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730630 No. 730630 ID: a107fd

Somebody's lurking in the back corner of the Black Boar Inn's common room. Acolyte Eswic squints at him, mutters "Gary?"
The stereotypical mysterious cloaked figure turns to look, by reflex, then awkwardly tries to pretend he didn't.
Eswic advances, elbowing her way through the crowd and announcing "Hey, everybody! This is my old friend Garibald Muphmrglf," cut off by 'Gary' clapping a hand over her mouth and dragging her the rest of the way into the shadowy alcove under the stairs.
>"For gods' sake, not so loud. Have you totally forgotten the concept of 'keeping a low profile,' or did you just take a sacred vow of obnoxiousness since we last met? Or attend a finishing school for goblins?"
"I've literally been living next door to goblins for most of the past ten years, yeah."
>"Dang. That deal with the spider riders fell through?"
"In hindsight, I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did."
>"What brings you back to the blood mire?"
"Mesifin Styx finally picked a fight he couldn't finish. Didn't feel like explaining to Hesperix why I hadn't been watching his back. Those grünkopf kids were involved, too. We're pirates now."
>"Yeah, I remember those two. Cute kids. All grown up, I guess. So did you actually...?"
Eswic points to "Sir" Garaile, Nico Nashville, and Marijke. "He swung first, that bard's cursed, and she's got the rod and ring. I'm clean."
>"That's perfect, actually. I was about to meet some people and head across the river for a bit of business with those soggy monks, but I could really use some more portable bargaining chip. I've got a wagon I'll trade you for that rod, straight up."
"You're kidding me. A third-tier named weapon, for a wagon?"
>"It has a basement."
"You mean, like, a smuggling compartment? That's still not even remotely..."
>"See, last year there was this false god in Passholdt, 'Marr-Yana,' who got pretty well established before the government asked her for any actual miracles. Skirmishes with the gugs, you know? Couldn't earn her keep, so she left in a hurry."
"I think I see where this is going, and I don't like it."
>"Twenty-five hundred square feet of exodimensional sanctum. Fully furnished with four bedrooms, kitchen, library..."
"Packed full of books the Prince would rather see used for kindling?"
>"You betcha."
Eswic cringes. "...Lemme talk to our quartermaster."
Expand all images
>>
No. 730699 ID: a107fd

One silver coin is reasonable wages for a day of semi-skilled labor. Call it $20.

The magic on a third-tier named weapon costs $3,600,000 to set up. Selling it on the black market, you might be paid anywhere from half to 10% of that value. Mundane materials and workmanship are rounding error by comparison.

An exodimensional sanctum is like a bag of holding, but bigger. Instead of a cargo wagon inside a bag, it's a whole building inside a doorframe. No weight limit, air inside doesn't get stale when it's closed off. Typical price is $1000 per square foot, furnishings sold separately, so by Gary's description, the place ought to be worth more than $2,500,000.

Eswic thinks something's seriously wrong with the place, but is having a hard time articulating exactly what.
>>
No. 730777 ID: a107fd

So, taking the deal? Haggling? Ignoring it for drunken revelry and flirtation with barmaids, or other typical now-that-we're-back-in-town activities? Garibald's willing to give guided tours of the sanctum for two people at a time (but not the ogre, for obvious reasons) plus Eswic, before you make up your minds. It's parked outside by the stable.

On a more OOC note, new characters still being accepted, instructions at the start of thread one. A traveler's inn out on the frontier is one of the best places to meet up with random new potential teammates.

Wiki link: http://tgchan.org/wiki/Please_do_not_Take_these_Organs
>>
No. 730793 ID: a075ba

rolled 2, 3, 4 = 9

>>730777
Before we even consider trading something that expensive or that large we should at least look it over. See what shape it's in, how the spells are holding up, if it's full of contraband even we're afraid to touch, etc. (Not sure if the prince they were referring to was their dark prince, or the more mundane local ruler).

Marijke would want a look at it herself (pity I don't have appraise prepared, but I do have mage sight and bartering skills), Nico's area of expertise seems to at least partially be extra-dimensional spaces (even if he's usually summoning from them, not storage). Our new alchemist / tinker might reasonably have some kind of insight, as might our extra-dimensional alien. (Those seem the most obvious people likely to spot a glaring flaw, but I certainly wouldn't stop anyone else from looking it over. Than's eyes might pick something up, and who knows what Letkra knows).
>>
No. 730818 ID: a107fd

Inside the wagon in question, under a tarp and some empty barrels, there's a surprisingly normal-looking cellar door, eight feet long by four feet wide. It opens up to reveal stairs down, with a handrail on the left side, leading straight into what seems like the taproom of a small tavern, dusty as if neglected for a few months. Ambient light level is equivalent to a cloudless full-moon night, with no obvious source. The entry hall is 20' square. There are three apparent exits: a door to the kitchen, straight ahead behind the bar, and arches with beaded curtains on the left and right walls, at the corners furthest from the bar.

In terms of magic, main thing is something weird under the stairs, but it's hard to get a fix on, as if the wood were too thick to scan through.

Which two are going in first?
>>
No. 730836 ID: e1d788

Riv is fairly studied and skilled in identifying precious materials, herbs, and other such likes. In addition, she is extremely interested in viewing the extra dimensional space and taking as many notes and measurements as she can- if she has any share of the loot available to her she is interested in obtaining specialty tools for recording notes and formulai and reading measurements, as well a scribing kit for map making and writing/brainstorming/planning
>>
No. 730859 ID: a107fd

>>730836
At the general store nearby, one gold coin can be traded for 20 silver, and fifteen silver gets you a full set of equipment for precision measurement of angles and distances (dioptra, surveyor's cross, forty yards of wax-stiffened cord, pair of 10' poles marked with feet and inches, set of pitons stamped with numbers one through twenty; the whole kit weighs forty pounds). Map-worthy vellum is three silver a pound, which would be about fifty 8"x12" sheets. One silver would buy a gallon of iron gall ink, far more than you'd need in any kind of a hurry. Two and a half silver for a simple but elegant portable writing desk.

The shopkeeper notices Riv gazing longingly at some glassware and points out that, for just two more gold, you could purchase all the basic lab equipment you'd need to refit a typical kitchen into a modest but serviceable alchemy workshop.
>>
No. 730862 ID: 0ae7f9

>>730630
I thought Than had the rod and the ring. Where's the spiked mace again?

>>730818
Considering a previous cult had the wagon, if it's something undead Than can probably just go in and shoot it if need be. No rolls for action yet though. Who else is coming with?

>>730859
That can be saved for when we have the wagon...or didn't we have some form of storage? We could keep it in the chest we still have...right?
>>
No. 730884 ID: a107fd

>>730862
>I thought Than had the rod and the ring. Where's the spiked mace again?
Eswic was referring to who pried the items from Mesifin Styx's cold, dead hands, rather than who happens to currently be carrying them.

>didn't we have some form of storage?
Rixxil Kas's cashbox is only six inches square and a foot long, and has a lot of fiddly little internal partitions. Mesifin Styx's rod of office is a little over eighteen inches long, and as such, couldn't possibly fit inside.

Apart from that, you've got a reasonable assortment of bottles, jugs, backpacks, scabbards, holsters, bandoliers, and burlap or canvas sacks, as implied by the ability to effectively carry all your other equipment, but no bigger boxes, nor dedicated load-bearing gear even as advanced as a wheelbarrow. If you're interested in acquiring such things, now might be a good time. A wheelbarrow, for example, would be three silver, and weighs eighteen pounds empty, but then you can load it up with 350 pounds of stuff and four-fifths of that weight rests on the ground instead of your shoulders.

A sturdy watertight 'sea chest,' five cubic feet, bronze fittings for rot resistance, decent quality lock, would cost you 35 silver and weigh 100 pounds empty. Structurally, that could hold three-quarters of a ton of plunder, if it's high density stuff like coinage and ingots, or in an emergency someone reasonably skinny and flexible could hide inside.

If you want to move bulkier stuff, an oxcart is seventeen silver, oxen sold separately (there aren't any livestock for sale at the moment). Could probably be refitted into an ogre-scaled wheelbarrow-equivalent without too much trouble.
>>
No. 730890 ID: a075ba

rolled 2 = 2

>Eswic was referring to who pried the items from Mesifin Styx's cold, dead hands, rather than who happens to currently be carrying them.
If we're being strictly accurate, I think Garaile pulled the rod from his hands, and Than doubled back to pry the ring from his hand.

(And I'm not 100% sure we recovered the ring in part or whole or not after Rixxil tried to cheat us).

>Which two are going in first?
Flipping coin.
1: Marijke and Nico: captain and quartermaster inspect potential large purchase
2: Than and Riv: eagle eye and obsessive look for trouble and map the place
>>
No. 730895 ID: cea69d

>not 100% sure we recovered the ring
Riv left the outpost with the ring on her finger. She would have handed it in upon request although the platinum could probably be a useful component in her mechanisms.

>Could probably be refitted into an ogre-scaled wheelbarrow
Riv is in favor of this idea

>Flipping coin
>rolled 2 = 2
Riv questions whether the purchase of tools that could be useful in plotting the place and looking for anomalies, either mundane or magical, should be procured before the examination of the wagon.
>>
No. 730908 ID: 0ae7f9

>>730884
I meant the alchemy kit. Not the rod.
>>
No. 730946 ID: a107fd

>>730890
>strictly accurate
Eswic may have made some imprecise assumptions about what Ms. I-don't-know-from-pirates-but-if-captain-gets-paid-extra-that-has-to-be-me, most faithful and spider-spewing follower of the God of Greed, was doing while all three acolytes were cowering in the warehouse/slave quarters.

>ring
On Riv's thumb, as mentioned, and intact. Riv got orders to disassemble it at almost exactly the same moment she decided to stop obeying orders and escape. Things moved pretty quickly after that.

>>730908
The glassware only weighs about twenty pounds, but it's bulky and fragile. Holding off until you know how you're going to carry it seems wise.

>Riv and Than going in
The bead-curtains across the entrances to those two narrow hallways seem to do something odd to echoes, and slightly distort perspective. They also snap abruptly back to the flat surface when pushed aside, like lodestones to iron or corks to the surface of water, rather than swinging in all directions equally as might be expected. Still plenty of rattling, though, which makes them an effective low-key privacy barrier and alarm. Than can see that these phenomena are a result of some sort of flaw in space itself, though it is beyond her current skill to strike effectively.

So, what do you want to see first? Left side bedrooms, right side bedrooms, or the kitchen?
>>
No. 730984 ID: cea69d

Riv will head towards the left hand bedrooms; still unsure whether I have measuring tools and writing equipment at my disposal though.
>>
No. 730985 ID: 0ae7f9

Than will head towards the kitchen. If there is something there, it could use utensils for weapons.
>>
No. 731101 ID: a107fd

>>730984
Hallway to the left-hand bedrooms is 3' by 21', with two doors on the right wall and one at the far end labeled "employees only," which leads to the servants' quarters. The second bedroom door, further from the entry hall, has been nailed shut and marked with a prayer strip. Sobbing is audible from inside.

Gary explains that there's an attic whisperer sealed inside. "The absolute most pathetic variety of corporeal undead I've ever seen, or even heard of. Hands-down, no question. They're not even a disease vector. Kindergartener with a knife is more dangerous."
>"Hey, speaking of which, you remember that yaegoph who tried to 'rescue' Goris?" says Eswic, reminiscing.
"Big gold sunburst on his breastplate, fancy teleport-y cloak, shanked in the knee halfway through his overblown speech?"
>"Yeah, that was classic. She's done even better since then, if you can believe it."
"Tell me some other time. Anyway, attic whisperers are motivated by loneliness and loss rather than the more typical hunger, malice, or reckless arcane curiosity, so they'll barely even fight in self-defense. Absolute worst case, somebody gullible comes down here, they get lured in, play with the monster, get breath-drained into a coma when they try to leave, you smash it when you find out, drag the vic to a curse-breaker. Basic dispel, really common third-circle effect, fixes the problem. Full recovery in a day or two, assuming you find the little munchkin before they dehydrate, which... under an eternal sleep effect, in a comfortably cool and humid environment like this? That'd take a couple weeks, minimum."

Than can see that his assessment of the attic whisperer as a negligible threat is sincere, but he's trying to avoid some other subject.

>measuring tools
Yeah, unless Marijke's got some strong objection. Small piece of the pie, obvious strategic uses, and even if it turns out to have been a bad deal, the expensive bits aren't consumable. You could just magically repair any damage and resell 'em.

>>730985
Gary's escorting the two of you for a tour, so, while you could split up, it's fairly rude. Want to go to the kitchen next, or roll to sneak away?
>>
No. 731121 ID: 74225c

Without looking up from her writing, Riv asks how did it get there? Who created that seal? Need to see inside bedrooms next, than, still capable of handling creature?
>>
No. 731148 ID: a107fd

>>731121
>how did it get there?
Might have gotten in like a rat, but they also form spontaneously in abandoned places.

>Who created that seal?
Some licensed exorcist back in Passholdt. Garibald installed it himself. Basic off-the-shelf household ward against walking dead, just as an extra precaution.

>Need to see inside bedrooms next
"Sure, sure. All four are on the same 10'x18' plan, cozy cotton sheets for the bed, cedar cabinets to keep the moths off your clothes, silvered mirrors for the, makeup-desk thing, whatchacallit..."
>"Vanity."
"Right, of course. Chamberpots and portable bathtubs, since there's just no way to finagle plumbing into a space like this. Overall, might be a bit cramped and plain by the standards of high nobility, but not too shabby for a camp out in the wilderness, eh?"
Nothing's obviously wrong about the other three bedrooms. Comparable to the nicer private rooms at the inn, albeit currently staffed by cobwebs and mildew rather than cute barmaids. Each bed is easily big enough for two humans, maybe three if they get along really well, or half a dozen cuddly kobolds.
>>
No. 731165 ID: a075ba

rolled 3, 3, 1 = 7

>Yeah, unless Marijke's got some strong objection.
None here.

While milling around outside, maybe Marijke can ask one of the other acolytes how well they know this Gary character.

Or discuss possible structural integrity issues with Nico. Prating comes with a certain degree of danger, how study is this kind of space warping? Wouldn't want something that will violently implode or explode should it take a knock.
>>
No. 731175 ID: 0ae7f9

rolled 4, 2, 4 = 10

>>731101
Kitchen later then.
"Is there anything else with the attic whisperer, or did something happen in there?" Than asks out of genuine curiosity, as it's better for herself to be prepared.
>>
No. 731184 ID: a107fd

>>731165
>ask one of the other acolytes how well they know this Gary character
Altsoba and Goris were both less than twelve years old when they last saw him.

>possible structural integrity issues
If a pocket dimension of this size is more than three weeks old, that means it's got some sort of internal structural bracing, which is probably going to be stable indefinitely unless deliberately sabotaged or subject to some obvious magical cataclysm. A shoddy structure might deteriorate over months or years, but that could be diagnosed and repaired as it comes up, same as for an ordinary building. Consider carefully before knocking out any walls that look like they might be load-bearing. Bringing a bag of holding inside is probably safe, but you definitely shouldn't try anything that might violate the warranty while it's in there. If you want to be cautious, just leave any exodimensional storage items out in the 'ground floor' of the wagon. The door itself is just an access point. If it's broken, the interior will remain approximately as stable as it would be otherwise, and it would still be possible to rescue anyone stranded inside via interdimensional travel. At least, in theory.

>>731175
>did something happen in there?
"Not to my knowledge, though I can't be held responsible for what a false god might have gotten up to in her spare time. Everything was nice and tidy, within reason. That whisperer only showed up after a couple months. Keep any place boarded up and vermin move in eventually."

>Kitchen
About twenty feet square, including the pantry, which is empty but has a few slabs of unmelting ice bolted to the walls. Big cast-iron stove, all the pots and pans and ladles and knives and whatnot that two cooks and some associated support staff would need to prepare quality meals for thirty people and clean up afterward. More than enough extra counter space to set up an alchemy lab, although there might be concerns about cross-contamination if it's also still being used for food prep. Only other apparent exit (other than the chimney-pipe for the stove?) is a door on the back wall leading to the servants' quarters.
>>
No. 731215 ID: a107fd

Riv, sketch out the map as best you understand it so far, and gimme a 3d6 roll for some combination of Cartography and Mathematics (Surveying). On anything but a critical failure, I'll point out any egregious deviations from my description, and for each point by which you succeed I'll note some subtler problem.
>>
No. 731418 ID: a107fd

The servant's quarters are another 21' square room. First thing you see is a T-shaped corridor outlined by plain white (or possibly very pale brown) curtains hanging from a grid of hooks in the ceiling. Door from the kitchen is at the bottom of the T, 'employees only' doors from the bedroom areas are at the ends, and the wall along the crossbar is made from great slabs of gold-flecked marble, rather than wood like all the other structural elements so far. In the center of that wall, a massive pair of double doors, each 5' wide and 8' high, with elaborate wrought-iron handles that double as brackets, should the door need to be barred shut. No bar is in evidence.

Behind curtains, the room is further divided into six 6'x9' sleeping areas, each with a much smaller and plainer bed, cabinet, and so on. Suitable accommodations for a monk or domestic servant.

Through the disproportionately grand double doors, the library at last. It's a bit of a maze, packed floor-to-ceiling with over a thousand linear feet of shelving. Three chairs, a small circular table, and a hooded lantern holding a permanent illusory flame. Clear recurring themes among the books are local history, building codes and architectural best practices, and applied geometry... banal enough in themselves, but relevant to siege warfare.

At the back of the library, there's a final door. Behind it, directly under the entrance stairs at the front of the tavern-room, is a second flight of stairs. They lead down. Not down TO anywhere in particular, just... down.

The door at the back of the library is bound in chains of heavy bronze,
and cold steel,
and silver wrought with thorns,
and mournful dried flowers,
each chain linked to the other three and to the frame by a set of five padlocks,
and further barricaded with stout beams of oak,
pear-wood,
cloud-pine,
rowan,
mahogany,
and teak,
each beam warded with cryptic luminescent runes of gold,
adamant,
antimony,
ivory,
and lead.
Garibald explains that those padlocks are the collective masterpiece by which an orc hunt-brotherhood attained full membership in the (predominately Dwarven) locksmith's guild, and as such, must have been weighed and measured and subjected to the finest scrutiny any mortal could hope to apply, without the slightest flaw being uncovered. In a cold sweat, he further assures you that the... precautions... go far beyond industry standards, up into nebulous heights of 'best that money can buy,' and as such will surely be sufficient. Than can see that he's only lying about that last bit, and even then, mostly to himself.

So, deal? No deal? Counteroffer? Somebody else want to have a look around?
>>
No. 731485 ID: a075ba

rolled 6, 4, 2 = 12

>So, deal? No deal? Counteroffer?
Well the people who hold the purse-strings haven't even been inside, yet.

>bag of holding inside a bag of holding safety
Marijke isn't exactly sure what's happened to her amulet, or if it currently counts as extra-dimensional storage, but to be on the safe side, she's not going to be taking it down the cart's basement.

I'll hand to Letkra before the others come out.

>Somebody else want to have a look around?
After the first group returns, Marijke would like to take a look around with Nico.

In general, I'm going to be making a bunch of search / spot checks on the place with mage sight.

In particular, the sealed bedroom and the weeping not-ghost inside deserves a closer look. The library as well. (Check if any of the books jump out as magically, or if there's any reading material that jumps out as pertinent to her interests, or particularly valuable).

The door at the end is going to earn a full stop, stares, detailed magical scrutiny, and clutching her idol. (And probably trying to calculate what it's worth in her head).

"Exactly what are you trying to sell us custody of? Is the false god still down there?"
>>
No. 731557 ID: a107fd

>>731485
>Is the false god still down there?
"No, no, she was just an adventurer running a long con. Last I heard, safe and sound back in the lands of her birth, five hundred miles or more up north. This place is, more or less, the near-end pilings of a bridge she crossed to get home, then burned to deter pursuit. Literally nothing is down there. There's not even really a 'down there' for anything to be in!"

>mage sight
A few enchanted trinkets, such as the lamp in the library. No big surprises there. The warded doors are both as magical as they ought to be.

>sealed bedroom
Only so much more you can do without unsealing it, in which case Garibald would insist on being paid for the tedious ritual maintenance necessary to re-close the ward after.

>any reading material that jumps out as pertinent to her interests
In one of the books on architecture, a diagram of a two-story house with an enclosed staircase down to a riverside wharf, the outline looks strikingly similar to Rixxil Kas caught in the act of kneeling to drink from a pool on the ground. The descriptions of various rooms could be parsed as an obfuscated metaphor for organs.

>valuable
One of the geometry textbooks is a first edition, which... okay, no, that block-print on page 93 isn't even pretending to correspond to the step-by-step proof on the facing page, it's clearly some kind of summoning diagram.

A comprehensive review of the library could take weeks, but just scratch the surface, and already it's festering with occult information.

>what [the library ward is] worth
Finest padlocks go for over a pound of silver ($1000) each; a matched set, story behind them attesting to legendary unsurpassed quality, could be significantly more. The workmanship and enchantments on that long, tangled silver chain probably push it's value well above the equivalent weight of plain coinage. Rune-carved wooden beams are harder to evaluate, on account of the limited secondary market, but nothing encrusted with gold and adamant is likely to be cheap. However, taken together? Better to keep it all in place, holding back whatever it was designed to. Strip-mining otherwise functional infrastructure isn't Brem Marst's way.

>search
On the inside surface of the library's great stone doors, spanning the line where they meet, there's a scorch mark. It outlines an elvenoid silhouette, 5'8" tall, medium build, flared-top boots consistent with a style that was fashionable two or three years ago. The figure's left hand is the most sharply defined, raised to shoulder height, index and middle fingers tightly together, the rest splayed out. A gray smudge on the stone across the base of the ring finger is identifiable, under alchemical analysis, as platinum. The right hand is held higher, slightly above head level, and blurrier around the edges, possibly clenched into a fist.
>>
No. 731581 ID: 4201a2

rolled 5, 2, 3 = 10

>>731557
>occult stuff everywhere
>possibly something nasty sealed away

Garaile is also interested in taking a spiritually-enhanced look around to make sure there isn't anything truly vile still lingering about. Extra-close scrutiny on the library, seal, and stairs.
>>
No. 731588 ID: a107fd

>>731581
"Sir" Garaile can sense something unclean moving around in the sealed-off bedroom, consistent with a moderately powerful undead creature. More potent than a basic non-sapient skeleton or zombie, weaker than some ancient vampire lord or spell-slinging lich. There are also 'invisible stains' around certain books and embedded in the tiled floor of the library, particularly at spots where the tiles are discolored, and the previously-mentioned scorch mark. Wouldn't normally expect those to persist more than a week, even for off-the-chart auras like Marty. Not possible to get a clear reading on the stairs, since there's lead incorporated into the wards.
>>
No. 731592 ID: 4201a2

>>731588
Garaile won't touch anything until we've confirmed we're actually going to buy it, but will pass along this information to Marijke.
As for the scorch mark: "What the hell happened haere?"
>>
No. 731599 ID: a075ba

rolled 1, 4, 1 = 6

Eswic is along, it might be worth asking her opinion on the attic whisperer. Undead are Orcus' domain, right?

>This place is, more or less, the near-end pilings of a bridge she crossed to get home, then burned to deter pursuit. Literally nothing is down there. There's not even really a 'down there' for anything to be in!
Ah. So this is sort of a settlement on the outer edge of a sundered wormhole. And that's... the plug that keeps everything from unraveling down into nothing. (Or eldritch horrors from climbing up the rent in reality from places between).

Marijke would very much like to know what Nico thinks about this. He's the closest thing we have to an expert in messing with extra-planer phenomenon.

>However, taken together? Better to keep it all in place, holding back whatever it was designed to. Strip-mining otherwise functional infrastructure isn't Brem Marst's way.
Well yes, but what's the point of having nice things without that warm tingling feeling of knowing just how much of a fortune you're sitting on?

>scorch mark
The fact that the mark is sharp enough we can still make out the cut of the boot seems unusual to me. If we assume magical fire or a wall of heat (and not more exotic effects) it had to be at least 1,768°C to melt platinum. But it was short lived enough not to melt or deform the stone doors, or for the contents of the library to ignite. That's a lot of power, and precise application thereof.

(It's possible this room hadn't yet been converted to a library when this happened, but the spiritual residue splatter on the books as well as tiles suggest otherwise).

>What the hell happened here?
I'll second that.
>>
No. 731624 ID: a107fd

>>731599
>And that's... the plug that keeps everything from unraveling down into nothing. (Or eldritch horrors from climbing up the rent in reality from places between).
The wards in the library don't appear to be load-bearing, and if the place was structurally unstable, Than would have noticed when she was examining the folds in the structure. So, more likely that second thing.

>warm tingling feeling
If the place never had a second entrance, and was completely unfurnished, it'd be worth one and a quarter tons of silver ($2,500,000), just for the space. Domestic furnishings might be another hundred pounds of silver, and easy enough to find a buyer anywhere houses are being built, but the price-to-weight ratio is unfavorable for conventional long distance shipping. The actual books in the library, though... a library of this size on completely mundane subjects would cost over two hundred pounds of silver to assemble. If as many secrets are buried in there as it seems like, somebody who really needed the information in question (say, if they were planning to summon an army of demons to besiege the city of Passholdt) would gladly pay ten times that. Maybe a hundred times, if they had the cash to spare and no other practical way to find out.

Overall, the place could quite plausibly be worth as much or more than the three-point-six thousand pounds of silver typical of a third-tier named weapon. It has problems, both intrinsic and extrinsic, but then again, so does Mesifin's mace. There are two big open questions:
1) How much more useful to your group will it be, to have portable shelter with vast cargo capacity, relative to a weapon which is baneful to all things good? Silver's great, but you can't eat it, so eventually the calculus of profit always has to come back around to actual utility.
2) How much of a liability will the "nowhere" behind the sealed door (and whatever's leaking out of it) be, in practical terms?

>What the hell happened here?
Okay, maybe three questions. 'What happened' is intimately entangled with 'how do we stop it happening again,' though. How are you going to go about breaking those big questions down into smaller pieces?

As for NPC resources, best way to summarize it might be that you're at the fantasy-medieval equivalent of a truck stop/gas station/motel/qwik-e-mart complex. Local economy consists almost entirely of providing services to long-haul cargo transport: mostly riverboats, some wagons. Only spellcaster for hire (other than random adventurers passing through) is Ulman Dark, Unlicensed Necromancer, your one-stop shop for no-questions, no-promises, cash-up-front medical care. His wife, Kanndra, is a bounty hunter, which is all you really need to know about how they met, and why he's set up shop out here, rather than a proper town with a market where there'd be more business.

>sharp enough we can still make out the cut of the boot
To be fair, it's a really distinctive shape, protruding almost a handspan out beyond the natural line of the calf. Impractical, but when has fashion had anything to do with practicality?

>That's a lot of power, and precise application thereof.
Yep. Wouldn't want to fight something like that with just what you've got so far.
>>
No. 731646 ID: a107fd

>what Nico thinks

"What has fallen, may rise again." Theoretically, someone could repair the 'bridge,' possibly by linking it up to some other pocket dimension. The two entrances, if sufficiently far apart on the outside, could then provide casual foot traffic between two distant cities.

Same-day transoceanic trade, with volume and cost per pound comparable to the unskilled labor of moving stuff through a warehouse, all under your exclusive control? Fresh fruit and live fish, of the sort you'd been scrounging up for free on the coast, might be worth their weight in silver (or more!) to the upper-crust nobility of some city deep in the desert. Wealth beyond the dreams of avarice.
>>
No. 731669 ID: 0ae7f9

rolled 2, 5, 2 = 9

"So, are you SURE the attic whisperer didn't become something worse or something else is in there with it, and anything behind that door didn't get out?" asked Than insistently once more towards Gary. A little afterwards saying "I could kill the attic whisperer myself if there truly hasn't been any changes with it."

Then afterward that conversation whisper to Eswic, "Do you feel any eldritch horrors that used to be around here, if not behind the door?"
>>
No. 731670 ID: 0ae7f9

"So, are you SURE the attic whisperer didn't become something worse or something else is in there with it, and anything behind that door didn't get out?" asked Than insistently once more towards Gary. A little afterwards saying "I could kill the attic whisperer myself if there truly hasn't been any changes with it."

