>>1109446
I still think theres some kinda subconcious bleed with the orb shards muschio.
Your subconcious is rummaging through a dispersed set of memories.
That said, dreams arent always pure memory, so perhaps theres a degree of control from... hm.
Are we doing it?
Well, if we are, my apologies.

Pendle.
He had a sudden inspiratikn this last night and surely youre curious as to what that may be...

Getting to Pendle and relaying info on this whole business with hands, gods and dreams should come first while it's still fresh in your memory.

Then afterwards we can go over today's agenda with Finesse.

>>1109449
Just memories? I dunno about that, we saw the hand ignite the fire last night. Dompag wasn't close enough to see that. Guess we can ask to make sure.

>>1109446
Wanna ask Mock Fang if he knows anything about the god? He was summoned using the god's idol, after all.

Does Mock Fang feel at home yet? He should be well-integrated into your merry company's ranks - he holds some form of a connection to the benefactor from beyond. It's good to pay him a visit at least.

Muschio 2025/06/12(Thu)14:38 No. 1109504 ID: 5dd6e5
File 174976429177.png - (9.21KB , 800x600 , 2382.png )

Very well. I follow Pendle, wishing to check in on his recently-spurred studies.

>"Ah. You're awake."
"I heard you were here, but I assumed you would be in the baths, soothing your wounds."
>"No. I... until other rooms are finished, this is one of the best indoor spots for peace and quiet. It's difficult to study elsewhere."
"Well. Hopefully we can ameliorate that soon. I can't imagine the books appreciate this atmosphere."
>"No, perhaps not."

"May I sit?"
>"Yes, I was hoping you'd join me. Is something on your mind?"

>>1109504
Well, tell him you noted he left with an urgency that could only be inspired by a profound revelation.
Or food poisoning.
And the food was delicious.

Plus, i guess you could mention your odd dreams should he inquire as to your state, prince.

Tell him about your dream. Ask if he's found anything yet.

Ask him if he has any theories as to what we are.

Yes, unfortunately it seems to be a guest

Let's first ask him about his current thoughts and theories before we pile on additional info that sends him off into another research frenzy

Muschio 2025/06/13(Fri)14:03 No. 1109596 ID: 5dd6e5
File 174984860856.png - (11.97KB , 800x600 , 2383.png )

I take a seat beside our resident scholar.
"Let's not beat around the bush, then. You ran off in a hurry, so you must be onto something. Tell me what you've found."
>"It's... still only a shaky theory. But..."
I notice now his hands are shaking. His knitted brows betray a haunted expression.
"Did you sleep?"
>"No."

>"Prince... the other day, we discussed totem gods.
>Great beings born of and empowered belief, withering in its absence.
>Powerful beyond understanding. Your encounter with the Seer, I believe, proved that well enough."
"Surely."

Muschio 2025/06/13(Fri)14:03 No. 1109597 ID: 5dd6e5
File 174984863866.png - (11.14KB , 800x600 , 2384.png )

>"We discussed, also, what happens to a totem god when it runs dry of belief.
>Does it vanish? Does it die? Can a god ever die? Is the death of a god even comparable to the death of a man?
>Does it simply go to sleep?
>We don't know. It's not something we can just test."
"Of course."
>"An ancient god, like this 'Gesturer', seems long forgotten, but still, traces remain."

Muschio 2025/06/13(Fri)14:04 No. 1109598 ID: 5dd6e5
File 174984866712.png - (10.07KB , 800x600 , 2385.png )

>"You asked if it was possible to... artificially create a totem god.
>If perhaps our great enemy, Czar Anolei Bomba of Tela Cruz, was obsessing over these religious relics to create his own god. To become powerful beyond opposition.
>I said it wouldn't be feasible. I stand by that. It would take generations."
"But...?"

>"...but.
>...What if you didn't have to create a god from whole cloth?
>What if you could just... find an old god, a very old god, who had died, or slept.
>What if you brought them back?"

Muschio 2025/06/13(Fri)14:05 No. 1109599 ID: 5dd6e5
File 174984871097.png - (10.21KB , 800x600 , 2386.png )

"You're saying that... to revive a totem god who already existed once, that could be done in our lifetime."

>"Muschio.

