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>>
>>5234295
bad
>>
>>5234295
Oh yeeeeeeaaah! Gnoll quest is back!
>>
Twitter (for announcements): https://twitter.com/gnollqm
Previous threads: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=gnoll+quest

Hey there anons! It’s been a while. I'm glad to be back to this quest, even if IRL work is starting to get more demanding as of late. Which is why I’ll need to make a few changes in order to keep this a manageable hobby.

The first one is the schedule. Updates will normally come out during Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The rest of the week I’ll be busy and may not be able to focus as much on updating.

Secondly, I’m currently reworking some quest mechanics, particularly the RPG elements. I’ll post the new system in a few days, but the goal will be to make fights be less centered on ‘turns’ and numerical values, which should result in faster battles and story progression. This just means that rather than dedicating a whole update to describing a single punch (which really drags things on), now there will be way more stuff happening at once.
>>
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“I-I’ll clean your clothes, mister Sharpaxe! I promise! J-just please calm down, okay?!” the fearful Ruby tells Kholgarsh in an attempt to appease him...

... But the possessed dwarf completely ignores her and lunges at you with tremendous speed, managing to get past the guards! “Kholgarsh! NO!” the spearsman yells at him from behind!

“Watch out!” Daitza readies her fists as the midget draws closer with murderous intentions! There’s no time to think – you need to defend yourself!

As you prepare to deal with the imminent blow, you notice that the dwarf… no, everyone around you, is suddenly moving much, much slower than moments ago. What the hell is going on? This is similar to when Hawkodesh greeted you for the first time during the encounter with Suneyh. It’s like the doppelganger got frozen in time... and now, it’s happening again!

1/3
>>
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“Phew! Good thing I can slow down our perception of time” you hear Hawkodesh say in a hurry.

“You... you can do that? How convenient!” Almost immediately, you notice that your mouth doesn't move as you speak, even when you hear your voice loud and clear in your head. It seems you’re talking to the angel directly with your mind... but how? Is this the effect of whatever power he’s using?

“I am so glad my Father taught me such a handy spell!” Hawkodesh’s voice interrupts your thoughts. “I-it’s not easy for me to keep it up, though, so pay attention! You need to destroy the demon that took over this man. Using the Light of Anu would achieve that goal easily, but there is a terrible catch to it - the deadly rays of light would pierce through Kholgarsh’s body and kill him in the process!”

“Kill him? But that would bring the humielets’ wrath upon us! There must be another way!”

“There is... and it involves entering the dwarf’s soul to engage his demon in direct combat! If you fight in there, you will be able to use the Light of Anu freely, without Kholgarsh’s life on the line!”

“Waaaait, wait… hang on a second.” You’re a bit confused. “What do you mean by ‘entering his soul’?”

“Look, I know it may sound weird right now, but everything will make sense soon. For now, find a way to keep Kholgarsh off you for a few seconds so you can focus on establishing a spiritual link between his tainted soul and yours!”

“A… a spiritual link? How am I supposed to do that?!”

“The knowledge to do so is already ingrained within you - just follow your guts! I know… I know you can do it…” Hawkodesh’s voice becomes weaker all of a sudden. He sounds tired. “I-I’m running out of energy, so listen… as soon as my spell runs out and the flow of time returns to normal, sprout your wings! Let the holy spirit of Anu flow through you and fill you to the brim! Act as fast as you possibly can, or the dwarven soldiers may be forced to… to…”

2/3
>>
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“Hawkodesh…? Hawkodesh!”

Before the angel can finish, everyone around you suddenly starts moving much faster, returning to their normal speeds. Looks like Hawkodesh’s time spell has come to an end! The first thing that grabs your attention is Kholgarsh jumping at you, intending to land a jab on your lower body - possibly your guts, or worse! Your nuts!

From what little you can assess with your eye in the span of this crucial second, Ruby has left your side and is now cowering at one of the walls, Daitza is preparing to land a punch on the dwarf’s face, and the guards are just watching the scene with great surprise, unsure of what to do as they yell for the priests to arrive!

Looks like it’s just Daitza and you in this battle. You sprout your heavenly wings and assume a combat pose. It’s time to act!

>Try to punch him in the face so hard he gets stunned for a moment, then quickly link your soul with his (Medium difficulty, hurts Kholgarsh)
>Attempt to put Kholgarsh in an armlock before linking yourself to him (Hard difficulty, doesn’t hurt Kholgarsh)
>Trust Daitza to keep him busy while you focus on establishing the soul link (Easy difficulty, Daitza might get hurt while exchanging blows with him)
>Use Light of Anu on the dwarf immediately
>Write in
>>
>>5234325
>Try to punch him in the face so hard he gets stunned for a moment, then quickly link your soul with his (Medium difficulty, hurts Kholgarsh)

I would do the Daitza option but I'm afraid she'll bite his dick off
>>
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Okay, that’s it for now anons. See you all this Thursday, God willing.
>>
>>5234325
>Attempt to put Kholgarsh in an armlock before linking yourself to him (Hard difficulty, doesn’t hurt Kholgarsh)
>>
>>5234330
Nice to see you back QM!
>>
>>5234325
>Attempt to put Kholgarsh in an armlock before linking yourself to him (Hard difficulty, doesn’t hurt Kholgarsh)
>>
>>5234325
>Try to punch him in the face so hard he gets stunned for a moment, then quickly link your soul with his (Medium difficulty, hurts Kholgarsh)
Instead of going for a punch, can we go for more of an open palm strike to the face? It'll probably still hit him since he can't dodge while in the air, and probably would deal less damage than a solid fist.

>>5234330
I wish to boop the snoot.

Aight what the hell do we do now to not bone this?
>>
I want to FUCK Hyenus' gnussy so badly... I will do unspeakable things to his asshole, lick, lick and keep licking until I'm past his rectum and my tongue has reached Hyenie's hiney (prostate) as he twitches from unending orgasms and I don't let up.
>>
>>5234388
This is what a cripling addiction to porn does to a man.
>>
>>5234388
That is not sanitary.

>>5234395
I feel bad for the guy.

>>5234388
Now back to you- what you want is to suck the hyeen peen for all that potent seed my guy. Gotta taste the Gnoll Knot ya gnome what I'm saiyan?
>>
>>5234399
No dummy, that would be gay. I'm only interested in tongue punching Hyenus' fart box.
>>
>>5234404
Have some fucking class and suck that dicc. Everyone knows it's only gay if you don't say "no homo."
>>
>>5234325
>>Try to punch him in the face so hard he gets stunned for a moment, then quickly link your soul with his (Medium difficulty, hurts Kholgarsh)
>>
>>5234295
YESS. Hi gnollqm
>>
>>5234325
>>Try to punch him in the face so hard he gets stunned for a moment, then quickly link your soul with his (Medium difficulty, hurts Kholgarsh)

Welcome back, Boss.
>>
>>5234330
cute daitz, and welcome back QM
>>
>>5234325
Try to punch him in the face so hard he gets stunned for a moment, then quickly link your soul with his (Medium difficulty, hurts Kholgarsh)
>>
>>5234325
>Try to punch him in the face so hard he gets stunned for a moment, then quickly link your soul with his (Medium difficulty, hurts Kholgarsh)
He'll be okay after this, we have healing powers
>>
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>Trust Daitza to keep him busy while you focus on establishing the soul link (Easy difficulty, Daitza might get hurt while exchanging blows with him)
>>
>>5234325
>>Try to punch him in the face so hard he gets stunned for a moment, then quickly link your soul with his (Medium difficulty, hurts Kholgarsh)
Glad to have you back Gnollqm!
>>5234534
It is fate then, you must now draw rule34 of gnollquest
>>
>>5234325
>Try to punch him in the face so hard he gets stunned for a moment, then quickly link your soul with his (Medium difficulty, hurts Kholgarsh)
>>5234388
>>5234399
>>5234404
>>5234417
Time is a flat circle
>>
>>5234325
Hmmm. Changing vote.
>Trust Daitza to keep him busy while you focus on establishing the soul link (Easy difficulty, Daitza might get hurt while exchanging blows with him)
Gotta trust the waifu and all that.
>>
>>5234325
>>Trust Daitza to keep him busy while you focus on establishing the soul link (Easy difficulty, Daitza might get hurt while exchanging blows with him)
Let's do this, while it might get Daitza a bit hurt it will do great to help both of us to get some points between the dorfs.
>>
>>5234325
>>Trust Daitza to keep him busy while you focus on establishing the soul link (Easy difficulty, Daitza might get hurt while exchanging blows with him)

She wants to help, and this gives her XP.

Plus she's even better at dodging than we are. Ideally we can connect the link easier when we focus entirely on it.

Kinda wish we could slam him with his momentum so we can lock him down after. But we aren't all that trained in grappling.
>>
>>5234325
>>Trust Daitza to keep him busy while you focus on establishing the soul link (Easy difficulty, Daitza might get hurt while exchanging blows with him)
Let's go glad to see you back GnollQM.
>>
>>5234325
>Trust Daitza to keep him busy while you focus on establishing the soul link (Easy difficulty, Daitza might get hurt while exchanging blows with him)
Ok.
>>
>>5234325
Howdy QM glad to have you back how did Game dev treated you? Also.
>Trust Daitza to keep him busy while you focus on establishing the soul link (Easy difficulty, Daitza might get hurt while exchanging blows with him)
>>
>>5234325
Can we call Kholgarsh names to distract him and make him less likely to land hits on Daitza?
Can we call him a....
>D
>I
>G
>G
>E
>R
>>
>>5234325
>Attempt to put Kholgarsh in an armlock before linking yourself to him (Hard difficulty, doesn’t hurt Kholgarsh)
>>
I have a random thought. Hyenus wont have a happy ending no matter what we do. Its obvious that originally we were supposed to work with demons until they would promptly turn against us when it would be too late to stop them. Now Hyenus is a champion of a god that doesn't tell us the whole truth and all his living followers hate our guts. Most likely we will have to sacrifice ourselves to stop the devils, if we get that far in the first place.
Hyenus was prredetermined to suffer and die with the start of this quest. Oh and im sure as fuck thay Daitza is going to leave us to suffer alone
>>
>>5236080
Why do you think she will do that?
>>
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>>5235040
>>
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>>5236080
I get being pessimistic given Hyenus' current situation but not to the extent of being as utterly hopeless as you say it is. Unless this is bait, in which case you got your (You)s.
>>
>>5236103
>>5236080

Cause of the one dream Hyenus had about her turning into a wolf and leaving. The path he will walk will invariably be a lonely one.
>>
>>5236080
Nice bait. I hope next time around when we get the chase to grab an Anu blessing, anons will remember that we should suck it up and choose one, and not disregard blessing because the waifu is second guessing. We're on ultra hard mode so any boon helps, however small.
>>
>>5236156
Dreams do not equal reality. It's a "possibility," but only if we dont do anything that convinces Daitza to stay. Heck I'm pretty sure we could even get her some sweet Anu boons.
>>
>>5236106
>>5235040
>>5234325
YOU DUMB DASTARDLY DISAPOINTING DOUBLE DIGGER!!!
>>
>>5236156
That dream can be interpreted in several ways, and only time will tell if it will or could come true.
Until that time it is best to assume that there is hope for Hyenus having a good future after this quest. For one Daitsza seems to genuinely care for Hyenus, and though religious differences may cause a bit of conflict, I believe it is possible for them to accept those differences.
>>
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>>5234921
Pretty good. I temporally left it on the shelf while I run this quest.

>>5235040
Sure, you can call him a digger if you want. Might be an effective distraction.
>>
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== NEW QUEST MECHANICS ==

Hey there anons, I’ve been spending all day remaking the quest’s mechanics, so the actual update will come out tomorrow. This should be the last time I do something like this.

All stats (with the exception of Health and Mana) will now be represented with an alphabetic Tier system rather than numerical values. See pic related for a general idea. In addition to this, each tier is made up by 3 sub-tiers: Letter-, Letter, and Letter+.

Character levels have been removed altogether. We’re back to how things were in thread 1-4, where your actions contribute to the improvement of attributes and skills separately rather than having a general EXP bar.

All creatures now have 4 main attributes: Health, Power, Agility and Mana. Power determines strength and toughness, while Agility is tied to reflexes and speed. Mana determines how many spells you can cast until running out of divine energy – generally recovered by resting.

A character’s health state ranges between five tiers or categories. From best to worst, these are: Healthy, Bruised, Wounded, Severely Wounded and Near Death. Fighting while Wounded or worse will incur roll penalties, starting with -10, -20 and finally -30 if on death’s door.

Damage formulas have been removed. How much of a world of hurt your attacks bring depends entirely on the context. For example, a guy of ‘A tier’ Power punching someone of ‘E tier’ Power usually turns them into a bloody mess, unless it’s a graze. Best not get hit at all.

You gain EXP on Power and Agility by doing intense physical activity. Every 10 EXP, these attributes are increased by 1 sub-tier. Certain types of training may increase one stat more than the other. As for Mana, it depends exclusively on your Power (the bigger you are, the more Mana your body can hold) and certain magic-related perks which you gain by training, casting spells, meditating, resisting temptations, etc.

Your combat skills (Hand to Hand, Dodging, etc) won’t progress as fast if you restrict yourself to simple moves or refuse to visit a tutor. Choosing challenging approaches during battle may result in becoming a better combatant much faster. Regardless, all skills cap at 50 EXP and provide increasing bonuses every 10 EXP.

From now on, you won’t control all of Hyenus’ movements during a fight. You just pick an approach at the start, then roll and see how things go. Maybe make choices mid-battle too, if the opponent doesn’t win or lose in the 1st round. Generally, the bigger you roll against them, the better you’ll perform, but there won’t be any predefined categories of success and failure. However, rolls are still a predominant factor in determining the final outcome of a fight.
>>
TIME: 15:00

Hyenus’ Status

(Missing Eye: -10 penalty to most combat rolls)


Attributes
- HP: Bruised
- Mana: 31 / 114
- Power: D+ (40 EXP)
- Agility: D+ (40 EXP)


Skills
- Novice Spearman (6 EXP)
- Novice Dodger (6 EXP)
- Novice Scout (2 EXP)
- Novice Cook (0 EXP)
- Novice Stealth (4 EXP)
- Novice Alchemy (5 EXP)
- Apprentice Meditator (10 EXP): Mana cost of all spells is lowered by 10%
- Apprentice Pugilist (10 EXP): +5 bonus to most combat rolls while fighting with your bare hands


Spells
- Healing Palms: Heals a living target by laying your hands on it and sending a batch of holy energy into its body. The greater the creature’s Power and weight, the more batches are required for effective healing. Each one costs 22 Mana and takes about 10 seconds to cast.


Powers
- Body Restoration: Heals a living target in your vicinity by 1 tier of health. Takes about 5 seconds to cast. (0 uses left, +1 at 09:00 AM)
- Light of Anu: Deals considerable damage to all demons within a 5 meter radius. Takes about 5 seconds to cast. (1 use left)
- Saviour’s Tongue: You can understand all existing languages, though any new concepts must still be learned
- Angel Wings: You can sprout wings on your back anytime, allowing you to fly and shield yourself with them. Takes about 2 seconds to cast.
- Feral Speed: Increases your Agility by 4 sub-tiers and grants a +15 bonus to most combat rolls while fighting barehanded. Takes about 2 seconds to cast. Lasts for 10 minutes.


Perks
- Friends Not Food: Grants a +12 bonus to all rolls that involve resisting your hunting urges and prevents them from critically failing
- Spiritual Awareness: Increases max Mana by 10%


Alchemy Recipes
- Strength Potion: Increases Power by 1 tier for 60 minutes. Requires 5 Yamanenes, 1 Gentoloma. A Novice alchemist can craft this potion without trouble.
- Regeneration Potion: Greatly increases the rate at which your body heals. Lasts for 24 hours. Requires 5 Yamanenes, 1 Purplevera. A Skilled alchemist can craft this potion without trouble.
- Limbo Poison: When this poison enters a living target’s bloodstream, it paralyses the limbs for up to 24 hours, depending on the creature's Power, weight and poison resistance. Requires 1 Demoncap, 1 Gentoloma. A Skilled alchemist can craft this potion without trouble.


Inventory
- Nothing
>>
Update will come out tomorrow anons. Still gonna tally the votes though.


>>5234328
>>5234435
>>5234500
>>5234518
>>5234532
>>5234688
>>5234694
>Try to punch him in the face so hard he gets stunned for a moment, then quickly link your soul with his (Medium difficulty, hurts Kholgarsh)


>>5234534
>>5234733
>>5234765
>>5234846
>>5234855
>>5234858
>>5234921
>Trust Daitza to keep him busy while you focus on establishing the soul link (Easy difficulty, Daitza might get hurt while exchanging blows with him)


>>5234340
>>5234371
>>5235758
>Attempt to put Kholgarsh in an armlock before linking yourself to him (Hard difficulty, doesn’t hurt Kholgarsh)


>>5235040
>Call him a D I G G E R

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

Looks like there's a tie between trusting Datz to fight Kholgarsh in your place, or punch him in the face yourself. I'll leave the votes open so others can tiebreak this, but if they remain the same I'll just let the dice decide tomorrow.

Regardless of the above, please also vote for the following choice:

== Call Kholgarsh a digger? ==
>Yes
>No
>>
>>5238582
>== Call Kholgarsh a digger? ==
>>Yes
>>
>>5234325
>>Trust Daitza to keep him busy while you focus on establishing the soul link (Easy difficulty, Daitza might get hurt while exchanging blows with him)
>>5238582
>Yes
>>
>>5238582
>No

It's a funny meme and all but let's not
>>
>>5238582
Great meme but
>No
>>
>>5238651
Support
>>
>>5238582
Yes to Daitza
Yes to digger
>>
>>5238582
>>Trust Daitza to keep him busy while you focus on establishing the soul link (Easy difficulty, Daitza might get hurt while exchanging blows with him)
>No
>>
>>5238582
>No
>>
>>5238582
>No
>>
>>5238582
Punch Kholgarsh. The champion is NOT. A. COWARD.
>>
>>5238582
>No
>>
>>5238582
>No Digger
>>
>>5238582
Yes to punch Khorlgash.
no to Digger.
>>
>>5238582
>Trust Daitza to keep him busy while you focus on establishing the soul link (Easy difficulty, Daitza might get hurt while exchanging blows with him)

>No
>>
>>5238854
It's not about being a coward. It's about trusting the capabilities of the wife.
>>
>>5239273
Kholgarsh is at full health and was slightly stronger than Daitzsa even before getting possessed. Without our aid, this fight goes very poorly for Daitzsa.
Also, letting a woman fight on our behalf is an excellent way to lose all credibility as a champion in front of the dwarves, and not helping Daitzsa is a good way to lose her trust
>>
>>5238582
>No
Imagine saying the D word out loud in a dwarf fortress while not being a dwarf.
>>
>>5238582
>>No

QM why, just fucken why one person voted for it originally we all saw it why drag it up and fuck us over?
>>
>No no no no no no no no no.
I dont care about the other vote, just dont say the n-word
>>
>>5238582
Punch

== Call Kholgarsh a digger? ==
Yes
>>
>>5238582
Punch the fucker
>>
5 extra votes to let Daitza do the fighting
4 extra votes to punch Kholgarsh
Don't say the D word

Looks like Hyenus will let Datz fight the dwarf in his place while he focuses on establishing the spiritual link.

>>5239475
The digger vote didn't delay stuff, just so ya know. This one is on me.
>>
>Roll 1d100 + 5 to establish the spiritual link with Kholgarsh's soul (+5 Apprentice Meditator), best of 3

(The lower you roll, the longer it'll take you to link yourself to him, And the longer will the duel between Daitza and Kholgarsh last for)
>>
Rolled 67 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>5239552
>>
Rolled 12 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>5239552
>>
Rolled 11 (1d100)

>>5239552
>>
>Roll result: 72 (Decent)

(The fight between Daitza and Kholgarsh will last shortly. This grants a penalty of -20 to Power Rolls, which means the damage they end up doing to each other will be lowered)
>>
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DAITZA vs KHOLGARSH

== Daitza's Stats ==

Health: Bruised
Power: D
Agility: C

Apprentice Pugilist: +5 bonus to combat rolls while fighting barehanded

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

== Kholgarsh's Stats ==

Health: Healthy
Power: C+
Agility: C

Novice Pugilist: No bonus to combat rolls while fighting barehanded

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

>Roll 2d100 for Daitza, best of 3

- 1st die is her Agility roll, 1d100 + 15 (+10 Surprise punch gives her the initiative, +5 Apprentice Pugilist)
- 2nd die is her Power roll, 1d100 - 15 (+5 Apprentice Pugilist, -20 Very short fight)

(After you guys roll for Daitza, I'll roll for Kholgarsh)
>>
Rolled 27, 59 + 5 = 91 (2d100 + 5)

>>5239567
>>
Rolled 36, 65 = 101 (2d100)

>>5239567
>>
Rolled 75, 85 = 160 (2d100)

>>5239567
>>
Rolled 25, 53, 74, 54, 37, 28 = 271 (6d100)

(This post >>5239581 is invalidated as I should've used 6d100 instead of 2d100)

Rolling 2d100 for Kholgarsh, best of 3

- 1st die is his Power roll, 1d100 + 20 (+40 Four sub-tiers above Daitza, -20 Very short fight)
- 2nd die is his Agility roll, 1d100
>>
our girl got 90 70

Digger got 94 54

fuck
>>
>>5239586
The dice are backwards in QM's roll. Dai got 90/70, Khol got 54/94.
>>
>>5239589
well shit I think that is worse
>>
RESULTS

Daitza's Agility roll: 90
Daitza's Power roll: 70
Total: 160

Kholgarsh's Agility roll: 54
Kholgarsh's Power roll: 94
Total: 168

Daitza is mostly going to have the upper hand due to her great Agility, even if her attacks don't deal much damage to the tough dwarf. However, the few times she gets hit, she will definitely notice it.

Writing
>>
this was a mistake and we should not have let her fight this dwarf
>>
>>5239595
Yawn. She should get stronger.
>>
>>5239593
>>5239595
>>5239602
So, is Daityza getting hurt, or not?
>>
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“GRRAAAAAAAAGGH!”

He’s coming close! There’s no time to waste! You will trust Datz to deal with him!
>>
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jph4hqB5P6c&ab_channel=Lp

*SMACK*

“Taste my fists, humielet!”

Datz’ powerful punch sends the dwarf flying away! That’s sure to have knocked him out!
>>
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Wait, no! He managed to xtay on his foot, despite taking a direct hit to the face!

“GRRRRRRRRR!!! YOU BITCH!“

“Huh?! My punch didn’t even faze him! That guy is tough as nails!”

“He’s possessed, Datz!” you warn her, “The demon must be increasing his powers!”

“He’s… he’s what?!”

“Keep him busy for a moment! I’ve got a plan!” You close your eyes and concentrate super hard on establishing a spiritual link between Kholgarsh’s soul and yours!

“A plan? What kind of-“
>>
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“GRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHH!!!”

“H-he’s fast!”
>>
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“Don’t just stand there, Hyenus! Give me a hand!”

Goddammit! You can’t see how well Datz is doing with your eyes closed, but opening them would make you lose focus! You only hope she’s standing her ground against that bastard!
>>
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“AOooooOOOOOWWWW!!!” Suddenly, Daitza howls in pain, nearly taking you off-balance! What did the imbecile do to her?! Dammit… dammit! You must establish the link fast!

>Daitza’s Health: Wounded

“Holy shit! That’s gotta hurt!” you hear one of the guards say. Fucking useless idiots! Stop watching and HELP her, for God’s sake!
>>
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Okay, you’re getting the hang of how this works. You must first *sense* the demon inside Kholgarsh's soul. Its evil presence sends shivers down your spine… and this is exactly what you’ve got to focus on! Just a little more, and the link between you two will be created!

“GRRR!! OUCH!” You hear Kholgarsh grunting in pain! Looks like your girl is doing well!
>>
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Almost there… almost there! Hang in there, Daitza!

“Ooow…!” Again, your poor pal’s yelping reaches your ears. The fighting seems to have come to an end… what’s going on? Did she win the fight?!

“GNOLREK AWAITS YOU IN HELL, TRAITOR...” It’s the possessed dwarf’s voice, loud and clear! He’s still kicking!

“D-don’t hurt the Champion’s friendl” That desperate voice belongs to Ruby… “I-I’ll do everything to compensate for ruining your clothes, but please stop this!”

“Hyenus, w-what are you doing?! HELP ME!”
>>
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?!?!!??!
>>
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... ... ..


(Rest of the update will be posted in 12-14 hours)
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>>5239957
I was expecting Daitza to trust us more. She knows we wouldn't not be helping her unless there was something else.
>>
>>5240104
She's a DYEL fighter and doesn't have much brains either. It can't be helped.
>>
should have handled this ourself hope her death is quick and not painful and rapey from this possessed Digger
>>
>>5240248
Nah, she will survive. With only 25 broken ribs.
>>
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You awaken to find yourself free of all that which binds you to the physical world, floating in an infinite void of madness. This tainted place is, without a doubt, Kholgarsh's soul.

In front of you is the monster that has taken over the dwarf. An uninvited host, a ugly abomination with three eyes, four arms and tentacles for legs. It looks about twice your size. This is one of many spiritual embodiments of rage, and is responsible for poisoning the man to the very core of his being...

Despite the demon's imposing figure, it doesn't radiate as much power as you would expect. Maybe... maybe you can take it on without using the Light of Anu. Then again, taking a risk like that might be a bad idea. Either way, if you are to prevent Kholgarsh from hurting more people, this creature must be destroyed. There is no other way.

"AHHH... SO YOU MANAGED TO FIND YOUR WAY INSIDE THE MORTAL'S SOUL. A MOST IMPRESSIVE FEAT, I HAVE TO ADMIT... EVEN IF IT WAS A GRAVE MISTAKE. IN THIS DIMENSIONAL PLANE, MY POWER IS STRONGEST, AND YOU ARE NOWHERE NEAR YOUR PEAK. THIS ACT OF FOOLISHNESS HAS SEALED YOUR FATE."

"I SHALL ENJOY RIPPING YOUR LIMBS OFF ONE BY ONE, BLOODSEEKER. PRAISE GNOLREK! PRAISE THE DEVILS!" With those words, the demon swings its tentacles at you. It's time to act!

>Fly towards the monster's face and stick your fingers in its eyes
>Try to get a grasp of each tentacle and bite them off, being careful not to get grabbed
>Just fly around while dodging its attacks until it gets tired and lowers its guard as a result
>Fly as fast as you can towards the demon's torso in an attempt to punch him through
>Use Light of Anu immediately
>Write in
>>
>>5240524
>Use Light of Anu immediately
Just kill him already.
>>
>>5240524
Spoopy. Light of Anued.
>>
>>5240524
>>Use Light of Anu immediately
Holy shit this looks epic as fuck.
>>
>>5240524
>>5240524
>Use Light of Anu immediately
>>
>>5240524
>Use Light of Anu immediately
>>
>>5240524
>Use Light of Anu immediately
>>
>>5240524
>Use Light of Anu immediately
>>
>Use Light of Anu immediately
Pretty much unanimous

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

>Roll 1d100 - 15 to cast Light of Anu (+5 Apprentice Meditator, -20 Dodging attacks while casting), best of 3

(A score 80 or close means it takes you the normal duration of 5 seconds to cast Light of Anu. Any less than that and the amount of casting time increases, rendering it more likely for the demon to grab you in the incoming Agility roll)
>>
Rolled 9 - 15 (1d100 - 15)

>>5240612

You stupids we should've taken a boon while we could've
>>
>>5240613

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAsr7_aU3Zg
>>
Rolled 9 - 15 (1d100 - 15)

>>5240612
>>
Rolled 61 - 15 (1d100 - 15)

>>5240612
>>5240613
Bruh.
>>
Roll result: 46 (Mediocre. It will take Hyenus about 10 seconds to cast Light of Anu, incurring a penalty of -10 to his incoming Agility roll)

Hyenus' Agility: D+
Apprentice Pugilist: +5 bonus to combat rolls while fighting barehanded
Flying: +15 to dodge rolls

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

Demon's Agility: C

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

>Roll 1d100 + 15 to dodge the demon's attacks while casting Light of Anu (+15 Flying, +5 Apprentice Pugilist, -10 Casting time), best of 3

(After you guys roll for Hyenus, I'll roll for the demon. It will get a +20 bonus due to being 2 Agility sub-tiers higher than you)
>>
Rolled 50 + 15 (1d100 + 15)

>>5240623
aaaaa
>>
(The bonus for Hyenus is actually +10, not +15. Still counting this roll though >>5240625)
>>
Rolled 56 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5240623
>>
Rolled 60 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>5240623
>>
Rolled 4, 11, 78 + 20 = 113 (3d100 + 20)

Hyenus' Agility roll: 70

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

Rolling 1d100 + 20 (+20 Superior Agility) for the demon, best of 3

(If you rolled equal or higher than the demon, Hyenus will successfully evade the demon's attacks and cast Light of Anu.)