Then afterward that conversation whisper to Eswic, "Do you feel any eldritch horrors that used to be around here, if not behind the door?"
>>
No. 731672 ID: 0ae7f9

strange error, sorry. i backspaced weird and the text was already there in the box still
>>
No. 731689 ID: 4201a2

rolled 4, 6, 4 = 14

>>731592
>>731624
Garaile, indicating the scorch mark with a hand, would like to ask Garibald, to his face, the exact words: "What the hell happened here?"
Gary is attempting to sell a product to us, and therefore is obligated to answer our questions if he wants us to consider buying it.
As nice as the space is, if the seller of all people cannot provide any sort of explanation for the horrifying scorch mark of a person being vaporized, then how can we ever feel safe when inside the space?
Garaile, for one, would prefer not to be incinerated by an unknown threat.

Rolling for answers.
>>
No. 731697 ID: a075ba

>>731624
>Okay, maybe three questions. 'What happened' is intimately entangled with 'how do we stop it happening again,' though. How are you going to go about breaking those big questions down into smaller pieces?
I'm confused. "What the hell happened here" seems a perfectly reasonable questions for a potential buyer being given a tour of a property when they stumble across the lingering and obvious stains of a murder. It's the kind of thing that tends to effect property values, and a buyer's interest!

Do I really have to be more specific or rephrase? (If it helps, I'm asking specifically in reference to the discovery of the elfin wall art).

>points 1 and 2
And you summarize the exact problem very neatly. Obviously, the cart has far greater utility than the rod to our group, and is immediately accessible, whereas pawning off the dark artifact would take further time and effort. The sticking point is determining just how safe our pirate crew's would be land-ship is.

>>731646
Tempting. The biggest sticking point is drawing the ire of the mage capable of actually setting the bridge up in the first place, if they're still on the other end and not interested in authorities on this end having access. And/or dealing with who controls the other beachhead.
>>
No. 731751 ID: a107fd

>>731669
Gary has no objection to you destroying the attic whisperer if you're going to buy, but if you're still thinking it over, please don't. He's got reason to believe those 'soggy monks' would prefer to speak with the poor thing.

Attic whisperers don't metamorphose, at least not on such a short timescale, and absolutely never reproduce. In fact, their population is sharply self-limiting, by the very nature of loneliness.

>>731689
Garibald reluctantly explains that he had a... friend? Co-conspirator? ...who did most of the work of covering Marr'Yana's trail. After the 'bridge' broke, but before the current wards were installed, something appeared in the library. Just being in the same room with it, even facing the other way, was like staring directly into the sun, and it gave off a telepathic roar like the sound of tearing metal, with only occasional coherent concepts. Gary's partner died in a delaying action, so now part of the 'business with the soggy monks' is a resurrection.
>>
No. 731753 ID: a107fd

>>731697
>the mage capable of actually setting the bridge up
Nico hasn't figured out the entire effect just yet, but is confident he would be able to do so repeatably as a fifth-circle spell, possibly sooner (albeit in less reliable and more costly ways) with elaborate ritual preparations, supporting equipment which Riv could construct, and assistants.
>>
No. 731763 ID: 0ae7f9

rolled 1, 5, 3 = 9

>>731751
"Look sir, I've almost been killed or horribly maimed mentally or physically multiple times now. I've got a gut feeling that there's something wrong with that attic whisperer." while Than gives him a stern look.
>>
No. 731767 ID: a107fd

>>731763
Garibald stands firm under Than's accusatory glare. "I'm trying to cut a deal, here, not holding a knife to anyone's throat. If you don't like what I'm offering, go ahead and vote your shares. But if you're just 'once burned, twice shy' about almost being maimed,"
He throws his hood back, revealing eyes of solid obsidian black, set in a face half-melted by horrific burn scars. "Go look at what Ulman Dark has to offer. He set me up with a new pair of retinas, and, sure, it took a little while to get used to blood looking the same as boiled spinach, or window glass being opaque as lead, but overall I'd say they're a big improvement. All kinds of details that I would've missed before, cracks and stains, the secret colors of flowers, even by starlight."
>>
No. 731769 ID: 0ae7f9

>>731767
"Is this a now or never offer to buy this extra dimensional area?" Than asks inquisitively.

Her thoughts are to not buy now, if that's possible.
>>
No. 731773 ID: a107fd

>>731769
In the very first post of this thread, Gary says he's planning to barter it away to somebody at the monastery on the edge of the swamp. You've got until the next boat headed downstream arrives, probably a day or three.
>>
No. 731781 ID: a075ba

rolled 2, 4, 1 = 7

>>731751
>an orb of fire was loose in the library.
I've played Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup enough to find that appropriately terrifying, beyond the simple prospects of a primordial horror slipping in between crack in reality or having open flame near so many books.

>>731763
Marijke is going to ask that Garaile calm down about the undead. It is not an immediate threat to anyone, and is safely sealed. And the crew possess more than sufficient power to destroy it (or make use of it) should that change. Objection noted.

>>731767
>revealed hidden disfigurements / surgical corrections
As an amateur medic and surgeon by this point, this catches Marijke's attention. If she witnesses this, rolling to take a closer look / study what she sees. (Sight only, not going to get in his face or start poking and prodding him. Bad for negotiations).

I will offer some conciliatory niceties to Garibald "I apologize for my companions, their last few negotiations ended with that regrettable business about ritual sacrifice and a disagreement over property rights with eel-ticks. They're understandably wary."

>Out of character
A land-equivalent tardis pirate ship is immediately and immensely useful to us, we can hide disagreeable party members instead of bribing every guard we pass, there may be secrets in the library, and we avoid the time and effort to liquidate the rod on the black market.

Sure, we run the risk of attacks from the deep, but we'd risk that on a proper ship anyways, or random encounters in any form of travel.

I'll probably haggle over it, but I'm thinking we should take this deal, unless there are serious objections?
>>
No. 731793 ID: 4201a2

>>731781
>Marijke is going to ask that Garaile calm down about the undead
That's not Garaile, that's Than. Garaile is more concerned about the extraspacial supermonsters than the sealed undead creature.

>Actually taking the deal
Despite the inherent risks, Garaile agrees it will be much more useful than the nasty cursed rod, and votes to take the deal.
>>
No. 731865 ID: a107fd

>>731781
> If she witnesses this, rolling to take a closer look / study what she sees. (Sight only, not going to get in his face or start poking and prodding him. Bad for negotiations).
>conciliatory niceties

Garibald accepts the apology with good humor, and greets Acolyte Goris (who shares Marijke's enthusiasm, but not her restraint) as an old man catching up with his estranged teenage niece, elaborating grisly details of nerve and tendon like a farmer musing on soil quality.

Acolyte Altsoba, meanwhile, arrives at the stable in a headlock, having been subdued by hazel-eyed Tallie, the innkeeper's daughter, who asks "Is this one yours, captain?"
>>
No. 731888 ID: a075ba

>>731793
Hmm. Somehow I read that as Than echoing Garaile's concerns, but looking again, he says nothing for her to echo. Mental short circuit, I suppose.

>Acolyte Altsoba, meanwhile, arrives at the stable in a headlock, having been subdued by hazel-eyed Tallie, the innkeeper's daughter, who asks "Is this one yours, captain?"
Cocking an eyebrow, mirrored by Eadric cocking his head, Marijke replies "Aye?" and waits for the innkeeper's daughter to elaborate.
>>
No. 731899 ID: a107fd

>>731888
With a mischeivious grin, "How long can I keep 'em?"

Altsoba, blushing, mumbles something about a formal request for portions of loot to be paid out, and shore leave.
>>
No. 731976 ID: a075ba

>With a mischeivious grin, "How long can I keep 'em?"
This earns a short laugh and a smile. "At least a day". (I figure it will take that long for everyone to explore what they want to here and spend a little coin, probably longer to move into and fully outfit the ship-wagon-bridge, assuming we buy it).

>mumbles something about a formal request for portions of loot to be paid out, and shore leave.
Granted.

(Had we sussed out far enough how loot distribution worked in dis enough to automate / abstract it, or do we need to go back into the nitty gritty?)
>>
No. 731993 ID: a107fd

>>731976
>automate / abstract it
Nope. Nobody wrote up a charter yet, nor counted votes among informal proposals. Killing each other over petty cash, for lack of well defined procedures, still remains an alarmingly plausible outcome.
>>
No. 732047 ID: a107fd

>>/questdis/100712
All in favor of the proposed charter?
>>
No. 732134 ID: a107fd

Least-common-multiple'ing everything up to integers, that charter's terms would be
40 shares to Marijke,
28 shares to Nico (mostly reserved for operating expenses),
5 shares each to Lektkra, Riv, and Than,
4 shares each to Dimitry, Eadric, Goris, and Rixxil Kas,
3 shares each to Altsoba, Eswic, Garaile, each of three kobolds, and the ogre.
Zero shares for Rixxil Kas's mind-bondaged octopus, who's still way back out on the coast complaining that the river "smells icky."

Conveniently that adds up to 120 shares, and you've got 600 gold coins on hand, so you can pay out a dividend of 5 gold ($2000) per share without having to liquidate anything. Assuming the ogre doesn't get too rambunctious, and nobody sets fire to anything important, that would mean crew can pay basic room-and-board for approximately one year, or less time along with some very substantial equipment upgrades (such as properly fitted plate armor). Possibly more time if somebody outright buys rooms for them to sleep in, instead of having to rent.

This would leave Marijke personally with 220 gold coins, some of which technically belong to her parrot familiar (who is, incidentally, 40% of the way to comprehending simple sentences in spoken Humish). Less than she first extracted from that rancid pool, but still almost four and a half pounds. That's more money than most baronies have on hand, even right after taxes come in. Enough to spread out across a bed and pretend to be a dragon. Maybe enough to buy a seaworthy ship, and keep it in working order for a useful period of time? Certainly not a very large or fancy ship.
>>
No. 732156 ID: 4201a2

>>732134
Is Llyr receiving nothing while Riv gets 5 shares due to the perceived friendly-fire incident? Even Rixxil is getting 4 shares, and she was actively trying to cheat us.
>>
No. 732192 ID: a075ba

>>732156
Llyr should definitely be getting something. The 4 share common rate seems reasonable, since he did participate in the raid.

And personally I would think Riv would only get 4. In character, she sided with us, but she didn't choose to put herself in a riskier position for the sake of the crew or the mission. (Although I suppose that's open to interpretation and who's deciding shares).

>even Rixxil
Yeah, I get where that feeling comes from, but remember it lost a heck of a lot more than it earned back. And unless we want to set it aside a permanent lesser / other / slave, we gotta treat it like everyone else. Which honestly feels like the better policy to me. More honest, less simmering resentments. Maybe.

>Eadric and the octopus
It almost seems almost silly to give the a familiar a share, but I guess they're sapient enough, and with all the non-humans drawing lines would be weird.

Makes me wonder if anyone would honor it if a bird flew up to a counter somewhere and tried to make a purchase, though.

>Less than she first extracted from that rancid poo
Really? What costs more than offset what we earned here? I remember donating to the goblins, 4 to bribe the guards, and 1 to Marty the Gull, although Letkra recouped that.

>Enough to spread out across a bed and pretend to be a dragon.
...Marijke might well try that, once in possession of a secure enough bedroom. (Say, if/when we buy the cart).

Let's leave it at she's in a very good mood, with a spring in her step and a gleam in her eye.
>>
No. 732199 ID: a107fd

>>732156
Crap, I honestly forgot about Llyr. Well, we could maintain the easy math by giving him Eadric's shares, and taking a parrot's cost of living out of Marijke's generous portion.

>>732192
>What costs more than offset what we earned here?
Main cash is 250 gold from the pool + 350 from Rixxil's box. Marijke keeps 200 for herself, which coincidentally is 20% less than she personally fished out of the pool, while another 400 is spread among everyone else.

>sided with us, but she didn't choose to put herself in a riskier position for the sake of the crew or the mission
Rescued herself, at personal risk, early in the raid, retrieving loot and disrupting enemy command structures in the process, as opposed to being rescued by the crew later on and then immediately initiating a friendly fire incident.
>>
No. 732208 ID: a075ba

>>732199
Huh. I wasn't even considering putting the money from the pool in the common loot pool, since we didn't even have a pirate crew then. And if we did split it, I would have split it among people who were actually there, not who joined two encounters later.

But you know what the loot distribution works, I'm not going to mess it up advocating for my character's greed. She's made it through the dungeon intact, she' got a pile of money in her pocket, and a pack of pirates at her back; she's already pretty high on life right now.
>>
No. 732287 ID: a107fd

>>732208
So, while everyone's getting their hard-earned R&R, where are you planning to go next? The closest known dungeon entrance is that big stone hillside carved to look like a demon's face, with a staircase down in it's mouth. Less than half a day's march south of the inn.
If you want some profitable violence without quite so much complexity and commitment, there are rewards for eliminating various woodland predators - bears pay the most, if you can bring back the whole carcass fresh enough to be butchered for steaks, panthers almost as much for just the pelt, and wolves about 40%, again just for the pelt. No pay for wild pigs, ever. Tricky to figure out exactly how much the reward is, in familiar coins, since it's discussed in terms of 'store credit' or paper money denominated in honey and cheese, and the inn staff is forbidden by law to provide exact conversion factors.
Following the Stoneheart River upstream, of course, there's the big city of Passholdt, nestled among mountains with the desert beyond, and downstream there's the coast. Following the old coast road north takes you back toward more civilized lands, or you could go south about thirty-five miles to another bridge over the Wild Edge River. Beyond that, no more routine patrols, no more reliable maps. The coast road continues on beyond the horizon. Maybe dragons remember who built it, or at least where it goes, but they aren't inclined to say.
>>
No. 732334 ID: 0ae7f9

Anywhere's fine with me. As long as it doesn't involve me being some sort of death magnet again.
>>
No. 732344 ID: a107fd

Other little plot hooks at or near the inn:

*White Snake notices Gary's replacement eyes are similar to his own, consults with the unlicensed necromancer in pursuit of higher ambition.

*Than realizes Gary implied that 'soggy monks' can be hired to bring people back even from an extremely thorough demise, and are eager to study and/or consort with the undead. If true, she should probably be haring off to destroy the monastery in question.

*"Sir" Garaile is called upon to "defend" the three kobolds from another barmaid, who's been "baring her teeth" (smiling) and attempting to "grapple" (pet) their adorable little scaly heads. They already tried appeasing her with kind words, and as much money as she'd usually expect to earn in two or three months, but that just escalated the attention further.

*Ravenous Llyr is disappointed to learn that, while the inn's culinary options are otherwise adequate, including basilisk, a few different sorts of fish and poultry, and even great meaty slabs of whale, horse, cow, or bear as seasonal availability permits, there is never any bacon, nor ham. Pigflesh cannot be had at any price.

*A wondrous pair of boots recently became available at the general store. Self-cleaning, unnaturally durable, perfectly comfortable even on people with different-sized feet, buncha little traction-spikes in the underside that nobody's figured out how to extend or retract on purpose. Asking price is 160 gold ($64,000), with plenty of room for haggling or barter.
>>
No. 732615 ID: a075ba

rolled 1, 1, 6 = 8

Marijke is going to spend the evening enjoying the relative comforts of civilization and having plenty of coin in her pocket. Sleeping in a bed, getting a meal not made of preserved mushrooms (nor seafood).

The next day she'll likely meet with Garibald again to try and finalize the sale of the rod and purchase of the wagon, maybe see if she can barter / haggle out a better deal (since the exchange is one rod for one cart, it's hard to effect the price. I suppose it would come down to what extras I could get him to throw in)? Then we'll see how long moving in and properly setting up, divvying up living space, storage, and supplies takes. (Coordinated with the quartermaster). I figure that will probably take her a day? (Although that still leaves most the crew free to follow up local hooks).

>where are you planning to go next?
I suppose the medium-term goal is to travel to the coven and cash in our favor, but there's certainly room for distractions on a trip that length. And it would be awful inefficient not to try and make some cash along the way.
>>
No. 732675 ID: 0ae7f9

Hunting wild game seems to be a good pass time for Than, because she used to do it before all of this.

>>732344
Also those boots. Those boots would be something she could use. Not enough gold though herself. If Marijke could barter it for Than, then she could take the shares of gold that were used to buy the boot until the debt is paid off. Not sure what her response is though.
>>
No. 732728 ID: 4201a2

>>732675
Llyr is very interested in / good at hunting for food and would be delighted to accompany Than in hunting whatever is edible in the surrounding area, if she's at all willing to put up with him.

>>732615
Garaile will accompany Marijke tomorrow in acquiring the wagon, and will assist in moving and setting up the group's possessions and supplies. Surely those muscles are good for something.
>>
No. 732938 ID: a075ba

>>732675
>Boot buying
Marijke is the only person who could strait up purchase those without liquidating anything else. Without haggling down, that would be 70% of her spoils, though.

Uh, if we assume the seller can be haggled down to half price, Than can cover a third of that out of pocket, meaning Marijke would have to front the other 2/3rds of the cost. Without any interest, that would mean the debt could be repaid in just two encounters of comparable profitability, which isn't too bad. (Much longer to repay than that and the debt is starting to look a bit long term to chance on a pirate's income, or to have standing between friends). Possibly better than that depending on what the seller might be interested in bartering.

Marijke would probably charge interest, though. Or at least some kind of favor in place of interest.

I'll see about rolling for it / writing up a proper response after I see how rolling for cart negotiating resolves. (And if the inn manages to avoid accidentally poisoning me with shellfish).
>>
No. 732955 ID: 0ae7f9

>>732728
Than probably won't mind because she thinks Llyr attacked her because of insanity. She became insane during that encounter, and she assumes he became so as well. She'll only discover it later as bloodlust while hunting.

>>732938
Well, Than doesn't necessarily need any gold to live. She can hunt her own food and do just fine. It will increase her ability to survive with better gear though against hazardous opponents.
>>
No. 733209 ID: cea69d

Riv will invest her time in re-equipping herself with the money she has (assuming 4 shares aka 20) she sets out with a shopping list:
>Knife
>Lantern & oil
>Lab supplies, as stated before
>Scribing kit
>Lightweight chains she can drape over herself in an X pattern. Good for anything chains are good for, + the links make it easier to carry any gear that can be clipped onto or hung off of them. Like a bandolier but with extra uses
>A skeleton key if it's not overly expensive- having a 1 shot item to get into any lock kinda deal
>Block, tackle, fishing net, hooks and wire, everything you'd need to fish and stitch someone up basically
>Climbing supplies including 150 of silk climbing rope, a few grappling hooks and pitons
>A bear trap, provided it would be easier to buy than manufacture
>A map of the area
>A mirror
>A signal whistle
>Light weight 10 foot pole suitable for acrobatic use, which she plans on modifying to have a detachable hook to hang lanterns and other such nonsense off of
> bag of marbles
> healers kit
> whetstone
> crossbow or crossbow components of its not too difficult for her to assemble one herself
> lastly, if she has the money, the ingredients she would need to make black powder and a small fire-arm. Riv knows full well that these kinds of things are forbidden, so she will do her best to be discrete, but she is interested in making herself a projectile weapon
>>
No. 733210 ID: cea69d
File 146743894369.png - (1.01MB , 640x1136 , image.png )
733210

Almost forgot- she also needs a large cloak and wide brimmed hat, something similar to the outfit in the image. She's looking for something distracting and flow-y enough so as to disguise her extra limbs, as well as waterproof to keep her dry and protect her from the sun
>>
No. 733271 ID: a107fd

>>732615
>extras
Garibald doesn't have much else of tangible value that he'd be willing to part with, nor magic of his own, but he does have potentially valuable information, thief/assassin/heretic sorts of skills in which he could offer some tutelage or even an outright apprenticeship, and contacts to whom he could write a letter of introduction. Or, of course, some promise of future cash and/or favors, with the caveat that you'd have to figure out some way to get in touch with him again in order to collect.

>>732938
>Marijke is the only person
Actually, with a starting purse of cash, the 'rich bastard' multiplier on that, and her share of loot, Letkra could afford them as well. That'd be all her personal cash on hand, though, even after a discount for her immediate familiarity with operation of the retractable crampons and toe-spike (since that makes the shopkeeper suspect someone stole them from her in the first place).

>>733209
>knife
Tiny little dagger, just a sharp point with no cutting edge? One silver, weighs a quarter-pound.
Small knife? One and a half silver, weighs half a pound.
Big scary knife, edging up toward handaxe or shortsword? Two silver, weighs a full pound.
A sheath is included; going without reduces weight a little bit, but you'll run into problems with wear and tear. Prices can go up to 10x base for better quality steel, which holds a sharper edge and is less likely to break, or a little less than half base for blades scarcely better than jagged scrap metal with a leather wrap on one end to stop it tearing up your hand. If you want to let everyone know that you can afford to spend more than one gold per knife, there are also various decorative embellishments available.
>whetstone
Free, with purchase of any decent-quality knife. Unless you mean one of those thrice-blessed Philistan foehammer whatsits, that dwarven commandos use? Out of stock. They'd be 25 silver apiece in peacetime, but given all the skirmishes with the gugs you'd be lucky to find one for less than 50 right now.
>Lantern
One silver, weighs two pounds, one-pint internal reservoir of oil lasts for 24 hours with the minimal stable flame, or as little as six hours if you dial the wick up high for signaling purposes. Two silver for an enclosure around the flame, either an elegant glass chimney, or reflective metal to focus all the light in a 60 degree cone (for signaling and/or stealth purposes). Three silver, and double the weight, for the deluxe model: sturdy wire cage around the glass, elaborate system of baffles to regulate airflow so the flame (supposedly) won't blow out even amid hurricane-force winds.
>oil
One silver gets you ten pints, container sold separately.
>Lightweight chains
One silver gets you five feet of jewelry-grade copper chain, which weighs 0.03 lb per foot and isn't really designed to bear significant loads, or nine feet of the lightest grade of iron anchor chain, which weighs 25 times as much per foot and is rated for two tons. Anything in between you'd need to special-order, but Passholdt has an absolutely immense, and well-diversified, metalworking industry, so really it's just a matter of the delays involved in sending someone there with the money and back with the goods.
>skeleton key
Two and a half silver for a basic set of (reusable) tools that could be used, by an appropriately qualified professional, to open locks on your own personal property for which you happen to have misplaced the key. If you should dream up alternate applications which might be any less legal or ethical, for liability purposes the shopkeeper would prefer not to be informed.

Magic items exist which can undo any mechanical lock, and break (or at least temporarily suppress) many magical seals, but they're rather more tightly regulated than mundane tools. Ten gold gets you just the parts for a single-shot 'skeleton key,' and then you'd need a specialized workshop for the actual assembly, completely separate from the alchemy lab. Mostly the sort of tools that a clockmaker would use, plus two or three polarized lenses, some gossamer torsion webbing, an anvil as close as possible to aetherically neutral, that sort of thing. A proper valgrind coupler would make the process a lot easier, but you could rig up an adequate substitute from mostly zinc and turnip juice.
>silk climbing rope
One silver gets you 40 yards of 3/8" rope, weighing 6 lb, rated for loads up to 300 lb.
>grappling hooks
four silver, 2 lb, rated for the same loads as the rope
>pitons
Half a pound each, one silver gets you twenty
>bear trap
Seven silver, eleven pounds for a spring-loaded leghold trap rates for actual bears. Could make a workable version yourself, given bar stock and blacksmithing tools, but it's a fairly standard item, so you'd be competing with mass production.
>map
Five silver, 0.1 pound for a detailed, accurate map of a well-known area, or sketchier charts of anywhere someone's known to have returned from alive. What scale?
*cosmology
*broad strokes of geography, major kingdoms
*trade routes, major cities and landmarks
*dirt roads, individual towns (this is the largest scale that identifies your current location as something more specific than "between Passholt and the sea")
*one cell on my 12-mile hex grid map, covering an entire city and it's immediate surroundings, or as much wilderness as could be scouted in a day or three
*one square mile, with every building marked and some detail on the major ones
*a few city blocks, large farm, or dungeon level, including every door and window
>healers kit
Ten silver for all the basic tools and reagents needed to keep your own half-mummified physiology in good working order, and a fine selection of first aid supplies as well. Whole set weighs 10 lb, including a small water-resistant satchel.
>10 foot pole
Surveyor's kit (already purchased for checking out the "basement," and yes, I'd still like you to try drawing up that map) includes two. Purchased separately, without calibrated markings, two silver gets you five and they weigh 5lb each.
>marbles
Glass beads, close enough to perfectly spherical that they'll roll freely on a smooth surface? One silver gets you three pounds, enough to pose a tripping hazard across five or six square yards of otherwise clear floor, if cheap green glass is acceptable.
>crossbow
Basic wooden model is seven and a half silver, six pounds, and another half-silver per five bolts. Steel spring model for hunting big game is thirty silver, twelve pounds, needs a cranequin to reload (maybe an ogre could pull it back by hand, with heavy gloves on). Ammo is interchangeable between the two. Broadheads are the default, effective against most targets and messy to remove; bodkin points make a deeper but narrower wound, so they're preferable when you need to penetrate heavy armor, or can confidently target some vital area deep inside.
>signal whistle
One quarter of a silver coin
>hand mirror
Three quarters of a silver coin
>large waterproof cloak and wide brimmed hat
Four silver, six pounds, if you don't care much about looking stylish. The cloak also presents some potentially interesting options in combat, which Garibald could teach you how to employ effectively.
>black powder and a small fire-arm
Hooboy.

Charcoal, of course, you can buy off the shelf as fuel. One silver gets you forty pounds of charcoal, or a single pound (ten uses) of nitrate-infused fungal tinder, or six dozen sulfur-encrusted pine splinters, none of which are especially suspicious as firestarting equipment for an expedition. To produce an actual explosion, you'd need much higher purity reagents than that, which means either a visit to a dedicated alchemical supplier (which would create a paper trail) or a massive supply of low-quality materials run through various distillation and filtering processes by your own labor, before you can even start experimenting to figure out the right ratios. Then, as for gun barrels... those aren't just hammered out from bar stock. That kind of project requires some heavy-duty metalworking, with supply lines that can't be hidden in a basement.

Really, if you plan to develop firearms, you'd want a whole town or small city supporting the enterprise, completely outside the Drakocracy's influence... say, carved out of wilderness far beyond the frontier, or deep underground. Just setting all that up is a heroic task, so, good thing you already found some ambitious friends.

>>732728
>good for something
How would you feel about working your way up from "sir" to, say, Baron, or maybe even Margrave? First, you get rich somehow, probably through further adventures: 2500 gold can buy one point of Capital, a single chip in the big game. You can then spend it to claim territory, build farms and forts and mills and mines and cities, and get even richer by collecting taxes on the activities thereof.

>>732675
>hunting
Roll for it. Also, which way are you headed? Without crossing a significant body of water, your options are limited to the 120-degree arc between due west (along the road to Passholdt, beside the Stoneheart river) and south-southeast (along the bank of that tributary which you took a ferry across to arrive at the inn).
>>
No. 733274 ID: 4201a2

rolled 6, 2, 5 = 13

>>733271
>Llyr
Hunting roll for Llyr, accompanying Than's roll. Will let Than decide where to go. Before that though, Llyr wants to buy that big scary knife, with sheath and whetstone, if he has the money for it.

>Garaile
The quotes around "sir" are ironic/sarcastic. Garaile has never actually been knighted and is not a noble. Being rich would, at best, result in being a wealthy landowner, not a barony. It's a moot point anyway though, since Garaile can't go on adventures, being on eternal koboldsitting duty.
>>
No. 733281 ID: a075ba

>It's a moot point anyway though, since Garaile can't go on adventures, being on eternal koboldsitting duty.
You realize that's entirely self imposed, right? And even if he chooses to protect / look after the, that doesn't mean he has to spend every waking moment with them. Especially if say, we're at a moderately civilized area where they're not in constant danger (smiles aside), or there's anyone he trusts to ensure their safety when he's out doing something else. (Technically, they are being treated as members of the crew, so they have the same basic protections from inner squabbles and external attacks that would be afforded any member of the group).

Heck, becoming a playing in noble politics or a wealthy landowner could actually both play into the kobold-sitting. The political power angle is to work for kobold rights, the landowner angle is simply making a safe place for them.
>>
No. 733287 ID: a107fd

>>733274
>if he has the money for it
He's got twenty gold. He could possibly blow all of that on the biggest, fanciest knife possible, inlaid with precious metals and encrusted with gems and elaborate embroidery on the sheathe and so on. For plain utilitarian bladesmithing, one gold is about the upper limit; anything more than that is getting out of 'knife' territory and into 'sword.' Not to say there aren't swords available! Two gold for a blade of middling quality that weighs seven pounds and is almost four feet long, which a STR 18 sharkzerker could swing one-handed (inefficiently, but at full accuracy). Two and a quarter gold if you want the tip to be sharp in addition to the edges. The upper limit for how much you can spend on a masterful sword is significantly more than the money Llyr has available.

