>A missing Resplendent Personal Assistant, perhaps?
It seems that irony hangs like a rain cloud on Viatrix, to come from an unbelievably wealthier time, but to only have a suit of work clothes to show for it.
>"Currently I am bound for the city of Whitewall, once known as Ondar Shambal. It flourishes under the aegis of the Syndics, three mighty gods, protected by and containing secrets of a lost age. If it interests you, I would be glad to have your company."
Viatrix's expression changes from hopeful expectation to that of a radiant smile, clasping her hands together and close to her chest.
"I would like yours, as well, Wind Carried Petal"
Her mood darkens again as she seems to be weighing her next words for a moment
"I'm scared" Viatrix says plainly, having switched back to Old Realm, and doing her best to keep her voice steady.
"More than I can put into words, by what I've seen, by what you've told me. It will be...
I mean- it won't be as painful to see it with my own eyes if I travel with you"

>>944720
Join debate is the same as join battle, Wits+Awareness.

>"The immaculate texts are inaccurate."

"I disagree."

>"Cease hostilities or I must restrain."

While hardly official, counting that as a one dot stunt, and just using the first 6 dice with
a -1 penalty to his DV for appearance 0 to DV 4, and you only got 3 successes, so I'm going to play it like he didn't even realize you were threatening him.

"Well, a boss with a name that long an' dumb sure sounds like a blighter don'e. Name's Reggie, and I'm the tour-guide round 'ere, an' I can tell by lookin' at ya that you're gonna like it here."

Rivers is incredulous at this guy, but honestly seemed pretty interested in what kind of place they have out here.

>>944765
>"I'm scared" Viatrix says plainly, having switched back to Old Realm, and doing her best to keep her voice steady.
>"More than I can put into words, by what I've seen, by what you've told me. It will be...
>I mean- it won't be as painful to see it with my own eyes if I travel with you"
"It's all right to be afraid," the disguised joybringer replies in the same tongue. "But if there's one thing the chosen of Luna are known for, it is that you are survivors. You will find the strength you need, when the time comes."

Moving ahead on the planning for the lawship resupplying mission.

>How much food are you bringing? How is it being prepared? The Lawship is currently configured so much of the cargo capacity is office space or living quarters, will that have to be unpacked? Where will the offices be kept and how will they be secured while the ship is away?

Given that we probably want to conserve time and resources spent on maintenance, flight, or dealing with any demonic complications en route, it seems reasonable we'd want to pick up as much food as possible in one trip.

Which means it's probably a good idea to free up as much cargo space as is reasonable- unload supplied and break down offices and such- it's worth spending a few hours before and after the mission moving stuff around. The offloaded materials should be stored at SX's manse, probably under guard. (And if the lawship DBs don't entirely trust the realm soldiers with their stuff, Cathak Othok Dythyk could put a bound demon on watching it).

How much food is available for pickup probably comes down to what Red and Gold is arranging for us.

>In character
"So, ah, where are we going to pick up this food shipment for your soldiers, and who's providing it?" Dell asks Sesus Xanin, as the group prepares the lawship for their mission. "I wasn't aware there were any farms in hell, at least not the kind that produce anything safe for mortals."

SX might need to come up with a story before, say, the others discover they're trading with an anathema at the worst possible moment.

>>944785
Turning to Rivers:
"Are you well?"

>>944785
>I'm the tour-guide round 'ere
"I search for The Reverent Society of Reflective Foresters or others to challenge for trade."

>>944673
Over the course of the first week, any troops with only one dot in Martial Arts gain a second, and most others make incremental progress.

Xanin's soldiers don't seem to be aware they're in the demon realm. They think they're in the Northeast, near Ardeleth, to finish a fight the Tepet Legions started. They take your Manta's arrival as a favorable omen: Lookshy has finally set aside past differences, to close ranks against the common foe of all good Immaculates!

Supposedly - and this is all very hush-hush, so of course the troops manage to hold back for several minutes before gossiping about it - they're here to fight the Lover Clad in Blue, a new ally of the Bull of the North. Composite description of her adds up to a profile of Zsofika, the Kite Flute, distorted just enough to also adequately match traditional depictions of a Blasphemous Anathema. A remarkably precise and detailed profile, right down to details like which kind of incense she prefers, things the Sohei have classified very strictly need-to-know... and nobody needs to know unless they're either planning to summon her, or doing high-level intel analysis to find such a cult.

>>944798
>"It's all right to be afraid," the disguised joybringer replies in the same tongue. "But if there's one thing the chosen of Luna are known for, it is that you are survivors. You will find the strength you need, when the time comes."
"It's one more thing I have to get used to"
The fresh No Moon adds with an air of reverence.
"To be one of the Seven Hundred..." she trails off, distracted by both her own thoughts and the smell of cooking food nearby

>>944879

"I believe that I had mentioned there being a notably forty mile across, and in an even worse situation than you might have first imagined. Well, apparently a town in there has developed some degree of magic that enables there to be abundant enough food to be both abundant and lasting enough to survive shipping.

"Plus, this is a good opportunity to see haw accurate the tales of Anathema taking root there are.

Her stance as she boarded the Manta was like a flawless jade rod, her entire body as stable as a chicken's head and flowing less like a person walking and more flowing as effortlessly as a river.

"I've taken precautions against an ambush, however, and there is another, more expensive, location should this ultimately fall through."

>>944881
>"Are you well?"
"Well yeah. I mean, I'm wearing armor. Really felt like more of a love tap."

"An' a frien'y tap's the way tah gree' a fe'ow demon roun' thes parts."

>"I search for The Reverent Society of Reflective Foresters or others to challenge for trade."

