>>1095849
You look like youve found an excellent spot to take a break.
I hope you are both doing well.

>>1095849

Erisol you precious goober ...

That is a great view!

>>1095849
Indeed what a great view.
Also any news in the western front, oh dear princess?

how’s mock-fang doing, you two?
(also, i wonder if we could possibly connect to multiple people’s brains at once? it would be pretty helpful to see things from both pendle and eri’s perspectives here, to make sure we aren’t missing anything)

Princess Erisol N'poa 2024/08/16(Fri)09:03 No. 1095905 ID: 46e818
File 172382421048.png - (13.68KB , 800x600 , 22661.png )

"Oh I can see a lot from up here! It's mostly plains, so I can see people coming from a long way away.
The goblins and kobolds from the forest got here and they've been working all morning. The human guards we got here are keeping their distance.
And I can see a small caravan of two wagons approaching in the distance, might be our guest!"

Princess Erisol N'poa 2024/08/16(Fri)09:05 No. 1095906 ID: 46e818
File 172382434645.png - (12.95KB , 800x600 , 2262.png )

"Me and Pendle have just been up here talking about magic and gods and stuff! He's got this theory about a magical-theological bridge that's really complicated and I don't understand it!"
>"Ah, I was just thinking out loud.
>I'm not really confident in anything enough yet to speak on it. I hope you'll be patient, Prince.
>Incidentally, while you're here, I'd like to request a new pair of pince-nez. It's a bit slow going in these old texts without my corrective lenses."

Are there other gods that would be willing to speak to us, help us or give us something? That is a topic worth looking more into.

>>1095906

So long as the old ones weren't shattered, it shouldn't be too hard to recreate the lenses, since Emmy would be a great help in getting the glass mixtures to a proper clarity.

>>1095906
What happened to his old glasses?
Looking back, he seemed to have lost them even before the demon revealed themselves.

>>1095906
Hell yes mister pendle.
Least we can do.
Any other lenses that might be of use?
Couple of hand held magnifiers.
Maybe even a multi lensed one on an armature for especially fragile documents or artifacts?

Say, erisol...
You seen mock fang lately?
Hows he doin?

>>1095906
I’m sure we can make that happen, do you know where we can get some?

I suppose we should switch back to Muschio if our guest's arrival is imminent.

Princess Erisol N'poa 2024/08/18(Sun)17:44 No. 1096019 ID: 46e818
File 172402829032.png - (17.97KB , 800x600 , 2263.png )

"Oh! Yeah! Mock Fang! He's uh...
Yeah he's really something huh? I mean woo. Tall dark and handsome, right? Pour some of that in a glass for me, right? Right.
Hey this is fine right? I mean you guys seem pretty okay with like, yknow, this sorta thing. Just I'm new here so I wanted to make sure I wasn't violating any sorta rule."

>"Goodness."

"Anyway, uh, how about you? What's going on this morning?
My brain feels a little different. There was like a mint flavor or something going on. Hard to describe. Was that you?"

Has your head been feeling different lately? If you do feel different in any way report it to others do not ignore it. We had experience dealing with demon possession and we probably killed the demon but you can never be sure with them. I mean you are standing next to a person who was the target of that possession. So ask him more about it, the symptoms of demonic presence if he can remember it.

>>1096019
Yeh. Mondegreen, that orc lady we met in the other mountain, kind of forced a shard connection to us... somehow... and that's where the "flavor" came from.
Extra weird that you'd be experiencing that from a shard convo you weren't involved in. That exchange continues to be increasingly odd.

Also, sure, go shoot your shot with mock. Nothing against romances around here so long as you're not pushing poisoned bottles of wine on anyone or the like. No creepy stalker shit.

Rabbits can have mint-flavored thoughts? Interesting.

...Wait a minute.
>Red One is also the god of candy
Fudge. I think he ice creamed his victims' brains into edibles.

It is absolutely fine, Eri. No need to worry. Just as long as everyone treats each other with the respect they deserve. Love can bloom even on the battlefield.
Anyway, I'm rooting for you. Get some, girl.

>>1096019
That was us establishing a new connection over a long distance. It was a little different than usual, probably just because of the distance.

