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You are KAIA, a bold and inquisitive BUUNE. Elusive, reclusive, and
secretive, yours are a people most have rarely seen among the realms
of man -— but the threat of what lies ahead have called for ACTION.
You have a purpose, a calling, and have embarked on a QUEST into the
strange and unfamiliar lands of an empire in collapse.

Our records are unclear in some regards - you must help us to correct them before the tale of your QUEST
can begin…

On the matter of your calling and creed, you assert that you are:

Dame Kaia, First Blade of House Rivello - a skilled martial combatant whose title and reputation
may precede you — for better or worse. An intrepid duelist, fencer and musketeer -- you have been honed
in battle. This expedition requires an adventuress of sure steel and stalwart mettle.

Sister Kaia, Rhiannon of the Briar Spire - a hedge-witch and student of magical arts undeterred in
your study of the occult and esoteric arts -- considered taboo or forbidden by many outside your brethren
of the coven, for the realms of man fear the unknown. An adept versed in cantrips, essence-weaving and
rituals. This expedition requires an adventuress of expertise beyond the mortal ken.

Seeker Kaia, Sentinel of Secrets from the Obsidian Sanctum - an agent of an order dedicated to
safeguarding the realms from the shadows. A cunning rogue versed in intrigue, subterfuge and skulduggery,
you are an able acrobat well familiar with paths less traveled. This expedition requires an adventuress
of a more canny, stealthy approach.

...>_

Sister Kaia, Rhiannon of the Briar Spire

let's be someone who works behind the shadows, not often we play as a stealthy character. Seeker Kaia

Sister Kaia, always mess with magic!

Dame Kaia.

Seeker

Sister Kaia

Seeker Kaia! Stealthy characters are so rare here, it would be cool to play one.

Seeker! Let's get our stealth on.

Tossing in a vote for Sister Kaia, because magic is fun!

Seeker Kaia

Dame Kaia.

>>1010900
Sister Kaia!

I'm throwin' in my vote for a seeker. The world deserves a primo-sneaksbee.

Im tossin my vote for Sister Kaia!!

Seeker

Dame first and foremost. Seeker if not.

Sister Kaia, Rhiannon of the Briar Spire

Sister

Dame----: ===
Sister--: ========
Seeker--: ========

What an unexpected result - it would seem, then, that our records held two
halves of a whole. Ahh -- now, it grows clearer, to a more cohesive whole.
Let us review the archives...



( A surprisingly vigorous enthusiasm, and neck and neck for two of the three. Already taking things in unexpected directions, but I think I can work with this for both camps: allow me to adjust accordingly - but it seems to me that your desired charge is a blend of magic and stealth... quite useful, then! More to come shortly. )

Wow! 19 votes right off the bat. Well done on an amazing start on your quest.

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You are Seeker Kaia, Rhiannon of the Briar Spire and Sentinel of the
Obsidian Sanctum - a talented hedge-witch and student of the magical
arts, whose study of the occult and esoteric arts drew the eye of the
Obsidian Order -- willing to overlook their taboo nature in service
of safeguarding the realms. From your sisters of the coven, you became
an adept versed in cantrips and rituals -- while in service of the
Order, you have been trained in subterfuge and discretion.

Elusive, subtle, yet braw and bold enough to seek out forbidden knowledge, feared by the realms of man:
in such trying, perilous times, this expedition requires an adventuress with expertise beyond the mortal
ken -- and a canny, stealthy approach when faced with overwhelming odds.

A witch, a rogue -- an arcane trickster, of sorts, such a background has granted you the weal of magic
through your sisterhood coupled with the nimble, deft efficacy an agent may rely on to evade notice when
desired. Such cross-training is not -quite- so thoroughly effective as a more dedicated path, but together,
these skills may prove invaluable as you venture ahead, alone or otherwise.

You are a Coven Agent. You are able to cast cantrips, perform rituals from grimoires or scrolls, and weave
essence--the spiritual underpinning of the living world. You are also trained in stealth and subterfuge,
and if prohibited from your arcane arts can still prove capable with a light blade at hand.

On the matter of preparations for your journey, you have readied yourself with many staples for an able
adventuress, safely secured in your satchel and messenger bag. In addition to your personal grimoire,
a set of thieves' tools and a dagger -- these particular trinkets were important to you...

You may pick three starting trinkets to aid you on your journey -- one 'major' trinket, and two 'minor'
trinkets. In the event that there's a lot of tiebreaking going on with the minor trinkets, I'll weigh them
in order of listed preference (so the first trinket you list is a higher priority than the second.)

Major trinkets:
A Spyglass, perfect for observing from a greater distance
A Tinder Ring, handy when a small spark can make a big difference
A Firebomb, a powerful and dangerous explosive fashioned from the alchemy of black powder
A Coin, ancient and mysterious, gifted to you by your mentor; it is always warm to the touch
A Shard of ice which never melts, excellent at cooling one's beverages
A Draught of an imbued healing elixir, potent - but foul-tasting
A Mask of alabaster, smooth and obfuscating, if you wish to hide away your features and face
A Compass, a rare and excellent tool for navigation
A Holy Symbol of Khasma, may she watch over you on your perilous journey

Minor trinkets:
A Portfolio of pressed flowers, keepsakes for when you may feel homesick
A Sizable pouch of deliciously roasted nuts
A Phial of scented oil, a fragrance you deeply enjoy
A Hare brush, your favorite of the lot
A Stack of letters from sweethearts past
A Handkerchief of exceptional quality, given to you by a past admirer
A Translation Guide, an aid for the slang and colloquial phrases found in the realms of man
A Flute, an instrument you are skilled at playing
A Bottle of your favorite brandy

Thanks to your dabbling in the arcane arts, you have an enchanted messenger bag capable of holding more
weight and quantity than one might expect in its various pockets! Not only is it easier for you to retrieve
something you're after in a hurry, but it can make more time for others who might go rummaging about your
belongings in a compromised situation.

 Mask of alabaster

A Translation Guide
Portfolio of pressed flowers

Mask of alabaster

Handkerchief
Flute

Handkerchief over the mask, no one will ever know who we are. And we can somehow play a flute with all of it on, was going to pick Translation Guide so we can gp "Ey yo what up bros, it's me, your sneaky girl Kaia." but we can do that later.

MAJOR: healing elixir
Reason: It only takes a moment to inflict a wound that can last a long time. Having this will allow us to be twice bitten, once shy.

MINOR: stack of letters
Reason: if you ever want to eat ass

>>1010930
whoops, forgot one MINOR:
phial of fragrance oil

>>1010926

MAJOR: Shard of Brandy Cooling
MINOR: Translation Guide

>>1010932
Additional Minor: Favorite Brandy.
Unmelting ice, brandy, and a translation guide.

>>1010926
Major:
A compass

Minor:
Translation Guide
Bottle of brandy

Major
Compass
Minors
Roasted nuts and Brandy!

Major - Mask
Minor - Brush + Brandy

You're an elusive rogue and agent, so the mask of alabaster is your bread and butter for moving unnoticed as your ears do stand out.

The brush is a keepsake, you love it dearly as you shed only a small amount, but it feels nice.

And the brandy... What brandy? Its your brandy. not others... yours.

>>1010926
Major: Coin - who knows what you can buy with the ancient mystery currency

Minor: A Flute - music has a power all it's own, don't underestimate it
Translation guide - knowledge is power, and a social faux-pas avoided is always good

Major: Compass

Minor: Bottle of Brandy, Translation Guide

A spyglass, your hairbrush, and a flask of brandy.

Flowers to remind you of the warrens back home.

A pouch of delicious roasted nuts, a snack because you should always stay well nourished.

A holy symbol, to be protected.

A compass, a flute and a translation guide could help a lot.

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Decisions, decisions...

Upon further consideration and reflection, and its runaway
lead position for accessories, the Obsidian Order will make
sure the Translation Guide is standard kit for our dear Kaia
given that it may be coming across as too must have. If any
prior picks would like to swap to something else feel free--
otherwise I'll treat them as wildcards probably.

I'll round up tallies and see about our embarking on the morrow
while Kaia daydreams about necessities and niceties as buune
are wont to do!

And on an extra note, many thanks to you all for the wonderful
welcome and interest as things kick off!

Ok, I'll swap that choice out for deez nuts.

Spyglass

Flute
Scented Oil

Major: A Coin, ancient and mysterious, gifted to you by your mentor

Minor: A Bottle of your favorite brandy

You never know when someone needs to be bribed, and now you've got coin and contraband.

A reflection on your ABILITIES:

You are able to cast cantrips, simple but readily accessible magic
at your fingertips. With a deft touch, murmured phrase and careful
concentration, you are currently able to do the following with only
minimal preparation:

> GLOW - Imbue an object such that it illuminates its surroundings
for a short while. Your focus allows only one such object at a time.
> INVIGORATE - Stir a living thing you touch, encouraging flowering
plants to blossom, fruits to ripen and creatures to rouse in various ways.
> MEND - A clear favorite for a fashionable buune, it is a most
practical tool, repairing damaged garments and minor injuries alike.
> SOOTHE - Relieve the pain of a living thing, comfort and combat
agitation, anxieties or fear -- regrettably, not as effective for yourself.
> COMMUNE - Project your words a short distance for a creature you
can see, or communicate with entities which manifest nearby.

Note: If you are bound or gagged, it substantially affects your ability
to perform cantrips, let alone more involved magical rituals!

You are able to perform rituals, more elaborate or involved magic
accessible through your personal grimoire or other sources, such as found
scrolls or imbued icons. Rituals require reagents or foci -- even with
your imbued bag, your supply for such magics is more limited, requiring
you to keep a weather eye for more. You are currently able to perform
the following rituals:

> BEWITCH - Attempt to ensorcell or charm a living creature, to
sway them towards agreeability and subject them to your influence. It
is not mind control, and likely to fail against hostile targets.

> HEAL - Provide a living thing magical recovery from more serious
injuries, including yourself -- a slow and involved process requiring
concentration and reagents proportional to the wounds involved.

> CURSE - Reserved for targets of your substantial ire, a witch's
curse is no paltry matter -- and yours, in the past, have often been
rather creative. Scope and effects can vary greatly, reliant on the
time and reagents you commit to the task, but the results...

> CLEANSE - Purifying magic to combat corruption, poisons and
other maladies which may extend beyond ordinary injury. Can prove to
be an exhausting ritual.

> SLUMBER - Attempt to lull a living creature to blissful sleep,
provided it is something they are capable of; the effectiveness of this
ritual is relative to preparation, but imbuing fruit as a vector is a
particularly effective approach.

We're not going to get into nitty gritty and specificity over these
elements -- it will remain fairly abstract, mostly beholden to Kaia's
overall supply of components and reagents e.g. ample or low. You'll
find opportunities to try to restock throughout your QUEST, and will
doubtless discover additional rituals which you may be able to pursue.

You are able to weave essence, the spiritual underpinning of the
world and the beings within it. All living creatures possess essence,
and most magic manipulates the properties of such. This talent is a
separate but related aspect of your witchcraft, and primarily allows you
to assess the corruption of your surroundings -- one of the most evident
consequences of the PALL and its CURSE.

You are limited in this ability initially, but your decisions and
experiences may help or hinder its growth throughout your QUEST.

You are trained in stealth and subterfuge, meaning that you
are particularly adept at attempting to remain unseen and avoid notice
when you make an effort to do so -- provided your surroundings allow
for it. You are also able to utilize your tools to attempt to pick locks
and interact with other mechanical obstacles, such as traps.

You are a knowledgeable herbalist, able to recognize plants which
are useful as reagents -- or tasty snacks. You are especially versed in
flowers, as fresh flowers are delicious; in theory, you've convinced
yourself that you're going to stop eating so many flowers.

A reflection on your INVENTORY:

Thanks to your involvement in the arcane arts and the Obsidian Order, you
possess a magically imbued messenger bag able to hold more supplies and
weight than may be outwardly apparent, while allowing you to remain light
on your feet. Very handy for an adventurous buune!

Additionally, this has allowed you to carry twice the trinkets
than originally expected! Two major, and four minor selections have been
added to your INVENTORY.

As you are a professional, you've made a point of preparing for
your QUEST with many of the staples an adventuress would think of. Of
course, there's always a chance you may have forgotten or misplaced a
thing or two, but you've resolved to mostly try to remember your
INVENTORY.

Currently you possess:
> Your personal travel grimoire
> Your dagger, also suitable as your athame for witchcraft
> Your personal set of thieves' tools, a priceless boon
> A compass, a rare and excellent tool for navigation
> A mask of alabaster, smooth and obfuscating
> A translation guide, to aid in understanding parlay in the realms of man
> A bottle of your favorite brandy, priceless where you're headed
> A flute, an instrument you are skilled at playing
> A sizable pouch of deliciously roasted nuts
> Your favorite hare brush, thank Khasma you remembered to bring it
> A portfolio of pressed flowers, for when you may feel homesick
> 50 feet of sturdy rope (or, approximately 15 meters)
> A grappling hook, every adventurer's favorite rope accessory
> 10 iron pitons, a staple for safe spelunking and climbing
> A small hammer, good for pounding pitons and cracking walnuts
> 3 torches, for when you require fire and light not magical in nature
> A sizable waterskin, to stay hydrated
> A comfortable bedroll
> A concerning number of caltrops
> 10 pieces of chalk, some of them colorful
> A small mirror, important for embarrassing oversights
> A pot for cooking, but not to piss in -- you have standards
> A set of flint and steel, not as handy as a tinder ring, but it'll do
> A change of clothes
> A mess kit for civilized eating, with extra salad forks
> Enough trail rations to feed yourself for another twenty-one days as of
the start of the QUEST.
> An AMPLE supply of reagents and spell components for your rituals.

So there was a tie for the fourth minor trinket as well, but you managed
to squeeze another in rather than bringing even more torches.

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Prepared for your QUEST ahead, well-supplied and nerves steeled, you
then spent a final evening among your friends and loved ones in good
company -- enjoying the comforts of food, drink and revelry before
the perils which laid ahead. Perhaps, knowing then what you would
later come to discovery, you never would have left. Perhaps, you
would have done so with greater urgency still...

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

Onward you set from the safety of the bramble veil, the watchful eyes
of the wardens gazing after you as you dwindle into the distant horizon.
Through territory rich with verdant wilderness and familiar groves, out
and beyond to the very cusp of your homeland -- the furthest reaches
tread upon by most of your people.

You have prepared for this day, steeled your resolve as your brethren have
steeped well-wishes and blessings for your difficult trek -- but ready as
you thought yourself to be, there is an irrepressible pang of anxious unease
at the pit of your being when you truly depart to lands unfamiliar, leaving
behind that which is precious to you -- and which may not remain, unchanged,
should you ever return.

For two weeks you stride, as buune are excellent travelers by foot -- each
eve, setting camp to rest beneath the starry sky, embraced by the fleeting
brush of essence upon the breeze and suffused in the life around you. In
such remote spans, you are alone -- following after the aged and dusty
remnants of a road once laid by the mightiest of empires -- at least, until
it had been felled by the GREAT KHAN of generations passed.

By midway through your third week of travel, striding into nightfall, you
stead yourself to make camp as before -- yet as the stars twinkle above,
to yonder skies you spy no such gleaming. At first, it is difficult to
fully ascertain, but soon you arrive at a certainty: you have reached the
present precipice of the PALL, the smothering darkness shrouding everywhere
it reaches.

Among the Obsidian Order, it is said the PALL has wholly consumed KHANATE
and now threatens its neighbors, allies and enemies alike; the realms of man
have bore the brunt of its ceaseless spread -- but left unchecked, it's only
a matter of time...

As you camp this night, you do so knowing that it will be your last certain
gaze to the great cosmos above. Ahead, will your ancestors watch over you
still? Can Khasma's vigil pierce that CURSED veil? You cannot be certain.

Nevertheless, you must not falter.

Anything fun we want to do tonight before we head into the unknown tomorrow? It's important to relieve stress so we can stay focused on this serious mission.