"Well tha's goo'news. I dinnae thin' yah'd fitt in wi' mos'a the guys he'. Bu' we gah plenny'a tools."

>>944671
In principle you could do sorcerous demon summoning with no material setup at all, but that's needlessly dangerous. Most important tools are portable and reusable, the rest can be replaced within a few hours by builder bugs, or at acceptable cost by bartering with the locals.

If you wanted to be extra careful, though, you could make a whole new high-quality binding circle... and subtly incorporate a prayer to Stanewald into the crafting process.
Shopping list:
-Slab of sedimentary stone, no less than 64 inches square and 8 inches thick (a ton and a half, at least), ideally with traces of native copper from Creation
-Tanned hide of a horse, killed by strangling without significant blood loss or broken bones, hooves not touching the ground at time of death, ideally owned in life and beloved by someone whose feet never touched unbroken ground at all
-stonemason who can swing four successes for the carving and polishing, preferably in a noisy way
-dancer who can keep moving nonstop for four days and nights/however long it takes the mason to finish, without collapsing from exhaustion

>>944672
There are two blood ape lumberjacks present, both in jade reinforced buff jackets, and the other one - after sniffing at the air, though you can't smell much over the coppery musk of the trees - says he recognizes you from a brief encounter during that icy acid rainstorm, weeks ago. They're still cleaning up parts of that mess. If you're here to fight, he points out that you ran away last time, and won't be the first exalt he's killed and eaten. On the other hand, if you're here to offer some sort of reparations, he can help you get in touch with the Reflective Foresters' chain of command.

>>945023
Bridget is glad there seems to be no ill will; that form of "greeting" is new to her and may require some... rumination, before adjusting.

>>945044
Bridget would appreciate speaking to those in command, although she was not part of whatever initial event requires reparations. She is interested in tools, labor, and good relations with her neighbors, but being new in town and cut off from her homestead, she has little to offer in the way of honest payment. Would those higher up the chain of command, or any of your fellows be interested in gambling or challenges of skill as alternative payment methods? She has just traveled here from the new development, said to be protected by one of the unquestionables and a diplomat of some renown, although, Bridget admits, she had not heard of him prior and knows not what he did to earn his status. He seems to be well respected by the locals, rather than those from beyond Cecelyne.

rolled 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 7, 3, 6, 10, 3, 8, 10, 8, 6, 1, 3, 4, 7, 3, 7, 1, 6, 9, 8, 4, 4, 5, 6, 10, 6, 8, 9, 5, 9, 4, 3, 5, 1, 10, 9, 10, 6, 6, 2, 3, 10, 3, 8, 6, 9, 3, 6, 9, 7, 8, 7, 8, 6, 2 = 372

---

>>944913
>her entire body as stable as a chicken's head
An amusingly humble comparison for the Fire Aspect.

>>945042
Since she had the proper tools prior then, I think I'll assume that COD was able to set up the regular summoning without issue after the transfer. The advanced summoning circle sounds like it may require outside assistance, likely from Xanin. Does Cathak Othok Dythyk know about Dells desire to dance? Seems relevant to finding the requisite dancers, if she can convince her it's a good idea. Xanin will also have to be approached in private, to ascertain just how comfortable she is with the demonic- praying to Mauger was a surprising development, and a ray potentially useful sunshine to potentially investigate after they sort this mess out.

So, lets say over the course of the week she spent one day getting set up again, during which she did her excellency training as marked, and at the end she spent one day helping direct extra labor to unpack the ship. If it's a five day week, we can assume she summoned three other demons; lets say three beauteous wasps. Already rolled for one, which was assigned to help Dell. Lets cann that one Dancer. The next roll will be for both Prancer and Vixen, summoned separately of course. Each one would be at -5 penalty as COD spends an additional 10 peripheral and 15 personal on top of the 20m, 1wp for the summoning ritual itself.

>>945046
>Does Cathak Othok Dythyk know about Dells desire to dance? Seems relevant to finding the requisite dancers, if she can convince her it's a good idea
It seems unlikely that anyone who has spent as much time around Dell as her Sworn Brothers wouldn't have figured out she's good at dance, and seems to enjoy it.

Dythyk is also probably familiar with the capabilities of Dell's boots, from observation, her own role in providing countermagic when they need to be removed, and (I think) having a good pool for puzzling out how an artifact works.

Dell almost certainly hasn't discussed that she prefers dance to the job she's been trained for, since she hasn't really admitted it to herself. How much of that 'Thyk might have infered might come down to personal insight and sense motive rolls (and you did have a decent clue that something is off given how she responded to the angyalka.

>>945044
"I mean, I'm not really HERE for a fight, but if you're offering I'm not more wrapped up with protecting someone, so I'm game."

She limbered up a bit, seeing where this was going.

"But, I'm guessing that this isn't really the type of adventure you would want to go on, is it?"

>>945046
Have you seen a chicken's head? It's practically magic biological steady-cam. :v

Anyway, SX is open to approach at any time, and probably out and about a lot more than the demons would suggest that she was if asked. And given everything about her situation, she clearly was at least open to utilizing the demonic.

>>945046
> Does Cathak Othok Dythyk know about Dells desire to dance?
> rolled 10, 9, 8, 7, 6
Against manipulation 2, socialize 0? If you don't know, it's because the subject has somehow never come up, even though you're the one providing the countermagic for those cursed boots. Confirmation would be as simple as asking why she keeps putting them back on.

Four dice against thirteen is a complete shut-out, beyond even the standard of "true safety" from that sidebar on surviving the summoning. What's the plan for the new demons?

