
To support >>5198879 instead
>>
>>5198879
+1
>>
With fear currently having a sleeper-hold on Grez’s mental faculties, she resorted to stating the obvious, “Y-you talked?”

The massive creature raised a singular eyebrow, “Very observant,” he said, rising from his chair, “Get up.”

Grez’s eyes darted between her leg and the titanic figure, “Uhm. I c-cant,” she said, gesturing at her leg, “I’m hurt a-and--”

”Get. Up,” repeated the creature with a tone that relayed he wouldn’t ask again.

The half-orc grit her teeth and, whilst supressing the moans of pain to the best of her ability, managed to get herself raised up.
She slowly moved her arms up a tiny bit from the side, as if asking for approval.

----------------

The Sadist supressed a smile, “I might just be happy right now,” it said, “Scholar? Are you seeing this?”

“Huh, what?” replied the Scholar, attention immediately turning elsewhere, “No! Not that. That’s trash. Get that other book!”

----------------

No approval or acknowledgement was forthcoming, the barely-a-hobgoblin immediately started the questioning, “Tell me about yourself,” it commanded, folding its arms.

Grez swallowed, “I-i’m Grez Wildflower,” she began, gaze sweeping the floor like she was gonna find the rest of her answer there, “I’m eighteen. Used to live in the orphanage above here. I’m sorry.”

”You’re sorry?” asked the hobgoblin, “A sorry person, sure.”

”I’m sorry for trying to break you,” she added, eyes downcast, “I didn’t mean to.”

“Look at me,” replied the Hobgoblin, waiting until Grez had managed to semi-consistently lock eyes, “You did.”
The hobgoblin went quiet for a moment, head tilted slightly upwards, listening to a voice only he could hear.
I’ve already succeeded in chipping away at the [Dungeon Core] once, four more times should do it,” said the hobgoblin, “Your words.”

The half-orc paled, “I can be useful!” she cried, “Please, I have nowhere else to go now! I’ll be loyal!”

The hobgoblin half-turned, “That remains to be seen,” he said, walking around her in a small circle.
It’s glare shot back towards Grez, “What’s that on your shoulder? The symbol.”

Grez’s hand went to her right shoulder, “A [Contract Mark],” she explained, slowly realizing the implications of the mark’s full effects, “I owe somebody some money.”

“More,” growled the hobgoblin.

“It’ll make it so I’ll be forced to work it off if I can’t pay!” she added.

“MORE,” roared the hobgoblin, hand reaching for its enormous weapon.

“THEY CAN FIND OUT WHERE I AM BY USING IT,” cried Grez, “I’LL FIX IT. DON’T KILL ME.”
Grez fell to her knees.

The hobgoblin took a deep breath, “Did I give you permission to sit?”

Whimpering and grunting, Grez once again got to her feet.
>>
>>5199169

The Sadist seemed puzzled, “Is this happiness?” it wondered, “Is this what happiness feels like? Scholar?”

”Oeh, oeh. Get the thing from the top of bookshelf!” said the Scholar, in a world of its own.
A small world the size of an office which contained various books and a disgruntled employee.

Smiling, the Sadist added, “I suppose I could’ve told the hobgoblin what we already knew about the [Contract Mark], but where’s the fun in that?”

----------------

“Tell me about his contract of yours,” instructed the hobgoblin whilst the Sadist whispered intel into its mind.

Grez sniffed, “I made a deal with moneylenders at Rose Lane, the Blackwood Brothers. Five hundred gold pieces by the end of the week. I’ve got maybe three days left to get together the money,” she took a deep breath, “If I can’t, well, they’ll come find me.”

The red-skinned creature stood there, cross-armed, impatiently tapping a finger on his bicep, “It will lead them here.”

“Well, if you let me go,” said Grez, trying a smile, “Then I can lead them elsewhere.”

The hobgoblin scratched his chin, “It seems like you have to die then.”

Grez’s eyes went wide, “What? Why?”
Small gusts of wind formed as the hobgoblin gave his weapon some experimental swings, tossing Grez’s hair this way and that.

“If I let you go I get nothing but risk,” said the hobgoblin matter-of-factly, “You mentioned seconds ago that you have nowhere to go. With nowhere to go and loansharks sure to follow, you can only sell out the location of this dungeon and hope that it’s enough to off-set whatever debts you have. Instead, you’ll die here.”

If the mental presence of the Sadist in the hobgoblin’s mind had any kind of physical manifestation it would likely appear as a small demon now, giving the red-skinned giant shoulder rubs and whispering terrible truths into its ear.

The half-orc held out her hands defensively, “Wait!” she cried, “H-how can I make you trust me?”

A confident smile slid its way onto the hobgoblin’s face, “You only need to do what you have been doing.”
Pausing for good measure, the hobgoblin continued, “Bring me more people. Lure them here. Have them enter the dungeon and watch as it devours them,” said the hobgoblin, “You’ve got ample experience in this department. I’m sure you’ll manage.”

“But you heard Ben! He wants me to dead. The moment word spreads about what I’ve done it won’t be safe anywhere!” cried Grez.

“Then you better work fast,” replied the hobgoblin.

Grez closed her eyes for a moment, trying to come to terms with the fact that she would be leading people to their deaths.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes again.
>>
>>5199171

[Corruption trait “Sadism” is influencing the Dungeon’s behaviour.]
[Hobgoblin skill “Silver Tongue“ is being applied.]

In a sudden shift, the hobgoblin flashed her a charming smile, “You did this to yourself, you know? You wanted to destroy the dungeon,” he said, “But here it is, trying to work with you. Understand that we only want what best for all of us.”
He waved a hand, gesturing broadly at everything, “What’s out there for you? Certain death at every corner? The clock is ticking for you. You’ll be hunted down by either these Blackwood Brothers or by Ben and you can win against neither.”

Heavy footfalls rang through the [Boss Room] as the hobgoblin stepped in front of Grez and lowered himself to her height, placing a massive hand on her shoulder, “But I can. They are nothing before me.”

The hobgoblin got up again, “In fact, we might even be able to remove that [Contract Mark] of yours.”

Grez’s face lit up, “You can?! Only high level mages can crack contracts,” she said, “And they won’t because it’s illegal. Even if you find a black market mage to do it they charge impossible amounts!”

“The dungeon has its ways,” admitted the hobgoblin, “But to make use of them it needs you to bring it more people.”

Her face twisted in agony as Grez considered her options.

“Face it, Grez Wildflower,” said the hobgoblin, “You gambled and lost. Walls are closing in on you from all sides, but this need not be the end for you. The dungeon will help you, if you help it in return.”
“You said you would do anything, right?” finished the hobgoblin.

“I did?” said Grez.

“Fairly certain you did,” replied the hobgoblin, “Then again people say a lot of things when death is looming over them, I can’t fault you for forgetting.”

Grez clutched her arm and looking down, “I don’t know. I want to live, but do other people really deserve to die for it?”

“Grez,” said the hobgoblin, waiting for her to look up, “You’re too sensitive. There’s plenty of rotten folk out there that deserve that and much more. How much better would the city above be if people like the Blackwood Brothers suddenly disappeared? You can do this, you can clean it all up. We can do this. Together.”

“How do I know you won’t just kill me as well?” said Grez, looking down at her leg, “You’ve hurt me before.”

“Grez, you came into the dungeon with the intent to break it, you should have known how it would react. Can you really blame the dungeon?” said the hobgoblin.

“I guess, you were just trying to survive as well,” said Grez uncertainly.

“Exactly,” replied the hobgoblin, walking back towards his throne, “But things are different now. The world out there might hate you, but not me. I just want what’s best for both of us.”

Grez steeled herself and looked up at the handsome figure, a genuine smile on her face, “We’ll do it, we’ll clean it all up.”
>>
>>5199172
This is amazing. I am not keen on the idea if using the not-loli (no sir she's 18) at all but the way you write has me convinced on the idea. Amazing desu
>>
Oh boys...
Are we update Monday?
>>5197033
Have a (You) from mongoloids "le updoot mendoys :DDDDD"
>>
>>5202126
seems so. I am bummed not many people have replied a thing!! this update deserves like, 8 replies
>>
>>5202746
I never reply to quest masters it makes their heads too big
>>
>>5202794
Are you speaking from experience?
Or is your life that sad?

>>5202746
I did not feel the need to reply to an incomplete post when it was doing pretty much exactly what i wanted. But you are right.
>>5199172

This update is pretty well written. He is twisting that Legaly NOT-Loli's Perception of things pretty hard
>>
>>5203122
I spent two hours looking for a suitable orc-girl
I didn't get the results I wanted, but I welcomed them
>>
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>>5203413
Its not Grez but i really like this young Druid Orc Lady....

I do wonder though. Is it possible to extract the soul or whatever animates a Person, mix it with whatever makes our creatures loyal and put it into a new body?

Could make some interesting choices when it comes to selling hostages back. Could we sell them Changelings? That would be pretty awesome
>>
>>5203122
>Are you speaking from experience?
Yea my buddy ran a quest on here and after a week he couldn't even get through doorways. Awful
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>>5203674
what a faggot retard. All he should have done is to cross the door sideways
>>
I'm working on an update, but I unfortunately became a corona statistic and have a bit of a slower pace atm
>>
>>5204576
oh. Make sure to stay safe then QM.