>Garaile can't go on adventures
What? No! The kobolds are in no real danger at this point, just suffering a bit of confusion and culture shock now that they're customers rather than servants. You could explain that to them, or ask Ysbel the barmaid to treat them differently (and she'd be quite willing to, within reason), and then your obligation with regard to the kobolds is entirely fulfilled. Abandoning them at a random cave in the howling wilderness would've been bad, but this is very different. They've got more than enough cash to cover the necessities of survival for the forseeable future, and they're as safe from bandits and monsters as anyone else at the inn, which seems to be pretty safe since it's on a major road with regular patrols, and there's a high stone fence with an iron gate across the nicely defensible little tongue of land where the rivers come together, watched by a few guards with spears or longbows who answer directly to Odo the innkeeper.

So, yes, Garaile can go on adventures at this point.

>Being rich would, at best, result in being a wealthy landowner, not a barony.
In the modern-day real world, where the UN got together and decided that "conquest" isn't a legally valid way to acquire title to land anymore, yeah, that'd be true.

In this game? Go pummel a barony-sized chunk of virgin wilderness into submission, strangling owlbears or de-haunting ruins or otherwise neutralizing problems until it's safe for some peasants to move in, then convince them to build infrastructure and pay taxes in exchange for your protection. After all that, officially identifying yourself as a baron is just a formality; you've got as much claim to the title as anyone who inherited. You don't need the seed money to buy land; you need to pay soldiers and surveyors and lumberjacks and architects and masons and clerks and everybody else, to turn anarchy and unclaimed natural resources into a functioning government.

If you seem like you're generally capable of doing that sort of thing, one or more dragons will loan you some of the assets you need to get started, usually around fifty Capital if you're building up from scratch. In exchange, they expect to be paid back over time, and things tend to work out better for all involved if you follow other little suggestions. That's what being a king means, in the Drakocracy: the crown on your head was a ring on a dragon's finger, and will be again when your time's up.
>>
No. 733293 ID: a075ba

>but he does have potentially valuable information, thief/assassin/heretic sorts of skills in which he could offer some tutelage or even an outright apprenticeship, and contacts to whom he could write a letter of introduction
Information is probably what we could make the most use of. Assassin/heretic skills are potentially useful to Marijke (I can imagine various scenarios where those would pair wonderfully with mind manipulation), but I don't know if he's going to be around long enough to teach her much before his ride gets here.

Any chance I could get more detail on the available options, here?

>having Lektra along would put an immediate discount on the boots
If Marijke is in any way aware of / Lektra's familiarity, she will be dragging the golem girl along to the bartering session. (If you're buying weird mechanical boots, why not bring the person who can tell you if they're in good shape and working order?).

(Although I'd like to finish sussing out the deal with Garibald instead of trying to do two negotiations in parallel).
>>
No. 733302 ID: a107fd

>>733293
>more detail on the available options
For political connections, the most interesting option might be those spider riders, given that they're not on good terms with the church of Orcus anymore. As for skills, he originally saw more haphazard mentoring and on-the-job experience than formal study, so it's hard to assemble a point-by-point list. What kinds of things do you want to know? Acrobatics and escapology? Lock-picking and traps? Larceny and smuggling? Underground etiquette? Scrounging, panhandling, and surviving the "urban jungle"? The darker side of comparative theology? Applied anatomy? Malicious pharmacology? Interrogation and intelligence analysis? Small-unit combat tactics among tunnels and rooftops?
>don't know if he's going to be around long enough
Twelve to sixteen hours of intensive training in some skill is, at least, a step above the "saw somebody do this on TV once" level of proficiency, and establishes enough awareness of the fundamentals to set your further independent study off on the right foot. Or, if you want the equivalent of a college semester, you could wait a week or two for the business with the soggy monks to be wrapped up and then, if all went well, he could come back.
>>
No. 733325 ID: 4201a2

>>733287
>big knife
Okay, 1 gold for a Crocodile Dundee-level knife. Maximum danger and minimum decoration, please. Llyr wouldn't know how to use a sword, and he already has a spear as a primary weapon anyway.

>>733281
>koboldsitting is self-imposed
By an oath from a former paladin. Not something you go around breaking every day. If they're genuinely safe here, Garaile could consider leaving them behind, but the whole being-kidnapped-and-sold-into-slavery thing seemed like a pretty relevant and major issue in the last thread, and was the reason Garaile even took the oath in the first place. Given what Garaile knows, leaving kobolds in the care of random humans seems like a bad idea overall.

>taking out a 125,000 gold loan and creating a national safe haven for kobolds
I'll put this down as a long-term plan.
>>
No. 733334 ID: cea69d

>>733271
Okay, went through and the whole thing leaves me with 12g and 15s. Here's the list + maths
2 gold for alchemy leaves me with 18 gold, or 360 silver. -15 for the mapping equipment leaves me with 345
>Small knife 1.5 s (343.50)
>Normal whetstone, free with knife (343.5)
>Deluxe lantern, 3 s (340.5)
>Oil, 1 s (339.5)
>40 ft of iron chains, 5s (334.5)
>Skeleton key, normal tool kit, 2.5s (332)
>80 yards of silk rope, 2s (330)
>A grappling hook, 4s (326)
>20 pitons, 1s (325)
>1 bear trap, 7s (318)
>4 maps, 1 cosmology, 1 broad strokes, 1 trade routes, 1 dirt roads, 20s (298)
>Healers kit, 10s, (288)
>10 ft pole, not needed provided the mapping one can support Riv's weight
>3 pounds of marbles, 3s (285)
>Crossbow, 7.5 silver, 75 bolts 7.5s (260)
>Signal whistle & hand mirror, 1s (259)
>Cloak and lessons, 4s (255)
Riv is all down for any sort of free knowledge.
>Black powder & gun parts, not currently feasible unless the captain wants to start a black market explosives trade, which is up to her.
Riv will look for the rest of the things on her list now, with some added items:
>Scribing kit, for detailed notes on formulai and the effects of magic, etc
>Fishing supplies, including block, tackle, fishing line of a high enough grade to make stitches in a pinch, a net and fishing hooks
>Containers, including waterskins for holding anything liquid like oil & glass bottles which could be smashed if need be
>Leeches, if available. Edible, useful if you want to scare the squeamish, and medically quite useful. Stored in a seal able container of some kind, like a heavy duty clay jar or such
Lastly, she needs to know how much a beast of burden would cost, and consult with Marijke if it would be useful to purchase any considering we have both an ogre and possible soon a portable home base.
Anyone else think of things we might want to have in stock? Now's the time to buy, and we have no shortage of cash.

On a side note, Riv is curious as to what Rix is occupying their time with.
>>
No. 733359 ID: a107fd

>>733325
>Maximum danger and minimum decoration
Easy enough. Anything else?

>long-term
Just letting you know about the usual career track for glory and reknown.
>>
No. 733379 ID: a107fd

>>733334
>3 pounds of marbles, 3s
Three silver gets you nine pounds.
>10 ft pole, not needed provided the mapping one can support Riv's weight
>>/questdis/100990
You might want a clean spare.
>Scribing kit
Already described here:
>>730859
The folding desk includes an inkwell and a metal pen that lasts indefinitely. No need to resharpen or replace a quill every 20 pages.
>Fishing supplies
Two and a half silver, negligible weight for the basic hook and line, pole sold separately. A net on the upper end of what one person can usefully throw around is two silver, 20 lb.
>beast of burden
Ten gold for a pack-hippogriff, plus food, and at least an hour of skilled grooming for every day of work. Oxen are a better deal, but even if any were on hand, they're mammals and thus can't be simply purchased with cash.
>Leeches
None immediately available. Ulman Dark usually buys that kind of thing from trolls in the swamp on the opposite side of the river. There's a four-seat bark canoe available for eleven silver, oars included, if you want to go out there yourself.
>Containers
I've got a whole chart: cloth bags, wicker baskets, wooden barrels and boxes, leather pouches, glass, iron, bronze, porcelain, various degrees of reinforcement and/or compartmentalization, in sizes ranging from a quarter cup to 120 gallons.

A basic one-gallon leather waterskin is four and a half copper (20 copper per silver), and weighs 0.75 lb. Two-gallon would be seven and a half copper, 1.25 lb. Half-pint glass bottle is one and a half copper, 0.4 lb. Biggest glass bottle available is a two gallon carboy, comes with a wicker enclosure as padding and a more convenient handle, whole assembly costs two and one-fifth silver and weighs 7.5 lb.
>maps
Fair warning, I'm pretty sure my OOC artistic ability isn't up to the task, at least not in any kind of hurry. Feel free to ask questions about what the maps depict.
>>
No. 733382 ID: 0ae7f9

rolled 1, 3, 2 = 6

>>733271
Along the Stoneheart river it is.
>>
No. 733383 ID: 0ae7f9

On a side note since I already rolled, any materials for a good mask or someone who can make one for Than?
>>
No. 733409 ID: a075ba

>>733302
I don't think I can justify waiting for him to come back from the soggy monks on just those merits. Perhaps if the crew gets entangled in something and we stick around that long, but I'm not going to tie us down myself.

I'll take the info on the spider riders, and if I rolled well enough to get two things out of him, Marijke will spend some hours discussing Malicious pharmacology. She's already an amateur medic, might as well expand on that and/or ways it could be used to other ends. (Possibly opens up more spite / harm type anti-healing, or provide inspiration for stuff I could have Riv make).

And that should seal the deal on the cart and we can move in.

>Applied anatomy?
I'm going to assume this is more bone breaking than bone-setting.

>everyone shopping
For her own purposes, Marijke would probably want to replace her tattered clothes with traveling clothes that are sturdier / in better condition. She might need a hat, too. Pirate captains are supposed to have hats, right?.

...is anyone selling anything small and nasty? Like say, caltrops? A vial of alchemist's fire, or other chemicals / poisons? (Looking for something small and easy to carry, but that can be combined viciously with Bite-the-Pinecone Curse if need be). The necromancer might have something for sale that fits this category?

If her volume / weight of gold has grown past what will easily fit in a coin purse, a chest of some kind to store gold in the cart might be in order.

Also Nico should be buying proper provisions for the cart. Some foodstuffs that will keep that aren't fermented mushrooms.

>>733302
>By an oath from a former paladin.
By an oath of someone who was retconned to have never been a paladin within the scope of the universe.

Personally, I still think you're taking the terms too literally. There's no known, specific threat against the kobolds that requires giving them a personal escort 24/7 in order to keep them reasonably safe. I mean, you can play Garaile as a particularly paranoid guardian if you so wish, but I don't think you by any means have to. Go out, seek a little glory, trust your crewmates to keep the fuzzballs from getting kidnapped or murdered. (After all, anyone who attacks one of ours is free game, and hey, those are our kobold slaves)!
>>
No. 733510 ID: cea69d

>Already described here
Whoops, missed some of that! 6.5 silver extra deducted leaves me with x
>Three silver gets you nine pounds.
yes to nine pounds of marbles, sorry that was just a typo on my part
>Ten gold for a pack-hippogriff, plus food, and at least an hour of skilled grooming
Can we learn to groom, or does that require the hireing of an extra griffon hand or something of that nature? either way, it's a bit pricey for Riv's coin purse, can the quartermaster fiance this? Also containers for the party would probably be useful if Marijke wants to approve of a mass purchase of those, spend say a gold to get us fully decked out in all the storage we could need.

>vial of alchemist's fire, or other chemicals / poisons
Riv the alchemist way be able to save you a trip to the shop there, would I have the capabilities to create anything like this now that I have the glassware and materials I need? Still, either way, caltrops are for sure useful and probably beyond my smithing capabilities.
>>
No. 733645 ID: a107fd

rolled 6, 5, 2 = 13

(OOC: It's been a pretty rough/complicated week and I don't snap back into this, nor read a missed backlog, nearly as quickly as JamesLeng. To the point that I just realized this is my first post in thread 3... eep. As such, even though I just caught up, I'm not sure exactly where Letkra was during some of the information gathering or how much she's privy to- like who was talking to Gary/Garibald about what out of earshot, who's been to what shops, etc. So I'm just going to rattle off a list of opinions and goals she would have, if she actually knows the relevant information about these subjects, which she might not, in which case she wouldn't be able to have these reactions.)

(Also I'm not sure what the dice roll is for. Information gathering from Garibald, maybe?)

> Regarding the charter/wealth distribution
Letkra has no qualms with the charter, though she's still a little puzzled at why it would be more complex (and why everyone cares so much about it) than "equal shares of what is gained for all persons currently present". She doesn't press for that or anything, she's just confused about the cause for concern/imbalance. So that's an "in favor" vote.

Perspective: Letkra's expectations come from post-scarcity, and thinking of money as little more than a resource you can easily grind up more of just about anywhere. Not even a little bit life or death; and she doesn't consider the latter half of that a plausible issue, either...

> Regarding buying the spooky extradimensional wagon

On even basic knowledge of the idea:
"Oh yeah, this party is definitely big enough that we should have a wagon to stay in."

Upon learning of the incredibly fancy, bigger-on-the-inside interior:
"It looks alright. But it's kinda weird that it's not cleaned correctly."

Upon learning that there may or may not be a functional interdimensional bridge inside:
She desperately implores Garibald, kneeling. "How does it work!? Please tell me everything you can! Is there any way to direct this door to a specific dimension? Any way at all?"

(I don't know if this has any reaction modifiers given context and so on, but a bikini-clad girl is kneeling in front of Gary and asking him a bunch of near-weepy, desperate questions.)

> Regarding destroying the Attic Whisperer

"What? Why?? It sounds cute! Are you sure that's even a monster??? I mean, if they're just hiding quietly in a corner and not attacking..." Letkra is confused, and a little worried. After all, battles (of the formal, proper variety) are all well and good and obviously happen all the time, but people keep wanting to attack in ways that seem kind of... disorganized, and involving people that don't seem to be adventurers or monsters. She's starting to distrust pretty much everyone's approach to combat around here, just a little bit.

(That's her in-character opinion, just to be clear. OOC, Attic Whisperers actually are kinda cute / moe / pitiable, but it's also entirely in-character for Than to want to purge it so I have no qualms with her pushing for that; it's just that Letkra isn't seeing it as an enemy.)

If Than attempts to destroy the Attic Whisperer unprovoked, and she sees it happening, she means to intervene (in much the same way she tried to defend Riv in the previous combat).

> Discussion of slavery, Garaille's worry for the kobolds

If Letkra hears any of this she's going to be very confused and start to get worried. "They can just say no, if someone tells them to be a slave and they're not interested... r-right?"

> Shopping list

Letkra seems to think she's sensibly dressed and is in no need of clothes; she says something about most of her nice stuff being "back at home" and something about how she'd rather wait to dress up for her wife, blushing a little.

She'll instead check for available weapons, armor, and shields, to see if there's anything better/comparable to her high-tech alloy swiss army glaive and personal force field. Presumably she'll finds nothing of the sort, certainly not within her price range.

The boots seem reasonably common to her, but on the other hand, the terrain "around here" (which includes everywhere she's been so far in this world) can be really unpleasant for some reason, and almost nobody seems to be selling convenient stuff like this. (She's a little horrified to learn that everybody else is wearing crappy boots that don't self-adjust, provide that kind of comfort, etc.) Most importantly, they may allow her to climb up something she can't normally get past (or so she figures), so she wants them, and is willing to do the math on that.

(How's her oil supply, though, before she commits to such a big expenditure? Is she going to be completely cleaned out on money? And is she buying them alone, or as a joint purchase? She hasn't put much thought into who gets to use them when, either. Because again, post-scarcity mindset.)

In any case, upon finding, say, a junk drawer (or an actual junk store or thrift store), she'll be shocked to find they have stuff like keys, "important-looking" statues and stuffed animals and tin badges and other such miscellaneous trinkets, a single lone glove (which makes it seem more important than a pair; she seems to think it will help her lift or break rocks..??), and so on, and is willing to buy quite a lot of this weird stuff. She will probably return from shopping with a bagful of this stuff, giggling madly.

"Can you believe they just SELL keys at the STORE here?!"
>>
No. 733647 ID: a107fd

>>733382
Hour's walk upstream there's another little tributary, shallow enough to be easily forded - barely even knee deep. Following that about half a mile, you spot a black bear drinking from a small lake. Pick your target (brain? neck? chest vitals? a limb?) and roll to hit.
>>733383
Porcelain mask, styled like a fox? Two silver, one pound.

>>733409
>Malicious pharmacology
>more bone breaking than bone-setting
Assassination, counter-assassination, counter-counter-assassination, it's all an elaborate dance. When you're engaged in violent intrigue and both sides have access to true healing, winning the attrition game means figuring out how to quickly and cheaply cause damage that's costly to repair, even if at the expense of direct lethality or debilitation, and also how to respond when the other side does that to you. So, yes, some bone-setting and other field-expedient surgery is part of the skill set. How to put a tourniquet on an individual finger, for when you slip up and cut yourself with a poisoned knife. How to pick out a variety of mushrooms such that at least one of them is likely to kill whoever eats it (finding definitely-safe mushrooms is much trickier). Recognizing common symptoms, mixing in other complications to create misleading sets of symptoms.
>anything small and nasty
One silver gets you five 4-ounce beeswax candles, molded and dyed to closely resemble apples. You could cut 'em open, load something inside, and then seamlessly reseal with Rhyme of Mending. Bite-The-Pinecone Curse only makes someone actually eat something if it at least vaguely resembles food. They won't try to swallow a jagged piece of metal, for example... unless you dress it up appropriately first.

Caltrops are fairly cheap, like a lot of low-end military surplus equipment right now. Do you want the regular anti-infantry kind, or bigger ones for cavalry? Either way, one silver for a ten pound sack, enough to cover twenty square yards (bigger ones spread more thinly).

>you can play Garaile as a particularly paranoid guardian if you so wish, but I don't think you by any means have to.

This is correct. I was hoping to set up something humorous with the barmaid, not a gotcha-DM PTSD flashback. If Garaile runs off on an adventure at this point, guilt for harm to the 'bolds from anything that goes seriously wrong in his absence goes on the innkeeper's conscience rather than his own. That's the other side of the sacred hospitality thing.

>>733510
>Can we learn to groom, or does that require the hireing of an extra griffon hand or something of that nature?
You could figure it out yourself, especially if you're not in a hurry. Marijke's got enough veterinary experience to notice something going seriously wrong before it becomes irreparable. Hiring an actual teamster might be more efficient if you're moving a lot of stuff, though.

Speaking of which, have you been adding up the weight on all that equipment? Riv's pretty scrawny, only so much she can carry on her back.

>would I have the capabilities to create anything like this now that I have the glassware and materials I need?
Oh, absolutely. Alchemist's Fire is easy to make. Only tricky part is packaging it, while avoiding spontaneous ignition from exposure to air. Get a cauldron, enough cooking oil for a thick layer across the top, fill the rest with urine, and keep boiling 'til it glows. If insufficient urine is available, or the noxious 'Breath of Amon' is an unacceptable side effect, next-best option starts with the powdered bones of almost any creature that died from thirst. How big a batch are you going for?
>>
No. 733658 ID: a107fd

>>733645
Garibald does not have the slightest idea how to build an interdimensional bridge to a specific target. It's like asking for advice on organ transplant surgery from someone who was having trouble with bandaging and antiseptic.

>oil supply
Adequate. This is also an excellent opportunity to refill: two and a half gold for a 40-gallon barrel of whale oil, which weighs about 350 lb (easier to move around than that might imply, since it can be rolled rather than lifted or dragged) and will keep Letkra going for three months or more. Rations and fuel probably come out of the quartermaster's budget, anyway.

>an actual junk store or thrift store
The general store has a suitable selection of eclectic detritus, much of which was left behind at the inn by adventurers and vagabonds who disappeared with bills unpaid.
>>
No. 733664 ID: a075ba

rolled 4, 2, 6 = 12

>>733645
No sweat, we've been mostly dicking around in town, anyways. Hope things are going more smoothly for you now!

>like who was talking to Gary/Garibald about what out of earshot
I think we pretty broadly abstracted that considering he only ever had two PCs with him at a time. The only way the subsequent conversations would have worked was if the groups shared info / discussed in between asking Gary further questions.

>"They can just say no, if someone tells them to be a slave and they're not interested... r-right?"
Marijke will reassure her. "They're members of the crew. If anyone tried to enslave them, they'd find themselves forced to confront the rest of us."

>Bite-The-Pinecone Curse only makes someone actually eat something if it at least vaguely resembles food. They won't try to swallow a jagged piece of metal, for example... unless you dress it up appropriately first.
Ah. So a pinecone, for example, could sort of look like some kind of fruit or loaf. A dagger looks enough like a dagger to snap them out of it.

>One silver gets you five 4-ounce beeswax candles, molded and dyed to closely resemble apples. You could cut 'em open, load something inside, and then seamlessly reseal with Rhyme of Mending.
I'll buy two silver's worth. I'll probably only end up carrying a few and leave the rest in the captain's quarters on the cart-ship. (Gives me a little excess if they get used up, or if I manage to ruin any manufacturing them).

Marijke mutters to herself "poisoning apples, ha. I've become a stereotype."

In a day or so when I can have mending prepared I'll preload a few with sharp bits of metal, but I'll wait to see what chemicals my alchemist can come up with / suggests for the others.

>Caltrops are fairly cheap, like a lot of low-end military surplus equipment right now. Do you want the regular anti-infantry kind, or bigger ones for cavalry? Either way, one silver for a ten pound sack, enough to cover twenty square yards (bigger ones spread more thinly).
Ten pounds seems like more than I really need to booby trap a few apples. And the anti-cavalry type might be too large to contain in a wax apple?

>Than and Letkra both interested in the boots.
Okay, rolling for haggling down the seller. Let's see how low Marijke can get the price.

If two members of the crew are interested in them, though, they need to figure out who's getting them. (Letktra can buy them without a loan, so if they deadlock, that's probably the deciding factor).

>Assassination, counter-assassination [...] misleading sets of symptoms.
So was that the lesson then?

>teamster, animals
That reminds me, do we need to purchase a beast of burden to pull the cart? (Or could the ogre just do it?).
>>
No. 733672 ID: a107fd

>>733664
Ogre's about as big and strong as an ox, but hasn't got quite the same traction. Still, if the wagon is mostly empty, that's no trouble at all. The "basement" is actually a separate piece, weighing 70 lb, but safely extracting it from the wagon's frame would require several hours of carpentry work (and spoil the concealment).

>snap them out of it
No, if you used the curse to give somebody a knife, or anything else that looks like a tool, they'd wield it, perhaps taking inappropriate actions before realizing their hand was no longer empty. If you gave them a knife already in a belt scabbard, or anything else that looks like clothing, they'd put it on, though that becomes less reliable for armor and elaborate courtly garments where the process is complex and/or counter-intuitive.

>seems like more than I really need to booby trap a few apples
They're being sold by the pound, barely better than scrap, so take as much or little as you consider appropriate. And, hey, what if you need to booby trap a few staircases?

>haggling
Eighty gold, plus those bolts of silk cloth?

>the lesson
Discussion of malicious pharmacology is training toward skill with poisons, just like Eadric's progress toward spoken Humish.
Any friend of Eswic's is a friend of Gary's, so he's happy enough to share old war stories, and share or refine the associated techniques. That's barely even a price, far as he's concerned, since it's so unusual to have an eager audience. If you want him to stay around here and provide further training long-term, he'd be willing to for the cost of room and board, at least until something else urgent comes up. Main extra thing from the rod/wagon trade was a letter of introduction to the spider riders, which he's still composing, but promises to hand over before departure toward the monastery.
>>
No. 733764 ID: a075ba

>They're being sold by the pound, barely better than scrap, so take as much or little as you consider appropriate. And, hey, what if you need to booby trap a few staircases?
I suppose the cart has room for excess and we might find a use for it someday. I'll take a silver's worth.

>Eighty gold, plus those bolts of silk cloth?
Seems a reasonable price to me. Before we can close, the question is how Than and Letkra resolve competing interests, first. ("First dibs" versus "but I can afford it").

>pay Gary to hang around
If the group decides they want to stay here a few days, one additional room and board is pretty cheap. Depends on how plans shake out, though.
>>
No. 733766 ID: 4201a2

>>733359
>anything else?
Does Llyr still have the fishing supplies from his starting kit? If yes, he's probably good to go. As long as he can fight and hunt, he'll be satisfied. Otherwise, pick up any missing necessities for fishing/hunting. He's more of a lightning bruiser than an armored hulk, so he'll avoid wearing any kind of armor that would weigh him down enough to reduce agility.

Garaile feels pretty satisfied in the group's non-combat supplies for the time being, but would still be interested in equipment maintenance and/or replacing worn equipment. How is the Raaxe holding up? Garaile can borrow that whetstone to sharpen it if it's a little dull. If it's too beaten-up to be reliable, a fresh axe may be necessary. Garaile also only has a chain-shirt, so acquiring more armor would be awesome, to really reach peak tankiness. That said, armor gets spendy fast, and Garaile received a reduced cut in the last encounter, so value should be prioritized over quality.

>>733645
>Letkra thinks slavery requires consent
Garaile squints a bit at Letkra, unsure if she is genuinely that naive, or simply making a black-hearted joke at Garaile's expense. Finally deciding on the former, Garaile smiles bitterly. "A bit o' force changes paeple's moinds quick."

>>733379
>>733510
>purchasing a pack-hippogriff
We're already having food concerns with an ogre on board. I think we should avoid acquiring more mouths to feed until we get a more self-sustaining way of accumulating food.
>>
No. 733776 ID: cea69d

> have you been adding up the weight
The whole ensemble weighs upwards of 136 pounds by my calculations, excluding the alchemy equipment, which is far more than Riv can carry. Assuming she weighs in somewhere around 100 lbs then I would rate her carry weight at 25/50/75 based on her strength- sound okay with you? Either way, that's kinda the reason I was asking about a beast of burden. Otherwise Riv might need a partner to assist her- perhaps the quartermaster, since we're looking into food and storage?
In regards to poison, Riv's character was a grippli in a past life who secreted a natural poison through her skin- 1d4 con damage once per round over 12 rounds. Would I be able to concoct something similar? Otherwise, I'd say alchemist fire is a pretty good surprise to bite into.
>>
No. 733795 ID: a107fd

>>733766
>Does Llyr still have the fishing supplies from his starting kit?
Yep.
>How is the Raaxe holding up?
Just fine. Skull seems to have gradually shrunken and into a fist-sized lump of solid striated stone, but it's still a recognizable shape, and thus an adequate trophy.
A spare might be good, though, since those gouges slightly compromise the structural integrity of the handle. 25 silver, 4 lb for more of the same, 20 silver, 2 lb for a little hatchet, or 50 silver, 8 lb for a massive unwieldy greataxe - more damage and longer reach, but definitely requires both hands.

>armor
Chainmail sleeves for both arms and both legs would be nine silver, 24 lb altogether. Equivalent coverage in plate armor starts at five gold, 35 lb, assuming they've got a set that already approximately fits, plus a few silver (and days of tedious work) for fine adjustments.

Current chain shirt weighs 16 lb. Adding some length to the lower end, so it covers the hips and groin (but is less concealable), would be four silver and nine extra pounds. Scale armor to replace it would be 21 silver, 35 lb. A steel breastplate would be 25 silver, 18 lb, and provide slightly better protection than scales... but only from the front. Back-plates are out of stock right now.

A brain-bucket sturdier than the current candle-holder would be five silver, 5 lb, or seventeen silver, 10 lb for a great padded jousting helm that covers your face and neck but leaves you peeping out through a tiny eye-slit.

Speaking of which, if Than wants a fox mask made from armor-grade steel instead of brittle porcelain, that'd be four gold, 2 lb for a really beautiful design, with meticulous detail worked into the snout and ears, all covered with vivid fur patterns in red, white, orange, and black enamel, and tempered glass lenses. It'd provide protection equivalent to a basic metal helmet (for the face only), a watertight seal against anything that might otherwise splash in your eyes, and a little bit of resistance to bright lights, at the cost of reducing low-light and peripheral vision to roughly human level.

>>733776
With strength 8, by GURPS rules, she'd be able to carry 13 lb with no encumbrance, 26 lb light, 39 lb medium, 78 lb heavy, and then 130 pounds would be the most she could hold up for more than a few seconds without hurting herself. So, sounds about right.
>12d4 con damage contact poison
Wow. That's... okay, probably the closest you're going to get to that level of lethality on short notice, without dungeon delving, would be to head down to the swamp and hope black lotuses are native to the region. If they aren't, the swamp's still a good place to scrounge. Just collect samples of everything that's small yet aggressive, or colorful yet expecting to be left alone.
Strongest stuff you can buy over the counter is ratslayer oil, one silver per dose. It's an anticoagulant, intended to be applied to an open wound (most likely by being smeared on the blade which inflicted that wound) or combined with bone splinters and either moldy bread or slightly rancid meat, left out as bait. Sometimes lethal, but no faster than bleeding out normally would be. Mainly a tracking aid.
>>
No. 733798 ID: a107fd

>>733409
>If her volume / weight of gold has grown past what will easily fit in a coin purse, a chest of some kind to store gold in the cart might be in order.