>>945098
One of your new locust-fed engineer retainers formally submits a proposal for digging a shipping canal back toward Candleport. Basic concept is mounting the infernal essence cannon like a battering ram (but with a clever system of ropes and pulleys so aim can be adjusted a few degrees up, down, or side to side) under a shelter that's mostly sealed airtight all around but wide open at the front, where the Purifying Mercy Stone is. Cannon fire breaks up trees and boulders, troops with picks and shovels clear the debris, rotating back to the shelter every few hours so they can rest and recover in clean air, Builder Bugs create a smooth resin track for the carriage to advance along. Once it reaches the Avarice River, the resin channel floods and you've got an open road for barge traffic.

Need more precise surveying to establish relative altitude, at least to within a few feet, before committing to the overall project, but a feasibility study to test the pulley system (might want somebody else with good Lore and Craft (Wood) to double-check the design and/or help with constructing it) and find out how fast you can expect excavations to move through Hrotsvitha's soil could be started in the meantime. If nothing else it'd be something else to keep the troops busy and out of trouble when they're getting bored with guard duty and customs inspections. Downside is, for a proper test you'd need to either remove the essence cannon from it's turret atop the manse, or get another one.

>>945080
>>945149
If we get the other specialty summoning tools, sounds like COD will be ringing up Dell for a dance then.

>What's the plan for the new demons?
Abscissic binding under the killer plate, since I intend to keep them around for a bit, to serve as mounts and help carry cargo. We'll have some of the retainers or exalted who aren't piloting ride them on the way back. I assume killer plate means every scene they don't act towards their motivation they gain limit, meaning they want to be ridden at least once a day to prevent limit gain, right?

rolled 5, 9, 6, 5, 7, 8, 10, 9, 3, 5, 3, 7, 2, 2, 8 = 89

---

>>945198

That sounds like an excellent idea, but I'm guessing it wouldn't be possible to do an aerial survey of the lad from the Manta without basically clear-cutting the forest.

But, someone with decent Craft (Wood), Lore, and knows the topology of the forest sounds like a member of the Society of Reverant Foresters, who I both want to get a hook into, and will probably need to sign off on the project to make sure that we have all the relevant un-expected Malfean issues (and Hrotsvitha specific issues) that the plan wouldn't have accounted for.

It seems like I'll want to hold off on direct action from an out-of-character perspective to use it as a way to effectively build bridges with Bridget. But, since inviting an Anathema to help work on this project seems like a bad step when dealing with KTO and the non-reformation believers of the Immaculate Faith, and that seems like something you want multiple independent parties to look at, since she doesn't trust either the foresters or Bridget completely.

So, I'll keep my options open and have it triple checked. As she makes the proclomation that she requires the most knowlegeable forester land surveyor and craftsman, she erupts in a shower of golden pyrokinetics, drawing direct attention from the crowd, and for good measure she even de-attuned from her shield for it.

So, rolling Appearance 3, Backing/Relevant Connections 0, Crown of Thunders +5 since it's a social roll, +3 successes because she's leaning ALL the way into making sure this is a success, and spending a willpower.

So, 8 dice, 4 auto-successes, since it's not Attribute+Ability I don't know if that counts for a stuntable roll.

>>945231
>it wouldn't be possible to do an aerial survey

That sounds like something the newly bound demons with the desire to serve as mounts would be able to help alleviate. Normally summoning as many demons as she has requires an expensive insurance policy and project permit/evaluation, but these are trying times. Xanin has her troops to look after, so surely COD would be willing to bind a taskforce to her service. They are drakes of a scale, so to speak, and need to stick together, help eachother out, yes? We can haul cargo and provided labor, and Xanin has already graciously offered help and safety while they try to recover Flair. Given that they don't know what exactly happened, a conversation in a warded office would be prudent, lest the stalker seek to pick them off one by one, using prying eyes and ears to keep tabs.

As for Xanin trying to befriend Bridget, I'm not sure what exactly that has to do with the channel idea, unless you want her to help do the engineering and earth moving? One easy way would be to run over to the nameless village, loudly declare your newfound political stance, preferably playing off compassion. Something that forces her to choose between "allowing innocents to suffer while doing nothing" and trying not to die, she'd probably act on her compassion. Any sort of clear demonstration that you're not tricking her would also probably be nice, but just making a socalize attack somewhere she can hear you would probably easily pass her MDVs, and I wouldn't try to resist if I know it's safe OOC.

>>945234
>Paragraph one
"You are aware I have an open door policy for you, and everyone else on your mission, right? You don't need to worry about all the back room dealings, just as soon as you're ready. Although, the fact that offering prayer to a demon is grand treason in the Realm, punishable only by execution, should tell you exactly how far I'm willing to go for the sake of my people, and what I'm comfortable with. That said, I should ward my office against spies."

>Paragraph two

Well, Bridget has Int+Lore of 10, and Int+Craft (Wood) of 6/Dex+Craft (Earth) of 7 with 1st craft excellency, so from an out of character perspective, she's probably better by a country mile than any demon I can get to annalize the blueprints and make sure that it's a structurally sound plan. Convincing her to help actually build it would be nice, but beyond the scope of what she actually expects.

>>945231
Nine successes, and you could roll again next month to add more. Can't spend willpower on an essentially passive use of your reputation. The best carpenters, civil engineers, Hrotsvitha cultists, and other relevant trades for hundreds of miles around have heard that you're hiring, or will soon. Which traits (skills, specialties, charms, etc.) are you prioritizing? How are those priorities ordered? What are you prepared to offer openly as reward?

>>945327
Alright. Since the primary first goal is to double check over the engineering documents, with a secondary goal of actually overseeing construction as a foreman, I'm thinking that the way that it should play out is:
Craft (Earth) 2 dots
Lore 1 dot: Specialty Engineering +1
Craft (Wood) 3

And I don't know if it would be one of the successes, but a background that allows them to access topological maps.