I don't know of any rules forbidding co-workers from... mingling. Go for it. I've got no idea how romance works for summoned monsters though.

you know im curious, is there any personal effects in erisol's clothing? i wonder if there's a name written on there or something or such. makes a man wonder who she was before being a sprite, or if she has always been one

>>1096019
Better Mint than Licorice, I'm I right?

Anyway, have you been able to tune up with the magical minerals in the mountain? ´cause we're looking forward to the great feats of magic you could be able to accomplish.

I have a better idea Pwndle! Magic surgery. We'll make it so you don't need glasses. And if that fails and melts your eyeballs? We'll make magic replacement eyes out of gems or something! And if that fails, we'll invent braille. It's fool proof. Trust us.

>>1096019
The mint might be Tislomer. She likes it. A lot.

>>1096055
Fighting words.

>>1096019
No rules that i know of.
You be nice to him.
Hes kinda new to, uh.
Existence.

oh yeah.
Guy talking to us. Long distance.
May have something to fo with point of origin.
Maybe some way he does it.
Maybe he really, really wanted a breathmint.
For all i know his psychic brainwaves flew through a humbug factory chimney.
Kinda weird but interesting.
Good to know youre alert to it.
Keep being awesome princess.

Princess Erisol N'poa 2025/03/11(Tue)20:54 No. 1104828 ID: 46e818
File 174175168349.png - (17.87KB , 800x600 , 2264.png )

"Ah, so it was the big party girl sending brain-letters, huh? Next time you talk to her, tell her I said thanks for the great party, and I'm sorry we had to leave so abruptly.
Those little creampuffs they had at the table with all the food... oh, my. I could eat those all day. I'd give them every accolade."

>"Oh? You spoke with Lady Mondegreen? Excellent! I'm at a bit of a crossroads with my research.
>Tell me, please, did she have any insight on 'The Shield of Comose'? 'Odo Rumux'? Does she have any leads for us on the Czar's interest in Totem Gods?"

>>1104828
Sorry to say we have not. In fact to even speak with Mondregreen we have to go through her liaison, a man named Roak.

>>1104828
We'll let her know.
All that aside, what is that caravan you saw up to? Any changes? If not, swap us over to Pendle so we can talk shop with him.

Pendle 2025/03/12(Wed)14:25 No. 1104851 ID: 46e818
File 174181474555.png - (9.00KB , 800x600 , 2265.png )

Hello? Yes, is this how-- yes, yes I can hear you! Sorry, still getting used to communicating, both here and in person.

So, yes, please! You spoke to Lady Mondegreen!
Tell me what did she say about our investigation in these Totem Gods? Did she have any leads for us? Did any of those other names yield anything?
I'm deep in my research but I could really use a limb to grab.

>>1104851
Sorry, the conversation never touched on any of that. It was mostly about getting used to shard communication with a servant of her's named Ms. Roak.
However, have you given anymore thought or done more research on mortals becoming gods through totemic means or otherwise directly harnessing such power with totems? It might explain how we were able to kill a demon if we've been unwittingly doing that.
Or at the least, have you found out what the smashed idol in that ritual room used to look like? We might want to rebuild it at one point.

Mondegreen was a politician through and through. But she and the other orc nobles have a firm grip on reality... and a mean left hook. She didn't have any info.

But I think we have something to start with.
The Red One. He's a tulpa-based god. Built from the worship, fear, and ideology of the woodland tribes. The closest you'll get to a knowable god. But he's hiding secrets, and I expect many of them are tied to the pantheon somehow.

>>1104851
Sorry pendle.
Shes as much a force of nature in conversation as inmlife. Im not sure we had much directional control in our chat but well do our collective best to remember next tine.

I wonder if youd be interested in taking a journey to meet the delightful mister lollipop?
He may have insights.
Dont worry.
Hes not as scary as his name implies.
Or a lollipop.
But if anyone has lived in knowledge about totemic entities it'd be him

I just gotta say though.
An impass you may be at, but you look quite happy in yourself.
Its nice to see.
Glad for you P.
Real glad.

You'd better speak with Morphyl Rabas. Lady Mondegreen said he was a seasoned old gentleman who's seen a bit of everything, and is very well-connected, so he might have run into totem gods some time or another.

If we speak with her again, we'll definitely forward your questions. Hard to do so after the fact. Morphyl Rabas was the only thing we spoke about.