One pound is too much for a purse, never mind four. Fortunately Rixxil Kas has that fancy cash box with the elaborate multi-key lock (which any idiot could bypass using a prybar).

Once everyone's been paid, had a chance to wash off the road-dust, get drunk, or otherwise relax, and the shopping is mostly wrapped up, Rixxil Kas asks once again about the possibility of formalizing it's submission to Captain Marijke with a proper telepathic bond.
>>
No. 733804 ID: 3d2d5f

rolled 2, 4, 6 = 12

>>733798
Hmm, Let's try sense motive?

"And why are you so interested in binding yourself?"

(Is Than around? Her glimpse of madness was supposed to eventually let her eyes work on it, although it probably hasn't been long enough yet).

Eadric will give Rixxil a funny squint at the mention of forming a bond. Is this bug thing competition?
>>
No. 733812 ID: 0ae7f9

rolled 4, 2, 2 = 8

>>733647
Buy the mask and shoot the bear in the head.

>>733764
It would probably be a more "tell me how to use it" from Than towards Lektra.

In Than's mind, she seriously doubts Lektra will do anything good with it, especially since that remark with the attic whisperer. For someone who has seen much death and meeting someone with naivety is unsettling.

>>733804
Than shouldn't be around unless Llyr is still around. She would have accepted an offer to hunt together as "fellow temporarily insane people" not knowing it was actually bloodlust.
>>
No. 733818 ID: a107fd

>>733804
>why are you so interested in binding yourself?
"Because it's improper, humiliating, having to be ordered around verbally, like any old piece of meat in the common labor pool! Mistress, you managed to defeat me despite all the typical human mental deficiencies, but shouldn't I at least be permitted to prove my worth in direct service to you? If... imagine if you were in a formal sword duel with someone who previously lost both arms above the elbow, and wielded a rapier between his toes. Imagine further that you lost, decisively, and duelist's etiquette required you to signify concluded hostilities with a handshake. Wouldn't that put you in just such an impossible position, particularly if the victor then stubbornly kept both feet on the ground?"
>sense motive
It seems sincerely confused and distressed.

>>733812
>buy the mask
Metal, or porcelain?

>shoot the bear in the head
Solid hit, target slumps over forward into the watering hole and is finished off by drowning. Quick and painless. With Llyr's help you drag the carcass back to the inn well before nightfall, collect the reward, and the whole crew has bear-meat steaks for dinner.
>>
No. 733862 ID: 4201a2

>>733795
Alright, let's upgrade Garaile to scale armor, with sleeve, hip, and groin coverage, as well as a standard helm. Plate/Joust is tempting, but a little extra protection probably isn't worth the severe mobility/visibility loss. If there's a nice metal shield to replace Garaile's wooden one, grab one of those too. Might as well pick up a spare axe, just in case, although if the Raaxe is sundered I'll weep for the lost character fluff. With all that armor on, where does Garaile sit as far as encumberance?
>>
No. 733866 ID: a075ba

rolled 6, 2, 4 = 12

>>733818
Well, that's consistent with what it argued before, and it [i]seems[/s] sincere. And it does seem to make sense with what little we saw of their social structure / culture. Middling sense roll, but given that Rixxil's previous attempts at deception were somewhat clumsy, and it doesn't really seem to have a great understanding of non-telepathic interpersonal communication, I'm not thinking it's likely that it's a great actor / liar.

What the hell. Marijke will risk it.

>although if the Raaxe is sundered I'll weep for the lost character fluff.
If the worst happens, keep the pieces. Song of mending might work.
>>
No. 733926 ID: 0ae7f9

>>733818
Porcelain. It's more to cover the face rather than armor, if it really comes to it later she'll consider an armored mask that looks like it's made of softer material
>>
No. 733944 ID: a107fd

>>733862
A suit of scale armor covering everything but the head, neck, hands, and feet, would add up to 44 silver, 70 lb. Only iron shield available is a spiked buckler slightly bigger than a pie-plate, for 11 silver, 21 lb.

Figuring strength 14 for "Sir" Garaile, up to 39 pounds is no encumbrance, 78 is light, 117 is medium, 234 is heavy, and anything beyond 390 is back-breaking. So, probably medium encumbrance, meaning movement speed reduced to 60%, and -2 on rolls for anything that requires fancy footwork, such as dodging or moving silently.

>>733866
>risk it
Forming the familiar-bond was like having another floor added on to your house while you slept, and the vomited-up spider swarm was like kicking a little barrel around on the ground. This new connection is somewhat comparable to both, but distinct from either. First of all, there's a rush of power, the mental equivalent of tearing apart a fortress gate with your bare hands. Then, inside, a wondrous alien garden where every blossom unfurls and curtsies, every stalk kneels and shudders at your mere whim.

In practical terms, a slave-bond has unlimited range on the same plane of existence, or both participants could roam within about a fifteen mile radius from opposite sides of a stable portal. Communication bandwidth is comparable to speech, so you can't, for example, look directly through Rixxil Kas's eyes, or ransack a lifetime of memories in minutes, but given enough time extremely complex concepts and images can be conveyed without abstraction or ambiguity. Orders will be obeyed to the letter, without the possibility of disobedience or even hesitation for anything less than certain death, or similarly profound violation of self.
>>
No. 733950 ID: 4201a2

>>733944
>Buckler
Can Garaile Dark-Souls-Parry with that thing? If not, it's probably better to stick to a thick wooden shield that has a little more blocking area.

>Medium load for Garaile is 117 lbs
Armor - 70 lbs
Shield - 21 lbs
Axe - 4 lbs

That's 95 lbs, minus whatever the difference is between the metal and wooden shield. What else is Garaile carrying? I should be able to shed items down to a light load if it's that close.
>>
No. 733971 ID: 3d2d5f

>>733950
The water jug, the other axe (you just bought a spare, right?), probably your share of the gold, one ear, maybe some rations, spare candles, rope, and according to your creation post way back in the first thread, a shovel.

You're also carrying a deep and abiding love of kobolds, but encumbrances of the heart are another matter.

>>733944
Interesting.

So out of curiosity: is this bond the kind of thing that could cause problems if it's discovered in civilized areas?

Am I still picking up confusion and distress, or has its mood improved?
>>
No. 733995 ID: a107fd

>>733950
>Dark-Souls-Parry
Not quite sure what you mean by that. Shields protect in three ways: they can be actively swung around to block attacks, they limit the angles from which enemies are likely to attack (makes dodging or parrying easier), and they're partial cover through which an unguided attack might have to penetrate (better the shield be splintered than your ribs or skull).
Small metal shield w/ spike provides a defense bonus of only 1 for purposes of those first two factors, but for the third factor, it's half again as thick as typical plate armor. Also, pretty decent secondary weapon.
Medium-sized wooden shield is only 15 pounds, unpainted replacement would be three silver, defense bonus of 2 (big enough to cover your whole torso), damage resistance roughly equal to plate armor but flammable.
Large wooden shield is four and a half silver, 25 lb, defense bonus 3 (shoulder to shoulder and neck to knees, or you could hunker down to hide completely).
Shields bigger than that are available, but impractical for conventional use by human-sized folks in hand-to-hand combat. Ogre might benefit from such a thing, though.
>>733971
>still picking up confusion and distress, or has its mood improved?
Definitely improved, like a wanderer in the burning desert who just gulped down a bucket of ice water. Still has some pretty serious non-emotional internal injuries, though.
>is this bond the kind of thing that could cause problems if it's discovered in civilized areas?
You could probably pass it off as a summoned servant. Might make people nervous, the equivalent of walking around with a big slobbering pit bull on a leash. Won't set off some kind of holy war as long as you're clearly in control and nobody's getting hurt.
>>
No. 734017 ID: 3d2d5f

rolled 2, 5, 4 = 11

>Still has some pretty serious non-emotional internal injuries, though
Beyond what a least true healing can fix, I assume? I could hit it with a free sample, maybe the link gives enough insight into the actual injuries for a bonus.

Beyond that I'd need to see if that book in the library helps, or we'd have to a hire a higher circle caster. (The local necromancer, maybe).
>>
No. 734035 ID: 4201a2

>>733971
>>733995
>current and new equipment
I'll stick with the medium shield Garaile already has. There's no need to lug the water jug around anymore, now that we have a wagon for portable storage. The spare axe can also go in the wagon until necessary.

Taking rope and shovel weights from Pfsrd:
Armor - 70 lbs
Shield - 15 lbs
Axe - 4 lbs
Rope - 5 lbs (or 10 lbs if hemp rope)
Shovel - 8 lbs
Total: 102-107/117

So Garaile can sit neatly at a light load with 10-15 lbs to spare for misc. items like candles.

>encumbrances of the heart
Despite overwhelming evidence, no one can prove Garaile is into kobolds.
>>
No. 734064 ID: a107fd

>>734035
Between 0 and 39 pounds would be negligible encumbrance, 39 to 78 is light, 78 to 117 is medium.

>Rope - 5 lbs (or 10 lbs if hemp rope)
>PFSRD
I'm mostly using GURPS numbers, which is six pounds for a shovel and five pounds for ten yards of rope 3/4" thick, rated for 1100 lb loads. Plenty more of that for sale, one and a quarter silver per 10 yards, if you want to stock up. You've also got access to that strand of treated cave fisher filament, twenty yards long for only one pound.

>>734017
Yeah, the link lets you share sensory information, just not all of it at once. Vast improvement on a diagnostician's "where's the pain" routine. Healing magic fixes actual tissue damage, which is why Rixxil Kas is still alive at this point, but there's something sharp inside, inflicting new damage both directly and as a rallying point for infection.

Than left some of her spare arrows behind for the bear-hunting trip. One has spinach-green neogi blood down the shaft, and a missing head.

Major surgery on a creature whose anatomy you know so little about, without even a wound channel through which to work, would be... unlikely to succeed. Extracting the arrowhead without surgery would require some method of teleporting small objects from beyond line of sight, which is at least a 3rd circle effect. You've got the rest of the arrow, though, which is probably equivalent to a blood sympathy link, and the formerly-jade amulet, and many other interesting semi-relevant things, so it might be possible to weave together some ritual-empowered workaround.
>>
No. 734076 ID: a075ba

>>734064
Well, shit. I guess Marijke has a side project.

Rixxil is getting the healing anyways, to repair the latest batch of internal cuts. And it's being order to rest and light duty to try and avoid agitating the arrowhead until it can be dealt with. In fact, it's getting a daily free sample of least true healing until the situation is resolved.

Arrow-arrowhead connection is solid. Connection to the bow (and maybe displacing it elsewhere) through the amulet, although I'd really like to have Than summon her bow and see what (if anything) happens with the amulet. Nico is our sort-of expert on summoning things. We have the book in the library that seems to describe neogi I should probably go over in more detail. Probably should talk to Riv, she if she learned anything about her hosts during her time as a slave that might help.

Not sure if it would be easier or just riskier to attempt a teleportation / shift ritual inside the pocket dimension of the cart-ship (we should christen that at some point, probably).

Another approach might be to try altering the arrow-head- transmute it to something the body can break down, or at least alter the shape to take away the sharp edges. I don't think we have anything really help us got that route, though.

Is there anyone in the crew (or who is easily accessible) who has experience cobbling together ritual magic?
>>
No. 734176 ID: a107fd

>>734076
>Not sure if it would be easier or just riskier to attempt a teleportation / shift ritual inside the pocket dimension of the cart-ship.

Most likely easier, being able to literally approach at the problem from more angles (although it'd be advisable to review and further revise that map in the discussion thread first). Worst-case botch outcome is more severe, but that's true of many powerful tools.

>Another approach might be to try altering the arrow-head- transmute it to something the body can break down, or at least alter the shape to take away the sharp edges. I don't think we have anything really help us got that route, though.

Transmuting metal tends to be difficult in general, and is particularly less compatible with beyond-visual-range than teleportation. Probably a sixth circle effect, with precedents such as Disintegration and Stone To Flesh.

>Is there anyone in the crew (or who is easily accessible) who has experience cobbling together ritual magic?

Riv, of course, is ideally suited to magical gadgeteering. Eswic drunkenly insists that the three acolytes should operate as a team. Goris is already tapped out for the day, scheming with White Snake and Ulman Dark. Altsoba and hazel-eyed Tallie retreated to a private room three hours ago, along with a plate of sandwiches, a jar of hot mustard, half a lemon, a teaspoon with a sharpened edge, a polished steel hand mirror, and several heavy leather straps. They probably shouldn't be interrupted just yet, if the noises are anything to go by.

Not sure about Nico, as it's been so long since his player replied. Anyone know how to proactively contact CalimariGod?
>>
No. 734341 ID: a075ba

rolled 4, 4, 2 = 10

>>734176
The current unavailability of 2 of the 3 acolytes isn't a problem. I figured we'd at least want to wait to the next day before attempting anything so participants could have relevant spells prepared, and that we're better off trying to plan something out than attempt immediate intervention.

>Than went bear hunting
>which involved summoning her bow
Wait, did anything noticeable happen to or with the amulet when the bow was summoned? (Rolling for spot check I guess).
>>
No. 734436 ID: cea69d

Assuming we want to wait for Nico to reply, or give Marjike lead if it seems as if we're not going to hear back from them, I'll assume shopping is on hold and not yet completed- after all Riv could hardly carry that all. Better to wait for the buisness of the wagon and a pack animal to be sorted out.

In the mean time, Riv would like to approach Marjike with a suggestion for the removal of what is presumably an arrow tip lodged in Rixxil Kas. Having taken note of the mending spells Marjike has access to, and hearing mention of teleportation as an idea (presumably Marjike mumbles to herself or something of that nature), Riv wonders if she can modify the spell just a bit to work to their advantage, in the form of a spell I dub Scavengers Tool Kit. The premise of the spell is that it spontaneously mends or creates small, shoddy tools- like an arrow per say- out of nearby materials. Need to make an arrow snappy? The twigs and rocks on the ground are a good enough start as long as you've got a quill in your back pocket. Need a knife in a hurry? There's flint in the ground nearby, and a piece of your shirt can become a loose handle easily enough.
The key would be that it takes nearby materials based on how well they would suit the tool, and an arrow head + broken arrow haft would be exatly what you need to make an arrow, so cast Scav's Tools and suddenly the 2 pieces mend together, outside of Rix's vitals.
>>
No. 734451 ID: 53ce9a

Outside of Rixxil and more importantly in the casters hand- sorry; I was intending for that to be the effect but realized I never stated it outright.
>>
No. 734487 ID: a107fd

>>734341
>The current unavailability of 2 of the 3 acolytes isn't a problem.
All three are unavailable, since Eswic is not only hammered, but unwilling to work alone.

>I figured we'd at least want to wait to the next day before attempting anything so participants could have relevant spells prepared, and that we're better off trying to plan something out than attempt immediate intervention.
Majority of the crew is now engaging in various carousing and debauchery, with a per-person budget varying between 15 and 25 gold. If a fairly successful peasant farmer or tradesman sold off all their worldly possessions, they might be able to scrape together ten gold. So, this party is probably going to last more than one night, or even one week. Just reeling everybody back in enough to start serious planning may be a challenge.

>anything noticeable happen to or with the amulet when the bow was summoned?
The tiny figure inside now has distinct ursine characteristics.
>>734436
>Scavengers Tool Kit
Sure, that could work as a 2nd circle effect. Problem is, without some sort of teleportation, it'd involve ripping the arrowhead out of Rixxil Kas's body in a straight line, without regard for intervening tissues, which is just as risky as the surgery option.
>>
No. 734504 ID: 716fdd

>which is just as risky as the surgery
While Riv has no real love for Rixxil Kas, it is more useful to everyone if it remains alive. Riv will confer with Marjike in greater detail about this matter
since this discussion will require a lot of questions and back and forth between James Marjike and Riv I thought any further discussion about options might be better pursued in the disc thread, so as not to clog up the main channel.
>>
No. 734508 ID: a107fd

>>734504
I'd rather have that more or less in-character discussion, of what you're going to do next, happen in this thread. Save the disthread for 'meta' subjects, or possibly longer-term plans.
>>/questdis/101250
>1) teleportation spell. Don't know what circle of magic this would be
Estimated at least third circle, as mentioned here:
>>734064
Tactically useful teleportation, on the order of sending one or more people a few hundred yards, starts at the fourth circle, so a more limited 'preview' version should be possible.
> stone meld
As previously discussed with a rock-swimming elemental,
>>/questarch/724307
objects embedded in a creature's body are carried along with them when melding into stone.
>>
No. 734509 ID: 5415ca

Ah so if the stone is carried in it would also be carried out, correct? I was thinking if a spell made a creature essentially incorporeal to stone, then something else might more easily pull the stone out. It was mentioned before I could modify the properties of objects- if perhaps I made the stone inside Rix magnetic would it be feasible to pull it out via magnetic force while stone melded? Or would it still be trapped inside it
>>
No. 734511 ID: a107fd

>>734509
Rixxil Kas has an iron arrowhead, not a stone, in it's innards. A powerful enough magnet could indeed extract the arrowhead, but any such direct approach would have the potential to do serious damage.

Magically melding Rixxil Kas's body into a larger mass of stone would have no more effect on the arrowhead than it would on stomach contents. Speaking of which, the neogi hasn't eaten much at all over the past three days, and is visibly weak and shaky.
>>
No. 734529 ID: 5415ca

Remembered Retrevial: Teleports a small item, such as a knife or a flask or idol to a location it's been recently, like your hand, your pack, your cart, or the end of an arrow shaft.
>>
No. 734548 ID: a075ba

>Just reeling everybody back in enough to start serious planning may be a challenge.
Inconvenient our bard's player is afk. Although I half expect the prospect of an experimental magical surgery might be interesting enough to draw in participation even on leave.

>While Riv has no real love for Rixxil Kas, it is more useful to everyone if it remains alive.
The crew also did just ratify a charter that included reasonable medical care. Which means we technically have an obligation to do more than just let it die.

>>734508
>discussing how the ritual works
I was thinking it would be a hybrid of mending and teleportation.

The arrow and the arrowhead were once whole- that's a sympathetic link. Whatever pattern or structure that a mending spell recognizes and uses to stitch together pieces of a whole is still there. So by using the beheaded arrow and an adapted mending framework we get the targeting aspect of the ritual, which allows us to lock onto the arrowhead, and not the rest of Rixxil's organs.

(And hopefully bypasses anything like a manton effect which might be protecting creatures from having low level mages blink their insides outside).

The trickier part of the ritual is the actual removal. We have the amulet, which already made one arrow disappear. It also has some kind of link to Than's weapon, which is either stored in extra-dimensional space, or is a magical / spiritual construct that is materialized and dematerialized at will (the semantic difference being in what manner the bow still exists when not in hand). What we want to do is mend the halves of the arrow, but to pass through that space, rather than materiel, physical distance separating them (and Rixxil's flesh). Some kind of summoning invocation / setup, mediated through the amulet. Send the parts after the other arrow, and/or back to the bow that fired them.

...of course, what I'm saying is equivalent to art student trying to describe how engineering works. I can get across the broad idea across, but it' rather short on mechanistic details as to how we set that up.

>Speaking of which, the neogi hasn't eaten much at all over the past three days, and is visibly weak and shaky.
Hmm. Alchemy might be more immediately useful in brewing something fortifying it can keep down.
>>
No. 734573 ID: cea69d

Makes sense- the arrow will naturally want to mend its 2 parts together; we just create a path of least resistance and suggest it use our bridge instead of trying to wiggle its way through someone's body. We make a bridge using the amulet as a tether to make a more appealing path through the alternate dimension rather than passing through Rix
>>
No. 734574 ID: cea69d

In terms of whipping up an alchemical brew for Rix I certainly wouldn't mind whipping something up- equivalents for things like bloodblock, body balm, soothsyrup or stillgut, but I'm betting we don't know enough about Rix's anatomy to effecticly treat it other than food and liquids. If we need to give it sustenance it probably knows what it needs better than us; asking it what to do wouldn't be a bad idea
>>
No. 734603 ID: 0ae7f9

>>734548
Bow affects arrow in some way, not vice versa. The bow is magical, arrow is not but can become magical. No link whatsoever between the two after the shot lands. Try asking Rixxil what corrosive substances he is (if there are any) immune against and try to melt down the arrow?

Going to assume the only connection the bow has with your amulet is it gives you the souls of whatever it kills. Maybe an extra summon?

Still not sure if Llyr and Than are back with the group yet.
>>
No. 734606 ID: a107fd

>>734548
>short on mechanistic details as to how we set that up
Picture a whiteboard, with an eraser stuck to it by magnets, right in the middle of a circle drawn in dry-erase marker. You've got a team of very clever ants, assorted office supplies, and a coil of copper wire ready to be plugged into a car battery for a one-shot electromagnet. Your goal is to move the eraser away from it's current position, without smudging the circle. Your ants might be able to lift it, but then again, maybe not. Maybe they'd smudge the circle with their feet just by walking around.

What would be helpful is a second dry-erase board, close by and parallel to the first. Then, you could use the coil to launch the eraser exactly perpendicular, detaching it from it's current plane and sticking it to the other without any lateral motion whatsoever. Better still, a whole Cartesian coordinate-grid of such boards, around which you could construct a stabilizing channel.

How's that map of the "basement" coming along?

>>734574
>medical alchemy for Rixxil Kas
Overall, very dangerous, pending comprehensive understanding of Neogi biology. I mean, for surgery, at least there's a decent chance you'd be able to recognize a major blood vessel when you're looking right at it. When the blood inside isn't even the right color, any given drug is vastly more likely to be harmful, or at best functionally inert, than to have medicinal effect. You could figure out basics in about a month of full-time work, given a well supplied lab and some healthy subjects to run unconscionable experiments on.

One exception, relatively safe to attempt even without full understanding, would be somehow infusing nutrients directly into the blood, bypassing crippled digestive organs. Man cannot live on bread alone, but water, sugar and salt is better than nothing. You'd have to do some tests on a blood sample to figure out exactly how much salt, and what sort of sugars are safe.

In GURPS terms, the setting is TL 4, with the notable exception of lacking gunpoweder, but TL 6+ medical techniques, such as defibrillation, intravenous fluids, and trauma maintenance, are possible with relatively modest magical support.
>>
No. 734608 ID: a075ba

>>734603
There's a causal link. The bow acted up the arrow, placed it where it is, defined and propagated it. There's also something of a sympathetic resonance in that bow and arrow are haves of the same larger archetype, and meant to be used together.

Granted, it's not the same kind of strong link as "here is this one thing rent in twain."

>Maybe an extra summon?
Maybe. I haven't even explored what first servant invocation even does, yet.

>>734606
So... we need a destination for what we're extracting. Some prepared area / target for it to land, likely with some kind of metaphysical similarity to Rixxil.

If we need to contain a path, I wonder if we should include Than in the ritual. She's a non-caster, but we could probably ritualistically invoke her 'firing' the arrow, thus defining a path.

>other idea for treatment
Does shadow armor have to come with sharp edges? One possible mitigating treatment would be to cast shadow armor on the arrowhead, creating a kind of blunt-edged shadow cyst around it, and stopping it from cutting up Rixxil any more in the interim.

(Casting shadow armor on the organs themselves is probably a bad idea. It would be a lot more complicated, it would use up a lot more room in it's insides, and some organs (like lungs) need to be able to move / expand).
>>
No. 734739 ID: cea69d

I think our best bet is to use than as the other whiteboard- her inter dimensional space she can access to store/retrieve the bow would act as the other channel, with the amulet acting as the spring that jumps it between the two plans, both from the space and then back again- although the back again part really isn't important as long as it's out of Rix.
as far as the map goes, my first day off in like a month is Tuesday. I've been struggling a lot with the fact that it's not all on the same plane but there's little to indicate where any changes of elevation might be, and because so many things have doors linking up, I need a good 4 hours or so to sit down and try to puzzle this out. For right now though I'm stumped and haven't had the free time to figure out how the hell this is layer out.
>>
No. 734776 ID: a107fd

>>734739
Than is, metaphorically, one of the very clever ants. The whiteboard is a 2-dimensional metaphor for the 3-dimensional space within which you're operating, to help contextualize problems of moving outside that space.
>>734608
>Some prepared area / target for it to land, likely with some kind of metaphysical similarity to Rixxil.
Emptiness may be more important quality to evoke than similarity to current circumstances. An arrowhead's not like a tree: it's comfortable being moved around with abrupt application of force. You need somewhere that you can thoroughly purify, and isolate from outside influences, preferably with a big, hard, flat surface to draw chalk diagrams on, accessible from all sides so that any ritual assistants can avoid tripping over each other. The wagon's kitchen might be good. And, you'll need another space parallel to that, with Rixxil Kas sitting at a corresponding focal point. Further diagrams and attendants in perpendicular spaces would be a nice bonus, reducing the chances of catastrophic failure, but not strictly necessary for the core effect.

>cast shadow armor on the arrowhead
Touch range, so you'd need to do some surgery to open Rixxil up and reach the arrowhead. Then, the spell would parse the arrowhead as part of Rixxil's clothing-and-equipment, and wrap around the whole creature just as if it had been cast on any other part of the body. Same reason shields don't usually work very well against touch-range attack spells and rays.
>>
No. 735048 ID: cea69d

Sorry, bad choice of words. I meant to say that Than stores/summons her bow from an extra-dimensional space outside of our plane. The suggestion is that we move the arrow into that plane, and then back out, mimicking the jumping magnet metaphor. Now that i think about it, I'm not sure how exatly than gets an arrow into her bow. When she snaps her fingers does the bow appear and she loads an arrow? Or does he just point and fire, and the arrow comes with the package? Because if it's the latter, it seems like having Than shoot the broken arrow would be the best way to teleport our problem arrowhead, as long as I understand how it all works
>>
No. 735190 ID: 0ae7f9

>>735048
Summon bow, nock arrow, shoot. It's rather quick because she's used to doing it often.
>>
No. 735622 ID: a107fd

>>732287
>The closest known dungeon entrance is that big stone hillside carved to look like a demon's face, with a staircase down in it's mouth.

Lots of rumors and people trading stories about raids on the Mouth of Doom. Consensus (and your own past observations) confirms that the lower end of the stairs is in the center of a 60' square room, with a fifteen foot high ceiling. There are six doors, more or less equally spaced around the room's perimeter, each set in the back of a 10' cubic alcove. Lintels over the alcoves are each carved with symbols (in clockwise order: fanged goat's face, a skull, a pentacle, a hand, and a wolf's head in profile), except for the northernmost which initially appears blank.

When someone approaches within ten or fifteen feet of the northern alcove, stone flows apart to reveal an eerie crystal eye, a fist-sized translucent red almond, pointed end down. A pair of lips in mid-air just below it begin to speak. They have no apparent color, texture, shape, or even size, yet somehow produce sound and present a sharp visual sense of movement.
"Welcome, friends, to the healing hall of..." there's a brief nails-on-chalkboard screech "...ter masks, respect the inherent dignity and physical limitations of your fellow petitioners, and remember that the white zone is for loading and unloading only. In today's announcements,"
The smooth crystalline voice changes to that of a wheezing man, half-crazed.
"It's loose! We were fools to even make the attempt. So many already dead..." There's an extended coughing fit, punctuated by unintelligibly phlegm-choked prayers. "...kruzhili nado mnoj. Still, some hope. Baiting the core into a quarantine cell. Whoever hears this, turn back, get word to our Yrthakite allies, but whatever you do, don't touch th..."
Crystalline voice abruptly switches back in.
"...and the feast day of St. Ysbel is next week, so get your berry pie recipies ready! That concludes the daily announcements. Please remove any cloaks and footwear, then wash your hands before proceeding further inside."
Message complete, the eye closes seamlessly, and the non-lips vanish into the background noise of imperfect sight. If left alone for a couple hours, sometimes less, and disturbed again, it'll repeat from the beginning.