If that's not actually sufficient to oversee building a ~25 mile long canal through dense and hostile forests, I'll hold off until next month.

As for what I'm prepared to offer, a resource 3 signing bonus up front, another resource 3 payment upon successful completion, and if all goes well consideration for a full time position of resource 2 a month, and informally a degree of protection most 1cd don't have.

Sorry, that should be
Craft (Earth) 3
Lore 1 (Engineering +1)
Craft (Wood) 3

with a background of either backing or influence that lets them access topological maps, and know as much about how to not piss off Hrotsvitha while building this as at least a novice forester.

>>945333
> a resource 3 signing bonus up front, another resource 3 payment upon successful completion, and if all goes well consideration for a full time position of resource 2 a month
In what form? Jade, your own scrip, letters of credit backed by the Guild, liquor, imported luxury goods and/or alchemical reagents from Creation, live captives, spare arms and armor from soldiers you lost to the Silent Wind, something else entirely?

Priority should cover much more than nine successes so there's something to grow into if the search goes on for more than a month. Given that you're hiring from a pool of mostly demons, the list should also include charms.

Backgrounds are not a valid trait to search for this way. When Helen of Troy's face launches a thousand ships, those successes will measure the skill of pilots and champions, but if kings get involved too, that's up to them. Seeking out well-connected people proactively is more of a job for Socialize and/or Bureaucracy, or the Destiny (or Spies) background could contrive a chance encounter, or if the important people happen to be spirits you could get in touch by some combination of magic and prayer.

The wood aspect is a little caught off guard for their preflight preparations and deployment to be interrupted by sudden avid discussion of an engineering project. Not that Lookshy lacks in excitable engineers, but they usually have better restraint that to interrupt mission schedules like that. The Realm is weird.

>>945198
How long would this proposed project take? Since agreeing to commit her Purifying Mercy Stone to the effort would mean it wasn't available for her own safe exploration of Hrotsvitha, and vice versa.

>>945335
>What form of currency

Her own currency, but even if that's not directly appealing since it's effectively a fiat currency without even the backing of the ascending heirarchy, unless a weirdly servile 2cd comes along, the stability and informal protection are already a better deal than they might already have, especially since the job is effectively to make an in-road to creation.

>Priority, not number value

Alright, so the things to prioritize:

Attribute wise:
Dex/Per/Int, they should all be at least 3 but around equal, Int the most important, then Per, then Dex.

Ability wise:

Craft (Earth) and Craft (Wood) equal, and at least three, preferring Wood first.

Lore, at least one with a specialization in Engineering, priority on increasing the specialization, then on boosting the base skill.

Charms:

I'm not super confident with how spirit charms work, so the top three charm categories I want, in order, are:

Divinations, focused on being able to spot problems that might show up, and solutions, like Melodious Diagnostic Report
Blessings, to help power up the mortals undertaking the bulk work of the project, such as Benefaction
and
Divine Work, to help speed along the process, presumably by compelling the earth to soften so that the blast clears it out more effectively.

>Seeking out well-connected people proactively is more of a job for Socialize and/or Bureaucracy

Okay, when I settle on a pool of candidates, I'll use those skills to sort them into pools based on what backgrounds they have that make them the best to keep on.

>>945343
>How long will this take?

Since the channel will need to be at least 12 miles long to reach the Avarice River.

Using real world statistics for a smaller trench, and scaling it up to a channel because of the fact that we're basically shooting it with a laser constantly, progress will move at about 100 feet per 12 hours. Also assuming that the cannon can be run constantly, and there are always volunteers ready to swap out, that's ~200 feet per day, or about a month per mile, so four seasons of constant work. That's why I'm putting some weight onto charms that could drastically speed that up, including going so far as to letting an Anathema help, since Bridget could pull off ~100 feet an hour, and do the entire channel by herself in 640 hours of work.

rolled 1, 10, 8, 1, 4, 10, 3, 10, 6, 10, 5, 3, 8, 7, 9, 6, 2, 10, 5, 3, 2, 4, 10, 7, 6, 9, 4, 9, 10, 4, 5, 1, 4, 9, 7, 7, 5, 6, 4, 4, 2, 1, 3, 10, 4, 3, 10, 10, 3, 6, 3, 7, 4, 1, 4, 10, 1, 7, 6, 1, 10, 2, 1, 10, 9, 10, 9, 7, 10, 5, 6, 4, 1, 1, 8, 8, 3, 4, 3, 5, 5, 9, 4, 10, 8, 2, 8, 9, 2, 8, 5, 7, 3, 7, 7, 9, 8, 9, 2, 3 = 575

---

>>945343
Cathak Othok Dythyk waves the engineer away dismissively.

"All that can be discussed upon our return, unless you're eager to run out of rations."

Rolling to pilot the manta and pick up cargo from the nameless village.

>>945444
You fly the ship to the village and land safely. However, the place is a mess. Demons and beastmen seem to be working on rebuilding a burned-out granary, and the only food they've got abundant supplies of is bizarre and foul-tasting meat/vegetable hybrid stuff. Refugees have apparently been subsisting on it for weeks, so it's clearly better than nothing, but risk of spoilage or disease seems high, and it's not in convenient bundles for transport.

rolled 3, 7, 10, 1, 2, 10, 4, 9, 9, 6, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 9, 3, 4, 2, 7, 9, 1, 5, 5, 3, 8, 9, 3, 9, 8 = 177

---

>>945446
>Demons and beastmen seem to be working on rebuilding a burned-out granary

Last thing I remember was Bridget advocating for Seven Broken Wings of Red and Gold to being constructing middle class housing for the squatters she had convinced to joined her classes, and if she has any nominal ability to direct the new influx of labor she's certainly going to be ensuring they're creating decent housing as well. What date has the lawship arrived, and who gets to direct the use of dirham OOC? Obviously this requires input from other PCs, but as the storyteller you get final say on which players do what, especially in the case that people aren't present enough to weigh in.