(If you score lower, a Power roll will be made. Scoring higher than the demon in this one means you'll still manage to cast the spell, though you might get hurt in the process. However, if you fail again, your spell will be definitely interrupted)
>>
Hyenus' Agility roll: 70
Demon's Agility roll: 98

Hyenus will get hit while trying to cast Light of Anu. Whether that interrupts his spell or not will depend on the next roll.

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

Hyenus' Power: D+
Demon's Power: B-

>Roll 1d100 + 5 (+5 Apprentice Pugilist), best of 3

(After you guys roll for Hyenus, I'll roll for the demon. It will get a +40 bonus due to being 4 sub-tiers of Power higher than you. Good luck beating that)
>>
Rolled 29 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>5240637
Fugg.
>>
Rolled 58 (1d100)

>>5240637
>>
Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>5240637
>>
Rolled 5 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>5240637
>>
Rolled 34, 50, 76 + 40 = 200 (3d100 + 40)

Hyenus' Power roll: 63

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

Rolling 1d100 + 40 (+40 Superior Power) for the demon, best of 3

(If you rolled equal or higher than the demon, Hyenus will manage to cast Light of Anu despite getting hit.)

(If you scored lower, your spell will be interrupted and you'll be forced to make a choice in the next update.)
>>
>>5240648
AHH HE WASNT BLUFFING I REPEAT HE WANST BLUFFING
>>
Hyenus' Power roll: 63
Demon's Power roll: 116

The demon's attacks managed to interrupt your casting of Light of Anu.

Writing the next update. May come out today or tomorrow
>>
File deleted.
>Gnoll Quest
>not picking the eyes out
Who do you guys think we're playing, a digger?
>>
>>5240654
Bruh he has not one, not two, but THREE eyes.
This guy is way out of our league.
>>
Ok, our next choice must be an EYEPICK.
>>
>>5240660
But we never fail on eye attacks! Its what we were born to do!
>>
>>5240675
Yeah, but this is some triple eye picking. Never seen before. It's still our best chance at defeating him though.
>>
>>5240676
Triple the eyes, triple the picking!
>>
>>5240679
Pulling that off is easier said than done.
>>
>>5240682
Poke the eye, don't think, just kill
>>
Our Feral speed should be done (2 seconds for +4 tier agility and +15 in combat), then dodge and try Light of Anu.
>>
>>5240872
Today's feral speed was used up 2 or 3 threads ago
>>
>>5238572
feel like it was a missed opportunity to not call him Punished "Venom" Hyenus
>>
>>5241234
Jesus you are a pussy.
>>
>>5241252
Uh-huh, white knight for the QM harder anon, I've been here from thread 1. And I've seen everything only get worse. What wrote is factually correct. Also thanks for proving me right all you have personal insults, as your jimmies are rustled because you don't have shit to respond with you know I am right. so instead, you get pissy and cope, trying to brush me off with insults, only proving me right.
>>
>>5241256
Is this bait?
>>
>>5241262
I'm tired of buying into QMs false hope bait with this quest, hyenus's situation only gets worse with every thread, throw a combination of retarded anons making stupid choices, and QM putting our MC in increasingly desperate and no-win situations. I've seen through the scam and am just waiting for the MC to finally die so that this torture porn quest can end. There is no light at the end of the tunnel only more false hope bait from QM to string along you anons who haven't figured out the game yet. you haven't found it odd for every step of progress we've made with this quest that we are bitch slapped 4 steps back? wake up anon.
>>
>>5241256
>I've been here from thread 1
I love how you posted this, acting like it gave credence to your kvetching. Literally everything that went significantly wrong with Hyenus was a direct result of player action, not because the QM has this perceived sadistic streak you're trying to push. Just fuck off instead of shitting the quest up. Nothing is keeping you here, except maybe the need to "get the last word in" after this post.
>>
>>5241234
>>5241256
>>5241268
Not this "original fan" faggot crybaby word salad again.
>>
>>5241268
Tribe won't forgive us unless we somehow show them the truth about devils, but they still might hate us afterwards.
Dwarves will always hate us, no matter what we do, the will just tolerate us if we get the armor.
Humans don't give a shit, and will hate us even more than other gnolls because we are connected to Anu
Gnoll slaves from the fortress despise us.
Daitza will leave our ass for Luna.
This is sad. Even if we win Hyenus will be left with nothing and no one.
>>
>>5241323
Aw come on, the gnoll slaves don't hate us, it's just that they wanted to talk to us.
The prey servants literally love us.
We already have at least 1 dwarf who trusts us.
That shit of Datz dumping us was just a dream.
We haven't met the wolf slayer yet, maybe we could have some tea with him.
A lot of people in the tribe didn't hate us but were forced to comply by Gnolrek.
There are tons of civilizations we haven't seen which may be friendly to us.
Stop being such a defeatist.
>>
>>5241333
Sorry, I just like tragedies.
>>
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i arrive with the goods from last thread
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>>5241531
>>
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>>5241532
>>
>>5241531
>>5241532
Wtf those are beautiful.
>>
>>5241323
pretty fucken much
>>
>>5241532
Thank you for the Pet Shop Hawkodesh, that one was mine
>>
>>5241531
>>5241532
>>5241534
This is fucking gold dude, holy shit.
>>
>>5241531
>>5241532
>>5241534
These are brilliant. Thank you for your service
>>
>>5241531
>>5241532
>>5241534
This shit is cash money brother.
Yo OP we getting some bonuses from these?
>>
>>5240653
So how fucked is Hyenus, and if the spell is only interrupted, does that mean he hasn't expended a use of the spell yet?
>>
>>5241882
I think it means we do
>>
>>5241531
>>5241532
>>5241534
Noice.
I relieve you from the name of fag.
>>
>>5240648
Is the update delayed due to QM trying to figure out how to not put us on death's door?
>>
Update is about 80% done, but I'll have to finish and post it tomorrow. It may be on Monday but I'll find the time somehow.

>>5241268
Just so ya know, I want Hyenus to win as much as everyone does, but this may not always reflect on the story. The path will be hard, and especially so if you roll poorly or make choices that lead to big trouble.

>>5241411
>>5241531
>>5241532
Hey there mang, I was wondering when you'd come by to post this. Still impressed by the sheer scale of that Anu pic

I'll answer the questions you sent by PM here if you don't mind, as it's stuff the others might also want to read. I spent almost no time preparing the quest. All I had in mind was basically "a gnoll omega who grows stronger quickly and rises through the ranks of his tribe". That's really all you need to start, a theme you can work with. Bonus points if it's simple, focused and not too grandiose, as the latter usually ends up with QMs flaking.
As the story moved forward and complexity increased (more characters, more stuff to do, more rules and limitations to abide by, etc) I started planning ahead. Not everything of course, that's a recipe for burning out. All you need to have in mind is the major plot points, like "meet with the dwarves", "meet with Anu", or how the fight with Gnolrek might play out. That sort of stuff. What leads to those major events can be improvised or planned upon more leisurely, all within the rules of the world that's been gradually established so far.
Generally I just do worldbuilding whenever I need to introduce a new concept to the plot, as to justify its existence in the grand scheme of things. Speaking of which, I'm looking forward to when you guys meet up with Luna. There will be an important lore dump by Hawkodesh that explains a lot about why the world is the way it is.
>>
>>5242416
I had a big response planned out but I took a bit to think it over and decided to just not stir the shit. I'll just say after everything that's happened in the quest I don't believe you when you say you want a happy ending for Hyenus. But at the end of the day, it's your quest, your story, your world, and your sharing it with us. It's just very just sad for me that the only endings I can see for the main character who I have been rooting for through all the bad dice rolls and "...choices that lead to big trouble" from the start are bad ones.
>>
>>5242453
inb4 this is how I catch my first ban on 4 chan, for simply expressing my feeling
>>
>>5242453
No, you're just retarded.
No janitor would ban you for being a pussy, but you're being a bit of one.

There's a bit of a downwards tint going on i guess, but you're allowed to make your own stories also. Gnollqm can't do shit if you spin off and make "happy gnoll story" yourself.

Also here's your (YOU), and reminder anyone who read your drivel probably lost brain cells.
>>
>>5242514
Also I guess I'm regards to giving more control to players vs dice, dice reroll points or daily/instanced/item restricted boosts probably would lessen that feeling a little for the strained. Seems to go decently well in DC hench among others.
Where they curse the reroll or blame early use of it instead of just despair.
>>
>>5242453
Heheheh.

Oh? Hohohoho!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Stop anon, my sides!
>>
>>5241531
>>5241532
>>5241534
Well DAMN, this is some great work. It was worth to wait.

Also I don't know why people have been freaking out, it wasn't QM making things impossible, we simple got fucked by the dice, it's just something you must take into account on quests, you're just a number away to get fucked or get it done right.
>>
>>5242456
You are having an autistic meltdown over a furry drawquest on 4chan. Rethink your life choices
>>
I blame anons for shit rolls and not making good suggesting in tandem with the votes to give slight bonuses to our rolls
>>
>>5243123
I've never been a fan of rolling for combat in quests, it's always the same story of consecutive unlucky rolls resulting in the QM having to bullshit his quest out of ending on a sour note
>>
Posting the update in a few minutes

>>5242456
>>5242453
I saw the deleted post. Didn't merit a ban. It sucks to be called a false hope giver cause that's not my intention at all, but it still gives me an idea of how this quest comes across to some readers. In any case, I suggest you wait for the story to unwrap itself a little more before calling off all chances of a good ending. You still need to learn what happened to the tribe and the effects your reveal had, for example.
>>
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>>5241706
Bonus points for fanart? HMmmmmm
I'll think about it
>>
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This monster has got three eyes... THREE big eyes waiting for you to stick your fingers into them. But as tempting as the idea is, it's best to end this encounter quickly with the Light of Anu. This is the first time you fight a demon, so you won’t be taking any dumb risks. Here goes!

You immediately fly away from his tentacles as fast as you can, doing your best to focus on casting the holy spell. "GET OVER HERE!" the bastard yells, following you up close. For a creature of his size, he sure is incredibly fast. It's not easy to avoid his grip!

A few seconds and several close calls later, a ball of light finally begins to materialize in your hands. Just a little more, and it will grow big enough to destroy-

1/7
>>
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*SMACK!*

Ouch! One of the demon’s tentacles managed to hit you on the face! The powerful strike leaves you stunned out of your mind, and it takes you a moment to regain your composure…

... but when you do, a horrible realization hits you. The spell has been interrupted! You lost focus! DAMN IT! Now you must start over again!

Right when you are about to take flight and continue evading the monster’s swings, something cold and gooey latches onto your arms and legs… “GOT YOU.”

Oh, no... you just got caught by the tentacles!

2/7
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>>5243290
>>
>>5243276
I'm sorry, I really am but I can't help the way I feel about the facts as I see them, still I'll try to take what you said to heart.
>>
>>5243276
Oh yeah, we were part of a tribe once! Ah, this brings back memories of 2020. What a year…
>>
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The creature pulls you closer and grabs your ankles and wrists with his four hands, preventing you from moving! You struggle to break free from his grip, but to no avail! "WHAT’S WRONG, MUTT? TOO WEAK TO FIGHT BACK?”

You struggle even harder, desperately calling forth all the power you can mutter within you… but the demon doesn’t even flinch! How did this happen?! A moment ago, you were about to kill him with the Light of Anu! Why are you suddenly at this scumbag's mercy now? What did you even do wrong?!

"JUST LOOK AT YOU, ALL HELPLESS AND SQUIRMING LIKE A WORM. HOW PATHETIC... SO MUCH FOR THE MIGHTY ‘’CHAMPION’’. YOU WERE FAR EASIER TO CATCH THAN WE EXPECTED - LIKE A PREY JUMPING DIRECTLY INTO A PREDATOR’S MAWS."

“Who you calllin’ prey?! You’re gonna regret that!” You continue wrestling him with all your might! A lowly demon like this cannot defeat you! One day, you will face against Gnolrek, and if you cannot deal with even one of his minions, you won’t stand a chance against him!

Unfazed by your efforts, the demon speaks. “YOU COULD HAVE BEEN AN OBEDIENT PET LIKE THE REST OF YOUR CLAN, HAPPY LIVING IN BLISSFUL IGNORANCE. TELL ME, BLOODSEEKER… WHAT HAS YOUR TREACHERY AMOUNTED TO WHEN YOU AND EVERYONE YOU LOVE WILL PERISH AT OUR HANDS?”

“GRRR! Leave my people out of this! LEAVE THEM OUT! They've done nothing but worship Gnolrek their whole lives! You can’t hurt them! You can’t-”

The monster tightens the grip on your limbs, silencing you as great pain travels down your spine! “NO MORTAL MESSES WITH DEMONS AND GETS AWAY WITH IT, DOG. THOSE WHO DO SHALL PAY THE PRICE, ALONG WITH THEIR FAMILIES… FOR THAT IS HOW WE ENSURE THE ALLEGIANCE OF UNGRATEFUL ONES SUCH AS YOURSELF WHO BEGIN TO DOUBT US, DESPITE THE POWER WE’VE GRANTED THEM.”

He grins, showing his teeth and the inside of his pitch-black mouth. “BUT ENOUGH TALK… LET’S HAVE SOME FUN NOW.” Without losing hold of you, the demon starts whipping you with his tentacles at the same time he stretches your limbs far apart, attempting to separate them from your torso!

“AAAAHH!!!” It hurts! It HURTS! Is this what all the sacrifices experience when they are being tortured by your clan?! It’s… it’s horrible! Unbearable!

“HEH HEH HEH…” The filthy abomination takes pleasure on your pain! “IF IT IS OF ANY CONSOLATION, A *FAR* WORSE FATE AWAITS YOUR TRIBE. THE DEMON BEING SUMMONED POSSESSES TENTACLES NOT ONLY LONGER THAN MINE, BUT SPIKED AS WELL. I AM SURE YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW IT'S GOING TO USE THEM... HEH HEH HEH!"

“Shut the hell up, disgusting beast!” You continue to rage and struggle, trying to ignore the horrible things he says… but no matter how hard you try, you cannot break free. You just can’t. What makes these beings so damn strong? Just how huge is the difference between mortals and demons?

2/8
>>
>>5243325
yeah, that's about what I expected
>>
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As the demon slowly pulls you apart, he whips you up with his tentacles, every one carrying behind a tremendous amount of force.You feel as your consciousness fades away due to all the pain you’re going through…

>Hyenus’ Health: Wounded

No… you cannot die here. Come on now. Everyone’s fate is on your hands. The real journey has not even started yet. You haven’t even had time to train properly. This is not fair…

It’s… not fair…

3/8
>>
>>5243347
>daz is holding her other arm, or at least were it should be

joy I think I know the fallout for being stupid with choices, yet again.
>>
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“Do NOT fall asleep. It’s not over yet.”

… And suddenly, Hawkodesh’s voice ignites a spark on your fading mind, right when you were about to lose consciousness.

You open your eyes, intending to put up a fight... but, rather than witnessing the demon’s ugly face, you see a blurry image of a spear being pointed at you, as well as several dwarven soldiers surrounding you. The voice of a desperate mother screaming for his toddler also reaches your ears. It seems you are perceiving the world through Kholgarsh’s senses...

“Nooooo! My baby! My poor baby! Let him go, you insane bastard! LET HIM GOOO!”

“ONE STEP CLOSER AND I BREAK THE KID’S FUCKING NECK! I SWEAR!”

“What are you doing, Kholgarsh?! He’s a toddler, for God’s sake!”

Murdock, the priest who taught you the healing spell a while ago, is among the soldiers. He holds a symbol of Anu in his hands – similar to the one in your room – and shows it to the possessed dwarf. “With the authority granted by Lord almighty, I cast you out, demon! Leave this man’s body at once, for the grace of Anu is far greater than any sentiments of hatred you bring upon him! LEAVE! I COMMAND YOU TO LEAVE!”

“GRRRR…. NO! I REFUSE!” Kholgarsh and the demon look away from the symbol, shutting their eyes tight!

“I cast you off in the name of God! LEAVE!” Murdock courageously takes a step closer towards Kholgarsh, making him flinch in response and let out a demonic shriek!

4/8 (had to repost this one due to bad formatting)
>>
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G̷͓͚̾Ŗ̵̠̕Ä̴͙͙́Ả̷̘̣̆Ą̸̌̊Á̷̻͉̉A̵̞͆Ä̷͉̳́͒A̷̛̙A̶̛̠͝A̶̜͍͋A̴̡̜̒A̸̢̙̽͘A̸͓̽Ā̶̘Ả̶͍ͅA̵̦̋A̸̻͂A̶̧͕̔Ã̷̼̩̿Ą̶̝̀̒Ą̶̻́͐A̷͍̱͋̂A̵̻͈̓̚Ã̸͕͘A̵̩A̸̪̐͘A̸̪̥̽̽Ȓ̸͔̫G̶̮̖̾̉G̸͙G̷̫̻̈̑Ǵ̴̻͆G̷̺͑̀H̴͖̫̏̂H̷̢̾H̸̱͍͝͠H̴̝͂H̷̦̙̑͝Ḥ̷̩͒H̷̰H̷͓̼͐H̶͇͆̀H̵̖̀!̴̛̠̰̃!̶̦̍̃!̷͙͐͐”̸̼̆̂


5/8
>>
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Your perception gradually returns to the spiritual plane where the fight is taking place, only for you to stumble upon an incredible surprise… a giant floating eye has appeared in the middle of the vast nothingness, right above you! It radiates an immense amount of light and heat that the demon appears to be greatly distressed by!

“NOOOOOOOOOO! I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE! GO AWAY, GO AWAY, GO AWAY, GO AWAY! WOE UPON YOU! WOE UPON YOU ALL! GRRAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!”

That enormous eye is clearly Anu's!

7/8
>>
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Unable to deal with the blinding light hurting his eyes, the demon ends up releasing you by accident! “AAAaaaGHHH! COME BACK HERE, MUTT! I’M NOT DONE WITH YOU!”

Wait a moment. You… you are free! And in ONE piece! Okay, whatever you do in the span of these crucial seconds, you better not screw up!

>Choose a combat approach (Write in)
>Enough risks, it's time to get out of here (Leave Kholgarsh’s soul. No roll required)


(This is the last choice for the demon encounter. See you all this Thursday)
>>
TIME: 15:00

Hyenus’ Status

(Missing Eye: -10 penalty to most combat rolls)


Attributes
- HP: Bruised
- Mana: 31 / 114
- Power: D+ (40 EXP)
- Agility: D+ (40 EXP)


Skills
- Novice Spearman (6 EXP)
- Novice Dodger (6 EXP)
- Novice Scout (2 EXP)
- Novice Cook (0 EXP)
- Novice Stealth (4 EXP)
- Novice Alchemy (5 EXP)
- Apprentice Meditator (10 EXP): Mana cost of all spells is lowered by 10%
- Apprentice Pugilist (10 EXP): +5 bonus to most combat rolls while fighting with your bare hands


Spells
- Healing Palms: Heals a living target by laying your hands on it and sending a batch of holy energy into its body. The greater the creature’s Power and weight, the more batches are required for effective healing. Each one costs 22 Mana and takes about 10 seconds to cast.


Powers
- Body Restoration: Heals a living target in your vicinity by 1 tier of health. Takes about 5 seconds to cast. (0 uses left, +1 at 09:00 AM)
- Light of Anu: Deals considerable damage to all demons within a 5 meter radius. Takes about 5 seconds to cast. (1 use left)
- Saviour’s Tongue: You can understand all existing languages, though any new concepts must still be learned
- Angel Wings: You can sprout wings on your back anytime, allowing you to fly and shield yourself with them. Takes about 2 seconds to cast.
- Feral Speed: Increases your Agility by 4 sub-tiers and grants a +15 bonus to most combat rolls while fighting barehanded. Takes about 2 seconds to cast. Lasts for 10 minutes. (0 uses left)


Perks
- Friends Not Food: Grants a +12 bonus to all rolls that involve resisting your hunting urges and prevents them from critically failing
- Spiritual Awareness: Increases max Mana by 10%


Alchemy Recipes
- Strength Potion: Increases Power by 1 tier for 60 minutes. Requires 5 Yamanenes, 1 Gentoloma. A Novice alchemist can craft this potion without trouble.
- Regeneration Potion: Greatly increases the rate at which your body heals. Lasts for 24 hours. Requires 5 Yamanenes, 1 Purplevera. A Skilled alchemist can craft this potion without trouble.
- Limbo Poison: When this poison enters a living target’s bloodstream, it paralyses the limbs for up to 24 hours, depending on the creature's Power, weight and poison resistance. Requires 1 Demoncap, 1 Gentoloma. A Skilled alchemist can craft this potion without trouble.


Inventory
- Nothing
>>
>>5243366
>>Enough risks, it's time to get out of here (Leave Kholgarsh’s soul. No roll required)


he rolls with a +40 stay just invites death get the fuck out while we can. this is quite literally the biggest free out we've ever been given.
>>
>>5243368
Correction: Hyenus' Health is Wounded, not Bruised.

One thing I missed adding in the update is you still have an use of Light of Anu, and the demon will get a penalty of -25 to all his combat moves due to Anu's influence, including his Power and Agility rolls
>>
>>5243368
>Light of Anu
>Eyepick after

We have fucking god powers that are specially effect against demons lets use it
>>
If you all insist on staying and fighting for Christs sake come up with a plan and don't just post attack eye or something equally low effort.
>>
>>5243366
>>Choose a combat approach (Grab the demon, focus on casting Light of Anu)
Grab the demon and ignore the pain, the teasing, the promises of endless torture just focus in blasting the demon to smithereens. Anu's MOJO use positive feelings right? Think about our tribe, Datz and the others we are fighting for and think of the feeling us ourselves eyepicking Gnolrek's eyes once more when we seal the gate, don't give up now.
>>
>>5241580
>>5241637
>>5241639
>>5241647
>>5241706
>>5242837
thank you fellas
>>5242033
:O
>>5242416
thanks, still reeling from that painting ngl
thanks for the answer too
>>5243379
this
>>
>>5243379
We are in the astral realm

Why can't the light of anu form a pick?
>>
>>5243414
kek +1 to this if possible
>>
>>5243415
We could charge for him, ball up with the wings to provide cover as he attempts to strike us as we charge the light of anu, then strike him with a light spear... that goes into his eye?

I desire a pick though.
>>
As risky as it is to stay in here, we need to do our best to banish the daemon. While his distracted by the priest we have a better chance of getting our attack off, lets hammer and anvil this sucker rather then just abandon the dwarf to the daemon. He might get the neck snap off if we don't try, lets prove were Anu's chosen.
>>
Get around behind the demon, if we must- try grapple to hold it. Priority is Light of Anu spell- either racing around the demon or trying to slow and constrain it with grapple.
>>
You know what's going to happen here? The demon's going to be expelled but then when we leave the dwarf it's going to look like we were expelled by the priest and everyone is going to take it as evidence that we are in fact a demon
>>
>>5243535
The dwarf priest will vouch for us, I'm certain he will be able to tell the difference, assuming he isn't directly told by Anu(Which is what I think happened when he agreed to teach us magic).
>>
>>5243379
Support
>>
>>5243379
+1.
>>
>>5243379
>>5243414
Why not this? +1
>>
>>5243379
>>5243414
THIS
>>
>>5243414
uhhh based??
+1
>>
>>5243366
The new system is gonna be a bitch for my notes. I hope the food+potion+spells+boon power training combo is still viable.
>>
>>5243414
Bruh, light of anu is already an eye exploder.
>>5243379
This.
>>
>>5243366
>>Choose a combat approach (Write in)
Light of Anu. No bullshit eyepicks. Just justice now.
>>
>>5244218
Combo is still possible in this system.

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

Tallying the votes now so I can get the update out tomorrow.

>>5243414
>>5243415
>>5243838
>>5244096
>>5243838
>>5244096
>>5244195
>Turn Light of Anu into eyepicking device


>>5243611
>>5243797
>>5244553
>Light of Anu (normal version), then eyepick after


>>5244557
>>5243395 (grab the demon, focus solely on blasting him to smithereens while remembering what we're fighting for)
>Just use Light of Anu


>>5243497
>Get around behind the demon, if we must- try grapple to hold it, then use Light of Anu. Either racing around the demon or trying to slow and constrain it with grapple.


>>5243372
>Enough risks, it's time to get out of here (Leave Kholgarsh’s soul. No roll required)


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

If I'm tallying this right, looks like Hyenus wants to eyepick his way to victory.

I'll take the write-ins that no one gave +1 to but would still contribute a bonus: these are >>5243497 (race around the demon while you cast the Light of Anu) and >>5243395 (focus solely on blasting him to smithereens while remembering the people you're fighting for).
>>
>Roll 1d100 - 5 to use Light of Anu... by materializing it into a weapon to pick eyes with (+25 Remember who you're fighting for, +5 Apprentice Meditator, -20 Dodging attacks while casting, -10 Wounded, -5 Unusual usage of the spell), best of 3

(A score of 80 or close means it takes you the normal duration of 5 seconds to cast Light of Anu. Any less than that and the amount of casting time increases, rendering it more likely for the demon to grab you in the incoming Agility roll)
>>
Rolled 96 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>5246263
Fingers crossed for my first roll on this quest.
>>
Rolled 75 - 5 (1d100 - 5)

>>5246263

>>5246269
Hero of the Anu you mean lad!
>>
Rolled 69 - 5 (1d100 - 5)

>>5246263
here goes

>>5246269
thanks for the save
>>
Rolled 61 - 5 (1d100 - 5)

>>5246263
Eyepicking always works out. Always.
>>
>dat downward trend in rolls
Holy fuck, it's a good thing I was awake.
>>
>>5246269
Man we gotta a talent when to mess with the eyes of other people. Fear Hyenus Anu's holy eyepicker.
>>
>Roll result: 91 (Great. It will take Hyenus about 4 seconds to cast Light of Anu, incurring a small penalty of -4 to his incoming Agility roll)

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

>Roll 1d100 + 26 to dodge the demon's attacks while casting Light of Anu (+20 Racing around the demon, +15 Flying, +10 Remember who you're fighting for, +5 Apprentice Pugilist, -10 Wounded, -10 Missing eye, -4 Casting time), best of 3

(After you guys roll for Hyenus, I'll roll for the demon. It will get a +20 bonus due to being 2 Agility sub-tiers higher than you, but a -25 penalty due to being dazzled by the floating eye of Anu)
>>
Rolled 64 + 26 (1d100 + 26)

>>5246286
Anu, please. If this rolls well I will love you so much and accept your light. Let this roll be true.
>>
Rolled 68 + 26 (1d100 + 26)

>>5246286
>>
Rolled 68 + 26 (1d100 + 26)

>>5246286
>>
Rolled 79 + 26 (1d100 + 26)

>>5246286
>>
>>5246289
>>5246290
>double 68
>>
Rolled 95, 62, 98 = 255 (3d100)

Hyenus' Agility roll: 94

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

Rolling 1d100 - 5 (+20 Superior Agility, -25 Dazzled by Anu's light) for the demon, best of 3

(If you rolled equal or higher than the demon, Hyenus will successfully evade the demon's attacks and cast Light of Anu.)

(If you score lower, a Power roll will be made. Scoring higher than the demon in this one means you'll still manage to cast the spell, though you might get hurt in the process. However, if you fail again, your spell will be definitely interrupted)
>>
>>5246279
>69
Kinky

>>5246289
>>5246290
Coincidence? I think not!
>>
>>5246296
>1 off

Fucking d**gers, amirite?
>>
>>5246296
thank god we did it. our 94 vs his 90. WE DID IT LADS!
>>
>>5246304
Actually it's 94 against 93 still that was pretty fucking close.
>>
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Congratulations anons. Update coming out tomorrow.
>>
>>5246315
Give Hyenus passive bonus to all attacks when targetting eyes from now on.
>when you become so proficient by nature at critically picking eyes out that your giant eye god starts being thankful you're on his side
>>
>>5246328
Literally first impression Anu had about our eye picking habits. He's happy to let us pick all the eyes, so long as it's not his own.
>>
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>>5246261
Just another day in the eye mines
>>
>>5246635
Pussy.
>>
>>5246635
Well the thing is that we really had no idea what we were getting into. That and the new combat system kind of makes it hard to judge what we can and cannot do. We could have been more strategic about the fighting though, I know believe we should have tried to debuff him by doing eye attacks, but hey the more you know.
>>
>>5246766
Next time we should carry some extra spicy pocket sand, but i fear that then Gnolrek will start sending blind demons with really good hearing.
>>
>>5246412
hahahaha that's pretty good
>>
>>5246785
Well we did have the -20 roll modifier for the demon. So in that case we dont have to pray for 3 consecutive bad rolls to win.
>>
>>5246635
Cute little bitch speech. We past the test, we know Healing Palms to self medicate. Be happy with the success.

>>5246773
lol just howl very loudly to deafen them.

>>5246315
OP better be giving us a level up to level 10 with how frequently we're encountering bullshit without actually doing anything.
>>
>>5246952
lmao seethe
>>
>>5246962
Now you're getting it.
>>
>>5246952
yes

but rule of cool
>>
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Sorry everyone, I got too carried away today playing vidya, so the update will be delayed for tomorrow.