I wanted to say i would wait with bated Breath but then i realized it would probably take to long and i have to many other things to do. Have some visualization of my tension
>>
>>5204576
I can't believe the QM refuses to drop the quest even after he died of Corona. What a champion.
>>
>>5204576
take zinc qm
>>
>>5204576
Rest well QM
>>
Sadly, I died.
But then I lived. Expect updates.
>>
>>5210068
I can't believe Covid fucking killed DungeonQM
And that he's alive.
Glad to have you back
>>
>>5210068
Damn, QM talk about updates, and we're monday.
We all see where this is going.
>>
It was around four in the morning, night still reigned, and Leleiah sat in her room, mending a piece of clothing that a most ambitious monster had torn up.
She stared at the door for a moment, sighed, then yelped. A small bead of blood formed on her index finger where the needle had pierced it. The surface tension of the blood broke and a drop of it rolled off it, right onto her white, priestly robes. She moved, the bracelets imprinted with hymns dedicated to her god chimed as they collided with one another.
As if to add to the chaos, her long staff, which had been leaning against a wooden table, seized the opportunity to roll down the length of the table and clang as it fell to the floor. All assets considered, she was the very picture of a holy priest. “Fuck,” she said, shattering that picture, “Where in the Dawnmaiden’s name is that cunt?”

As if summoned, or written here because we want the story to go somewhere, the door swung open and revealed a man in a sweat-stained t-shirts and boxers. The man seemed to adamant on sharing some finer details regarding his attire, but that would have to wait until he was done filling the corner with vomit, “Good tidings,” said the man, smiling with the corners of his mouth lined with yesterday’s dinner.

The priest held a hand to her mouth, seemingly unable to comprehend the image before her, “Sir Greenstone, whatever happened to you?” she inquired most inquiringly, grinding her teeth behind the hand, “Where is your armour?”

The noble Sir Greenstone took a moment to look over his outfit, “Lost the chainmail playing dice,” he confessed.

“What about the pants, then?” questioned Leleiah.

“Lost it to some harlot that was adamant to take it off me,” said the knight, rinsing him mouth with some saliva and spitting at the ground, “Fear not. I’ve kept my purity.”
”That wench sure was n-needy for loins,” said Greenstone, placing his hands in his sides, “A creature of degeneracy and sin.”

Said creature now stumbled through the open doorway, half-heartedly holding up a pair of padded pants.
Face flushed red by drink, she smiled and adjusted her tri-corner hat, the feather in it swaying as she did so, “Oh brave knight~~” she said in a song-song voice, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind an ear, “Thou hast forgotten thine retainers.”
>>
>>5210108

Leleiah watched this display with displeasure hidden behind a friendly smile, “Greetings, miss,” she said after eyeing over the new arrival, “It seems like my knight has misplaced his belongings. My thanks.”

“Oooo,” said the blonde-haired arrival, swaggering her way towards the priest, and then throwing her hands around her, bend forward at the waist, “You’ll be joining us then?” she said, with a playful smile.

The priest’s mouth went wide and she stared daggers at the knight, “My paladin?” she asked.

The holy knight, Sir Greenstone, issued pause using his hand while he used his other hand to fish a chunk of vomit out of the recesses of his mouth, inspected it briefly, and tossed it to the floor, “Bard, please relay the plan.”

Allowing her hands to slide from the priest’s neck to the shoulders, the Bard decided to sit down on the priest's lap, facing towards her, “Here’s what’s gonna happen,” she purred, rolling her tongue over a tooth, “We’re gonna have a little party.”

The priest faked innocence, her eyes going wide while veins began to bulge at the sides of her head in red-hot rage, “I don’t quite understand,” she said, just barely keeping herself from beating the woman in the head.

The paladin drank down some water from a pitcher that had been in the room, “Nessa,” he said, coughing, “Please.”

Legs moving slightly to make herself more comfortable on her new seat, the Bard grabbed and then tossed her tri-corner hat across the room, allowing her long blonde hair to freely drape across her shoulders, “So, I was in the tavern, yeah?” she began, “I got a few coins from Humphrey, the innkeeper, to entertain the crowd. Make sure they keep drinking pints instead of starting fights, yeah?”

Leleiah raised an eyebrow, her gaze switching to the paladin in the corner who gestured in a way that indicate to “give it a minute.”

Eyes wandering over the priest before her, the Bard named Nessa continued, “Here I was, in between songs when I went to get myself a drink. Lots of singing, yeah? Dry throat. When I found at the bar this guy that was just an absolute mess,” she said, chuckling, “I’m talking the full waterworks, equal amounts spilling from eyes and nose. Half the content of his flagon was on the bar next to him. A sobbing drunk, yeah?”

The priest nodded, assuming the story was going somewhere.

Nessa let her hands slide from the shoulders of the priests, instead reaching towards the left hand of the priest, “And as sad drunks do, he immediately began to recite me his life’s story, yeah? I only asked him if he was okay as a courtesy kind of thing, but whatever,” she said, fingers fumbling with the left hand of the priest, “Anyway, he told me that today was the worst day of his life as his party got wiped out in a dungeon. Sad, yeah?”
>>
>>5210110

“Yeah,” said Leleiah absent-mindedly, getting slightly uncomfortable at the way the bard was toying with her fingers, “Truly unfortunate, but it happens sometimes.”

“Yeah,” echoed the bard, “But here’s the thing, yeah? He was just gushing forth his sad tale. I prodded him a few times seeing as I had a handful of minutes left until the next song. And he said it happened right here in Duskmire.”

Genuine astonishment was clear on the face of the priest, “A dungeon? Within the city?”

“Maybe,” replied the bard with a playful shrug, hand caressing the bleeding finger of the priest, “Or the musings of a drunk. But worth checking out, yeah?”

The priest swallowed, “Duskmire is a big place,” she said seriously.

Bringing up the unresisting hand of the priest in her own hands, Nessa smiled, “Not that big to some. He’s a local, see?” she said, opening her mouth and licking the lingering droplet of blood from the priest’s finger, the smiling, “I have a good idea where to start.”
>>
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>not only will we have Ben and his new team coming to break us, now we'll also have a team of non-schmucks looking for us
Ben you stupid fuck, you weren't supposed to grieve on the shoulders of the first broad you saw at the bar and give away our location. You were supposed to gather another party of schmucks that we could eat for free. Goddamn idiot, can't you do anything right?!
>>
I mean, we knew that letting anyone leave alive out of the dungeon is a bad move if we want to stay hidden. Not that we had much choice.
We just have to hope that they don't find us for a while (or ever) or that if they do, they are weak. We will have to see, I suppose.
>>
Meanwhile in an office on the orphanage grounds, a lone goblin was growing tired of living.
”Come on,” cried the Scholar, “I watched you climb the side of a building, a bookcase isn’t so hard!”

The scout sighed and continued his ascend of the bookcase.
Once the top shelf was in reach, a questing hand patted empty space once or twice, before they found the edge of a book and then retrieved it.
One of the waterlogged shelves broke under the goblin’s weight on the descent.
Tossing the goblin and a few dozen books to the floor.
One book of which hit the goblin square in the face, it snarled and tossed the book to the wall – where it hit a badly-damaged portrait of a upper-class family standing beside a tree.

In total, that made four retrieved items: a leather-bound journal that had been on the desk, a rather ornate book with a golden clasp, a book with with a cover sporting the illustration of a dragon, and finally the recently acquired tome tied down with belts.
That one had been particularly important according to the Scholar. Apparently the belts meant that “secrets weren’t allowed to escape” or “arcane knowledge sealed within”.
To the goblin, it probably mean the spine of the book was falling apart, but then again – what do goblins know?

The goblin placed the four items on the desk and, upon request by the Scholar, began to leaf through the pages despite his own inability to read the words.
First up was the belt-bound tome. The goblin turned the pages while suffering relentless complaints.
Either he wasn’t turning the pages fast enough, he was turning them too fast, or the voice in his head complained that he wasn’t turning the pages at all and he should be anticipating when it was the correct time to turn a page.

============

Belt-bound Tome: A Limited History of Duskmire of the 7th age

A compilation of short summaries about the various influential families and businesses that concerned themselves with the city of Duskmire.
Of particular note were: the Summergale family, a group of merchants that owned an auction house within the Upper Trade District – mostly concerning themselves with bulk purchases of various trade goods and the occasional magical item, a duke by the name of Richmond that was tasked with ruling the city – he resided in a mansion in a more well-to-do part of the upper district, High Magus Salorn who mostly restricted himself to a district labelled Arcane Avenue, the Birdsong academy that dedicated themselves to the nurture of promising spellcasters in the same district as the High Magus, and bit about the Greenstone family which were supposedly a branch family of the royal line.
Pages barely clung to the spine of the book and broke free when turned with a little too much gusto.

============
>>
The Scholar’s voice was barely a whisper, “Incredible,” it said, “It is completely useless!”

Rolling his eyes, the scout placed the book back on the desk, picked up another, and opened it.

“How lucky do you feel?” asked the Scholar, pondering, “On a scale from one to infiltrating an arcane academy?”

A single bead of sweat run down the temple of the goblin and it hastily tapped the page before it.

“What is it boy?” cried the Scholar, “Something important?”

Sealed package: The Journal of David Loriander

The package contained a journal signed by a man named David Loriander.