>What would happen if you rescued a god from the very precipice of nonexistence?
>What magnitude of favor would you be owed?

>What could a madman like the Czar do with a living god in his pocket?"

Depends on contrast between the favor requested and the nature of the god. Or perhaps the god will be an ingrate and just squish the Czar.

Plan's still as usual; defeat the Czar before he completes the ritual, or we're all screwed.

Oh, now that's a concerning thought that explains staying up all night. Still, Pendle needs to rest to help him recover.

>>1109599
Tell him the Gesturer protects the downtrodden. Thus, unlike the god of love, it has a restriction on who it can help. Does the Czar meet the requirements? Or his people?

From what we've seen it also has a sense of dramatic timing. It waits until the last possible moment to act. Also... twice now have supernatural entities referred to you as if they recognized you, so you think the Gesturer is somehow tied to you already, not the Czar.

Also, we can just... do what the Czar was planning on doing. How about we set up a ritual of worship? Or just inform everyone in the base of what we know of the Gesturer, and that it is now our patron diety? That should give it a boost.

>>1109599
Horrors beyond our worst imaginings would be the easy conclusion.
Id expect a more insiduous use of any divine gratitude.
If the czar knows how this works, and everything indicates he has such understanding, then he'll want to keep that power under his influence.

>>1109599
Oh... Doubly concerning, considering what the Seer told us about how their form, thoughts and abilities are shaped by the nature of their beliefs.

Come to think of it, The Czar might well have made one of his more puzzling moves; transforming and summoning Sprites en masse, for the explicit reason to pour a rather frightful mould for such a being to fit.

Think, if he were to mandate the Gesturer as the state religion, and if all the Sprites are as say 'Openminded' as Erisol, then whatever he deigned to preach would to them would be as if fact, and the patron deity of a such a potentially singularly-minded and magically-gifted people being guided by Czar Bomba's ambition is rather spooky.

Securing the Vault against impending invasion is a high priority, but I think we might need to start taking direct moves against The Czar sooner than later.

Maybe telling him about the dreams isn't a wise idea at this time. He's already strung out on existential fear and sleep deprivation. We should probably let him get some sleep first before we drop anymore heavy shit on him.
The guy still is recovering from his wounds after all, this doesn't seem to be helping.

Try to calm him down by assuring him the czar can do nothing so long as we have the amulet and tell him to get some sleep.

Judging from Czar's actions we have witnessed, he is trying desperately to get a hold on such "traces". Pendle is on to something.



No need to despair, it seems that you still have the upper hand there.

>>1109599
Calm yourself, Pendle.
It's probably not that straightforward to get on the good side of a god.
The Seer was benign enough but that was almost entirely because of the currently dominant face of the totem was a love god. The things He was previously sounded nowhere near as reasonable and amicable. And we still saw glimpses of His previous shapes bleed through.
The Gesturer would probably be exceedingly happy if it was brought back from the brink but to think it would automatically align with or benefit its saviour is a bit naïve.
Finesse might probably know more about the nature and history of the Gesturer, seeing as she spoke the dialect of its last known name.

No clue if we have discussed this before but it feel pertinent to mention, when happens if a Totem to one of these gods is put into the monster portal?

>>1109599

... oh, damn. That changes things. Not least the possibility of the manner of conflict which would make our dispatching of those slavers look like a merciful parlor-trick.

One might inquire why The Gesturer was no longer worshipped and forgotten. It's no small thing to kill a god, and there may have been a very good reason for it. Or a very bad reason. Did its followers reject the god, or were they massacred by something else?

It's very likely that the Czar in his blind pursuit of power is going to get something he did not bargain on.

Muschio 2025/06/16(Mon)14:20 No. 1109749 ID: 5dd6e5
File 175010881845.png - (11.26KB , 800x600 , 2387.png )

"Isn't the Gesturer a protector of the weak? I doubt such a deity would favor a man on the warpath for dominion."
>"Totem gods may change their nature as their worship changes, we know this much. I worry what such an entity could become, if the Czar could mold it so easily."

"I'm not sure even such an act would win the devotion of a deity. Couldn't it--"
>"There's more. Prince...
>Muschio."

Muschio 2025/06/16(Mon)14:20 No. 1109750 ID: 5dd6e5
File 175010883104.png - (10.10KB , 800x600 , 2388.png )

>"Why are you here?"