Pendle 2025/03/13(Thu)16:58 No. 1104899 ID: 46e818
File 174191029032.png - (10.15KB , 800x600 , 2266.png )

Ah, no, that's... no, of course. I understand, it was a brief conversation. This investigation isn't the most immediate concern. Still, it would be worth chasing any leads we can find, once we have a chance. Our most formidable and dedicated foe is focused on this symbology, so it follows we should understand it.

I imagine you might also want to ask her about that royal seal you found in the slaver's tent. Find out who the royal patron is behind these attacks, as they're a direct threat to your kingdom.

As for gods... well, I'm working on some theories, but it's largely untested research. Not something you can easily verify in a tome.
And I have no great desire to meet with the Red One, or the Seer, or whatever that entity goes by. The stories of the returning party were quite enough, and I've had my fill of super-natural beings.

>>1104899
>I'm working on some theories, but it's largely untested research

Care to share?

Oh, and by the way, what's your take on Mock Fang so far? Before being interrupted by Ms. Mondegreen, Finesse was apparently going to tell us of a possible concern about his physiology.

>>1104899
Great idea for how to identify the royal seal! Now that we have established a connection to Mondegreen, we can inquire about its owner and their motives for the area!

As for the pantheon we discovered, maybe we can ask Mock Fang for some insight? He was, evidently, a means of defense against retribution from the gods before gaining his current form. If every scar has a story, than he might have a few to tell about the gods and their wrath. Reveal the identity of the god removed from the worship room perhaps?

Pendle 2025/03/14(Fri)14:41 No. 1104922 ID: 46e818
File 174198849355.png - (15.64KB , 800x600 , 2267.png )

I'm sorry, I--
I shouldn't speculate baselessly, especially on such important issues. I'll tell you more when I have something actionable.

Morphyl Rabas will be here momentarily, if that is indeed his caravan arriving.
I'll let you get back to any remaining preparations. If you don't mind me being seen by company in this condition, I'll be down presently, as well.

What do they look like?

>>1104922
>If you don't mind me being seen by company in this condition, I'll be down presently, as well.
Oh we absolutely want you there. If this guy is the font of knowledge he's been hyped up to be we'll want you there to get answers for your research.

If anything, I think you being a bit ragged here will be a boon, there's a certain association disability has with the top levels of academia. I understand if you'd rather not play into such a stereotype, but the option is there.

>>1104913
>Mock Fang was the forgotten diety
Nnno, that's not how it works. The creatures we get out of the portal are like, denizens of the other side that cross over in exchange for the tribute we're throwing through. Or maybe they're being created as reflections of the concepts attached to the items? Whichever the case, they're not things of this world.

>>1104922
Oh hell.
Yeah, sorry about the meet up suggestion.
Can imagine you're wanting to stay strictly in the theoretical branch of diefic metaphysics these days P.
My apologies.

But hey, come and meet the guest.
Proud to have you at our sides no matter the circumstances.

>>1104922
Your condition probably isn't as obvious as you think it is. I mean, if people routinely payed that much attention to the number of limbs someone has, things would have shaped up a little differently, right?

>>1104922
Can you set a priority list of the elements at hand?

Ask Erisol for further details about the upcoming caravan

>>1104922
Switch to Ashedel so we can check on the barracks and new recruits

Finesse 2025/03/18(Tue)13:48 No. 1105072 ID: 46e818
File 174233089073.png - (10.80KB , 800x600 , 2268.png )

Ah, hello. I'm just doing a bit of tinkering on that dagger for Master Muschio.

Still have a little bit before our guest arrives.
Feels like a lot has happened in a short time, recently.

>>1105072
How goes it Finesse? Doing well?

Finesse 2025/03/18(Tue)16:22 No. 1105078 ID: 46e818
File 174234014621.png - (11.06KB , 800x600 , 2269.png )

I know that in the end, things turned well, but everything that happened in the Timore Woodlands has been lodged quite firmly in my brain. I'm still turning over the events of that day.

We did meet a God, after all.

Finesse 2025/03/18(Tue)16:23 No. 1105079 ID: 46e818
File 174234021432.png - (11.79KB , 800x600 , 2270.png )

>"Finesse."
"Ah! Oh. Master Muschio. Yes, how can I be of help?"