In addition, what sort of medical care are the new folks requiring at this point? How much of Bridgets time would need to be devoted to the patients in order to attend to them all? What skills are currently lacking that prevent her from providing full treatments?

>>945464
>What date has the lawship arrived,
Monday 8th Resplendent Fire
>and who gets to direct the use of dirham OOC?
"Who gets to decide how to spend the money" is a very political question, which would have to be at least provisionally settled over the previous week of administrative action if anything is to be accomplished at all. Bridges The Sun And Moon, Hundred Flowing Sweet Rivers, and Seven Broken Wings Of Red And Gold have enough combined leverage that if they can hammer some system out between the three of them, it could then be presented to the wider community without much room for dissent. However, Ivan the roofer, one of Mother Bog's Daughters, and Bargux the spy have also invited themselves to the meeting.
>In addition, what sort of medical care are the new folks requiring at this point? How much of Bridgets time would need to be devoted to the patients in order to attend to them all? What skills are currently lacking that prevent her from providing full treatments?
I'm not sure what you mean by "the new folks." If you want to be able to fix everything perfectly by yourself, you'll need most of the Medicine charms in the corebook, plus Mind-Soothing Anodyne for psychological stuff, and probably Immanent Solar Glory to keep your mote pool topped up.

If you want to delegate rather than micromanaging, Legendary Scholar Curriculum would let you teach everyone in this... newly unified political group, of which the Red Horn Tribe constitutes a majority but can hardly claim dominance, and which probably needs a name of its own... anyway, you could use LSC to teach all those people four dots in Medicine, or use Power-Awarding Prana to loan out your own E2 charms.

>>945466
>Meeting to discuss who gets to do what.
That could happen no earlier than the first, after Bridget engages in the crafting competition and the talks being in earnest, and no later than the fifth, where Bridget and rivers are currently adventuring in the forest. We could run both at the same time as long as we pick a date and stick to the order of events, but the forest adventure could also be resolved fairly quickly if we don't want to hold up the game or run too many scenarios at once. For the forest, Bridget posted this: >>945045 and it's unclear to me who's up next to resolve that. Are you responding to Bridget's inquires to the foresters, or is Gwen?

>I'm not sure what you mean by "the new folks."
The Red horn Tribe mostly, although it's probably that there's other medical stuff going on with the other residents of the town. It was mentioned that the slaves would be suffering from starvation and refeeding syndrome, so I assumed that there was a significant group of people in need of immediate attention. Whats the best way to figure out how many people are at risk of dying? Devote a number of hours per day to Flawless Diagnosis technique? Five minutes per patient means she could spend eight hours a day every day for the next month before she gets a good handle on who needs what, at which point obviously the current data will be outdated. Either empowering a lieutenant or narrowing the conditions under which you get seen would obviously help, but if it's possible to get a ballpark of how many people are about to drop dead in the streets, that'd at least be a good start. Could I include medical stuff during daily classes with HAM?

>Mind-Soothing Anodyne
Which tree/book do I need to look in to find this one?

>>945469
She was replying to the demon's comments, and making a note that violence probably wasn't what Bridget would want to do with the epic adventure thing.

>>945469

You could just ask, since that's something that the Shamans might genuinely have on lock, or do normal quick medical overviews on people who at a glance seem the worst off.

> Which tree/book do I need to look in to find this one?

Scroll of errata, page 156. Pre-reqs are Medicine 5 Essence 4, Flawless Diagnosis Technique, and Touch of Blissful Release.

Same mechanics as Hastening the Night's End (same location, presence charm) and lets you conduct supernatural thereapy.

rolled 2, 7, 5, 10, 1, 7, 2, 7, 1, 1, 4, 5, 9, 2, 3, 6, 2, 8, 8, 9 = 99

---

>>945446
>However, the place is a mess.
Dell supposes that's unsurprising for hell, really.

"Sesus Xanin, you negotiated some kind of trade agreement, did you not? That would mean someone is in charge of this disorder." Certainly, one wouldn't expect demons and mortals and beastfolk to be working side by side without some kind of leadership.

Is anyone coming forward from the inevitable crowd of rubberneckers who saw the lawship land? As a leader, or envoy, dockmaster, etc? If any of the PCs in the nameless village want to show up when the airship lands, here's your opportunity. If not, Dell will attempt to find out who's supposed to be in charge from the people nearby.

>the only food they've got abundant supplies of is bizarre and foul-tasting meat/vegetable hybrid stuff. Refugees have apparently been subsisting on it for weeks, so it's clearly better than nothing, but risk of spoilage or disease seems high
Well, quality or provisions and medical effects would both fall under the wood aspect's responsibility, unfortunately. Medical exams and testing of food takes time, though, and there's more immediate concerns to address first. This place is a powerful wood demesne, and while such places can mutate those living there, goods harvested and removed from such places are usually less potent. Odd that a village would have been built inside one, honestly. Doesn't look like anyone has been changed by the experience either, unless it caused all those goat traits (might explain why they seem to be in the majority?).

>>945469
>>945480
>>945526
>what the demons are building
Red and Gold would have been fine with changing priority to housing, since if nothing else the food is still growing, but the weather here is prone to be devastating. Can't speak for the Red Horns, though.