Inscribe a journal entry on a particularly smooth boulder.

>>1011018
And invigorate yourself.

Cast invigotate on yourself and have fun.

>Falter

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> Relieve stress and INVIGORATE yourself...

Anxiousness, uncertainty, stress -- much swirls through your thoughts as
you prepare to bed down for the evening. After contemplating amid your
restlessness, you look to a nearby boulder near where you've settled in
-- taking to it as a makeshift journal in a sudden bout of inspiration.
Upon the smooth stone you share the tale of your present undertaking,
that perhaps someday another may happen upon such words -- someone who
knows the eloquent tongue of the buune, at that. If they should not?
Clearly not the right party to make acquaintance with your story.

By the time you have finished, the hour has grown quite late, yet still
anxious energy wells within the pit of your stomach and sets your tail
to twitch and flick of its own accord. Baring yourself beneath the
tranquil starlight, you stow away your things within the tidy confines
of your bag before settling upon your bedroll for a weary stretch.

Some relief, after as with many an evening after a day of stride -- but
it does not quite satisfy the tangle of essence and energy bristling
within you...

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...a notion percolates, a solution to your troubles; who could say for
a certainty when next you may happen upon a safe place of respite and
solitude? You've not seen another soul in quite some time, and even
along the old road, what were the odds that one might come traipsing
out to reveal themselves now? Taking a moment of caution, you have a
look about your surroundings, keen ears and eyes attentively searching.

Alone. Well, you're comfortable enough -- and your practice of the
esoteric arts had more nuance than most would ordinarily consider...

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A melodic murmur, crooning from your throat -- though here, for your
ears alone; a tingle, blossoming warmth from the pit of your stomach
until it spreads to your fingertips, where there a familiar sensation
builds with each lingering moment as the invigorating essence takes
shape. It is scarcely your first time exercising this particular
discipline of the craft, though oft as not it has been in service of
introducing partners past to an exhilarating peak.

Indulgent, relaxed, your hands drift in the languid press of a lover's
leisure -- smoothing your palms in a slow, methodical knead over each
new inch of short, soft fur and supple flesh -- aching from the day's
rigors. Slender fingers splay and squeeze, focusing your attentions
against the tops of your thighs where you sit as a shiver runs the
length of your spine and your tail begins to tremble in a display of
emphatic delight.

In your mind's eye, you manifest a particularly favored lover from
the past, motions falling to an easy tandem with the flourish of heat
and energy your questing hands bear. A quiet moan slips from your
throat past parted lips as you allow your roaming touch to mirror the
motions of your fondly remembered tryst.

One hand inexorably trails back along your thigh to sweep against the
pliant warmth of your belly -- before fingers slip past the heat of
your mound to ply gingerly at your quim. Dexterous digits flex, twin
fingertips spreading yourself, before shifting to part slick, delicate
petals and slip within before the cool evening air can encroach beyond.

Groans blossom alongside louder, more earnest moans; you shudder as
fond pleasure builds, heightened to dizzying degrees as nimble fingers
work the cantrip's magic as expertly as your own most sensitive forms.
Your head swims, pulse quickened, fingers working a feverish tempo as
your free hand captures and kneads at the supple heft of your breast,
pinching and massaging almost haphazardly to dimple the flesh beneath.

Pent up as you are after forestalling such pleasures for so long, the
act alone would have seen you through to swooning in bliss -- but to
couple as well with your coven's more lurid arts, there's little chance
to resist those growing heights for long. A climax overtakes you,
profound and upending you bodily as your toes tightly curl -- an earnest
cry escaping you as it echoes through the open evening countryside.

Inner thighs trembling, you pant and gasp breathlessly, blinking your
eyes back open once more -- uncertain which among the stars you see
above is there at your own making. Khasma, you are certain, must be
smiling down on you in your carnal reverie -- enough to bring an
impish smirk to your lips before you suckle your own slick fingertips.

Absently, you find yourself teasing still at your figure as you gaze
up at the stars. Perhaps, then, if you will be unseen in the days to
come -- you'd best be sure. With a luxurious stretch, you find a
comfortable position again before the lilting murmurs of the cantrip
are crooned anew...

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In the morning, you feel refreshed and revitalized; the lingering aches
and soreness of your travels have fled your limber legs and the weight
upon your heart feels lighter, if only temporarily. You fix yourself
breakfast and see to your morning affairs before slipping back into
your traveling attire. As you tug and cinch your sandals, your eyes
fall to your journal entry upon the smooth boulder once more as a coy
smile spreads at your lips.

An addendum is added, simple and succinct: that a bold daughter of
Khasma was truly here beneath the stars...

...and that she came and went.

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||==========================||
BASTION OF THE LAST LORDS
||==========================||

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This past day's travel has, at long last, brought you to the very cusp
of the existent PALL in this region -- and by surety of your compass
and the direction of the Order, you are certain now that the KHANATE's
territory lies ahead. As you reach the crest of a steep and craggy
slope, you stand on high overlooking a sweeping valley below.

To the northeast, the dark shores of an unfamiliar sea loom beneath
the gloom of the PALL, abutting a dense, primordial forest. Such
wilderness lay sprawled before the base of a broad mountain range
spanning the horizon ahead as far as you can see.

Flanked by the wilds, an open lowland stretches along the span, its
center cut by a newer, broader road which overtakes your own faded
trail; its path disappears into the western wilds, leaving the way to
the lands of your people long-since disused and forgotten.

Most prominently, you can see a broad, fortified city nestled securely
upon the only observable breach in the mountains yonder; a vast gate
able to host the tread of armies stands at the center of towering
battlements, a formidable bulwark to the lands of the late GREAT KHAN.

Even from such a distance, it is clear to you that much is awry in
the once-grand site: smoke trails skyward from several places beyond
its high walls, while a multitude of tents brightly festooned in red
and gold have been raised a short distance from the city, among the
lowlands.

It is difficult to see precisely what lies among them -- faintly,
you can make out a few disparate figures moving among the encampment.
If there was a grand battle here, it would certainly seem that you
have missed it. The result of such is obvious, however: that
grandiose gate lies open -- and with it, your surest, most direct path
into the KHANATE itself.

...>_

A saucy detour! A beginning to the grand undertaking beyond! For
now I'm going to leave the input open ended on how you would like to
proceed, but it seems the old road that you've followed here is at an
end and that its continuation -- used by the realms of man -- lies far
below and beyond.

You are still up rather high at the moment, but you are an agile buune
agent -- and a path down looks relatively accessible, if a bit time
consuming. What you need to decide together is how you'd like to
take your approach once down below; you have seen signs of movement
off in the distance, but cannot say who or what it may be.

From up your high vantage here, you are confident the city fortress
has fallen -- and there does not appear to be anywhere close to a
city's worth of activity beyond its walls.

Kind of a big art blowout for the start of this; with the weekend
closing out, may pivot to some narrative posts for a bit between
the next big art update!

I'd say we head to the forest first, hunt some wild animals or monsters, and then we bring the carcasses to the campsite as a meal and gift for those campers to stay on the people's good side and give us easier access to the city, and information. first impressions are important

Check the cliff to your left for hidden treasure. There's always some nut who thinks nobody will find their super-secret hiding place in a hard-to-reach location, acting as if OCD adventurers didn't exist.
Did you know that Notepad has a word wrap feature?

Become permanently asexual.

Also, causiously approach the camp to learn what's going on.

Use stealth to sneak unseen and listen in on the campers, see if they are friend or foes.

Once you get down there, try your best not to be seen until you find out what people are like around here. The corruption could have had negative affects on the populace's mental faculties.

You DO want to find someone who knows how to survive in the PALL, though. I'd imagine the plants and animals have changed enough that it's difficult to know what's safe to eat... and you're probably going to want to know what towns are still safe to visit.

The first thing you should do is attempt to gather information without being seen. Approach cautiously, beware that if this is an army they'll have their own scouts, and just watch for a little while. Figure out who (or what) these figures are and what they might be doing here.

I will reinforce the "Be stealthy and approach the area to learn about the Campers" advice, with a side of "Have a hearty meal and drink before you so much as touch the Pall so you can go as long as possible without possibly tainted food."

Stealth is most likely your best bet here.
Though, proficiency in stealth tactics mean diddly squat if you're coming at them from an open field, maybe stick to the forests? Should offer a decent amount of cover there until you've figured out if it's safe to approach them or not.

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From your vantage on high, you decide the most sensible approach is to descend towards the depths of the wilderness, to best avoid detection before you can be sure of the situation at hand. With the road at your back and uncertainty ahead, you situate yourself around the cusp of the cliffside with room enough to prepare a meal: here, before the PALL, while you still have a moment's peace.

A portion of pumpernickel with crisp greens whets your appetite, and you afford yourself a delicious roasted nut from your stash -- a candid celebration of your arrival. As you sit contemplating sneaking a bit of brandy as well, your gaze wanders along the nearby rock face before an old hunch tugs at the periphery of your thoughts. These heights at the end of the old road would be a landmark of a sort, what if a wary individual had made a point of its use?

You clamber up to your feet, a cool breeze setting your cloak to billow briefly as you adjust your garb; for a long few moments you study the rockface, nose twitching as you run your fingertips along a deeper series of crevices. A silly musing? But then, your fingers find purchase--a wry smile forming at your lips as you gingerly tug and shift your grasp, unseating a broad and dusty stone and revealing a hollow behind it. You reach inside, scooping free a dusty, weathered leather pouch which had been hidden out of sight from any passerby.

You suppose the denizens here might balk at the cliff's precipice, but you were never really afraid of heights, were you? Hefting the pouch, it jingles with a curiously satisfying clinking; easing it open with nimble fingers, you peruse its contents -- assorted coins of silver and gold emblazoned with a bearded ruffian in profile. Currency of the realms of man, no doubt.

You have gained a Weathered Leather Pouch, along with twenty-seven gold coins and thirty-five silver coins.

Sated in appetite and curiosity alike, you gather your belongings, stow your discovery and begin to plot out your descent in your mind's eye -- setting out soon after as you navigate your way to the wilds below.

RWW 2021/09/20(Mon)18:23 No. 1011197 ID: 673fe6
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At the base of the cliffs, you set foot among the darkly verdant wilderness -- ears poised high as your nose sets to task, taking in the great breadth of scents and sounds peppered throughout. It is remarkably dense growth, thick foliage providing ample ground cover while the canopy above offers only the most fleeting glimpses of the darkened sky beyond. Despite the gloom of the PALL looming overhead, you find sure, easy footing as you maneuver among the terrain; much of your childhood had seen wilds as rich as these, and there is a certain comfort to the presence of so many towering trees.

Birches and oaks stand interspersed with an overwhelming number of old pines; the scent of sap hangs thickly on the air, while thick carpets of dry needles have been shed across the ground at your feet with nearly every step you take. Grand boughs sway as bushes and branches rustle -- and you spy in your peripheral vision a glimpse of a doe peering at you in the distance. You consider the creature for a moment -- but elect to remain focused on reconnoitering the camp first and foremost.

You check your compass, affirming your bearing, continuing onward...

*******

It is no trouble catching wind of the camp long before you lay eyes on it -- the sounds of man a curiously bawdy and boisterous affair as they yawp about; this is to say nothing of the smell -- sufficient to make your sensitive nose wrinkle as you catch a particularly odious sampling downwind.

Caution is foremost in your mind -- and well before you near, you take to a mindful silence, stalking your way to a suitable vantage point hidden among the dense wilds. You are, of course, conscious of the prominence of your ears as the camp comes more fully into sight -- but confident in your stealthy positioning, you poise them high to better listen to what transpires before you.

RWW 2021/09/20(Mon)20:19 No. 1011219 ID: 673fe6
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Crouched low, you believe you are well-hidden a short distance from the camp's periphery as you settle into a kneel. There are a great many tents populating the lowlands before the fortress city, though you can see now that a number of them appear to have crumpled or collapsed in apparent disuse or neglect. Most of the large tents boast a motif of burgundy with gold -- bars of gold crossed in a symbol that stirs familiarity from your preparation with the Order: the SARKEN, an enemy of the KHOR.

Above, you had nominally suspected it -- but it now seems clear that an opposing force arrived at the city and that a battle must have ensued. As your eyes rove the encampment, flitting to what had been most likely a bivouacked army, you count ten visible denizens outside of tents; they are largely apart from one another, dispersed into smaller gatherings or going about individual business. Not remotely an army by any measure; it is possible the others have moved beyond the fortress, deeper into the KHANATE.

Silently, you observe and take stock of what you can see: near to one of the larger tents, a mat has been laid out with assorted belongings and supplies -- a few valuables noticeable among them. Off in the distance, a pair of individuals sit lethargic across from a guttered out campfire. Near to the gathered loot, a trio gathers before one of the men begins to show off a slender blade of silver with boastful enthusiasm.

Nearest to you, your nose wrinkles as you catch the sharp tang of a man's musk as he relieves himself behind thick foliage; briefly, you wonder at the display as the man sways where he stands -- a smell of alcohol carrying as surely as unkempt flesh. As you listen, you believe you can understand most of the speech you hear, at least the thrust of it: one of the men has been complaining that all of the camp followers have gone.

Most of the figures you've glimpsed boast thick beards in the curious fashion in which such creatures grow hair; several appear to be tall and stout as they bandy about together -- while all of them seem to be in varying states of disheveled irreverence. Some wear leather and chain armor, and while a few display the colors of the SARKEN military, others appear more piecemeal and mismatched; the man showing off the silver sword wears the lamellar befitting a warrior of KHOR -- likely taken from such a source.

Still confident that you are well-hidden, you assess the situation and contemplate your approach.

...>_

Once an army, perhaps, now vagrant bandits. Take out their sentries and then their leader, then search his tent for useful information.

You could Bewitch the guy taking a piss, and interrogate him to find out the specifics of what these people do. They could just be looters... After you're done interrogating him, put him to sleep and move on.

I don't really want to fight all of these guys. You could kill a few by stealth, yes, but wiping out all of them seems too risky and none of our spells are particularly suited to direct combat. A half-witch half-rogue isn't really good at combat in general.

Hmm, how far away can you target foodstuffs for a Slumber ritual? If you can hit their alcohol supply, you could just wait for them all to drink and pass out, then take your pick of the loot etc.

First: Put on the MASK OF ALABASTER, to conceal our identity
Second: Attempt to abduct the drunk peeing guy via SLUMBER so you can milk him for information

>>1011219
Mask up, boys!

(1/2) RWW 2021/09/22(Wed)15:25 No. 1011361 ID: 673fe6
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A frown tugs at your lips as you regard the men -- bandits, looters, like as not deserters left behind by whatever force has ventured deeper. Opportunists, picking at the carrion of the city; despite this, they number more than you, and you cannot yet be altogether certain of your safety in engaging them.

One step at a time -- your first order of business is further obfuscation, and reaching among your bag you retrieve your shroud mask, easing it into place over your features before adjusting and securing it into place. It is a snug fit, costing you the full measure of your keener senses and their faculties -- but given the stink prevalent in the camp, you reflect that it is not wholly a loss.

Tucking your ears into your hood in kind, you adjust the clasps of your cloak and cinch it tighter, working to further reduce your profile much as you're able: uncomfortable for a long stretch, but for the task at hand you'll surely be able to endure.

Regardless of whether you ultimately seek to spill blood or avoid violence, you assert a need to glean more information still -- engaging on your present opportunity. If all else fails, you'll have given yourself a chance to remove at least one of the men.

With deft, nimble footfalls you stalk nearer to the wayward fellow, scarcely making a sound as you cover the ground; it would be best to render the man unconscious first, lest his reaction to your more persuasive magics draw unwanted attention so soon.

(2/2) RWW 2021/09/22(Wed)15:29 No. 1011363 ID: 673fe6
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Against your training and preternatural grace, the bearded man fails to notice you until you're upon him, darting your hands outstretched akimbo to slip up beneath his rough-spun tunic -- where fingers can splay in direct contact with warm flesh. Distance and obstruction were not insurmountable things for your witchcraft -- but the more directly and closely you could interact with your target greatly increased the likelihood of its results.