St. Ysbel is traditionally depicted as a young woman of typical haltan features (medium-brown skin, spiky green hair, orange eyes), clad in white robes and a purple sash, or otherwise adorned with horizontal stripes of violet and white. She carries a hooked sword in her left hand, and a basket in her right. The basket contains berries, bread, olives OR pears (never both!), salt, and colored glass. Her lips are blue. Portfolio is something to do with... hospitality? Or maybe rodents? Some people use magic bound into a statue of her to keep mice off their grain, as a dubious alternative or supplement to keeping cats. You're not aware of her having a specific feast day, certainly not one that was widely celebrated in the past decade or two.
>>
No. 735820 ID: a107fd

>>/questdis/101511
>dimensions of the cart
It's a cargo wagon. Picture a wooden pickup truck, with a small bench and a draft harness instead of a cab and an engine. Fifty cubic feet of cargo space under a tarp, rated for half a ton but you could probably pile on about three times that without breaking the axles (though it wouldn't do speed any favors), just barely narrow enough to squeeze through a 10' wide gate. Apart from the "basement" it's worth at most two gold, and even then only if those barrels are watertight and in good condition. Weighs 750 pounds empty, with the "basement" installed, so the ogre's currently showing off for a small but enthusiastic crowd by laying on his back underneath and repeatedly lifting it.
>>
No. 737082 ID: cea69d

Surprised the ogre is drawing fans, considering it's monstrous appearance. It seems we still aren't totally sure on the plan for surgery yet, so Riv will ask Rix what it Eats/drinks normally, as it still hasn't been looked after in the nourishment department.
>>
No. 737386 ID: a107fd

>>737082
>Surprised the ogre is drawing fans, considering it's monstrous appearance
An ogre can almost pass for an exceptionally big, ugly human or orc. They're not native to the area, and this one in particular hasn't committed any visible atrocities yet, so people are more or less treating it like a show put on by some circus's strongman.
>ask Rix what it Eats/drinks normally
After running through a whole menu of gourmet meals requiring otherworldly ingredients, which Rixxil itself has no real idea how to obtain nor prepare, the most practical options seem to revolve around carmelized meat, or fish pickled in lye. Raw meat is regarded like candy, or milk: a treat for children and fools, which tends to give otherwise responsible adults indigestion when they overindulge. Certain vegetables, stones, and berry paste desiccated by Nico's giant ants, may also be needed to provide supplementary nutrients.
>>
No. 737390 ID: cea69d

>>737386
Riv would suggest we stay away from meats then. No sense wasting resources when other, far more accessible foods are available. Although, if hunting goes well, we should have fish and meat for a decent while. Probably worth feeding to Rix.
>>101800
>at least +1
That +1 is technically a minus 1, correct? If I remember correctly you try to roll under a stat or DC in gurps, so lower numbers are better.
Asside from that, Riv votes to feed the creature. We should have access to fish and hopefully meat as stated before, as long as Than and Lyr are successful. Desiccated berries should be in stock. Riv has the materials she needs for her alchemy lab via the 2 gold in the shop, correct? If so, do I have what I need to attempt to take a blood sample and replicate it? Or do we need to procure other specialized tools? Note, this is wondering specifically for drawing and replicating Rix's blood. I understand we could purse other magical tools to improve the chances of surgery success, but it seems like time is worth it's weight in blood here, so I'm mostly inquiring after mundane tools that could be purchased before the shops close for the day.
>>
No. 737393 ID: cea69d

An additional inquiry- does looking directly at Rixxil Kas still cause an overwhelming sense of blood-lust? Or because it's tied to Marjike does that ability no longer pose a threat? Or perhaps, does it pose a threat to some of the crew, but not all? How much information about this is Marjike able to gather? We already determined that Rix doesn't have in-depth knowledge about why we go berserk, so I'm assuming we need to either do tests or talk to our resident Captain, since her bond with Rix should provide more information than much else we can do.
>>
No. 737511 ID: a107fd

>>737390
>That +1 is technically a minus 1, correct? If I remember correctly you try to roll under a stat or DC in gurps, so lower numbers are better.
Low rolls are better because you're trying to roll under your effective skill. For skills, higher numbers are better. For example, the surgery might currently require a 6 or less on 3d6 to succeed, and superior tools would improve that to 7 or less, while adequate knowledge of neogi physiology would improve it to 12 or less.
>do I have what I need to attempt to take a blood sample
Yep!
>and replicate it?
You'll need distilled water and potash, which are straightforward but time-consuming to synthesize. Should be ready by noon tomorrow, assuming you're allowed to scavenge ashes from the Black Boar Inn's hearth, obtain charcoal and table salt at the quartermaster's expense, and build a fire in the wagon's kitchen. Go ahead and roll for it.
>>737393
>does looking directly at Rixxil Kas still cause an overwhelming sense of blood-lust?
Never did. Only the big beetle-monsters produce that effect, not their comparatively diminutive masters.
>>
No. 737513 ID: cea69d

rolled 6, 3, 3 = 12

>Go ahead and roll for it.
>>
No. 737562 ID: 2e2d71

rolled 2, 5, 6 = 13

>How much information about this is Marjike able to gather?
>since her bond with Rix should provide more information than much else we can do.
I suppose can answer that question by rolling for that. Simple gather information check, assuming that Rixxil would better be able to convey these concepts telepathically than in what is probably a second (or higher) alien language.

Assuming I get useful physiological / biological / medical / nutritional / whatever date Marijke could dump in on Riv with a charge of Lightning Lecture Atemi to save on time (and to reduce the risk of corrupting alien input by parsing them overmuch through subjective perception and spoken language).
>>
No. 737808 ID: a107fd

As a reference for timekeeping, you arrived at the inn late afternoon on day 7, investigated the extradimensional space over the next few hours, and Marijke figured out the hypercube thing around dawn on day 8. Shopping happened overnight, because when some maniac shows up at your store with half a dozen friends, a battle-damaged axe in one hand, sack full of gold in the other, wearing a necklace of ears, it's not closing time until everybody's satisfied with their purchases.

>>737513
Direct access to the memories of particular flavors definitely helps nail down which foods have all the right nutrients vs. what's unnecessary, or potentially toxic. Some aspects remain stubbornly counter-intuitive. Neogi definitely seem to be obligate carnivores, but, as adults, they progressively lose the ability to digest raw meat - at some point it has to be thoroughly cooked, or they might as well be gnawing wet cardboard. And they can't reproduce until well after that point! How could they possibly have survived as a species long enough to develop a civilization? Rixxil Kas is neither a doctor nor a historian, and dismisses such questions as either above it's pay grade or heretical. The neogi have always been, and will always be, superior merchants and pirates (the two are mentally referred to as not only pillars of virtue, but near-synonyms, like "an officer and a gentleman"), therefore all worthwhile things will come to them in due time.

>>737562
As of noon on day 8, Riv has brewed up a gallon jug full of goo that should, theoretically, be adequately compatible with neogi blood chemistry and basic nutritional requirements. That's enough (if doled out, along with bed rest) to last two or three days, undoing the past three days of starvation in the process. If this first batch doesn't have horrible side effects more or less immediately, and you can obtain a steady supply of refined sugar, should be set for three months or so. Next question is, how are you going to get the goo in there? Tubing and a hollow needle, or split into single-serve containers and test-fire a teleport ritual in reverse? Either way, another roll is required.
>>
No. 737809 ID: 3d2d5f

>needs a steady supply of refined sugar
Would you look at that, I got a hummingbird after all.
>>
No. 737813 ID: cea69d

Riv suggests that if they're testing teleportation, it shouldn't be on the already critically wounded creature that they need to preform risky and complex surgery on. She says she will prepare to preform the insertion, preferably with Marjikes help, once she and Rix confirm they are ready
>>
No. 738531 ID: a107fd

rolled 1, 2, 3 = 6

Seeing Gunderbag the Ogre lifting the wagon (on her way to the inn), Letkra is impressed, and says: [code]"Whoa, you can lift the wagon? That'll probably be important later. I bet you could move it over a rock, or a small river!"[code]

Staying at the Inn is very important and part of what she came here to do, so, after some confusion that no one else is doing so (she wonders if there's an inn inside the wagon? But it certainly didn't sound that way), she'll proceed with laying motionless in bed for exactly 8 hours. The next morning, she sits up with a musical *ding!* sound.

If Letkra sees Ravenous Llyr and Than bringing back a bear corpse, she's going to be confused and weirded out, because on one hand, "we were in a field, a bear appeared, and we had to fight it" seems like a pretty legitimate situation, but on the other hand, why's there this creepy messed up bear laying around afterwards? (and what are they planning to do with it? Do they have some kind of relationship with this bear, perhaps? She'll certainly think so if they start to skin it.)

Nevertheless, Letkra thinks going to the dungeon is Important, and she's (one of the only ones, along with Ravenous Llyr, who's) never been there (that she knows of, at least). So after she's done sleeping at the inn, she'll go around asking if anyone in the party is planning to go there. Preferably everyone in the group (one by one if need be), if they're available.

She suspects Garaille is feeling down, and tries to encourage him somehow, but isn't entirely sure where to start.

She's also not terribly sure why Rixxil Kas is still ill, and wonders if they should be going on a Quest for something it needs for a cure, like a leaf of Yggdrasil or something like that.

(Rolling for social stuff- be it diplomacy, gather information, persuasion, or whatever is appropriate.)
>>
No. 738559 ID: 4201a2

rolled 3, 4, 5 = 12

Alright, here we go.
Garaile, who has likely been doing quite a bit of drinking at the inn while keeping an eye on the kobolds, is going to finally piece together the idea of actually teaching the kobolds to defend themselves instead of spiralling slowly into abject paranoid madness. When their business at the inn is done and they retreat back to the relative privacy of the wagon, Garaile will pitch the idea to them. A little hard training every day under a seasoned (if somewhat off-kilter) Soldier, and they're sure to develop some basic combat abilities, gain a bit of self-confidence, and be able to enjoy some semblence of peace of mind.

It's all voluntary, of course. But if they accept, Garaile is not going to let them back out halfway through. There will tangible results.
>>
No. 738561 ID: a107fd

>>738531
>"Whoa, you can lift the wagon? That'll probably be important later. I bet you could move it over a rock, or a small river!"
Gunderbag is easily flattered, but not so enthusiastic about the prospect of hard work, unless the labor involves despoiling something beautiful, or at least destruction in general. He'd much rather smash a rock to bits than climb over it while carrying a heavy load.

>go around asking if anyone in the party is planning to go [to the dungeon]
Good roll, so it shouldn't be too hard to drag everybody away from the carousing. In fact, given the group's evident successes (lots of cash and other valuables, no obvious curses, dismemberment, or mourning) you could even do some recruiting. http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2008-03-20

If you're looking for heroic NPCs, describe what your selection criteria are, in terms that you can observe, and which could encompass potentially valid PCs. As an additional option, you could look for dynastic sorcerers based on family reputation and/or their own claims or demonstrations of power.

If you want greater numbers, let's talk in terms of 10-man units. With your current social connections and industrial base, you could recruit and support bowmen, light cavalry (mostly bandits), light infantry, medium infantry, miners, pikemen, or swamp trolls. As for naval power, you've got three options, each of which is more expensive than the previous by a factor of 8: big polynesian-style canoe (holds two 10-man units and their gear), sailing ship (holds five 10-man units above and beyond the actual crew, plus cargo including food and other supplies for six to ten months), and merchant galley (similar carrying capacity to the sailing ship, but works by oars instead of wind, thus maneuverability and sprint speed at the expense of endurance, and prow reinforced for ramming). Any of these can start with B-, C- or D-rank gear, and C- or D-rank skills, and be hired either as permanent parts of the company, or contract mercenaries. Prices for specific combinations and support infrastructure will be calculated upon request.

Conventional social networking could open up gryphon knights and other career soldiers, along with better gear. If the acolytes had a fully-qualified priest and a suitable ritual space available, they'd add battle magi to the list, and possibly unlock skill upgrades or other modifiers for infantry. Similar investment in Nico Nashville's obsessions would allow permanently summoned giant ants, and stranger things. Conquering a settlement (or preventing someone else from conquering or destroying it, decisively and directly enough as to amount to the same thing) could provide troops who serve within certain conditions without having to be paid at all.
>>
No. 738793 ID: cea69d

rolled 2, 1, 4 = 7

While waiting for Marjike to approve on the needle and tube method of nutrition, Riv will grab a medium sized urn that can be sealed air-tight, as well as her knife. She will then sit down in front of Rix and address it:
Thrall, what do you know of constructing bodies and simulacrum?
>>
No. 738821 ID: 24100f

>unless the labor involves despoiling something beautiful
Well I suppose we all need our hobbies.

>>738793
I wasn't aware I needed to rubber stamp that as part of the medical treatment / blood test, but okay.

Assuming Marijke would have told Rixxil to cooperate with Riv, it's probably going to answer your question, too.
>>
No. 738826 ID: 24aec8

>>>737813
>she will prepare to preform the insertion, preferably with Marjikes help, once she and Rix confirm they are ready
Was referring to this- she and Rix are both your crew members, emphasis on the word your, and she doesn't wan't to do anything to Rix without your prior consent.
posting from a different device but yes it's still Riv
>>
No. 739076 ID: a107fd

>>738821
>would have told Rixxil to cooperate
"I should cooperate with my boss's other subordinates, particularly when they're trying to give me life-saving medical care" was among the most reasonable of Rixxil's implicit assumptions, but reinforcing it with a direct order doesn't hurt.

>>738793
>rolled 2, 1, 4 = 7
After some clever improvisation with gold foil, a quill pen, beeswax, spare glassware, and select bits of a dead bear's urinary tract, Rixxil's intravenous food supply is all set up. No apparent side effects apart from chills (which subside when the mixture is adequately pre-heated) and mild nausea.

>what do you know of constructing bodies and simulacrum?
Of alchemical homunculi? Almost nothing of technical use. Wizards of old would supposedly grow replacement bodies for themselves and their allies or concubines, some mockery of druidic forced reincarnation refined to blasphemous perfection. A few great sages in the modern day claim to do the same, and those that aren't lying will gladly pay certain extortionate prices for certain specialized reagents, presumably necessary to the process.

Or do you mean constructed bodies in the sense of statues-of-war? Passholdt is rumored to have built many of those, most recently the venomous iron variety. Exports of sculptural-quality clay to their northern allies have dropped off, though, suggesting that something is denying trade access to the subterranean headwaters of the Stoneheart River.
>>
No. 739096 ID: cea69d

Riv begins to cut her hair with her knife, shortening to a length that cannot be grabbed or snatched reasonably, saving the clippings and clumps of hair in the urn she brought
What of Neogi? Your people possess no different knowledge, even without the stifling hand of the Dracocracy subverting and destroying the progression of knowledge?
>>
No. 739153 ID: a107fd

>>739096
The neogi as a whole have many secrets, but Rixxil Kas personally is a merchant, not a technician or even a librarian. If you want to, say, learn how to build, maintain, and repair skyships, go back to the crash site and capture or subvert either Azri Voqq (the engineer), or Urqo Zar (the political officer). Or, of course, whoever captured and claimed Neex Hist, the group's administrarch, would thus become the new administrarch.
>>
No. 739370 ID: 469cbd

Riv grimaces at the creatures lack of in depth knowledge in the creation of artificial life. However, it was not a complete waste of her time. She approaches Marjike:
Mistress, our immediate goals have revolved around ensuring Your Servants health and devising what has happened revolving around Your Amulet and Masks bow. Have you given any consideration to where you would direct Your Resources after the crew have had their fill of "shore leave"? If not, I have some suggestions as to how we could obtain a greater level of power and further facilitate the goals of everyone in the crew.
>>
No. 739410 ID: a107fd

As Letkra goes around looking for people to ask about dungeon-delving, she walks past earshot of Rixxil Kas and Riv.
>>739153
"Crash site? What crash site? I heard there's Stairs Down a little ways to the south, with some sort of medical thing. How many different places are there around here?"
>>735622
>>
No. 739421 ID: a107fd

>>739410
>What crash site?
"The skyship crash site," says Rixxil Kas, head drooping onto the table with an audible thunk, "down by the coast? You're saying you completely forgot the battle where I was defeated. It hasn't even been a week. What is wrong with you people! One minute you're giving me medical care, then shares in your enterprise, then this whiplash back around to less-than-garbage neglect."

>>739370
Go ahead and spell out your actual suggestions.
>>
No. 739424 ID: a107fd

"Oh, that was a crash site? (wait, this skyship you're talking about- is it still there? Do we need to go back and float it up out of the sand?) I do remember those events, but I thought that place was just some sort of cove, maybe with some docks out in the back. I must've missed when the actual crash happened." She's also a little confused and worried. "Sorry, I didn't realize asking about it would upset you." (She doesn't really get why it did.)
>>
No. 739435 ID: 24100f

>What is wrong with you people!
To be honest, I was half-curious if Rixxil was even going to react to her as a "person" at all, since as an artificial life form she might not ping its telepathy at all.
>>
No. 739455 ID: a107fd

>>739435
Most neogi don't have general-purpose telepathy, and even if they did, precautionary shielding against their enslavement power could make otherwise normal minds difficult or impossible to detect. It's assessing Letkra as a "person" partly on the basis of how her actions displayed intelligence and volition, and, perhaps to a greater extent, because Marijke ordered it to extend at least minimal respect to the other signatories of the charter, of whom Letkra is one.

So, where to next? Some known adventure sites, in decreasing order of proximity:

The Mouth of Doom, your basic starting dungeon. Animated skeletons, giant rats, weird little slime things, scarier stuff as you go deeper.

That monastery.

The crash site.

Passholdt, where you could find a buyer for Rixxil Kas's excessively elaborate clockwork cashbox, and any other big-city fun.

The coven, far down the coast.
>>
No. 739504 ID: cea69d

Riv narrows her eyes upon hearing Letkra's comments, drawing her cloak closer.
We already know there are several points of interest in the area. While it appears that some are interested in risking their lives for senseless conquest, I would like to believe that you have greater ambitions than leading us to a cold, dark grave.
Consider this: The Dracocracy keeps a close eye and a tight reign on it's populous. Knowledge is stifled, stolen, and those who possess it have the life crushed from their bodies. If you desire power, power that can acquire wealth, power that can surpass wealth, we cannot gain such underneath their rule. You shouldn't have to count gold pieces, track every silver to ensure you have room and board. You know you are capable of greater status than captain of a wagon. I have seen the way your eyes glimmer, inspecting your library. You know knowledge is power, and power is money. Our goals align.
Your Thrall was part of a downed air-ship; the combination of my skills and their knowledge would be more than enough to get it air-born again. If we are able to subvert their crew, and bind their leader to you, your resources would more than double. The knowledge they possess could lead us to areas outside the Dracocracy's control, and allow us to make our claim and build your forces without interference. Queen of an empire suits you better than captain of a crew, does it not?
If we consider our options, the "soggy monks" mentioned before hand likely possess great power if capable of reviving others. Not only that, we know they will soon be in possession of a powerful and valuable weapon. Either of these strongholds offer an opportunity for strategic gain, and taking on one after the other could offer a greater cut of the available resources.
With power comes gold, and with gold comes power. Rather than risk our own necks, gathering a force to enter the dungeons could eliminate a significant portion of the risk that we ourselves would have to incur otherwise. I owe you and your people, but I have little interest in playing doctor forever. You are my mistress and as such I will follow your orders, but consider reaching further than the caves in front of you

>>
No. 739511 ID: a107fd

>>739504
>The Dracocracy keeps a close eye and a tight reign on it's populous. Knowledge is stifled, stolen, and those who possess it have the life crushed from their bodies. If you desire power, power that can acquire wealth, power that can surpass wealth, we cannot gain such underneath their rule.

This isn't so broadly true. Most drakocratic cities have solid public education systems, reasonable levels of privacy, personal autonomy (except for slaves, but even that has checks and balances, and Marijke doesn't have much moral high ground on the issue), and social mobility, particularly opportunities for people with practical skills to advance to positions where they can make good use of those skills. Most dragons don't enjoy micromanagement for it's own sake, and see the long-term benefits of keeping people happy and productive rather than miserable and oppressed. It's just that they classify chemical explosives and certain sorts of deep magical research as 'doomsday tech,' like modern nuclear weapons.
>>
No. 739518 ID: cea69d

>>739511
Riv is aware of this, but is personally offended by the things they do keep under wraps. Think more "conspiracy nut" and less "valid concerns about censorship"
Her deep seated interest in research of the arcane and and material worlds, combined with her paranoia that people are constantly and actively trying to kill or take advantage of her leads her to feels that she is under surveillance and does not have free reign to peruse her questionable pursuits. Combine this with incidents like towns being destroyed by fiery oil rain which she is certainly convinced was a plot by dragons to keep knowledge from spreading and you get someone who FEELS like they're living in an oppressive government, surrounded by sheeple who can't see the wool in front of their eyes, hence her wish to subvert them, or at least move outside of their circle of influence.
>>
No. 739537 ID: 24100f

>>739424
Yeah, in Lektra's defense, it's not as if it being a "crash site" was common knowledge. Since Riv was enslaved into doing repair work she might well have had enough info to realize how the neogi got there, and Goris and Snake saw (what I presume to be) the ship and might have guessed, but anyone else would have needed secondhand information to connect the dots.

>>739504
Marijke is of the opinion we got very lucky in our initial raid on the neogi, and is disinclined to push her luck returning back and attempting to take over outright. Not when we have gold in our pocket, goods to sell, and a favor with a powerful coven to cache in. We kicked a hornet's nest there, and they're likely still riled up. (Maybe after we've leveled, or are otherwise more prepared?).

>where go
Marijke' immediate personal priority is probably working on preparing for the ritual, but there's no reason that has to involve the whole group.

I certainly wouldn't object to sending a group to cut their teeth in the local dungeon.

If we head to the monastery, we need a reason more than just accompanying Gary, I think. How does the trip benefit the crew and charter- is there a moneymaking opportunity?

Passholdt seems like the obvious next bigger destination to me. We can sell our fungible loot, and there's lots of things in a city for people to sink gold in.

Then we probably turn towards the coven, and see what opportunities there are to make money on route.
>>
No. 739538 ID: a107fd

>>739518
Fair enough.

That being said, the recorded message in the unmarked lintel in the first room under the Mouth of Doom strongly suggests there's at least remnants of some unsanctioned research down there, most likely medical.

The neogi skyship crash site might be more time-sensitive, but on the other hand, if the coven raids that place and captures everything before they finish repairs, you could probably take a lot of the technical info and reverse-engineerable doodads, either calling in the favor you did by opening it up to them, or paying actual cash and/or items of interest.
>>
No. 739540 ID: a107fd

>>739537
So, who do you want to send on an expedition, and who do you want to keep for the ritual prep?

Since the wagon can (just barely) fit through 10' wide corridors, and the ogre can lift it, it's conceivable you could actually bring the whole thing into the dungeon, and thereby avoid splitting the party too much. There are some potential downsides to that approach as well, starting with the fact that the 'basement door' is made of wood, NOT magically indestructible.
>>
No. 739573 ID: 790a81

Riv will once again protest:
The only thing lacking from your previous attempt was knowledge: with a detailed layout of the ship and caves, and Rixxil assisting us in knowing patterns and behaviors we are more than equipped. Before my capture I was working on creating a serum to render one invisible. Given time and resources I could infiltrate the compound, force a surrender. Surely you can see that there is more profit in an airship than trading bolts of silk like a petty merchant. The monks possess a weapon worth thousands of gold - there is plenty of opportunity for capital gain, not to mention that Eyes would be an asset. We do not lack supplies- what do you seek to buy in passholdt that we do not have? Anything worth possessing has a far greater cost than our current funds can support. This town has all the stock we need to support ourselves. A dungeon certainly provides valuable materials; wealth knowledge and experience are all valuables carried within these forgotten halls, but if you die then you gain nothing. Let others take the risk for you, and then reap rewards beyond the pay of short sighted grunts. If you are so concerned with moving clockwork boxes and such, then take heir price out of my share and give them to me. I'm sure I could find a use for such a device. But do not waste your time squabbling in the marketplace when their is so much more to be gained
>>
No. 739684 ID: 4201a2

>>739540
>expedition
Regardless of where Marijke deems fit to send us, Llyr, hungry for action and/or flesh, volunteers to be point man/shark.

>bring the cart into the dungeon
Garaile strongly recommends against this, reasoning that the majority of the group's current resources should not be gambled on a single expedition. Should a hasty retreat be necessary, the cart should remain as an external mobile base camp to which the group can safely retreat to lick their wounds. The members of the party who are not yet combat-capable (such as the kobolds) will be staying in the cart when not in range of civilization, and needlessly exposing the cart to danger also threatens their welfare. Naturally, Garaile will stay behind to help defend the cart at least until such time as the noncombatants of the group can be trained into combatants.
>>
No. 739686 ID: a107fd

>>739573
Rixxil Kas points out that if you're going to consider returning to, let alone assaulting, the crash site, bear in mind that Neex Hist is a sorcerer capable of no less than the third circle. In battle, would you have any answer for lightning bolts thrown like javelins, or fuel-less fires hot enough to melt bronze, or inerrant razor-winged obsidian butterflies?
>>
No. 739731 ID: 81f09d

In response to Rixxil's statement, Riv scoffs
I doubt your mage is so great as to assault us with these spells while unconscious.
>>
No. 739745 ID: a107fd

>>739731
And how do you propose rendering the administrarch unconscious? Or for that matter, dealing with the remaining umbers, and the terrible floating eye in the ship's hold, while Neex Hist is out cold and thus unable to order them to stand down?
>>
No. 739750 ID: 24100f

>>739684
I would agree with that tactical assessment. The cart stays outside the dungeon, no need to invite it being interrupted.

>>739573
>>739745
The last time we took down a third circle mage he was abandoned by his allies, and goaded by anger into using his resources poorly.

In addition to other threats, Rixxil has yet to mention that which would concern me the most: between the neogi's mental control, and the insanity their larger allies inspire, we would find ourselves fighting our own crew. Even if we should find ourselves victorious (and that's a big if) I do not think the charter would survive the consequences of that.

Riv, I understand you feel a desire for vengeance, I see you want to reclaim your own work rather than leave it in the hands of others, and believe me, I know greed. But piracy is about balancing risk and reward, and though the reward you propose is great, the risk is greater still. One does not raid the dragon's treasury simply because they have more wealth.
>>
No. 739765 ID: a107fd

>>739750
>The last time we took down a third circle mage he was abandoned by his allies, and goaded by anger into using his resources poorly.
You also had that giant snail as an expendable heavy, and were invited inside and provided with food and rest immediately prior to the battle, rather than having to march overland while dodging patrols and then breach a guarded perimeter.

So, who's staying for ritual prep, and who's going on the delve? If Garaile wants to stay back with the kobolds, and the three acolytes are your experts at preparing ritual magic, and Riv is the inventor (probably needs to babysit the life-support machinery, too), that leaves Marijke as the only available field healer.

Are you going to keep the wagon parked at or near the Black Boar, for perimeter security and easy access to any last-minute ritual supplies, or haul it out near the dungeon entrance to simplify retrieval of loot and wounded?
>>
No. 739803 ID: 24100f

>>739765
>you're the only available field healer
Marijke really wasn't thinking this expedition thing through, was she. Although I suppose there's some tactical value in having her be in the separate group? So long as she and Rixxil are alive, that allows for ranged communication between the teams.

Doesn't Nico have healing too? Or was the self-target only.

Snake's going to stick by Goris, which means he's going to be babysitting the ritual doers I suppose.

I feel like the ritual is probably higher risk than low depth dungeon diving. I think it would probably be better to secure the safety of the cart and caster team by leaving it behind?
>>
No. 739842 ID: a107fd

>>739803
>Doesn't Nico have healing too?
Nico's only healing spell only works on the King. He could summon that "meat elemental," see if it has healing powers, if you're really desperate.

"Sir" Garaile is both a front-line fighter and has some healing abilities, but doesn't have much to add to the ritual, so it might be worth the trouble to talk him into going on the expedition. If it helps, there are rumors of more kobolds down there. A prankster named "Niknak" even came out and stayed at the Black Boar Inn once, rigged a door to drop a bucket full of tar and centipedes on somebody's head.

>Snake's going to stick by Goris
The two of them talked it over, figured their safest option would be to keep mr. walking wild-magic zone outside the actual ritual space. Snake's going to be on or just outside the wagon, as a lookout... unless you have some objection, captain?
>>
No. 739881 ID: 24100f

>The two of them talked it over, figured their safest option would be to keep mr. walking wild-magic zone outside the actual ritual space. Snake's going to be on or just outside the wagon, as a lookout... unless you have some objection, captain?
No, that seems good. Yay for intelligent / reasonable npcs.

>"Sir" Garaile is both a front-line fighter and has some healing abilities, but doesn't have much to add to the ritual, so it might be worth the trouble to talk him into going on the expedition.
I suppose I could try.