Well, assuming he is not asking the bigger, more abstract varient of the question, the answer is "A Dream"

Are you being philosophical or asking why I’m consulting you? If it’s regarding the consultation it is because of the recurring vividly detailed dreams I’ve been having of the events surrounding the blue light depicted in our newest tapestry.

If you’re being philosophical then I’m gonna need a drink in order to be sufficiently esoteric for this conversation.

Entitlements of a prince alloyed into a primal need to survive triggered the horrors thrown by the many at one hated for existing.

Why?

I think he's asking why you decided to take over Red Fang's dungeon in the first place.

Or maybe how you alone survived your family's kingdom being usurped.

Taking over Red Fang's Lair was a symbolic gesture

"Because it makes a good story"
or is that too meta

>>1109750
Pendle may need reminding that an open question like this to someone as blessed as you are with psyche shards that, in all candor can be a little scatter brained at times, is like chanting the magic words that begin the ritual of migraine summonation.
Ask for clarity in regard to what "here" he speaks of, before we start guessing. You look tired and dont need that.

Yeah, definitely ask what he means by "here."

>>1109750
Does he mean here, why you chose the dungeon? Tell him what made you decide to take it from Red Fang, I guess.

Muschio 2025/06/17(Tue)16:05 No. 1109792 ID: 5dd6e5
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"I just woke up, so I will assume you don't mean that philosophically.
I assaulted Red Fang's den because I needed a base of operations for my imminent campaign. Someplace defensible and prominent. It was a practical and symbolic first step."

>"No, no, I mean--
>Here. Look."

Muschio 2025/06/17(Tue)16:08 No. 1109793 ID: 5dd6e5
File 175020173089.png - (14.67KB , 800x600 , 2390.png )

>"Dandelion Tower. A strategic and easily defended hilltop outlook with stone battlements. Located closer to your home near Iniziare Citta and a good midpoint between it and Piacevole. The overlook would let you keep an eye on your old kingdom in a much more practical manner and provide difficult for assault by a large army."

"Well, a place like that could be too prominent..."

>"How about Wicker Cave? An entrenched grotto where valuables were moved in the days leading up to the insurrection. Guarded until recently by a skeleton crew of loyalists. Word is Rimontaggio recently reclaimed it. No one would have known of this place as a secret royal fallback.
>But you would have."

"I... couldn't have been sure I could trust any members of the old court."

Muschio 2025/06/17(Tue)16:12 No. 1109794 ID: 5dd6e5
File 175020194324.png - (11.35KB , 800x600 , 2391.png )

>"Fort Argon. An actual military fort, taken over by a monster horde. Much closer to Sepia Town for supplies.
>The Chromhabra Ruins. Textbook dungeon. Spoils of gold and silver.
>A dozen locations for dungeon diving and conversion to campaign headquarters, all of them just as viable if not moreso, as close if not closer to the necessary locations.

>So why?
>Why did you come all the way out here, to Red Fang's Den?

>Why did you come to THIS MOUNTAIN?"

>>1109794
Umm... I dunno, boss. I guess it was the main option for if you wanted to singlehandedly take over the place?

Well, Pendle, for starters, that's because it's a fucking mountain! Nothing says large and in charge like being the ruler of a gigantic mountain which, and let's emphasize this part, is in the center of the continent!
Really, the only thing suspicious about all this is how aligned the continent is.

Also, Muschio started out solo and barely cleared the dungeon. Anywhere else would have been a swift death.

It did nearly kill us to take out this den...

>>1109794
And there it is.
>Why this place in particular?

I assume the implication he's getting at is that you were compelled to this place by the gesturer to enact it's will and kill red fang. Possibly even become it's avatar/disciple/agent/priest/etc considering how you killed the demon and all these dreams.

Pendle's obviously deep in this already, go ahead and fill him in on the dreams you've had.

You were called here, weren't you? You saw the location amongst all the others and thought "ah yes that one is perfect" without thinking about it logically.

>>1109793
Note these assessments for future expansion.

As to his question.
Most things can be resolved with:
It seemed like a good idea at the time.

But, was there any more to the choice?
How did you first learn of this mountain and lair?.
Answering the latter is the first step that leads you to the former.