14th of Jasper, 728

The nerve! He himself had advised me to invest in an orphanage and now he is changing the laws on me?
Regulations against Child Labour? What else are the rats supposed to do with their day? Frolicking?
I had just invested in new machinery. What am I supposed to do now? What a headache.
If that weasel of man thinks I’m going to take this lying down then he’s mistaken.
I’ve got a fair amount of funds left. It’ll allow me to nudge the right people back to common sense. Child Protection laws. Bah!
I’ll visit the direct aides of the Richmond family on the morrow.
For now, I’ll enjoy a picnic under the tree while we watch our dedicated employees work.
Vanessa made raspberry pie, I can smell it here.

15th of Jasper, 728

Things have complicated themselves. The aides of the Richmond family would not take my financial support.
They even said offering them was beneath me and they would, as a favour, forget I ever did.
Such absolute snakes! Even though they readily accepted my offerings barely two weeks prior.
There’s something amiss. I can feel tendrils of influence slithering through the city.
Major players stand idle and dare not move while my business crumbles to dust
Don’t realize that they are next?

I’ve send Vanessa and the children to spend the remainder of the week at my uncle’s estate and prepared measures to ensure the survival of my family.
I hope I don’t have to use them, but I will if need be. I’ve hid them in favourite spot.

16th of Jasper, 728

My worst fears have realized. The alleyways label my name as a product of a bygone age.
The same mothers that begged me to allow their children to work alongside the orphans now turn their noses up as I pass.
I’ve been twisted from an entrepreneur into a criminal overnight. I’ve been summoned to the stronghold by the Duke.
The fact that I have to go to the stronghold rather than their mansion already spells doom.
I suspect I’ve been betrayed. Somebody let something slip to save their own hide.
I haven’t heard of my wife nor children. I hope they got my message regarding the preparations.
If not, I’ll have to take matters into my own hand upon my return.
>>
>>5210180

“Onto the trash heap it goes,” said the scholar.

The scout closed the book and raised an eyebrow.

“DISCARDED,” cried the Scholar.

Tossing the journal over his shoulder, the goblin reached for the next book, but kept track were the prior one had fallen.
This one was quite ornate with a magnificent golden clasp.
A closer look, however, revealed the gold to have been painted on.

As the goblin opened the book, it was met with a series of strange symbols and magical jargon.
The scout scratched the side of its head as it leafed through the pages on the Scholar’s command.
Some were damaged and more were difficult to comprehend.

============

Ornate book: Leopold Brightwand’s Introduction Guide to Ritual Magic
Protect your family, valuables, money, and valuables through basic arcane traditions.

============

“Jackpot!” cried the Scholar, causing the scout to wince at the voice in its head went wild.
”There is some I understand,” said the Scholar, nearly panting, “But so much more I don’t! How exciting! How vexing!”
”Take that book with you upon your return, scoutmaster,” it added, “We must research it carefully. At once!”

The goblin scout fought against the voice blaring commands to return and hesitantly pointed at the final book.

“But…” said the Scholar, but relented, “Fine! Quickly!”

============

Book with the dragon cover: Standing against the Dragon’s Flame
An account by Darius Strongarm about his coalition's struggle with Acidfang’s dungeon.

It was a heroic tale written by a warrior by the name of Darius Strongarm about how he and his adventuring companions stood against a being of terrible peril named Acidfang.
A black dragon with a breath so foul it could corrode even the most durable weapons and armour.
It has extensive notes regarding the layout of the massive dungeon complex that housed this beast.
A seven level behemoth of a dungeon, with the final floor dedicated to Acidfang himself, the core of the dungeon pulsing in the dragon’s chest.
Ultimately, the dragon, and with it the dungeon, was bested.
Its acid was harvested and twisted into a poison so voracious that those who had succeeded in synthesising it were awarded with a pat on the back, fancy jackets, and a shove into a padded prison cell.

============

“Boring!” cried the Scholar, “Back to dungeon now! Take books! Come on! Come on!”

[Tome 'A Limited History of Duskmire of the 7th age' has been acquired.]
[Tome 'The Journal of David Loriander' has been acquired.]
[Tome 'Leopold Brightwand’s Introduction Guide to Ritual Magic.]
[Tome 'Standing against the Dragon’s Flame' has been acquired.]

[Tomes can be researched once a suitable research station has been acquired.]

=============

>1 - Ask the goblin to explore something else
>2 - Command the goblin to return
>3 - Alter the dungeon
>4 - Other (write-in)
>>
>5 - Continue chatting with Grez
>6 - Command Grez to do something
>>
I'll be back in a couple of hours.
Will try to do another update if there are votes then
>>
>>5210190
And, yes, we're rounding back to actual dungeon combat soon.
>>
>>5210184
>2 - Command the goblin to return
I think it's gathered enough for now, we can send it out again later. I would like it to be present in the dungeon when the invasion happens.
>6 - Command Grez to do something
>>task her to try to lead someone into the dungeon.
She might as well. We can try to get rid of the mark once we have a branding chamber.

>>5210178
>the Greenstone family which were supposedly a branch family of the royal line.
>>5210108
>“Sir Greenstone, whatever happened to you?”
I have a bad premonition for some reason.
>>
>>5210184
supporting >>5210196


>>5210180
This Journal.... it was still sealed. so that means that the treasure might still be there.... Even if not. We could have Grez use this knowledge to make sure she has something to entice peopel with...

"The Lost Treasures of the Loriander Family. A family of Merchants turned criminals and their last desperate gamble to hide what remained of their wealth to one day return from the shadows only they never claimed the treasure again and Grez knows where it is and how to get through the traps but with her bad foot she could not get anything out on her own."
>>
>>5210184
>2 - Command the goblin to return
Get the ritual magic book back to the dungeon for immediate study.
>6 - Command Grez to do something
>Send Grez to either carry the man Ben knocked out to the Dungeon, or attempt to lure a lonely drunk down with her charm
If we can get just the one person thrown in we can afford the Branding Chamber or the Puzzle Room tomorrow.
>>
>>5210196
+1

Also remember we can use her to bait wild animals in as well like more rats, not just people.
>>
>>5210210
well using her as bait we will need her to either Tag Team with our scout and heal her foot. Running with crushed toes is gonna be extremely unfun. She needs crutches and for the long run either her foot healed or replaced so she can be more useful. Large Rats would probably catch up to her and probably treat her to a Dark Souls Ending with how quickly she would be ripped apart. Especially considering how weak she is in the physical department
>>
>>5210196
+1
>>
>>5210196
+1
>>
>>5210184
>Command the goblin to return
>Watch if the drunk man is still passed out. If that's the case, bring him back and request Grez help to carry him once in the building
>>
>>5210204
>"The Lost Treasures of the Loriander Family. A family of Merchants turned criminals and their last desperate gamble to hide what remained of their wealth to one day return from the shadows only they never claimed the treasure again and Grez knows where it is and how to get through the traps but with her bad foot she could not get anything out on her own."
I like this, it's very good bait to lure people with. We can at least share what we learned from the journal with her, and give her the idea.
>>5210210
Using her to lure animals/monster is a gamble, given her bad foot. Maybe if/when it heals.
>>
>>5210184
2 - Command the goblin to return
>>
Voting closed
Basically >>5210196
>>
oh fuck!!!! Update MONDAY
qm DIED but he SURVIVED
>>
I unno anon, grez is a limp cripple at the moment and her feet wound is festering, she will get sicker and die if left untreated. LETS CUT IT AT THE KNEE
>>
>>5210680
We might have to. She at least has crutches already.... and our Goblin Deamon has a Sword... the Amputation would not be painless since we would have to staunch the wound quickly or lose her to shock but it could be done quickly with his brute strength and she might go unconxious. A couple Bugbears to hold her down and someone with a very hot piece of Metal to sear the wound. Not clean but efficient.

Or if the next invasion goes well and we get some money out of it we could have her send to the healers. Pretty mich tell her that we are now giving her a loan.

A loan of trust that she will get herself healed so we can continue to clean up this place.
>>
>>5210956
>not wanting a permanent pain that goes through her bones
>>
Had to re-schedule D&D to yesterday, updates to follow soon
>>
The Dungeon shot a quick message to the goblin scout for it to return with its spoils.
The books could be investigated at a later time. For now, there were more pressing matters.
Such as, but not limited to, a certain hateful individual’s oath of vengeance.

The towering hobgoblin looked down on Grez from his seat, “It is time to play your part.”
”Bring somebody to the dungeon. Your pick. Whoever you feel wouldn’t be missed,” said the hobgoblin.

“Might take a while,” admitted Grez, “I don’t have a lot of pull in the lower district. Or anywhere else.”
”What am I even supposed to say to them? I can’t go around revealing the location of the dungeon, can I?” she added.

The hobgoblin cocked his head slightly, ear turned up to listen to some unseen entity’s advice, then steepled his fingers, “Are you aware of David Loriander’s hidden wealth?”

David Loriander, now there was a person Grez would love to hand over to the dungeon.
She and her friends had spent many days and nights under his watchful gaze, working tirelessly in the warehouses creating whatever ‘get rich quick’ scheme had managed to pull the man’s attention at the particular time.
While delightful and compassionate in front of his friends and family, the two-faced man has no issue beating orphans near death for even the slightest slip-up.
Grez swallowed, “How do you know that name?”

The hobgoblin shrugged, “Does it matter?” he replied, “What’s important is that it’s something you can use. You found a secret passageway underneath the orphanage dorms, but your bum leg has kept you from exploring further.”