"Could I persuade you to accompany the forces investigating the dungeon? They would be safer under your care, and you have my word your charges will be looked after in your absence."
>>
No. 739909 ID: a107fd

>>739881
You could accompany the persuasion attempt on Garaile with a roll, if you'd like.

>Yay for intelligent / reasonable npcs.
Rixxil Kas mentions, telepathically, that Goris seems notably more inclined than the other acolytes to take initiative, act without (or against) instructions. It's worked out well so far, but... maybe keep an eye on her.
>>
No. 739935 ID: cea69d

Riv will withdraw into her cloak- it covers everything but her eyes, so her body language is not quite easy to read, but needless to say she is unhappy.
I will defer to your command mistress. Unless I am needed, I shall pursue personal arcane research. I trust this is acceptable, considering the drunken foolishness the others have participated in.
On her way out, she will hiss a command to rest of the crew, pointedly directing at the others and not Marjike Do not disturb me while I work. I expect that if you trust your judgement enough to pass off the logic in my words as petty scrabblings for revenge, you can govern yourselves without my assistance. When the captain is ready to pursue real work you may see fit to leave me responsible for ensure it's proper execution.
She will then storm off in a huff, muttering to herself about wasted potential and short sighted buffoons, etc etc. Until called upon by Marjike she will isolate herself from the rest of the crew and begin to work on creating a functional clock-work concierge to act as her lab assistant and familiar. Let me know if she needs to purse specialty parts from in town to make progress
>>
No. 739940 ID: a107fd

>>739935
Simplest way to get any necessary parts (from a technical standpoint, at least, not necessarily socially) would be to cannibalize the elaborate locking mechanism on that cashbox. Going to go with that, or get permission first, or try to think of alternatives? Either way, roll for it.
>>
No. 739945 ID: cea69d

Riv offered to buy it from Marjike using her current and/or future pay. Unless Marjike offers it to her or takes her up on that offer, she will pursue parts elsewhere
>>
No. 739948 ID: a107fd

>>739945
Again I say, roll for it.
>>
No. 739988 ID: cea69d

rolled 1, 6, 5 = 12

Whoops, sorry! Forgot the dice command doesn't work from my phone
>>
No. 739992 ID: 3d2d5f

rolled 2, 5, 5 = 12

>>739909
I wasn't sure if rolls were appropriate for pc to pc dialogue since that might result in forcing a player to do something over role-playing interactions, but okay.

>>739935
Man, you grow up enslaved and paranoid and it turns you into a full blown drama queen.

>>739945
>>739988
Uh, can Riv afford that, currently? The lock was rather pricey, as I recall, and more for it's value as a beautiful and masterfully assembled work of art than the gross value of the components. Not the most efficient way to spend your money.

If Riv can outright afford it, Marijke will shrug and make the sale. If Riv would have to incur significant debt / future pay garnishing, Marijke will say no. A pirate's life is too uncertain for long term debt to be a good investment.

(And I want to guess a 12 isn't good enough to make the prospect of a risky investment appealing to her).

...If people are going to keep approaching me with offers like this, I might need to start researching ways to make playing loan shark more appealing. A contract geas, or maybe some kind of compulsion through Rixxil until repaid (assuming it survives).
>>
No. 740001 ID: cea69d

rolled 4, 6, 5 = 15

>can Riv afford that, currently?

Riv has 12g, 8s, 15c if I remember conversion rates properly. She was assuming that she couldn't afford it outright, but would be able to within the next pay-day. Rolling to appraise it's value unless our GM wants to provide a more concrete value
>>
No. 740025 ID: a107fd

Conveniently, you've got an example of the finest locksmithing money can buy in Passholdt (which is itself both a major city and famed for fine metalwork, and thus a reasonable place to find the greatest smiths in the known world) available for comparison, in the form of the five padlocks on the ward in the library. Based on that, the mechanism inside the neogi cashbox is either an extremely well-maintained artifact of some lost age, or the product of a distant and technologically superior civilization. In either case, it's technically priceless, but extrapolating the exponential price curve of lesser locks would give it a lower bound of roughly 750 gold. Far more than Riv has on hand.

Of course, since Riv is a member of the crew, and the box is plunder, she technically already owns a 1/24th share of it, and other things as well. So, obvious options:
1) Take out a loan against future loot and/or salary, on Rixxil Kas's terms (bad idea, but it's an option)
2) Trade Riv's share in the "basement" for exclusive right to the clockwork bits, and possibly other considerations, but then pay rent to sleep there and use the lab space
3) Further successful raids, increasing the total value of plunder, then buy the remainder of box with Riv's ahare of everything else
4) Challenge Marijke for captaincy and take the box as that 10x lion's share
>>
No. 740029 ID: a107fd

>>739992
>start researching ways to make playing loan shark more appealing. A contract geas, or maybe

First full night's sleep after settling down to feast on fine wine and bear-flesh, Marijke has a nightmare. Eadric's scared, and maybe hurt. Marijke looks down to see jewel-colored tail feathers extending from her treasured chest. She's barefoot and half-naked in the cold, and down to a single silver grain that can barely be contained between blood-slick hands. She meets a man in a gilded mask, who sits behind a table. He cracks apart a walnut, or maybe a rabbit, hollows it out with tongue and teeth. Under one half of the shell, he places that which she wants. Under another, that which she needs. That which she already has, but cannot keep, goes under the third. The confident man chews, messily and noisily, during the explanation, but she already knows the rules of the game. The choice is meaningless. She flips all the shells, walks away with all the spells.

Marijke is now 4th level, with a total of 4x 1st circle and 3x 2nd circle slots, and one new free sample-like ability (choose from s) Maniacal Laughter, b) tranforming Eadric into a gemstone and back, c) alchemy, d) teamwork, or e) flight) and Eadric has three new 2nd circle spells. "Tesserflecked" aka "shell game stance" produces an array of images of herself, so anyone who can't see through illusions won't know which one to shoot.
"Penalty clause" is cast immediately before certain other spells, like a glove, allowing the effects thereof to be instantly revoked if the party of the second part knowingly and willfully violates some condition, chosen by Marijke at the time of casting, although it's only enforceable for a few days.
"Least astral courier" is short-range, small-object-only teleportation. If you'd had this one before Rixxil Kas got shot, it would have been a lot easier to retrieve the arrowhead. Unfortunately, now that it's in there without a suitable mark on it, the planned ritual is still the easiest way to go.

Speaking of arrows, there's a hole through the back of Marijke's nightshirt, a corresponding hole in the mattress, and alarming quantities of her blood on the floor under the bed.
>>
No. 740032 ID: 4201a2

rolled 1, 2, 6 = 9

>>739881
>forces investigating the dungeon would be safer under Garaile's care
"Thaey're able-bodied warriors prepaered for combat. Between them and the noncombaetants left behaend, who needs protection more, eh?"

>charges will be looked after in your absence
"And who, exaectly, will be looking after moi charges? It's all well and good to say thaey'll be safe, but it looks to me like everyone'll be working on thaes fancy ritual instead o' keeping a proper watch out. Sorry, cap'n. Oi naed a more definite arraengement if Oi'm to be runnin' off anywhere. Someone trusty on defaense, and serious consequences should they fail. This is important to me."

Counter-roll vs manipulation.
>>
No. 740038 ID: cea69d

rolled 1, 5, 1 = 7

>>740025
Riv will do none of these things. However, if the subject is still open for discussion, which, knowing Marjike's love for profit, I assume it is, she will counter with it's functional value. The lock box is so complicated that currently only Rixxil can open it if I remember correctly, and even that took several minutes. In addition, as stated, anyone could bust it open with a crowbar. What good is a lock that doesn't keep anyone out? Riv counter offers with a price just for the locking mechanism on the front which could easily be replaced with a pad-lock or magical ward that does the same thing, still allowing a useful lock box. 10g for the clockwork parts only, and a promise that when she completes her concierge it will be more than worth it.
She does state that while she is interested in the clockwork parts, as she mentioned before wealth is power and by trading it between herself and Marjike neither of them really gain anything, except in the case that Riv runs off with her share, which she has already pledged not to do. Marjike can probably see having an alchemist with a functional lab is probably for the benefit of everyone. Riv has pledged her services, and is, at least in her own mind, obligated to do pretty much anything the captain tells her to. She points out, directly to Marjike that if their is a buyer within passholt who will pay anywhere close to that much for the lockbox it would be much more beneficial to sell it in town. Her intent is not to pursuade Marjike to do anything, Riv simply offered because she knew the captain was interested in selling the box. If no one in town is going to buy the box then it's likely worth more to Marjike with a slightly less elaborate lock.
Lastly, Riv hardly sleeps, which no doubt affects her perception after too many hours without rest. However, she would likely have been awake while Marjike was having her dream. Would she have noticed anything threatening or magical occurring?
Rolling to see if Riv notices anything strange during the night, not to persuade Marjike, she and I can decide that in character without dice. Riv doesn't even really want to persuade her of anything, just saying that if Marjike wants to liquidate the box Riv would be willing to front gold for it
>>
No. 740042 ID: a107fd

>>740032
>And who, exaectly, will be looking after moi charges?

Odo the innkeeper has half a dozen armed guards on staff, hardened veterans all. The Black Boar Inn was last attacked a couple years ago, on which occasion the only injuries among guests were those who willingly joined the fighting, all of whom survived. Fully half of Corrak's Brigands were slain, and the remainder have reputedly been running scared ever since, going to some trouble to acquire a Catgut Legion so they have a new hidden, fortified campsite every week, out of concern Odo might come after them to finish the job.

So, the kobolds could stay at the inn.
>>
No. 740046 ID: a107fd

>>740038
>10 gold
Even shattered scraps of the clockwork puzzle would probably be worth at least 50-100 gold.

>rolled 1, 5, 1 = 7
Riv was examining the formerly-jade amulet at the time, in hopes of alchemically synthesizing a similar spirit-binding crystalline structure. An arrow flickered in and out of existence, transfixing the amulet somewhere between three-quarters and four-fifths of the way down the shaft, just before Marijke woke up screaming. The flickering seemed to follow a pattern of ripples, proceeding from narrow, green-black, square-cross-section tip toward the brilliant red-gold fletching, each ripple about half a handspan wide, and moving as fast as the eye could follow while the arrow itself remained stationary. The amulet was balanced on edge for the duration of the phenomenon, with the tip of the arrow touching the beaten copper counter, but there was insufficient time (perhaps ten or fifteen seconds) to confirm whether it was otherwise tangible before it fully disappeared.
>>
No. 740047 ID: cea69d

rolled 1, 3, 4 = 8

>worth at least 50-100 gold
Acknowledged; Riv changes her offer to her current 12 gold + the entirety of her next share. Again, not really looking at buying seriously, as Marjike would likely get significantly more in town if she can find a buyer, which Riv would have mentioned to her. Up to Marjike whether she feels that facilitating RIv's pet projects outweighs the significant gold value of the box.
>just before Marijke woke up screaming
She will scurry towards Marjike's position, and try to assess her condition. Rolling to see how much Riv can gather about the events concerning the amulet in conjunction with Marjike's wound Riv is assuming the two are related, she doesn't tend to believe in coincidences , as well as to see how badly Marjike may be hurt. If it seems like she needs medical assistance I'll make a separate roll, as Riv may choose to get help before attempting anything.
Marjike, hop over to the discussion thread, I have a question to ask you
>>
No. 740058 ID: a107fd

>>740047
>Rolling to see how much Riv can gather about the events concerning the amulet in conjunction with Marjike's wound
>rolled 1, 3, 4 = 8
What wound?

There isn't so much as a scratch on Marijke's back, apart from a few bug bites. If she'd bled out anywhere near as much as that pool on the floor, she'd be deathly pale and delirious, at best. Instead, she's blushing with embarrassment and outrage at the abrupt violation of privacy, which is inconsistent with any significant blood loss.

Riv concludes time travel is somehow involved.
>>
No. 740072 ID: 24100f

rolled 3, 4, 3 = 10

>>740038
I should point out, that technically, the lock box is not Marijke's to sell. It's loot that rightfully belongs to the crew, that will be broken into shares as soon as we have the opportunity to liquidate it at an appropriate price. It's value lies not in the ability to secure goods, but as a way to make payroll.

Allowing Riv to buy out everyone else's shares on a large extension of credit is not only a poor business decision, but dereliction of duty (by being grossly irresponsible with the charter's resources).

If the lockbox is worth 750g and Riv made 12g in the last engagement, it would take 63 similar hauls to pay back the credit extended! Many of the crew might have moved on or died before their share is paid back, if Riv herself survives long enough to pay off the debt.

...and there's probably a circumstance penalty for pushing on after being rejected on once. (Or else anyone could take 20 on the captain till they got what they wanted).

Riv's asking for more than she'd probably get selling herself back into slavery, without the decency to sell herself into slavery properly.

>there's a hole through the back of Marijke's nightshirt, a corresponding hole in the mattress, and alarming quantities of her blood on the floor under the bed.
Was Marijke asleep in the inn, or in the cart-ship? In the former case, I think I'm going to need to leave a larger tip for whoever has to clean that up, in the later case, I'm going to need to find someone to clean that up. (I can fix the mattress with rhyme of mending, at least).

>large puddle of blood
>inconsistent with blood loss
Marijke will be hitting herself with a free sample of least true healing, just in case.

>Instead, she's blushing with embarrassment and outrage at the abrupt violation of privacy
Seems apropos.
>>
No. 740078 ID: 93325c

>rightfully belongs to the crew
Riv seems to have little genuine interest in the welfare of the crew, although she is more than happy to provide for the general welfare as it gives everyone a reason to keep her around. She doesn't really care who it belongs to in spirit because Marjike is currently in charge of deciding what happens to it.
>circumstance penalty for pushing
Again, Riv is not attempting to persuade you. While she would like the box, she understands she has little that she can barter with, and it is entirely illogical to gift it to her, or have her take out a loan for it. She recognizes this and was simply discussing the worth of the box with Marjike, knowing she's not really going to get it.
>violation of privacy
Again, Riv lacks compassion or concern for others feelings. Upon seeing that Marjike is seeming okay, she will wordlessly scramble out of the room, grab vials and then rush back in on all six and try to gather as much of her blood as she can, while rapidly explaining her experience with the amulet and her suspicion of time travel.
>>
No. 740079 ID: 24100f

>grab vials and then rush back in on all six and try to gather as much of her blood as she can
(Pfff-hahaha).

I think Riv has used up the frazzled lucre-witch's patience for the night.

"OUT!"
>>
No. 740084 ID: a107fd

>>740072
>more than she'd probably get selling herself back into slavery
Actually, Rixxil Kas knows that a master-level alchemist, with lesser skills than Riv has demonstrated when cooperative and motivated, would typically be worth 225 gold as a slave. So, 750 or more isn't out of the question. Thus the willingness to extend a loan.

>Was Marijke asleep in the inn, or in the cart-ship?
Up to you.

>hitting herself with a free sample of least true healing
No more visible bug bites. Itching subsides, but is not quite completely gone. A few other minor aches and pains are banished. Overall, seems like a bit of a waste.
>>
No. 740103 ID: 24aec8

rolled 6, 4, 4 = 14

Riv will scurry away once more and begin running tests on the arcane properties of Marjike's blood, attempting to see if she ascertain anything else about what happened, and if there's any personal benefit or use that she can implement the blood into. Perhaps somehow gaining some of Marjike's magic from it, or working it magically into her dagger to train it to seek out blood, or use it in a spell tattoo or potion.
>>
No. 740119 ID: a107fd

>>740103
Results are inconclusive, likely because the sample was severely contaminated.

So, whoever's planning to lead the next expedition to the Mouth of Doom... which of the six doors are you going through first, what's the marching order, and who's handling the map?
>>
No. 740155 ID: a107fd

>>735622
>(in clockwise order: fanged goat's face, a skull, a pentacle, a hand, and a wolf's head in profile), except for the northernmost which initially appears blank.

Letkra is willing to defer to the decisions of the group (or of the leader), but says she thinks there should be a systematic search of the whole dungeon, starting with what seems like the most straightforward first part; the blank, talking door.

(but her reasoning should probably be questioned by more cautious, sensible types.)

Letkra is also willing to be either towards the front, or rear guard, as she's got the fancy shield, so somebody squishier (or who un-squishes more poorly than herself) should probably hide behind her.

So, roster of who might or might not be involved:

--- Definitely going
Ravenous Llyr
Letkra
Gunderbag the Ogre (I think)

--- Definitely not going:
Riv (Doctor)
Rixxil Kas (Patient)
White Snake (guarding the wagon)
Acolyte Goris (helping with ritual, won't separate from white snake)
Acolyte Eswic (helping with ritual, won't separate from Goris)
Acolyte Altsoba (by extension)
Rixxil Kas' Octopus (back at shore)

--- Undetermined:
Marijke? (probably doctoring Rixxil Kas?)
Nico Nashville (maybe that un-muting surgery wasn't successful?)
"Sir" Garaille (if the Kobolds can stay at the well-guarded inn and/or with those doing the ritual, it's a chance for him to go out and seek glory and smite monsters and such)
Than (I think was leaning towards coming along? Does Than have a usable weapon? There was some mention of Than having an opportunity to fight ghosts, I thought)
Kobolds

(...doesn't that include the first few players, sans Nick? I'd think there'd be some kind of "do we want to try that again?" questioning going on.)
>>
No. 740221 ID: 0ae7f9

>>740155
She can go. Unless you already left.

ooc I was just mostly lurking because SCIENCE
>>
No. 740232 ID: 24100f

rolled 4, 2, 3 = 9

>>740155
Than can still use her weapon, proven by that bear she killed.

>>740155
I think Marijke would probably prefer to be helping with the ritual, but if Garaille doesn't agree to go, the dungeon group needs a healer (just in case) and she's the one the ritual group can spare (the acolytes need to be kept as a set, and Riv is needed for her equipment).

...I should probably spam Fool's Luck on the ritual participants before I leave, just in case. And probably buff the delvers when we reach the dungeon as well. (Yay for 0th level +1s).

In-character, Nico is pretty interested in weird magics, and would probably be much more interested observing and/or assisting with the ritual, I would assume.

>b) tranforming Eadric into a gemstone and back
Any further details learned first hand, assuming Marijke spent some time this morning experimenting with this ability? (How does Eadric react to it, any notable properties of the gem, how do his sense / perceptions fare while transformed, etc).
>>
No. 740274 ID: a107fd

>>740232
>Fool's Luck on the ritual participants
Luck manipulation in general doesn't work on rolls for magic, and Fool's Luck in particular doesn't work for anything meticulously planned. Also, it only lasts sixty seconds.

>And probably buff the delvers when we reach the dungeon as well. (Yay for 0th level +1s).
This will likely be more effective. Remember to specify when you're using the bonus, everybody.

>b) tranforming Eadric into a gemstone and back
Any further details learned first hand, assuming Marijke spent some time this morning experimenting with this ability? (How does Eadric react to it, any notable properties of the gem, how do his sense / perceptions fare while transformed, etc).

Main thing is, the transformation is under Eadric's control rather than Marijke's. He can orbit around Marijke's head, or attach to her clothing at aesthetically suitable points, but is otherwise immobile. He cannot make noise while in gem form, and feels nearly blind, although initial testing suggests normal human visual acuity out to ten yards. More detailed analysis may have to wait until next level, when the empathic bond improves.
>>
No. 740277 ID: a107fd

>>740232
>Fool's Luck on the ritual participants
Luck manipulation in general doesn't work on rolls for magic, and Fool's Luck in particular doesn't work for anything meticulously planned. Also, it only lasts sixty seconds.

>And probably buff the delvers when we reach the dungeon as well. (Yay for 0th level +1s).
This will likely be more effective. Remember to specify when you're using the bonus, everybody.

>b) tranforming Eadric into a gemstone and back
>Any further details learned first hand, assuming Marijke spent some time this morning experimenting with this ability? (How does Eadric react to it, any notable properties of the gem, how do his sense / perceptions fare while transformed, etc).

Main thing is, the transformation is under Eadric's control rather than Marijke's. He can orbit around Marijke's head, or attach to her clothing at aesthetically suitable points, but is otherwise immobile. He cannot make noise while in gem form, and feels nearly blind, although initial testing suggests normal human visual acuity out to ten yards. More detailed analysis may have to wait until next level, when the empathic bond improves.
>>
No. 740286 ID: 4201a2

>>740042
>>740155
Fine, Garaile will begrudgingly accompany the exploration party. However, before setting off, Garaile will make perfectly clear that if any harm befalls the kobolds during this absence, there will be hell to pay.
>>
No. 740290 ID: a107fd

>>740286
The brownsmith/porter kobold overhears that White Snake is staying behind, realizes that nobody else on the crew seems to understand mechanical traps, and, accordingly, volunteers to come along.
>>
No. 740305 ID: cea69d

rolled 2, 6, 5 = 13

As everyone prepares for the excursion into the dungeon, Riv will delve back into research. Rixxil Kas still needs roughly 2 days of feeding to recover, which Riv will check on 2-3 times a day. She instructs the others who are not going, rather bossily, to instruct her if anything goes urgently wrong with Kas's care. Assuming the others are competent enough to recognize the importance of this task, Riv's superiority, and that they'll know if anything goes wrong, she begins research into a polymer that is resistant to corrosion and damage from acid, which can be inserted underneath the skin.
>>
No. 740307 ID: a107fd

>>740305
Acid-resistant subdermal armor? Alright, that'll be tricky, take at least a few days, but it might be possible. Are you trying to make it biocompatible with elvenoids, neogi, yourself, or all of the above?
>>
No. 740308 ID: cea69d

rolled 1, 2, 6 = 9

Myself first. If I prove successful, I can expand the research towards others. This is step on in a 2-step plan. Riv, ever paranoid, want to equip herself with a small vial of acid embedded into her skin, which can be smashed into someones head, manacles, or some other target in a dire circumstance. She would rather burn a hole in her wrist before being captured again. She knows this kind of last line of defense weapon cannot be used without damaging herself- broken glass, acid, etc. However, if she can surround the vial with some sort of shielding that won't be rejected by her body, then she can at least reduce the damage it would do if she ever had to use it. If she can develop this successfully she may look at creating larger plate of armor to protect more of herself, but for now it only needs to protect a small area.
>>
No. 740315 ID: a107fd

>>740308
Oh, well, in that case you don't need to develop some exotic polymer. Just take an ordinary glass flask of acid, scrub and sterilize the outside really thoroughly, maybe add some gold foil over the wax seal, and surgically implant it in a flesh pocket.

Downside is, any serious impact on the obvious bulge in your skin would introduce caustic chemicals and glass shards to your organs.
>>
No. 740317 ID: cea69d

Riv is implanting it in the wrist of right hand in the second, smaller set of arms. If she smashes the vial into anything, how much damage will it do to her? She's hoping to mitigate the effects enough to heal any sort of damage from using it with a least true healing and some skilled glass shard removal.
>>
No. 740347 ID: a107fd

If I follow correctly, the group planning to go to the dungeon consists of:

Ravenous Llyr
Letkra
Gunderbag the Ogre (did he actually say anything about going? Should we ask him?)
Than
"Sir" Garaille
1x Kobold

The following considerations for going there include:

- Is that actually everyone who's going?
- What do we need to bring, and do we already have it? (equipment, food, water)
- How are we traveling to get there? (Walking, presumably?)
- What time of day do we wish to depart? Right away this morning? (If we leave too soon there won't be enough grass for the oxen, but if we leave too late we might not reach Oremor before Winter)
- Did anyone need to finish any business before departing, or are we ready?
- Once we get inside, what are we doing? Marching order, checking for traps, which door do we go in, what do we do next, etc.
>>
No. 740348 ID: a107fd

>>740317
Over the course of the next few minutes it would definitely cripple the hand, possibly ruin the entire arm, and foul up the rest of your circulatory system enough to leave you bedridden for a month. There's also some risk of neurological damage. That might be much more than one application of Least True Healing can fix, and applying the healing too early would mean the damage continues to accumulate, while waiting might mean passing out from shock.

>>740347
Good summary.
>did he actually say anything about going?
Gunderbag, like Llyr, is not one who would lightly pass up any opportunity for violence.
>>
No. 740350 ID: cea69d

>>740348
Wow, that's a lot of damage for 1 small vial of acid, I didn't think it would be able to affect much more than the immediate area. Would the acid shield Riv is looking to create mitigate this in any way? Or is that the result with shield?
>>
No. 740352 ID: 4201a2

>>740347
Garaile's marching order recommendation to Letkra is as follows:

Point/Scout: Ravenous Llyr, whose high mobility, toughness, and uncanny instincts mean he is likely to spot incoming dangers and unlikely to be taken out by a surprise attack or ambush.
Front 1: Letkra, whose energy shield can protect the group proper from ranged threats.
Front 2: "Sir" Garaile, as the primary tank/healer, to be able to easily move forward to engage melee threats.
Middle 1: The kobold, in an adjacent position to Garaile. Closest to the front while still being protected by both energy and meatshields.
Middle 2: Than, protected on both sides and able to snipe foes from a distance.
Rear: Gunderbag the Ogre, who has extreme durability but the slowest mobility, preventing any surprise attacks from behind.
>>
No. 740367 ID: 24100f

rolled 5, 5, 4 = 14

>Also [Fool's luck] only lasts sixty seconds.
I assume that's for the active effect? It would have to be able to sit dormant between casting and triggering longer than that, or it wouldn't have shown up as a factor in the last fight. (It has to have been more than a minute for Letkra and Than to walk up and chat with Rixxil before things went bad).

>kobold going
In deference to keeping Garaile's little buddy alive (especially if it's volunteered for the dangerous job of disarming traps) Marijke will give it a shadow armor before the party heads out. That holds up for a while, at least.

>oh and since it's a new day
0 [n/a]: bestow fool's luck, gum-fire, experimental miscellany, staunch bleeding
1 [3/4]: least true healing, least true healing, rhyme of mending, shadow armor (used)
2 [3/3]: demand gift, spit spiders, least astral courier

(I'm planning on mending the mattress later today, but saving the spell for now in case I end up needing it for something more pressing. Say if equipment breaks mid-ritual?).

>Wow, that's a lot of damage for 1 small vial of acid
I think you're disadvantaged by the fact the acid would start out inside your body, and getting to run deeper into the fresh cuts from the glass. You completely bypass the body's first defense.
>>
No. 740375 ID: a107fd

>>740352
Kobold is less sure about having the ogre as rear guard. In the event of attack from behind, sure, but what if the action is up front?

Gunderbag shrugs and frankly admits that, in tight quarters (like a 10' wide corridor), he'd probably end up trampling somebody.

>>740350
Introducing any significant quantity of weapons-grade acid directly to the bloodstream ain't pretty. Doesn't matter much if you wrap it in some sort of corrosion-resistant membrane first, since your deployment technique involves rupturing that membrane, so it can just leak out through the cracks. Unless you're including enough alkali to neutralize the acid, which would somewhat defeat the point of using acid in the first place. In that case, you'd effectively be blasting one of your wrists off with a vial of boiling salt water.

Generally speaking, surgically implanted alchemical weapons don't make a lot of sense unless you have no regard for the physical well-being of whoever you're implanting them in.
>>
No. 740378 ID: a107fd

>>740367
Spell durations don't always count down like clockwork, or rather, it's possible to rewind them in certain ways. Lektra and Than went into a dangerous situation with no real plan, and little attention to conventional safety precautions, so Fool's Luck didn't really count down until they started behaving sensibly. Some flight spells have a similar effect, so time spent in free-fall doesn't count against the duration, allowing a controlled landing regardless of altitude.

Marijke can get Bestow Shadow Armor to last four hours now, and it's a two-hour hike to the Mouth. You might encounter some danger on the way to or from, but probably not as much (or at least not as abruptly) as inside. So, going to cast right as you're leaving the inn?
>>
No. 740413 ID: 4201a2

>>740375
The idea was that if a battle breaks out in front and there is ample room, the ogre can easily move forward without trampling anyone. If a battle breaks out in front and there is not ample room, then that makes a rear guard all the more important because the party will have a difficult time repositioning to defend against a two-sided engagement.

If the ogre cannot be trusted to maintain formation, then frankly, Garaile considers it to be a liability to bring along. Assuming it will move to engage any melee threat, (trampling any member of the party in the way) then putting it in the back will cause it to trample the party to engage frontal threats, and putting it in the front will cause it to trample the party to engage rear threats. Therefore, the only position it can be placed in is point/scout, where it will be somewhat apart from the party. This, incidentally, is also Garaile's reasoning for putting Llyr in that position. However, unlike Llyr, Gunderbag is bulky and slow, which makes it a poor scout, and it is also very large, which makes it highly visible to enemies which may be scouting us.