>medicine for the people
If this was brought up to him, he would also be willing to create some new doctors using VEE if volunteers are found. Ideally those with decent physical health and mental acuity and senses, but he can fix a lot of that too if necessary.
The offer to grant skills relating to construction also remains, since humans can be relied on to, if nothing else, want to keep themselves alive, but again, he needs volunteers. He can't do this against their will. Even if he could, he wouldn't be comfortable doing it unless absolutely necessary.

>the arrival of the lawship
Not everything about the ship might be familiar to him, but there are presumably some markings that can be linked to Lookshy. Red and Gold would gather together Blue Jade (the teodozjia,) and five of his tomescu, as well as Inauspicious Ink the naneke before heading to meet with the new arrivals. They were unexpected!

Red and Gold no longer wears Lookshy uniform, or goes by his previous name, but he does resemble a sorcerer-engineer, aside from the following of demons.

>>945616
>>945526
"Well, according to the Agatae, the leader is a so-called 'Green Sun Prince' by the name of 'Seven Broken Wings of Red and Gold'. No word on if they're Anathema, but I imagine if they were than we'd have heard about them."

Xanin's impulse to use the crown to empower her ability to organize the clearly scattered mortals into an actually effective unit was cut short by the arrival of said host arriving with a full fang of war demons, her mind instantly turning to possible strategies to murder them all on the spot if need be.

"As a matter of fact, I think that our host is here now, and I must say, your servant certainly oversold the majesty of what you'd done with this place since I'd been separated by whatever brought us to Malfeas."

rolled 10, 10, 2, 9, 6, 9, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 8, 1, 6, 10, 1, 1, 6, 9, 6, 4, 5, 7, 2, 8, 9, 8, 2, 10 = 176

---

Having worked so hard to ensure the prosperity of his tribe Creep was not entirely opposed to the merger. He was working hard to accept the new additions into his herd. The former slaves and humans and many needing medical attention. He tries to put away his distaste and distrust of humans. Having no medical training he simply works hard making meals, soups mostly, and feeding them to the injured, impaired and malnourished. Seeing humans this way, in need and sick, sticks a chord somewhere deep inside Creep and brings out his more nourishing side. He works tirelessly hauling materials around to help with constructing more housing. During his work he talks constantly with the beastmen, laughing and chatting. Always trying to take care of any disputes or issues before they become a problem. Trying to gather more support for himself. One day while he was talking to one of the elders the alarm horn blares. He rushes outside and sees an airship flying toward the town. He feared that there was going to be trouble. A shock to test the uneasy peace everyone has been attempting to create here. He watches the airship begin to land and gathers some of his following to tell the others able bodies to gather where it lands ready for anything. He grabs returns to the elder and tells him not to worry but asks to borrow his hooded cloak. A dark red cloak with a white circle containing the white rams head icon inside. Heading over at a quickening pace he notices Red and Gold standing by.

Creeping Hunter of Mortal Men approaches Red and Gold. Looking much different than his warform. Thinner and very pale compared to the other more robust beastmen of his tribe. Tugging on his cloak he messes with the bone clasp. He ask, "Are you expecting this ship?" Pulling his hood down over his face in an attempt not to stand out too much.

>>945639
"I was not expecting the ship. Sesus Xanin is certainly more resourceful than I was aware of."
Red and Gold then approaches the Dragonblooded party.

>>945631

Red and Gold lowers his head regretfully as the subject of current disorganization is brought up.

"No, it's unfortunate, but as of yet things here are not as I would have them be. It would be simpler if more were willing to accept the gifts I offer, but sadly, before I arrived, there was an incident which resulted in a great deal of loss, here. I was unaware you possessed access to a Manta class transport. This should greatly simplify feeding your people. But now that we are face to face, is there anything urgent you wish to address?"

>"Well, according to the Agatae, the leader is a so-called 'Green Sun Prince' by the name of 'Seven Broken Wings of Red and Gold'. No word on if they're Anathema, but I imagine if they were than we'd have heard about them."
Dell personally isn't so sure they'd have heard of them- if anathema are demons who take mortals over, surely there would be more of them loose in hell? (Or maybe they're not on good terms with other demons either, if the heretical carvings by the trapped street are to be trusted).

Regardless, the mortals seem to agree with the fire aspect's assessment, although names and titles presented vary. "Red and Gold", "Sorcerer", "Prince", and "Inkeeper" are bandied about in different combinations and permutations.

>Red and Gold would gather together Blue Jade (the teodozjia,) and five of his tomescu, as well as Inauspicious Ink the naneke before heading to meet with the new arrivals. They were unexpected!
>Red and Gold no longer wears Lookshy uniform, or goes by his previous name, but he does resemble a sorcerer-engineer, aside from the following of demons.
Questioning quickly made moot by the approach of the individual in question.

"We got incoming" the scout warns her compatriots at the sorcerer's approach. They know little of his intent or disposition- only that he is armed (well, if you consider demons arms. They certainly have more than enough arms to go around).

rolled 7, 8, 8, 2, 2, 8, 9, 1, 4, 6, 6, 4, 4, 10, 1, 4, 5, 10, 2, 2, 9, 7, 10, 10, 6, 2, 7, 5, 10, 6 = 175

---

>>945745
>"We got incoming" the scout warns

COD tuts softly under her breath; she doubts that crowd of demons is properly insured. No, this is a power play. Best keep the engines running hot and check for anything immaterial.

"Dax, make a thick broth and perform some mise en place for the sorcerer talking to Xanin. Dell, I'm going to stay in the pilots seat in case those demons aren't just for show- that kind of retinue is the one you bring to a fight. Can you keep an eye on the situation while still being prepped for take off?" We need to know what's going on and also be able to take off ASAP."