Narrowing her eyes, the half-orc spoke, “And I’m supposed to approach a crook with such a story? Their survival depends on seeing through ploys. Stabbing each other in the back before they can get stabbed in the back themselves.”

“You’ll just have to find somebody that’s gullible enough then,” replied the hobgoblin, “Either that or postpone your quest of exacting justice on the scum of society. It does feel that you currently don’t have the luxury to pursue such a thing.”

“But what about cleaning up the lower district!” cried Grez.
>>
>>5213739

“That’s still very much the plan, Grez. But you just have to start on the lower end of the ladder. Rather than the crime boss that has an iron grip on the neighbourhood, settle for the thug that carries out his will. It’ll be for the best if we can keep things on the down low for a while. A major player disappearing will raise a lot of question. And let’s be honest. No mob boss was gonna follow a lone, crippled half-orc into some abandoned orphanage. They have people for that,” replied the hobgoblin, admitting to Grez’s doubts, “Enact small justice. Start with the drunk that beats his wife and starves his children in favour of drink. The thug whose sole reason for following you might be in order to lay your hands on you. Or, failing that, settle for the homeless man nobody will miss – knowing that his sacrifice would ultimately aid the city at large.”

It was clear for anyone to see that Grez was having second thoughts regarding the whole thing.
This much was expected and according to plan. These doubts had to be brought up and dealt with now, lest they would come to her when she was by herself and be allowed the time to mull them over.

“You have mere days left, Grez,” continued the hobgoblin, “When you fail to come up with the money to fulfil your end of the [Contract Mark] you’ll have no choices left to make. The remainder of your life will be spent in the very service of the people you hope to destroy. And you won’t be the last. The cycle will continue as long as there are people desperate enough to risk a contract similar to yours. Nobody said this was going to be easy.”

“Sacrifice the few,” concluded the hobgoblin, “To save the many.”

“I’ll try,” said Grez.

“Good,” replied the hobgoblin, its gaze shifting to a point it could not see – the dungeon entrance.
>>
>>5213743

Puffing and panting, the goblin scout had finally made his way to the dungeon with the short stack of tomes.
He placed them on the floor of the [Jungle Room] for a moment while he used the back of his forearm to wipe away the sweat that had been forming underneath his leather cap.
The books were absorbed by the dungeon.

[Notice: Foreign items can only remain absorbed for a limited time to facilitate transfer.]

The Dungeon scowled. It didn’t approve of this limitation.
It would’ve vastly preferred if it could tuck valuable items away deep inside itself.
Then again, this would mean that invaders would have to gut the dungeon like a pig to get at the items.
That is if they ever even managed to find the items at all.
The Dungeon didn’t doubt that experienced adventurers likely had a way to sniff out treasure though.

Although the Dungeon had previously acquired an item, namely the “Ring of Vitality”, it hadn’t tried to absorb it.
It more or less just had it lying around until it was bestowed upon the hobgoblin that eventually became Unnamed.
It had been a good while since the Dungeon had last relied on the thing it called Instinct.
The Dungeon decided to do so now, “Instinct, tell me more about foreign items.”

-------------------

[Investigating 'Items'.]

Query: Foreign Items
Context: Dungeon

Response:
Foreign items are objects that have not been created by the dungeon, but have found their way there.
This includes things like: magical items, resources, skill tomes, spell tomes, and similar.
Foreign items can be moved across the dungeon, but cannot be absorbed into internal storage.
Instead, these items need to be stored within the dungeon itself so that invaders may access them.
The recommended method for this is chests. These are things invaders are intimately familiar with.
Alternatively, magical items can be broken down in order to gain ‘Monster Points’ or ‘Dungeon Points’.

-------------------

The Scholar gasped loudly, “Broken down!?” it cried, “The horror!”

”I’m supposed to just lay out my belongings so that others can come and take what it is mine?” snarled the Sadist, “That’s utter horseshit. Who came up with this?”

-------------------

[Investigating 'Foreign Item'.]

Query: Rules and restrictions
Context: Dungeon

Response:
All rules and restrictions have been created and are enforced by the creator.
>>
>>5213746

“Oh,” said the Sadist jovially, “The creator of the rules is the creator?”
Then flood venom into its voice, “Spit it out!”

-------------------

[Investigating ‘Rul3s and re$tricti0ns’.]

Query: Cre@toR
Context: Dung3on $ysTem™

r3$p0ns3%:
[PERMISSION_DENIED]

-------------------

A familiar, agonizing feeling crept up on the Dungeon.
Like a migraine of unfathomable intensity.
A corrective measure. A warning to not pry.
As it did the last time, the pain came and went in a flash.
The Dungeon took a moment to recover from the mental whiplash.

Although all personalities of the Dungeon weren’t particularly fond of what had just occurred, the Sadist liked it least of all.
Corrected like some adventurous pup that had done its business just outside the newspaper.
It made it feel whipped. Like it was under the control of something else.

The Sadist’s eye twitched and it turned its attention to Instinct, “You’re part of it, aren’t you?”

-------------------

[Investigating ‘Origin’.]

Query: CENSORED alias “Instinct”
Context: Dung3on $ysTem™

Response:
Correct.

-------------------

The hobgoblin and Grez stared at each other for an uncomfortably long moment.
Eventually, something rose up from the ground along with a set of mental instructions.

The hobgoblin looked the journal over and then extended it towards Grez, “Here. This will add some weight to your words.”

Grez took the journal and began to leaf through the pages, she mouthed the words as she read, then looked up, “Where did you get this?”

“Prove yourself to me and I might reveal to you my methods,” replied the hobgoblin, “Until then you’ll just have to wonder whether I created it, obtained it from an invader, or have more helpers such as yourself.”

“But we got it from the house, didn’t we?” asked the Scholar, “Scoutmaster worked hard to obtain it.”

The Sadist sighed, “Yes, but we don’t want her to know that. So we give her the old 'It might be any of these options' while actually being none of them.”

The Scholar thought for a moment, pinching its chin between index finger and thumb, “That seems manipulative.”

“Thank you,” replied the Sadist.
>>
>>5213747

And with that, Grez was off.
She was escorted back to the dungeon entrance by a goblin, trying to avoid putting weight on her bad foot the entire way there.

-------------------

Watching Grez limp, the Scholar looked remorseful, “Can’t we help her somehow?”

“No!” spat the Sadist, folding its arms, “I worked hard on that.”

“But I noticed people get restored when we defeat and capture them, yes?” asked the Scholar.

“Yes, but only up until I get my hands on them, that is.” replied the Sadist.

The Scholar looked at the Sadist like he should’ve been the one with ‘crazed’ in its title, “Can you not?”

“No. I can’t not.” replied the Sadist adamantly, “It defines who I am. I torment things.”

“But you’re not tormenting any of the goblins,” said the Scholar.

“Of course not. They’re part of me. Part of us.” said the Sadist, “Self-harm is for masochists.”

“So, if we bind her to us somehow, make her part of us, you won’t break her bones anymore?” tried the Scholar carefully.

“…I would consider it,” said the Sadist, looking away.

-------------------

There are three days left until Grez's contract expires.
Until then, she can try to convince a person to follow her to the dungeon.

DAY ONE:
Roll for Grez’s attempts to convince somebody to follow her to the dungeon.
Grez will use Charisma for this. She also gains a bonus to the roll because of the journal.
Total: 1d20 + 3 (Charisma) + 2 (Journal)

>1 - A musician with a reputation of fooling around with women (DC 10)
>2 - A drunk with barely any skin that isn’t covered in scars or tattoos (DC 13)
>3 - A young man clad in black leather that seems to chuckle to himself as he makes hand gestures to support some kind of daydream (DC 15)
>4 - A woman wearing white, priestly robes with a expensive looking staff on her (DC 18)
>5 - A wizard of some kind, carrying a tome heavy with spells and adorned with magical items (DC 20)
>>
>Ask instinct about created Item.
Can we copy the book? Can we create ressources for Grez to sell and aquire magic items or slaves?
>>
Rolled 6 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>5213754
Rolling for Drunkman
>>
Rolled 9 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>5213754
>2 - A drunk with barely any skin that isn’t covered in scars or tattoos (DC 13)
>>
Rolled 12 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>5213754
>2 - A drunk with barely any skin that isn’t covered in scars or tattoos (DC 13)
Shouldn't we be rolling for random encounters as well? I would hope having secured a bait wouldn't replace our source of intruders, but act as a supplement.
>>
Rolled 5 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>5213754
>1 - A musician with a reputation of fooling around with women (DC 10)
We have to roll once for each right?
>>
>>5213793
no? this is a vote
>>
>>5213754
This is a vote. No rolling involved just yet.
I just added the roll make-up to give you an idea of the chances of hitting a DC15 or things like that.

Do keep in mind that more difficult opponents give more MP / DP.
>>
>>5213754
>2 - A drunk with barely any skin that isn’t covered in scars or tattoos (DC 13)

something easy to start with so we can get the branding chamber.