To make up for this, I want to try something new and take 1 or 2 drawing requests. Can be anything, whether it's related to this quest or not. No porn please.
>>
>>5247493
Punished Chadenus smoking a fat cigar while benchpressing Ruby and Daitza
>>
>>5247493
Hyenus dabbing on Gnolrek and Cucknyx.
>>
>>5247493
Dogbold luna
>>
>>5247493
Freya and Bark playing together
>>
>>5247493
Part 2 of that one picture of the molkay and wolf slayer holding hands, except they're older now and raising their kids. Make them real content.
Oh god imma be so fucking sad if they're both dead. No kill wholesome couple please.

Will we have a chance to meet them?
>>
>>5247616
That's Gobson from goblin quest and Hyenus from Gnoll quest.
>>
>>5247619
Figured as much. I was throwing in my own request idea.
>>
>>5247493
Hyenus and Daitza handholding while Ruby and the gals watch.
>>
>>5247493
Out of curiosity what where you playing.
>>
>>5247493
>one or two requests
>gets 6
lmao
>>
>>5247512
+1
full derp mode
>>
ok gather around folks, i'll take in your requests for this thread
first 5 requests will be drawn, has to be SFW of course. no repeats from last threads and don't make it too weird
>>
>>5247854
A small comic strip in the "sorry we cant date youre a puny weakling" meme followed by a distressed post eye loss hyenus and then a slovenly dwarf anu saying "Hyenus we have to lift!" And then a swole Hyenus and Swole body with divine form Anu on its head, k thx
>>
>>5247854
>Hyenus if he worshipped Gnollrek
>>
>>5247854
Hyenus walking into a pole because it was on his blind-side.
>>
>>5247854
An aged Punished Hyenus in battered and burned armor going "Wipe this meme from the face of Aurus."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4goJID2X9U
>>
>>5247854
Yeenus teleporting bread
>>
>>5247854
Excited Hyenus being told his request is sixth and being told "No" :^)
>>
>>5247865
discarded
>>5247901
granted

give me a couple of days
>>
>>5247493
Draw a numb digger
>>
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Once again, I'll have to delay this one day further. I had to make an exception for my schedule today and dedicate this time to work.
Tomorrow, the update (a quite lengthy one) plus all the requests you made will be posted. For real this time. Thanks for your patience.
>>
>>5248736
qm you get one golden ticket, what would you like to have drawn
>>
>>5248780
The golden ticket
>>
>>5248736
If we actually kill this guy in the next update, will we get the +300xp as promised, +200xp because we couldn't beat him before the priests arrived, or something else? I hope it's the former. If it is, how may levels will we increase, and in what skills?
>>
>>5248736
T o m o r r o w
>>
>>5250113
>>5248736
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHqCuVrrePo
>>
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My sleep schedule is kind of fucked so I can't mutter the energy to finish this update just yet. This request is all I can give for now.

>>5247691
Backpack Hero, a roguelike currently in development. Neat little game but playing it till 3:00 AM for two nights straight was a bad idea in hindsight.

>>5248837
You’ll receive EXP for Agility (enough to level up to tier C-), the Pugilist and Meditator skills, and Light of Anu. More details will be posted tomorrow or Monday tops when I finally get to complete this update.
>>
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>>5250231
Oo rah, that's bitchin.
>>
>>5248780
Draw Gunyx bringing an abducted human child to the portal
>>
>>5250231
>bun wife bushu
Yis! We should get Ruby to train with us too so we can increase our party size to three! She doesnt need to be strong if she dumps all points into AGI and use only a sling.

>>5250241
Why not
>an alternate universe where Hyenus and Gunyx are in a wholesome gay relationship?
>>
>>5250298
>an alternate universe where Hyenus and Gunyx are in a wholesome gay relationship
What if, hypothetically, you are no longer safe inside your home?
>>
>>5250298
What if Gunyx possessed the blind shaman waifu to secretly live out his homo-erotic fantasies with Hyenus? Technically not gay right?
>>
>>5250302
I was never safe to begin with. I fear that I'm surrounded by glowies.

>>5250343
That sounds ideal.
>>
>>5247493
>>5247854
Can someone drawfag >>5250343, I think would be hilarious to have Gunyx be embarrassed by his infatuation with an unknowing Hyenus.
>>
>Gunyx a closet tsundere
>bullies Hyenus cuz he doesnt know how to talk to him
>married Daitza only because he though it would get Hyenus angry enough to get swol again, doesnt know how to proceed
>mostly angry because he wanted to get plowed, not Daitza
>craves gentle intimacy but knows his god hates that
Gunyx being a big gay is all I need
>>
>>5250298
I mean, she could join our party, but Datz would give us some suspicious looks, and slings can only multiply force so much.
She could make us sandwiches though.
>>
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>>5250298
>>5250343
>>5250431
Don't do these.
>>
>>5250241
o h
been meaning to ask though, did Gunyx ever love Datz?
>>
>>5246315
>>5247493
>>5248736
>>5250231
The adventures of Hiatus and Delaytzsa will continue at… um…. uhh…..
>>
>>5250696
Kek.
>>
>>5250490
Sandvich!

>>5250525
Gunyx gussy

>>5250696
Dead qwest rip see you guys next year
>>
>>5250431
Stop being a bitch beggar and make your own submissive gunyx trash you fag.
>>
>>5238572
Are positions on the scale assuming that people are armed or unarmed? (For example, is the humie soldier at B level before or after he equips his weapons and armor?)
Also, how does the combat system compensate for weapons (especially ranged weapons like bows and guns) and armor?
>>
>>5250431
Lol, this would explain why Daitza wanted to get rutted by loser!Hyenus in the cave, Gunyx was unable to preform unless Hyenus was in the picture.
>>
>>5251239
Lmao.
So Yeenus is so sexy he infatuates everyone that sees him, turning lesbians straight, and straight men gay.
>>
>>5251263
Forgot to add:
He is so sexy that even preyfolk, forest spirits, and gods will jump at him too.
>>
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>>
Why does this quest attract so many sexual deviants?
>>
>>5251425
Furries, also 4chan
>>
>>5251425
the real question is why are furries constantly horny
>>
>>5251523
Because gay ships are my bread and butter
>>
Tomorrow tops, anons. This stuff is almost done. For now I'll post two more requests.

>>5250550
Maybe he saw her as a female that belonged to him and could be toyed with as a way to express dominance and virility. Maybe his love for her is genuine, but didn't know how to express it. Or maybe it's a bit of both.

His relationship with Datz will be explored at some point. Let his past and future actions say what's in his heart.


>>5251111
It assumes armed. That humie soldier would drop by a tier if he wasn't wearing his equipment.
>>
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Words of caution: Gnolrek is actually a tad a lot bigger than depicted here
>>
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>>5251875
She got the TOE BEANS!
>>
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>>5251873
Kek QM, loved it.
>>
>>5251873

>that eye gouge
LMAOOOOOOO

>>5251875
Can Luna take the form of other species besides a wolf?
>>
Confused gay Gunyx is my new head canon and I cannot be convinced otherwise.
>>
>>5252433
Of course you can't, you are still wrong though and a faggot.
>>
>>5252520
Need more gay.
Need to dominate Gunyx and do very gsy things to him and his butt.
>>
>>5252548
Calm your homotism before it kills the thread, furfag
>>
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>>5253098
missed a few spots
>>
Posting the update in a moment. Didn't turn out as long as I expected. I think I'll go back to tegaki drawings like in ye olde threads, see if it helps improve the update speed. This means you'll start seeing less polished drawings from now on (with some exceptions), but it's all for the sake of speeding things up.

>>5253098
>>5253117
Lel

>>5251896
She can, but her base / preferred form is a wolf.
>>
>>5253173
>She can, but her base / preferred form is a wolf.
NEED SEXY LOON BOD!
>>
>>5253173
I won't mind more simplistic drawings for a while, In my opinion we do need to speed up the Dorf-Namek saga. Also QM I have a question. We have 2 days to get the armor or 2 days to prepare ourselves and them attempt to get the armor?
>>
>>5253184
Doesn’t matter. The dwarves aren’t going to interrupt the trial to haul us to our execution. Neither will they kill us for being 10 minutes late once we have the lunar armor and it fits us
>>
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"GRAAAAAAAARGH! WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, BLOODSEEKER! YOU WILL SOON LEARN WHAT TRUE PAIN IS!"

Even with the presence of Anu forcing him to leave Kholgarsh’s soul, the stubborn demon stands his ground defiantly! All the better for you, though, as there’s no way in hell you're letting him escape after all the threats he spouted against your tribe. You will make him eat his words - every single one! Maybe you failed in dodging his tentacles before, but that was just a fluke. A silly fluke that won’t happen again. This time, you'll succeed in casting the holy spell, and you’ll live to tell the tale! For real!

All of a sudden, the monster swings his tentacles at you once more, nearly catching you by surprise! Thankfully, you manage to avoid his grasp in time by flying away – a very close call, as you could feel them grazing the fur on your arms. Seeing that his grappling attempt failed, he wastes no second in chasing after you! You do your best to maintain your focus on casting the Light of Anu, but dodging his attacks while doing so is no easy task!

Despite his great speed, you notice he’s having trouble keeping up with your movements thanks to the light radiated by the giant eye of Anu above you, which hurts his eyes. This gives you a great idea. You flap your wings even faster and start circling around the demon, gracefully evading his hands and tentacles coming at you. He moves his head in all directions, having great difficulty following you! "GRRRRRR! STAY PUT AND ACCEPT YOUR FATE, COWARD! YOUR ACTIONS MERELY DELAY THE IMMENSE SUFFERING THAT AWAITS YOU!"

Disorienting the demon gives you more time to cast the spell uninterrupted, and finally, you begin to see the results - a ball of energy is slowly appearing on the empty space between your palms! It just needs to grow a little bigger, and the abomination will be destroyed!

“Those ‘obedient pets’ you mentioned before are the people I’m fighting for… my PACK!” you shout at him, infuriated by how demons see your clan. Those treacherous bastards! For all these years, they've treated your family like nothing but puppets and toys... you CANNOT allow this madness to continue!

As you feel the blood boiling within you, you notice to your great surprise that the ball of light has assumed the shape of a odd-looking weapon, similar to the metallic tool you found in the cave days ago. The very moment you lay your eyes on the strange artifact in your hands, its purpose is immediately made clear to you...

“YOU AND THOSE WORTHLESS TRIBALS SHALL SOON PERISH LIKE THE DOGS YOU ARE! MAY THIS BE A LESSON NOT TO GET ON GNOLREK’S BAD SIDE – EVER!”

“I’ve got a better lesson for you, demon! Nobody messes with Bloodseekers…”

1/8
>>
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“… and LIVES TO SEE ANOTHER DAY!”

Arming yourself with courage, you fly towards him with your weapon raised! The creature is caught off-guard by your reckless move and tries to grab you midair with his countless limbs, but your dive is so fast you manage to get past his defenses!

Nothing stands between your weapon and his face! NOTHING!

2/8
>>
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“NO NO NO NO NO- AAAACK!”

“Picky picky, scumbag!”

3/8
>>
>>5253197
DO NOT fall asleep. The update isn’t over yet.
>>
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“GRRraaaaAAaaaaaAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRHHHHH!!!”

The demon’s thundering screams distort the space around you. With your eye picking device lodged into his eyesocket, you quickly back away from him and notice that his body is glowing! Light comes out of his eyes, nose and mouth…

… And suddenly, his body explodes, showering you in blood, guts and several bits of other internal organs or whatever stuff demons have inside their bodies.

Wow. He actually blew up from the inside, iust like that. This has to be one of the goriest deaths you’ve ever seen! The scene leaves you a bit shocked, but also fascinated at the effects of the spell. Good thing this happened to a deserving enemy rather than an innocent sacrifice…

All the holy energy the demon was containing within him is released at once with its destruction. There is so much of it that it completely replaces the red void surrounding you, purging Kholgarsh’s soul from all demonic corruption. Almost immediately, you feel at ease...

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeees! You DID IT, boy!” a happy Hawkodesh cheers you on. “With the powers granted by Anu, you banished a physical manifestation of evil! This is to be celebrated! Tell me, how do you feel about your victory? Speak freely!”

“I… uh…” All you feel is confusion. Pure confusion at how... weird and overwhelming this whole experience was. Too much stuff is happening at once. All you want is a goddamn peace of mind. You'll give this some thought another time - for now, you need to...

Wait a minute! How the hell do you get out of this place?

4/8
>>
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The angel notices you’re in no condition to answer his query. “Oh, errr... well, I suppose we can talk about this later. Okay, boy. Now that our mission here is complete, let us get back to the physical world..."

As he finishes saying those words, great drowsiness invades you all of a sudden, and your senses become duller. It’s as if you were falling unconscious. Before you can make any sense of all the crazy stuff going on, you lose touch with this reality, falling into a deep slumber…

5/8
>>
>>5253224
DONT YOU FUCKING DO THIS!
HEALING PALMS YOU GNOLL FUCK! WE'VE ALREADY LOST SEVERAL DAYS YOU STUPID CUNT!
>>
>>5253227
Bro chill, we are just going back to the physical world.
>>
>>5253232
When we get there we need to get the priests to heal Daitza and the Dorf who got punched by this fat fuck, assuming he's still alive that is.
>>
>>5253234
Mana is at 31, Healing Palms cost 22. We can only heal one of them.
>>
>>5253236
I was talking about the Anu's priests here >>5243350 anon. Then again nevermind, they seem to already being in action, still it's best we focus on Daitza just in case Ruby and the Dorf vouching for us ain't enough.
>>
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“Hyeny! HYENY! Wake up!”

Wha… what? Is that... is that Daitza’s voice?

“Hy-Hyeny?! Oh, thank the woods you're okay! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"

Ah, yeah... that's definitely her sweet voice. It's your good ol' pal, sitting right next to you and giving you a big warm hug. Her grasp is a bit too tight, though. It's hard to breathe like this.

"Wha- what happened?!" she asks. "You just, like, poofed out in front of my eyes! And, and- and now you’re BACK! Was that another power Anu gave you or something?!" She gives your injuries a very worried look. “W-what’s with all these wounds, Hyeny?! They weren’t on you before you went, uhh... invisible, or whatever it is that you did!”

“I… I fought the demon inside the dwarf's soul, Datz. And I won.” You smile.

Daitza gives you an intense, slightly confused stare for a moment. And soon, she responds with a quiet nod and a tender smile. "... You did. Hyeny. You did it."

6/8
>>
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“Oh, you big goofball… don't scare me like that again! A thousand bad thoughts crossed my mind when you… y-you… eeeuuurrgh…” Daitza retches and pukes some blood. She’s clearly in no good shape either.

“Datz, did the dwarf hurt you too badly?"

“I-I just got punched once in the guts during our little fight, but that humielet's sure got a heavy hand... I think I'll be okay, though."

7/8
>>
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Ruby and several other dwarves, including Murdock, George and the child and mother you saw before, are staring at the two of you on the ground. They all look very surprised. You’re not sure if in a good or a bad way.

A few meters away, you see Kholgarsh being detained by the guards and a priest telling him you cannot hear from here.

Hmm... what do you tell these people? Should you wait for them to say something first?

>Write in

(I’ll post the next update this Thursday, along with Hyenus’ current status and his exp gains in this encounter. I'm working on something. See you all around)
>>
>>5253184
2 days to get the armor, training included in these 48 hours
>>
>>5253253
>Heal Daitza first and foremost
>If no one breaks the silence ask if the child is alright.
>>
>>5253253
>Write in
Uh, praise Anu, don't worship demons and stuff hey uh anyone got a spare Healing Palms? Mana Potion maybe? Fighting demons suck. If no one has a spare heal, use our last Healing Palms on Daitza. She seems more injured, and internal hemorrhaging doesn't fuck around.

>>5253256
We might need that healing slot for later for when we pay Luna a visit since there are critters in there. Maybe there's a priest that can spare a cast for us so we don't have to expend the one use of the spell we have left?
>>
>>5253253
First ask if the priest in front of us and any other present can patch us up, with Daitza in preferential. Then tell them the Demon is no more, as we exorcised it as our champion duty, then ask Ruby if she or any other maid can get some food for us after that work out we're starving.
>>
>>5253261
+1
>>
>>5253253
Hey Morty… I turned myself into a dwarf! I’m dwarf Riiiick!
>>
>>5253253
In the previous system I think you said that Hyenus would grow in size every ten levels. I don't think your new system has levels, but did Hyenus get enough exp to get SWOL?
>>
>>5253261
>ask if the priest in front of us
Right I forgot the priest in question is Murdock, changing that priest bit to ask Murdock if he or one of the other priests can spare some heal to us or Daitza, if needed to focus on one pick Datz since her wounds look far worse.
>>
>>5253253
Oh yeah I forgot, we got to briefly see thing's through Kholgarsh's point of view. Murdock had a golden thing that looked like Anu, that was making the demon really scared. Do the priests have any spares of those? Those could come in handy if we have to fight more of them.

>>5253276
Probably someone besides Murdock since he's already used two healing spells on us already, and he did say he needs to keep at least enough MP to repel sudden demon attacks. The other priest that healed George probably has a use or two to spare for us if we're lucky.
>>
>>5253276
Do this, but we should thank Murdock first, half to help our case, the other half because Murdock is a homie.
>>
>>5253261
This.
>>5253265
Not this.
>>
>>5253253
>Thank Murdock first
>Ask if the child is okay
>Explain you exorcized that demon out of Kholgarsh
>Ask Murdock if the other priest that healed George could heal Daitza, as we don't want to make him spend all his MP and impose on him to do so
>get that internal bleeding stopped ASAP
>>
>>5253259
I think healing Daitza ourselves is better character wise. She did get sucker punched OKed on our account, we might as well take responsibility for our actions.

I also think letting the dwarves stew a bit on our actions in silence is preferable, at least until Daitza is healed from our palms.
>>
>Start brutally fucking Daizasta in front of everyone.
>>
>>5253253
>Hi guys.
>>
>>5253364
this
>>
>>5253386
I agree, but even then we need the mana for when we go for the Lunar Armor. We need to save what MP we can while we can
>>
>>5253253
Is HP and MP regen the same, or is it different? Do each individual spell have ranks?

>>5253411
We have two days, and MP regenerates at a rate of 5% per hour. It would take 20 hours to regenerate all our MP back if we had none, or a little over 19 hours if we use healing palms right now.
Not to mention we can still find the ingredients needed to craft mana potions from within the cave probably, then brew them. I think when we have the time to make potions and depending on the alchemist's set up, we should knock out as many potions we can make as possible to level up the skill and using our internal clost to timestap when each individual potion should be ready. I.e. start making a potion at 13:31, take it off the burner at 14:01, start another potion at 13:35 and finish at 14:05 and so on. Just because we need to do the prep work to boil a potion, doesn't mean we need to wait for the majority of the time for it to finish. We can do other things as we wait.
>>
>>5253364
Going with this. Prioritize healing Daitzsa
>>
>>5253364
>>5253253

Support
>>
>>5253364
I changed my mind, this one is better. +1.
Usually you can't just slap a bandage on some torn organs, but maybe healing magic will work?
Also judging from where she got hit, it's just her stomach that's getting filled with blood, so she should be fine.
>>
>>5253256
Support
>>
>>5253253
>Heal Daitza
>Thank Murdock
>Ask if the kid is okay
>>
>>5253364
This, we should spare our MP for the coming trial
>>
>>5253256
+1
something simple
>>
>>5253253
Start vocalizing our battle victory music.
>>
>>5253923
If the priest only has 1 healing spell left, we can always self medicate then make Mana potions to recover MP faster
>>
>>5253916
Support: 1) Heal Daitza. 2) Thank Murdock. 3) ask if the kid is ok. 4) Then explain we blasted the demon in Kholgarsh with Anu's Light to save the dwarf from the demon. Had to do it inside to not harm Kholgarsh.
>>
>>5253364
If Hyenus does tell the dwarves he exorcised the demon, he should include and emphasise that it was with the help of Anu and Daitsza (though I doubt they'll care too much on the latter bit). Besides being the truth, they'll probably respect it more than what would otherwise appear to be gnoll vainglory, and it will help to drive the point in about his connection to Anu. Also it shames the diggers that just watched passively while a demon was being fought in the heart of their community.
>>
>>5254577
Thats a good way to handle this.
>>
>>5254577
I agree, +1 this too
>>
>>5253253
T h u r s d a y
>>
>>5253364
The update is almost done but I started working on it relatively late, so I'll post it tomorrow. The good side is there'll be 2 updates instead of the usual 1.

>>5253459
MP recovers at a rate of 5% per hour of rest, regardless of how wounded you are. HP recovery is based on a chart I posted at the beginning of thread 8 and 7. I'll start posting it in each update post so everyone can reference it at any given time.
>>
>>5253459
>Do each individual spell have ranks?
Yes, both spells and daily powers grow stronger over time with constant usage.
>>
>>5256868
GnollQM post on time challenge(Impossible).
2 updates? You're spoiling us QM
>>
>>5256881
>spells and daily powers have individual ranks
Shit. Things are gonna take forever to grind up until we learn the sun growth spell and make a shit ton of mana potions.
>>
>>5256868
You better post the first update soon, or you won’t have time for the second one
>>
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Oh, well. If they’re not saying anything, you might as well take the initiative. “Phew! Thanks fow giving me a hand, Muwdock. You saved my skin the-”

“It’s the DEMON! Kill it, KILL IT before it attacks!” You are interrupted by the mother of the brat you saw through Kholgarsh’s eyes. She’s holding her child in her arms, but that doesn’t stop her from yelling and pointing an accusing finger at you. “For Anu’s sake! Move your butts and KILL IT! It’s right there!”

Murdock tries to calm her down. “Be quiet, woman. The monster is gone. This right here is just our resident gnoll… who’s got some explaining to do, regardless.”

“But- but Father, he appeared right next to mister Sharpaxe when you exorcized him!” she protests. “How do you explain that? How?!”

The priest scowls at her. “Am I hearing right? Are you putting the judgement of a PRIEST into question?!”

“Wha…?" The midget lady is taken aback. "No! No, no, of course not! I-it’s just… well…”

The dwarf crowd has gone silent, their initial surprise and shock turning into doubt and uncertainty - judging from the look on their faces. Daitza notices the tension building up, even without understanding the conversation between Murdock and the mother. “What are they talking about? C’mon, Hyeny, translate for me...”

“That dumb humielet claims I’m the demon that took over Kholgarsh” you whisper in her ears, pointing at the silly female dwarf. Naturally, Datz is really upset to hear this. “What?! That’s ridiculous! You saved her kid's life!”

“Yeah... she probably doesn't know that. Better clear that up.” You look at the deranged mother and the kid on her arms, force a smile and address her in Dwarvish. “Ahem! Ewm… excuse me, miss, but I’d wike to know if youw chiwd is doing oka-”

“Don’t you DARE lay your demonic eye upon my son!” the paranoid dwarf yells back, frowning and hiding her toddler away from your sight. “Anu watches over us! Try anything against him and you’ll regret it!”

“Are you deaf?!” Murdock shouts at her in a sudden fit of anger. “I already told ye this gnoll is not the demon ye think he is!”

Many dwarves witnessed what happened. You wonder why they aren’t saying anything in your defense…

(cont. This is gonna take me a while to post, as I decided to merge the two updates in one so we can go back to freeroam mode faster)
>>
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… but as these thoughts cross your mind, it just so happens that one of the dwarves voices his support for you - it’s George. And he looks in much better shape now, thanks to the priests' magical aid.

“Coof… coof… the tribal has nothing to do with the demonic possession, ma’am.” You notice he’s missing a few teeth as he speaks. Looks like the punch left some permanent marks. He points at Kholgarsh, who responds by silently averting his eyes - almost like he's embarrassed. “That digger went crazy and punched me outta nowhere after the gnoll healed the rabbette with his powers. She got beaten by Kholgarsh over some dumb nonsense, and the guy got pissed by seeing the tribal help her out. That must be when the demon took over him." He sighs. "Dude’s been in a real bad mood after his sons’ death, but that’s no excuse for what he’s done... it’s no excuse.”

“Yup! That’s exactly what happened!” the servant Ruby intervenes. “Many of you can attest what Kholgarsh did... especially the cowardly guards who watched as he attacked the Champion’s friend!” She gives the armed dwarves a disdainful look, placing her hands on her hips.

The guards are infuriated by her remarks, even though they are completely true. Funnily enough, one of them is pathetic enough to try and excuse their behavior. “Cowardly...? Those were *cautionary* measures, rabbit! Besides, we aren’t risking our necks to save a lowly gnoll! Right, guys?!”

"Yeah!" the other guards say, nodding to each other.

“Hmph! Dumb humielets…” she says to herself, shaking her head. You caught that comment thanks to your big ears.

(cont)
>>
>>5257917
Are you still alive?
>>
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“Hmmm… I *think* I’m gettin’ the picture" Murdock says, scratching his shabby dwarf beard. "Hyenus, the others mentioned ye vanished 'out of thin air'. Can ye explain that?”

"Oh! Suwe thing!" You were waiting for a chance to speak, and you do so by standing up and addressing the whole crowd. It takes lots of energy and effort to do so due to the wounds you sustained in the fight. “Okay, lemme expwain what happened. I know you'we aw vewy cuwious, so wisten cawefully, cause this may not be easy to digest. It isn't fow me." You clear your throat. "Ahem! The thing is, I *tewepowted* inside the dwawf's souw and faced his demon in diwect combat. Yes, it may sound weiwd, but it's exactly what happened, and pwetty much the weason I disappeawed from evewyone’s sight. Tewepowtation, baby! Uhm... you guys fowowing so far?”

The crowd returns a confused-as-hell stare as you give them the explanation. You’re not sure if they believe you, or even if they understand what you’re saying. Regardless, you continue. It’s better than saying nothing. “I wouwdn’t have succeeded in kiwing teh monster without Anu’s hewp, Daitza’s… and youws, Muwdock.” You smile at him. “Youw intewvention weakened the demon. Fenk u again.”

Murdock nods, a subtle smirk visible beneath his thick beard. “Don’t mention it. So… you *teleported*, huh? Y'know, the Champion is said to be able to set foot in people’s souls, but I never figured it would be so, err… literal. Thought it was a metaphor for leavin’ a strong mark on others. Heh. Well, maybe it goes both ways...” He shrugs and grins. “Anyway, what matters is that ye’re clearly the saviour we’ve been waiting for. Which is great news, of course.” He turns around and speaks out to the crowd. “May this be proof for all of ye that this gnoll – the chosen of Anu – has a good heart and is willing to help his fellow men, like a true Champion would!"

The moment he says those words, the tension in the hallway blows up. The humielets gasp in surprise, but otherwise say nothing in return. All they do is murmur to each other, expressing disbelief and unacceptance of Murdock’s claims. The only ones not doing that are George, Kholgarsh and the other members of the clergy – all of them stoic and stern, refusing to speak for or against the lone priest.

"A gnoll, the chosen of Anu?! That's ridiculous!" The mother who kept making wild accusations against you voices her thoughts again. "Who’s to say what happened here wasn’t a ruse by the dogs?! Maybe they're working with demons to make us think they're on our side! Oh God, it's SO obvious! How could none of you see it before?! They planned to possess Sharpaxe a long time ago!“

Unsurprisingly, most of the crowd agrees with the woman. “The gnolls possessed Kholgarsh somehow! None of this was his fault!”

“A 'saviour' my hairy ass! Those two are demon hounds like the rest of their kind!

(cont. >>5257981 Yes)
>>
>>5257870
What a dumb bitch. I bet her name is Karen
>>
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Murdock clenches his fists, his face turning red. He looks like he's absolutely *done* with the trouble-stirring mother. “You continue to question the authority of a priest and spreading doubt and unrest among others, like an infectious parasite. Nothing worth hearing has come out of your mouth so far, so I'm warning you… you better keep it shut if you know what’s good for you. Even a priest of Anu has limits to his patience.”

Out of sheer stupidity, arrogance, or both, she ignores the severity of his tone and continues to arise mistrust about you, incurring the cleric's wrath. “Father Murdock! With all due respect, it’s obvious that these gnolls have malevolent plans reserved for mister Sharpaxe! Think about it! First, they killed his sons at the cave... now, they’re sending out demons to torment the poor man's soul! Don't you see they are a danger to us all?! Surely the other priests realize this! I want those tribals OUT of the fortress! I cannot stand their presence! I can't-"

“Silence, wench!” Murdock finally snaps and slaps the hell out of the mother, even with her child on her arms! She drops like a bag of rocks, but fortunately manages to protect the toddler’s head from hitting the cold, hard floor. All the other dwarves - including the priests - are shocked by Murdock's actions, their jaws dropping...

The proning mother stares at him with fear – but also anger and surprise. “You... you hit me! Father, how could you?! Y-you... you can't do that! You can't DO that! You're supposed to be loving like all priests are!"