Here, it proves insurmountable for the broad fellow's resilience -- the hushed whispers of your incantation soliciting a numbing flourish from your fingertips which swiftly wreathes his mind, causing the man to collapse unceremoniously into the earth in an ungainly pile. Out cold, soon set to soft snoring -- caught quite literally with his pants down, you have a brief moment to take stock of his bearing up close.

With little time to waste, you do not linger overlong: scooping your hands beneath his arms, you breathe a terse grunt as your legs flex, leaning to leverage his limp weight before you manage to shift him from where he lay. He's large and heavy, but you are blessed in at least his lack of armor as you work you drag him to a more secluded spot.

It's hard work, the feat of hauling a fellow nearly twice your size in some contrast to your travels thus far -- but by all accounts, you seem to have escaped notice in the affair. After some time and great effort, you have moved the man a sufficient distance to be clear from the camp's immediate vicinity -- leaving you with a stinking, hairy, oafish creature snoring away before you.

Lifting him from his slumber can be achieved readily at your whim; he is presently unconscious and helpless.

...>_

RE: Slumber & Alcohol supply, the nature of the various rituals is generally a tradeoff of access vs. cost. The closer / more hands-on you can get with something with as few barriers as possible, the easier it is to pull off and the more potent the potential results. You could conceivably try to affect an alcohol supply from a distance, but that's probably something to consider after you have a bit more information at the moment -- since you're not entirely sure yet where such a supply may be yet. Since the separated fellow was more time-sensitive and had a few nudges towards it, that was the immediate action for now.

>>1011363
Tie him up, wake him up while covering his mouth and with a weapon to his throat. Then you can safely interrogate him, judge by his reaction whether you need to Bewitch him to get any info out of him. Though I guess you could just go ahead and do it anyway if recovering your reagents isn't too much trouble.

First off, tell him you just want some info, and if he cooperates you'll let him return to his group unharmed.
Priority one is asking what stable civilization still remains here. Second priority is finding out what areas to avoid.

>>1011365
This, but don't use the knife. Fanatics have a chance of impaling themselves on the blade.
Tie him upside-down to a tree so it's harder for him to escape or break free.

>>1011363
Given the inebriated state of our captive and the encroachment of our position into their camp, it may be best to leave him to sleep for the time being and see if there is anything to be gleaned from our new proximity. Pay mind to the surroundings, establish a general layout of the camp, their numbers and if they even speak anything that you can understand. If possible, their own ramblings will likely offer more of their temperament and situation than a single drunken fool.

Let us:

1) Put his pants back on.

2) Perform the Bewitching ritual.

3) Wake him up while taking off our mask.

4) Tell him we are The Rabbit of Good Fortune and that good fortune will befall him if he answers our questions.

No one will believe him afterwards.

RWW 2021/09/23(Thu)22:17 No. 1011479 ID: 673fe6
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With the SARKEN man slumbering soundly beneath your spell, you are left with a pause -- and begin to consider your options with how best to deal with him and the matter of his fellows. You'd prefer to have more information about the encampment and its occupants, for even if you were to attempt to avoid it and venture into the city itself, you could be exposing your back to trouble. But of all your possible avenues, which would serve you best...?

Do you...
>A) Bind the man, secure him to your advantage and proceed to question him with threat or persuasion.
>B) Bewitch the man, tidying him up before presenting yourself as a benevolent and impressive creature.
>C) Secure the man as your prisoner, but then take advantage of his long sleep to sneak about the camp.

We're fairly divided with different directions this could go, and each of them is a sound one--so let's see if anyone else might want to weigh in for one of these paths to make up our mind! I'm presuming the prior suggestions align with their respective picks from these three, but if you change your mind you can make it known. If we get no other takers, then you'll ultimately trust your whims before too long has passed...!

...>_

Bind and interrogate! We need details.

>>1011479
A. We can do C afterwards.

>>1011479
>B) Bewitch the man, tidying him up before presenting yourself as a benevolent and impressive creature.
We're a magical Buune on a quest to save the world, we ARE an impressive and benevolent creature. We just have to play it up a little bit!

A.

If A fails we can “rescue” him with B and see if it works out better. Let’s tie him up

>>1011479
B

(1/2) RWW 2021/09/24(Fri)23:01 No. 1011538 ID: 673fe6
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Erring on the side of caution, you elect to see to binding the man -- retrieving your rope from your bag before taking dutiful time to truss his arms and legs. Afterwards, you toss the rope over a thick, sturdy branch and quietly thank the tree's presence in foisting so large and heavy a creature from the ground. With some strain and long effort, you flex and pull before tying off your rope--leaving him dangling just a touch above your own height, upside-down. It would serve to disorient him and keep him in a compromised position, just in case.

A part of you still fosters the notion of cultivating your more magical and wondrous image with these creatures, however; it could prove quite fortuitous.

Once you're confident you have your captive secure, you rummage through your reagents and ration out a portion for a bewitching spell; up close, with a slumbering captive, you've ample opportunity for direct contact and muttered murmurs -- feeling the bloom of your essence's influence branching out as the broad and hairy man sways, rope faintly creaking above. A sparing use of your ritual, for now -- but enough, you hope, to keep him from more immediate alarm and drawing unwanted attention too soon.

With that, you dismiss the shroud of slumber from the man, watching through your mask as he stirs groggily from his stupor with a guttural sound. He mutters something you don't quite recognize in searching your knowledge of the 'trade tongue' most commonly favored in the realms of man, but from the look on his face, he appears duly confused and uncertain what to make of the visage before him. Squirming, he tests at his bonds; your rope work suffices.

"El sou hwim ca soo cin co soo," you offer initially, expressing an intent to know what he knows "Ol co flep si su shoonncean?" Unsurprisingly, he appears baffled by your own tongue. You clear your throat, seeking to enunciate for him in a more familiar fashion. "Yow are in the difficult state, but I cahn help with these things..." Better -- understanding registers, though his brow knits in clear consternation. Though your accented trade is not quite fluent, he mutters a gruff acknowledgement before nodding, upside-down as he is. His name, you glean, is 'Rolph.'

(2/2) RWW 2021/09/24(Fri)23:02 No. 1011539 ID: 673fe6
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Between your ensorcellment, his lingering libations and the man's predicament, Rolph proves fortunately and fortuitously forthcoming enough as you proceed to probe him for a better understanding of the situation. By his word, those who remain in the camp had been left to secure passage for messengers or supplies across the border, while most of their number were to hold the city beyond as a limited garrison; one hundred were left to this task.

Ahead, an army has ventured deeper into the KHANATE, seemingly accompanied by 'great heroes' if Rolph is to be believed and trailed by a supply chain. However, Rolph indicates that the supply chains dwindled, until it had been weeks without relief; he speaks of 'dishonoring the ancestors' -- harsh treatment grew as the occupying force became more demanding, until it had apparently come to a head. Recently, Rolph claims that nearly everyone who had remained in the city had somehow gone in the night, including the remaining leadership among the SARKEN.

In the ensuing days, Rolph asserts that more of their number have 'vanished' into the night -- you're not entirely clear on whether he means desertion or disappearances, beyond his insistence that behavior has grown worse. Those who remain have been looting what has been left behind and that there is talk of abandoning this place once they have finished; he claims that he has refused to do so himself, and that the 'ancestors' would not forgive for such behavior.

All told, twelve others remain in the camp outside the city walls and another eighteen have remained in the city itself -- but most of them have not been seen for days; he knows only that they had boasted opening the way into the 'HALL OF LORDS' where allegedly hidden riches and RELICS were interred.

You have managed to gain a better understanding of the situation from Rolph, who has proven cooperative.

Currently, you have a few important decisions to make...
>1) What do you want to do with Rolph now?
Bearing in mind that you've currently used your rope tying him up, he is otherwise presently at your mercy and affected by your witchcraft.

>2) How do you want to deal with the camp, if at all?
Whether attempting to sneak around or openly engage the SARKEN there, you may yet be able to find useful supplies or valuables at some risk. It is possible that you could avoid the camp entirely, if you so choose.

>3) If you proceed directly to the city instead...
How do you want to approach it? Its grand gates are wide open, and may be unguarded; you could also seek to scale the battlements -- the walls are high, though crumbling in places and largely unmanned. Or another approach entirely?

Open engagement is silly. Let's see if we can figure out if it's desertion, or something else poaching their numbers- and if the enemy of our enemy is our friend.

Also, we should put Rolph to sleep (but not upside-down).

Untie him and set him loose into the woods, to eventually wake from his stupor lost and confused. Head directly for the city and scale the walls.

Tell him to remember this dream well,, and that to keep an eye out for the white rabbit, as she brings aid to those in need.

Then make him sleep again and leave him back in the camp, before moving on to explore the city.

1) ROLPH
Leave him tied here while you investigate the camp. If you proceed to the city, DON'T leave him tied up, but wait to let him go until you have searched the area. BIND HIS MOUTH so he cannot reveal your location.

2) CAMP
Investigate the camp more closely. Attempt to scare these oafs away using your most dramatic witchcraft. If that succeeds, see if there is any more loot available.

3) CITY
See if you can glean something useful from the camp before proceeding to the city.

ROLPH: Put him to sleep and drench his shirt with alcohol to make him just look like an untrustworthy drunkard.
CAMP: Work our way around the camp stealthily, keeping an eye open for any valuable targets of opportunity while declining direct engagement.
CITY: Once past the camp, find a sturdy-looking unmanned section of wall and prepare to climb.

(1/3) RWW 2021/09/26(Sun)22:52 No. 1011713 ID: 673fe6
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Rolph has proved useful, though you've finished with him here; with a ginger flourish you mutter an incantation -- speaking to him then in a lilting tone as slumber and spell begin to wreath over his senses once more. "Remember this dream." You chime. "Seek the rabbit white, thee aid will come."

Once his eyes have slipped shut and you are confident he is fast asleep, you go about the business of letting the fellow down from his hanging place and reclaim your rope. Drench? You consider your available alcohol. A dousing of just a splash of your precious brandy is a considerable gift, but you commit it to his shirt in service of misdirection...

Stowing your rope -- already contemplating ascending the walls to make your way into the city beyond -- you stalk back through the foliage and make your way back to the campsite.

(2/3) RWW 2021/09/26(Sun)22:53 No. 1011714 ID: 673fe6
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While the city beckons, there is a part of your mind that draws your attention still to the camp; with a better notion of just how many count among its scattered tents and guttering firepits, you move with deft, quiet footfalls to maneuver among the blind spots the tents can lend you. Your senses are more limited with mask and hood, but stealth remains at the forefront of your focus.

You're able to listen in on two of the men for a time as you remain out of sight; it would seem that in the span of your questioning of Rolph, the figure with the silver sword had encouraged others to accompany him back into the city before returning, himself.

Seemingly, the men in the city have been harangued by some 'elusive cur' that they have, as of yet, been unable to successfully confront; they complain of cowardice and injury, with growing desperation. There is uncertainty in those who remain -- something about dwindled supplies in the camp, but a wariness of 'losing their way' in the night if they attempt to leave.

Debating bringing your witchcraft to bear, you're unclear on a best means to frighten the oafs with your present repertoire -- but the thought has given you INSPIRATION to study deeper in your grimoire when next you rest. Creeping about, you attempt to spy a central reserve of alcohol and rations -- concluding that both must be tucked away inside one of the remaining tents, however much there is.

You feel that you have gleaned much as you are likely in a reasonable time from those who remain without exposing yourself further -- but before you slink out for the city walls, there is yet one opportunity of interest...

You've been INSPIRED for developing additional witchcraft when next you have a chance to rest and spend time to yourself.

(3/3) RWW 2021/09/26(Sun)22:54 No. 1011715 ID: 673fe6
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Carefully screening your surroundings for any onlookers or passerby, you make your way successfully to a collection of goods and valuables the men have laid out over a broad mat beside the more muddy footpath. Set beside one of the larger tents your eyes sweep over a variety of objects, containers and equipment gathered together and left, at least for now, outside of the tents.

Not everything could fit within even your magically imbued bag and lingering too long bears the risk of discovery, but nevertheless you've given yourself an opportunity to abscond with some of what you can only presume to be ill-gotten gains from the SARKEN men.

Quite a smorgasbord of things here to pick over, with a large, heavy chest securely locked on the far end. There are several smaller containers of different weights, lengths and sizes, as well as several sacks and pouches. A bundle of silk has been piled up beside a quiver of arrows.

There is a smaller lockbox, a goblet and what you recognize to be a holy symbol for SEHRAZAT. Some coinage, daggers, a gemstone, pearls and ornate bronze plates with different scenes and images on them. Additionally, a small shield or buckler, a helmet for creatures with much smaller ears, a ring and some gloves.

What do you examine or take, and how far are you willing to push your luck?

...>_

Thank our lucky stars for making it in undetected. Stealth is awesome!

Gemstone and pearls for sure. Silk too. Value/weight ratio is great!

Has the lockbox been opened? Do we feel lucky in being able to get it open ourselves?

Leave the armor and weapons, we're fine as is.

got tools to pick the lock of the chest? if so, spend time doing that before deciding on taking anything

otherwise, ring, gloves, goblet, and coinage.

Cool sword! Take that, the ring and gloves. Then scamper!

>>1011715
Spend as little time as possible standing over the loot. This means no opening containers, and not trying to carry off anything too big.

Objects of priority:
gemstone
holy symbol
lockbox (open it later)
pearls

>>1011716

The smaller lock box has not been opened yet, but it does seem to be locked currently.

>>1011717

You are carrying your personal set of thieves' tools among your belongings, facilitating picking locks or disabling devices.

Both the smaller lock box and the chest seem locked; the largest chest seems to have a more elaborate and hefty lock on it.

There are signs that someone attempted to force it open, but they have not gone far enough to outright bash their way fully through the exterior of the chest yet.

>>1011715
>>1011721
It's a tender balance: the value:weight ratio is operating on the assumption that there remain bastions of civilization where such rarities will remain desirable outside their practical stores of value. While they are light weight and can be very useful for trading, the opposite is true of the practicum in that they are large, heavy, difficult to conceal and likely outside your skillset.

However, the risk of trying to pick locks in the open could be well worth it. They obviously haven't made efforts to break the strongboxes, or at least not successful ones, and their origin is unknown. Depending on the size of the city, the contents may be important to the KHANATE and could prove useful later. If anything, stow the small box in your bag for later practice and try your hand at the larger box now.

>>1011715
Take anything small that can fit in your bag, and then have a go at opening the chest. Don't suppose we have a spell to pop it open?

Grab the daggers, jewelry, gold, silk, and arrows, then scamper. Don't fleece too much or they'll pursue you.

I will throw a vote in for 'no lockbox picking, it'll take too long' and taking the lightweight stuff and scarpering; I will however specify that I think we really should take the holy symbol with us and not just the obvious riches, just in case.

(1/2) RWW 2021/09/28(Tue)23:26 No. 1011913 ID: 673fe6
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After a quick assessment of what lay before you, you swiftly settle into a low crouch and loosen the flap to your bag -- hands darting to deftly snatch up some of the more valuable or immediately useful articles on display. First you scoop up the ring and pearls, careful not to snap the band tucked beneath a heavy sack; the gemstone, a satisfying heft to it in your palm as you shift it atop the silk with one hand, the other grabbing the holy symbol, just in case.

You seize coins in a small fistful, a few errant offerings escaping between your fingers, focus divided to sidelong glances to make certain you've remained undiscovered; the goblet gets tossed against the gloves already resting atop the soft fabric before you gather it up into a bundle, easing the swaddled goods into the broad opening of you bag before it slims again as its enchantment does its work.