The mage is tempting but very unlikely(to kill or convince)
>>
The drunk align the most with Grez objective I think. maybe the emo king aligns well too, but rolling have been hard enough this quest.
>>
>>5213754
>2 - A drunk with barely any skin that isn’t covered in scars or tattoos (DC 13)
might as well start here.
>>
>>5213754
>>3 - A young man clad in black leather that seems to chuckle to himself as he makes hand gestures to support some kind of daydream (DC 15)
Go for the schizo!!!!
>>
[b[Voting closed[/b]
Winner: A drunk with barely any skin that isn’t covered in scars or tattoos (DC 13)

Need a 1d20+5 Charisma saving throw (DC13) for Grez Wildflower vs the drunk
Grez has a +3 modifier to her charisma and gains an additional +2 because of the journal adding weight to her words.

Please include the following message
Rolling for Grez Wildflower to convince the drunk

One roll only, please.
>>
Rolled 3 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>5214557

>Rolling for Grez Wildflower to convince the drunk


I was an absolute retard before
>>
>>5214563
And of course it goes wrong..... this would not even have made the easiest DC.....
>>
Can we one day succeed at an important roll?
>>
>>5214579
No we can not apperantly... Lets just hope that we can at least get some random encounter or Grez will not survive much longer... either out of necessity or desperation.....
>>
>>5214563
It never gets better, does it?
I'll post updates shortly.
>>
[You’ve gained one (1) ‘Dungeon Point']
[Total amount of Monster Points (MP) remaining: 2]
[Total amount of Dungeon Points (DP) remaining: 2]

Only three days remained until the [Contract Mark] would expire, Grez had little time remaining to save herself.
She hoped that, as far as the dungeon could be trusted, it would make good on its promise to deal with the mark once she brought some criminals to it.
Grez made her way back to the dilapidated mansion and retrieved her walking cane.

Ever watchful for the presence of Ben, she carefully explored the lower district.
Eventually, she closed in on the tavern and noticed a heavily tattooed man, covered in scars, sitting on the ground with his back resting against the building.
The man had appeared to have a rough night, he was covered in mud and his face was bloodied, small shards of glass still embedded in his face.
Grez shifted her weight to her good foot and used her cane to lightly prod the man before her.

“Hey,” she said, checking over her shoulder every other second, “Are you alright?”
She used to be more capable at sweet talk and getting people to do her will, but the underlying notion of what kind of fate she would force on him still bothered her, “I got a proposition for you.” she tried.

The man wrestled open his eyes with great effort, squinting at Grez, “Propeh-what?” he murmured, then dismissed her with a wave of the hand, “Get lost.“

Grez eyed her surroundings again, it wouldn’t be long until dawn arrived and things would get considerably more difficult for her.
She leaned forward, cupping a hand to the side of her mouth and speaking in a loud whisper, “There’s treasure.”

A semblance of consciousness bubbled to the surface, “Treasure?” he asked.

The half-orc looked over her shoulder once again, just to be sure, and then nodded, “Yes.”

The man flashed her a dirt-caked smile, “Treasure deez nuts,” he said, before sliding into a coughing chuckle, “Gottum.”

Grez frowned and watched as the man slumped down the wall a bit before passing out.
The beginnings of dawn had already made themselves apparent in the distance.
She resolved to try again tomorrow.

-----------

DAY TWO:
Roll for Grez’s attempts to convince somebody to follow her to the dungeon.
Grez will use Charisma for this. She also gains a bonus to the roll because of the journal.
Total: 1d20 + 3 (Charisma) + 2 (Journal)

Higher difficulty means greater rewards. (Like a higher level enemy resulting in more MP / DP or magical items)

This is a vote, no rolling required

>1 - A friendly-faced, female druid filled with innocence, tucked shyly into a corner (DC 10)
>2 - A duo of sailors enjoying a a much-needed break (DC 13)
>3 - A shirtless man losing badly at cards (DC 15)
>4 - A bald man wearing a form-fitting tunic, tattoos of his order decorating his face (DC 18)
>5 - A group of straight-up cultists complete with dark cloaks and the occasional cackling (DC 20)
>>
>>5214656
>2 - A duo of sailors enjoying a a much-needed break (DC 13)

Come one Sailors should be all for treasure. Wirh the treasure they could spice up their break a lot more than cheap booze
>>
>>5214657
Also would make more bang for our buck since even if both are only worth 1 Level we can still get Points out of them for defeat individually and consumption
>>
>>5214656
>2 - A duo of sailors enjoying a a much-needed break (DC 13)
These fucking dice man

>“Treasure deez nuts”
I really feel like I shouldn't have laughed at that, yet here we are.
>>
>>5214656
>A duo of sailors enjoying a a much-needed break (DC 13)
>>
Voting closed
Winner: A duo of sailors enjoying a a much-needed break (DC 13)

Need a 1d20+5 Charisma saving throw (DC13) for Grez Wildflower vs the sailors.
Grez has a +3 modifier to her charisma and gains an additional +2 because of the journal adding weight to her words.

Please include the following message
Rolling for Grez Wildflower to convince the sailors.

One roll only, please.
>>
Rolled 9 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>5214679
Rolling for Grez Wildflower to convince the sailors.
>>
>>5214680
Oh thank the Dice Gods. Now we only need to kill them
>>
>>5214683
I also just noticed. We could in theory just have farmed Grez by asking her to be strong and invade us a bunch of times and evry time she gets restored after defeat we kick her out. She re invades and we would have the money for the Branding Chamber very quickly. But that is an exploit that would probably not work. Still an intersting thought experiment.
>>
>>5214685
I... that seems like a total exploit but I can't think of a reason that wouldn't work.
We get points for consuming people, and for just winning invasions. In theory that should work.
Though I assume QM won't allow it, as he shouldn't.
Maybe if someone invades more then once, they won't give points for just defeating them? I guess a rule like that would work.
>>
>>5214685
>>5214687

I've also thought about that, there are things in place for stuff like this.
You guys have simply never run into this because you had up until now always consumed the invaders.
There haven't been any people that tried to invade the dungeon multiple times in quick succession.
>>
>>5214690
huh
good to know.
I guess we could ask Grez to try invade us several times in a row, see what happens for future reference. The Dungeon has no reason to assume there are any measures in place, after all.
If we feel like experimenting, at least.
>>
>>5214691
Well, with sadism, we can't really do that. We'd be forced to injure her every time we released her, and she would eventually either become unwilling to continue or become unable to do much of anything or just die.
>>
>>5214693
Wouldn't we be able to release her once she is branded? I assume we will probably get 3 DP's worth from this invasion, so we could try after that.
Unless she needs to get branded each time she is captured. I mean we could do that, but I doubt she would be very cooperative at that point.
>>
>>5214696
It sounds like we would need to brand her every time we release her
>>
>>5214693
>>5214696
We will probably need to get the chamber this time so we can have some time on our hands to mess with the brand. Even if the Sadist is an expert. He will need time to work his magic.

>>5214701
well if we could turn her into a masochist then i believe she would actually like that and we would be able to experiment on a wiling subject. Maybe even some boost could be in it for her.
>>
>>5214701
Yeah then that is probably not gonna fly.
I assume we can probably brand her once with the excuse that we need to replace her mark with a brand of our own to truly get rid of it, but any more would need some Olympic tier mental gymnastics to convince her.
>>5214702
>turn her into a masochist
Or that.
That would be pretty funny, actually. One day, somehow...
>>
>>5214680
Wp for making the roll bro
>>
>>5214705
there may be spells for that..... a bit of brainwashing maybe. But we will need to carefully strip every enemy of all their valuables and not mash them up next time. Grez will need some money to live in the future. And losing her to starvation would be really really unfortunate
>>
Grez decided to put some distance between herself and the orphanage for now.
The mansion that served as her home probably wouldn’t be any good considering Ben had found her there before.
She briefly considered resting in the dungeon, but there was no telling what would happen if she returned empty-handed.

As the name implies, the city of Duskmire was surrounded by a sizable area of wetlands.
It hadn’t always been that way, it used to be a flourishing settlement surrounded by farmland.
Grez wasn’t quite certain how things turned out as they are now, but assumed that the local river had swelled at one point and flood the surrounding land with water that had decided to stay there. Perhaps a result of doing away with the hills and forests to make way for more farmland.
These days, however, it was little more than a series of swamps, marshes, and bogs. It also hadn’t always carried the name Duskmire.

The river was still there and often brought visitors that hadn’t dared make the journey on foot or horseback.
To be fair, you needed to be either from Duskmire or have a guide to really know how to navigate the treacherous terrain.
Ships veering off-course and getting stuck in the mud was no uncommon sight either.
The waters were so horribly murky that it was hard to tell where the river ended and a barely submerged area of thick mud began.

Grez decided to head towards where the river entered the city, hoping it would be busy enough for her to be lost in the crowd.
Checking her pockets, she discovered she didn’t have a whole lot of coins to her name, but enough to spend the night in a tavern you wouldn’t want to spend the night in.
She clutched the coins and pressed on.

The journey there took a great, long while for Grez.
Her foot began to ache and she started scraping her walking cane over the cobblestones rather than lifting it and allowing it to aid her step.
It was simply too painful to do otherwise. She eventually found her way to an area that the lower district folk unofficially referred to as 'The Divide’.
The hulking warehouses of the upper district on one side of the river and the seedy, ramshackle homes of the lower one on the opposing side.
Both sides of the wide river were reinforced with stone to avoid any flooding should the snaking waterway tempt to spill over its riverbanks again.
Grez noted how the stone walls on the side of the upper district were quite a bit higher.
>>
>>5214828

She explored for a little while, hoping to find a section that seemed like it was the “better” part of the area.
No such place was found. It all seemed equally decrepit.
Eventually, she opted to stay in a tavern, named the Inn-Between, a floating tavern that was located in the river itself and close to several shops, hoping that the increase in shops meant an increase in surveillance. Dirty and injured, Grez dragged herself to the counter under the scornful eye of the innkeeper as he wondered if that cane of hers was making any scratch marks on his floorboards.