"Well... there goes my last bit of reputation." Murdock sighs, raises his eyes and takes a look around him, as if feeling the weight of all the judging gazes laid upon him. He grunts and quickly makes his way out of the scene. “Get outta my way, haughty fools! May Anu have mercy on yer misguided souls!”

“Muwdock, wait!” you call for him before he leaves. He stops walking and turns to you – for some reason, he looks calmer when addressing you. “Errr… befowe you go, can you pwease tew the othew pwiests to heaw Daitza? I wouwd ask you, but you’ve awready spent so much mana on us…"

The priest gives you a sad smile. “Couldn’t heal her even if I wanted to, champ. I ain’t feelin’... compassionate right now. Try your luck with ‘em if you want to, but don’t hold your breath.” He frowns at the other members of the clergy, who stare at him with pity and disappointment. “Lots of Aarons around these parts, if you know what I mean.”

With those words, Murdock stomps away, leaving you and Datz alone with the annoyed mob…

(cont)
>>
>>5257870
Can’t believe that I’ve spent 5 hours waiting on the update to finish
>>
>>5258046
Be patient dude. Gnollqm is doing his best.
>>
>>5258050
I’ve been here since thread 1. I’m patient
>>
>>5258052
Congrats. Just remember that your text can be read in different tones.
>>
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Doing your best to ignore the scornful and skeptical stares coming from the mob, Daitza and you approach the other priests. You politely ask them to heal her, explaning they’ve got to stop her internal bleeding at all costs…

They address you with respect, but you do notice a odd sense of superiority and contempt in their mannerisms - looking you up and down constantly, refusing to make direct contact with your eyes, not showing much interest in what you have to say, that sort of stuff. It’s like they see you as dumb savages rather than saviours sent here by their God. Murdock and that priest kid at the church didn’t make you feel this way.

Still, they’re not as bad as most dwarves, as they do end up agreeing to cast Healing Palms on the two of you. However, they refuse to heal you completely, as they need to ‘conserve mana’.

>Hyenus’ HP: Bruised (76%)
>Daitza’s HP: Bruised (75%)

“Aah… much better” Daitza murmurs, smiling. “I don’t feel like my stomach is on fire anymore.”

“Glad to hear that, Datz. All that blood you were puking up was starting to worry me.” You also feel much better than moments ago. There’s still some pain in your muscles here and there, but nothing so bad it would hamper your movements during combat.

More guards arrive to interrogate the witnesses and Kholgarsh on a secluded corner. Eventually, even Tygus – the head judge of the fortress – arrives and joins their conversation. The crowd has mostly dispersed as things gradually settle down, though some curious dwarves have stayed, mostly to pry on you and Datz.

(cont >>5258046 Can't believe I've spent 6 hours posting this update. At least it's only 3 or 4 remaining and they're much shorter
>>
>>5258028
Murdock is a real bro, once we come back with the armor we must fire Aaron and put him in his place.
>>
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Soon after being healed, you hear Tygus, the priests and soldiers deciding it’s time to take their leave with Kholgarsh and the key witnesses, including George and Ruby. However, as they are about to move out, George suddenly stops and walks up to you, forcing the group to wait for him.

“Hey, uh…” He looks like he wants to tell you something, but doesn’t know how.

You smile and speak first. “I’m gwad you vouched for us, man. Youw one of the few who acknowedge my championship awound these pawts!”

The dwarf nods with a serious look. “It’s the least I could do after what you did for me at the hospital. By the way…”

"Yeah?"

"If you ever need help with something, just ask me or my brother Vargas. He’s a great alchemist. Maybe he can give you a potion or two, in case you need it. Just tell him I sent ya.”

"Fenks, George."

He gives you a thumbs up and rejoins the group. "May Anu bless your mission, whatever it is.”

Good to know there are reasonable inhabitants in the fortress, as scarce as they are. Daitza seems clueless over the nature of the interaction that just took place, though, so you quickly fill her in in your home language. "That was George, the dwarf I healed hours ago. He says we can count on him and his alchemist brother in case we need to get stuff done."

"Ah, good to know! So an alchemist, huh? I wonder what kind of stuff he's got in his inventory..."

"Me too. We should visit his place at some point."

(cont)
>>
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The next one to say goodbye is Ruby. She approaches you carefreely, having lost what little fear she still had towards you before the incident, and stands at a dangerously close distance. Both Datz and you are forced to look to the side in order to avoid experiencing any hunting urges.

Ruby stares down at her feet, adopting a shy demeanor. It's rather unusual, judging from what you've seen from her so far. “Ch-champ, I… I...”

... And suddenly, without any previous warning, she latches onto your damn leg! “Thanks for defending me! You’re the bestest, coolest gnoll EVER!”

“Y-y-y-y-yeah, you’re welcome! J-just let go of me, please!” Why is food hugging you? WHY?! How did you arrive at a situation like this?!

With a big smile, Ruby releases you and runs back to the escorting guards - just in time as you were starting to lose control of yourself. The whole group is surprised. None of them must be used to seeing interactions like these take place between predator and prey.

“Take care!” the servant yells from far away, waving a hand in the air. “Best of luck to you two!”

“Heh! That funny critter must've taken a liking to you” Datz mumbles, observing her with a mix of amusement and mild suspicion. “Good thing she’s not a gnoll, huh? Would have made the hug a bit awkward.”

(cont, just 2 more to go)
>>
>>5258125
LMAO Datz is already feeling jealous.
>>
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You put an arm around her shoulder, snuggling her face. “Your hugs are the only ones I need, Datz. Always been that way, always will be.”

Daitza clearly melts over your words. She cuddles with you, forgetting the rabbette completely. “Oh, Hyenus… I still can’t believe we finally got together after all these years.”

“It’s like a dream come true...” You take a quick moment to check your surroundings, see if anyone is spying on your quality time with Datz. Nope, fortunately, it looks like you're alone with her. Most dwarves have left already, and those few who remain seem to be minding their own business.

“Well… so here we are" you say. "Finally, just the two of us again."

“Yup” Datz responds "Now that was something, wasn’t it?”

“Totally. Lots of crazy stuff happening at once.”

“Sooooooo… what do you think we should do now?”

"Good question. Hmmm..."

(cont)
>>
>You have destroyed the demon that took over Kholgarsh
>+20 Agility XP. Level up! Agility is now sub-tier C- (up from D+)
>+10 Pugilist XP
>+20 Meditator XP
>+33 Light of Anu XP
>+10 Healing Palms XP

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

TIME: 15:15

== You are wandering thr fortress' halls ==
(You and Datz are kind of hungry. -1 to all rolls. This penalty will grow at 16:00)
(2 days until Daitza and you are executed by the Council for failing the trial)
(Lunch has ended, servings have most likely ran out)
(Murdock returns to the Church at 16:00)
(20:00 – Dinner time for fortress)
(22:00 – Sleepy time for fortress)

Other reminders:
- Luna wants to meet up at the abandoned mines
- George mentioned you could pay his alchemist brother a visit to fetch a potion or two
- Arthur mentioned you should request a suit of armor at the blacksmith forge
- Arthur said you can find him at the barracks if you want to train

== CHOOSE ONE OPTION ==

>Meditate for an hour (+10 to 40 Focus XP)
>Pray to Mom
>Rest for an hour (recovers 4% HP)
>Go to a location in the current floor (Your Room, Fortress Entrance, Barracks, Library, Bathhouse, Church, Dining Hall, Servants’ Dormitory, Blacksmith Forge, Alchemist’s Room, Hospital, Council Chamber, Abandoned Mines)
>Go down to the 2nd floor (Farms, Slaughterhouse, Holyhaven Lake)
>Go down to the 3rd floor (Mines, Barracks, Dwarven Barricade)
>Go down to the 4th floor (Catacombs)
>Write in

== Also pick one of the following optional choices (omitting this means I’ll choose a topic for them to address) ==

>Talk to Daitza about... (Write in)
>Talk to Hawkodesh about... (Write in)
>>
(I've made a few minor changes to the new system. The only one worth mentioning is that EXP is now based on a progression bar that goes from 0 to 100 XP. You need to reach 100 XP to progress to the next sub-tier of Power / Agility, next Rank of skills, spells and daily powers, after which it resets back to 0 XP.

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

Hyenus’ Status

(Missing Eye: -10 penalty to most combat rolls)

Attributes
- HP: Bruised (76%)
- Mana: 9 / 114
- Power: D+ (80 XP)
- Agility: C- (0 XP)

Skills
- Novice Spearman (60 XP)
- Novice Scout (20 XP)
- Novice Cook (0 XP)
- Novice Stealth (40 XP)
- Novice Alchemy (50 XP)
- Apprentice Meditator (20 XP): Mana cost of all spells is lowered by 10%
- Apprentice Pugilist (10 XP): +10 bonus to most combat rolls while fighting with your bare hands

Spells
- Healing Palms (40 EXP): Heals a living target by laying your hands on it and sending a batch of holy energy into its body. The greater the creature’s Power and weight, the more batches are required for effective healing. Each one costs 22 (-3 Apprentice Meditator) Mana and takes about 10 seconds to cast. With your current Power of D+, each cast of Healing Palms heals you for 8% HP.

Powers
- Body Restoration: Heals a living target in your vicinity by 25% HP. Takes about 5 seconds to cast. (0 uses left, +1 at 09:00 AM. 66 XP)
- Light of Anu: Deals considerable damage to all demons within a 5 meter radius. Takes about 5 seconds to cast. (0 uses left, +1 at 15:00 PM. 66 XP)
- Saviour’s Tongue: You can understand all existing languages, though any new concepts must still be learned
- Angel Wings: You can sprout wings on your back anytime, allowing you to fly and shield yourself with them. Takes about 2 seconds to cast.
- Feral Speed: Increases your Agility by 4 sub-tiers and grants a +15 bonus to combat rolls while fighting barehanded. Takes about 2 seconds to cast. Lasts for 10 minutes. (0 uses left, +1 at 11:00 AM. 0 XP)

Perks
- Friends Not Food: Grants a +12 bonus to all rolls that involve resisting your hunting urges and prevents them from critically failing
- Spiritual Awareness: Increases max Mana by 10%

Alchemy Recipes
- Strength Potion: Increases Power by 1 tier for 60 minutes. Requires 5 Yamanenes, 1 Gentoloma. A Novice alchemist can craft this potion without trouble.
- Regeneration Potion: Greatly increases the rate at which your body heals. Lasts for 24 hours. Requires 5 Yamanenes, 1 Purplevera. A Skilled alchemist can craft this potion without trouble.
- Limbo Poison: When this poison enters a living target’s bloodstream, it paralyses the limbs for up to 24 hours, depending on the creature's Power, weight and poison resistance. Requires 1 Demoncap, 1 Gentoloma. A Skilled alchemist can craft this potion without trouble.

Inventory
- Nothing
>>
8 freaking hours to post this update, wow. I'm demolished. I'm going to sleep now. If there's not an update today don't be too surprised. See you all soon
>>
>>5258153
Thanks for running this quest. Rest well.
>>
>>5258148
>Less than 100XP total for fighting an actual demon and almost dying
Not worth it man.
>Go to a location in the current floor (Dining Hall)
We're late for lunch. Better to not be late-er.
>Talk to Hawky (stick)
I think we should ask him about the vision we had when healing Ruby.
>>
>>5258151
(Correction: your Mana is at 31 and you didn't earn any Healing Palms XP)
>>
>>5258148
>Meet Luna at the abandoned mines.
Let's get this over with, also who know's, since Luna's the spirit of the forest, maybe she can use her spiritual connection to make familiars bring something for us to eat as well.

>>Talk to Hawkodesh about... (Murdock)
Ask him about the based dorf, why do people give him shit even though he's like one of the few dorfs with his head and priorities on the right place. Also ask if there's anything we or him can do to help him, He doesn't deserve this treatment in my opinion.
>>
>>5258148
>Meet Luna at the abandoned mines.
>>
>>5258151
>Go to the Blacksmith Forge
Forging armor for us will be time consuming. Lets get our order in.
>>
>>5258169
>Meet Luna at the abandoned mines.
Support.
>>
>>5258186
this
>>
>>5258125
>bunny is as face to dick height
>face close to dick
Clever girl

>>5258148
>(Lunch has ended, servings have most likely ran out)
What? That's some bullshit. We were just on our way to get some food.

>ACQUIRE LUNCH
The lunch lady knows we're good for it. We helped out her brother.

>Talk to Hawkodesh about... (Write in)
VISION!

>>5258157
Almost feel the same. This doesnt feel as big as a pay out as I thought it would before the system change.

>>5258166
Anon we planned this out already. Cafeteria, then blacksmith for armor+weapons. Well maybe not armor, but at least we can grab a shield.
>>
1) Lunch - we have hunger and anything is gonna help.
2) Armor. It takes time to get things fitted.
3) Vision
4) alchemist
>>
>>5258458
But we need to talk with Luna. We can visit alchemist tomorrow, maybe even bring him some herbs as a gesture of goodwill.
>>
>>5258166
Support
>>
>>5258534
>>5258528
You seem to forget that the cave system that we're expected to meet Luna in is full of beasts and monsters. For that we need weapons and armor to brave it, least we lose more god damn HP.
We also need to visit the servants quarters to ask for some favors, and eat some food so we dont acquire additional malus.
>>
>>5258157
>>5258304
I'll keep an eye on this and hand out more appropiate EXP rewards in future encounters.

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

>>5258166
>>5258169
>>5258227
>>5258534
>Go to the Abandoned Mines

>>5258157
>>5258304
>>5258458
>Talk to Hawkodesh about the vision you had when healing Ruby

>>5258157
>>5258304
>>5258458
>Go to the Dining Hall

>>5258186
>>5258260
>Go to the Blacksmith Forge

>>5258166
>>5258534
>Talk to Hawkodesh about Murdock

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

Looks like Hyenus and Daitza will head straight to the abandoned mines to meet with Luna. Hyenus will also ask Hawkodesh about his strange vision when healing Ruby.

Writing
>>
>>5258772
today or tomorrow?
>>
>>5258827
If I finish it before 23:30 EST, it'll be today. Otherwise tomorrow.
>>
>>5258772
Oh for fucks sake, yal gonna get us killed.
Can we at least stop by our room to pick up with whip? We dont even have a spear.
>>
>>5259813
I mean, surely Luna wouldn't let us be murdered by animals while next to her, right? Right!?
It still was a dumb idea from the other anons to not trust the official procedure list though.
>>
>>5259903
Luna isnt in the cave, so she cant be there to protect us. We are supposed to enter the howling spot in the cave to call her, which means she is not currently present.

Yes, the other anons are infact incredibly dumb. We made guidelines for this as far as two threads back. For fucks sake people.
>>
>>5259964
I'm pretty sure the other anons are so retarded they can't actually read. They just sense the Yeen is making a decision and write a response using the monkey typewriter method.
>>
>>5259903
It's been so long between updates, I forgot about the procedure list. We should probably grab some sort of weapon on the way. At least ones we can hide on our person on the way. Dwarves will not like us waking the halls with a weapon like a spear.

A quarterstaff from the armory used as a staff + rope + a knife hidden on our person is probably a better situation to be in on the way
>>
>>5258151
Also we get no picking xp? Where my eyepick xp at?
>>
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>>5250231
>>5258125
Oh yeah, one step closer into bringing this into reality.
>>
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"Y’know, maybe we shouldn't keep Luna waiting” you say after reconsidering your choice to go to the Dining Hall. “Arthur said the abandoned mines were overrun by animals – we can hunt our lunch there while we search for her. How's that sound?"

“I like your plan. The sooner we talk to that forest spirit, the better.” And with that, you pick up your dropped shirt, put it on and head to the mines with Datz, trying to remember the way there. Ýou notice that the delicious smell of food in the air is gone – it seems that lunch time is over. For the dwarves, that is.

As you traverse the long, monotonous corridors, you do your best to ignore the servants ocassionally passing by. Staring at them makes you even hungrier than you already are. You also stumble upon several humielets repairing the fortress’ stone walls, filling the cracks and fissures with mortar - the same task you saw Kholgarsh and George do. Part of you wonders why the infrastructure of this place is in such a bad state, but bigger worries demand your attention right now... including the vision you had when healing Ruby. Hawkodesh mentioned he would tell you what it was about after dealing with Kholgarsh, so now is the time to get some answers from him.

As soon as you open your mouth to start a conversation with the angel, Daitza suddenly speaks. “Hey, sooo… what was the fight with the demon like? You’ve been real quiet about it.”

(cont)
>>
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Datz is understandably curious about what happened in the dwarf's soul, so you’ll tell her real quick before addressing Hawkodesh. This shouldn't take long...

A few minutes pass by as you speak of your battle with the demon. She’s really surprised by all the crazy descriptions you give her. "That is absolutely nuts! Floating in a void, facing a nightmarish creature, all while it talks trash about our families... just wow! I can't imagine how trippy it must have felt to be there!"

You shrug. "It was really odd at first, but I got used to it quickly."

"Yeah... those monsters are mean bastards, aren’t they?” She smiles and rests a hand on your shoulder. ”I’m so glad you got out of there alive. This is the first minion of Gnolrek you've vanquished. Well, there's those crows too, but still... this is the first REAL fight you had with one. And you kicked its ass! It’s no simple feat, ya know? You should be proud of yourself!”

“Yup! I sure am...” You smile, not knowing what else to say. It does feel a bit strange, however. Something is bothering you, preventing you from savouring your victory as you damn well should, but you don't know what it is...

Daitza gives you a silent, expectant look, waiting for you to say more. Seeing as you don't, her expression turns into one of frustration. She grabs your shoulders and shakes you lightly, as if trying to get you to react or something. “Oh, give me a break! Is that all you have to say after the insane stuff you went through?! You killed a demon, Hyeny! A d e m o n! That's not something everyone can brag about!" She releases you and taps your chest. "C'mon, tell me how it REALLY makes you feel. Be open with me!”

She's pushing you real hard to share your thoughts… but the truth is you haven’t given enough weight to this experience. You’re not *sure* what to think, really. Before stumbling upon Kholgarsh, she was telling you about Anu and the Dominions. Then you had that strange vision, and moments later, you found yourself facing a demon. All this stuff happening at once and so fast is kind of overwhelming...

Okay. It’s time to collect your thoughts. You killed a demon, yes. You almost died in the attempt, sure... but STILL. You won. Now, what are you supposed to *feel* about this...?

>Proud of yourself. This is the first demon you've killed, and many more will meet their demise at your hands
>Grateful and relieved. Anu's powers allowed you to win this battle, and you're glad to have them at your disposal
>Unsatisfied. The only reason you won was because of Anu’s intervention. You’d rather be able to kill demons with your own strength
>Nothing special. That demon was a small fry in a sea of far more powerful beings. You won’t be satisfied until you beat Gnolrek himself
>Write in
>>
>>5260009
Pick one or two more eyes throughout the quest and I'll give you a special eye picking perk
>>
>>5260169
I think that while we killed a real demon, we almost were killed, so It was more of a phyrric victory.
It's certainly an achievement, but we should train more if we don't want to risk our life while fighting minions.
>So not much feels I guess?
>>
>>5260140
>Unsatisfied. The only reason you won was because of Anu’s intervention. You’d rather be able to kill demons with your own strength
>>
>>5260169
>Unsatisfied. The only reason you won was because of Anu’s intervention. You’d rather be able to kill demons with your own strength
But also grateful of Anu, he's a real one.
>>
>>5260169
>Unsatisfied. The only reason you won was because of Anu’s intervention. You’d rather be able to kill demons with your own strength
Save the fanfare for until we've killed a demon without needing god himself to step in and save us from instantly jobbing
>>
>>5260169
>Proud of yourself. This is the first demon you've killed, and many more will meet their demise at your hands
We did come a long way from being the weakling that we were. In such sort a time? A little pride in our efforts is warranted.

Can’t wait for the Coomers to choose horny instead.
>>
>>5260202
>Proud of yourself. This is the first demon you've killed, and many more will meet their demise at your hands
Even if it was by anu's power, it was our choice to kill it
>>
"I barely beat it and got a good beating. Murdock's help and yours were really important to winning. I'm worried about not being strong enough."
>>
>>5260169
>Proud of yourself. This is the first demon you've killed, and many more will meet their demise at your hands
>Unsatisfied. The only reason you won was because of Anu’s intervention. You’d rather be able to kill demons with your own strength
Mix of both
>>
>>5260169
>Proud of yourself. This is the first demon you've killed, and many more will meet their demise at your hands
>Unsatisfied. The only reason you won was because of Anu’s intervention. You’d rather be able to kill demons with your own strength
>>
>>5260169
>Proud of yourself. This is the first demon you've killed, and many more will meet their demise at your hands
Any helped a little, but we did the heavy lifting and dealt the final blow. That's all that matters, and the next time we have ti fight a demon should be easier.

All we need to do is farm our damn mana potions and grind that alchemy.
>>
>>5260169
>Unsatisfied. The only reason you won was because of Anu’s intervention. You’d rather be able to kill demons with your own strength

Also grateful for Anu's help. His powers allowed us to win the battle, but the less we have to rely on him, the less we may tax his capabilities.

The more we can do on our own, by our own power, the less we must tax his gifts. We can believe he means well for living beings while also believing that over-reliance on anything is bad.
>>
>>5259813
Any animals there would need to eat, and therefore need to be small enough to sneak to and the fortress’ food reserves. Whatever is there probably isn’t much bigger than Bark.
Maybe there are animals sustained by demonic boons, but I think that’s unlikely and sustaining random animals that can’t really prepare sacrifice or anything doesn’t seem like something that the devils would do.
>>
>>5260183
>>5260185
>>5260186
>>5260222 (admit that Murdock's help and Daitza's were really important to winning)
>Unsatisfied

>>5260202
>>5260207
>>5260227
>Proud of yourself

>>5260223
>>5260226
>Proud of yourself, but also unsatisfied

>>5260341
>Unsatisfied. but also grateful

>>5260181
>Not much feels

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

Hyenus is mostly unsatisfied with his perfomance in battle and attributes his success to Anu, Daitza and Murdock. Part of him is still proud he beat a demon, though.

Writing. If the update doesn't come in an hour I'll post it tomorrow. After this one we'll continue on Thursday
>>
>>5260432
I want to cum inside gnoll Luna.
>>
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>>5261609
>>
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After a short while of thinking, analyzing the encounter with a critical eye - the only one you have anyway - and how it makes you feel all around, you finally come to a conclusion... a sad one, for there's nothing to be proud of. Your perfomance in the fight sucked balls, and that's the plain truth. You almost got yourself killed and were basically bailed out by Anu. Sure, you DID banish a demon, which is cool and all... but you did it with the Light of Anu, not with your own hands. And the fact you got so much help to achieve this spoils your triumph badly.

The patient Daitza still awaits your answer, so you'll speak your mind with your confident, mate and friend. “Honestly? I'm not very satisfied."

"Whaaat?" As expected, she tilts her head and gives you a puzzled look. "Why not?"

"I mean, why would I be?" You sigh. "I barely beat the demon, and I got a good beating myself. If it wasn't for Anu’s help, Murdock's and yours, things would’ve gone in a completely different way… and that makes me worried. Worried about not being strong enough to deal with those monsters myself."

Datz listens to you in silence, nodding with a serious look. Once you finish venting out, she closes her eyes, opens them after a few seconds and meets your gaze with an empathetic smile, “Hey, it’s nice you don’t want to rely on the dwarves' god to kill demons… and you’re right, we *should* be able to teach them a lesson by ourselves. Without relying on any deity's boons." She takes a step towards you and taps your shoulder. "That's the ideal we must reach, Hyeny... and the sooner we begin our training, the sooner we can reach it."

“Right..." You nod, thinking on her words. "I almost forgot I’ve got this potential to grow strong real fast. Heh! I can’t wait to start lifting and see how far I can go.”

“You’ll go very far, my dear goofball. I just know!" She leans in closer, staring you directly in the eye to make sure you pay attention to her. "Now, listen... you STILL came face-to-face with one of those monstrosities and LIVED to tell the tale. That's impressive, no matter how you look at it. Anu gave you a hand in there, sure… but you did all the heavy lifting, so be proud of yourself!" She playfully punches you in the chest. "You deserve it!”

"Yeah... I guess I did!" You nod and smile, relieved by her support. "Thanks, Datz. You always cheer me up.”

“Don’t thank me. If you’re happy, I’m happy!”

What Daitza says is true. You did a job good back there, regardless of all the external aid you received. Now, this doesn't mean you wouldn't like to be more independent and stop relying so much on Anu's boons... but those things will come in due time, when you finally get the time to train properly and develop this body of yours. Gnolrek must meet his demise at your hands because YOU were strong enough to defeat him, not because Anu gave you a boost!

(cont)
>>
>>5261692
Fill fertile forest spirit hole!
>>
>>5261769
Weird definition for a grave, but if you want to volunteer, I’m sure the anons here would happily assist you lad.
>>
>>5261774
Nice
>>
>>5261702
Nigga we Light of Anu'd him, as wonderful as picking the eye was.

When we're killing demons from our sheer will, that's when the real shit starts
>>
>>5261783
No need to be negative about it. Besides, we even if we "kill" a demon they wouldnt only get banished back to hell until they escape again. The Light of Anu spell of the one of few ways we can permanently kill a demon.
>>
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“Hyenus.” All of a sudden, Hawkodesh’s blunt voice echoes within you, grabbing your attention. You gesture to Datz to give you a moment to talk to him. She understands and returns a quiet nod, but rolls her eyes for some reason…

You hear the angel sighing. “This whole idea of ‘not relying on Anu’ that you and Daitza share... it bothers me. While I understand that it is too early for you to comprehend the value of letting the Sky Father reign over one’s life – and why it is a virtue rather than a shortcoming - there is something I wish to make very clear to you from the get-go.” He sounds oddly annoyed as he speaks. You have a feeling he’s about to get preachy like after your sparring match with Daitza.

“Uh-huh. And what would that be?” you respond, ready to deal with whatever he’s going to say...

“Before you start thinking you can become some sort of godly uber-gnoll who can take out the armies of Hell alone or some such nonsense, I must respectfully bring you down to earth and warn you that this is *not* going to happen. Ever. Your body, albeit special, is still mortal and limited, and there is only so much you can do without Anu’s aid.”

“Are you telling me all this so I lose confidence and go pray for a boon? Because that ain’t happening.”

“No... what I seek is to give you a simple advice: mind that you do not become haughty as your power increases. It is only through Anu that we may achieve victory over the demons, as you did with the one you fought. To Him goes all the glory, Hyenus. Not you, not me, not anybody else.”

“Fine, fine. I get it. You’re saying I’m worthless without Anu, that he's the only reason I won that fight, that none of the merit is mine when I CLEARLY have some, blah blah blah…”

“My Father wishes that His followers are capable of fulfilling His will – His good, pleasing and perfect will. Others would have surely perished in your place, but you did not. You were capable of using His gifts cleverly, despite being the first time you are exposed to a situation like that. And for that, you have my most sincere congratulations. However…”

“However?”

“… You do need to keep in mind that far worse demons exist. Beings so evil and sadistic that their sole presence would bring you down to your knees out of sheer dread and fear. It matters not that you become the strongest mortal if there is no faith in your heart, for the trials that await you in Hell are not merely of physical nature... and if you are not ready, you *will* meet your downfall there.”

“You keep finding ways to shove your love for Anu down my throat, eh? I barely know your god, Hawkodesh. How can you expect me to put so much trust in him? How?”

“Faith will come with time. Until then, do not be so arrogant as to believe you can drop Him like an used tool after ensuring your training... because you *cannot* win this war without His aid. That is all I have to say to you."

(cont)
>>
(Update continues this Thursday or maybe on Wednesday couldn't finish in time. Until then)

>>5261609
>gnoll Luna
You mean that one pic in thread 2 of her standing on two legs?
>>
>>5261811
>more doubting Anu
>more handicaps
I'm tired of this bullshit. When are we gonna go get more boons? The sooner we get some the sooner we can kill demons faster.
>>
>>5261811
Birdy, don't get this the wrong way, we just want to be strong enough to not need to cry for Anu's help in dealing with a random low level demon like this one.

Is it just me or Anu is not as pure as he seems? Is he really the strongest god or he just wants us to think that?
Anyway we should pray for a boon later. We can always tell Anu to kick rocks after destroying the demonkind
>>
By the way, since it's going to be 1 or 2 days until I drop the rest of the update, you guys can consider this a smaller one and make Hyenus respond to Hawkodesh if you want to
>>
>>5261921
Yeah I think Anu is suspicious. He might be a fallen angel. He looks exactly like a biblically accurate one. And in the last thread qm said humans hate Anu more than devils. I'm pretty sure Anu is not a creator. He would have made his children in his image.
But still, it would obviously be suicide to reject him now.
>>
>>5261921
>cry for Anu's help in dealing with a random low level demon like this one.
We need Anu's help regardless if the demon is strong or weak, because as far as we know only Anu can perma-kill a demon, which is very much good thing.