Time of the essence, you weigh your remaining options quickly, but carefully -- abscond with too much and it would be all the more obvious, or potentially prompt a more earnest pursuit of whatever thief had visited the camp. Shying away from the helmet, buckler and heavier sacks, you pass over the bronze plates and wooden cases in kind -- but quickly stow the pair of daggers into your bag, then heft the smaller lockbox with a flex of your forearm, feeling its contents jostle mysteriously.

A brief pause, and then you stuff the smaller lockbox into your bag -- feeling it occupy a more significant portion of the magical compartment, about half full you wager. Thoughts flit to the arrows and sword, both longer and more cumbersome by contrast, before you set your sights on the larger chest. No magic for this sort of thing, not yet at least -- but your skill at more delicate handiwork is not insubstantial. You still probably shouldn't...

(2/2) RWW 2021/09/28(Tue)23:30 No. 1011915 ID: 673fe6
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Out comes your kit, gingerly loosening its tether as you unfurl the leather spread of picks, rods and implements; taking another moment to listen intently, catching the faint squelch of mud from footfalls somewhat nearer to your vicinity, pulse quickening. It relents, trailing into one of the tents instead -- and in the quiet thereafter, you swiftly set to work attempting to defeat the sizable lock.

Nimble fingers working with practiced efficacy and a dash of adrenaline pumping through your veins, you work the tool to dance among the lock's mechanism in a succession of probes and tested tension until you arrive at a satisfying click. You angle your wrist to pop the lock open without scraping or knocking the iron unduly -- then ease it away, thumbs sweeping as you leverage the latch and heave the lid to the chest open enough for a peek at its contents.

Layered on top of the contents is a thick white cloth which you pull away, setting aside where the silk had lain -- before your brows rise as you lay eyes on the contents of the chest beneath. A long, thick case, suitable for parchment or scrolls, along with a weighty medallion, a sizable chunk of a light blue crystal resembling topaz and finally a peculiar implement with a cord-wrapped handle and metal prongs.

Your ears prick beneath your hood to stirring sounds -- you'd best be quick.

A bit of a narrow call with some of the split on trying your luck at the larger chest, but fortune favored the bold this time insofar as your skill with the picks proved out. No time for gawking now though -- you've made it boldly off sneakiness this far.

What is your immediate instinct with the contents of the chest before you seek to make yourself scarce?

...>_

>>1011915
If you're trying to escape notice you shouldn't take all of the contents. Take half.

Priority:
keysword
scroll
crystal
pendant

>>1011915
The key and the crystal take priority, the scroll case and pendant can be left.

>>1011915
Take EVERYTHING, put it all in your bag. The key first, pendant second, then crystal, then scroll case.

Then if you still have time, put the cloth back how you found it and close the chest.

>>1011915
Now that you've opened the chest, they're going to know they're dealing with a rogue. May as well take all four items. Do not stick around to look for hidden compartments, because once again, they'll hound you if you fleece them.

The sword-key comes first. You know this is either a funny prank or the key to something very important. Either way, the hilt should be worth a pretty penny.
The pendant is easy to carry.
The scroll has information.
Finally, if you can, the crystal. It might be worth the most food to an immediate trader but that is what the guards need right now.

Take the key-sword and leg it!

(1/3) RWW 2021/09/30(Thu)13:52 No. 1012060 ID: 673fe6
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Working deftly, you gather up the peculiar implement -- presumably a key of some sort -- and tuck it away in your bag, next seizing upon the scroll container, fingertips brushing over a smooth stoppered end. As you shove the cylindrical case into your bag, you can hear movement drawing closer to your position, pulse quickening. Nimble digits darting, you snatch up the pendant by its chain and shove it into your bag before easing the lid of the chest back closed. Replacing the lock, you hear a voice carrying nearer -- time to flee, lest you risk discovery.

On nimble footing you move, quickly and quietly to depart from the camp, maneuvering quickly among the periphery tents to obfuscate your presence as best as you're able -- hearing the belated arrival of someone at the spread haul in your wake. You make for the city wall, veering to avoid the main gate until you tuck yourself low beside the foundation of the fortifications. There, you pause for a time further in caution -- but when no SARKEN appear in your pursuit, you still your heart and prepare for a climb.

INVENTORY Updated. You have gained:
> Gold Ring
> Pearl Necklace
> Gemstone
> Holy Symbol of SEHRAZAT
> 28 gold coins, 17 silver coins
> Carved Goblet
> Leather Gloves
> Silk Fabric
> 2x Dagger
> Small Lockbox
> Key-Like Implement
> Wooden Scroll Case
> Bronze Medallion Pendant

(2/3) RWW 2021/09/30(Thu)13:54 No. 1012061 ID: 673fe6
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High battlements prove for a challenging throw for your grappling hook -- requiring a few attempts before you finally hook a secure, stable anchor; after testing the line and re-checking your stowed belongings, you begin the steady ascent of the fortifications, feeling a faint burgeoning burn in your hamstrings and arms as you advance. Climbing towards the PALL above fills the pit of your stomach with an uneasy flutter, as if even so 'slight' a move of proximity could bear ill portents; nevertheless, you pace yourself and steel your resolve, continuing onward.

A stiff wind buffets over the old stone of the wall beneath your sandals, billowing your cloak and skirt as you brace yourself against the bluster -- hood slipping back as your hair and ears are freed in a moment of almost disorienting sensation. Steady now. Looping your forearm to further secure your grip, you flex your form lower and steady your position until the gust subsides. Faintly, the creak of leather straps reaches your ears, working to hasten up the last span of the wall.

As you reach the rampart battlements, you haul your head high to peer at the vicinity, taking pause to search out any possible sentries; finding the wall-top vacant, you waste little time kipping up and hooking a leg over the top, pulling yourself onto the comforting reprieve of a solid, stable surface once more. Pulling your rope up behind you, you lay back against the cool stones and feel a palpable wave of relief.

(3/3) RWW 2021/09/30(Thu)13:56 No. 1012062 ID: 673fe6
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For a few long moments you lay there catching your breath and steadying your nerves, before gradually pushing yourself up to a low crouch and taking stock of your surroundings. There are signs here of a siege--broken and crumbled stonework in places, patches of scattered scorch marks and overturned braziers -- along with signs of dried, congealed blood in one span. No bodies, however, nor further remnant sign of their passing.

Searching further, there are sconces for torches, along with other low braziers to provide light further down the span; as far as you can tell, no one has manned the wall-top recently. Westward, further down the wall, you have access to the main gatehouse -- presuming you can make passage beyond an iron-reinforced door to the wall-top; the gatehouse appears to be a formidable fortification in its own right.

Opposite and much closer to your position is a doorway into a narrow tower -- though its top appears to have been sheared off by some manner of siege artillery and its upper reaches have partly collapsed. Here, the doorway is partly ajar, a faint scent of timbers and dust wafting free of the gap. You may be able to leverage it open further, or squeeze yourself inside.

Peering back over the parapets whence you came, you check on the camp; it's difficult to tell from such a distance, but you can see some of the men there moving about with more purpose than they had before -- though that may be, in part, because evening approaches, with whatever else that entails.

At last, you turn your attention inward, cautiously peeking past the cover of the wall-top to gaze on the city below. There, you spy a dizzying sprawl of urban structures, sizable in their construction with a great deal of stone and timbers. Many appear to have had their doors staved open or windows shattered, while others deeper in the city smolder from prior fires, or lay in collapse from the fall of siege works which had cleared the walls.

Among the streets and alleys below, you can glimpse a handful of the SARKEN within the city itself, many seeming to have congregated near the vicinity of the main gate itself and the thoroughfare beyond. A dark gloom hangs over the recesses of cramped and winding spaces between buildings and among the alleyways -- and refuse, offal and detritus has been scattered in many places.

Off in the distance, nearer to the heart of the city, a gap in the PALL has lent a column of light over the center of an elaborate ring of pillars and stonework; raised stone dais and broad steps, flanked by braziers, lead to a grand looking stone structure capped with a trio of statues, figures rendered in prolific scale. This, you conclude, must be the HALL OF LORDS Rolph had spoken of.

You decide to...

> A) Make your way to the gatehouse to seek entry, contending with the SARKEN there.
> B) Make your way into the nearby tower, to explore its inner reaches.
> C) Make your way back over the rampart, lowering yourself to the streets below by rope.
> D) _

You are INSPIRED, and can develop yourself further when next you have a chance to rest and spend time to yourself.

A. The gatehouse will is where the action is, and the more we can learn about what is going on (and what's passing through) the better. Plus it gives us practice breaking in, and potential to leave ot find a backdoor for if we need one in an emergency.

>>1012065
Sounds good.

I think the tower would be a good place to rest, and it does seem safer than the other places.

>>1012062
I vote C, since it looks to be the most furtive. You have been so meticulous about not being spotted in the camp and subduing Rolph before he could report you.

>>1012061
Plus, you demonstrated already that you are a decent rappeller/abseiler

Why reveal yourself on purpose?

Agreed with c, we're stealthy after all

C

(1/2) RWW 2021/10/02(Sat)19:14 No. 1012254 ID: 673fe6
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You consider making headway into the gatehouse and encountering the SARKEN gathered there, but decide to retain your advantage for now; readying your rope for a descent, you cinch it such that you can retrieve it once you're down. After taking a moment to check and secure you belongings, you leverage yourself over the edge of the ramparts and begin to lower yourself down -- a more swift undertaking than your prior climb. With deft kips and flexes you spring your way expertly down to the city streets below and leaving the high ground behind.

(2/2) RWW 2021/10/02(Sat)19:15 No. 1012255 ID: 673fe6
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Once you're on the ground, you take quick stock of your surroundings before darting past the precipice of the outermost buildings, navigating your way onto a broader side street which curves further into the city; as you had gathered from the ramparts, there is an eerie absence of the inhabitants you would otherwise expect in so prodigious a settlement of towering stone such as this.

Light on your feet, you push onward -- wary at the way your hood muffles your keener hearing with so many blind spots and hiding places to be aware of. Darkened and shuttered windows are nearly everywhere you look, both at street level and above -- while numerous alleyways offer egress and doorways loom with the prospect of plying their interiors. Faintly, voices carry from streets away from your own where figures glimpsed from the wall top still congregate.

With the span of this place, you could easily lose yourself for days if you're not careful -- and it is uncertain what may be found among its reaches. While the PALL oft casts its gloom over the lands beneath it, nightfall will surely deepen the shadows here further -- though you can glimpse the occasional street lamp illuminating pockets of the city.

Of greatest note yet is the HALL OF LORDS, where allegedly hidden riches and RELICS were interred which could prove invaluable for your journey -- and you recall mention of an unknown entity or individual haranguing the remaining SARKEN in the city as well.

You decide to...

> A) Begin seeking entry to building interiors, to search for useful supplies or a more secure place to rest for the night.
> B) Navigate the more narrow alleyways of the city, restricting your maneuvering but lending yourself more opportunities to avoid notice.
> C) Follow the broader streets, affording yourself more opportunity for discovery at a greater risk of discovery yourself.
> D) _

Separate and in addition to the above choices, it's up to you if you'd like to try to utilize the night to your advantage for greater cover of darkness -- but bear in mind Rolph's mentions of strange occurrences after nightfall.

B. We have enough supplies for now, and fewer opportunities for us to move also means fewer angles to keep track of.

A. We probably should look for supplies, and rest up for tomorrow, we did walk a long way to get here after all, we might get too tired to continue on, especially if we get spotted by an enemy. time to rest.

Actually, changing my vote to B. we might have already been spotted by someone here >>1012254, so we should probably quickly make some distance from this place before we retire for the night

B, and see if you can find a secure location somewhere. You have to at least examine the loot you just got.

>>1012255
A is the most viable option especially considering the habits of SARKEN looting toward treasures and relatively intact nature of the city. Further, if would allow for any spotting from scaling and descending the walls to blow over and bring them into a tizzy that would ultimately make any roving patrols more disparate and tired. Even if only for a small while a rest would do us good and give us a tenable position to hold for a time.

>>1012062
> B) Make your way into the nearby tower, to explore its inner reaches.
Maybe we can find some unlooted goodies, or someone off on their own we can interrogate. And if neither of those, it should be a good place to rest.

>>1012255
voting for 🅱

This continues the stealth path. Are you able to cover up more to "blend in" with passing citygoers? Rather than hiding from view, you could go bundercover

(1/2) RWW 2021/10/05(Tue)13:37 No. 1012458 ID: 673fe6
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Erring on the side of caution, you take to the more narrow and darkened alleyways as you begin to navigate your way deeper into the city, softly padding over cobbled stone and hard-packed earth as you go. An eerie quiet hangs over your surroundings as once populous streets lay largely vacant and empty; though there are few signs of the remaining inhabitants or their SARKEN occupiers, you nevertheless cinch your cloak tight and your hood low -- keen to keep your identity obscure, should you encounter any passerby.

Most of the buildings you surmise to be dwellings of a more closely clustered community -- and though the architecture here looms high with stone masonry and roof tiles of fired clay, you can draw a sense of familiarity with the barrow homes you were raised among as a child. Passing beneath archways, your sandals lend quiet footfalls as you peer past darkened and shuttered windows, seeking to surmise the interiors beyond.

Despite the sacking of the city, you find surprisingly few signs of forced entry as you trail among entryways in the alleys; it is often difficult to discern what lies within a given space, in part due to the limitations your mask imposes on your senses -- but most are unlit as well. Still, you glimpse the occasional windows whose shutters afford a dull gleam, suggesting some still dwell within the city in spite of Rolph's foreboding tales. You take care to avoid lingering unduly where such vantages could observe you, for now.

At last, you come upon the stooped doorway to a promising building to stow yourself for the evening -- catching the faint but enticing scent of bread. Away from the sounds of more regular patrols and with no signs of active neighbors, as long as you keep a low profile and control your lighting you believe it will suffice to avoid detection while you rest. Slipping your tools to the ready, you work at the lock for a few deft moments before gaining entry, swiftly moving inside before you close and lock the way behind yourself.

Within, it is a narrow span nestled between buildings and sharing common walls. On the lower level you find the signs of a bakery, peering into the dark and cramped space of its kitchen and a broad stone oven -- long since cooled. There are sacks of flour among other ingredients, and though you find a few scarce remnants of the bakery's inventory, a cursory sampling finds it to be stale. Edible still in a pinch, though not your first preference.

Past a service counter there is a broad front window, presently shrouded by heavy curtains; you take a peek past the narrow part at the center and spy a continuation of a thoroughfare where more regular foot traffic would pass. No signs of passerby. Content with the privacy it provides for now, you take the time to check that the lower level is locked and secure at the front as well, before making your way up a narrow set of stairs to the upper level, boards creaking faintly underfoot as you ascend...

(2/2) RWW 2021/10/05(Tue)13:40 No. 1012459 ID: 673fe6
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Brushing past a crumbling patch of wall, you reach a short, tight hall -- finding three small rooms: a bedroom, a cluttered bath and a niche alcove which appears to be a shrine for offerings and prayers to SEHRAZAT and other deities. As below, so above -- you check to make sure the windows are latched, shuttered and secured before settling in.

Satisfied, you elect to get situated in the bedroom for the evening, at last shedding your mask, cloak and travel gear beside a surprisingly well-appointed bed -- it even has a stuffed mattress and pillows! You strip down from your attire and proceed to get more comfortable, contemplating how you wish to spend the evening's respite and make preparations for further exploring on the morrow...

* * * * * * * * *

After a bit of adventuring, some closer calls and exploring your capabilities, we've reached our first bit of downtime where you are also INSPIRED! Occasionally you will be able to further develop and expand your adventuring ability in a variety of directions, partly informed by the sorts of choices you've made in encountering and overcoming obstacles. As with many things, the more Kaia puts different skills and abilities to use, the more you can improve them.

With your currently inspiration, you can STUDY the Bramble Grimoire to discover new cantrips or rituals to pick from. These picks will be included alongside the results of your chosen downtime activities. Note: this does not count against the below picks!