>"May I sit for a minute? I was hoping we could have a chat."

Uh oh??
Is this good or bad

It's probably about your undying love for him.

Listen for a while. If we tag out, it means you need to leave.

Oh nice.
A chance to talk to him. Just the two of you. Alone.
Never enough of those. It's gotta be good just for that.
Hey.
Hey.
Finesse. Hey.
Your stuffed toys are poking out from under the bed.

Well you'll find out soon enough, try to avoid speculating until then.

>>1105086
Quiet you, let her have this. Go ahead Finesse.

>>1105079
>Is this good or bad
Beats us, we're just his immediate impulses

Finesse 2025/03/19(Wed)13:55 No. 1105102 ID: 46e818
File 174241770339.png - (12.28KB , 800x600 , 2271.png )

>"It feels as though it's been a while since just the two of us spoke. So many new people, new duties to keep track of.
>I remember when it was just you, me, and the kobolds. The four of us that night, in a tiny, cramped little dungeon, doling out shared spaces. Me, sleeping at my desk, you, in a crowded workshop."

I don't know what to say, but he doesn't seem to expect me to.

>"I wanted to... apologize, I suppose. For how things went at the Seer's glade.
>The things I said -- well, I did mean them.
>I may not feel love for you the way you feel for me, but there's no one I trust more at my side. You are my right hand, and I know, as proud as I am, I owe so much of our success so far to you and your tireless efforts.
>But using you as an example like that, on the spot, in front of the others. That was... inconsiderate, at least. I just hope I didn't embarrass you too badly."

>>1105102
Hug it out. I know it's probably not what you were looking for Finesse, but he does value you a lot and he is thankful that you are in his- Our lives.

>>1105102
I would imagine the embarrassing part was having to hear Ash's thinly veiled boasting of their sexual exploits while pawing him, not having him express some actual care for you.

>>1105102
goodness, thoughts of us just starting up.
getting the portal working and sharing in a good cackle...

gah! profundity feels appropriate but escapes me.
I just know it is good we are all together.

>>1105102
You know what?
No teasing.
This is nice.
This is good.
Im happy to see him telling you this finesse because, dammit, you deserve to hear it.
Youve more than earned his high regard.

Finesse, who the heck are you?

>>1105102
Damn, this is ballin

Finesse 2025/03/20(Thu)12:32 No. 1105119 ID: 46e818
File 174249917692.png - (12.26KB , 800x600 , 2272.png )

"Master Muschio, that's... any other time, I'd have a lot to consider over it. I'm sure in time I'll have to... process this, and figure out what it means for me. But...
I do respect what you've said.

In the circumstances, however, I find my mind keeps returning to another aspect of that glade."

>"Do tell."

"The Seer. He was nothing but cordial to us, and his demeanor was cheerful and bright. But there was something else there, too."

Finesse 2025/03/20(Thu)12:42 No. 1105122 ID: 46e818
File 174249977806.png - (12.18KB , 800x600 , 2273.png )

"He said he had once been a more... primal God. Something more dangerous, more ominous.
I don't know the circumstances of his change. Was it a natural progression? I suspected at one point he might only be pretending, fitting some new role, but with the way he treated Tislomer, the way he relented... I'm not sure. If it was an act, it felt like he truly didn't want to give it up.
It may sound strange, but he reminds me of you."

>"Of me?"

"You wanted to be a villain once. When I met you. By and by you had to pretend. To act as a more generous leader, to get the alliances and help you needed. But at some point I think you realized the mask you were putting on was your truer face, after all."

Can't agree there. I think Muschio still wants to be a villain, but being a villain has more to do with his opposition to the status quo and his willingness to do anything for victory.
...I don't remember. Why did Muschio want to be evil in the first place?

>>1105122
>You wanted to be a villain once. When I met you. By and by you had to pretend. To act as a more generous leader, to get the alliances and help you needed.
Extraordinarily true.
When this all started he was a young man angry at the world for all that befell him, his family and their legacy. Ready to burn it all down and even started to with that town.
Taking over this place and gaining allies has slowly changed him.
Maybe it was him just growing up and maturing as a leader... or maybe something else is happening. It may be very apt to compare him to the seer in this regard. I'm still thinking that amulet and maybe this place are causing him to channel a totem god somehow.