>>5261993
We could just ask more about Anu instead of making assumptions. All this suspicions of Anu in the long run really doesn't do us any good beyond putting strain between us and Borby.
>>
>>5261993
Anon, just because Anu's a god doesn't mean he's one of those Anime/RPG assholes gods which will backstab us after we're done. Look Anu's been doing good for us till now ,he saved our hides, our mother believes in him, the only bad thing in my opinion is he's too much of a goody-two-shoe and hasn't forced the dorfs and the humans to a certain extent to get their shit together and focus on the bigger threat.

>>5261811
>>5261967
Just say something like, It's not than we don't trust him, is just than we wish we could be a little strong by ourselves, sometimes it doesn't feel we earned what we got and were saved by the others too much when we wish we could be doing the saving ourselves.
>>
>>5262044
Of course we need Anu, but we can't always use his powers. Im just saying that w can't count on Anu to save our ass every time something goes wrong.
And I would gladly talk to our current boss to ask him about a few things when we get a chance.
>>
>>5262062
So long as Hyenus isn't winging and whining about it sure, but we'll have to rely on Anu 100% of the time when it comes to demonic matters.
>>
Turning demons to demon paste only to have that demon paste turn back to demons isn't a sound strategy.
Until we find a way to permanently destroy demons without the help of Anu or any other suspicious god, siding with Anu is our best option.
>>
>>5262080
>Until we find a way to permanently destroy demons without the help of Anu or any other suspicious god
Which will be never, and a waste of our time to research as we only have LESS THAT 30 DAYS BEFORE THE WORLD GOES TITS UP AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!
By that logic we can't trust Luna either. Instead of being paranoid of every deity, we should just consider Anu generally "good" aligned and leave it at that. No need to over complicate things. Also fuck humans and their gods. We wanted to stay in our forest, but they just haaaaad to fuck around and find out.
>>
>>5262086
>Which will be never, and a waste of our time to research as we only have LESS THAT 30 DAYS BEFORE THE WORLD GOES TITS UP AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!
Don't forget we have less than 2 days until to get the armor and bitch slap that Demon boss crawling in the catacombs JUST the two of us. You know, once we get to Luna, maybe we should see if she can give some help, like not even something like helping in battle, but see if she can scout ahead for us to see if there's a safer path to the demon or at least devoid of deadly traps.
>>
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>>5262153
That's going to be a hard no chief. The only way into the catacombs is through the dwarf fortress, and Luna is already having a hard time approaching the place due to the priests warding the entire fortress against demons and spirits. I think we asked this in the past.
Pic related Luna sad face cannot enter and she doesn't like the artificial smell f the place. OH RIGHT! It was Paw or the cute rabbit wolf spirit that said Luna doesn't like the fortress.

A better use of Luna's and Paw's time would be to ask Luna if we can borrow her spirit follower and see if he can help us collect herbs. This was discussed in the autism plan to use Paw to passively farm ingredients for us, Maybe even give him a cute backpack to carry additional stuff so he doesn't have to make as many back and forth trips.
>>
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>>5261967
>>5261811
Oh shit I forgot we can respond.
Hawkodesh should know that we know that Anu can kill demons, we know that and appreciate that sure, but that last fight we got our ass kicked. HARD. We need to be stronger so that doesn't happen again, AND so we can kill them with Anu's help, if that makes sense.

>>5261814
biped Luna is a cute. 10/10 would hug.
>>
>>5261811
>>5261921

Is the first part for Hawkodesh, and the second part for meta talk?
>>
>>5262226
First part is just a loose idea for a general answer to bird bro, second is a pure meta talk.
>>
>>5261993
Whether Anu is or isn't a fallen angel or some kind of demiurge or whatever is irrelevant. Our principal concern is fucking up the demons that have enslaved gnollkind and threaten the world, and Anu provides the means to help Hyenus do that while also being mostly morally and spiritually agreeable.
>>
>>5261811
This >>5262285
>>
>>5262285
THIS. This "waaaaah anu is le bad" shit is so boring and annoying, who cares lets kill demons
>>
>>5262285
I don't think anu is bad. If anything its good to have a god on our side. But to be come over reliant on a god is to become helpless without.

Hyenus knows what helplessness feels like, so its more than fair to want to be able to help as much as he can on his own power. The same goes for those around him now. Dwarves believe in anu, but also believe that belief makes them inherently better. They refuse to believe that others could be good by virtue of that.

I see it not as "anu bad" as much as an unwillingness to become over reliant on any one ever again. Help is good. Requirement is bad.

Also feel to an extent anu can respect that as long as that belief aligns with desiring to use that personally developed strength to be a shield for others as opposed to a sword for one's self.
>>
Datz:
>I don't trust Anu because dwarven extremists are sketchy (little correlation)
Hawky:
>Bruh Anu is all good meaning (true so far) just let him in YOUR SOUL
I think that both Datz and Hawky are pressuring to choose sides, but neither really have good arguments why.
>>
>>5261811
Let's talk with mother some close hour, Hawkodesh is really not convincing us, maybe she can.
>>
>>5262489
No you dip. We agreed to talk to her when we sleep. We have more important things to finish first. Where have you been?
>>
>>5262494
>some close hour
>talk to her when we sleep
Indeed, we can talk to her then. Ask her to advertise Anu to us and maybe see if she can tell us something Daitza will be convinced by.
>>
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>>5262365
You make a very good point.
>>
>>5262365
>>5263325
Really better to stick with Anu. Being divided or not dedicating our focus entirely on Anu is just what the demons want, and they will probably use that as an opportunity to worm their way back into Hyenus.
>>
>>5263334
We should get a useful boon while we’re at it
>>
>>5261811
This is not I wanted, this isn't what I wanted at all. Anu is a real one, A REAL ONE.
>>
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>>5262365
This is the problem I have with Anu. He's a useful and necessary ally but this retarded demand for intimacy and allegiance is what bothers me. He's not our father nor our friend, he's our ally in our fight against the demons and nothing more.
>>
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>>5263530
>nothing more
He is also our benefactor, who has saved on multiple occasions btw, who also just saved us just now, btw (by the way). Our own mother is an Angel of Him, He has given us the power necessary to protect those we love, and this unfounded skepticism is only a hindrance. What argument other than, "misguided extremists are somewhat suspicious," or "he looks kinda like a biblically accurate angel lol," is there?
>>
>>5263551
How are those things being true contradict what I said? Useful and necessary ally accurately applies to all of them.
>>
>>5263530
Counterpoint, our mother is of his allegiance and he has proven reliable on multiple occasions. I would also like to mention that, if I remember correctly, the reason the demons took hold of the clans is because Luna, our other benefactor, wasn't able to combat the demonic influence.
>>
>>5263559
Ah okay, somewhat misinterpreted what you said.
>>
>>5263559
>>5263565
Actually, the part I found a problem with was,
>He's not our father nor our friend
Because if we want to purge demons and save the world as fast as possible, yeah, we're gonna need to let him OUR SOUL.
>>
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>>5263563
Again, those things don't contradict what I said. I'll say again, Anu is a USEFUL and NECESSARY ally but he ISN'T our friend, father or lord.

>>5263566
Well, Im aprehensive as to what that means. Does it mean doing something similar to when we were chosen? We let a part of Anu (Hawkodesh) into us and it's been fine. Or does it mean accepting his "love" and pledging ourselves to spreading the message of the holy father, ensuring that devotion and adoration to him will return to the entire land while also tangentially killing demons?
>>
>>5263579
And why couldn't he be? As of now, he proved himself benevolent enough considering our shenanigans so he isn't OT-like.
For the sake of the discussion, why do you consider the "demand of intimacy and allegiance" to be retarded?
>>
>>5261811
Chill buddy. We're still Anu's champion. We're just miffed we mostly got our asses kicked in that fight. Next time we have to fight a demon we want to be prepared.

>>5263530
Dude stop. Stop with the "but he is bad and evil" thing. The steps it too for Hyenus to learn Healing Palms required an individual to be very empathic, and no evil god is gonna be empathic or caring. Theres obviously more things we need to learn about, and being a full god limits how much he can do since sending his Angel's down fucks with the atmosphere, but hes generally good.
>>
>>5263590
>And why couldn't he be? As of now, he proved himself benevolent enough considering our shenanigans so he isn't OT-like.
I didn't say he couldn't, I said he isn't.

>For the sake of the discussion, why do you consider the "demand of intimacy and allegiance" to be retarded?
Because intimacy isn't demanded, it's earned. Did your friends and family get close to you because they demanded it of you? The demand for allegiance isn't retarded in a practical sense, but this whole "Oh im so benevolent you should totally love me" charade whilst doing it is.

>>5263597
You didn't read what I said.
>>
>>5263598
>Because intimacy isn't demanded, it's earned
Then by that logic Anu is the most deserving of our intimacy and allegiance:
>Opposes the evil demons who hold dominion over our clan
>Gave us Hawkodesh
>Gave indirect support during our escape via Angel Wings
>Gave direct support during our travel to the dwarfs after our escape
>Gave direct support against demons right now, despite us not praying to him
>Has mom vouching for him
>As of now, he hasn't crossed his word.
>Has at least one spell based on empathy
Dude has done more for us than any other ally of ours, including Daitza, while we are suspicious of him.
>>
>>5263598
All this suspicion doesnt help. It only weakens us, while our enemies and their champions have crazy amounts of boons.
>>
>>5263615
All of those things are true and yet he still isn't deserving of intimacy, at least not to the level he and his servants demand. I put him at the same level as Luna, a very helpful and necessary ally in our fight against the demons. How useful someone is to you does not directly correlate as to how intimate they are with you. If that was true, Hyenus would love Anu more than Daitza or his own mother which is ridiculous. The allegiance point doesn't change.

>>5263624
You still didn't read what I said
>>
>>5263579
Mostly the latter.
>>
>>5263624
You didn't read what he said.
>>
>>5263638
>All of those things are true and yet he still isn't deserving of intimacy
Have we actally tried to understand him? At this point, I would blame the our suspicion on not communicating with him more.
>I put him at the same level as Luna, a very helpful and necessary ally in our fight against the demons.
I find Luna overrated, she failed to stop the demons from manipulating the gnolls and she is unable to deal with the demons permanently. It doesn't help the fact that she, as of now, is the neutral AKA the good option AKA the milquetoast option for fencesitters. Compared to Anu, the benefactor to which the players have been most suspicious of, Luna doesn't have anything to her that would deter us from picking her, which in my opinion is boring but anons will always choose the option that seems to make Hyenus more chad-like.
>>
>>5263648
>Or does it mean accepting his "love" and pledging ourselves to spreading the message of the holy father, ensuring that devotion and adoration to him will return to the entire land while also tangentially killing demons?
You mean this? Then I have a problem with it. The priorities should be:

1. Prevent the destruction of the world
2. Free our tribe
3. Kill as many demons as possible whilst accomplishing the previous tasks.

I disagree with serving any interest of Anu that doesn't intersect with these goals. If he wants to use his position of leverage to force us to accept then just be honest about it.

>>5263662
>At this point, I would blame the our suspicion on not communicating with him more.
Well he hasn't been very communicative. He's only directly spoken to us once.

>Luna
Read: How useful someone is to you does not directly correlate as to how intimate they are with you.

And im honestly glad that you've admitted that your opinion is based on what you think makes a better story even if I disagree with it. Regarding that, I favor this "neutral" option because I view it as the most consistent for the character. In my mind, Hyenus cares most about his tribe, his mate? lover? Daitza and becoming the best version of himself that he can be. All this love, tolerance and virtue stuff that Anu preaches doesn't speak to him.
>>
>>5263677
I agree mostly, but I don't think the love/tolerence/virtue doesn't speak to him. It's definitely affecting him and realizing that the food really is sentient with all the experiences each being lives has affected him.

But dedicating yourself to another simply for power is what resulted in the gnolls becoming demon worshippers. They took the route of taking power from others. Because demons were more powerful than forest spirits, they took the powers of demons.

I don't think Hyenus would really think Anu is bad. If anything everything has shown Anu to be good. He hasn't flexed his hand and made the Dwarves fall in line. He seems to respect sentience and self will. Ironically, I think exemplifying the traits Anu wants to see out of living beings/spirits is a significantly better way to praise him than groveling and praying. Simultaneously, praising another for the power they gift and performing rituals in the name of that praise is opulence.

Basically: I like Anu. I don't want us metaphorically choking on his shlong and I'm willing to bet he doesn't either. As long as we exemplify selflessness and protect others, I'm sure he'll be proud regardless.

I'm very much a Shin Megami Tensei neutral guy.
>>
>>5263692
>1st paragraph
I also agree mostly, what I meant by "the whole love, tolerance and virtue stuff" is that those kinds of things are the fundamental goals of Anu's (ideal) servants. Hyenus does humanise (gnollerize?) and sympathise with people like Ruby but he wouldn't make that his life mission.

>2nd paragraph
Indeed, is taking power worth it if it requires you to fundamentally change who you are?

>3rd paragraph
I think Hyenus would consider Anu a mixed bag. He doesn't have to make the dwarves fall in line but that doesn't mean doing or saying basically nothing to help with the bullshit Hyenus and Daitza have had to put with let alone all of the servants. Yes, he has helped a lot like was listed here >>5263615 but, as a god, he's simply too complacent and too presumptuous to be considered "good".

>Conclusion
I think he does want us metaphorically choking on his schlong, at least if Hawkodesh's pushinesss is indicative of anything. That's my entire problem with devotion to him.
>>
>>5263721
I think Hawkodesh wants us to be on his schlong because he loves his dad so much that he's basically on the schlong

Just because some chad is covered in bitches doesn't mean he wants it. Sometimes the bitches just come because he's so chadish.

And short of being omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent; it's impossible of to be a perfect god. He's definitely not the above.

One can think of someone as a good person without jumpin on dat dicc
>>
>>5263727
>And short of being omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent; it's impossible of to be a perfect god. He's definitely not the above.
Im not expecting him to be perfect, im expecting him to do the bare minimum. No real disagreements on the other points though.
>>
>>5263727
at the very least, I think Hawkodesh might understand that we don't want to be fervent no matter who the target is. That way of thinking led to the downfall of gnolls. It only takes a future generation to follow that mind set and believe the demons may be stronger than Anu for the purposes of fulfilling their objectives


>>5263732
I can understand not acting on it. There may be other factors in play that may result in the dwarves not believing a real miracle. I think it's more he wants the demons among dwarf society to overplay their hand. If they think we may win the fight, they might try all sorts of shit that may expose themselves.

As is, they refuse to believe literal priests telling them to listen to us.
>>
>>5263325
What are Hyenus, Daitza, and Hawkodesh doing in a shitty Palma dungeon in Phantasy Star 1?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1YA_PcfKLQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnQz9njOPXg
>>
We don't want to rely only on Anu in everything. I think we can trust him but we Hyenus has to be strong enough to survive if we can't longer use some of Anu's powers, or his direct support is unlikely or impossible.
We should tell this to Hawkodesh. Its not about becoming uber gnoll, its about surviving when spells and magic are no longer an option.
>>
>>5264031
And surviving long enough to even use our powers.
>>
>>5264031
>>5264035
These. Hyenus is the Champion. That is the chosen warrior. Not a priest and maybe a bit more like a paladin or exemplar. We need to be strong enough to use the powers and strong enough to survive basic contacts with powerful enemies, or when powers are used or drained. We have a specific granted tool set- not wishes. Part of the deal is setting the example of "friends not food", tolerance and choice of following Anu's directions/ expectations. Be thankful for help and don't shit in your nest.
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>>5264070
>Be thankful for help and don't shit in your nest.
What's that supposed to mean?
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>>5264070
>Hyenus is the Champion. That is the chosen warrior. Not a priest and maybe a bit more like a paladin or exemplar.
Mate, chosen warriors aren't random schmucks that the gods chose to empower because they have potential to be better or already have the strenght, they are those who embody the gods, their teaching or the zeitgeist of their world. David was more than some hearder, same for the other prophets and the saints after them and the chosen people outside the Christian mythos by which Anu is inspired by.
A paladin embodies their god and what you describe is a transaction, not a divine patronage.
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>>5263878
They are grinding obviously.
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>>5264487
Grinding exp, right?’
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>>5261811
Where update
>>
>>5265193
Will post it tomorrow (Friday). This one turned out long. Lots of dialogue.
>>
>>5265258
... What time zone you is mang? Cali? It was Friday when you posted that.
>>
you people are fucking retarded, Anu is literally our only worthwhile ally who has consistently helped us. short of out and out telling us directly QM has made it crystal fucking clear that Anu is on our side and our only fucking chance. Stop acting like retards and deluding yourselves into thinking we can win without accepting him and taking on his boons, fucking christ's sake, seeing all this fucking mental gymnastics to try and make the one good fucking thing going for us into a no go is fucking painful. In fact, the more I see it and hear it the more I can't help but think you all are actually trying to make us lose because you want a bad end.

Get your fucking heads out of your ass and take the fucking hint, we denied his blessing once, and he still fucking helps us take out a demon, we have the chance to start embracing him with a little fucking gratitude and you retards spit in his face. We were literally as good as fucking dead if he had not intervened. Time and Time again he has given us an out or directly pulled us out of the fire. Get off the fucking schizo train and invent reasons to deny him and let's start taking our role as his champion fucking seriously before it's too late and we fucking die, or run out of time to accept him and doom our tribe.

and miss me with the argument of anon be nice and reasonable just explain why we should accept anu will listen, we have been doing that for the last 3 threads and these fucking retards still aren't getting it! I am done with niceties at this point either they are too fucking retarded to be reached or they are trolling for the same of bringing down the quest.
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>>5266222
Are you >>5263597 >>5263624 this guy? Because you haven't read what was said. If anyone is being retarded or trolling here, it's (you) .
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>>5266222
THIS.
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Mmm im gay and I love cocks
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>>5266334
Whoops my bad, wrong tab you guys.
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>>5266282
Bait

as for the rest of you, please make the right call and accept the blessing of anu before we bad end because I can easily fucking predict that if we turn him down a third fucking time we are fucked.
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>>5266358
Mate... given you unwillingness to hear me out, how could you even determine that? Or am I the one that's getting baited?
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>>5266374
Nah man I am pretty sure it was me that got baited.
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>>5266358
Nobody said anything against accepting the blessing.

Just that we aren't gonna beg for it or become a huge Anu simp
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>>5266613
Begging or not, we should go out of our way to get it. I dont see any issue with begging should we need too, but I doubt it would come to that.
>>
Posting the update in a short while, thanks for the patience.

>>5266069
GMT 4. It was a few hours past midnight so I still kinda counted it as a Thursday even if it was really Friday.

>>5263878
Cool pic
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And with that, the angel bird goes silent, leaving you with a sour taste in your mouth. Getting lectured is not something you enjoy, especially when that lecture comes from a questionable source like Hawkodesh… but maybe you were a bit too harsh with him. You didn’t want this conversation to end in such a bad note.

“Hawkodesh? You there, buddy? Biiird, birdy… birdy birdy? C'mon, don't get mad at me. It’s not that I don’t trust Anu... I just wanna be stronger so I don’t get my ass kicked by demons again. That’s all there is to it, really.”

Finally, the angel mutters a response. “Those words are unfelt, Hyenus. Why else would you refuse to pray to Him for a boon, if not because of this excessive lack of trust of yours? You fear to be manipulated again, as you were by Gnolrek. Even after everything Anu has done, you fail to realize that He is not like the Devils. If I am to be honest with you… it saddens me to witness God’s champion being such a skeptical follower.”

“Follower? Now, hold on a second. I DO trust Anu as an useful ally, I really do... but just because I took his blessing and let you in my soul doesn’t mean I have to start worshipping him or anything. You get what I'm saying?”

“You let me in your soul, yes. That’s a vote of trust I am glad you took, so why not make a step further and embrace genuine faith? Anu is not merely an ‘useful’ ally – a cold way to describe one’s relationship with a god of Love. He is to be the very foundation of one’s life, what fuels one with purpose and strength. A strength that manifests itself in both physical and mental ways, my boy. All you need to do to experience it is love Him, true and earnest.”

“Love? Seriously? I mean, I can trust him, be grateful for his help, maybe even consider him a total bro… but *love* him? That’s asking way too much from me, wingman. Sorry.”

“The decision to let Anu in one’s heart is so personal that any words coming from me will go in one of your ears and out the other... therefore, I suggest you discuss this matter with your mother. Perhaps Mirabelle can help you grasp the grace of Anu I’ve failed miserably in showing you.”

“I… uh… yeah. Good idea. Look, I know Anu is a good deity. Just... just please save your attempts at converting me for another day. I’m barely getting used to this place and the idea that I’m working for a new god, so be patient with me... that’s all I ask."

Hawkodesh remains silent for a moment. When he speaks again, his tone is much more understanding than before. "Ah, boy... perhaps I've been too hard on you? I apologize for bringing this up over and over. I do hope you are willing to embody the principles of Anu as a proper Champion one day, yes... but the blame is on me for hurrying things up.”

“Yeah. Well, I’m glad you understand. So… we’re good?”

“We’re good. Thank you, Hyenus.”

"Uh-huh. For what, exactly?"

"For being open to change."

1/6
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The spiritual link between Hawkodesh and you is cut, and with that, the conversation is over. You are back to your own thoughts.

Oh, man. That was tense! All you want is to whack demons and save your tribe. Why is that not enough for this preachy bird? His constant sermons are getting so, SO annoying. A parrot is what you'd call him. 'Parrotkodesh', yeah...

To trust Anu is one thing. He saved your skin, gave you cool powers to fight the demons with and, most importantly, Mom is on his side. She would never, ever follow a god who condones cruelty and other bad stuff. All things considered, you don’t see many reasons to doubt Anu’s intentions, so maybe you should stop being so damn paranoid and start being more grateful...

… But to LOVE him is on a whole different level. And that’s a step too far. One cannot simply ‘decide’ to love someone. You either do or you don’t… well, as far as you know anyway. You have lots of trouble understanding all this spiritual fluff. In any case, you’d rather save this love for your tribe, the people you’ve interacted with your whole life. If you never felt anything towards Gnolrek in all these years, why would you suddenly start having feels for Anu? You just don’t care about letting gods of any sort in your heart, no matter how well-meaning they are. Does that make you a vain simpleton or something? Is it right to be like this? Who knows.

Phew! All this thinking is leaving you exhausted. At least the bird gave you a good idea at the end. Talking to Mom at some point is bound to clear some of your doubts.

2/6
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“Hyeny? You okay?” Daitza’s voice interrupts your thoughts. You open your eye and find her face right next to yours. She’s got a curious expression. “You’ve been so quiet. Are you still talking to Hawkodesh or…?”

You shake your head. “Nah, we finished a moment ago. I was just… thinking.”

She puts her hands on her hips, looking somewhat concerned. “He insists on getting you to worship Anu, huh?”

“Yeah. He’s kinda sad we don’t, but it’s one thing to trust and another to worship. I hope he realizes this soon and stops trying to convince me to become an actual follower.”

Daitza looks down at her feet. “I’m… I’m not sure we can trust Anu, let alone worship him. Something is off about him, Hyeny… reeeeally off. He can’t be as good as everyone paints him to be.”

All this doubt coming from her grabs your attention. “I don’t get it. What’s bothering you, exactly?”

“Grrrrrr!" She scratches her head hard and growls while doing it, as if frustrated for some reason. "Can’t you see all the signs?!" She starts counting with her fingers. "His terrible followers. His lack of intervention on stuff that matters, like putting the dwarves in their place in that stupid meeting. His weird demand of love and being a ‘part of the family’… AND the fact the Devils are his sons. His sons, Hyeny! Doesn’t that scream ‘suspicious’ to you?!”

“A bit, I guess? Not to defend Anu or anything, but kids don’t always follow the father’s example, ya know?”

She crosses her arms. “Hmph. I’m not convinced.”

You sigh. “Look, Datz. You bring up plenty of good points, and I’ve got my share of doubts, too… but Anu opposes the Devils. And he's my mom's god. That’s all that should matter to us, I think. He can’t be worse than Gnolrek, can he?”

Daitza doesn’t respond. She looks to the side, her eyes dancing with uncertainty. “Datz… come on. Let's give Anu a chance. Okay?”

She frowns and looks at you again. “Hyeny, I’ve been wondering. Is there any way I can hear what Hawkodesh says when he speaks? Can you ask him if such a thing is possible? I’m curious about the stuff he tells you and… well… how much he’s trying to influence you without my knowledge.”

“Come on now! I’m not so dumb as to let myself be influenced by a talking bird. Errr... no offense, Hawkodesh.”

"None taken" he says. "I'm not a bird anyway. It's merely the form I choose to take."

“This creature is inside you, goofball..." Datz says, tapping your chest. "You can say he's not influencing you all you want, but it's still an inner voice you have to deal with all the time. A stranger's voice. That's why I gotta help you fight back with mine!"

3/5
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You hear Hawkodesh speak within you again. He sounds tired and devoid of enthusiasm. “So Daitza believes I’m trying to manipulate you...” He sighs. “No, she cannot hear my voice while I dwell in your soul. However, I *could* make myself visible and heard to her if I left your body temporarily.”

“Wait, so you CAN appear in front of us?” you say out loud so Daitza hears you. “Why not do that now, then? There are no dwarves around, in case you don't want to be seen by them.”

“Um… yeah!” your mate exclaims, raising her eyebrows with expectance. ”I’d love to see what you look like, uh, Hawkodesh.”

Strangely enough, the angel refuses your petition. “I’m afraid I can't. There’s a good reason I don’t tend to show myself in the physical plane. And soon, you will learn why.”

“Errr... why not explain it now, wingman?” You wait for an answer, but your question is met with silence. “Hawkodesh...?”

Suddenly, he speaks with a deadly serious tone that takes you by surprise a bit. “Hyenus, listen carefully. I've been thinking about your eventual talk with Luna, and finally came to conclusion. When my… the forest spirit reveals herself, I promise to reveal myself as well, as the four of us must talk freely and without restrictions. You have my word that most of your questions – including the nature of the vision you had – will be answered in this instance. I suggest you be prepared, for you may not like everything you're going to hear from me... but you deserve to know the truth. The whole truth about our plans with beastfolk, the true origins of nature spirits such as Luna, and the man you were in your past life.”

”My… my past life? Your plans with beastfolk? What’s this all about, Hawkodesh?”

“Go see Luna, my boy. Let us get this over with.”

4/6
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>>5266836
Man, why's life gotta be complicated. I hope Gromelekt is defeated soon so we can go learn how to cast fire punch and punch boulders, maybe even learn how to play an instrument. I'm feeling something acoustic, a guitar perhaps?

What do you think, would Hyenus be a guitarist? Bass player? Singer?
>>
>>5266839
He would be the triangle solo.
>>
>>5266850
The electric triangle, the most powerful of all the triangles.

>>5266836
If Riku can beat her daughter in a fight, does that mean we get to fuck her?
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The angel says nothing more and goes quiet again. His strange words have left you confused and with even greater doubts and concerns than before. Just great…

Datz puts a hand on your shoulder. “Hyeny, that look on your face is worrying me. A lot. What did he tell you this time?”

“It’s all so strange... I don’t know what to think anymore. He said he’s going to show himself when we meet with Luna and answer all our questions then. That also includes the things I want to ask about my vision...”

“Vision?" she says, tilting her head. "What vision?”

“Oh, right! I haven’t told you yet. Okay, this happened when I was healing the rabbette...”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh..."

You spend two or three minutes explaining the odd experience you had. “… and the humie woman said, ‘You did.’ And that’s when the vision came to an end. Weird, isn’t it?”

“'Weird' doesn’t begin to describe it!" a fascinated Datz says. "A human with pointy ears, a blood sun, this mysterious food stuff called ‘hot chocolate’… what IS chocolate, Hyeny? What does it all mean? This is so very interesting, but I have no idea what to make of it. Uhh, maybe you saw the world through a humie king’s eyes?”

“Hm. Could be. I'm betting on that too, but let’s go with the wolf so we can get the actual truth from Hawkodesh. The expectation is killing me!”

“Yup, me too. So many mysteries to be answered, huh?"

5/6
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TIME: 15:30

Of course, you omitted the bit where you strangely loved the woman on the vision the same way you love Datz. That would be awkward and very hard to explain. Besides, you're not really sure about these feelings. They're kind of diffuse...

Only a few seconds pass by, and the two of you arrive to your destination. “Here we are" she says. "This should be the entrance to the mines, according to that pony-tailed humielet.”

“Finally!" you exclaim. "Feels like it took forever to get here.”

Datz peeks into the darkness extending ahead of you. “It’s pretty dark. isn't it? We're going to need a source of light if we don't want to get lost in there. You think the dwarves would mind if we borrow two of those fiery sticks hanging on the walls? They've got plenty of 'em anyway.”

>”Good idea” (Grab two public torches and venture into the mines)
>”Wait here, I’ll go fetch the one in our room real quick” (Go to your room, retrieve the single torch and return here)
>Write in
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>>5266889
Rika is too old to beat her daughter in fights anymore.
>>
> ”Good idea” (Grab two public torches and venture into the mines)
Eh.
>>
>>5266911
>>”Good idea” (Grab two public torches and venture into the mines)
We better not suffer consequences from this.
>>
>>5266911
so the options are
>Don’t waste time but the dwarfs might find out you were snooping around
or
>Waste time but be discrete.