>>1109794
Remind him that your psyche is fractured, and that your reasoning isn't always clear.

However, you see what he's getting at. There are clearly larger forces working in this mountain, forces that called for you specifically.

...I has half refering to thoes god idols we found in that room recently jokingly, but if one of the other gods Red Fang prayed to didn't like him and wasn't low on power... or hell, a god he DIDN'T pray to and pissed off!

Was a good starting point since nobody would miss Red Fang. Offing him would EARN goodwill. We knew he had few to no allies so we could handle it alone. Had close proximity to sympathetic hires (non-human villages). Far enough so we could build a large support base among the locals. Especially before the usurpers would notice. Huge bonus points if we knew about the mon portal.

Muschio 2025/06/18(Wed)06:05 No. 1109824 ID: 5dd6e5
File 175025193042.png - (8.21KB , 800x600 , 2392.png )

"I... don't know, all right?
It just seemed appropriate.
I don't know."
>"Well, I do."

Muschio 2025/06/18(Wed)06:08 No. 1109825 ID: 5dd6e5
File 175025209905.png - (10.27KB , 800x600 , 2393.png )

>"I spoke to Finesse, Ashedel, and yes, even Tislomer, about the Seer. What they could remember of His words.
>Here."
"Pendle, what are you getting at--"

>"Listen.
>'One of Us would set in motion the wheels of his death.'"
"But--"
>"'We saw him returned to the soil.'"

Muschio 2025/06/18(Wed)06:21 No. 1109827 ID: 5dd6e5
File 175025288796.png - (12.87KB , 800x600 , 2394.png )

"I killed Red Fang, Pendle. Me! No higher being smote him!"
>"Can you feel the hand of God, Prince?
>The Gesturer sent YOU!"

Horrifying, do you at LEAST get a Favor in exchange?

Smack Pendle out of it

Spill the beans, c'mon. You can finally confide in someone about the contents of your puzzling dreams

Let's keep this in perspective. Even if we're "guided" our goals have not changed. So what's the difference if we are or aren't guided?

Alright so obviously you need to figure out some way of communicating with the Gesturer so they can tell you what they want instead of... whatever they did to make you think you had to kill Red Fang.

I understand what you're getting at, Pendle, but calm down a moment. We've already established that this god is weak, that it can only act through small motions. If it's hand is on us - IF - then it is only capable of small nudges. Is there that much difference between that and any other remote player in our lives? No-one is being controlled or puppeted. We remain the chief architects of our fates. You're to be commended for identifying the possibility of an actor we were unaware of, but let's not work ourselves up just because we're dealing with something that once claimed a little divinity. Besides, so far it's been helpful.

>>1109827

Refresh my memory, but who was the Seer talking about, again?

>>1109827
Speaking to him of your dream may reinforce this fervor.
Perhaps later.
Did the gesturer send you? Irrelevent.
Your will is formidable and most certainly your own.
The How you learned of this place may reveal more than the why of its choosing.

Muschio 2025/06/20(Fri)14:57 No. 1110013 ID: 5dd6e5
File 175045666455.png - (9.02KB , 800x600 , 2395.png )

>"The Seer suggested Red Fang saw his death from divinity coming, and it made him desperate.
>That shrine of his we found, only one of the icons had been smashed -- I can only assume it was the Gesturer's, which would explain why its matching trinket had been removed from the room to where you found it."

"This is no small revelation, but... Pendle, how much does it really change our goal?
The Czar is already an imminent threat and a top priority. If he seeks this kind of power, then all the more reason to stay our course and pursue a means to his end."

>"Prince, that's just it. That's the point I'm coming to."

Muschio 2025/06/20(Fri)15:01 No. 1110014 ID: 5dd6e5
File 175045689503.png - (9.98KB , 800x600 , 2396.png )

>"This theory, I'd been on for a while. But when Finesse gave me the translation...

>Prince.
>When you told us how you fought the Spider in your dream. The very being that held me in its thrall for a year of my life. How even with this powerful demon in your mind, you tore it to shreds.
>With those ghostly hands.

>He who speaks with hands.

>I think it's no stretch of the imagination to suggest it was divine intervention from this Gesturer, this Odu Rumux."