Whenever you have a chance to take a 'proper' rest, you'll have an opportunity to examine and review anything you've collected along the way, use any of your supplies, attend to your equipment, etc.; there's a lot that Kaia can do during these opportunities, but limited time, resources and the like -- so it's up to you to decide together where you'd like to focus your efforts.

You won't generally have to worry about the 'essentials' as long as you've still got supplies and an appropriate place to rest (so e.g. eating is 'free' unless you'd specially like to skip it / ration yourself.)

* * * * * * * * *

During your downtime, you decide to...

(Pick three, in order of priority):

> A) Attempt to open the small lock-box and examine its contents
> B) Attempt to open the scroll case and examine its contents
> C) Attempt to sooth-say about _____ (write-in responses, seeking weal / woe insights)
> D) Relax & recuperate (enjoy luxury supplies / creature comforts)
> E) FORAGE for supplies or reagents in your surroundings.
> F) Pray for favor & guidance (To Khasma, or another deity if you so choose.)
> G) STUDY Logenthal's Lines for Lagomorphs and practice your 'trade tongue'
> H) __ (write-in activity not covered by the above.)

You are uninjured, and none of your belongings have been damaged, so there is no need / option to MEND.
You do not currently have spare arcane materials, so there is no option to ENCHANT.

Study the Bramble Grimoire. Maybe you can learn an invisibility cantrip or ritual to make you invisible for a certain amount of time to help with stealth. (Probably one of the drawbacks is that it only works on living things like yourself, not on objects like clothing...)

And lets do A, open that box!

>>1012459
STUDY the grimoire. Seems like that's all we can do atm with the inspiration.

A, B, F.

>>1012462
Forgot we got three

To add on to my choice of A from my previous post, B: open scroll case, and D: relax (you know what to do ;) )

RWW 2021/10/05(Tue)14:54 No. 1012467 ID: 673fe6
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Quick addendum / clarification:

STUDY of the grimoire is in addition to / a free pick an activity, and I'll further note (because frankly it's a fine idea) you can submit a suggestion for a possible cantrip / ritual to pick from in the next follow-up. I have a pool I'll be drawing from, but may also include some choice suggestions as options as well.

I'd also planned to give an opportunity to direct additional growth from your inspiration, there was just already a lot there to digest in one post; as I don't want folks to think that the grimoire alone is your option though, I may as well include this extended bit:

There are other sorts of inspiration Kaia can reach as well as you adventure -- as a buune with strong ties to ESSENCE and its flow, you have the potential to discover and unlock wholly new abilities and expertise along your journey -- some of which may be quite unexpected or potent. Other paths will remain surprises for now, but this is a good place to make note that communing, forming BONDS or finding powerful concentrations of ESSENCE can lead to new branches of growth as well!

So, beyond your STUDY -- you have also been INSPIRED to...

> 1) Pursue the Path of Shrouds, further honing your stealth and subtlety
> 2) Pursue the Path of Thorns, further improving your handling of martial combat
> 3) Pursue the Path of Stars, further attuning yourself to occultism and sooth-saying
> 4) Pursue the Path of Roots, further developing your form for acrobatics and athletics

Note: available paths may fluctuate / lead to new discoveries / close along the way.

To recap - please pick three downtime activities in order of preference / priority, and one inspiration; you can also optionally suggest a cantrip or ritual, which may or may not end up in the selections available when we see the results next!

Thorns cantrip (or ritual). Pick the lockbox, the scroll, and forage for cool stuff.

I'm gonna say 4. If things go tits up, the best backup plan is running away.

Path of Shrouds - you're currently alone, so you need to focus on stealth until you can form an adventuring party. Stealth is also great for scouting ahead and stealing from the strong-yet-stupid.

Path of Shrouds

Path of Stars seems like the wise choice. It seems as if our magical gifts are the most useful tools we have at our disposal, and making them more powerful would be a great boon.

>>1012459
Study the BRAMBLE GRIMOIRE and learn a matchstick spell!
> F) Pray for favor & guidance (To Khasma)
> C) Attempt to sooth-say about traps or danger in the lockbox
> A) Attempt to open the small lock-box and examine its contents

> C) Attempt to sooth-say about traps or danger in the lockbox
> A) Attempt to open the small lock-box and examine its contents
> G) STUDY Logenthal's Lines for Lagomorphs and practice your 'trade tongue'

I think that we should probably want to open this box, but we could be smart about it. If there is anything worth selling in it, I think practicing the trade tongue would be beneficial!

B) Scroll Case
E) Forage
A) Lockbox

Path of Shrouds

My votes: A, G, F in that order, and study the Path of Stars. I agree that magic is our best play but I want to keep balance between that and our athleticism; we wanted to be dual-role rollin' so let's keep to that!

>>1012459
D > G > B

>>1012467
Path of Shrouds

Path of Roots.
Gotta unlock those sex positions.

EGAd!

A B F sounds nice to me.
And the path of shrouds has taken us this far, so let's keep at it.

(1/5) RWW 2021/10/09(Sat)16:02 No. 1012680 ID: 673fe6
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As you consider your options for the evening ahead, you run your fingertips along the hinged lid of the lock-box and peer with some fascination at how snug a seal it has formed. Curiosity brimming, you can scarcely resist the allure of secured containers with mechanisms; you gather up the lock-box and scroll case along with your tools, seating yourself on the edge of the bed and pulling the small table at its side to use as a workspace.

Before you begin, you take a moment to center yourself and focus on the faint brush of essence threaded around your vicinity; retrieving a pinch of herbs from your reagents, you tuck them into your mouth and lightly chew, closing your eyes and steadying yourself with slow, deep breaths: attempting to search the nudges of fate. Weal... and woe. A vexing result, but not entirely unexpected -- you elect to proceed with caution.

Setting out the lock box and gathering up your tools, you go to work. Carefully, you probe about the conspicuously larger top to the keyhole as you feel out the pins of the lock -- pausing in hesitancy before you begin to test them; with a deft, gradual twist you find a secondary mechanism occupying the space. Woe indeed. Angling the box to one side, you swap tools and tease at the mechanism to better visualize it in your mind's eye -- and with a distinct, satisfying click you cinch it.

(2/5) RWW 2021/10/09(Sat)16:02 No. 1012681 ID: 673fe6
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Satisfied that you have disabled the trap, your handiwork is swift and practiced as you move on to the lock itself -- defeating it after a short span once it is safe. You open the lock box, discovering an exceptional find secured within: a roughly egg-shaped object four inches long, fashioned from smoothly polished kalatite crystal and secured with golden caps. With your knowledge of arcane and the occult, you recognize it to be a VESSEL for ESSENCE -- capable of containing and storing a substantial quantity of such, whatever the source, and making it available for later use.

You can feel a twinge in the pit of your stomach as you run your fingers along its polished surface, seeing faint glimmers of light shimmer and fade from your presence; it is warm to the touch and faintly, you can feel it tugging at your own spirit -- albeit fruitlessly with your present self-control. This is quite a find, though also a somewhat troubling one as it suggests a knowledge of essence weaving among the realms of man.

From what you can discern, there is a faint store of spiritual essence within the vessel already.

You have gained:
> Soul Vessel

With this object, you can potentially store spiritual essence or 'soul' energy from whatever sources you may discover; stored energy can be consumed to significantly augment your arcane abilities, to imbue items with magical properties, or as a means of containing spirits divorced of their own mortal or immortal vessels. You may draw your own implications from this.

(3/5) RWW 2021/10/09(Sat)16:03 No. 1012682 ID: 673fe6
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Stowing the vessel for the time being, you turn your attentions to the scroll case next -- its stoppered ends proving slightly more elaborate than a more straightforward removal; after puzzling out twists and pressure while listening with your keen ears, you are able to determine the correct motion to open the case and retrieve bundled parchment from within. Numerous written documents have been secured within the case, but regrettably they are written in a script you do not presently understand; there are, however, several diagrams included among the writings, some of which you glean to be the designs for intricate traps of a large scale for securing passageways and chambers.

Returning the scrolls to their container and stowing it in turn, you tidy up your belongings and haul before settling in for more lengthy study with your remaining hours. You capitalize on your inspiration to delve deeper into the Bramble Grimoire in poring over extended ritual-work, committing the incantations and foci for reflection while you dream -- and then finish out the evening nibbling rations as you pore over SARKEN segments of your translation guide to better foster your communication.

(4/5) RWW 2021/10/09(Sat)16:03 No. 1012683 ID: 673fe6
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When at last you settle in for slumber, sleep takes you swiftly after the long day's affairs -- ferried off to the depths of your own starry subconscious. There, inspiration helps to guide you as you reflect on your experiences, invigorating your core with the inklings of ancestry and more primordial ebbs and flows. Collectively, this helps you to focus your subconscious to better bolster your conscious expertise.

Your have set your current primary focus to the Path of Shadows, with lesser foci in Stars and Roots.

You have learned a new cantrip:
> KINDLE - Focus your touch or elicit heat with a snap of your fingers and produce a small flame, comparable to a matchstick while concentrating.

You may learn one new ritual:
> A) PHANTASM - Conjure an illusory figment in an attempt to frighten or vex observers with visual and auditory elements. Magnitude and convincing efficacy are dependent on time and reagents invested in preparation, while more detailed or specific phantasms are more difficult to pull off. Interacting directly with a phantasm can allow beings to realize its farce.

> B) SHROUD - Cover yourself in an illusory shroud which provides misdirection for your presence, bending light with a faint shimmer to render yourself nearly invisible. Potent augment for particularly focused stealth, though fast or rigorous movement can hinder its efficacy. Duration dependent on concentration and partly fueled by your own essence.

> C) AUGURY - Divination of a more potent magnitude which augments your sooth-saying capabilities, potentially allowing you to commune on subjects in search of portents of futures which may yet be. Can allow you a glimpse of possible outcomes ahead, or to glean sometimes cryptic omens which have yet to transpire.

> D) WARD - Wreath a measure of magical barrier about an individual or object, providing a degree of added protection; subtly turns or lessens blows, diminishes force and offers a modicum of resistance to the supernatural. Magnitude and duration of wards depend on essence and reagents invested in their creation -- can be applied to yourself, others, or objects.

(5/5) RWW 2021/10/09(Sat)16:03 No. 1012684 ID: 673fe6
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When morning comes, you rouse refreshed and readied; taking advantage of your undisturbed respite, you tidy yourself up and have a good breakfast before donning your gear. Descending from the upper floor of the bakery, you take the time to scrounge around the lower level -- managing to collect a few old baked goods and a container of cinnamon from otherwise threadbare stock.

You have gained:
> 3x Old Baked Goods
> Cinnamon Shaker

Taking stock of the vicinity of the bakery, you see no signs of passerby in the morning -- though you do faintly hear some clamor off to the north. Avoiding the front door, you instead double back into the alleyway before proceeding to follow the narrow pathways further still, arriving at an exit into a broader open square. In the distance, to the northeast you can see light penetrating the PALL still -- a curious anomaly.

Though muffled by your hood, you can also hear what sounds like a commotion off in that same direction beyond what you can currently see; you hear what sounds like a short cheer before it is interrupted by shouting.

Note: Please be sure to also include your vote for the new ritual in addition to your response below!

You decide to...

> 1) Move swiftly and directly, attempting to gain a vantage on what is transpiring with more time to respond to it.
> 2) Follow a more circuitous route, seeking to maximize your position but arrive later.
> 3) _

B, shroud, we're in unfamiliar territory, best to have this to spy on others before making major decisions.

1, move swiftly

I vote B as well. Who needs to know what's coming or not get hit when nothing can see you?

1 as well. Don't want to miss whatever's going on.

B, for sneaky invisibility fun.

2, circuitous route. Best to make an escape route.

But if we do 1, lets test out our new shroud ritual first to gauge how invisible we'll become, and what parts of us will be invisible. If there are a lot of people over there, there is a large chance someone might turn to see us if we dont use our shroud ritual.

As a veteran D&D player I pick A) because the ways you can apply illusions are infinite and truly sicko. And circuitous route

B, Shroud. Let's lean into our dual-class specialization.

1. Move swiftly.

>>1012684
>Eat a baked goods
If necessary, toast it a bit with our new cantrip to negate the staleness.

(1/3) RWW 2021/10/12(Tue)20:17 No. 1012843 ID: 673fe6
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Intent on seeking the source of the commotion swiftly, you nevertheless take the time to put to practice your new SHROUD ritual -- focusing your spiritual essence as you gesture and shape the force of your will to coax the incantation into being. Having not seen it put to practice before, you're initially startled as the faint glimmers and shimmers blossom about your belongings and being in rippling waves -- leading to the unexpected and somewhat embarrassing predicament of inadvertently baring portions of yourself beneath garments and gear as they grow more translucent.

In turn, you can feel a prickling sensation as the shroud washes over your form in broadening waves, affording you a chance to see through yourself save for a faint shimmering blur, quite a unique experience on reflection...

(2/3) RWW 2021/10/12(Tue)20:17 No. 1012844 ID: 673fe6
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Fortunately, the spell completes its wreathing of your figure after only a few moments -- and as far as you're aware, no one witnessed your temporary arcane wardrobe malfunctions this time. You make a mental note to remind yourself that SHROUD's casting and full effect takes some time to complete, helpful to know in future potential predicaments.

As professed, you are not entirely invisible as a result of the magic hiding your presence -- but it certainly will lend itself to making you even more difficult to discern from a distance and liable to amplify your stealth in dim light or near darkness that much more.

You move with haste then towards the source of the commotion, opting for the swiftest and most direct route to seek a better vantage of what is already underway.

(3/3) RWW 2021/10/12(Tue)20:18 No. 1012845 ID: 673fe6
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Darting deftly among the shadows along the main thoroughfare's buildings and awnings, you maneuver your way to a broad junction of several broader streets; you arrive in time to see six SARKEN men running after a seventh figure in the distance -- most of them with weapons drawn and shouting in clear agitation.

Thanks to brushing up on your translation guide, you're able to readily discern "It's him! Get the bastard!" and "He's fast, don't let him get away!" among a litany of curses.

All you can make out of the pursued figure is a mustard-colored cloak -- and he appears to be quite swift. One of the SARKEN is lightly armed and armored, one of them is heavily armored and the other four wear heavier lamellar and leathers. They do not appear to have noticed your arrival or observation, distracted as they are.

Of interest, the SARKEN have been drawn away from a pair of tall pillars with an overhanging archway leading to similar structures down a more ornately cobbled path. You recognize the path to the HALL OF LORDS from your wall-top vantage.

You decide to...

> 1) Pursue the SARKEN and the mustard-cloaked figure, to see what unfolds and have a chance to get involved.
> 2) Follow the path to the HALL OF LORDS in their absence, a chance to investigate without guards.
> 3) _

Follow the scene! We've already been granted the powers of not-exactly-invisibility. Sneaking past them again shouldn't pose any issue.

Hall of Lords! Couldn't have asked for a better distraction.

Follow them. As much as getting riches is nice, we can use this opportunity to instead learn more and get an understanding what is going on and who to help and gain an ally, lets not let out invisibility go to waste

He'll be fine. Get the loot while you can!

Follow, and get your rope ready. All sorts of ways an invisible rope could be used to interfere, and it's a chance to test out the duration. If you go into the hall and start poking at stuff, that risks getting cornered inside when your shroud wears off and the guards come back.

Given the input of our confidant in Rolph telling us that the SARKEN have been lately harassed by an unknown figure, the relative sanctuary that our cadbury-clad compatriot has provided on the path to the HOUSE OF LORDS and their insistence on defending it, it would be wise to slip inside unnoticed. There must be a reason they linger in this place despite the brigands and the PALL; if you are able to ascertain why and assist them in this moment, you may forge a powerful alliance of them yet. Rogues must stick together!

>>1012845
To the HALL OF LORDS! This is a perfect distraction, and if this is the unknown figure haranguing the SARKEN in the city, it's doubtful they'll catch him now. If we run into him later, we can thank him.