This place seems to be out of the way so taking one should not be bad, right?
>>
>>5266939
Well, if I remember correctly these caves were abandoned due to them mining all the minerals in it. So they really shouldnt be too mad about us checking it out, right???
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>>5266911
>”Good idea” (Grab two public torches and venture into the mines)
Yeah I don't think they would care even if they noticed.
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>>5266810
Hey how come Datz pictures Hawky controlling Hyenus via levers if she doesn't know what a machine is?
Controlling him with strings would be more plausible.
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>>5266911
>>”Good idea” (Grab two public torches and venture into the mines)
>>
>>5266911
>”Wait here, I’ll go fetch the one in our room real quick” (Go to your room, retrieve the single torch and return here)
Get the whip from our room, and I think there was a necklace of Anu or a cross somewhere. Grab that too.

>>5266912
Not with that attitude.

>>5266930
>>5266938
>>5266939
>>5266947
They probably would care. Also, get the god damned weapon in our room.
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>>5266911
> ”Good idea” (Grab two public torches and venture into the mines)
>>
>>5267229
>>5266954
>>5266947
>>5266939
>>5266938
>>5266930
Dude there are monsters and beasts in the cave. We had a spear to hunt down boars
We dont have weapons with us right now. We need something, plus a cross of Anu would weaken any demon possessed animal we might encounter, and considering all the bullshit we had to wade through in the past few hours, there is a 100% chance of demons possessing animals.
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>>5267242
Alright, I'm changing to returning to our room to pick some stuff.
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>>5266911
We need to bring actual equipment with us. At least one self defense tool for each of us. The anu necklace should help with dwarves down here. Torches and tools
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>>5267315
If we want to go full protection, we can grab a shield and a spear from the armory (try to pass one lass speech check to get that Dwarf Speech perk).

Even if they dont have anything gnoll sized, a shield is still a shield, and we'll all to familiar with how to use a spear.

Hey wait a minute I thought we had natural night vision.
>>
>>5266911
>Go to the armory and the servant dormitory and see if we can borrow a few torches
If we take the torches, we certainly get charged with theft of public property, and justifiably so. Of course, the dwarves will also come up with some other charges and possibly get them to stick.
If we take the torch from our room, then we only have one torch, and the dwarves will find a reason that we're not allowed to take a torch from our room anyway.
The guards probably have torches for when they need to go into a dark place, and the servants likely have access to stockpiles of torches because they need to be able to do their jobs.
>>
>>5267320
>>5266938
Good point, switching to this idea.
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>>5266911
Go to armory to acquire shields and spears and torches. An easy arguement to our advantage would be to explain that we want to hunt animals for the feast, and the least injured we are then we more food we can bring back.
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>>5266911
Can we please have a minor retcon where we go to the armory first instead of the cave since anons forgot our plan and that the cave is full of monsters? Some anons cannot remember 2-4 month old plans.
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>>5267454
I disagree with a retcon, just accept that not everybody agreed to a premade plan that was months ago. Also it is a bad presedent.
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>>5267468
Most people agreed with the plan two months ago
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>>5267320
suppport
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>>5267509
So what? people right now disagreed with the premade plans now It could also be that those that disagreed didnt voice their opinion.
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>>5267468
Indeed. In many quests and campaigns, weeks or even months of in-game time can pass in a single real-world day. In Gnoll Quest, it is the other way around
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>>5267527
Doubtful.
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>>5267613
I hope we get to leave DorfNamek someday.
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>>5267641
U know, since those anons mentioned a list, how about once we checked with Luna we do a list of things to do to speed things up? Like the anos can make an order of things both Hyenus and Daitza can do and then depending of their reputation with Dorfs/Servants they can get a simple success or fail depending of their choices/reputation till now? Say we choose to things in this order, 1- Food, 2-Armory, 3-New Spell and 4-Potions we get results like this:

1 Food: Success because some servants saved/gave some scraps/food for us because we're not assholes, we treat them right and Ruby gave a good reputation boost for us.

2 Armory: Fail because our reputation wasn't enough and Murdock vouching for us hurt our chances after he bitch-slapped the Dorf woman.

3 New Spell at the temple: Sucess because temple-dorfs know we're the chosen one and Murdock was there to help us learn a new spell.

4 Potions: Success because we're buddies with the alchemist brother and we mentioned his name.

Just something to hurry things up, because even after dealing with Luna we still need to do our speech at dinner time, possible pray before going to sleep, talk with mom and then do whatever else need before FINALLY going for the armor and killing the big bad demon on the catacombs, which could take like 3-4 more threads, of course just throwing some ideas, we can still do stuff the usual way, if anyone have any better ideas please say so.
>>
>>5267527
Real talk, forgot the plan. Post pls.
>>
>>5267826
I'm at work atm. Cant find it. I hunger.
>>
>>5266953
Didn't think that through, honestly.

>>5267320
You do but only to a small degree. Helpful out in the open during nighttime but not so much in interiors like caves.

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

>>5266947
>>5266954
>>5267229
>”Good idea” (Grab two public torches and venture into the mines)

>>5267164 (plus pick other stuff)
>>5267281 (plus pick other stuff)
>”Wait here, I’ll go fetch the one in our room real quick” (Go to your room, retrieve the single torch and return here)

>>5267315
>Gather proper equipment

>>5267368
>Go to the armory and the servant dormitory and see if we can borrow a few torches

>>5267419
>>5267511
>Grab a shield and a spear from the armory

>>5267430
>Go to armory to acquire shields and spears and torches

These votes were difficult to tally, but the general feel is that anons want to be better equipped before venturing in the mines. Guess the plot hook is gonna have to wait a bit longer, eh?

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

Looks like Indecisivenus changed his mind and won't enter the mines yet, as he wants to go in more prepared.

What will you do now?
>Go to your room, grab everything that might be of use, then return here and make your way into the dark tunnel systems
>Go to the armory (found in the Barracks) and see if you can acquire any useful tools or weapons for your adventure
>Write in
>>
Actually, upon second revision of the votes, most anons want to go to the armory and grab torches and weapons from there. So that's where Hyenus and Datz will be headed to.

Writing the updat. If it's not ready in 1 or and half then it'll come tomorrow
>>
>>5267977
Writing the update*. If it's not ready in 1 hour* and a half then it'll be posted tomorrow.
>>
>>5267977
Good to know that the QM is putting his mental heath first
>>
>>5267979
Our strong Dwarf bro said if we wanted armor we should go here. Arthur's honor. If the smith tells us no to giving is armor then we'll bring it up with Arthur next time we see him.

Ideal weapons would be spears, shields, pickaxes, that one specialize eye pockdr weapon anon suggest a few threads back, and slings. If the Smith dwarf wont give us even those then we can for sure ask for slings, maybe even clubs or mining tools, with the excuse that we'll pick any gems and ore we come across. We can also ask Brusca to give a second or third serving as thanks for loaning us the tools.

Are furs of animals worth anything? Do dwarves value hides and furs? Maybe Brusca could skin whatever we kill, then ask a servant to tan the hide for us? We did help her brother out. I hope Brunus is doing alright.
>>
>>5267624
Perphaps, but its also probably people forgot. And there are better way to convince people than saying it was part of a plan.
>>
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>>5268328
https://files.catbox.moe/7hnlyf.txt
found old things so tired
>>
>>5268356
tldr.
>>
>>5268364
Baby's not used to reading more than 100 words at a time?
>>
>>5268384
Pretty much.
>>
>>5268356
Pic related is old scrapper plan idea.
>>
Hey anons, sorry for the delayitza but I'm not 100% sure what some of you meant by 'armory'. Unless there's something I'm missing it can refer to the barracks (where soldiers reunite to train and fight) OR the blacksmith forge (where torches and dwarven gear is made and maintained).

Do keep in mind that all weapons and armor are personal possessions, so you won't find a spear just lying about for public use. Either you borrow one from a willing dwarf, the smith hands you one he crafted for someone else, or you ask him to forge a custom weapon for you (along with armour if you want).

So which one of these two did you mean by 'armory"? Going to the barracks means you'll stumble upon Arthur and lots of dwarves training there, while going to the forge means you'll find the smith and a few servants. You can get weapons and torches in either place, but a dwarf will have to do you a favour regardless.

If I don't get answers in 1 hour I'll assume you guys meant the forge and write the update based on that.
>>
>>5268356
Man it's been a while since I reviewed my notes. So if we're really going to the armory, question is if it's located in the Barracks or the blacksmith forge. On our way back from there we should pick up a quick bite from the kitchen to mitigate the hunger penalty, then go to the cave. Considering what may happen when we go to talk to Luna, the plan with Bark might not be viable, but we can (with hope) still ask Luna some questions.
Best case scenario Bark can get us all the herbs we need.
>>
>>5268793
Black smith
>>
>>5268827
To the blacksmith forge it is then, writing.

Fun fact: most male dwarves in the fortress are trained soldiers. They change turns to do different tasks but almost everyone has weapons and armor stored in their private cabins. There's no 'armory' perse, but rather the majority of dwarves have their own little personal armory.
>>
>>5268853
Is it possible for Ruby to train hard enough to beat Daitza in a spar?
>>
>>5269086
Would require daitza to not be training hard as well.
>>
>>5269086
Not plausible unless she could evolve like a pokemon later on.
>>
>>5269114
I bet if Ruby prayed hard enough to Anu, used magic and potion supplements, and had a tutor to help train her she could stand a chance.
>>
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As you consider whether to pick a fiery stick on the walls next to you or the one in your room, all while peeking into the darkness in front of you, it occurs to you that there may be aggressive creatures lurking in there. Torches are not enough for this adventure - you should go in better prepared, armed with spears hopefully. The question is, where are you going to get o-

The forge! Of course! When Arthur showed you that place, you saw plenty of weapons resting in one of those metal stands. Clearly, that's the place where you can pick up everything you need. And it's exactly where you're going now.

"Wait! I have a better idea" you tell Datz. "Let's go to the forge and ask that red-haired dwarf for torches AND weapons. We can make the most of it while we pass by and request suits of armour for ourselves!"

Datz sighs. "Reeeally, Hyeny? Changed your mind again? C'mon, it's not like we're gonna be attacked by something big and dangerous in there. The entrance would be sealed otherwise..."

"Better safe than sorry, Datz. This time, I'm completely sure of what I'm doing. For real!"

"Oookay, I guess. Let's do it your way. But we ARE going with Luna afterwards, right? Right?"

"Yeah. No more delays after this."

"Phew! Sorry, it's just that time passes by SO slowly in this fortress for some reason. I wanna get this over with already."

(cont)
>>
Datz and you head to the blacksmith forge, once again enduring the weird stares you get from dwarves on the way there.

Minutes of walking after, the smell of smoke hits your nostrils and the sound of a blunt object striking against metal reaches your ears, signaling your arrival to the forge. The air in this room is so unbearably hot that you wonder how anyone can stand working in here for longer than five minutes.

The first person to grab your attention is the red-haired dwarf you saw before. The guy, who looks super focused on his work, is hammering a piece of hot 'iron' on one of those strange 'anvil' objects that Arthur mentioned, shaping it into God knows what. There's also a male deer servant doing smith tasks as well, using a odd dwarven tool to grab a heated iron bar from inside the burning forge..That thing is glowing red! You've never seen anything like this before. What a cool sight...

"W-w-w-work f-f-faster, M-m-mervis! W-W-WORK F-FASTER!" the angry blacksmith yells at the deerman. "P-p-plenty of orders t-today! W-we cannot b-be SLOW! T-the f-fortress d-d-epends on US!" He stutters every one of his words. Probably a really nervous dwarf, or he's got a speech impediment of some sort.

The deerman - who's got a weird stoic look - just returns a small nod and continues working at its own pace..Staring at this servant makes your mouth water a bit, but as long as you keep your distance, it should be fine. Datz, however, seems to be struggling far more than you. She's biting her lips and looking to the side, absolutely refusing to look in the deerman's direction.

(cont)
>>
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While you think how to approach the busy smith, he suddenly notices you. There's great surprise in his two small eyes. You wave at him with a friendly smile, hoping he's a nice dwarf that realizes you're the Champion and will give you stuff if you ask for it...

Sadly, the surprised look on his face fades into a harsh frown in less than two seconds. "H-H-HEY!" W-W-WHAT THE F-FUCK A-A-ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

>"Hewo, weapon fowgew. I am going into the mines, and I need youw stwongest weapons"
>"This was a bad idea" (Leave)
>Write in
>>
>>5269373
>>"Hewo, weapon fowgew. I am going into the mines, and I need youw stwongest weapons"
>>
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>>5269373
>"Hewo, weapon fowgew. I am going into the mines, and I need youw stwongest weapons"
>>
>>5269377
lmao

>>5269373
>"Hewo, weapon fowgew. I am going into the mines, and I need youw stwongest weapons"
>>
>>5269373
>"Hewo, weapon fowgew. I am going into the mines, and I need youw stwongest weapons"
>I’m the champion, and you gotta deal with it!
>>
>>5269373
>"Hewo, weapon fowgew. I am going into the mines, and I need youw stwongest weapons"
>Write in
>I need a weapon to kill some game from the abandoned mines for the feast tonight, and a bag to carry herbs for the George's brother the Alchemist. The priests need more magic potions, and the hospital could use more healing potions. If you give us a pick axe too we'll bring back any shiny rocks we find to you.

We got to sell it.

>>5269404
SELL IT BETTER!
>>
>>5269464
>>5269373

Support!
>>
>>5266810
>>5269340
>Daitzsa groks the concept of levers and automatons even though she has never seen a device more complex than a spear or a pot
>Hyenus comes up with lightbulbs despite not knowing about electricity or even glass
>humies and dwarves haven’t come up with these things despite having civilisations, books, and countless other advantages
Gnolls are clearly the true engineer race of Aurus. Fuck the diggers for LARPing as master craftsmen and sending Aurus’ most brilliant engineers to the mines in their place, and fuck Luna for denying us our heritage.
>>
>>5269464
>I’M THE CHAMPION, AND YOU GOTTA DEAL WITH IT!
>>
>>5269516
You're on to something and I'm scared for it.

>>5269523
Tone it down, make it more convincing.
>>
>>5269569
>I’M THE CHAMPION, AND YOU GOTTA DEAL WITH IT!

That better?
>>
>>5269373
>>5269373
Hello Master smith. We are going into the mines. We would like some weapons to kill some game or defense. We will be also collecting herbs for George's brother the alchemist since the hospital and priests need more healing potions. Where can we get some torches to take?
>>
>>5269373
>>5270112
+1
>>
>>5269359
Oh baby look at those spears.
>>
>>5269373
>red hair
>black eyebrows
Emersion ruined. Something here is fake.

>>5270112
>>5269464
>>5269377
+1
>>
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"Hewo, weapon fowgew. I am going into the mines, and I need youw stwongest weapons."

The smith scowls at your request. "My w-weapons are t-too GOOD for you, g-g-gnogger! Filthy mutts like y-you will NEVER lay their d-dirty fingers on my c-c-c-crafts! Now get out of my w-workshop or ELSE!" He swings his hammer menacingly at you, a gesture that makes Datz frown and exchange looks with you. She knows what's going on, in spite of the language barrier. The deerman gives you a smug, bored look, somehow unfazed by the fact that two predators are meters away from its throat.

A part of you knew this was not gonna be easy. Of course, this is nothing you weren't ready to deal with. With the help of your sublime charisma - and a good excuse - you bet you can get this dwarf to hand out his stuff, so here goes! "Ahem..."

>Roll 1d100 to convince the smith to help you, best of 3
>DC: 74 (Base: 80; -7 Explain you want to gather potion ingredients for the fortress; +1 Mild hunger)
>NOTE: Passing this speech check will earn you a perk
>>
Rolled 79 (1d100)

>>5270460
Rollerino
>>
>>5270464
Good.
>>
Rolled 29 (1d100)

>>5270460
We're already beat it, but we still need 2 more, here goes another one.
>>
Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>5270460
>>
>>5270472
>>5270475
Wooh, good thing the first roll was successful.
Now we get a perk
>>
>>5270472
>>5270475
Geez, Dice gods almost fucked us over again, nice job anon >>5270464.
>>
we made it kek
>>
Ah snap crackle pop, does this mean they'll be willing to make us armor to wear when we eventually have to go down to fight the demons? I hope so. If not we're gonna need alooooooot of mana potions so we can cast Lunar Skin who knows how often.
>>
Posting the update in a moment

>>5269086
With training and weapons, maybe. But in a hand-to-hand match? Not a chance.

>>5268203
They value furs, yes, but not of animals you usually find in caves.
>>
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>79: Success (Close call)

"Ahem. Just so you know, ouw tour to the mines is to gathew ingwedients fow potions.” It’s not the main reason of your visit, but you DO plan to pick some herbs on the way to Luna, so it’s not a complete lie. It’s called omission!

"Po-po-potions...?" the smith stutters, frowning in confusion. "W-what the heck are you t-talking about?"

Making memory of Murdock's words at the church, you elaborate further. "Wew, I heawd that mana potions aw reawy difficuwt to make, so the pwiests aw aways in need of dem. And I guess the hospitaw can use heawing ones, too, so we want to give you dig- I mean, dwawves a fuwy hand and cowect the ingwedients fow them in the cave systems. Youw weapons wouwd be life saviouws in case any pwedatows attack us whiw we explow... oh, and if you couwd hand us two fiewy sticks, a bag to cawy hewbs, and maaaaybe one of those fun picky picky toows, dat wouwd be great."

As you finish explaining why helping you is to the benefit of the fortress, you notice anger and disbelief in the dwarf’s eyes. It seems your words aren’t reaching him for some reason. "Think about the chiwdren those potions could save, smith bro... think about-"

"SHUT UP!" He slams his hammer onto the iron bar resting on the anvil, deforming it. "Why t-the hell do you think you'll find a-a-anything useful in those f-forsaken m-mines?! D-do you even know w-what our potions are m-made of?!"

"Uhh... nope."

"T-then how do you KNOW you'll find t-the ingredients in there, y-you fuckin' dolt? There's a r-reason we built specialized g-gardens for 'em! They don’t j-just grow in ANY damned c-cave!"

“Errr… okay.” Gardens, huh? You never heard of that concept before. Too bad this is not the best time to ask what it means. You have to get on this smith’s good side first… and now, you’ll try appealing to something different - his appetite. “Even if thewe aw no plants wowth finding, we can stiw hunt some tasty game fow the feast tonite. Is that a good enough weason to give us the weapons we need?" These humielets are so stacked they must be food lovers. You’re bound to have hit the right spot with this…

"'Tasty game'?" The dwarf's wrath goes away, replaced by a perplexed stare with traces of genuine curiosity. "Y-you mean r-rodents, ssssnakes a-and spiders, t-the ONLY animals o-one can possibly find in t-those tu-tunnels? THAT's w-what your kind fi-finds tasty?"

You smile. "If you nevew tasted woasted rat in youw life, you nevew truwy lived."

The smith shakes his head with a disgusted face, looking down on gnoll cuisine. "G-goddamn, that's ho-ho-ho-horrible. You dogs are on a WHOLE d-different le-level of vulgarity."

1/4
>>
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The forger eyes the two of you up, as if judging your characters. "S-so you're s-serious about going to those mi-mines… b-but why? Is t-there something I-I don't know ab-about that pl-place?"

Dwarves would probably take it poorly that you hang out with a god different from Anu. And so, you shake your head. "No, uhh... wike I said, we want to hunt and, uhh... gathew wots of pwants fow the awchemist. That's aw there is to it."

The smith squints his round eyes and studies your face with a skeptical look. "Lemme ask y-you something, gn-gnogger. Why do y-you claim to be the Ch-champion w-when that's cl-clearly not t-true?”

"I *am* the Champion" you say confidently and without wavering. "You can ask Anu if you don't bewieve me."

"Hmph! N-no need to b-bother Him with the ob-obvious. T-the Ch-champion must be a d-dwarf, a strong and vi-virtuous DWARF… n-not some clu-clueless tribal m-m-mutt from the s-surface. Anu must have s-sent you here t-to test our faith, b-but the actual saviour is y-y-yet to come…” He nods to himself. “Yes… t-that would explain w-why the p-priests found no demonic traces within y-your bodies. Ma-maybe y-you aren't w-working for d-demons, no… m-maybe you are re-redeemed gnolls like that fe-female one from y-years ago. Mabelle w-was her name, I-I think.”

“It’s MIWABEW, dwawf. She was my mothew!”

“Miwabew…? Oh, Mirabelle. Damn, it's d-difficult to u-understand your shitty a-accent. So y-you’re his son, huh…?” He inspects you from head to toe, nodding slowly. “A-anyway... i-it IS possible y-you found Anu’s grace like she d-did, yes… b-but t-that doesn't m-make you the Champion in the l-least. A vi-violent, de-demonically corrupted r-race such as yours i-is NOT fit for s-such a g-grand destiny.” A condescending smile appears on his face. “And there is n-nothing wrong with that. S-such glory is r-reserved fo-for dwarves with a r-reason… *we* a-are the chosen of Anu, t-the *first* race to walk on Aurus, a-and creatures like you are un-unnatural impurities, sad c-consequences of Sin that w-we must be compassionate t-towards. The s-sooner you accept y-your lesser pl-place in the e-eyes of God… t-the better."

"Whatevew, dude. Awe you gonna help us ow not?"

The blacksmith is taken aback by your blunt answer. You want him to give you the damn ultimatum already, as it’s clear that this is not going anywhere… but the response he ends up giving takes you by surprise. "Anu f-forbid I'm m-making a mistake, but... a'ight. Let's ma-make a deal, see if you t-two are a t-trustable bunch. A-as unlikely as it may be."

"I'm… I’m wistening." Hey, being bold actually worked! Dwarves seem to appreciate it more when you go straight to the point...

>NEW PERK: Midget Talker. You realized that most dwarves react better to bold honesty, granting you a +10 to speech rolls with the majority of them. There may be exceptions, though – most of them involving dwarves of high social standing

2/4
>>
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"Psst..." Daitza whispers, bumping you with her elbow. "Is he gonna help us or not?"

"We've got this, Datz" you say, which gets a grin of satisfaction from her. "Ah, cool."

With a long-drawn sigh, the humielet proceeds to explain his proposal. "Truth is… t-there IS something you can do for m-me in the mi-mines, my friends. And I… I would re-reward you i-immensely if you did. Oh, b-by the way… I’m Gondar Swordshaper. A pl-pleasure to meet y-you.” Wow! What’s with this sudden change of attitude?

Well, you might as well introduce yourself too. This dwarf ain’t so bad after all. “I’m Hyenus, and this is my mate Daitza.” Datz realizes you’re greeting each other and exchanges friendly nods with Gondar. You glance at the deerman, who returns an uninterested look at you. “Hey. You're Mervis, right?” The servant says nothing in response. From the way he scrutinizes you, looking you up and down with its lips slightly curled, you get the hunch this prey not only dislikes you – it thinks of itself as *superior*. This irritates you greatly, so before you consider turning it into your lunch out of spite, you ignore the arrogant prick and stare back at the smith. “Quiet guy, huh?”

“A quiet one, indeed. Now, back to my story…” the dwarf says, clearly more interested in talking about his problems. He walks out the forge for a moment to check both ways, verifying that there’s nobody prying about, and goes back inside. “M’kay, gnog- gnolls. What I’m about to tell you must *not* leave this room. This also goes to you, Mervis.” The servant shrugs and resumes its work, showing no interest in the conversation.

Before you can ask what’s all the secrecy for, Gondar is speaking already. “A’ight, I’ll g-get to the p-point. I’m… I’m constantly haunted b-by a demon.” He nods. “Yes… a d-demon that takes the f-form of a young g-girl made the abandoned mi-mines its home. God knows how it got there in the first place, b-but I’ve been having n-nightmares with that cr-creature for FIVE months s-straight, a-and it’s starting to take its toll on me...”

There is a demon in those tunnels! You KNEW it wasn’t a good idea to venture in there unarmed. You can’t wait to see Datz’ face when you tell her this. Heh heh heh…

“I-I didn’t always s-s-stutter my w-words, ya know? W-well, now I d-do… because t-that d-demon CURSED me. Took a w-weird obsession w-with me for n-no reason, NO r-reason.” He lowers his head, looking down at his feet. “I-I didn’t d-do anything to deserve this… I’ve f-followed Anu’s principles b-by heart my whole life. I p-pay my tithes, I say all my d-daily prayers, I tr-treat my fellow br-brothers in faith well, I w-work my ass off to k-keep this f-fortress armed t-to the t-teeth… I… I am a flawless Anustian! I-I’ve d-done SO much for e-everyone! I am fr-free of s-sin! So W-WHY is Anu a-allowing this t-to happen to me?! Why?!”

3/4
>>
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You’re not sure if he’s talking to you or himself anymore. The dwarf soon realizes he lost control and stops yelling at you. “Ah, f-fuck. I s-strayed off there a bit…”

“That’s okay" you reply, taking the chance to ask him a few questions. "So you say this demon takes the fowm of a femaw dwawf, and it’s been sending you nightmaws fow months on end. How do you know it’s hiding in those tunnews? Have you tawked to the pwiests about this?”

The weapon forger remains silent with a half open mouth. Two or three seconds pass by, and the words finally come out. “The demon… i-it *told* me it’s on the m-mines. I-I don’t know why – p-perhaps to lu-lure me in, i-if I had to g-guess. I-it also t-threatens to kill me if I tell anyone a-about i-its existence, s-so I’m taking a HUGE r-risk by sh-sharing this w-with you... but I-I cannot bear with this torture any lo-longer. That’s why I-I must ask for your a-absolute di-discretion regarding this ma-matter.”

“Okay. Got it. What do you want us to do, exactwy?”

“Since you’re g-going to the mines, pl-please… PLEASE find t-that demon and de-destroy it. I-it’s the o-only way to end the curse and a-all the horrid nightmares that k-keep t-tormenting me.” Gondar gives you a sad smile. “S-something i-in my heart t-tells me the Lord A-almighty sent you here to h-help me… s-so please, don’t bring me down. G-go there and s-slay this abomination... I-I want to get over with this ch-chapter and move on w-with my life. I… I want t-to forget her.”

“Hew? You mean the demon, wight?”

“Y-yes, t-the demon. T-that’s who I m-meant...” He shakes his head. “Look, if… i-if you agree to my d-deal and pr-promise not to tell anyone a-about this, I’ll h-hand you all t-the equipment you ask for. A-and if you DO manage to ki-kill it…” He grins. “T-then I-I'll forge for ya the BEST fu-fuckin' spear you’ll e-ever lay your eye upon. N-none of that pr-primitive wooden shit y-you t-tribals use, no… I’m t-talking about s-something good. REALLY good. You get to pick the design and all. I-I bet you like the s-sound of that, eh?” He raises his eyebrows up and down. “That w-will be your re-reward for this mi-mission. So, do we h-have a deal?"

>”Deaw.”
>”Add in a customized suit of awmow fow Datz and I, and I’w do it.”
>Refuse
>Write in
>>
>>5274001
He is pretty desperate, I want to ask about suit of armour but that's asking a lot.
>>
>>5274001
>”Add in a customized suit of awmow fow Datz and I’w do it.”
She needs better equipment and we will have the Lunar Armor to wear.
>>
>>5274001
>>”Deaw.”
I wanna ask an armor for Datz but I rather ask after the mission when he's more thankful.
>>
>>5274001
>”Add in a customized suit of awmow fow Datz and I, and I’w do it.”
>>
>>5274001
>>”Add in a customized suit of awmow fow Datz and I, and I’w do it.”


will this result in a roll
>>
>>5274001
>>”Deaw.”
Epic, a sidequest.
>>
>>5274001
> Deaw.
If we need the suit of armor, we can ask for it later once we have his gratitude. We probably don’t, though, because we will get the lunar armor in 2 days anyway
>>
>>5274049
We should get it afterwards though. It would really suck to fight even stronger demons without protection.
>>
>>5274001
>”Add in a customized suit of awmow fow Datz and I, and I’w do it.”
>>
>>5274001
>>”Deaw.”
>>
>>5274001
>"Deaw."
Really hope we're not getting tricked into killing an innocent little girl who fled to the mines specifically to avoid getting murdered by this guy
>>
>>5274049
Something to add: Datz will probably not appreciate the suit of armor very much.
>wearing thing not from nature… le BAD
>this is heavy how am I supposed to fight in this? Ugh…
>ohmywoods its so loud, I can’t sneak up on people like a predator from nature while wearing this
Also the dwarf probably doesn’t know how to make armor for women. Not his fault obviously, but it means that any suit made for Daitzsa would likely not fit properly, especially at the chest
>>
>>5274001
>deal
man our accent is getting worse.
>>
>>5274078
Hyenus should be able to tell a little girl from a demon.
>>
>>5274078
>>5274087
We can just ask our wingman to give the details about it, hell we can use him to help us track the supposedly "demon" after our encounter with Luna.
>>
>>5274001
>”Add in a customized suit of awmow fow Datz and I, and I’w do it.”
>Write in
Reasoning to help convince us: If we manage to kill the demon, that means we're a great asset for the fortress, and we can help kill more demons bothering anyone. Ask the Dwarf if he knows any prayers or tricks the priests use to beat demons. To save us time, ask if we can borrow any crosses of Any if he has a spare.