Muschio 2025/06/20(Fri)15:14 No. 1110015 ID: 5dd6e5
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>"Odu Rumux is not dead, at least not completely. Diminished, in some way, but His actions have manifested directly, now.

>...Prince.
>I don't know if it's something about this place, or the legacy of your family line, or the aim of your efforts, but...
>No matter the Czar's efforts, I believe Odu Rumux has already chosen you, as His protégé.
>Maybe even His avatar.

>And this is no small patronage."

...I swear, we don't remember.

Well. Have you not made it a principle by now to be willing reach out to creatures that some consider too strange, too different? If you have another member of the team on hand, ha ha, then certainly their order of being should be no concern, only their quality as an ally and what quality of ally we can be to them. So far they have seemed helpful, granting insight and assistance. If they desire what is sustenance to them in return, is that not fair?

>>1110015
Oh.
You also lost your hand here.
Would that be considered a kind of sacrifice?
Or could it be the kind of symbology that a godform could latch on to?

...Being connected to a god would reasonably cause dreams of what the god is connected to.

I suppose the one who speaks in hands would prefer action over words, in nature

I wonder... the phantom blue we spy now... is it connected to that "Fire"? Did this story once BEGIN with the misuse of devine power we are now afraid of? Either way, it doesn't seem like it will be easy to misuse again so long as we put ourselves in the way, just think thigns through first.

>>1110015
Being chosen by a God, even a diminished one, lends power and credibility to your new goals. If you were to demonstrate in public that the Gesturer is with you while you work towards justice, then word will spread and people will flock to you. However, so far the Gesturer has not spoken to you. Is there any way we can establish communications?

Would simple prayer work, maybe in a place of power?

...Once again what does this change? How can we utilize this?

A divine patron is nice, and we should restore the idol and see about repaying the damn good work this god has been doing keeping our subjects safe. Honestly, if we've been accidentally mantling a god who aligns with our methods, I see very little downside especially considering how a totem can turn.

>>1110021
Ay yo, that's a good point. I wonder if the hand in the dreams was his missing one.

>>1110015
Tell him about the dreams and the hands in them that mimic your own.

Also, how about we convert that old ritual room into a full blown shrine dedicated entirely to Odu Rumux if they're going to favor us this much.

This is all fascinating. It makes me wonder however does the Orb of Infinite Psyche have anything to do with this? As one who "speaks in hands" that sounds like many different ideas conveyed at once. Perhaps the orb could be a physical totem or piece of Odu Rummox? Hell we don't even know how the orb was even created? It's entirely possible that something to do with this totem god went into the orb's creation.

>>1110021
This is also entirely plausible.

Muschio 2025/06/23(Mon)15:21 No. 1110136 ID: 5dd6e5
File 175071731548.png - (9.07KB , 800x600 , 2399.png )

"Great!"

>"...Prince?"

"This is all good news!
You're saying I might have a God as a patron? How is that anything but good? Sure, they're unfathomable, but our goals seem to align! If Odu Rumux truly is the protector of the weak and unwanted, our alliance with the downtrodden peoples of Timore and the surrounding lands will surely put us in His good graces."

>"There's much more to consider, as with the Czar fighting for influence!"
"Surely, but that's why it's more important than ever to stop him posthaste, and with the Gesturer's help, attainable."

Muschio 2025/06/23(Mon)15:25 No. 1110138 ID: 5dd6e5
File 175071751541.png - (10.90KB , 800x600 , 2400.png )

We could sit here all day talking about my dreams (which I'm not sure Pendle needs to know about just yet, not in this state) but it seems clear the God and I have very similar goals and motives. If my campaign pleases Him enough to help, then I surely won't turn down a deity as an ally. The path forges ever ahead!

"I'll assign someone to start renovating the prayer room as a dedicated shrine to the Gesturer. Such direct intervention of the divine warrants thanks, I think.
Beyond that, this doesn't change our goals; that we do not have to put on pretenses to please Him is a great boon to our goal all by itself.
Chin up, Pendle! This is good news!
Now get some rest, comforted in the knowledge we are safer now than ever."

...we should jump to Pendle at this point, this is starting to encroach on a second instance of mental interference

Were you being honest there, Muschio? I mean, yeah that's basically correct, but it's also unnerving to know you were sent here without knowing you were sent.