She parted with a good chunk of her remaining coins and received a room on the upper-level of the tavern.
As she slowly and painfully made her way up the steps, she realized not a single person had offered her any kind of aid whilst she had limped her way across the city.
That’s the lower district for you.

The room had a lock, which had cost her extra. There wasn’t much in it: a straw-filled bed, a dresser with a cracked mirror, and a window with only one remaining shutter.
Completely spent, she allowed herself to fall down onto the bed.
Dawn had just come, but Grez would be working nights for the upcoming two days if things went well and for the rest of her life if they went poorly.
She cast a glance out the window of her room and fell asleep.
>>
>>5214831

Hours later, Grez awoke after suffering through a sleep that could only be called that if you took the definition of sleep and beat it up with bats behind the general store.
Her body ached. The sounds of merry-making drummed up from the bar down below.
She squinted through the open window, the sun was setting. “Time to go to work,” she told herself.

Before setting out however, she ordered a tub and had it brought up.
The innkeeper’s son had a mischievous grin on his face as he brought up the tub as he heard that a lone girl had ordered it, but his smile fell once he discovered the girl in question had been a dirt-covered half-orc.
He brought up several buckets of hot water and filled the tub in silence.

Grez understood well that a big part of being charming or convincing depended on looking presentable.
The only reason she had survived so far had been because of her way with words.
She cleaned herself as well as she could. The state of her leg had stunned her after she had taken off the bandages.
It didn’t hurt half as bad as it looked, but she wasn’t sure whether that was a good or a bad thing.
Lacking boiling water, she cleaned the bandages as well as she could using the, now lukewarm, water of the tub.
Her clothing followed, staining the water a deep brown. Finally, she re-applied the bandages after allowing them to dry.

Judging by the depth of the night outside her window, Grez assumed it to be nearing midnight.
Prime time. Grez got dressed, some of her clothing still slightly damp, leaving her shirt for last.
She cast a final, mournful look in the cracked mirror as the light of the [Contract Mark] on her shoulder reflected back to her.
The half-orc put on her shirt, forced herself to smile, and went downstairs – leaving her walking cane in her room.
>>
>>5214834

The sound of rowdy cheers and the murmur of general conversation came up to meet her as she descended down the staircase whilst holding the railing.
She opted to remain in place a few steps from the bottom. There was an overwhelming stench of unwashed bodies, the place reeked of ale and sweat.
Grez wondered for a moment if the bath had really been necessary, but when she spotted the various decently dressed women that dotted the crowd she knew it had been.
She scanned the crowd from her vantage point. The majority of the people present here were humans and that wasn’t much a surprise considering Duskmire was a human settlement.
Occasionally, she would spot a dwarf or elf, but they were few and far in between.

Feeling the small weight of her remaining coins, Grez knew she couldn’t linger.
Over the next two hours she tried to mingle and insert herself in various conversations whilst nursing a large flagon of cheap ale, which turned out to be difficult.
Most people here seemed to hail from the same companies, families, or groups of friends.
A friendly smile and her well-kept appearance meant she was accepted into the company of most men readily enough, but as the hours ticked by most departed as they had come – as a group.
A group which didn’t include Grez.
The tavern began to empty, the patrons returning to their rooms upstairs or leaving through the door to return to whatever quarters they had access to.

Tired and mind settled on the idea of another wasted night, Grez slumped over the bar and ordered a heavy drink in the hope it might dull the pain from her aching leg.
Her last coins left her hand and were replaced with a stout ale. She sighed.
A chuckle was sent in her direction from down the bar. Grez looked over.

Wearing the weather-worn clothes of your average sailor, the man smiled at her.
It was a smile missing a few teeth, but it was well-meant and amiable enough.
>>
>>5214840

Still slumped over the bar, Grez propped up her arm by placing her elbow on the counter and gave the man a lazy wave.

The man picked up his own flagon and moved down the bar, his shirt parted slightly to reveal a well-trained physique, and he sat next to her and spoke with an accent she couldn’t quite place, “I couldn’t help but notice you’re drinking the same beer as me. Are you trying to copy me?“

Grez raised an eyebrow at the cheesy one-liner, but he didn’t seem hostile, “Yes,” she said, “Is it working?”

The man shrugged, “Well, you’ve acquired excellent taste. So if that’s what you’re going for: Yes.”

Grez smiled briefly at that, “You’re not from around, are you?”

Chuckling, the man waved a hand of his general appearance, “Is it the dashing good looks? The charm? The rugged sailor exterior?”

“No,” she said, speaking in a tired voice, but trying to maintain her smile, “You’re talking to a half-orc.”

The man seemed puzzled, “Why should I not? Fenton loves all the ladies. Half-orcs among my favourites as they are, typically, quite fierce,” he said, pausing for effect and gesturing with his drink, “Unlike you.“

Although quite content to be casually flirted with, Grez suddenly remembered why she was here in the first place.
She decided to play up how drunk she was and took a large swig of her ale, “You see,” she began, “I’m hunting for treasure, but nobody wants to help me.”

The man named Fenton smiled playfully, “Oh?” he said, “You don’t strike me as a treasure hunter?”

“I’m not,” admitted Grez, “That’s why I need help. Stands to reason.”

Fenton shrugged, “Fair. Does the treasure hunter have a name?”

“Grez,” she said, immediately regretting she hadn’t given a false one.

“And where is this treasure of yours? If I may ask? Perhaps me and my brother could help you find it.” he replied, he seemed to wave to somebody in the distance.

A man lumbered over wearing similar clothing, but far more burly.
Grez didn’t doubt the larger man had the most physically demanding job of the two.

“This is my brother, Viktor,” replied Fenton, circling his hand at his side to aid in the introduction, “Tell us more about this treasure…”

--------------

I agreed to run a D&D one-shot today, so I won't be able to post in the next couple of hours.
I wanted to at least post what I had even though it didn't contain a decision point.
>>
>>5214843
Sure take Care QM and have some fun tormenting your players.
>>
Good roll on the sailors, team. Shame about the drunk thug enforcer though, but the die is a fickle mistress sometimes.

Assuming nothing wrong happens on the way to the Dungeon, and that we manage to defeat both sailors, we'll be sitting pretty on 2 DP and 2 MP from being Victorious in the invasion with 4 flexible points for consumption, for a total of 4 DP/MP and 4 flexible points available. With that we've got some options for going forward:
1: Consume Felton and Viktor for DP. Will put us on 8 DP, letting us build the Branding Chamber immediately to remove Grez's Contract Mark and speeding up the wait for the Puzzle Room.
2: Split Felton and Viktor 50/50 for 6DP/6MP respectively. Would let us get the Branding Chamber and fill out the Bugbear den with more high (relatively) quality minions.
3: Funnel both Felton and Viktor into Monster Points to fill the Bugbear Den with an equal amount of minions to the Jungle. Will still let us get the Branding Chamber as we gain one DP when it ticks over to the Dawn of Grez's Final Day.

Personally I am leaning towards Option 3 because it will have the most direct impact on our ability to defend ourselves. We'll be able to spawn a Bugbear and upgrade the basic Gobbo to another Savant, drastically increasing our defensive capabilities. If Grez also enters the Dungeon and allows herself to be defeated alongside the two sailors we'll actually be sitting nicely on 5 MP as a base, meaning that if we consume for Monster Points we can spawn two Bugbears AND the Savant while also building the Branding Chamber this day (since defeating Grez gives us another DP to spend aswell).
Option 2 will put us in a similar situation but with some extra DP to lower the wait time to the Puzzle Room, and Option 1 is for attempting to rush the Puzzle Room and probably gambling with Grez to lure another chump in to the Dungeon before Ben or Paladin Greenstone's party come a knocking. Both of these are riskier since the lose DP won't directly aid us in defending the Dungeon should Grez fail to lure another target to the Dungeon tomorrow, but has a high potential payout if she does as we can get the Puzzle Room instantly after the Branding Chamber.

Either way, looks like we'll be decently ready for whatever Ben can scrape together after this, though the other Party is more concerning since we don't know their skills or levels. We might potentially have to take a loss against them if worst comes to worst.

Thank you for reading my terribly biased essay about how more monsters are better.
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>>5214928
i would suggest rushing the branding chamber. If we can knock down Grez great otherwise i am all for getting started early on our Homework to rewrite her Curse Mark.

Another Bug Bear will probably be very useful as well as a Savant.

And we need to heal her foot or she might just fall over any day now from Blood Poisoning and she is also broke as fuck so she will not be able to spend another day in the city without some kind of compensation.

I would guess that the Savant would be more for the Paladin to draw out their spells though.
>>
>>5214843
>>5214928
For me it will be 1 or 2. Grez can become a terribly efficient asset in the future; her bringing us easy prey might become really worth in the future.
Heck, by making her our minion we might tone done the dungeon's peceived risk once we get rid of Ben.

Also, I want to ask Instinct about item creation and Grez why and how she thought a dungeon can bring riches. A good minion deserves recompenses. Not spoiling her, but even Sadist will agree that getting her enough to survive will drag on her torment.