>>5274079
She's start appreciating it when it saves her life. There's only so much that "get hit and deal with it" strategy can handle. Like the time she got punched in the gut today? Armor would had helped.

>>5274087
>>5274089
I bet this is a side quest within the side quest. It's probably a little girl that's possessed by a demon. If we manage to exorcise the demon from her, we can probably get a shit ton of good dog points with the dwarves.
>>
>>5274001
>”Add in a customized suit of awmow fow Datz and I, and I’w do it.”
>>
Anons are fixated on bad ideas.

Leather is what Datz would wear, but the dwarf smith doesn't make that.

Ask the PRIESTS for holy symbols. I doubt a Cross is their symbol. "Hey Hawkie? What is Anu's holy symbol?"

If we are gonna face a demon in the mines we need food and rest for a few hrs. Or potions. I think we should swing past the kitchens and ask the goblin about snacks.
>>
>>5274478
Eyepick this anon please.
>>
>>5274478
This anon is retarded.
I am also sure this post is bait. Well played.
>>
>>5274187
+1
>>
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>>5274001
>”Deaw.”
no no no, don’t take advantage of the dwarf guys.
I will be harder to get rid of the demon when the plot twist of it being her exile daughter or some other drama is revealed.

Also, what color is Ruby?
I forgot.
>>
>>5274635
Good to see you man, how's college?
>>
>>5274635
Nice job mate!
>>
>>5274001
>>”Deaw.”
He's already twisting his own arm asking us. Lets not make him think we're selfish on top of it.

We can ask for more armor when we get back.
Asking for an amulet of anu for additional protection is probably worth while though, even if it's not effective.
>>
>>5274638
two weeks more till I'm done.
I would socialize but just ask in the general.
I feel guilty for conversing in anothers man quest.
>>
>>5274645
This.
>>
>>5274001
Ask why he takes the demon’s threat so seriously when the fortress is full of soldiers and priests. Perhaps there’s something that we should be aware of before facing it?
>>
>>5274001
>”Deaw.”
Let's not get greedy. We can ask for amor after getting on his good side.

>>5275095
This. But let's try not to imply anything. Just ask bluntly if this demon has some special powers and shit
>>
>>5274003
>>5274022
>>5274042
>>5274049
>>5274070
>>5274078
>>5274085
>>5274635
>>5274645 (ask for amulet of anu)
>>5274706 (ask for amulet of anu)
>>5275178
>Deaw


>>5274004 (only for Datz)
>>5274037
>>5274041
>>5274061
>>5274187 (explain why you should be given a suit of armour)
>>5274421
>>5274561 (explain why you should be given a suit of armour)
>”Add in a customized suit of awmow fow Datz and I’w do it.”


>>5275095
>>5275178 (word it carefully)
>Ask why he takes the demon’s threat so seriously when the fortress is full of soldiers and priests


>>5274478
>Ask the PRIESTS for holy symbols

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

Looks like Hyenus will accept the deal as is. He will consider asking for armour after doing the mission.

Writing
>>
>>5274635
Noice, that's some great art.
Also Ruby's fur is white
>>
>>5275349
ETA?
>>
>>5277081
Two hours, three tops. I was busy yesterday and a good deal of today but now I have the time to finish it.

You guys ever seen those shopkeeper threads on /v/ where you pick a weapon? This update will have something similar.
>>
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One moment ago, he was calling you a dolt and a gnogger. Now, all of sudden, you are his 'friend' and the saviour sent by Anu to 'save him'! This guy must be truly desperate to ask for your help, and he's really fortunate you didn't take offense to his petty insults. You won't miss the opportunity to kill demons AND get rewarded for it in the process. The thought of asking for two sets of armour as extra prizes crosses your mind briefly, but you end up dismissing the idea - taking a mile once given an inch would probably make you lose his favour. You'll save that request for after dealing with the monster from Hell. A grateful dwarf should also be a *generous* one... and so, with all things considered, you voice your agreement with his terms. "Deaw."

Gondar's small eyes light up, accompained by a wide grin of relief. "Ah, fa-fantastic! J-just wonderful! At l-last, th-this blasted stuttering a-and those nightmares-w-will come to a-an end! At LAST!" Boy, does he look happy. He's absolutely certain of your success. "I-I can't wait to s-sleep like a ba-baby tonight! I-I was afraid of sp-speaking up after that de-demon threatened m-me, b-but I tr-trust you can handle t-this before she… i-it comes a-after me.”

“Just cuwious, but why do you take that thweat so seriouswy when the fowtess is fuw of sowdiews and pwiests?” It’s not like it can sneak in here and kill him without anybody noticing… or can it? The smith averts his gaze off yours and sighs. “T-that evil fi-fiend… i-it said it w-would devour my s-soul during my sleep if I o-opened my mouth. Oh, th-this reminds me to w-warn you that y-you must hurry and slay it t-today, o-or else n-next time I go to sleep… I-I might not w-wake up. Dear Lord, w-what a dreadful th-thought. M-my life is ba-basically in your hands, g-gnolls..." He looks at the ceiling. "... And Anu’s, a-above all.”

“Don’t wowy, Mistew Gondaw. We’w send that monstew into obwivion vewy soon!”

“I-it fills me w-with glee to hear that, m-my canine guest. M-m’kay now, l-let us not w-waste any more t-time. I’ll g-give you all the e-equipment you a-asked for…"

(cont)
>>
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So the demon can devour Gondar's soul during his sleep without needing to be physically close to him. Was that just a bluff, or are they actually capable of doing something scary like that?... Well, no point on dwelling too much on it. What matters is that another of those fiends needs killing, and you will personally carry it out!

Gondar hands you some flint, a bunch of rags and a pair of metal sticks like those hanging on the walls everywhere in the fortress. These are ‘torches’, according to him. You also receive a small transparent container the size of your palm - a 'flask', as called by the dwarf. It holds some really odd-smelling liquid inside. “What’s this thing fow?”

The smith subtly grinds his teeth at your question. He explains it’s ‘fuel’ for the torch, giving you further instructions on how to use it properly. “A-a lit torch will l-last you anywhere between twenty minutes to one ho-hour, d-depending on how m-much fuel you pour o-onto the piece of rag. U-understood?”

“Cwear as water” you say. The next thing you are handed over is the sacred eyepicking artifact - also known as 'pickaxe', as taught by the dwarf. Not a very cool name for such a great weapon… or *is* it a weapon? You have no idea. And so, you throw him another question. “What is this thing used fow?”

“A-ain’t that fuckin’ obvi-“ Gondar stops abruptly, takes a deep breath and forces a smile. “… Pi-pickaxes are for m-mining ores, m-my gno- gnollish friend.” You would like to ask what ‘ore’ is, too, but it’s painfully obvious this red-haired midget is running out of patience. Better leave that for another time.

The smith also puts two ‘backpacks’ at your disposal - a fancy word for large leather bags with littler ones sewn into them. He shows you how to wear one in your backs, and Datz and you get the hang of it quickly. They don’t hinder your movements at all, and should allow you to carry stuff around without having to constantly grasp it with your hands. Very convenient!

As lame as dwarves are as a whole race, you have to admit their crafts are fascinating. How do they even come up with this stuff? It's all so incredibly advanced! A shame that your tribe hates anything to do with human-like technology – even Datz is no exception. They should learn from the Tufted Ears and use all goddamn tools at their disposal. You love your people, you really do, but... damn! They can be SO stubborn sometimes.

(cont)
>>
>>5277344
>A shame that your tribe hates anything to do with human-like technology
AH HA! But these aren't humans, they're dwarves! That's completely different, ergo it's okay.

Ah damn I really wanted to grab a shield too! If not for us then for Daitza.
>>
>>5277461
Dwarves, humies, who cares? Gnolls certainly don’t.
Sucks that the update stopped halfway through though
>>
>>5277464
I'm still happy for any updates. Do you see Daitza's hips in that dress? DAMN SON! dew hips!
>>
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"A-all t-that's left is y-your weapons, a-and you'll be ready for y-your quest... your gnoll quest. Heh." What did he mean by this?... Eh, whatever. It's probably nothing. “Mervis! M-make yourself u-useful and s-show these two our a-arsenal. I need t-to get back to work. I-if they havent e-eaten you already, y-you have nothing t-to fear. Hah!”

The silent deerman opens a big metal container in the room, revealing several weapons kept inside. One by one, he grabs the spears and puts them on a table, all lined up from biggest to smallest. You hear Gondar speak as he continues doing his smith tasks. "T-those tools of w-war were o-ordered by o-other soldiers a-and customized specially f-for them… but n-no matter. I can c-craft more just f-fine. A-anything to get r-rid of th-that demon. J-just pick w-whichever one you gnoggers wa- *g-gnolls*, I m-meant.”

The mute servant gestures you to come over and check the spears. Bracing yourself to contain your ever-growing appetite, you approach the table… but Daitza stays behind. “Hy-Hyeny, you know my favorite type of meat is deer. I… I don’t want to take a risk and get too close to that… that slender, succulent prey. Mmhm…” She eyes the oblivious servant up, quickly averting her gaze when she notices her mouth watering up. “Y-you… you pick a spear for me. Okay?”

“No problem.” You start examining the weapons being offered to you. And, for the first time since you’ve met the deerman, it finally utters a single, blunt word: “Choose.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLAekpsclQY&ab_channel=scrapper9000

>Pick one or more weapons for Daitza and yourself (Write in. Keep in mind that carrying more than one weapon at the same time may be difficult, except for Featherweight Spears)
>”Show me othew stuff besides speaws! I want to see everything you guys got.”
>”On second thought, I don’t need a weapon. I’w kill that demon with my baw hands”
>Write in
>>
>>5277520
>>”Show me othew stuff besides speaws! I want to see everything you guys got.”
>>
>>5277520
>Ask if we can touch his antlers
>>
>>5277520
>Featherweight spears for Hyenus and Daitsza.
I like this weapon, its a good gateway spear, we can throw it from a safe distance if needed and it will help us dodge damage. What is not to like.
>>
>>5277520
Light Bringer spears, it will be good to have it against a demon.
>>
>>5277520
Light Bringer's Spear for us and Featherweight Spears for Daitza
>>
>>5277614
+1 Yeah this seems a solid choice.
>>
>>5277614
+1
>>
>>5277614
Changing to this.
>>
>>5277520
Boop the deerman's nose.
>>
>>5277527
>>5277723
Nay to these, he is going to be a cunt.
>>
>>5277821
Agreed, no messing with this serious guy
>>
>>5277520
How does the combat system account for the reach of a weapon?
>>
>>5277614
>>5277520

Support
>>
>>5277520
>”Show me othew stuff besides speaws! I want to see everything you guys got.”
Particularly Gloves
>>
>>5277614
+1, and don't mess with the deer.
>>
>>5277614
T h i s.
>>
>>5277614
+1
>>
>>5277520
>Write in
Ask if it's possible to mount a torch on the front of a shield, that was we can hold a shield, hold a light source, and have a weapon.
>>
>>5278126
No no, wait. Hip mounted lanterns! Those are things that exist.

>>5277520
We've seen dwarves (living and dead ones) using shields. As if there are small shields you don't have to hold with one hand, maybe one you can strap to your forearm? Bucklers is what we need. They're small, but don't require hands, and they could be helpful in blocking a hit in pinch. If we're going with two handed pole arm weapons, this is the thing we need for: 1) Hyenus's lack of depth perception and 2) Daitza lack of HP.
>>
>>5277520
With our background... lukewarm edge is probably in our best interest...

HOWEVER, we operate by rule of cool. We ARE the light bringer, therefore Light-bringer Spear.
>>
>>5277520
I’d like to point out that the lukewarm edge’s “at least 50 guaranteed” effect is mathematically not very good. You have a 1/8 chance of getting a bo3 below 50, and a bo3 significantly below 50 is even less likely. If you do the math, it works out to be +1 per power and agility roll on average, which is very little compared to the other bonuses (such as +50 to power)
>>
Looks like Hyenus will pick the Lightbringer Spear for himself, and the Featherweight Spears for Datz.

Next update will be posted on Tuesday. My bad for the overall slow updates, but I should get my stuff together this week and return to more regular posting.

>>5277863
As long as you keep your opponent at a distance and your weapon'sreach is longer than his, you'll have a positional advantage, as the enemy will have to get past your defenses to engage you. This translates into a contextual bonus to your Agility rolls that goes between +10 and +30, depending on how big that reach difference is.

Featherweight Spears are slightly below average in terms of length. Lightbringer Spear is about average, and the halberds are the longest, especially the Mountain King Halberd, but such length also makes it difficult to wield for inexperienced warriors, so even if it provides the biggest reach bonus, it comes with other penalties that would nullify that bonus.
>>
>>5278752
What would a r63 Hyenus and Daitza look like?
>>
>>5278752
Does the champion know whether “digger” and “gnogger” are considered offensive?
>>
>>5277614
This.
>>
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Posting the update in a short while

>>5278755
Something like this maybe.

>>5279580
He didn't know at first, but Hyenus soon caught up on 'digger' being an offensive term judging by how other dwarves kept using it. And so he assumes 'gnogger' is a similar insult but directed towards gnolls.

The actual truth is that 'digger' is to dwarves what 'weón' is to chileans. It can be an insult, a greeting, a compliment, all depending on context, tone and who's saying it to you. When it comes from anyone who isn't a dwarf, it's almost always considered an insult.
>>
>>5281326
I'm not saying I wanna see r63 Hyenus and Daitza going at it, I'm just saying it'd be pretty neat to see the 4th panel from a certain Thread #6 update redrawn with these two
>>
>>5281326
>Gnollqm is chilean confirmed.
>>
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One by one, you grab the showcased weapons and give them a try. A little swing here, a careful thrust aimed at the empty space right there - this helps you determine which one suits you best. The uppity deerman grimaces at your inoffensive tests, clearly displeased. Your solution? Ignoring him.

Some of the spears are heavier and more difficult to wield than others. Despite being crafted by a dwarf, their length matches – if not surpasses - that of the pointy sticks your tribe wields. “Midgets have to compensate for their low height somehow” is the thought that crosses your mind. The longest ones also have a strange blade attached to them below the metal head, a strange type of design you’ve never seen before.

After you're done trying all the tools of war, you find yourself relatively fond of a medium-sized one with a rather fancy look. It has two decorative wings extending from the base of the head, which is slightly curved, but not overly so that it would be impractical in battle. It’s aesthetic and comfortable to wield - a nice combination. The smith notices you took interest in this one. “Ah, s-so you want the Lightbringer…”

“Lightbwinger?”

“T-that’s the name the o-officer who ordered that spear g-gave it. T-the Lightbringer is o-one of my best crafts - t-took me several weeks to forge. I-it’s got a rather c-complex e-enchantment as well.”

“Enchawment?”

“By H-harfid’s beard, y-you REALLY are a cl-clueless one, a-aren’t you...” He sighs. “W-when we say a-an object is ‘enchanted’, i-it means a pr-priest bl-blessed it with the L-lord’s holy powers. Swords, m-maces, arrows, spears… a-all our w-weapons must be s-sanctified so w-we can slay d-demons for *real* with t-them. O-otherwise, those fiends w-would spawn back in Hell u-upon death.”

“Oh, so kiwing a demon with a non-enchanted weapon doesn’t get wid of them fowevew?” You didn’t know that. Sounds like an important bit of info to keep in mind.

“T-that’s what I s-said, y-you dumb oa-“ He shuts up and composes himself. “… W-well, i-it w-would be a shame to h-hand over the Lightbringer to a… a… n-nevermind. I-it’s all yours, m-my gnoll friend.” He forces another smile. “S-so long as it h-helps you g-get rid of t-that foul demon.”

(cont)
>>
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“Fenk you. By the way, you mentioned this speaw has a ‘complex’ enchantment. What does that mean?”

Gondar nods slowly and proceeds to elaborate on what he mentioned before. "W-when you sl-slay a demon with the L-lightbringer, asides f-from getting r-rid of it permanently, it a-also p-purifies their evil essence a-and transforms it into a holy mist t-that h-heals any wounds and i-injuries you have. T-the m-more powerful t-the demon, t-the stronger the h-healing e-effects of the mist are.”

“Intewesting…” This spear rocks! You're definitely keeping it for yourself. The smith doesn’t look happy with your choice, though. He seems to be having second thoughts about gifting you all his stuff. What a petty guy... you’ll be doing him a big favour by hunting out the demon that has been tormenting him so much, yet he’s so reluctant on helping you help him.

Whatever. This dwarf is not your friend anyway. All that matters is you’ve got a nice spear in your hands, and nobody is going to separate you from it, at least until Gondar crafts a custom one for you as he promised.

(cont)
>>
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Now that you’ve got a weapon for yourself, you need to pick one for Datz. Given that her great speed is her strongest point as a warrior, she needs a spear that suits her fighting style - one that doesn't hinder her movements and allows her to move, dodge and strike as fast as if she was unarmed. Of all the spears you tested, there are two that would fit her perfectly. They are slightly shorter than the others and weigh so little you bet she can carry both without being encumbered...

You grab the pair of spears, which look unremarkable compared to yours - probably because any decorations would add to their weight, thus ruining their whole appeal. However, when Gondar sees you taking even more weapons with you, his eyes pop out of his face and a gasp escapes his mouth. “F-FUCK! Y-you want those as well?!”

“Is thew a probwem with that? The Lightbwinger is fow me, and these ones a-aw fow Daitza. She's wight over thew, in case you fowgot about hew.”

The dwarf throws a quick glance at your mate, who has her back turned to avoid staring at the servant. “A-ah, yes, yes… o-of course. T-the female gnoll. Fine, I… I g-guess y-you can t-take the Featherweight spears, too.” Featherweight spears? So that's how these two are called? Makes sense, actually. “G-got everything you n-need, then? G-good. N-now, d-do your part and go k-kill that demon for me." His anxious gaze moves back and forth over you and the exit, signaling that he wants you to get out of here "R-remember y-your reward. A-a spear unlike ANY other y-you’ve ever seen. Yes, e-even better than the Lightbringer.”

“We’ll retuwn when the fiend is dead” you say, walking up to Datz. You tap her shoulder to get her attention and hand her the Featherweight spears. “Here, take these. Hope you like them.” Daitza holds them both in her free hand, as she’s holding the torch with the other. She admires them with great interest in her eyes. “Wow! These spears combined weigh less than a single one made of stone! What are they even made of?!"

"I thought you didn't like humie technology, Datzy..." you tease her a bit, grinning.

"I... I guess I can make an exception with SOME technology. Just don't make me wear those claustrophobic metal suits... armour, right? That's a total no from me!"

"Oh, you stubborn girl. I hope you change your mind about that soon."

"Heh. We'll see about that!"

(cont)
>>
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After saying your goodbyes to the smith and his socially inept servant, you leave the forge along with Daitza, carrying way more stuff than when you entered first. As you walk away from that place, you hear the dwarf heaving a loud sigh of relief. How rude! Are you seriously THAT unpleasant to be with?... No, it's the dwarves who are wrong.

>TIME 16:00

Sure took your damn time in there, but you're glad you got this over with. Now, you are properly equipped for the tour to the abandoned mines. You have a source of light, backpacks in which to keep all the useful plants and herbs you find on the way to Luna, and a means to defend yourselves in case a battle ensues. What could possibly go wrong?

Daitza converses with you while heading back to the mines' entrance. “That humielet just wouldn’t stop talking and talking with you. What stuff did he say? I'd love to understand these creatures, I really, really do. To think I'm the only one in this place that has no clue of Dwarvish, it makes me feel kind of... well... kind of a big dummy. Ha!" Even though she says it jokingly, something in her tone tells you she actually means it...

“Ah, c'mon, you know that's not true! Don't forget that the only reason I can talk to these people is thanks to Anu's boons. Without them, we'd be in the same position!"

“Mmhm... I guess so..." She nods slowly. "It's okay, Hyeny. Soooo, why did the smith agree to help us? I kept wondering that the whole time.”

“It wasn’t out of goodwill, that I can tell you. We must do him a favour... ” You quickly summarize the whole demon situation to Daitza. She’s shocked to hear the news. “A demon in the mines?! I... I guess arming ourselves was a good idea, after all. Good call there!”

“As long as Gnolrek breathes, I don’t think we are completely safe in any place. It's best to be on our guard at all times...”

Daitza says nothing in response for several seconds. You notice she cannot stop staring at you with a cute, but odd smile. “What, do I have something on my face?”

“No, no, it’s just… I like your attitude, Hyeny.” She takes your hand, grasping it softly but firmly. "I... I feel safe with you by my side. You are my man, my... my safe place to this very day.”

“I'll always be there for you, Datz. Always.” You are no longer the Omega from weeks ago. Both in body and heart, you have evolved a ton in a very short time. You wonder what kind of gnolls the two of you will be at the end of this journey... but whatever fate awaits you is a mystery. And, like Hawkodesh said after your strange vision, there is a present that must be dealt with, and where all your efforts must go into.

There’s only one thing left to do now...

>Go to the abandoned mines to meet with Luna, no further delays
>Wait! There’s something you forgot to ask the smith (Write in)
>Something else (Write in)
>>
>>5281553
>>Go to the abandoned mines to meet with Luna, no further delays
>>
>>5281553
>Go to the abandoned mines to meet with Luna, no further delays
>>
>>5281553
>>Go to the abandoned mines to meet with Luna, no further delays
>>
>>5281553
>Go to the abandoned mines to meet with Luna, no further delays
we can hunt and eat stuff later
the time for progression is now
>>
>>5281553
>“As long as Gnolrek breathes, he's a cuck.” - Hyenus
>>
>>5281553
>Something else. We need to enter the deer man's soul and the dwarf's soul to check for demons. With their permission.
>>
>>5281740
>Go to the abandoned mines to meet with Luna, no further delays
>>5281740
>>
>>5281553
Wish we could get some snacks, but I guess we could just kill a rat down there or something

captcha: jaws2
>>
>>5281553
>Wait! There’s something you forgot to ask the smith (Write in)
We need battle gloves.
>>
>>5281553
>Something else (Write in)
Go to our room to get the cross of Anu in case that demon is possessing the body of a little girl.

>>5282533
Do we really though?
>>
>>5281553
>Go to the abandoned mines to meet with Luna, no further delays
>>
>>5281553
>Go to the abandoned mines to meet with Luna, no further delays
>>
>>5281553
>>Go to the abandoned mines to meet with Luna, no further delays

Forgot if I voted already. Disregard if there’s a duplicate.
>>
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Onwards to the mines, and this time for real. You can’t wait to see the green wolf again, as well as get some much-needed answers from Hawkodesh about your vision, Anu’s plans with gnollkind and… well, everything. Oh, and hopefully hunt a fat rat or something in those tunnels, too. You are so damn hungry you could eat your own arm!

>Your hunger has increased: -2 to all rolls. This penalty will become worse at 17:00

The place you're heading to happens to be close to your room, so you take the opportunity to pass by and get the shiny symbol of Anu you saw there hours ago. This thing looks similar to the one Murdock used in his attempt to exorcize Kholgarsh. The demon was frightened by the sight of it, so it should prove very helpful when fighting those creatures. You put it in your backpack, leave your chambers and carry on.

Soon, you arrive with Datz to the tunnels’ entrance. Recalling the smith's instructions to lit your torches, you retrieve the oil-filled flask from your bags... however, just as you are about to use it, a familiar voice coming from behind startles you. “W-wait!” You turn around and find Gondar standing right in front of you. He came all the way here running, judging by how tired and demolished he looks. Panting with his hands on his knees, it takes him a while to catch his breath. “Oooof… oof… f-fuck, I’m glad I c-caught up in time... listen, t-there’s something I f-forgot to tell you...”

You and Datz exchange looks. “Uh… what is it?”

"Oof, oof..." The smith wipes the sweat off his brows, still gasping for air after his little marathon. “T-the demon… oof... t-the demon is a master of ma-manipulation, gnolls. A-always... a-always bear in m-mind that its i-innocent appearance i-is a facade, a cl-clever disguise t-to f-fool those u-unaware o-of its evil nature..." He sounds oddly nervous as he speaks. "Listen, y-you have to k-kill it as soon as y-you find it. D-don't listen to a SINGLE w-word it says, b-because that would allow it to s-slowly crawl into y-your mind, g-gaining control o-over you… a-and when you f-finally realize, i-it’ll be too late to f-fight back. N-no such thing as b-being too careful, so… s-so may Anu bless y-your d-demon hunt. G-good luck.”

Gondar walks away and returns to his forge at a slower pace, appearing much calmer than before.

(cont. This will take a while, it's gonna be like 6 or 7 posts in total. If I don't finish in three hours I'll post the rest tomorrow)
>>
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Daitza stares at you, waiting for you to tell her what this short exchange with the dwarf was all about, so you fill her in as usual. "Gondar wanted to warn us that we must not pay attention to anything the demon says, or it's gonna start messing with our minds."

"Mmhmm..." She nods slowly. For some reason, there's a skeptical look drawn on her face. "Something here isn't right, Hyeny. Don't you find it a bit odd that he trusted *us* with killing the fiend instead of anyone else?"

The first thought to cross your mind is that she's being a little paranoid again. After all, this is the same attitude she holds towards Anu. But when you actually consider her words... you find that she might have a point, though you're not sure it's enough to accuse Gondar of anything. “Well, he DID say it would devour his soul in his sleep if he shared his secret with other people. Maybe he doesn’t want the rumor to spread in fear that the demon finds out?”

Your pal lowers her gaze and adopts a thinking expression. “Even if it’s true, what stops the priests from taking care of the matter *before* he goes to bed? Isn’t that precisely what we’re about to do? The dwarf can have his problem solved anytime he wants... but his only solution after all these months is to send two foreign gnolls to do the dirty work. Why?"

Now that she points that out, you notice there ARE indeed some missing pieces on Gondar's story. First of all, how the hell did that demon made its way into the mines, bypassing all the guards you've seen constantly patrol the halls? And why didn't the dwarf ignore its obvious bluffs and tell the priests to get rid of that creature? Why tell YOU of all people? A strong hunch tells you there’s way more to this task than the smith wants to reveal...

(cont)
>>
>>5283617
Could it be a trap?
>>
>>5283617
These updates are taking longer and longer to produce. Are you alright, QM?
>>
>>5283617
Hey hey hey. Don't leave it in the backpack where we might need it later. Wear the necklace so you can keep your hands ready with the spear and torch
>>
>>5283617
Random little girl wouldn't be living in the mines either so eh
>>
>>5283649
The best explanation I came up with was "the demon (and whatever other demons are with it in the cave) have made the cave too dangerous for dwarves to enter", which basically means that we should be very careful and stay together at all times
The other possibility is "the dwarves won't assemble a squad of soldiers just because a digger was having bad dreams"
I would consider the latter more plausible, though the former is now more likely assuming that the QM isn't trying to trick us
>>
>>5283709
Yeah I'm good, it's not a problem of motivation if that's the concern, but it's true that I've been revising my updates for way longer than reasonable. The thing is English isn't my home language, so I may be trying too hard on making that not noticeable in my grammar at the expense of inflating the time between updates.

This phase shouldn't last forever though. I'm trying to find the right mindset for writing stuff in english and hopefully, one day, we can return to a much faster pace. Just probably not today.
>>
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“GONDAAAAR! YOU CALLOUS HYPOCRITE!"

Hawkodesh breaks his silence with a scream that takes you off guard! His voice is different - it's deep and thunderous, instilling great uneasiness in you! “HOW CAN *YOU* CALL YOURSELF A MAN OF GOD?! YOU, AN APOSTATE, A FATHER THAT WISHES HIS OWN CHILD DEAD, A DEGENERATE OF THE WORST KIND! YOU ARE SCUM, GONDAR! MAY YOUR ABHORRENT SOUL WITHER AWAY IN THE FIERY PITS OF IRKALIUS FOR ALL OF ETERNITY!”

“Ha-hawkodesh! Calm down, buddy! You're completely out of control!"

The enraged angel hears you In the middle of his rant. He takes a deep breath, slowly calming down. “I’m… I’m sorry, boy. To think I lost my composure like this... O, Anu! Why must the youngest suffer the sins of those who brought them to life?! When will you come down to the earth and bring comfort to those afflicted spirits, to those children hungering for love?! They cry for your coming, o’ Anu! The youth of Aurus cries for your fatherly embrace and guidance, for their earthly caregivers have FAILED them!” His voice has returned to normal, but he still speaks with profound desperation...