That's pretty much what we saw; the complex life of a warlord-turned-celebrity.

There was something we saw that you didn't. Flashes of Ms. Bojack's perspective, behind the curtain. They're old, and cranky, and there's a lot of grimdark horror behind the happy overpositivity. And then there was the full transformation of those slavers into... whatever those were. That was creepy even with the happiness filter. But at the end of the day, Red appears to be actively functioning as a positive god with many negative connotations and inner subconscious workings.

What can I say? Some people are @#$%ing complicated.

It's not too complicated. You lost a lot, in your youth. You could have lost more, there are people worse off than you were, but there are few who dropped so precipitously. Among those who have, it's so often their own actions that caused it - they can at least claim responsibility for their own fall. As a child of wealth and station, you were promised power, allowed to taste it, to appreciate it - but you didn't HAVE power, yourself. You have been powerless your whole life, and worse, given the education to recognize it, to know what power looks like and to know you had none while you lost your home, your family, your place and purpose in the world.

Villains have power. It is the villains who act, and others who respond. Villains who are unrestrained, even by morality. You have done good things, protected people, done what you could to build a better world, and - since you are a villain - you can say you were not compelled to it, held to some rule, some standard. It is your will. Your choice.

Perhaps The Seer values that he has a choice, too. Your nature is something handed to you, and if we believe him, for his kind, something that can be taken away.

well, there is a certain gravity to love, both have a tendancy to drag everything together, to be inescapable once they have a hold of you.
Both are like sight too, dark stars taking in all light, and love desiring to see people as they are, and once either looks, what is seen becomes part of the seer

>>1105127
to add: What Muschio wants has not /changed/ per say, it has only been added to, to want to keep what he has, as well as avenge what was lost

what is the point in vengence if you lose it all?

>>1105122
The wheel turned.
Muschio wanted to incarnate the archetype of the villain. An evil man that antagonize those who would be called heroes.

But the thing is, He is the Hero. He carries inside him the blood of kings. He has no rivals, as no man can be his equal in deeds and mission.

He was born to be king, and a king he will be, a true hero among true heroes, a river to his people. The will and the way.

And overlord may know glory in his lifetime, but that's all the time it will last, maybe 'till the third generation at most. Our prince is building a kingdom for the ages, one built in the foundations of justice and prosperity. No scoundrel will ever achieve that.

Our enemies may know our Prince as evil incarnated, as he will bring doom upon them. But
evil is rooted in selfishness and self-adoration, and Muschio instead has a burning heart, that strives to give it's all for those that placed their trust in him.

>>1105122
I don't think that desire has changed, simply some perspective has been gained.

Recall where it came from, the bossman was subjected to a terrible change of situation. a family slain, a throne usurped, a kingdom turned against him.

And by all accounts we've come to see, this was the result of being a line of good people.
Clearly the only response is to become the kind of villain that would neither allow such a slight to occur, and who's wrath is so devastating as to discourage such an attempt in the first place.

But Muschio has proved to be a noble soul in the ways that count. Genuinely respects and cares for the plight of those under his influence.

Good news for everyone involved, the two are not mutually exclusive!
and a good thing too, since 'Do right by your own, and take no shit from anyone else' will win as many enemies as it will friends.

>>1105122
I think youre right finesse.

Villain was what they would call him so that is what he chose to be.
But that was just another cage of a different kind.
Hes grown beyond that now.
Without you and the others, i dont think he would have.
Not that youre intentionally changing him by any means.
I dont think you could.
He remains definitively and unapologetically Muschio.
Just one that treasures his companions and recognises how much they drive him to better himself in a way vengence alone could not.

>>1105135
>>1105137
>>1105143
Guys he burned down a village

We're not the heroes but we're not irredeemable scum
We're adventurers and we get things done

>>1105144
Wasn't that a freak accident?

Just saying Ridder deserves a little credit for that since self-reflection was a result of that fortuitous meeting. Still, would have meant little if Muschio had no conscience - given the whole Hookdon thing.

>>1105135
>>1105137
>>1105143

These.

>>1105122

We are who we want to be. Because if we weren't, then we wouldn't want to be.