HALL OF LORDS RWW 2021/10/14(Thu)21:34 No. 1012921 ID: 673fe6
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Weighing the situation, you consider following the men in their pursuit, that you might intervene -- but reflect that the figure is like as not the one Rolph had mentioned haranguing the SARKEN in the city; if so, perhaps they are elusive enough to avoid capture and combat even still. Instead, you decide to capitalize on the distraction offered while your shrouding magic remains, treading down the cobbled path towards the HALL OF LORDS.

Along the way, you pass beneath stone archways held aloft twixt tall pillars of carved stone, before arriving at a broad central plaza; further pillars stand in a ring connected by further archways, separating the plaza from an encircling pavilion beyond. At the heart of the plaza, broad stone steps lead up twin terraced stone platforms -- the way forward flanked by sizable braziers steeped with ashen embers.

As you ascend the first set of steps and arrive at the base of the second, you turn your gaze skyward and take in the sight of the grand hall's entrance. From above a shaft of light continues to penetrate the PALL beyond, wreathing a faint glow about a trio of towering statues poised overlooking the entrance below -- each depicting a crowned figure you surmise to be a 'lord' by its namesake.

On the left stands a man in heavy armor with an immense kite shield and sword, wearing some manner of lenses over his eyes; at the center, a robed figure supported by a long staff with a bell hung from its hooked top. Lastly, the figure on the right is garbed in a long cloak and holds aloft what appear to be a scepter and sling with a fiery arch between them. You feel as though the statues observe you where you stand; the air feels cold here, but you can still feel slight warmth from the braziers nearby.

Beneath the stone figures and above the entrance lies a broad recessed mural of intricately etched and painted stonework -- though the pain seems to have chipped and faded. A trio of figures stand to the left of the mural, seeming to correspond with the statues above, with a mountainous landscape in the background; on the right of the mural, you see a creature only vaguely resembling a horse made monstrous -- with multitudinous limbs, frightful jaws and a billowing cloud of miasma surging behind it.

Below, flanked by carved pillars in turn, lies the entrance to the HALL OF LORDS: heavy stone doors carved with two of the figures from above hang ajar -- affording access to a darkened span beyond with steps trailing down into the greater structure below the plaza ahead.

Faintly, you can smell the remnants of the SARKEN having lingered here -- and easing your hood, you allow your ears to stand tall to better listen to the path before you. There is a sound, quite faint, reminiscent of wind chimes somewhere in the dark ahead as a breeze filters through the opened entrance.

You still have some of your obscuring magic in effect and neither hear nor see signs of the SARKEN here at this time; you recall from your interrogation of Rolph that the way ahead being opened was an apparently significant and recent development.

INVENTORY as of this post: https://pastebin.com/jCRpvtT0

How do you proceed?

> _

Collectively, you can form a plan of action / approach to proceeding utilizing what you know, what you have, and what you can do according to your suggestions.

Light the braziers, set caltrops in the shadow of the entrance, press forward.

>>1012921
Hold the SOUL VESSEL aloft and check for stray magic or spirits it can absorb, before proceeding.

The remains of the responses can be solidified as such: as this is sacred ground, it is best to tread lightly and ensure that those who may yet pursue you do as well. Do both above suggestions in the same order then venture within.

try to stay in the shadows if you can, you're not totally invisible

Lay caltrops at the entrance before descending down the stairs. Hopefully you'll be able to jump them if you need to leave in a hurry!

(1/3) RWW 2021/10/20(Wed)19:05 No. 1013296 ID: 673fe6
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Reasoning that you tread on what may be sacred ground, you consider the braziers and their dwindling heat; though it would doubtless draw more evident sign of your passage from afar, you decide that lighting the path into the HALL OF LORDS may nevertheless prove fortuitous -- for reasons you can't quite crystallize, it feels right to do so. With the aid of your new KINDLE cantrip and a bit of stoking to coax re-lit embers into flames -- you soon have the braziers brightly lit again, the warmth of their light bolstering your determination.

Next, you turn your thoughts towards more corporeal concerns and rummage in your back for your enormous supply of sharp iron caltrops to sprinkle about the entrance to the hall -- with more to spread along the stairs descending when you proceed, affording you more protection from interlopers who may arrive behind you. While you are commit to memory the presence of this deterrent, you feel confident that others are likely to overlook them in any haste to descend as well.

Finally, you take a moment to fish out the SOUL VESSEL and hold it aloft, concentrating and searching for any latent spiritual essence which may be lingering in the vicinity...

(2/3) RWW 2021/10/20(Wed)19:06 No. 1013297 ID: 673fe6
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...perhaps unsurprisingly, you promptly feel a concentration of such spiritual energies clustered within the entryway -- some of it you estimate to be emanating from the structure itself, for ancient places of power could be suffused with essence. You reflect that the source of such an infusion could be the result of ambient gathering ( common for sites revered or paid homage by living beings ) or may otherwise be enriched by purposeful ritual or ceremony ( such as the consecration of sacred ground, or sacrificial forfeiture of the spirit. )

While you find that much of the latent essence here resists the draw of the vessel, so potently tethered to the HALL as it is -- you are still able to search out the spiritual essence of a lingering LESSER SPIRIT, which becomes snared by kalatite crystal before being drawn within it by your coaxing influence. When you have finished, it has grown warmer to the touch and you believe that you have likely captured some manner of entity.

You have CAPTURED:
> LESSER SPIRIT, (Unknown entity)

The faint store of spiritual essence within the vessel has been increased by what latent energy you were able to gather; additionally, the captured entity can also serve as a source of energy to augment your arcane abilities, imbue items with magical properties or interact with other vessels you may discover. You can also COMMUNE with captured entities.

(3/3) RWW 2021/10/20(Wed)19:10 No. 1013298 ID: 673fe6
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Finally, you proceed to descend the steps into the HALL OF LORDS, taking the time to sprinkle caltrops periodically as you go in order to potentially hinder or disable unwary beings who might follow you into the depths. As you venture deeper, your nose is greeted with a prevalent scent of dust and musty ash; you strongly consider removing your mask as you proceed, so as to take full advantage of your keen senses ahead. Though predominately unlit, there is still a bare enough shaft of ambient light cast from above that your eyes are able to adjust without the aid of magical or mundane light sources as of yet.

Treading deeper, you are surprised at just how far beneath the surface of the plaza above the structure seems to extend; you absently count in the back of your mind while you traverse the dark stairway, estimating roughly one hundred steps before at last it levels out into a passage proper. Here, the floor beneath your feet appears to be hewn and worked natural earth and stone, with occasional paving stones laid out. Stone masonry walls stand to a surprising height of ten feet, before extending a further four to the apex of an arched ceiling above.

Three paths are presented to you at this antechamber, while you are also able to faintly make out several torch sconces set into the walls flanking arched doorways. Very faintly, you can still smell what you believe to be the scent of man -- perspiration, grit, and some subtler aromas you can't quite identify. To your left, a detailed bust has been carved over the doorway in what seems to be the image of an armored figure with pauldrons and a hooded cloak presented with a skull for a head. It is very dark in the passage beyond, but you can faintly make out a steady dripping sound somewhere in the gloom and glimpse hazy silhouettes in a broader span at the edge of your vision.

To your right, a similarly detailed bust has been carved in the image of a robed skeletal figure wreathed with flames; for reasons unclear to you, this figure has been fashioned still possessing eyes in its sockets. As before, this passage is also quite dark beyond -- though listening intently you hear a faint crackling akin to a hearth and can just barely make out a ruddy orange glow from beyond a distant bend further down the passage. There are carved bas-relief murals a ways down which you can also faintly discern.

Ahead of you, the largest of the archways has been capped with a carving of what appears to be either a lantern or perhaps the top of a lighthouse, emanating the imagery of gross incandescence. Judging by the scents on the air, you estimate the SARKEN who have been down here may have traversed that passage most recently; despite the imagery over the doorway, you find the further reaches of this passage particularly dark, though it may just be your imagination playing tricks on you.

INVENTORY as of this post: https://pastebin.com/jCRpvtT0
MAGIC as of this post: https://pastebin.com/E8iTCvFQ

How do you proceed?

> _

While the broader vote here is ultimately picking which passage is of first interest to you, I want to also leave this open-ended enough for you to once more help one another to form a collective plan of action with your available knowledge and resources. You can also elect to do more within the antechamber before you proceed, as well.

>>1013298
The purpose of any is only partially discernable given the unknown purpose of this HOUSE or its significance to the SARKEN who once occupied this city. At best guess the halls are of rough analogue to the positions of the figures above the HOUSE: notice the left path features almost exactly the same armor and hood, the left is a catacomb of tombs of the interred LORDS, the right a cloaked figure flanked by fire as a spellcaster of some sort. Of worry is that the center figure has no bearing on the center figure but remains of interest given the darkness, the portrayal of illumination and the statue bearing a bell. Perhaps they are of rough analogue to their roles to the end of the city: the left is a crypt of interred dead, the right some sort of infirmary and the center a hall of worship to 'find' oneself. In the midst of the PALL, such shelter and promise is likely not lost on those who remain.

Given the potential of less than savory figures remaining, slipping to the right to see who if anyone lingers while we are still invisible would be the best choice of action to ensure they can only come from one direction -- or worse, that we only have one way to leave.

I guess the lesser spirit we caught is one of the dudes that went down here and got done unto. So first I'd try to COMMUNE with the spirit on anything noteworthy in this place, or ask how it died. We'll probably also need to cast GLOW on one of our items. I also feel we may need to CLEANSE this place, however there is no obvious target for such a ritual yet.

Three lords, three paths. A rather arbitrary choice. Our profession does not match any of these lords - we're not a valiant warrior, a pious priest, or an elemental sorceress. But since the SARKEN that went forward likely found their demise, left or right would be a slightly safer choice and one that I would split my vote on.

If we lit the braziers, we might as well put some torches in the scones here and light them up... well, since we only have 3 torches, use 2 to light the path that we'll be taking.

RWW 2021/10/24(Sun)13:26 No. 1013544 ID: 673fe6
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For a few moments you consider which passage to address first, part of you imagining what regular function each might hold and whether the carvings could offer clues to such. Of the three, you regard the right passage first -- taking the time to ignite the torches poised to either side of the archway; fortunately, they are brought to flickering light fairly readily.

With this done, the spirit you snared comes to mind for questioning -- and so you COMMUNE, focusing on the vessel as you cradle it in your grasp and watching as the stirred entity manifests before you. As you suspected, he appears to have been a SARKEN man as the vestigial memory of his garb partly clothes his skeletal visage along faint echoes of long hair and a beard.

"El tlinn co sceath," you offer in customary greeting to the spirit, dipping your head, before you begin to question him. "What can yew tell me off these place?" You gesture broadly. "And how deed yew perish?"

Apparently the spirit is agitated. "What is this--where is Lars?! Egert!" He gestures a skeletal fist towards you. "Who are you--what did you do to me?!" Briefly, a more corporeal facsimile of his form ripples over the remains beneath before swiftly fading. "...perish?" He gawks, looking down -- nothing at all beneath the ethereal apparition's waist. "I heard the snap -- and Lars yelled to jump, but then..." He seems distracted then.

Silent for a long moment, the spirit looks to you with empty sockets. "What of you? Are you a spirit?" You remain partly infused with your SHROUD magic, semi-translucent.

> _

Explain that you are living and they are a spirit. Hopefully, they won't freak out too much.

Then ask their name! Always polite to ask someone's name.

Huh, he only obtained consciousness once you tried to talk to him? What a mindless spirit.

Tell him that you're translucent because, uhh, it's magic and you don't need to explain shit. While touching your tiddy tell him that, see, it's all real.

Anyway, tell him that you came to investigate this place and if he helps you out, in return you'll try to find his body and give it a proper burial. He wouldn't want his body to remain rotting in this place, right?

Pretend to be some sort of psychopomp or judge of the dead, but try to avoid saying anything explicitly false. Calm, formal, like this is serious but also just an ordinary job for you.

"Within the Pall, you died. I found you wandering. Now, we speak. You answer my questions, and I answer yours, in balance - as all things must be. Speak truth and I shall aid the next stage of your journey."

RWW 2021/10/25(Mon)21:11 No. 1013623 ID: 673fe6
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Though you recall that lingering spirits could grow disoriented and confused in their manifestation, you are surprised at the degree to which this felled fellow has been jarred; perhaps, you reason, he has never seen a buune before -- much less conversed with one such as you. "What eez yew name?" She chimes with an authoritative air: best to assert your position in this exchange. "Gerard." He replies promptly. You nod, before laying a hand at your breast so that he can clearly see that you are nevertheless a corporeal woman, despite the air of magic about you.

"Gerard. Yew have perished in the Pall, but I cahn help yew to wander no more. I have come seeking answers and now we speek: if yew help me, then I will try to help yew on thee next stage of your journey." Calm, crisp, an air of formality -- you feel that you make for a rather convincing psychopomp and spiritual guide.

Gerard seems quite taken by your offer, despite a gape and grimace of skeletal jaws you presume to be anguished acceptance. "You--you'll get me out of here, then? I've been lost..."

You nod to this, lifting your chin. "Speek truth to me, and I will seek your body for a burial."

With a wafting bob, the skeletal apparition stiffens (not that you imagine a being of mostly ectoplasmic bones could do much else) before floating attentively. "I would be grateful for this." He asserts. "What would you know?"

"Do yew recall how you died?" It seems the most prompt and obvious thing to ask first.

Concentrating for a moment, Gerard nods slowly. "Lars, Egert, Oswald and I were the first to enter and explore. We carried torches and headed down the main passage, checking for any treasures we could find -- we were sure the Khor had hidden valuables here." He shakes his skull then. "The others started to retrieve things to take to the surface, while the four of us found a large room with an opening in the floor, down to a chamber which glittered. Lars lowered me down, and I saw something beautiful..."

Gerard seems to strain to recall or grow distracted for a long moment then. "...I had to climb to reach it. I heard a snap and Lars yelled to jump -- but I was struck and fell, could not feel my legs..." Craning to look down, he gestures a bony hand below. "Perhaps they are still there, with the treasures. There are traps here, I am sure; can you warn my brothers for me?"

> _

You are free to ask Gerard whatever you'd like, or act upon this information; the spirit is bound to the vessel you carry.

"Any family I should notify of your death? I cannot guarantee the message.
Though it is not my duty, any information you have about the curse and how it might be thwarted would be appreciated. Less future workload if I help the heroes save this world."

There are several passageways here. Does he know anything of them? Which one is the one that leads to the room with the floor opening?

Ugh. It would be a lot of work to lift a body from a deep hole. And his brothers... it's been many days since he fell. Either they left the place, are dead, or are trapped somewhere. If there was anything to warn them of, it's already too late.

So this place is, unsurprisingly, trapped. Tell him that for now he should come with you. He can scout in front of you for traps. I'm unsure if it's possible, but casting GLOW on him would assist with this task. He may also come in handy later, to scare off anyone else coming down to these halls.

>>1013623
Ask the SPIRIT what traps he encountered before his death, and what treasures were removed. Worst comes to worst, we might have a Pirates of the Caribbean situation here.

>>1013623
Show him the lesser spirit that you encased in kalatite.

(1/3) RWW 2021/11/05(Fri)20:44 No. 1014342 ID: 673fe6
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"Any family yew would wish I inform?" You offer, with the caveat-- "Though, I cannot gwaruntee thee message. Any knowledge yew can speek of the Curse, to thwart it--that I help others...?"

Gerard nods to this solemnly, his skeletal visage seeming to gleam in the flicker of torchlight despite his incorporeal manifestation. "Hildegart, she is my sister; if any should know of my demise, be it her." He asserts hopefully to you. "And the others, my brothers -- if you can help to spare them such fates with these thrice-damned Khor..." He mutters, tone taking a harsher edge.

After a moment, Gerard recomposes himself. "They have loosed this Curse, the Khor -- I am sure of it. Though I have fallen, I am certain the Empress will succeed in seizing the seat of the Great Khan and ending his blight." Gerard gestures as if he might spit at the mention of the Khan, but lacks the faculties to do so.