And a good scholar will never say no to investing
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>>5214928
I don't think your math checks out for how many points we get. Looking back through the archive, I found the following:
>[DP is]*Average level of enemy group times 3
>*Amount of monster points gained equals the level total of all bested invaders
With that in mind, assuming that the sailors are level 1 (I'm basic this assumption on the low DC it took to get them to follow us) We would get 2MP & 3DP for defeating them. This gives us:
>7DP 2MP
>5DP 4MP
>3DP 6MP
If they are level two actually level two, then we would get 4MP & 6DP for defeating them. Which leaves us with:
>12DP 4MP
>9DP 7MP
>6DP 10MP
Now we have only actually defeated all invaders once how sad it that but if the DP rule has not changed, the above is what we are looking at.

Personally, I think we should prioritise DP. I mean, we obviously need it for the branding chamber and the room of bewilderment (15 INT DC is pretty damn sweet) but also at this point getting the second floor ASAP is in our best interest, and it costs 15 DP. Honestly, after we get another bugbear and upgrade the goblin to a savant, (which is just +4MP, easily attainable though base MP we get from winning) we might want to avoid buying new monsters until we unlock hobgoblins and/or corrupted bugbears shouldn't we already be able to corrupt those anyway? and doing that will cost... more DP.

tldr. Nah we gotta all that DP
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>>5215090
Indeed, I don't want to get more monsters until we expand rooms anyway. Maybe before we upgrade the camp we can get a few bugbears to avoid losing mutations.
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>>5214928
I vote we rush DP and the Branding Room as soon as possible. Puzzle Room after that. Upgrading Floor1 minions. And then begin on saving for Floor2.
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>>5215090
agreed, DP is far more important
>>
DP is best. Getting that damn INT magic check room is very important since it's supposed to unlock cool shiet when adventurers solve it
>>
Thread won't be up for much longer. I'll probably archive it on Monday.
Anyone know any decent (read: cheap) artists I can commission for a cover for the next thread?
Preferably through something like Twitter or Artstation.
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>>5216635
No idea about the artist.
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>>5216635
shiet... i don't know QM. Maybe we can brainstorm ideas for the cover this sunday? I don't know to how to convey the quest in images
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this one is pretty amazing and amateur but it's not dungeon themed... It could be one of the dungeon's egos https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/96363106
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pretty good but again, no dungeon https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/89863165
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this one can 100% be another ego!!!! https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/89197867
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>>5218173
>>5218176
>>5218181
A tad more hardcore than what I'm going for, but I appreciate the input
>>
Man, I'm writing so much fluff. I don't know why I do this to myself.
I'll be more straight forward if Grez manages to acquire an additional set of victims.
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Alright, posting soon.
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>>5218998
too hardcore?? hmm... alright it's higher fantasy than what I expected
>>
And Grez did. She told the duo of sailors all about the stashed away riches of a man named David Loriander.
She told the story with such conviction she almost believed it herself.
To add to the illusion, she would occasionally glance over her shoulder and speak in a conspiratorial tones like it was the best kept secret in the world.

Grez noticed that the eyes of the more flamboyant sailor were clouded over with desire.
He wasn’t wondering whether the story was even real or not, but rather how he was going to spend all his riches.
The brother, however, proved more difficult.

He hadn’t been drinking nearly as much as his sibling and seemed to operate on a gut feeling, a gut that was annoyingly void of drink.
To win him over, Grez had to retreat to her room for a short time and retrieve the journal that the dungeon had given her.
She hid it under her shirt, only revealing the bound-leather when she was certain only she and the sailors could see.

The large man named Viktor couldn’t read, but luckily his brother could. The contents of the journal proved sufficient to convince the man.
Grez had been purposely elusive on the exact location of the ‘treasure’ saying that if they knew, they would have no need for her and she wasn’t sure whether she could trust them yet.
The healthy dose of suspicion seemed to relax the elder brother even further.
They said they would meet her on the morrow and travel to the location of the treasure together.

A moment of panic shot through Grez, “I think it’s best,” she tried, “If we leave right away. I’d like to avoid being spotted, you never know who’s watching and all that.”
She wouldn’t even make it to the lower district, let alone the dungeon if Ben or any of his friends would spot her limping around the place.

Viktor narrowed his eyes at her, but received a hard clap on the upper-back by his brother.
”A Golden Dawn, eh?” laughed Fenton, all smiles, “Let’s get going already!”

Grez nodded and reclaimed whatever possessions she had left from her room while the sailors left to take care of their own preparations.
Once in her room, she briefly eyed the large stick she had been using as a walking cane, unsure whether she dared show such weakness with it or even make it to the lower district without.

After tapping her bad left lightly against the floorboards, she winced.
Carefully removing a part of a bandage, she wrinkled her nose at the sight before her.
Open wounds had formed beneath the bandages and they were oozing something vile. “It’s okay,” she told herself, “Magical healing can fix it, I think. I’ll pay for it using my share of the treasure.”
She nodded a few times to herself before remembering it had all been a lie.
The half-orc shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind, unsure whether it had been the drink or something else that had muddled her thoughts.
The walking cane would remain in the room.
>>
>>5219254

Grez went back downstairs to join the others. They didn’t seem to have much on them.
”We left most of our stuff is back on the ship, the Coast-grinder,” noted Fenton, tapping a curved sword that now hung from his belt, “Just the blades and a backpack with stuff we usually take on searches like this.”
Viktor turned his body to reveal the backpack he was carrying over one shoulder.

Grez raised an eyebrow at this, “You hunt for treasure often?”

”Of course, I mean, we are sailors after all. We are constantly around things like pirate treasure.” replied Fenton with a charming smile, “Impressed?”

Viktor gave his elder brother a look, then turned to Grez, “Our job on the Coast-grinder is to ensure that shipping routes can support certain ships. The crew gets send ahead of a trading fleet and we check for sandbanks, reefs, or things like underwater limestone cliffs that might crack open the hull of larger vessels. Sometimes we find something on or near shore that we need to scope out on foot.”

That was basically the first thing the large man had said to her and it was a whole lot. “Sounds exciting,” replied Grez.
A mundane response, but then again she was trying very hard to forget everything the man had just mentioned.
The more she knew about the men, the more guilt she felt.
Knowing that these were men with jobs, co-workers, friends, or, gods forbid, families was more than Grez could bear.
She wished she could get another drink, but was all out of coin.

The bag wasn’t really a problem, in fact, it might help.
Grez had been thinking how she could bait the men into the right direction without making it obvious.
Her plan was to randomly check out the buildings on the orphanage grounds until one of them happened upon the cellar, the toppled wall within it, and the short stretch of caverns attached to it.
Sure, the caves continued on beyond the dungeon, but there was nobody out there that would ignore a place like that.
”Mostly contains things like ropes, pitons, and small rations. Snacks? That sort of thing?” she asked conversationally.

“Ropes, pitons. Yes,” replied Fenton, “But a snack is already provided for.”
He eyed her up and down, then shot her a wink.

Grez fought down a groan and went to turn in her room key.
>>
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>>5219257

After turning in the key, they were off.
What was a leisurely stroll for most, was a long, arduous journey for the injured half-orc, but she had come this far and was determined to see it through.
The group stood on solid land just outside the Inn-Between, the boat tavern that lay in the river, in the night-time cold.
It was past-midnight at this point, but still quite busy. A busyness she hoped to leave behind as they put some miles between themselves and the Divide.
The river lapsed against the stone reinforcements underneath the walkway. If the chill wasn’t enough to send the group going, the rank smell rising up from the river would certainly do it.

Fenton gave Grez a courteous, albeit slightly mocking, bow, “Lead the way.”
The group managed a decent pace as they travelled deeper into the lower district.
At least, for a while. No matter how hard Grez pushed herself, she eventually fell behind.
Which was a tad of a problem, considering she was supposed to be leading them.

The more lean man, Fenton, took little issue and, in fact, began to show some concern.
His brother Viktor mostly frowned and folded his arms as he waited.

Grez smiled apologetically, “Should really have worked on my stamina a bit,” she said with a half-chuckle.

“I did not know your lungs were in your legs,” replied Fenton, “It does explain the sharp breaths that follow every step.”

Not quite as convincing as she had hoped then, “Slight injury,” replied Grez.

Viktor scoffed, “Slight? You’re gonna lose that leg,” he said, arms still folded, “I can smell the rot of your flesh over here.”

Paling, the half-orc searched her mind for an answer, but found nothing.
She managed a chuckle, “Nothing quite so bad.”

The larger man shook his head and threw a glance at the position of the moon and stars to get a sense of the passage of time.
Viktor frowned then, he didn’t seem to approve of the pace.

Grez swallowed, she needed a reason. Thinking back she decided to rely on the reasoning she had almost believed herself, “You’re right,” she said, her voice cracking as she was forced to acknowledge what she already knew to be true, “My leg is fucked.”

In situations like these, it’s best to confirm the other person’s doubts rather than dance around them.
”I need the money from the treasure for healing,” she said with a voice that betrayed that she had begun crying, “I didn’t want to split the treasure, but I can’t wait – I don’t want to be a cripple.”

Viktor sighed and rubbed his forehead, “A charity case.”
>>
>>5219258

Patting his elder brother on the shoulder twice, Fenton spoke, “Now, now, brother. We’d still be drinking away our coin in the tavern if it wasn’t for her.”