>>1110138
Let's go find Finesse and get a run down of today's concerns and tasks.

>>1110138
...whatever suddenly concerned you, i think it was prudent to keep it to yourself albeit temporarily.
Though i think pendle is mentally strong enough to bear any burden you share with him after all he has endured, a little peace for him is well earned and deserved.
I dont think he bought it though.

Muschio 2025/06/24(Tue)10:49 No. 1110218 ID: 5dd6e5
File 175078734840.png - (6.47KB , 800x600 , 2401.png )

...eh?

What are you talking about? I'm not hiding anything!
Weren't YOU just telling me that this doesn't change anything?? That my goals, motives, and plans are all still the same?

I admit, having a literal God watching, even in such a diminished state, gives one a bit of performance anxiety. But our goals already align, shouldn't I just keep doing what I'm doing?

Muschio, don't you get it?
Odu Ramux's focus isn't just you, it's your bloodline. Your ancestors have been cultivating their communion with a god - molding the god almost as much as the god has molded your bloodline and kingdom.
You still think we're the impulses that make up your free will. No; we're the product of that god, created from what I theorize is a crucial aspect of society, an aspect that few commoners ever attain and all aspire purely for their own survival and dignity:
Influence.
The usurpers - were they really motivated only by their own greed, or could they not stomach the idea of a God of the commonborn rising to prominence as the patron god of your kingdom? Why, it would result in a more egalitarian society... and, true to the curated egos of the pampered highborn, would be a fate worse than death; they'd rather burn their own castles, than accept becoming even even richer when everyone else is too well-of to worship the elites' feet in desperation.

And then there's Finesse.
There needed to be someone orchestrating the curation of the gesturer, or one Caligulan psychopath could undo generations of work. An immortal - with a particularly shaped hand.

Mania is just as distressing as depression, and one of the things you were doing is Taking Time. C'mon, man, take time to think things through, it will become less stressful if you do!

After all, if you can time time for all those whom you care for... than surely you can time time for yourself, too

>>1110218
Alright. It's not like we can learn much more about a forgotten god anyway, not until it's strong enough to manifest. Let's get that prayer room built and then... hmm, are there any other downtrodden groups nearby? If not, then... you could tell Ridder about how you've reformed and found god.

>>1110218
It's your bath time! OH BOY!!

>>1110218
Im glad to hear you are unworried.
I took your momentary processing of the situation to indicate you were burying concerns.

Lets make our new patron proud then. Give worth to their faith in you.

We can ponder implications. Strategy however is overall unchanged.

Muschio 2025/07/01(Tue)17:58 No. 1110605 ID: 5dd6e5
File 175141788032.png - (7.25KB , 800x600 , 2402.png )

Yes, there's still much to learn, I agree. But whatever remains, we will find it. Until then, my plans have not changed, and my goals are the same.
If the Gesturer has other plans, I'm sure we'll know in time.

>"Oh, hello, Master Muschio. Were you heading for the baths?"

Tell Finesse you haven't decided yet. You do need to talk to Dompag about something.

you definitely need to relax sooner rather than later
>>1110606
Perhaps invite Dompag to the baths with you then?

>>1110605
I think we just came from the baths.

>>1110605
Why not?
Bath tine.
Plenty of great thinking has happened during baths.
Relax the body and the mind follows.

Muschio 2025/07/03(Thu)12:14 No. 1110649 ID: 5dd6e5
File 175157007568.png - (8.89KB , 800x600 , 2403.png )

"Actually, I was just coming from the baths. I had to speak with Pendle.
But come to think of it, I may just take a morning bath myself. I haven't had a chance to try out the new facilities myself."
>"In that case, I hope you don't mind if I join you? I can brief you while you relax."

Sure! We have a lot to talk about. Maybe we can figure out how she feels about this Gesturer business?

>>1110649
hell whats the harm I think she can behave herself

She is a professional.
Show your faith in her integrity.
Bathing, briefing and then breakfast.
There really are far worse starts to a day.

boop her nose

>>1110649
Bathe together, but seconding >>1110670.

>>1111020
Bathe together and boop her cervix.

.
.
.
Boop something dammit!