That yell scared the hell out of you! Okay, he's calmer now, so it's time for your questions... “Wingman, are you okay? Can you talk now? What do you know about Gond-”

“Shhh, no, no...” he politely interrupts you. “Don’t get distracted by my tantrum, boy. Listening to an *atrocious* story like this demands much energy and attention... and it’s best that you save it for our eventual talk with Luna. That is our priority.” He sighs. “You shall know the truth in due time, after we finish our business with her. Do NOT search for the demon yet, you hear me? Go *straight* to the forest spirit. No more distractions!”

(cont)
>>
>>5284711
Why are people suspecting Anu and Hawkodesh when they are literally the biggest moralfags around?
>>
>>5284772
It isn't about them being good people.
It's about freedom of thought and action.

I believe in their doctrine of what it means to be good. I don't believe in utter submission to another just to gain power.

I am more than happy with being Anu's conduit to fight demons and help others. But I'm not happy with Hyenus helping others for Anu's sake. In his core, he knows that the nonsensical snuffing and suffering of a conscious being is wrong.
>>
>>5284784
They gave us freedom of thought and action, if they didn't they would literally left us on our own the moment we started to ask questions, hell even the dorfs who use Anu's as an shield to di whatever and distort as they wish do it because Anu's ain't a slave driver or a tyrant and doesn't go old testament on them. He and our bird buddy are pretty swell and in the case Hyenus need to pick a side I vote for them, assuming we live enough to pick one.
>>
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Hawkodesh cuts the communication link, leaving you to wonder about Gondar's secret. It must be horrible, given the birdy's reaction...

The angel mentioned that the smith wishes death upon his own child. Why anyone would want such a thing is beyond you, except maybe as an offering to a Devil, but sacrificing one's offspring is unthinkable to Bloodseekers and all other gnoll tribes you are aware of. Only a demon-worshipping kobold would be cold-blooded enough to perform such a lowly act, as those don't know what loyalty to one's family is...

You doubt that Anu and the dwarves would approve of sacrificing people in general, let alone a member of their clan. You also doubt that wanting your own kid to die is a common occurrence among dwarven parents, no matter how much of a little shit the brat may be. All in all, it sounds like a feeling you'd want to keep well hidden from everyone.

The smith described the demon as having the appearance of a young girl, and that you should attack it on sight without paying an ounce of atteniton to anything it says. It all makes a surprising - but unnerving - amount of sense. Could it be that the fiend is actually...

“Hyenus?” Your pondering is interrupted by Daitza’s worried voice. “What’s going on? What's the deal with your angel?"

“Wingman went on a big tirade against Gondar and called him an hypocrite and a bunch of other stuff. That dwarf is hiding information from us, Datz. You were right to doubt his intentions!”

“GRRR! I knew it!” she says, palming her fist with a frown. “So what's all this about? Does the demon exist or it’s a made up tale? Is there a trap waiting for us in the mines?”

“Hawky knows what’s going on, but he won’t open up about it until we talk to the forest spirit..." You put a hand on her shoulder. “So let’s go with her, Datz. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we are getting all the answers we need.”

“We better do” she says with a firm nod. “So many mysteries, Hyeny... I'm so tired of them."

For a second there, you considered sharing your theory with Datz, but Hawkodesh is right. Getting to Luna should be your main concern - that's all that matters right now. Besides, Daitza is really fond of kids and dreams of having one, so learning that the smith has sent the two of you to kill his daughter would ruin her mood... and also boil her blood with rage to *dangerous* levels. You will tell her, of course, but at a more appropiate time - when you're deeper into the tunnels and not right at the entrance.

(cont)
>>
>>5284803
The devils previously wanted us to bring them a small child. Perhaps they asked the same of Gondar.
>>
(Rest of the update will take place in the mines. Only a few more posts remaining. I'll post them in 14-16 hours starting from now. My bad for how long this one has took, but tomorrow it should be finished for real.)
>>
>>5284789
I didn't say we're not on their side. But total submission is a completely different thing.

Becoming an oath sworn paladin is a whole different thing than being a warrior who thinks the god is swell.
>>
>>5284835
Don't worry, take your time.
>>
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You open your backpack again to get the fuel for the torch. However, the shiny talisman of Anu you're keeping in there grabs your attention for some reason. As you stare at the symbol, you realize it doesn’t make much sense to keep it in the bag, as you won’t be able to use it when fighting demons. Maybe you should wear it as a necklace? Yeah, that’s what the cords are for. Derp!

This is the first time in your life you try to wear something around your neck. Tying the cords into a knot behind your head is a bit difficult, but you get the hang of it quickly. Wearing this thing reminds you of the special rituals often taking place in your tribe, where the shaman wears ornaments made of human bones. Despite their sanguinary origins, you can't deny those adornments look kind of cool...

Daitza seems kind of distracted, probably due to the uncertainty of the situation regarding Gondar. You really want to lower the tensions somehow, so you adopt an heroic pose and grab her attention, intending to show her your new necklace. “Yo, Datz! How do I look with this?”

Your question drags her back to reality. She stares at your figure and the necklace, her lips slowly curling into a smile, and gives you a thumbs up of approval. “Looks… looks dope. Those talismans are to scare off demons, right? I saw Murdock using one against Kholgarsh.”

“Yup. You want one too?”

“Ehh... they wouldn’t mess with our minds, right? No, no, it can’t be. It’s just a necklace…” With a nod to herself, she smiles. “Ah, why the heck not? After we go with Luna, I’ll ask that nice priest for one of those.”

(cont)
>>
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With your moods slightly lifted, you get the flask from your backpack, open it and pour some of the oil on Datz's torch and yours. You suck at building your own fires, so you pass the flint to your buddy and let her do the task. She strikes it against the wall to create a spark - as soon as it has contact with her torch's upper end, it is instantly engulfed in fire! It was so sudden and startling that the two of you almost drops your sticks!

Giggling nervously, she repeats the process with your own torch. You fear that the handles may get consumed by the flames and burn your hands… but to your great surprise, the balls of fire stay on only one of the stick's ends. How do these things even work? Torches are awesome. You gotta hand it to dwarves - their inventions are pretty interesting.

Your weapons and fiery sticks are ready. All the preparations have been made, so now you can venture in the abandoned mines for real. You and Datz nod at each other and begin to walk towards the dark entrance, prepared to face whatever obstacles you’ll find in this enigmatic place, if any...

(cont)
>>
>>5285529
>“Ehh... they wouldn’t mess with our minds, right? No, no, it can’t be. It’s just a necklace…”
I like the sheer caution Daitza has with this whole situation
>>
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZP3R_T4-1o

It’s so freaking dark in here! You can barely see anything! Even with your burning sticks lighting up the path, it’s ridiculously hard to mind your step and avoid tripping over rocks, ground cracks and all those weird metal planks that were clearly built by dwarves for mysterious reasons. All gnolls have partial night vision, a gift you inherited from your wolf ancestors, but in a place as deep into the earth like this, it’s not helping ONE bit. Everything around you would be covered in absolute darkness if it wasn’t for the handy dwarven torches!

You doubt the tunnels are inhabited by any big animals, but you still have to watch out for spiders, snakes and other venomous vermin. You really hope to hunt a snack on the way to the forest spirit, even if most prey you’ll find here will be unfulfilling and taste like crap. Nothing beats a cooked boar steak, obviously… but two hungry Bloodseekers cannot take luxuries in circumstances like these.

Hey, wait a minute! Speaking of Luna, how are you supposed to find her? With how many turns there are in these tunnels, getting lost is a huge potential risk, especially without a point of reference. "Sooooo... how are we going to find the wolf?" As if reading your mind, Daitza asks if you have a better plan than aimless wandering.

"Good question" you say. "Didn't Bark mention something about..." The two of you remain silent, trying to remember the rabbit-wolf critter's exact words...

"Howling!" both of you exclaim at the same time, recalling what must be done in order to summon Luna. Datz and you agree to howl in unison as loudly as your bodies allow. And so, with a deep breath that fills your lungs with dusty air, you prepare to release it all into the greatest howl ever heard. As for Daitza, she has puffed out her chest so much she looks like she’s about to burst!

As soon as you’re ready, you nod at each other and…

(cont)
>>
>>5285815
NO AWOO ZONE!!!
100 GOLD COIN FINE!!!
NO AWOO ZONE!!!
100 GOLD COIN FINE!!!
NO AWOO ZONE!!!
100 GOLD COIN FINE!!!
NO AWOO ZONE!!!
100 GOLD COIN FINE!!!
>>
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AWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
>>
>>5285815
Grab the mushrooms to your left, and the pick axe to your right.
>>
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“AwooooowoooOOOOO-“

“AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

(cont)
>>
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Woah! Daitza’s howl was amazing! The whole fortress must’ve heard that! “Woooohoo! That was GREAT!” she exclaims with an almost childlike joy. “Why don’t we do this more often, Hyeny?! It’s so liberating! I LOVE it!”

“Something tells me you’ll get along with Luna juuuust fine.” Howling is cool. It helps you release lots of tension when you find yourself in stressful situations and feels oddly nostalgic in a way. You may not be such a big fan of it like your pal is, but still, it’s great to see her enjoying herself like this.

You wait a whole minute for Luna to appear in front of you, but there is no trace of the goddess anywhere. “Uhh… maybe we need to howl louder?” Daitza asks.

“No, that can’t be. You almost pierced my goddamn eardrums.”

“Wait! I’m catching a scent in the air…” Her nose twitches fast. She raises her head and starts sniffing in all directions with a sense of great urgency, though it may be enthusiasm as well. You try doing the same, and notice there IS indeed a faint smell of wolf reaching your nose, though you have trouble discerning the source. That can't be none other than Luna!

“It’s coming from that way!” Daitza points with her two spears at the tunnel to your right. “Let’s go!”

“I'm right behind you.” You’ll leave the scouting and exploring to her. She seems way better fit for this role than you'll ever be... And so, your journey across the mines begins.

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

CHOOSE:
(Will you search for ingredients on the way to Luna? This will increase your traveling time)
>Yes
>No

(Will you discuss anything with Hawkodesh and / or Daitza along the way? This may increase traveling time depending on the topic's length or complexity)
>Yes (Write in)
>No
>>
>>5286048
>No
We can search for ingredients on the way back. Just mentally note what kinda stuff we're seeing on the way there.

>Yes
Just what the fuck Hawkesh was saying about the dwarf lying. He can tell the dwarf is lying to get his daughter killed. Is everyone's mind open to him?
>>
>>5286048
No and No.
>>
>>5286048
No and no. Keep the update simple so that we get to Luna before the thread ends
>>
>>5286052
My guess is that he has a lot more information to draw conclusions from than we do. We should ask him to share more of it with us
>>5286048
Questions if you have time to spare and the answer wouldn’t have been revealed in the loredump:
>What is Anu’s plan for saving the fortress from the gnoll horde? I assume that, even after we close the portal, the horde will be sent anyway to finish off the dwarves
>After Gondar gets punished for whatever the fuck he’s doing, who will make our weapons?
>Have any gnoll tribes in history ever abandoned the devils for one reason or another? What happened to them?
>>
>>5286048
>No
>No
>>
>>5286048
>no
>no
>>
>>5286048
>No
>No
>>
>>5286048
No
>No
>No
No
>>
File: 1653712415807.gif (2.46 MB, 498x373)
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>>5286048
>No
>No
>>
TIME: 15:15

HYENUS’ STATUS

(Missing Eye: -10 penalty to most combat rolls)
(Hungry: -2 to all rolls)

Attributes
- HP: 157 / 207 (76%)
- Mana: 9 / 114
- Power: D+ (80 XP)
- Agility: C- (0 XP)

Skills
- Novice Spearman (60 XP)
- Apprentice Pugilist (10 XP): +10 bonus to most combat rolls while fighting with your bare hands
- Apprentice Meditator (20 XP): Mana cost of all spells is lowered by 10%
- Novice Stealth (40 XP)
- Novice Alchemy (50 XP)
- Novice Cook (0 XP)
- Novice Scout (20 XP)

Spells & Techniques
- Healing Palms (40 EXP): Heals a living target for 25 HP. Costs 22 MP (-3 Apprentice Meditator). You need to lay your hands on the target for this spell to work. Takes about 10 seconds to cast.

Powers
- Body Restoration (66 XP): Heals a living target in your vicinity for 25% HP. Takes about 5 seconds to cast. (0 uses left, +1 at 09:00 AM)
- Light of Anu (66 XP): Deals 250 damage to all demons within a 5 meter radius. Takes about 5 seconds to cast. (0 uses left, +1 at 15:00 PM)
- Saviour’s Tongue: You can understand all existing languages, though any new concepts must still be learned
- Angel Wings: You can sprout wings on your back anytime, allowing you to fly and shield yourself with them. Takes about 2 seconds to cast.
- Feral Speed (0 XP): Increases your Agility by 4 sub-tiers and grants a +15 bonus to combat rolls when fighting barehanded. Takes about 2 seconds to cast. Lasts for 10 minutes. (0 uses left, +1 at 11:00 AM)

Perks
- Friends Not Food: Grants a +12 bonus to all rolls that involve resisting your hunting urges and prevents them from critically failing
- Spiritual Awareness: Increases max Mana by 10%
- Midget Talker: You know dwarves react better to a blunt and honest tone, granting you +10 to speech rolls with most of them. This may not work with everyone and / or in special cases

Alchemy Recipes
- Strength Potion: Increases Power by 1 tier for 60 minutes. Requires 5 Yamanenes, 1 Gentoloma. A Novice alchemist can craft this potion without trouble.
- Regeneration Potion: Greatly increases the rate at which your body heals. Lasts for 24 hours. Requires 5 Yamanenes, 1 Purplevera. A Skilled alchemist can craft this potion without trouble.
- Limbo Poison: When this poison enters a living target’s bloodstream, it paralyses their limbs for up to 24 hours, depending on the creature's Power, weight and poison resistance. Requires 1 Demoncap, 1 Gentoloma. A Skilled alchemist can craft this potion without trouble.

Inventory
- 1 Lightbringer Spear: +40 to all Power Rolls; Critical Chance increased to a roll of 98, 99 or 100; Killing a demon recovers a varying amount of HP
- 1 Pickaxe
- 1 Leather Backpack
- 1 Lit Torch (40 minutes remaining)
- 1 Half-filled Oil Flask
>>
DAITZA’S STATUS

(Hungry: -2 to all rolls)

Attributes
- HP: 116 / 155 (75%)
- Mana: 86 / 86
- Power: D (85 XP)
- Agility: C (5 XP)

Skills
- Skilled Spearwoman (0 XP)
- Apprentice Pugilist (5 XP): +10 bonus to most combat rolls while fighting with your bare hands
- Novice Meditator (20 XP)
- Skilled Stealth (0 XP)
- Apprentice Alchemy (0 XP)
- Apprentice Cook (0 XP)
- Master Scout (0 XP)

Spells & Techniques
- Afterimages: Daitza circles around the opponent with great speed, creating multiple afterimages behind her step. This generally incurs a massive penalty to their Agility rolls, but it takes lots of stamina to keep this technique up.

Powers
- Feral Speed (33 XP): Increases your Agility by 3 sub-tiers and grants a +10 bonus to combat rolls when fighting barehanded. Takes about 2 seconds to cast. Lasts for 10 minutes. (0 uses left, +1 at 11:00 AM)

Perks
- None

Alchemy Recipes
- ??? (Ask her if she’s aware of any recipes in order to unlock them)

Inventory
- 2 Featherweight Spears: +30 to Power Rolls, +15 to Agility Rolls
- 1 Leather Backpack
- 1 Lit Torch (40 minutes remaining)
>>
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Looks like Hyenus wants to focus solely on getting to Luna.

>Roll 1d100 + 38 (+40 Daitza is a Master Scout, -2 Hunger), best of 3
>DC: 110 (Difficulty: Extreme)
>>
Rolled 40 + 38 (1d100 + 38)

>>5286465
>>
>>5286465
dice+1d100+38
>>
Rolled 40 + 38 (1d100 + 38)

>>5286465
What could possibly go wrong?
>>
Rolled 75 + 38 (1d100 + 38)

>>5286465
>>
Rolled 5 + 38 (1d100 + 38)

>>5286465
>>
>>5286478
clutch! Success!
>>
>>5286478
We did it.
>>
>>5286475
Huh? Thought i typed that out correctly. What did i mess up?
>>
>>5286485
Bro, haven't you read the pinned post? You need to put in "options" field.
>>
>>5286485
Goes in the options field
>>
>>5286488
>>5286490
I did but I'm retarded and skimmed over the
text and especially the ''options part''. Thank you.
>>
>>5286478
>113
Just barely got it over the line.
>>
>113
Looks like Hyenus and Daitza will arrive to Luna's cave spot without stumbling upon any obstacles or dangerous creatures.

This thread has been archived: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Gnoll%20Quest

Since we're 3 or 4 days away from this thread falling off the board, this is going to be the last update and I'll try to get it done as soon as possible. For those who are worried about the slow pace lately: once your little adventure in the mines is over, a timeskip option will be available. From there onwards, free roaming will be kept to a minimum, and the plot should move forward at a more appropiate speed.

As always, thanks for reading and participating in this quest.
>>
>>5286549
Rock On!
>>
>>5286549
Cool. We grabbed a rat snack. Hope that migitates the hunger penalty.
Can we still grab that pick axe off the wall?
>>
>>5286564
By the posted inventory it looks like we already did.
Rad.
>>
>>5286580
That’s the pickaxe that gondar gave us. We should try to pick up more on the way back, though. They could come in handy, at least so that we can give them to dwarves in exchange for good will or favors.
Say, QM, how aware are gnolls of concepts such as trade, barter and currency?
>>
We are 2 new threads on /qst/ away from falling off the board. Post update NOW!
>>
>>5289997
Just one pic, one more damn pic and I'll post this update. One hour or less.

>>5286564
You have the pickaxe given by Gondar.

>>5287756
Gnolls have no clue of the concept of currency but they understand the basics of trading (mostly regarding food). So yes you can try picking the picks and returning them to Gondar if you want to.
>>
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You follow Daitza, venturing deeper and deeper into the mines. Along the way, the two of you manage to catch two big, fat rats as snacks. While not the best meal ever, you’ve tasted worse, FAR worse. Like that one time you were so hungry, you had to eat a rotting bunny corpse after failing to hunt prey for three days in a row. Not even scavengers would touch that thing. It was a sad, sad day... but you’ve changed so much since then. Now, you can hunt even in a dark cave like this without much issue. And to think it was just a matter of having the mindset of a real hunter, not an Omega! You don’t like the person you were, not one bit...

Despite Gnolrek’s grasp on your tribe and how you were both practically exiled, you could say you are happier in certain ways. Happy to be a better fighter and hunter, happy to be free of an evil god’s influence, happy to be exploring new cool places with your good ol’ partner. Even she looks jollier than ever with the constant smile on her face as she scouts the path ahead. To explore and acquire knowledge has always excited her greatly. She has the heart of a true scout!

Maybe you’re so calm because, deep down, you know nothing bad is going to happen to your clan. Daitza understands this too, probably. If Gnolrek was really going to send a demon to rape them, he would’ve done so already. Those are mere bluffs to keep you scared, but you aren’t letting them get to you. No sir! Besides, you’ve got a far more powerful god backing you up, and if he’s really who he claims to be, he will protect those you love. And so, you won’t let fear take over you. You want to savour this little adventure and all those about to come, at least until the day you come back to your clan, triumphant over Gnolrek, and become their Alpha. For that is your dream, and always will be!

Speaking of adventure. You’re surprised by how samey all these tunnels look. Aside from ocassionally stumbling upon big metal boxes, some pickaxes lying around and colorful mushrooms here and there, the scenary is rather monotonous. If it wasn’t for Daitza’s fantastic scouting abilities and her great memory to keep track of even the smallest details and differences between similar-looking locations, you’d get lost in a heartbeat.

“Any sign of a demon?” you ask Datz, suddenly remembering that there could be a monster roaming around…

“Nope! None at all.” She continues sniffing in Luna’s direction, never once interrupting her quick pace. Several minutes later, Daitza and you arrive to a cave spot where there are no planks on the ground. It appears to have been untouched by the dwarves. You continue down this path and eventually find…

(cont)
>>
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... and eventually find that Luna the wolf is here, accompained by her shy little messenger called Bark, who hides behind a rock. "Ah! There you are, wolfy!"

Daitza is surprised by the sight of the forest spirit. “Hey, that’s the same talking wolf who bailed us out at the cave! So she’s the…”

“Yep. She’s the forest spirit that saved our butts so many times.”

“Hyenus, Daitza, my children...” The wolf stands up and greets you with her warm, motherly voice, “I was looking forward to our reencounter. My heart is warmed and filled with joy to meet you again!”

"And we’re glad you came back to life after... you know. After what that meathead did to you."

"My husband is nothing but a dumb savage, Luna. I’m so sorry...”

Luna shakes her head, shutting her eyes tight. "Remind me not of that awful incident, please. Some things are better left forgotten…” She opens them and meets your gazes. “I hope the task of finding me did not prove too difficult, young ones. While I had planned to appear closer to you, the aura exuded by that fortress of cold stone interferes with the scope of my powers."

"Don’t worry!” says Daitza with a carefree tone. “We caught your scent and followed it all the way here. It was easy as boar!"

The forest spirit smiles at her words. "Ah, that is wonderful! Only a gnoll in perfect touch with their instincts may use their keen sense of smell to its full potential. Know that you make your old goddess proud, warriors of the woods..."

Actually, it was Daitza who spotted Luna’s scent, not you. You just followed her lead, as the wolf’s smell barely reached your nose. Oh, well. Such a minor thing doesn't deserve a correction.

(cont)
>>
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“Old goddess?... Oh, right. Hyeny told me we used to worship beings like you in the past.”

The forest spirit nods and walks up to the two of you. You thought Daitza would get on her guard immediately, given how suspicious she's being of others lately, but surprisingly, she doesn’t even flinch. Your pal seems to trust her - she even crouches so they can talk at an even height.

“That is correct, child” Luna says, standing face to face with her. “You are looking at the first and original patron of all wolf gnolls. Or at least I was, until your ancestors betrayed the oath to Mother Earth and joined the demons’ side.”

Daitza nods slowly, studying the green wolf in front of her with great interest. You notice a strange glimmer of sadness in her eyes. “Luna, is it… is it normal to feel nostalgia when I stare at you?”

The spirit remains in meditative silence for a moment before responding. “Daitza... my purest daughter. The closest in heart to a true gnoll than any other in these corrupted generations has ever been. My dear warrior, craving to return to one’s roots is *absolutely* normal… and I am sure that Hyenus feels the same way.” She looks at you. “Come. Let me have a closer look at you.”

(cont)
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You do as Luna says. She’s staring at your eyepatch. “Your eye. Let me see.”

You remove your eyepatch and show her the results of confronting your tribe's worship of Gnolrek. She's taken aback by your wound. "Oh, poor child! What a terrible loss! If only my wolves had arrived a bit sooner to your rescue, this would have been prevented!"

With a smile, you shake your head. “It's okay, wolfy. What matters is that I’m still alive. *We’re* still alive. And it’s all thanks to you.”

“… And Anu” says a murmuring Hawkodesh within you.

(cont)
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As soon as Hawkodesh speaks, Luna becomes startled. She hops away and snarls at you! No, not at you... at your chest!

"My hunters!" she says aloud, "At this point, you should be aware you are a part of me. This cave is, too, regardless of the hint of dwarven taint upon its tunnels... but there is one creature among us that is *not* an extension of me. And I am talking about the strange being within you, Hyenus!"

"Me? You mean Hawkdodesh?"

"Hawkodesh?... So that is how it calls itself?" She approaches you again and starts screaming angrily at your torso. "Listen, you! I *know* you are there! Come out of my child and answer my questions, for I have many!"

(cont)
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>>5290065
spirits neede to chill yo
>>
>>5290040
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtSJKKAc7JE
>>
>>5290040
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb45pLOueOE
>>
“… The time has arrived. Father, grant me the wisdom to say the right words.”

You feel something warm and heavy leaving your chest. It's the same bird that entered you when Anu granted you his boon... wait! It's taking a new shape! Daitza, Luna, Bark and you stay away from the bird, which glows with a blinding light, rendering you unable to see past it. You hang on a few seconds...

When the intensity of the light wears down, your eyes meet with a nighindescribable creature, similar to Anu in its mysterious looks. A birdlike entity that is at least twice as tall as you, possessing eight wings, eleven eyes, and a strange beak extending from what you think is its jaw. But what is most surprising is the sheer amount of power... and *authority* it radiates. You and your pal can't get your eyes off this... this holy monster.

"Hawkodesh, is that... is that you?! So THAT’S your true form?”

Luna, however, remains unimpressed. “Ah, so you are the envoy of the Sun God. The same deity who let the dwarves do as they wish with my gnolls! The same who created the Devils that manipulate my followers into committing atrocities in exchange of power! You WILL answer my questions - I will not let you leave until you do!”

Hawkodesh speaks with a powerful, albeit calm and stern voice, “DO YOU NOT REMEMBER ME?”

“Huh?" The forest spirit is confused. "What... what do you mean?!"

“NOT EVEN A FAINT REMINISCIENCE?... NOT EVEN A SLIGHT SENSATION OF A MEMORY TRYING TO RESURFACE AS YOUR GAZE MEETS WITH MINE?"

“What are you- what are you TALKING about?! This is the first time I see you, bird! Speak clearly!”

Hawkodesh remains silent. This incurs great frustration in the forest spirit. “SPEAK! Who are you?! Why am I supposed to know *anything* about you?! Share your knowledge, or I will get it by force! I, the goddess of the forest, the woods incarnated, demand an answer!”

“… NO, LUNA. YOU ARE NEITHER THE FOREST NOR A GODDESS. YOU *THINK* YOU ARE."

“W-what?..." Luna's eyes pop out of her face. "What are you... what is this madness you're spouting?! Of COURSE I am! How dare you say that to my face? How DARE you deny my divine nature?!”

The transformed Hawkodesh closes his eleven eyes, all except the one on his forehead. “SO STUBBORN AND ILL-MANNERED... YOU ARE JUST LIKE MY FATHER DESCRIBED, IT IS AS I SAID, LUNA. THE WOODS, YOU ARE NOT. YOU HAVE BEEN LIVING A LIE FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU IS THIS..."

(cont)
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“LUNA... YOU ARE A FRAGMENT OF GAIA, MY PRODIGAL SISTER. AND ANU, OR THE 'SKY GOD' AS YOU CALL IT... HE IS YOUR FATHER. *OUR* FATHER."

(cont)
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(Meanwhile, outside the mines...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_3X9FNiQW8
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"This is where he said they went, huh?"

"Aye. Strange place to wander into. Any idea what they’re doing in there?"

(cont)
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"No, and I don’t give a fuck. What matters is that this is our best chance to get rid of those tribals. Damned gnolls missed their poisoned lunch, but they ain’t slipping by this time..."

(cont)
>>
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"Some beastfolk don't know their place in the hierarchy established by God. The arrogance of that creature to claim championship is a sacrilege of the worst kind, and deserves severe punishment… a *permanent* one.”

(cont)
>>
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"HEH HEH HEH... MY AXE HUNGERS FOR BLOOD. I CAN’T WAIT TO CUT THEIR YUGULARS AND HEAR THEIR DOG WHIMPERS AS THEY SLOWLY BLEED TO DEATH…"

(cont)
>>
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"C’mon, diggers. Let's give those impostors a little surprise..."

"... ONE THEY WILL NEVER FORGET."


==== END OF THREAD 9 ====
>>
These midgets have no chill.
>>
Thanks for reading. I'll make the next thread somewhere during this month, maybe next week or the other. Gonna need time to prepare what's coming and I also want to do other stuff in the meanwhile.

As always, feel free to leave feedback, thoughts, questions, etc about this quest if you want to. Godspeed anons
>>
>>5290126
>Yo, Galo Sengen.
>>
>>5290035
THE LITTLE GIRL IS SPYING ON US!

>>5290120
Holy shit....HOLY SHIT! That must mean all thr forest spirits are related to Anu in some capacity! Or, more exactly all forest spirits are fragments of a whole, whom was once Gaia. Damn this shit crazy. Should we put Gaia back together? Do I smell another sub-quest?
>>
>>5290136
Thanks for running QM, see you in the next thread.

>>5290125
>>5290126
Lol those two look straight outta DBZ.
>>5290127
Oh boy we're gonna get another demonic possession.
>>
>>5290136
Hey Qm did us or Datz got any exp for beating that check and reaching here without problems?
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>>5290095
Lel, glad someone got the reference

>>5290211
Yes, you won EXP. I was in a hurry so I forgot to add the status update. Here it is:

HYENUS
>+70 Scout XP (Learned from watching)

DAITZA
>+2 Scout XP
>>
>>5290136
>>5290236
Another question Qm, would it be possible in the future to get some other converts to Anu's side? Like other beastmen in the mines which we can turn into Anu's warriors or our tribe assuming we can save them in time?
>>
>>5290129
Great quest!
The improvement of the art over time is nice but faster updates would be better imo
Hyenus & Daitzsa better find out about what the three diggers are up to before or when they meet in the cave (if they do), otherwise us knowing and them not knowing would be weird



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