You suspect that Gerard is simply unacquainted with the particulars of the Curse, and may be a poor source of information beyond a zealous faith in the SARKEN EMPRESS. "What can yew tell me of what traps befell you, and where?" You ply further in more immediate concerns.

(2/3) RWW 2021/11/05(Fri)20:45 No. 1014344 ID: 673fe6
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Gerard recounts for you in surprising detail a plethora of hazards he and his fellows had discovered within this place -- tiles giving way to covered pits of spikes, recesses in the wall sprouting swinging blades threatening to cleave a man in twain and even hidden niches launching darts at the unwary. Most treacherous, however, seems to be the darkness itself: Gerard claims that down the central passageway, carried torches barely seemed to push back the gloom even with several at hand.

It was down the central passage he seems to have met his own end, and it is there that the opening was discovered in the larger chamber where apparent treasures laid. He does not know for sure if his brothers managed to recover what else was down there, as his awareness ceased in any clarity until you COMMUNED with his spirit.

Though he did not accompany them down the other passages, Gerard recounts that the other SARKEN were given pause down the left passageway by a 'frightening adversary' and that their progress down the right -- your present course -- was halted after they had failed to discover or avoid traps along the way, the suffered casualties leading to hesitation while they sought 'expendable' scouts instead.

Gerard and the other SARKEN seem to be under the impression that there are KHOR hiding down here trying to scare them off -- but even from their initial exploration of the left and central passage they recovered a large chest and other strongboxes to haul back to their camp. He has difficulty remembering what he saw that lured him to his death beyond that it was 'beautiful' and gleamed from somewhere higher up in the chamber.

Possible foe or foes to the west, seemingly supernatural darkness to the north and a higher concentration of traps to the east, it seems. You suspect you currently possess some of the treasures they've looted from this place.

(3/3) RWW 2021/11/05(Fri)20:47 No. 1014345 ID: 673fe6
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You reflect on how difficult it would likely be to actually recover and transport Gerard's mortal remains from in this place, especially if he perished from a deeper hole. Gerard has no choice in the matter of accompanying you at this time, for you have bound his spirit to the kalatite vessel; however, using your magic to COMMUNE only provides an incorporeal manifesting of the spirit and he is unable to physically interact with his surroundings or venture far from the vessel itself. Nevertheless, he could prove useful just the same.

At last, you consider the other presence you had felt within the vessel and decide to present it to Gerard: channeling more of your essence through the kalatite you can feel a tingling flourish as you coax the other entity to surface. With a billowing flourish of hazy shadow, the vague upper half of a decidedly more canine being manifests from its tether in your grasp -- with dark eyes and a sizable snout, the spirit looses an emphatic bark which echoes down the passageway.

"What is this?!" Gerard gawks; the spirit seems very interested in his bony manifestation.

You're not -quite- sure what this lesser spirit actually is, but it seems energetic and canine in some measure. With two spirits manifested, you feel a mild strain on your concentration, though nothing too severe when you're not also doing something else.

Perhaps you can name this second spirit?

You decide to...

> _

Looks like a Rascal to me

Looks like a dog, silly. I'm gonna call him Soot.

It's only correct to name this dog Pylar the Proctrix. Or Pie for short. Perhaps her night vision can help us.

So, the two possibilities of treasure are the unexplored east, and "something beautiful" to the north. I feel we should change our direction and head towards the north first then.

>>1014345
Canines are known for the acuity of their senses, perhaps this one will serve as a boon as we sneak about, provided she doesn't bark and reveal our positions. Pylar the Proctrix, Pie for short, shall aid us in the quest for TRUTH in the ENDLESS DARK of the PALL!

For now, we ought to settle Pie back to her slumber and give venture to the remainder of the hall. With Gerald's insight and your own light footedness, the remainder of the traps should be traversed with ease.

>>1014345
Crystal Crumpsy

Sir Snoutsley

Woof-o-the-Wisp

>>1014649
supporting

(1/2) RWW 2021/11/12(Fri)21:43 No. 1014983 ID: 673fe6
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Contemplating with great gravitas, you consider a suitable moniker for your newly discovered 'polterpooch' -- a woof-o-the-wisp by classification, you wager. Something about the gleam in those shining eyes strikes a chord with you, and you settle on a stroke of serendipitous inspiration: Crystal Crumpsy, the woof-o-the-wisp. You do consider if she might enjoy some pie, should you happen upon such a confection in your explorations.

Nevertheless, both spirits are returned to their kalatite resting place as you turn your focus back whence you came: intent on venturing northward over the span the SARKEN had tread before subjecting yourself to whatever possible traps or hazards may lie further eastward.

Thanks to Gerard's detailed recount and your own keen eyes, you are able to avoid several missteps while you maneuver your way down the central passageway from the entry antechamber. A smell of soot joins the lingering aroma of ash as you ply against the darkness therein -- and true to Gerard's word, it proves to be particularly resistant to light against its seemingly supernatural gloom. Still, you continue lighting sconces as you go, the better to retrace your steps later if need be.

You arrive at the chamber Gerard spoke of -- or at least, its upper approach. Squarely in the center of the broader chamber is an enormous opening in the floor, while at the far end of the span you spy a sizable double-door with some sort of bas-relief carved into its surface. A high arched ceiling looms above you overhead -- and though much of the chamber stands vacant, you glimpse several places where you suspect chests and other containers had rested previously, judging by disturbed dust.

Embedded into the cracks of the heavy stone tile of the floor to the right of the open drop are a pair of pitons, though presently bereft of rope; you reflect that this may have been how Gerard and his fellows descended in their own exploration here.

(2/2) RWW 2021/11/12(Fri)21:44 No. 1014984 ID: 673fe6
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Taking to a low, careful position you brace yourself and peer over the precipice of the broad opening in the floor. Far below, there is another large chamber shrouded in heavy darkness -- with four immense columns supporting the corners of the pit above. An eye-catching glow draws your attention behind the far pillar on the right -- and there you spy grisly remains beside a slender shard casting light about its vicinity.

Close to the corpse, you can make out what you suspect may be a sizable stone sarcophagus or container of some kind -- its nearest surface detailed with a carved relief you can barely make out as a figure in a circle or dome. It is difficult to make out much else about the chamber below, its periphery veritably pitch black save for the space near to the shard. You can smell the coppery tang of blood and viscera even from your perch on high.

You estimate the descent to be roughly thirty feet (or nine meters.)

INVENTORY as of this post: https://pastebin.com/vm1qgRj7
MAGIC as of this post: https://pastebin.com/E8iTCvFQ

How do you proceed?

> _

Crystal Crumpsy, the woof-o-the-wisp has quite the snout. Could we ask this entity if it is within their power to sniff out any traps that await us in the area below?

Use the rope on the pitons so you can go down there. Seems like Gerard was trying to climb up the wall? Now you know there are traps, but you know he got near the sarcophagus safely, at least.

So Gerard was cut in half. The height of the cut seems around one meter above the ground. Should be easy to evade, either by ducking or jumping.

Let's go down and light up the room. Take the shiny next to Gerard's body.

(1/3) RWW 2021/11/21(Sun)17:13 No. 1015742 ID: 673fe6
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Before you proceed down into the chamber below yourself, you ply the kalatite vessel once more -- manifesting C.C. to leap down into the darkened span below to scout it out. Darting to and fro with swift, bristling energy -- the ethereal canine sets to earnestly sniffing about the different corners of the chamber. Your long ears catch the airy whuffs and rumbles of the wispy creature, eyes following her movements as you observe from above.

When she has finished, she whisks back into the vessel whence she came with a tingly crackle of essence and energy that warms your fingertips -- and you become aware of the result of her reconnoitering, having spied no active creatures or threats that she could recognize among the dark recesses of the chamber. You are again alerted to the remains of the man, which you yet presume to be Gerard's -- but you can see them from on high as well.

Hurrah! Animation!

(2/3) RWW 2021/11/21(Sun)17:13 No. 1015743 ID: 673fe6
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Gathering yourself up, you make your way over to the pitons and retrieve what has proven to be a most trusty length of rope from your bag; securing it to that anchorage, you give a few firm testing tugs of the line with your weight to assuage concerns -- and then ease yourself over the edge, lowering down into the gloomy darkness of large span beneath you. Cool air chills your limbs as you gingerly descend the rope, the quiet creak of its taut fibers the only discernible sound to reach your ears.

Once your feet are on the ground, you breathe a terse sigh of relief -- your mask partly muffling the scents of the chamber to a degree, but even then scarcely suppressing the unmistakable smell of blood and viscera left to linger unattended for some time. Your eyes faintly water from the odor of it all and it would seem whomever had been with Gerard abandoned any notion of recovering his remains.

(3/3) RWW 2021/11/21(Sun)17:14 No. 1015744 ID: 673fe6
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You retrieve the source of the glow, finding it to be a small smooth shard of white crystal -- the likes of which you have never seen before. It emits a soft and almost chilly light naturally, yet you can feel from the faint stirrings of awareness that it responds to your mental focus as an arcane implement might. You suspect that you could utilize the shard as a lens through which to express your magic, GLOW coming to mind for obvious reasons -- but it is likely that other cantrips and rites could also be amplified or modified when cast through it.

While you found mundane torchlight left wanting against whatever strange supernatural gloom seems to cling to your surroundings, you follow your intent to illuminate the space by channeling your GLOW cantrip through the crystal shard -- and find that this seems to much more readily combat what may be magical darkness. In the process, you glean a clear vantage of where Gerard had found the object -- having apparently been part of some sort of large carved mural in the chamber's wall.

An enormous depiction of one of the figures you spied among the statues and other imagery you've passed spans much of the high wall before you: a crowned and armored man wearing lenses over his eyes holds an arm outstretched, as if he might be carrying a lantern or other object. Where such would be, instead a niche recess has been carved into the wall with a small shelf, presently occupied with a bronze bowl; you glimpse what appear to be other crystals and objects in the bowl, though it's a bit high up for you to discern more clearly from your present vantage.

Beneath the depiction lies what is either an altar or some sort of sarcophagus, the front of which also sports a carved mural of a sort. Here, too, you spy a figure wearing curious lenses, surrounded by a nimbus of light with arms outstretched -- and a delineation that suggests they may be shielding themselves from something beyond. To the right of this heavy stone construct lie the dismembered remnants of a SARKEN man, with dried gore splattered in arcs down along the wall and onto the mural above.

> _

Try and find the source of the "snap" that killed Gerard.

>>1015742
>C.C works like a remote dog nose
Damn that's incredibly useful. Can anyone else see your spirits?

>mural
Well, the trap is likely a blade of some sort that comes out of that groove. See if you can figure out what activates it- wave something expendable in front of the groove, for instance.
Maybe you can knock down the bowl with a stick?

Examine the sarcophagus, but don't try to open it. I'd imagine it's trapped to deter grave robbers... it might be too heavy to lift the lid anyway.

>>1015744
A "boob"y trap
Whatever is in that bowl is of sufficient value that someone designed a lethal mechanism to protect it...

If the wall groove is horizontal, stay below that level as you approach the fixture beneath the mural. Remember your ears!

If you are nervous to do this, see if you can grab some of the Sarken remains to set off the trap and gain an idea of its behavior

Judging by position of the body I'm guessing the blade moves from left to right. Could you pry up a flagstone out of the floor and use that to block the trap mechanism?

I think it would be interesting if we could COMMUNE with the dead king that lies here, however, the spell doesn't seem designed to do that.
I dunno. Maybe if we used the crystal shard to improve it, it might work. But I suppose simply shining an improved GLOW onto the sarcophagus could rouse something.

RWW 2021/12/01(Wed)17:10 No. 1016520 ID: 673fe6
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As you ponder the sarcophagus and its carved depiction along with the mural above, you consider the stonework -- certainly heavy in appearance, and whether or not it is trapped you find yourself wanting for better leverage in pursuit of potentially shifting the lid aside.

Further, you reflect on your COMMUNE cantrip: should the spirit of the interred Lord linger, it might be possible to converse -- but the crystal you hold does not seem to resonate with that particular magic as it does your GLOW, and a more involved ritual may be in order to reach out to the dead from further beyond. Still, it's an inspiring thought which you tuck aside for future research with your grimoire.

Assessing the vicinity, you deduce that the darkened recess beneath the mural may be a slotted blade of a sort -- and likely part of the 'snap' which befell Gerard and left the man in pieces on the floor. Shining your GLOW, you can more clearly make out the groove -- but it's not hard to imagine it being more easily overlooked without the benefit of magically imbued illumination on your side down here.

For a moment, you consider the flagstones underfoot -- though you ultimately decide they are too large and heavy to upend without a prying implement and you're not wholly confident you'd be able to move one with any efficacy on your own. Next, you contemplate how the mechanism might be triggered, and means by which you could 'safely' test it without risking life and lapine limb.

Anxious nevertheless, you decide to check the remains for something to extend your reach -- and though you wrinkle your nose at the brief consideration of risking Gerard's cold limbs over your own, you find a sword close to the corpse as a far more suitable substitute. Adopting a low crouching stance, you shed your SHROUD to more fully regain your concentration -- after starting to feel the creep of fatigue from sustaining it for so long.

Laying your long ears back with a conscious pause, you then proceed to test a few wary approaches to the mechanism: first, you shine the GLOW onto the sarcophagus itself -- though nothing seems to shift or rouse from that alone. Next, you wave the blade in front of the groove without an apparent response -- before finally extending your arm and nudging at the bowl in an effort to dislodge it.

Finding the bowl surprisingly heavy, you're startled by the swift and sudden SNAP! as a blade whirs out from the far end of the groove and towards you with alarming alacrity -- before it CLANGS harshly against the sword in your grasp, jolting your arm and twisting your wrist as it's very nearly send careening from your grip as it is swept aside.

You can feel a dull, throbbing ache in your wrist and forearm alongside a faint tingling in your fingertips -- but a quick check finds your ears intact and no loss of your form for the test. You feel confident now that some trigger has been set to respond to the bowl being jostled or moved -- and observed, however fleeting, that the blade had length enough to catch over the top of the sarcophagus beside you.

You have gained:
> Curved Sword

Longer delay than I would have liked with the holidays and whatnot, but we're back! Your right arm smarts after testing the trap, but you're otherwise intact at the moment; there may still be more that you can do in experimentation with implements, magic or otherwise -- but the main focus first was puzzling out the wall trap.

You decide to...

> _

>>1016520
Alright so the trap only triggers once the bowl is disturbed. That means we could climb up higher, and safely take the bowl from above the trap.

Are the carved out recesses for the eyes hiding any mechanisms? they look quite deep.

Avoid the trap, obtain the treasure. Still, remain on the lookout for any secondary traps that the bowl could trigger.

>>1016520
Try moving or removing the contents of the bowl first, before moving the bowl itself. I still support trying to put the Glow back in its place, though.

RWW 2021/12/05(Sun)22:49 No. 1016785 ID: 673fe6
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Reflecting on the mechanism, you conclude that movement with the bowl is the primary trigger -- though you suspect that interacting with the contents of the bowl could also cause the trap to spring; it's possible that adding or removing shards from it carefully might lead to different results, but you can't be certain.

As you stand pondering on attempting a combination of rope work and acrobatics in an effort to avoid the blade and access the bowl from above -- your attention falls to the front of the sarcophagus for another look as curiosity jogs your thoughts.

Crouching down, you take a closer look with the GLOW to examine the 'eyes' of the carving: sure enough, the recesses are actually rather deep and you can spy what seems to be another mechanism you might interact with hidden away within. Both holes seem to correspond with a pair of square, angular niches -- and with light probing using your fingertips, you think the raised circles of the eyes could be turned after inserting something into each.

You decide to...

> _

Look for corresponding tools to insert and turn!

Try inserting the crystal in there? I think the crystal that was on the floor was from the bowl; Gerard must've managed to grab a crystal just before being cut in half.

I wonder if you could just throw your rope to pull the bowl off the shelf?

apply your breasts on the carved head, accidentally pressing down on the large chained studs (which stand out rather conspicuously), to unlock the secrets. Perfect plan!