Dax, the stomach bottle bug, goes immaterial to count up and report back on potential threats to Dythyk, as instructed.

rolled 5, 6, 6, 3, 4, 8, 1, 7, 3, 10, 8, 5, 3, 7, 2, 5, 4, 9, 3, 2, 5, 7, 4, 3, 2, 7, 3, 10, 4, 1 = 147

---

>>945718
"Well, I can hardly blame people for being wary of gifts from anyone representing Cecelyne. Though I suspect their suspicions are less born from a knowledge of the law.

"But really, this strikes me as less a problem with the labor being un-skilled, and more an issue with nobody here capable of doing so taking charge and dividing labor efficiently to tackle the problems."

Her head was already at work figuring out how exactly to best plot out what needs doing. Obviously getting the granary repaired and building houses was goal number one. Then reinforcing the town with formal military buildings and a wall. Things to consider later.

"Actually, if you'll excuse me for a second..." She politely excused herself for a moment as she looked over to the group of men working on the granary.

"You there. You're being temporarily re-assigned. I want you to line up in single file, and separate yourselves into four teams of five with a leader for each group. Group A, you're in charge of gathering the hardiest eddible meats you have available. Group B get your hands on salt and barrels. Group C, wash and dry the meat. Group D, coat the meat in salt, and pack it into the barrels."

(Rolling Charisma+Presence, boosted by the Crown of Thunders from personal pool)

"Now, back to business. The only other pressing issue beyond the fact that this place is generally unorganized is the issue of finding some way to keep water from leeching into the soil from a 6 mile long channel, and the simpler issue of finding someone capable of double-checking all of the engineering to make sure the blueprints I have are worth something.

>>945837
>>945745

Xanin appreciated the fact that they were treating the demons as a serious potential threat. They were an issue, but it was just as much a power move on her own part to react as though they were beneath her notice in her dealings.

>>945924

Red and Gold frowns slightly at the implication that he is incapable of organizing things, but says nothing as Sesus Xanin chooses to step away to organize labor. When he hears her next words, however, he breaks into a growing smile.

"Well, an ambitious project indeed. That's what I like to hear! I think I can find a solution for you, if you'd allow me to discuss matters with my Head Engineer. While I'm an engineer myself, my specialty is first age technology, not canals, so I will need to draw somewhat on his expertise."

He gestures to the naneke, who walks over to whisper into Red and Gold's ear. Red and Gold nods, whispering back.

"Do you have a copy of these blueprints? We may need to make adjustments if you want them to take into account the geomancy of the project. And I'd hope you would. This transport could do a great deal to assist with the problem of carving a path through the luminata, unless you have other suggestions?"

(Red and Gold is activating VEE to grant Inauspicious Ink 5 dots in Craft (Earth). -10 personal motes, -1 willpower, 2 dot stunt to regain 1 willpower. Planning on discussing this more and granting some other relevant abilities or specialties, but charts and maps will have to wait for a future post for the moment, still getting that figured out.)

>>945939

Xanin didn't pay much attention to that. After all, if he wanted to refute that, she isn't parking here and taking over. At least not yet. She was going to secure her position at the manse before something like that.

"Actually routing through the geomancy of the forest before making sure the math works is putting the cart a bit ahead of the horse, wouldn't you agree?"

But regardless, she did hand over the blueprints of a cross-sectional of the designs of the channel.

"As for dealing with the Luminata, do you have anywhere in particular that needs a substantially higher population of them?"

rolled 9, 6, 9, 5, 10, 6, 4, 4, 1, 10, 2, 3, 5, 2, 10, 2, 10, 3, 10, 4, 9, 1, 2, 5, 6, 4, 10, 8, 8, 3 = 171

---

>"You there. You're being temporarily re-assigned. I want you to line up in single file, and separate yourselves into four teams of five [...]
Dell is surprised when Sesus Xanin starts issuing ordering the sorcerer's mortal followers, tenses, and then is surprised again that he offers no protest at her usurping his prerogatives. That's... not really how command chains between different forces are supposed to work. And why find the person in charge, and then not use his authority to organize this mess?

>risk of spoilage or disease seems high, and it's not in convenient bundles for transport
I'm not sure what skill examining food sources for safety and determining how to prevent spoilage would fall under, but it seems like good dice pools for survival and medicine would be relevant. Have a bunch of dice. (If it's survival, I'll throw a full 1st excellency at it).

While negotiations between Sesus Xanin and Red and Gold continue, Dell will inspect the food the mortals have been recruited to pack, checking it for safety or contamination, and making sure packing methods used will actually keep it from spoiling. (And before they leave, she should probably do some medical exams, check if there have been any not-obvious health effects on the people eating it).

Not straying far from the manta though, in case the situation suddenly deteriorates.

>>945939
As the sorcerer speaks, the wood aspect notices an unintentional change in her boots' melody, and that she has risen slightly into the air. After a moment's confusion, she realizes the grass beneath her feet is growing perceptibly taller every time the conversation with the fire aspect swings back towards him.

>>945924
Five successes, reasonable plan. The indicated mortals mostly shrug and cooperate, though a few stay back to wrap up what they were working on.
>>946115
Testing food for dangerous contaminants is apprentice-level alchemy, a series of variants on the "alchemical touchstone" procedure. Negative for heavy metals, wyld energies, demonic corruption, and cholera. One sample came back positive for hallucinogenic fungi, and all of it has excess wood-aspected essence at levels considered unsafe for pregnant women or the elderly. Should be alright for supplementary rations, provided it's thoroughly cooked and at least half the troops' calories come from somewhere else.
> in case the situation suddenly deteriorates
When Karal Tin Otter makes eye contact with Red And Gold's jade lion bodyguard, portions of the chaplain's uniform and necklace (with a copper amulet of the three-candle mon of Hesiesh) are abruptly destroyed in a flash of violet fire.