>>1105122

All this time, Muschio has been fighting back against the injustices done to his family and kingdom. That he initially chose to do so from an adversarial position is understandable.

Now, however, he is building up his own base of power and using the very talents he was trained to bear to unite the region and become a contender for the throne. It might still be a long shot, but Muschio is showing himself capable -- more than capable, perhaps, with all his exploits -- of not only fighting back, but besting his predecessors in the process.

Evil, after all, is only what others make of it -- and a term assigned to us by those who overthrew the Malto reign.

Finesse 2025/03/21(Fri)15:04 No. 1105160 ID: 46e818
File 174259465911.png - (7.85KB , 800x600 , 2274.png )

>"I've a nolition to admit I've lashed myself to wayward serments in the past, for fear future oaths might not be taken seriously.
>But I think, in some way, my devotion to villainy was a reflexive reaction to the upheaval and revolution that stole my birthright. To seek defense, or to push offense in its place, by taking a position that was active rather than merely reactive. To give to myself, through opposition, the power I was abused of.

>In the end, it was, as you say, a mask. One that only fit halfway.
>So if, in making a better future -- one which can protect those I care for -- I must shame myself in confessing it, I will. Without hesitation."

Finesse 2025/03/21(Fri)15:07 No. 1105161 ID: 46e818
File 174259487733.png - (9.17KB , 800x600 , 2275.png )

I see, clear as ever, the man I chose to follow.
The regal air that he emanates in every word and action.

I know he will be king yet.

>"Perhaps we all pretend, as we go. We fake what we intend to make until we know it better. Some pretensions last, some fall away. Like a crab on the sand, trying on new shells and casting old ones away. In a sense, yes, I suppose we are all pretending, until we need to no longer hide, no longer adapt.

>All of us pretend, in some way. To be happier, stronger, less alone. All of us in this life, in this Vault.
>I wonder, idly, who of us is pretending the most."

Finesse 2025/03/21(Fri)15:08 No. 1105162 ID: 46e818
File 174259493548.png - (13.44KB , 800x600 , 2276.png )

"Oh, Ashedel!"

>"Apologies for interrupting, Muschio, but our guest has arrived and is cleared to the main entrance now, if you'd like to greet him."

how DID that defrief with Ashedel go?

Drop everything and get with the fancy!

>>1105162
Better get your Dapper on Boss
first impressions are quite important.

>>1105161
I think i see it too finesse.
Yeah.

Crowns rest lightly upon heads bereft of wisdom but not to worry as he is developing that quality nicely.

>>1105162
Oh!
Time to ready yourself finesse.
Duty calls.
We may end up bouncing around.
Good talk!
I mean, for you two.

We should go.

>>1105162

And no once, Butter was mentioned ;)

Muschio 2025/03/22(Sat)13:24 No. 1105220 ID: 46e818
File 174267509028.png - (9.69KB , 800x600 , 2277.png )

Very well. I thank Finesse for the conversation and excuse myself, making for the Great Hall.
Something to chew over.

>"By the way, Muschio.
>How shall I introduce you? 'Prince Muschio Malto'? 'Lord'? 'Master'?
>This might be your first formal introduction as leader of these people. Best to set a precedent."

>>1105220
(Honorary) EMPEROR Muschio.
Or just 'Warlord'.

The Malto Formerly Known As Prince

Prince sounds good.

>>1105220
You could probably generously describe yourself as an Overlord or Lord Paramount at this point; Lord sets you amongst any fool with title to a patch of dirt, and Prince ties you to claims on land you clearly have no way of pressing. It's time to be proud of what you do have, right at this moment.

>>1105224
Agreed. Best go with Prince, we are not king until our rightful throne is restored.

I think "Prince Muschio Malto, Protector of the Timore Woodlands" is an appropriate and accurate description of our place in the world.

>>1105220
Grand poobah!
No wait.
Muschio the magnificent!
Breaker of chains, breaker of hearts, breaker of beds.

Changed my mind
>>1105254
This is way better than "Prince" alone.

>>1105220
Burrito Supreme

>>1105254
I also find myself in agreement with this one. A statement of who you are, not too high and not too low; a specification of what you do, and the vibe of who you are.

>>1105254
The second part might be more important than the first, protection of the Woodlands should be emphasized over future aspirations.