Alternatively, crystals, square glowing ones... into the holes...

(1/2) RWW 2021/12/13(Mon)13:10 No. 1017268 ID: 89649e
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Deciding to take a closer look at the mechanism with your new discovery, you draw close and probe out its surface -- and taking care to avoid any potential springing mayhem, you assuage your concerns by confirming that the eye holes seem solely meant to accept implements. As you press close to train a weathered ear for sounds of its inner workings -- your admittedly generous bust applies pressure in a bout of bosom serendipity: the raised studs of the figure depress, resulting in the eye lenses extending outward with a series of soft, steady clicks and whirs.

Cautious, you give a moment's pause to ascertain if any further triggers were about to ensue -- before tentatively testing above the sarcophagus once more, only to find that the blade trap no longer emerges! Satisfied by your ingenuity in putting your breast foot forward, you collect the other crystals from the bowl overhead and find a matching pair among them just the right size for acceptance in the holes below.

Inserting both shards in tandem, you give a testing turn -- and sure enough, further clicks and whirs result before the enormously heavy stone lid before you recedes out of the way and into the chamber wall. Raising your head past the precipice, you brace for interred remains only to discover no such corporeal leavings. Instead, you find...

(2/2) RWW 2021/12/13(Mon)13:11 No. 1017269 ID: 89649e
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A blade laid out with reverence over silk of a royal purple hue, a matching scabbard at its side -- a sword of some length with a stout blade and an ornate pommel. By the length of its grip, it looks to be a hand-and-a-half; its finger details are somewhat lost on you, for you are no expert at swords -- but you suppose it may be a long-sword or even a 'bastard' sword, if there is no certainty for its origin.

Curious, you grip the supple leather hilt to the weapon and lift it from its resting place. You find that the blade leans away from you as you hold it, though your posture and lack of familiarity with so large a weapon seem culprit there. It's rather heavy, you decide -- at least markedly more so than the more slender blades your buune brethren favor.

While you are not trained with a weapon of this sort yourself, it could still be useful -- and you imagine it might prove quite exemplary in the hands of a more capable wielder.

Belatedly, you concentrate for a moment to probe at the sword with your more arcane senses -- and are left with the impression that it has had enchantments woven in its creation.

A marvelous enchanted sword -- a bit heavy and unwieldy in your hands and too large to stow in your bag. However, with its scabbard you could sling it about yourself to carry along.

You decide to...

> A) Remain in the chamber and explore it further for anything else you might have missed.
> B) Climb back up, proceeding deeper into the HALL OF LORDS.
> C) Climb back up, but begin to make your departure from this place.
> D) _

>>1017269
Time is if the essence for there is no promise of continued uninterrupted time in the HALL, just as there is no promise the SARKEN won’t have taken their positions once more and be investigating the trail of fires left behind. If we are to solve the riddles of the HALL, we must make haste: B), and make way toward the opposite hall.

You got the main prize, bug out for now.

>eye lenses extending outward
Lmfao! Not only did that work, but his eyes popping out like that, I'm choking...

Take the sword and the crystals.
B) The treasures seem worth the risk to continue. And if it's not us, then someone else would eventually take them. Hmm, I'm not sure if this chamber is a dead end. Use a crystal to amplify your GLOW to make sure. If it's not, then continue through any passage. If it is, then return back to the intersection and take the path east, as Gerard said was still unexplored.

🅱️

B. Lords!

But we'll never be royals

>>1017269
C. While there is certainly plenty of loot to be had we have already pushed our luck enough as is, and without a clear goal here there is no point in staying when we could be pressing furthur into the Khanate. Not to mention the men up above. Also there is the matter of finding peace for our dearly departed Gerard, and his remains.

RWW 2021/12/16(Thu)21:17 No. 1017638 ID: 89649e
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After some careful adjustment you sling the weighty blade in its scabbard to rest across your back before gathering up the remaining gemstones and shards to stow on your person. Using the GLOW, you take another look about the chamber below -- but upon finding no other discernible egress, elect to head back up your rope with your newly found loot... that is at least once you ponder what to make of your assurance to Gerard that you would see to his remains if you're able.

Unfortunately, in pieces or as a whole the man's corpse weighs more than you do and is cumbersome by a fair measure. There may perhaps be other means of helping the SARKEN spirit move on just the same -- but the conundrum of how to recover the pieces of the man and his viscera presents a dour obstacle.

Still, you gather up what you imagine to be funerary cloths from within the sarcophagus and do your best diligence to at least -collect- his remains together again and go about the hearty work of shifting them to rest at the base of your rope. You could, if you so chose, attempt to haul up the man's earthly leavings once above -- or otherwise leave some indication, that the other SARKEN might reconsider his recovery in your stead.

Limbered up and nimble as you are even with the new weight at your back, your ascent of the rope is swift and confident as you haul yourself back onto the cool, dusty stonework of the passage above. With your empowered GLOW in hand, you cast new illumination down the magically shrouded corridor -- and are reminded in that moment that a curious door remains nearby at the end of this passage as well along with a few conspicuous divots your light catches along the walls.

An interstitial update to go with the B vote before, as there was a bit of a spread on where to ply; I'll aim to do a follow-up update after this, but wanted to give a chance to consider the door close by as well and reach a consensus on what you'd like to do with Gerard's body.

You consider your options...

> A) Investigate the door close by, with an eye on suspicious wall spots.
> B) Go west from the original antechamber, where Gerard indicated a 'frightening adversary' spooked the SARKEN
> C) Go east from the original antechamber, where Gerard indicated tricky traps had forestalled the SARKEN
> D) _

Please also vote yea or nay on whether or not you'd like to try to bring Gerard's remains along as well.

>>1017638
Ten internet points says those are projectile/spear traps.

Go west for now but set up some bait near the door.

>>1017638
Hmm, there is one way to definitely get the man's corpse out, but... it involves cutting it up into smaller pieces. Not sure if he'd appreciate that.
You could, alternatively, put him in the sarcophagus, where the sword was?

Get his opinion on those plans.

>>1017646
What ARE Sarken burial rites like anyway? Also I doubt he'd enjoy being interred in a Khanate tomb, considering they hate each other apparently. For now we can try hauling him up, then we can drag him out when we are done here or leave him for his friends.

Lets go B

A - Oh, right, would be better to check out this path first.

Bring just Gerard's head. If Gerard later complains, just tell him that, uhh, that the head basically is his whole body and that the rest of it is unnecessary hubris, not required for him to rest in peace.

Try to haul him up (is there any way to loop the rope through the bundle for an imprivised "block and tackle"-like setup?)

If you fail, well, at least you tried to the best of your ability.

>>1017638
A strong B) and an attempt must be made to make good on your promise, for what ills would the coven incur if a witch disrespects the spirits of the dead?

>>1017638
> A) Investigate the door close by, with an eye on suspicious wall spots.
Be careful of pressure plates or tripwires!

Bring the remains up too, promises to the dead (especially when they held up their end of a deal to help you) aren't to be broken lightly.

(1/2) RWW 2021/12/19(Sun)19:14 No. 1017865 ID: 89649e
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Gazing to the doorway nearby, you deduce the approach to be likely trapped -- and ultimately elect to turn your focus towards the western passage from the antechamber instead. First, however, you resolve to recover Gerard's remains from down below -- and once assured that the way above is cleared for now, you scurry back down the rope and set to the task of... bundling the man's body as best as you're able for transport; secured with the rope, you ascend once more before bracing your strong buune legs before working to slowly but surely haul the not inconsiderable weight up with you.

It is hard work, but you feel it prudent to keep your word for the departed as best as you're able: at the very least, you'd help make sure he would not lie forgotten in the pit of an ancient burial place not of his own people. Shouldering the weight of man and blade alike, you can feel a heady burn in your hamstrings as you adjust to the new burdens while doubling back whence you came to the antechamber.

Once at the entrance, you assuage your own anxiousness in affirming that the way to the surface remains opened and unoccupied for now; you then elect to leave Gerard's remains resting there before you proceed down the western passage -- the better to remain light on your feet ahead.

Bearing Gerard's remarks of a 'frightening adversary' rebuffing the SARKEN down the passage ahead, you elect to eschew lighting torches as you go -- instead fostering a soft GLOW sufficient to guide your way through the darkened span. Along the way, you pass a number of sconces with the scent of extinguished flames reaching you, which you gather to mean the SARKEN had lit the passage before but allowed it to gutter out in their absence.

Cautious and quietly, you keep a steady clip as your sandals stir scarcely a sound, keeping your cloak drawn close and your eyes peeled behind your mask. You resolve to remain conscious of time, however: it would not do to linger overlong in the more readily accessible reaches of the HALLS, especially knowing that the SARKEN have already plied and looted portions of their depths.

You have gained:
> Enchanted Heavy Sword

(2/2) RWW 2021/12/19(Sun)19:15 No. 1017866 ID: 89649e
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Along the way, you pass along several spans of packed burial chambers for what you estimate to be 'lesser' individuals among the KHOR and the lords interred here: largely unremarkable niches in tight proximity with few ornate markings -- though a fair number of receptacles in which to burn incense, judging by the surprisingly aromatic remnants among all the dust and desiccation. Small keepsakes have been scattered about and picked over unceremoniously -- a few small personal affects, perhaps left by loved ones, discarded or brushed aside in the haste of your predecessors seeking valuables.

It is clear that this wing of the HALLS saw more common foot traffic, even prior to the SARKEN making headway here -- and though you remain vigilant, you find no indication of traps having been set throughout these chambers and the halls which connect them.

At last, you exit the passageways and enter into a broader chamber with a long series of open archways before you -- various burial urns and other objects of simple art arrayed in the wing around you. Quietly, you stalk to peer past one of the archways and lay eyes on a much larger chamber beyond with a high ceiling and enormous arched passage into some immense cavern further still.

You are certain this is as far as the SARKEN have been, for you spy the source of their apprehension as Gerard spake: a startlingly large figure adorned in heavy steel plate, seemingly standing vigil. Wielding an immense shield easily as long as you are tall, the figure stands as if scarcely encumbered -- while a long, wicked poleaxe or halberd rests in their grip, its shaft braced on the stone floor. A heavy hood is drawn over the figure's head, obscuring their face from the light; you would wager they stand nearly two heads taller than the SARKEN men you'd encountered!

Before the figure, a huge span of broad stone steps descend somewhere deeper -- but behind them, you can faintly make out what you imagine to be the crypts and catacombs of far more prestigious or important likes.

INVENTORY as of this post: https://pastebin.com/fmiV3zjV
MAGIC as of this post: https://pastebin.com/E8iTCvFQ

You decide to...

> A) Attempt to contact the figure, or otherwise openly approach.
> B) Attempt to somehow sneak past the figure, or otherwise remain undetected.
> C) Attempt to engage the figure, or otherwise get the drop on them.
> D) _

>>1017866
My inner FromSoftware child is telling me to say 'that dude will have a great equip load ring, we should backstab him until he sleeps', but we are simply not equipped to handle Havel at this point. Discretion is the better part of valor: we can engage him when we are good and ready -- or better yet, let him be a silent guardian of our rear as we venture to the chamber beyond him.

Contact

Sneak past and leave the ghost dog in front. Wait until someone fights the golem before you decide to fight or run.

B, use SHROUD to sneak past.

A guardian, huh? If it's magical, then I doubt it relies purely on eyesight to keep unwanted people out, so I wouldn't rely on SHROUD to work.

A. I think this option is safe and without downsides. If it fails, it should be easy to retreat from someone in heavy plate armor, and then try something else. But if it works, well, then we'll have to convince it to let us pass or something. Or it may require some sort of key item. What to say? That we came to talk with the lordship?

> A) Attempt to contact the figure, or otherwise openly approach.

I think that this fellow is exceedingly scary. However, physically sneaking past him has risks. I suggest that we should use our Commune power in order to contact him while we remain hidden in the shadows. That way we can initiate a dialogue without exposing ourselves to a swing of a massive blade.

RWW 2021/12/25(Sat)19:27 No. 1018389 ID: 89649e
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Observing the silent sentinel, you consider it pertinent to remain undetected -- weighing your chances at sneaking past their vigil, though you are uncertain if the aid of your magical SHROUD would aid you in this instance. For a moment, you reflect what treasures or sorcery might adorn the figure in question; ultimately, you decide that your first course of prudence is instead an effort to make contact... safely, preferably.

In this, you engage your magic of COMMUNE in order to reach out to this being from shadowy cover afar: coalescing your cantrip with deft and practiced focus, you can feel a faint tingle coalesce as you give voice to your best officiate greeting you can muster. "El tlinn co, guardian." You declare in a friendly tone, indicating a welcome. Then, you deign to try your best elucidation with the trade tongue of man.

"I have come to visit thee Lordship." You offer of your intent to the tomb beyond.

With your words, the sentinel stirs only slightly before a voice booms from beneath the hood.

"WHOM APPROACHETH THINE LORDS? SPEAK OF THOU'ST CREED; FOR THOU ART MEASURED, IN THY REQUEST JUDGED."

Your response is...

> _

You can freestyle a bit here, or give general intent on what you'd like to say / ask -- and we'll see how things unfold from there!

>>1018389
[Speech 60] I'm new in town, and wanted to pay my respects.
All manner of things awry in the world above, we seek the old wisdom of the kings lives and deaths to steel us for a harrowing journey ahead.

"The Pall shall be stopped.
By the will of the Buune, ever vigilant."

Start beatboxing.

>>1018390
this

I am the Hero of the FOURTH AGE and Bulwark against END TIMES, Vanquisher of PAAL and Savior of KHOR, Slayer of SARKEN and Subduer of Rolph the Evil Peeing Man, Rhiannon of the Briar Spire and Sentinel of the Obsidian Sanctum, Seeker Kaia... the Holy Princess... yeah :smirk:

(1/2) RWW 2021/12/30(Thu)15:48 No. 1018838 ID: 89649e
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Given pause by the proclamation, you reflect on what you might say -- perhaps prose on your perilous quest to the PALL, or another manner of presenting yourself. For a moment, you even consider the aggressively lilting form of verbal sparring favored by fauns, 'bleatboxing' -- but you decide against it, being ill-practiced and wary of how such a sentinel might respond to that more confrontational call-out.

For all the likes of treasures and traps, you elect for honesty in your own trials: announcing yourself to the guardian plainly.

"I seek the weesdom of lords and kings that the Pall may be lifted!"

"IF THOU ART OF HONORABLE TRUTH, HIDE THEE NOT IN SHADOW AND PRESENT THYSELF!" Booms the guardian.

Though you are hesitant, for your paths has proven one of enduring caution -- you can feel a swell of boldness within your buune heart; what truer way to assert the importance of your mission than to bare your spirit?

You emerge from the shadows and stride forward into view -- almost reflexively reaching to touch your mask before electing to remove it such that the guardian can see your face and perhaps in doing so recognize your sincerity.

"I am Kaia, Rhiannon of the Briar Spire, Sentinel of thee Obsidian Sanctum and Seeker of sight beyond sight. I will stand for thee Khor and seek salvation -- from thee Sarken, and all that lurks in dread." You surprise yourself with the vigor your voice carries, feeling confidence swell all the more as your long ears tingle -- before reflexively thumping your foot with emphatic energy as you declare: "The Pall shall be vanquished, its curse undone -- by the will of the Buune, ever vigilant!"

A silence follows as stillness hangs in the musty air of the long-buried halls. Adrenaline leaves you feeling bristled, pulse racing, your tail twitching of its own accord beneath your cloak. For a time, you wonder if some great cleaving blow is about to descend, bracing for the possibility.

"THOU ART MEASURED," declares the towering sentinel, "MAY THY CREED DOTH PROVE TRUE."

With a great and momentous weight as if some living glacier of steel and stone, the guardian makes way to the deeper chambers that you may pass; your relief is palpable, and you waste little time in advancing into the great span beyond.