Viktor adjusted his coat in attempt to keep out the night-time chill, “Don’t remind me.”

In one moment, Fenton removed the curved sword from his belt and handed it to his brother – who seemed puzzled.
The lean man then kneeled down facing the other direction and glanced over his shoulder, “Come on, I’ll carry you.”

Grez stared for a moment. Stop being nice – she wanted to shout. Please, stop being nice.
”Don’t be a fool,” she said, “You can’t carry me all that way. It’s at least two more miles.”

“I’m confident in my strength,” replied Fenton, “Allow me to prove it.”
”Besides, you look like you barely weigh a thing,” he added.

Although she wanted to retort, her mind was occupied with a sudden question.
When was the last time she had eaten? She had been drinking, yes, but when was the last she had eaten a meal?
She hadn’t felt all that hungry, but it still bothered her that she couldn’t remember.

Grez noticed the sailors were staring, waiting for a reply, “Uh,” she said, “Wouldn’t it be better if Viktor carried me?”

Fenton face was a picture of defeat, “I see,” he said, “So you prefer my brother over me.”

Grez felt unhinged. She was constantly shoved from one extreme emotion to the next.
These emotions sometimes hard opposites of each other.
Despite having cried moments ago, she blushed, “No, that’s not it. He just looks stronger is all.”
I don’t think I’m doing okay, she thought to herself.

“Something Orcish in you maybe,” questioned Fenton, “Answering to strength?”

Viktor exhaled loud and purposely, broadcasting his annoyance, “We don’t have time for this.”
Despite his complaints, he did doff his backpack and handed it and the curved swords to Fenton.
”Hurry up,” he barked as he kneeled down with his back facing her, almost like it was a command.

Grez wanted to protest, but the pain in her leg had turned into a throbbing pulse that spread agony with every beat of her heart.
She limped over to Viktor and allowed herself to be carried. A piggyback ride.
The cobblestone moved away from her when Viktor stood, she was so high up all of a sudden.
She was barely five foot four herself, so to suddenly tower over everything was quite a shift.
His back was warm and incredibly wide.
Perhaps she did have something Orcish in her.
>>
>>5219260

They arrived in the deeply familiar neighbourhood about thirty minutes later.
Grez shrank down, fearful of Ben or anyone that might share the knowledge of her presence with him.

Viktor felt her shift on his back, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s embarrassing to be carried,” she lied, “I don’t want anyone here to see me.”

“Oh?” said Fenton in his sing-song voice, “You live here then?”

“Sort of,” she said, eyeing the shadows for familiar faces, “Take a left here and keep going straight. We’ll reach a set of fenced buildings.”

They rounded the corner and arrived at the threshold of the orphanage.
”This is it,” said Grez, “Loriander Orphanage. It should be somewhere here.”

The group walked into the courtyard and Viktor set Grez down.
She winced as her bad foot touched the ground and shifted her weight to the good one.
The half-orc looked up at Viktor, but found herself unable to meet his gaze,
“Thanks,” she murmured. All because of that dumb joke that Fenton had made.

“Three buildings,” noted Fenton, waving his hand before him like he was presenting said buildings to the world, “And three of us.”

------------------------

A creature stared down at them from up high.
Up on the roof of the dorms, the goblin scout crept from one shadow to the next.
Its watchful eyes sharing their vision with its master.

A malicious grin spread on the Sadist’s face, “They’re here.”

------------------------

Grez nodded. She had to be careful now. I
f she would somehow show that she knew to much, they’d grow suspicious.
She hobbled across the courtyard and sat dawn at the well at its centre. ”I will check out that barn looking building,” she said, knowing full well there was nothing of note there, “Less chance of stairs.”

Fenton laughed and clapped her on the shoulder, “I see the short rest has brought your humour back.”
”Very well,” he continued, “Then I shall check out the house over here.”

Viktor nodded, “I’ll take the large building then.”

------------------------

Grez limped her way into the barn, made a show of looking around in case they were watching, and sat down to rest on a piece of machinery when she was certain they weren’t.
“This is happening,” she whispered to herself, “I’m really doing this.”
She spend a long moment lost in thought then. Wondering if she should call it off.

Maybe she should say it had all been a lie or that it had all been a ploy to rob them and that they people with cudgels were coming to beat them like they were coin piñatas.
The doors of the barn creaked open and a feeling of pure ice shot through Grez, but it was only Fenton.

The man had a big smile on his face, “Viktor said he has found something.”

It was too late.
>>
>>5219263

Stoically, Viktor lead them through the orphanage dorms, towards the cellars, and down the short stretch of caverns leading to the dungeon entrance.
He even carried Grez down the stairs. Wordlessly, they stood before the dungeon entrance.

Grez was the first to break the silence, she had made up her mind on the way here, “I don’t think this is it,” she said.

“Me neither,” said Viktor, “This is something else.”
”Fenton, did you find anything in the house,” he added.

Fenton shook his name, “Alas, just a broken home filled with portraits of a family beneath a tree.”

Grez inspected them, she spotted that hunger in their eyes. That greed.
The very same greed that has pulled in a young group of hopefuls and spat out a broken Grez.
It should’ve made her happy, this is what she had drawn them here for.
Instead, it scared her. “I think we should go,” she said, “It seems dangerous.”

“Non, non, not so fast, my dear,” said Fenton, eyes fixed on the jungle before him, “Let’s not be hasty.”

“I can see poisonous plants and large bugs,” continued Grez, upping the danger scale, “I don’t know if I can run away if I were to enter.”

Other than the occasional chirp and cricket from the bugs, a comfortable warmth was spreading from the jungle.
“That’s okay,” said Viktor, taking off his jacket, “You stay here. That was the plan to begin with.”

He handed it to Grez, which only intensified her guilt.
“What if there’s monsters? This isn’t normal,” said Grez.
She was getting dangerously close to blowing her cover and she knew it.

“I’d be more surprised if there weren’t,” said Fenton with a half-chuckle, though his posture radiating he was well aware of the dangers within, “This is probably a dungeon. Only the second I’ve seen in my life.”

“The second?” echoed Grez.

Viktor nodded, “Found an underwater one once when scoping out a reef. We had been diving there to chart the area, in preparation for a large warship that had couldn’t afford to take the long way around or risk missing the battle it was supposed to be at. That one had been incredibly large. You could feel an ominous presence seep out from the place. A feeling that would grind against your innermost instincts, those begging for your survival.”

“Yes, but I don’t feel that here,” countered Fenton.
>>
>>5219266

Grez pulled the large jacket around herself, feeling the lingering warmth of Viktor.
She felt like screaming. To beg them to get out. To apologize.
But she also felt the unrelenting passage of time as the seconds ticked away one by one.
In two days time, she would be dead or wishing she was.
Her mouth dropped open, words frozen on her tongue.

The sailors weren’t looking, attention firm on the dungeon before them.
”We’ll have a quick look,” said Viktor, “Get some general information about the place and get back out. Afterwards, we’ll report its location to the local mercenary station or similar and get ourselves a fat finders fee.”

“A good plan,” said Fenton, “The discovery of a prime location like this should net us more than enough to take it easy for a good while.”
He looked over his shoulder then, spotting the fear in her, “And get your leg fixed.”

Eyes wide, Grez nodded slowly.

“Viktor,” said Fenton mockingly, “Look, she fears for us.”

“Eyes forward, Fenton,” growled Viktor, he extended a hand towards Fenton – who filled it with a sword.

Fenton then drew his own, “Don’t worry, we’ll be back soon.”

And then, in a moment that was everything Grez needed, but nothing she ever wanted to see – they crossed the threshold.

[Two hostile creatures have entered the dungeon]
>>
No more updates today
But I'll be posting tomorrow, so we might actually do some dungeon stuff in this dungeon quest.
Imagine that. Wow.
>>
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>>5219277
>swole brothers will wrestle bugbears tomorrow
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>>5219277
Damn, QM managed to repeat the names just enogh for my unfocused brain to retain the names Viktor and Fenton. Plus, the characterization is great! Just enough to get an idea of how they look and who is who
>>
>>5219277
Man, you weren't kidding, this is a F A T update.
For what it's worth, I enjoy reading the fluff, and Grez got some good characterisation this update.
>we might actually do some dungeon stuff in this dungeon quest.
...Yeah I went and checked the archive and the last invasion ended 3rd of February. It... was a while back.
Though the only part I felt had dragged on a bit was the scouting. We had like, what, 3-4 separate votes on whether or not we attacked Ben? Felt a little unnecessary. Maybe it was just me though.
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>>5219323
mmm... agree. I don't see the updates as dilated because I like the writing but in hindsight, it got a lil' slow there
>>
>>5219334
Well some of that was due to real life circumstances on your part. Which should be more important than a Quest on a board. I hope you kiched your player characters teeth in in the campaigns you were so busy for and made them read, for the Grand Finale

I agree with the prior person though. The scouting was dragging a bit. While the appeal for this quest for me is based on the amount of Lore and Depth. Some things have to be streamlined a bit to keep attention up. That at least was something my teachers always said.
>>
>>5219323
>>5219334
>>5219621

I appreciate the feedback. I'll try to focus on the actual dungeon for a good while.

I'm gonna archive this thread using the new(?) archive website (https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html)
After that I'll make the new thread and we'll start with the invasion.
>>
>>5219681

Thread is archived.
>>
New thread:
>>5219726



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