The teodozjia then challenges Karal Tin Otter to a duel: first to surrender or have a limb torn out of the socket (meaning shoulder or hip, not wrist, ankle, elbow, or knee) has to do any one immediate non-physical favor of the winner's choosing.

>>945837
COD, in the pilot's seat, sees through rear-facing sensors as the chaplain is confronted, and recognizes the jade lion. With three successes on Intelligence + Occult, you know what there is to know about teodozjia - basically anything from their writeup in Books of Sorcery 5 can be considered in-character knowledge. Long story short, the physical threat (while very significant) is secondary: they're preachers for the demon princes, relentless enemies of everything that's good and holy.

rolled 6, 9, 5, 5, 3, 3, 5, 9, 10, 1, 2, 9, 4, 2, 1, 4, 7, 8, 1, 8 = 102

---

>>946244
>Food Testing Results
It will be important to make Seses Xanin aware of for longer term planning- another source of food will eventually be required, if this stuff can only safely stretch, but not replace, rations.

What kind of effects would result from a diet where half the calories aren't coming from somewhere else?

>KTO and the Jade Lion
Too far aware to hear exactly what transpired, the daughter of Sextes Jylis can nonetheless sense the sudden change in tension in the negotiating party- and readies herself for the worst. She sets off across the waist high blood red "grass", an unnoticed melody of bells overlaid on the breeze and the stillness before confrontation.

Activating Invisible Street Performer Technique for 3m peripheral. If the lawship is facing south, with the meeting between Sesus Xanin, Red and Gold, and Karal Tin Otter (and attendant demons) taking place behind the rear of the craft center screen, Dell's approaching from the North-West, closing to 60yards (closing to range for Three-String Sword Prana).

>>946499
>What kind of effects would result from a diet where half the calories aren't coming from somewhere else?
>Intelligence 2, Medicine 5, limited diagnostic tools & reference materials -2, no relevant stunt
>rolled 6, 9, 5, 5, 3
Anybody who can consciously channel essence would probably be fine. In ordinary mortals the excess energy will accumulate, eventually causing sickness and mutation. Kidney stones, or malignant tumors superficially resembling wood aspect markings, perhaps, though it's hard to be sure without knowing more about the specific demesne. Might take years for serious symptoms in an initially healthy adult whose intake was only a bit over safe dose... or some mad genius heretic geomancer could channel the energy just exactly wrong (presumably as part of an attempt to share enlightenment) and cause a spectacular, possibly lethal, transformation same-day. For continuity purposes, since it was pointed out to me UWD actually has zero dots in Occult, one of FFE's Retainers is acting as a lab technician to do apprentice-level analytical alchemy, the results of which can then be easily understood in a medical context. Also, the mad geomancy would be some version of the Essential River Channeling procedure, defined here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N-8geUuklKlno_TGuFZezYnvvkWWOQCPev4rXa4cyRQ/edit#heading=h.iph4ftx9xnic

Santova 2019/10/06(Sun)05:24 No. 946603 ID: d9acdc
File 157036464364.png - (17.84KB , 1202x700 , The 8th of Resplendant Fire.png )

rolled 10, 6, 4, 5, 5, 10, 7, 8, 8, 9, 7, 6, 7, 3, 7, 9, 7, 1, 8, 5, 10, 5, 4, 4, 10, 9, 9, 9, 5, 3 = 200

---

>>946296
A fearsome opponent; conflict is probably best avoided, if they want everyone to keep their limbs and the trades to go well.

"Dell, I think we should-"
>>946499
COD is cut off as her sworn Brother, instead of sticking with the ship so they can make an emergency takeoff, starts creeping towards the brewing conflict, presumably to jump into the ball of Exalt and demon if things escalate. Great.

"Goose, I need you in the co-pilots seat. Everyone, stop the loading and secure cargo for emergency take off. Tsukumogami, high alert for intruders, don't let anyone disrupt piloting activities, non-lethal action against single attackers or known allies."

Goose is the mortal retainer with enlightened essence, who was trained as an emergency pilot before they recruited Dell. Since Dell was acting as co-pilot before, her Purifying Mercy Stone is still inserted as well.
Tsukumogami is her living armor, who is staying hidden on her form, but actively searching for signs of any unseen intruders.

From what I remember, there's some sort of trick that you can use by taking an action that only lasts a single tick, or can be freely aborted or something like that, effectively allowing you to hold your action until a later tick. COD is doing whatever that entails, preferably shifting into a defensive stance if it doesn't disrupt it, to perform take off in the case that TKO agrees to the duel.

The map is gridded in ten yard increments. I did my best to make the manta to scale and represent things in a sensible fashion. Dell was near enough to the bridge of the Manta to speak to COD, while also being close enough to food prep to get involved, and near enough to the brewing conflict to see it but not hear it, so the food prep has to be happening near the Manta, and Dell is about sixty yards away, moving northwest. Villagers are moving back and forth from the village to the prep site bringing salt water and moss meat. Xanin and SBWoR&G are discussing things a few hundred feet away, four to five yards apart. Blue Jade wouldn't stray too far from R&G, but probably stepped up to issue the challenge; since they didn't see eachother before, KTO was presumably still approaching, and is now stopped about twenty five to thirty yards away, which is probably within earshot of the proclaimed challenge. Dax is intangible, and assessing threats.

Rolling to see how quickly the retainers can prep the ship for take-off given the new cargo, including clearing off any nearby villagers who might compromise security or disrupt take off. Tsukumogami searching for hidden threats may or may not be part of that roll as well, if you have anything relevant in mind as the storyteller; I don't think any PCs have done something to secretly infiltrate the ship yet though.