Assuming Gunderbag is being brought along regardless, here are two alternate formations Garaile will suggest:

Substitute Formation 1: "Swap the wild cards"
Point/Scout: Gunderbag the Ogre
Front 1: Letkra
Front 2: "Sir" Garaile
Middle 1: The kobold
Middle 2: Than
Rear: Ravenous Llyr
This will put Llyr as rear guard, which has the same problem as the previous formation in that Llyr is also unreliable in a formation and will move to engage any enemies. However, Llyr is less likely to trample the party members, being both smaller than an ogre and more agile. Gunderbag is also a worse scout for reasons outlined above, but perhaps (and this part is muttered inaudibly) Gunderbag will do us the favor of finding and deactivating the traps for us, thus helping to keep the kobold safer in an alternative way.

Substitute Formation 2: "I'll do it myself"
Point/Scout 1: Ravenous Llyr
Point/Scout 2: Gunderbag the Ogre
Front: Letkra
Middle 1: Than
Middle 2: The kobold
Rear: "Sir" Garaile
This puts both unreliable party members in point positions, allowing them to frolic about like the children they are securely protect the party's front, as well as give excellent advance warning of upcoming threats. Garaile will take up the rear guard position, so that the rear guard will still have a strong melee fighter. Garaile being Garaile, this formation also switches Than and the kobold, so that the kobold is still adjacent to Garaile.
>>
No. 740415 ID: 24100f

>So, going to cast right as you're leaving the inn?
Well, now that Garaile is with the delve party to provide emergency healing, Marijke was gonna stay to help with the ritual, so yes, I would have to cast it as they left the inn.

Unless the ritual wouldn't benefit from my participation? (Not sure what the actual casting part looks like, maybe keeping the synergy of the three acolytes as a pure unit is worth more than bringing in another person?).
>>
No. 740421 ID: a107fd

>>740413
Bear in mind that for 10' wide halls, normal-sized people can walk two or three abreast. An ogre in fighting stance more or less fills the whole hallway, but could sidle past single-file humans without trampling them, if they're off to one side rather than right in the middle.

>Gunderbag is bulky and slow
Gunderbag's an idiot, and not particularly agile, but in terms of straight-line running speed he's among the fastest on the team. Longer legs count for a lot.
>>
No. 740423 ID: a107fd

At the mention of prospective trampling, Letkra suddenly remembers how disorderly combat is around here and tries to think more tactically.

"Well, I can adjust the size and location of my shield, to block a hallway or something like that. (I don't know if it could be trampled through- maybe over?- but it would probably help with that, too.) Does that help with your considerations?"
>>
No. 740424 ID: a107fd

>>740415
Marijke would have something useful to contribute to either endeavor, but is indispensable to neither. Going along to the dungeon, however, would allow her to maintain communication between the two groups (always a concern when splitting the party) and also get more XP.
>>
No. 740472 ID: 24100f

>>740424
Sure, sounds reasonable. I can provide communication between the party so long as Rixxil (and I) stay alive.

The shadow armor application can wait till we reach the dungeon, and I'll put Eadric in gem form then too.
>>
No. 740475 ID: 37c9ff

Riv points out, rather dryly, that she expects Rixxil to have recovered from its forced fast in roughly 2 days. After that she plans to preform the ritual, and she does not garuntee its health after this. She adds that if Rixxil is incapacitated or killed before the party's return that communication will cease. Further more, the arrow head lodged in the creatures body is continuing to damage the creature, and while Riv could attempt healing magic, with the loss of her notes she is essentially starting from scratch. This is not to say that Marjike, the captain of the crew, and all its able bodied warriors shouldn't wander around in a dangerous, likely monster infested cave with the word "doom" in its name, but just that if she chooses to lead the crew down this path, she should be prepared to face the consequences and potential losses, and weigh them against the projected gain.
After delivering her thinly veiled passive aggression in the form of a warning, Riv will work on enchanting her knife. She takes collected blood samples from herself, Marjike and Rixxil and will attempt to train the edge of her knife to seek blood more... aggressively
>>
No. 740477 ID: 24100f

>Further more, the arrow head lodged in the creatures body is continuing to damage the creature, and while Riv could attempt healing magic
The acolytes are standing by to do ritual ritual work, and they can easily dole out a few least true healings as Rixxil recuperates.

(And you might be down a day on that count already? I was sort of thinking it was already time for the ritual, but getting the patient in as good health as we can manage probably isn't a bad idea).
>>
No. 740478 ID: 37c9ff

I believe the original estimate was 3 days until the fasting H was made up for; I think 1 day has since gone by.
>>
No. 740487 ID: a107fd

Well, if that's all the preparations for the expedition...

You hike two miles southwest, along the forested ridge which tapers down to the peninsula upon which the Black Boar Inn and associated businesses rest, then round the last corner in the Brambleroot River, and continue due south (where following the riverbank further upstream would lead southwest) four miles, to the barren rocky ridge into which the ever-yawning Mouth of Doom was carved. You arrive there by mid-morning without incident.

Inside, at the bottom of the black stone stairs, there's a large room with six doors
>>735622
which some of you have seen before. The kobold (who should probably get a name someday) says that, in the northeast, southwest, and northwest alcoves - that's goat, hand, and wolf, respectively - the whole floor is one big pressure plate. Other three seem clear, apart from the skull door's hinges being rusty. He's got no reliable way to check for magic.

What do you do?
>>
No. 740488 ID: 24100f

rolled 6, 6, 6 = 18

>The kobold (who should probably get a name someday)
Has anyone asked, yet?

>He's got no reliable way to check for magic.
>What do you do?
Rolling for sense magic / magic sight.

Parrot in gemstone mode, kobold should have shadow armor on now.
>>
No. 740501 ID: 4201a2

rolled 4, 5, 5 = 14

>>740487
Garaile will naturally be detecting for evil auras or presences, but with the resigned air of probably being surrounded by evil on all sides.
Also, Garaile will suggest the party take the pentagram door, with the following logic: the goat, hand, and wolf are pressure-plated and therefore activate mechanisms when stepped on. There is a high likelihood these are either traps or alarms to alert foes further inside of intruders, so in the absence of a mechanical expert on the team, we should avoid them. The skull door's rusty hinges suggest disuse, being a product of a lack of maintenence for a long time, which suggests it may house a dead-end trap further inside. It will also squeak noisily if opened, so it could be another form of alarm. And the white (blank) door is for loading and unloading only, suggesting an area both heavily monitored and peripheral in nature. Therefore, the pentagram door is the most rational choice.


Llyr will remove any cloaks and footwear, and wash his hands with a bit of water while he waits for the party to make a decision which way to go.
>>
No. 740536 ID: a107fd

>>740501
>probably being surrounded by evil on all sides
Pretty much. Not as much as back in the bloodmist labyrinth, but it'd be easier to say what doesn't have trace residue of unholy creatures and nefarious deeds... specifically, the "eye" seems like an untouched relic of some more civilized age, and whatever waits behind that goat-head door is similarly lacking in foulness and corruption.

>>740488
>Rolling for sense magic
>rolled 6, 6, 6 = 18
No headache... Marijke feels fine. Better than fine! The whole geomantic basis of the local tunnel network clicks into place for her, on some intuitive level.

She concludes that the north door, leading to the "white zone," is completely safe, and probably leads to some sort of storeroom, but isn't an easy route to deeper levels since they sealed off the elevator shaft. The south door with the pentagram, however, has some sort of binding-based trap. Nonlethal in itself, but seriously inconvenient if all of the healing hall's original staff are dead or otherwise unavailable, and might make you easy prey for other monsters. To bypass it, just remove your cloaks and shoes, as instructed.
>>
No. 740553 ID: cea69d

rolled 2, 4, 1 = 7

Riv stares at her notes and diagrams with an air of abject frustration. Unable to find a way to safely implant the vial of acid underneath her skin, the disgruntled alchemist resigns to come back to that idea another day. She begins to collect her samples of blood and alchemical reagents, and lays them on the table with along with her knife. She begins the process of enchanting and binding the weapon, infusing it with blood and magic. Knowing that this is an expensive and time consuming process, she decides with confidence that it is worth the risk to attempt to speed this up and cut a few corners if she can get the end result she needs more efficiently.
>>
No. 740585 ID: 24100f

>>740536
>no headache
I guess I'm just hallucinating then. Or I left myself wide open and got hacked by whatever was left here and it's giving me the information it wants me to have? Oh well, that's all OOC anyways.

Marijke will share her questionable magically gleaned intelligence with the group.
>>
No. 740649 ID: a107fd

rolled 4, 6, 1 = 11

"Well, if the Captain thinks the white zone is probably safe, and you think so too since it has security monitors... it really looks like the first part of the dungeon to me to me, and if it's for loading and unloading, it could have important stuff to find! Maybe we should look in there real quick first?"

(OOC, I'm pretty sure Garaille was actually arguing that the white zone wasn't safe, but I figured Letkra might not get what he meant by that.)

>> The goat, hand, and wolf doors seem to have traps
"We should figure out how to disarm those and come back to them later."

In any case, Letkra will follow along with wherever the rest of the group decides to go.

(not sure what the roll is for, but one is included regardless)
>>
No. 740656 ID: a107fd

Gunderbag sits his fat butt down on the stairs, bored with the debate over which door to go through.

Wandering monster roll... from the alcove marked with a hand, three skeletal warriors emerge, clad in decrepit chainmail and wielding rusty machetes. They attack the living on sight, incapable of fear or higher reasoning, but are neither particularly competent nor durable. You can almost certainly beat them, it's mainly a question of whether any of you will be injured or otherwise inconvenienced. First, Ravenous Llyr should roll self-control for his phobia of meatless enemies.
>>
No. 740673 ID: e858d8

rolled 3, 1, 5 = 9

>>740656
Shoot for the hands to detach the machetes. Chainmail shouldn't cover that. Also test firing at the chainmail too in any vulnerable areas to detach the head and/or limbs considering it's old and useless.
>>
No. 740746 ID: a107fd

>>740673
Shooting out the wrists is surprisingly difficult. It's a small target, though not small enough for Than to miss. The real problem is that there aren't any physical tendons to sever, you need to shatter those fiddly little wrist bones. Pointed arrows tend to glance off or slip between them, frog-crotch arrows don't hit hard enough to penetrate a hard surface, and fowling arrows are specifically designed to avoid breaking bones. So, you end up needing two good hits per wrist, and then the damn thing just kneels over to re-equip a dropped machete with it's other hand.

Skeletal warriors advance to melee range. Gunderbag flattens one with a single punch, not even bothering to stand up. The skeleton attempted to parry but succeeded only in embedding it's weapon in the ogre's fist. He picks the machete out of the pile of rusty rings and bone splinters, starts to bend it around his knuckles as a crude iron cestus, ignoring the other two.

The one-handed skeleton seems to be going for an overhead chop at Than, while the one with a helmet moves to stab Ravenous Llyr in his sleek, shark-ly abs, other arm up in a guard position as if it thinks it has a shield, though none is visible.
>>
No. 740758 ID: 24100f

rolled 6, 1, 4 = 11

Our best bet is probably Garaille, Letkra, Lirr or Gunderbag just smashing them. The kobold isn't a fighter, and Than's arrows and Marijke's spell load-out aren't well suited to dispatching mindless skellies.

Uh, in an attempt to be useful (while keeping clear of the melee) I suppose Marijke will cast gum-fire? If I dump it into heat, I might be able to get bone to crack or break, depending on how hot it gets.

I'll try the arm of the one targetting Than, assuming the shark-zerker has better odds of countering at melee range.
>>
No. 740766 ID: a107fd

Marijke hocks a hot loogie ten yards. It sticks onto the skeletal warrior's remaining functional arm and burns with a dull red glow, but the monster appears unfazed.

It seems unleashing a conical torrent of flames (like what killed Nick) intentionally requires a 1st circle spell slot.
>>740553
Riv carves up one of her own arms, successfully extracting a particular nerve cluster and transferring it to a small vial full of honey before blacking out from the pain. Acolyte Goris watches, shy but clearly fascinated. One component down, thirty-nine to go! With the acolytes' healing magic, regrowing those nerves and fully recovering from the surgery should take less than a week, and she'll be in shape to contribute to the ritual at the same time Rixxil Kas is recovered.

Meanwhile, deeper in the dungeon, Stone has just climbed a ladder up a 50' long vertical shaft and emerged into an octagonal room about 30' in diameter. Four exits, corresponding to the cardinal directions (based on the star chart that blue-grey ghostlight reveals carved in the ceiling, at least), indistinguishable except that the eastern one has a door rather than an open hallway. Stone has been out of laudanum for twenty-one hours, eleven minutes, and lost underground for... probably longer than that. The petrifying curse's effect is still seven finger-widths away from his crotch, so, definitely less than a year.
>>
No. 740773 ID: a107fd

rolled 2, 1, 3 = 6

Letkra attempts to stand in between the skeletons and the rest of the party with her shield at tower-size in front of her, and will attempt to swing her glaive at the one in front of her if she's got a clear shot (that is, enough room from the rest of the group that she's not going to hit somebody else with the thing).
>>
No. 740774 ID: 4201a2

rolled 6, 3, 2 = 11

>>740656
>Llyr: Roll vs fear
(Keeping in mind that Garaile's aura of courage is granting a hefty buff.)
Plan A: If he manages to keep it under control, Llyr will obviously go ham on the skeleton trying to cut his guts out, in a fit of fear-inspired aggression.
Plan B: If Llyr instead becomes panicked by the unnatural creatures, he'll flee through the pentagram door, having been previously informed it's likely the safest way to go.
>>
No. 740780 ID: 4201a2

rolled 5, 6, 6 = 17

Garaile will also move in to engage the one-armed skeleton, ideally blocking the overhead swing for Than, and following with a counterattack.
>>
No. 740784 ID: a3b5b0

Stone is starting to miss the peace it brings- he's used to going a week and a half, two weeks maybe, trying to save coin, traveling through small towns without decent quality supplies; after three weeks though, it's starting to get to him. Craving silence more than anything, he heads to the eastern entrance with a door and opens it, reasoning that it's difference is significant enough to warrant inspection. He just hopes coming into these caves was worth it. It's been a long while since he had a decent nights sleep
>>
No. 740794 ID: a107fd

>>740773
>>740774
The remaining two skeletal warriors are down, Llyr has kept his wits (partly with vain hope that they might have marrow in there somewhere),
>>740780
and "Sir" Garaile's collarbone is broken, rendering his shield arm largely useless. All that grimy rust in the wound can't be good, either.

>>740784
>three weeks
No, twenty-one hours eleven minutes. Less than a single full day, if the sun were visible, much as it might feel like an eternity.

Through the eastern door, down about seven yards of hallway and through another door, is a much larger room. More than the light can clearly illuminate. Visible exits are a door to the right, and stairs down to the left. Most of the people who've died or been seriously hurt in this room were pounced on from above and then exsanguinated, which would imply either feral vampires, or rafter leeches. In the center of the opposite wall is a 10' high statue of a skeletal figure, head scraping the ceiling, flanked on it's 5' high pedestal by two petrified wolves.
>>
No. 740798 ID: 24100f

rolled 5, 5, 1 = 11

Healbot, activate!

Staunch bleeding for Gunderbag, if he needs it. Free sample least true healing for Garaile. Not sure if I should attempt to remove the rust first? And a collarbone might be kinda tricky to set. Garaile's own ability to purify might be useful in driving the rust out of his body before I close the wound?

If anyone needs reapplication of fools luck, Eadric can turn back to bird to do that, before returning to Marijke and going gem.

Are we taking the pentagram door with shoes and cloaks removed, then?
>>
No. 740813 ID: 4201a2

rolled 5, 3, 4 = 12

Even if it summons more skeletons to our position, it'll be altogether better to attempt to handle Garaile's injury now rather than later and get that shieldarm back in working condition.
Garaile will wash the injury lightly, just to get the surface filth off, before setting the bone and allowing Marijke to close the wound. Garaile's divine health will prevent the wound from becoming infected, so that's not a concern.

It'll take up some of the group's healing, but this is entirely recoverable-from.
>>
No. 740814 ID: cea69d

rolled 5, 4, 3 = 12

>>740794
>twenty-one hours
Whoops! More like one rough nights sleep then, especially down in the place. Spirits are abundant here, clamoring to be heard; no one likes to be forgotten.
>exsanguinated
Stone does his best to kneel at the edge of the room, inspecting the dust and flagstones. He doesn't know much about vampires, but he doubts they have very good table manners. More likely to leave splatters of blood and other signs of "life" than leeches. Plus, leeches don't usually pounce. He'll ask one of his ancestors to explore the skeletal figure and the wolves, passing the ghost flame to them. It would be nice to know if it had fangs or anything worth noting, like an inscription or alter. He then looks to see if there's any spare bones or such around the room. There's power in bones. If there's any carcasses or intact limbs, he'll toss one in the middle of the room, towards the statues. If nothing happens then he'll cut his arm enough to bleed some, get the fluid on an bone or old body, and toss that in the room. If it's still quite after that then he'll advance, going to the right. He doubts the way to the surface is down more stairs. Possible, but Occam usually has an impeccable shave- it's best to use his razor when possible. When he passes the statues, he offers a small prayer to The Black One, asking that she guide his spear in returning any dark creatures to their rightful place, and that these creatures, whatever they were, brought death as needed, and in turn were brought the death they deserve.
>>
No. 740817 ID: a107fd

>>740813
Fortunately the collarbone didn't have some sort of tricky compound fracture. Between the rapid first aid and actual magic, Garaile's shield-arm is now recovered about as much as if it'd spent a week in a sling: usable, but be careful with it.
>>740798
>pentagram door with shoes and cloaks removed
On the far side of the door is an east-west hallway, 10' square. To the west, it continues only about four yards before ending at a door. To the east, there's a door on the far wall, near the limit of torch-equivalent light, and the hallway continues much further.
>>740814
No inscriptions, nothing on the flagstones but mold and lichen. Nobody has prayed to this idol in a long, long time, if they ever did.
>cut his arm enough to bleed some
As the coppery smell spreads through damp, still air, there's a wet thump of something falling from the ceiling. At first glance it looks like some man-sized creature struggling to escape an undersized sleeping bag made from slimy leather.
>>
No. 740825 ID: 4201a2

>>740817
What are the doors made out of, how big are they, and are there any visible locks or ornamentation?

Given its relative proximity, Llyr will try opening the closer door, assuming it doesn't look menacing or magical.
>>
No. 740886 ID: cea69d

rolled 3, 2, 1 = 6

>>740817
Stone takes a battle stance in the door way, ensuring that nothing can get behind him and take advantage of his limited agility. He sweeps his rocky appendage behind him, bracing against it and leveling his spear, trusting his prayer to guide his spear. Brace for attack.
>>
No. 740892 ID: 24100f

rolled 4, 1, 3 = 8

>>740817
>>740825
Closest door seems reasonable to check, yes.

Rolling for sense magic, again. Marijke will attempt to offer a warning in time to Lyrr if she notices a magical trap.
>>
No. 740896 ID: a107fd

>>740886
The thing writhes, sluglike, across the floor closer to Stone. Probably possible to outrun. Blood continues oozing from Stone's arm, soaking the sleeve and dripping onto the floor in a steady tap-tap-tap.

>>740825
Until otherwise noted, iron-bound wood, two inches thick, five feet wide and eight feet high. Gunderbag has to move through them sideways, in an awkward half-crouch, but is at no real risk of getting stuck. All the doors in the first room had a simple wrought-iron handle on the left side and hinges on the right, and the two visible here seem to continue the trend of opening into rooms, away from hallways. No decoration apart from a few random scratches, and flaked-away green paint in indecipherable patterns that might once have been letters.
>>740892
No magic, but aforementioned geomancy is telling Marijke that the door at the west end of the hall leads to what used to be a childcare area.

Room on the other side of the door would be ten yards square, if not for a diagonal wall cutting off the northeast corner. Mosaic across that wall depicts various plants and animals, most immediately recognizable since they're native to the area, all focused around a dark human-like figure carrying... something. Glass tiles corresponding to whatever it was have been chipped away, exposing the plaster beneath, and wet plaster has rotted away in other places as well, mostly near the ceiling. Only other apparent exit is a door at the east end of the south wall, and your entrance is at the midpoint of the east wall.
>>
No. 740902 ID: 4e442e

>Probably possible to outrun
There is no need to fight if he doesn't have to, but if he has greater chances of exiting this room unscathed by killing the beast he has no qualms about that either. He will attempt to focus on the blood dripping from his arm and stanch the bloodflow magically while keeping his spear ready to fend the creature off.
>>
No. 740916 ID: 4201a2

>>740896
>Empty room except for broken mosaic
Alright, Llyr will move right ahead to the only other door then, and see if there's anything behind that one.
>>
No. 740971 ID: a107fd

>>740902
Easiest way to avoid a fight is to leave the way you came in. Looks like it can't do doorknobs.

>>740916
Through the door is another room, about 20' north-south by 30' east-west, and the only readily apparent exit is the door you came in through, in the center of the north wall. However, there could easily be something concealed behind those cheap tapestries covering all the walls.
>>
No. 741001 ID: cea69d

rolled 1, 5, 4 = 10

With no real indication of where "out" is, Stone has been relying on instinct. His instincts tell him he should fend off whatever this creature is and press forwards but...
...sometimes instincts are wrong. He will proceed back from when he came, closing both doors behind him and trying once again to seal his wound. It summoned the creature well enough, preventing him from an unpleasant surprise, but now he'd rather not bleed all over the place. If he cannot seal the wound magically he will light a candle and attempt to cauterize it, so as not to attract more unwanted attention. Back in the room aligned to the cardinal directions, he will seek guidance from his family and the spirits in this place.
didn't realize I had put the dice roll in the wrong field, whoops
>>
No. 741009 ID: a107fd

>>741001
Wound is closed, although the sleeve remains soaked with blood.

Cursory review of psychic impressions reveals that approximately everyone who went into the north or south hallways either came back out the same way, or died, so process of elimination leaves the passage opposite the door. Assuming Stone goes that way, rather than checking out the dead ends, it's a much longer passage, at least a hundred feet, looping around to the left. There's a short side passage, twenty feet off to the right, ending at a door to... some sort of chapel or storehouse. People go in desperate and reverent, come out richer. Look inside, or continue along the hall?
>>
No. 741017 ID: cea69d

>>741009
He'll tear off his blood soaked sleeve first, tossing it into the hallway he just came from, and closes the door. Anyone or anything looking for blood won't find it on him. Stone will try the doorway to right- he is a devout man, and laudanum isn't cheap. Perhaps whatever lies within can help to guide him out of this place.
>>
No. 741050 ID: a107fd

>>741017
The chapel's about thirty feet wide by forty feet deep. There are eleven alcoves evenly spaced along the walls. Ten have small statues, each depicting a different figure, in a completely different style. The only common element seems to be imagery related to gambling, such as dice or cards. The three alcoves on the far wall each have a handprint-shaped indentation below them, and the center one has an offering-bowl of some dark tropical wood, with a single copper coin inside, in place of an idol.
>>
No. 741066 ID: 86db5a

>>741050
Stone thumbs his idol of The Black One. Goddes of Death and Knowledge, Destruction and Law, but not so much gambling. Stone tends to stay away from that field; he has his own vices to deal with. Still, it does one well to respect the customs of others. He follows none of these gods, but he will offer enough silver to pay for a hot meal and good bed for a night, as well as placing a hand in each of the indentations, unsure of what exactly the rituals of this custom demand. He gives thanks to those that govern this place for allowing his presence and continues on his way
>>
No. 741068 ID: 4201a2

rolled 4, 3, 1 = 8

>>740971
How tall is the ceiling, and how far up on the wall are the tapestries hanging? Is it possible to remove the tapestries from the wall without cutting them down? What do the tapestries depict? What kind of room does Marijke's geomancy determine this to have been?

Staying on guard for more skeletons to drop out of nowhere, in case it somehow took us half an hour to open three doors and walk through one room.
>>
No. 741096 ID: 24100f

rolled 4, 2, 4 = 10

>>741068
Dead ends are suspicious, yeah. I'll roll for sense magic, and we should probably check if the trap-bold notices any traps. (If the kobolds don't have names in humish, it probably falls to Garaile to give them nicknames?).

If we wanted to poke behind the tapestries without getting too close, Letkra could apply her polearm.
>>
No. 741099 ID: a107fd

>>741068
>How tall is the ceiling
15'
>how far up on the wall are the tapestries hanging?
12'
>Is it possible to remove the tapestries from the wall without cutting them down?
Gunderbag unhooks one from the northeast corner of the room in order to examine it more closely. "Hey, that looks like my cousin!" Behind the removed tapestry is a 10' cubic alcove, like those in the first room, apart from lacking a door in the back.
>What do the tapestries depict?
The landscape surrounding the Mouth. A battle between elevenoid archers and rock-throwing ogres. The ogres are led by three black-robed figures wielding skull-topped maces, their helmets adorned with curling ram's horns.
>What kind of room does Marijke's geomancy determine this to have been?
The one with the mosaic was some sort of front office, with a check-in counter that's now missing, and the one with the tapestries was a place to keep kids entertained and out of the way.
>Staying on guard
You hear something scuttling around, behind the mosaic.
>in case it somehow took us half an hour to open three doors and walk through one room.
No, not nearly. About twenty minutes for the medical care, but "Sir" Garaile could easily be forgiven for losing track of time during that, on account of the agonizing pain involved in having a bone manually reset and then magically re-knitted.
>>741096
>check if the trap-bold notices any traps
There's a big hollow space under the floor of that alcove the ogre uncovered.
>>
No. 741196 ID: a107fd

>>741066
For each indentation pressed, a glowing rune appears, resembling a crescent moon. With the third, there's a pleasant jingling sound. The bowl is now nearly overflowing with a heap of fifty copper coins and 150 silver coins. After a few moments, the runes fade away.

If you'd like to play with that effect more, press the handprints one at a time, roll one or more d6 for each (corresponding to how hard you're praying, or otherwise manipulating luck), and specify how many coins you're leaving in the bowl.
>>
No. 741204 ID: cea69d

Stone is surprised- when one makes an offering to the gods, they rarely make you a counter offer. He will take the silver and copper, leaving the singular piece he found at the bottom of the bowl for any future travelers. After taking his gains he respectfully exits and continues down the hallway that the room is an offshoot of.
>>
No. 741213 ID: a107fd

>>741204
Stone now has a 3-pound purse of coins concealed somewhere uncomfortable.

Following the hallway along another three hundred feet of twists and turns, ignoring two or three more dead-end doors, Stone comes across a 10' stretch of floor that has unpleasant consequences for anyone who steps on it. Examine in more detail? Get a running start and pole-vault over with the spear? Something else?
>>
No. 741219 ID: cea69d

rolled 3, 2, 6 = 11

>>741213
Prod it with my spear- see if I can trigger any traps like a disappearing floor or a jet of flame. If nothing occurs then Stone will attempt to vault the 10 foot gap as you mentioned.
>>
No. 741227 ID: a107fd

>>741219
>disappearing floor
Yep, turns out it's a pretty straightforward pit trap. Only ten feet deep, and nothing nasty at the bottom, so you could even climb down and back up... except that two men step in from the right up ahead, at the shadowy fringe of illumination about forty feet away. The one behind whispers,
"Bell but no thump means cautious but clumsy."
to which the point man replies
"Hush. They've got a light. Maybe magic."
Then there's the creak of a bow being drawn.
>>
No. 741231 ID: a107fd

>>741096

Letkra would definitely be willing to poke at the tapestries with her glaive (maybe with the butt-end rather than the head, though she could also maybe switch the head- noisily, not that she'd stop to realize that's a problem, but Garaile probably remembers the noisiness from when it interrupted his meditation-) to some sort of specialized poking mechanism, or a soft-edged cane hook that could lift the tapestries without cutting them).

Shall she proceed with the tapestry-lifting, or does Garaile (or anybody else) intervene on account of the scuttling and/or the noise she'd make switching the head setting?

OOC aside: I just realized I've been spelling Garaile wrong, with a double consonant as in "Garaille", this whole time. Sorry! : (
>>
No. 741236 ID: 73c590
File 147078501830.png - (369.18KB , 1136x640 , image.png )
741236

>>741227
Stone attempts to conjure up a ghostly visage of spirits rising around him, gray forms that moan and contort around his body. He groans out in a thick, dark accent from a distant land adding to the otherworldly guise:
" Hold crahtures, ahn heed my wahning, lest you follow my paht. I ahm inflicted ah curse thaht turns my flesh to stone. I ahm hahnt by the spirits of the dahd. I gahn no rest nor pahce in slumber or the light. Do not ahflict yourself with my presence. Turn ahwah now, ahn escahpe my faht. If you engahge me, I will not be ahble to contahn the ghosts and Devils with me. They will subsume you in dahth ahs they hahnt me in life. This dahk cahvn will be your tomb, trahpen you souls in this pit to serve ahn eternity of imprisonment until aht lahst ah gentle soul lahs you to rest, finahly giving you the sweet relahse of true dahth. This is my lahst ahn only wahning, ahfore the spirits come for you.
He will then send one of his ancestors towards the figure he heard drawing the bow, holding the ghost flame
added a picture for a dice roll as I don't have access to a computer for the next few days so I hope that works well enough
>>
No. 741257 ID: a107fd

>>741236
The bow is lowered to a fractionally less threatening position.
"Tall Jack Rat ain't afraid'a no ghosts. You here for his bounty?"
>>
No. 741280 ID: 24100f

>>741231
Checking the scuttling behind us is probably more immediately important than checking for hidden compartments across the room.
>>
No. 741282 ID: 4201a2

rolled 4, 1, 3 = 8

>>741099
>>741231
>>741280
>scuttling
The scuttling is coming from inside the wall, so unless someone regularly comes by to plaster the wall back up every time the creatures burst out of it to kill intruders, danger is only going to arrive through openings which already exist. The only such openings between this and the other room would be the alcoves behind these tapestries. Therefore, these hidden alcoves have the highest potential of immediate threat here. This is especially the case if everyone stops paying attention to said tapestries in order to turn around and look at the noisy mosaic.

With this in mind, Garaile responds to the party's scuttling concerns with "Well, what are ye waiting for? Get those cloths off the wall! Don't give 'em the chance to jump us."
Also, cautiously remove the false panel of the opened alcove to see what lies in the hollow beneath. Be prepared for enemy presence.
>>
No. 741293 ID: a107fd

>>741282
>>741231
With the tapestries lifted up and/or torn down, a second alcove is revealed, opposite the first. Overall the room is T-shaped, and that hollow space under the north alcove turns out to be a 20' deep pit trap with a well-dressed corpse at the bottom.

From a hole in the mosaic in the previous room, Garaile sees a giant centipede emerge. It's about as wide and high at the 'shoulder' as a housecat, but three... four... five feet long.
>>
No. 741295 ID: 4201a2

rolled 6, 4, 2 = 12

>>741293
Figures. Garaile moves to engage the beast, swearing indistinctly.
>>
No. 741296 ID: 4201a2

rolled 2, 2, 4 = 8

>>741293
Llyr is also delighted to have something meaty to kill, and moves around the centipede to strike at its flank as Garaile engages it from the front.
>>
No. 741362 ID: a107fd

>>741296
>>741295
The insect is swiftly dispatched, spasming and dying when Garaile's rat-slaying axe separates it's front two segments from the rest. The entrails smell like rotten fruit. Llyr finds the flesh sour and unpleasant in texture, like thick fungus-infested fingernails over fibrous tendons, but basically palatable.

Moments later, two more emerge.
>>
No. 741367 ID: 4201a2

rolled 3, 1, 6 = 10

>>741362
>potentially infinite centipedes until someone rolls badly and dies
"Someone plug that damn hole afore we're swimmin' in the beasties."
Move to attack new centipede.
>>
No. 741368 ID: 4201a2

rolled 3, 6, 3 = 12

>>741362
Llyr chooses to attack the one not being fought by Garaile. He's probably eaten worse before.
>>
No. 741421 ID: 8ce800

rolled 1, 2, 1 = 4

>>741257
the ahfahrs of men ahr there own; the only lahws I enforce ah the lahws of dahth. I seek no quahrrel with your Tahl Jahk Raht, only pahsege out of this plahce. Ahre your people in need of spirituahl guidahnce? If you grieve for your depahted, or seek council with ahncestprs, or need some such communication with the spirits I cahn ahct ahs ah medium, deliver ah messahge from beyond to eahse your minds.
Stone does not release the spectral manifestation, although he does tone down the wailing and moaning, keeping it to a simple mass of swirling grays and quiet, ghostly chatter
>>
No. 741448 ID: a107fd

>>741421
OOC, go easy on the "fonetik aksent". Hard to read.
"Really? Oh, man, that's awesome. We could use a necromancer down here. Whole place is spooky."
Stone has the two greedy, superstitious bandits more or less eating out of his hand. They reset the trap, and help him safely across it. Want to join their gang, or just do an hour or two of fortune-telling in payment for passage? Either way, they've also got opium they'd be willing to trade for some of that silver. It's second-rate stuff, from the hyena-men, but better than nothing.
>>
No. 741479 ID: 24100f

rolled 3, 5, 2 = 10

Well, unlike skellies, bugs and flamible and they tend to have nice big compound eyes.

Let's try a gum fire to the face of one? Marijke will assist Llyr, since he doesn't have the advantage of Garaile's axe.

>"Someone plug that damn hole afore we're swimmin' in the beasties."
I considered putting a flame in the hole to block it, but if the plaster is rotting, that means it's made of something that can decompose, which means it's likely flammable. Lighting the wall aflame might help deal with additional bugs, but I'd be more concerned that it might cause problems with our air supply / and/or fill an underground area with poor circulation with chocking / blinding smoke.
>>
No. 741531 ID: a107fd

rolled 1, 5, 1 = 7

>>"Someone plug that damn hole afore we're swimmin' in the beasties."

Letkra will attempt to move her shield over the alcove hole the two centipedes just came out of, and expand it to cover it's width. This (probably?) involves her trying to get up to position it around the edges of the hole by hand, like someone positioning a (cooperative, flexible) manhole cover; so she's going to try not to put herself in immediate/obvious attack range of the centipedes, and try to keep the shield in front of her on the way to the edges of the hole.
>>
No. 741533 ID: a107fd

>>741368
>>741367
Remaining active centipedes are dispatched. Llyr recieves a pincer-bite on the lower leg, but it doesn't seem to have penetrated deep enough to inject poison.
>>741479
Fire doesn't do the smell any favors, but does (at least, to Ravenous Llyr's assessment) marginally improve the taste.
>if the plaster is rotting, that means it's made of something that can decompose, which means it's likely flammable
"Crumbling" or "dissolving" might be a more technically precise description. There's some stuff growing in it, but all the structural parts of the wall seem to be mineral, rather than vegetable. There would have to be something very unusual going on before processed limestone and chips of glass could catch fire, all the more so while cold and damp to the touch.
>>741531
The hole is plugged. Two or three more centipedes gnaw at the force-shield in confusion and frustration, then withdraw.

Gunderbag, meanwhile, is attempting to climb down that 20' pit, hands and feet braced on opposite walls, while the kobold is tapping on various spots along the eastern wall of the T-shaped room and listening for echoes.
>>
No. 741541 ID: 3d2d5f

rolled 3, 2, 6 = 11

>>741533
Marijke will examine Llyr's injury. From the description, it doesn't sound serious. A shallow poke probably doesn't impede mobility?

Probably can get away with a staunch bleeding and save his LTH for a more serious injury. (He's an front line fighter using his teeth; I expect him to take hits).

>hole temporarily blocked
Is there anything nearby that could act as a suitable improvised plug when we want our spearswoman back?

A rock or tile jammed in won't hold forever, but probably long enough for us to leave the room.
>>
No. 741546 ID: 4201a2

>>741541
Ravenous Llyr is confused and apprehensive about Marijke's sudden concern for his well-being. Drawing away uneasily before she can cast anything on him, he mumbles "S'only a scratch. O'll walk it off." between mouthfuls of centipede.

>Llyr is unarmed
While it's true Llyr uses his teeth in combat, he also quite enjoys the benefits of both a trident and a rather large knife purchased back in town.
>>
No. 741563 ID: a107fd

>>741541
>improvised plug
Yeah, easy enough to gather up some debris.

>>741546
>backs away
Staunch Bleeding can be done at a distance, but without an actual bandage it's just enough of a break in the skin to present a risk of infection, especially if you wade into dirty water.
>>
No. 741566 ID: 8ce800

>>741448
Stone will turn down the offer to join- he doubts the bandits can help much with his quest, and he has little desire to live in an underground cave system, awaiting bounty hunters. He will however offer services for safe passage out, and will trade for the laudanum; second rate or not, he doesn't like traveling on empty.
>>
No. 741808 ID: 24100f

>>741563
Well if he gets sick from refusing treatment, maybe he'll listen next time.

Maybe I'll hit him up with a LTH later if he hasn't gotten hurt any further, but I stand by being cautious with available healing while dungeon exploring.

Someone should probably be watching Gunderbag in case he find trouble, but I suppose we're waiting to see if he finds anything down that pit, or if the kobold finds something hidden in the wall.
>>
No. 741837 ID: a107fd

>>741566
Apart from Tall Jack Rat himself, there are six men and a hunt-brotherhood of five orcs. All eleven have hard eyes and wild, empty hearts, accustomed to dealing in fear and violence, with no real concept of the spiritual devastation they leave behind. Their lair is a diamond shaped room, fifty feet north-south by seventy feet east-west, with sliding-panel stone doors at each corner and a crude table in the center made from rough-hewn planks stacked atop old barrels.

After a bit of carousing and oracular flattery, they're happy enough to share what they know of the dungeon's layout. Most relevantly, they know a shortcut to the exit, through a crypt immediately to the west. It has some undead guardians, but they won't bother anyone who sprints past while staying out of their reach.

>>741808
>see if he finds anything down that pit,
There's a horrid crunching, slurping noise.

>or if the kobold finds something hidden in the wall.
Secret door at the back of the south alcove. Can't figure out how to open it, possibly due to insufficient muscle.
>>
No. 741908 ID: 24100f

rolled 5, 4, 3 = 12

>There's a horrid crunching, slurping noise.
...well, shit. We might have just lost our ogre.

I kind of want to hope that's being misleading and he just found something to eat (maybe earlier victims of the pitfall trap?). If Gunderbag stumbled across some monster eating him alive you'd think we'd at least hear a scream. And we might see Than seizing up from his death, unless he's moved far enough to be out of range.

Cautiously investigate? Marijke can send a mage-light over the pit, if we need it.
>>
No. 741937 ID: a107fd

>>741908
Gunderbag looks up in response to the light, and something grey-green and chunky is visible dripping from the corner of his mouth. He's holding a well-dressed human corpse in one hand. Well, most of a corpse. Above the neck there's nothing left but lower jaw and tongue.

After a bit of unintelligible apologetic mumbling, the ogre swallows his mouthful of rancid brain and bone fragments to say "Had a backpack. Here, I'll toss it up to you." Inside the backpack are five iron spikes, a frying pan with a stylized bird stamped on the handle, a coil of rope, a lantern (severely damaged by the fall) and a wide-mouthed one quart bronze flask. The flask is sealed with lead, sloshes when shaken, and seems unusually heavy for it's size.
>>
No. 741938 ID: 24100f

>>741937
"'Pillage, then burn.' Or eat. Put the pillaging comes first, we're pirates, after all."

>The flask is sealed with lead, sloshes when shaken, and seems unusually heavy for it's size.
Does it ping magically at all?

If none of us recognize it, and it doesn't give off anything I can sense, it's probably best left sealed for the alchemist to investigate later.
>>
No. 741959 ID: a107fd

>>741938
>Does it ping magically at all?
No, but given that it's sealed (and, based on the weight, possibly coated all over the inside) with lead, that doesn't mean much. Might be a bound djinn, might be a shielded carrying case for some tiny little cursed artifact... something like a dagger could probably fit inside, provided the hand-guard wasn't any bigger around than a typical coin... or it might just be a ludicrously overbuilt bottle of lamp oil.

Where are you headed next?
>>
No. 742045 ID: 24aec8

rolled 5, 4, 2 = 11

>>741837
>they know a shortcut to the exit
Well, Stone isn't the worlds greatest sprinter at this point, but he's willing to give it a shot- he'll try to prepare himself though, and gather the ingredients he'd need to overpower the wills of undead near him, turn them away or command them to turn on eachother- even briefly. He would like to return them to the grave as that is where the dead belong, but he knows better than to pick a fight he cannot win, so he will have to assess the situation once he encounters it.
>>
No. 742197 ID: 3abd97

Well, while we wait for someone to eat, shall we examine this secret door that was found?

Description, please?
>>
No. 742218 ID: a107fd

>>742197
The walls mostly consist of dark gray stone blocks, no more than 2 or 3 feet wide, fitted together with mortar. The 10' square back wall of the alcove has shallow grooves covered with mortar, in a similar pattern to blocks on adjacent walls, but the only actual seams are at the edges, and lack mortar. Examination with a bent piece of wire has revealed that said seams are narrow but unobstructed for the first six inches of depth, parallel to the walls or floor as appropriate, then wide-open. The sole exception (within a kobold's reach of the floor) is at the exact center of the bottom seam, where there's an approximately fist-sized circular thing, most likely a pivot.
>>
No. 742505 ID: b9aa79

>no commanding undead without at least getting a good night's sleep
Stone informs the bandits that he will need some hours of preparation before he passes on through this place- he would like to spend those hours in their camp.
>>
No. 742935 ID: 4201a2

rolled 6, 2, 2 = 10

>>741959
>lead flask
If it's coated in lead, it's nothing drinkable, nor is it a throwable weapon. Signs point to containing something both magical and nasty, and since it's impossible to identify it without actually opening the flask, we can't even sell it to anyone. Garaile can't help but classify it as "an unknown threat" and recommends discarding it as soon as possible. Or at the very least, keeping it safely stoppered until a particularly suicidal party member has the opportunity to move several miles away from the party before transferring the contents to a different container.

>>742218
>secret revolving wall
Looks like there's nothing to do but see what's behind it.
>>
No. 742979 ID: a107fd

>>742935
>see what's behind it
>ST 14 => basic lift 39.2 lb
>rolled 6, 2, 2 = 10
The door seems to be a solid stone slab, ten feet square and six inches thick. That kobold who's been scouting for you says this type of stone averages 186 pounds per cubic foot, so the door as a whole must be somewhere in the neighborhood of ninety-three hundred pounds, resting on a crude bearing that's long since gone crusty from disuse. A shove from Garaile's shoulder and a few solid kicks only manage to shift the stone slightly: enough to confirm that it can pivot, and spoil the illusion a bit by exposing less-worn stone along one edge, but not nearly enough to pass through. You're going to need more help, mechanical advantage, and/or lubricant on the bearings.

(Yes, the DBZ reference was intentional.)
>>
No. 742982 ID: a107fd

>>742505
Over the course of spending a night in the bandit hideout, Stone gets to know them all. The five orcs (one with a blue scar over his left eye seems to be the eldest) were Squad F of Cranberry Company in the Surgis County home guard, until their patron disappeared and her army was disbanded. Once the war was over, they headed south, doing odd jobs for money. Gradually that turned into mostly smuggling and intimidation. They joined Mikhail's Marauders back when Tall Jack was third-in-command. Then one night, Drusilla decided the Marauders were hunting too many deer, or chopped down the wrong tree, or... who even knows. Point is, she set Mikhail's camp on fire, with a hundred man-wise wolves lying in wait to cut down whoever fled.

Every single one of the bandits here is individually worth a 25 gold reward if you deliver his reasonably intact head to an officer of the law, 20 if the jaw's broken, or 30 alive.
>>
No. 743016 ID: 4201a2

rolled 6, 1, 1 = 8

>>742979
>going to need more help
"Mr. Gunderbag, tear down this wall."
>>
No. 743047 ID: a107fd

>>743016
>ST 21 => basic lift 88.2 lb
>+40% from extra effort
Gunderbag shimmies back up out of the pit reasonably quickly, verbally confirms that it's "just a fake wall," lumbers over and gives it a kick... then hops around in a half-circle clutching a stubbed toe. Thus enraged, the ogre waves everybody else out of the way and backs up for a charge, using the momentum of a ten-yard running start to hit the recalcitrant door with a thunderous punch right in the upper corner. Static friction overcome, it rotates a quarter-turn and clocks him in the side of the head.

Secret door is now passable, though you'd have to squeeze a bit and climb over the ogre who's laying face-down in the south alcove, bleeding a little, and unresponsive. On the far side there's an east-west hallway with no other readily apparent doors. The kobold is giggling uncontrollably.
>>
No. 743076 ID: 4201a2

rolled 3, 6, 5 = 14

>>743047
"That'll do, ogre. That'll do." Garaile will Lay Hands on Gunderbag's head to try to bring him back to consciousness.

Now that the passage is open, however, Llyr will happily hop right through and see what's on the other side.
>>
No. 743105 ID: a107fd

>>743076
The bruise briefly glows with golden fire, which recedes to reveal no more bleeding and pristine skin... or at least, as pristine as it was before. A toe audibly cracks back into position. Gunderbag coughs and sputters a bit, then starts to snore.
>>
No. 743112 ID: 3abd97

rolled 2, 3, 2 = 7

>>743105
This gets Marijke's attention, will will want to inspect how well Garaile's divine healing seems to have worked. (If it reset the bone, that would put it more on the level of a least true healing than a staunch bleeding).
>>
No. 743244 ID: 4201a2

rolled 5, 3, 4 = 12

>>743105
>ogre fell asleep
At least it's a sleep he'll probably wake up from. Garaile will leave Marijke to cross-examine Gunderbag as she pleases, and move on through the passage to see what's going on in the other room, and to make sure Llyr hasn't stepped in any more trouble.
>>
No. 743256 ID: a107fd

Ravenous Llyr can see reasonably well in the dark, but "Sir" Garaile needs a light source. The hallway on the far side of the secret door goes east-west overall, but there's a bit of a zigzag to it. From the far side of the door, you can go twenty feet south and then twenty feet east to a more conventional door on the north wall, or further to the east, out to the limit of Llyr's vision.
Alternatively, you could go thirty feet west, then the hall turns south, passes a door in the east wall, and after fifty feet turns back to the east.
Either way, are the scouts waiting for Gunderbag to recover, or forging ahead and breaking LOS to the rest of the party?
>>
No. 743292 ID: a107fd

>>743112
Definitely a bigger deal than Staunch Bleeding. Seems to be at least equal to, perhaps somewhat stronger than Least True Healing, but clumsy and inefficient, like the difference between curing dehydration with soup by the spoonful vs. buckets of muddy water thrown in the patient's general direction. The light show was excess energy splashing around. In practical terms, it's probably easier to use under time constraints, stress, and distraction, and might be better than LTH for a 'thousand cuts' sort of situation with many individually minor problems, less useful for a single severe or delicate issue like, say, a bruised kidney or ruptured aorta. More likely to solve lingering functional impairments, such as chronic pain, but also more likely to leave cosmetic scars.

Fundamentally, the effect channels power from the Old God whose sacred number is 4, AKA The Sun. Associated with extremes of light and dark bordered by sharp-edged shadows, moral absolutism, purification through suffering, destruction of undead, etc. His only notable geographic feature on the cosmos-scale map was the "city of brass."
>>
No. 743465 ID: 3abd97

Marijke is going to stay with Gunderbag, at least. We'll see if the other players want to wait or split off a scout group.
>>
No. 743580 ID: a107fd

rolled 3, 4, 2 = 9

Letkra missed seeing what, exactly, Gunderbag was doing down in the pit, which would've prompted some potential... concerns, otherwise. Instead she's been keeping an eye around the edges of the hall and trying not to stray too far (since she apparently expected everyone to be marching more or less in an extremely straight line most of the time, for some reason)...

>>We'll see if the other players want to wait or split off a scout group.

...which may be difficult depending on how much everyone else spreads out. She's not inclined to run off, but she is inclined to try to take point a little bit, since she's supposed to be keeping her shield in the front of the group.

(um, we did pile some other stuff in the centipede holes though, right? Did that hold? Rolling just in case there's anything relevant there.)
>>
No. 743682 ID: 4201a2

rolled 2, 4, 5 = 11

>>743256
>Garaile needs a light source
Damn, I need to get some kind of ridiculous candle hat to light my way.
Fine, Garaile stands guard on the other side of the secret door, waiting for the inevitable swarm of nasties to show up, attracted to the party's indecision. "Wake that oaf up. We caen't be lingering."

>open hallway thirty feet west that turns south, passes a door in the east wall, and turns back east
That door likely leads to a singular room then, so Llyr (after relaying to the party where he's going) is gonna go take a peek inside. Roll for perception / cautiousness.
>>
No. 743738 ID: a107fd

>>743580
Centipede hole is blocked. Not enough to stop them, but it'll slow them down and make enough noise to deny the element of surprise.
>>743682
No apparent traps. On the far side of the door is a big L-shaped room, about 20' wide with a 15' high ceiling. North wall seems to follow the contour of the hallway. Whole room is crammed full of bunkbeds, enough for maybe 150-200 guys, but it looks abandoned. Most of the bedding and blankets are still in place, though, and there are dozens of footlockers which might hold something of value.
>>
No. 743826 ID: a107fd

>>743682
>candle hat
Garaile does indeed have options for nonmagical illumination. Want to light it up? Torchlight effective range is 2 yards, beyond which you'd be taking a -3 penalty for poor visibility, instead of the -9 for near-total darkness. However, a torch's flame is also stealth-defeating out to at least 200 yards with line of sight, or shorter distances even around corners.

Wereshark darkvision effective range, for comparison, is 20 yards, with no stealth issue, but cannot distinguish colors.
>>
No. 744253 ID: b9aa79

> 25 gold a pop
Stone is impressed- a brave soul could live off their combined bounties. He does his best to make sure that the observation is a non-threatening one; he has no intentions of pursuing these men or turning them over to anyone. Still though, they must have mad someone important pretty mad to be garnering that kind of attention. Not enough to turn the head of a seasoned adventurer who has magic bullets worth more than that, but for ordinary folk that is a sizable sum. He finds himself intrigued and wishing to know more about their lives, why they do what they do, etc. He also asks if there is anything he can do for them on the surface- a favor of sorts for their hospitality.
>>
No. 744254 ID: b9aa79

> 25 gold a pop
Stone is impressed- a brave soul could live off their combined bounties. He does his best to make sure that the observation is a non-threatening one; he has no intentions of pursuing these men or turning them over to anyone. Still though, they must have mad someone important pretty mad to be garnering that kind of attention. Not enough to turn the head of a seasoned adventurer who has magic bullets worth more than that, but for ordinary folk that is a sizable sum. He finds himself intrigued and wishing to know more about their lives, why they do what they do, etc. He also asks if there is anything he can do for them on the surface- a favor of sorts for their hospitality.
>>
No. 744286 ID: a107fd

>>744254
Sorry, for some reason I wasn't expecting the bandits to get quite so much scrutiny. http://keychain.patternspider.net/archive/koc0007.html I'll roll up names, capsule bios, descriptions, and further plot hooks for each of them. Until then...
Main thing Tall Jack Rat would like is better wards against the restless dead around their little lair here, but there's not much you can confidently do about that long-term, within your current skills. At least, not without a considerable quantity of salt and ongoing commitment to weekly maintenance visits.

Failing that, the main thing that would improve the bandits' quality of life (possibly even push them back over the line into contributing members of society) would be a magical heat source, decent yeast cultures, and some copper pipe fittings. That's all they need to start fermenting, or even distilling, their own alcohol. Grain or high-sugar-content fruit are easy enough to steal, and at least one of the old barrels they've been using as table-legs is probably still watertight. If you can't scrounge up any imperishable smokeless fire, mapping and clearing some place down here that has a decent chimney would also be acceptable. Choking in a sealed room of dead air is no laughing matter.
>>
No. 744391 ID: dc887b

Stone will keep that in mind. There's no promises, but perhaps if he has need to visit these caves again he'll keep the thoughts of these men close to his heart. He will now rest and prepare to travel out of the cave system, hoping he can muster up enough occult strength and divine support to give him enough time to escape from the deathless guardians of this place and travel onwards to the nearest town.
>>
No. 744392 ID: a107fd

>>744253
Tall Jack Rat himself would pay a modest finder's fee for any information leading to the capture of merchant wagons or ransomable hostages, but mainly wants to know why Drusilla attacked, so he can avoid her further attention.

The orcs - Lucjan with the blue scar, and Kamil, Karol, Kasper, and Kazimierz in no obvious order, all with fearsome two-handed axes - want to hear any rumor of the wherabouts of their liege, Countess Yeven. They'd go to her in a heartbeat, if she yet lived and would accept them.

Eochaid with the snakeskin belt wants a sealed letter carried to Abbot Thum at the monastery across the river, or any of his loyal subordinates... but better it be burned than read by Brother Grosso.

Short-legged Nerys with the scarred chest wants a particular packet of herbs from Yorgala, in the dark woods just northeast of the Mouth.

Emrys with the missing teeth wants a giant spider's venom gland, since he's heard you can smoke it to get high.

Owen with the spear wants a fine-toothed steel comb from the City of Walking Trees, to keep tangles and bugs out of his hair.
>>
No. 744395 ID: b9aa79

>wants a sealed letter carried to Abbot Thum
Now this Stone feels confident about. If Eochaid is willing to part with it Stone is willing to deliver it. He also admits to Tall Rat Jack that he himself is curious as to why they're being targeted and will ask around, even if just for his own sake. He assures him discretion, and says that if he ever comes back through these caves he will seek out his men if it is reasonable for him to do so.
>>
No. 744428 ID: a107fd

rolled 9, 6, 6, 5, 7, 10, 11, 3, 17, 2, 2, 18, 7, 5, 5, 11 = 124

Rolling for random encounters.
>>
No. 744435 ID: a107fd

>>744428
Two hours in, another couple of bandits stop by, speak privately with Tall Jack, and leave again. Apparently this isn't the only room they use as a hideout.
Two hours after that, Stone mutters some minor word of power in his sleep. One of the zombies in the room to the west scratches and taps at the door for a few minutes.
Through most of hour five, yipping and hammering sounds suggest kobolds laying traps in the east passage. The orc brotherhood sallies forth to chase 'em off. When the patrol returns, an hour later, Karol and Kasper are wounded and they're being pursued by giant ants.

Stone is now a 2nd level oracle, complete with a fresh load of spells for the day, the ability to command undead, and a social obligation to assist in dealing with that giant ant problem.
>>
No. 744560 ID: 383927

rolled 5, 1, 3 = 9

>>744435
> pursued by giant ants
Well then Stone will prepare to defend himself. Assuming they're coming through the same door the Orcs entered from, he will grab a few loose stones and pray to his Goddess to guide them and imbue them with the power to kill. If the corridor is a fairly straight shot then he'll set up in front of it, but if it's curved enough that he wouldn't be able to see them coming until they were within range of his spear he'll back off a bit so he can hurl stones at them from a bit further away
>>
No. 744650 ID: 4201a2

rolled 6, 3, 5 = 14

>>743738
Llyr will first search all the beds, in case anyone or anything's hiding in there, then check out the lockers afterward. Roll for search.

>>743826
>>744428
Garaile will stand guard in the dim light without lighting up anything that would draw enemies near, and await the scuttling horrors that are surely going to show up anyway.
>>
No. 744849 ID: a107fd

>>744650
Fifteen minutes later, the ogre's awake and reasonably functional, but Ravenous Llyr is less than a third of the way through ransacking the abandoned barracks. Loot found there so far consists of a single bent and battered copper coin, and a perfectly normal mouse skull with some associated ribs and vertebrae.

>>744560
Ancestral spirits are temporarily bound as single-shot guidance systems for rocks, and made available to whichever bandits are competent with slings. Any other preparations? Ants are following the trail of blood and scent, rather than pursuing by sight at top speed, so you've got a couple minutes. They're definitely coming, no side-passages down that way to lay a false trail along, but the good news is ants aren't smart enough to recognize that constraint and charge ahead.
>>
No. 745036 ID: b9aa79

>>744849
Stone is not a man of rash emotion, but neither is he one of traps and cunning. At heart he is a warrior, and proud. He has a mission, a purpose, a goal- he shall not allow these petty creatures to halt his progress.
However, with his leg, he does not want anything to be able to get behind him and find an easy target. He assumes these ants can climb, maneuver up and along the walls, over any real barricades or walls put up to divert them. Stone assumes that he is standing against the creatures in a contest of ability with the other men rather than alone, which would greatly influence his decision. The ant's are tracking the scent of blood- theoretically he could try to heal the wounded orcs and make off into a different room, but he doubts that would do them any good even if it did work. An idea strikes him though- if the bandits have an empty bottle and a rag, he has alcohol. Soak the rag, put wine in the bottle, and that should make a nasty surprise for the ants. Less -optimally he could go for a fire trap n the floor- spread some wine and oil across the ground in front of the tunnel opening and light it as the ants arrive, cutting them off from eachother and possibly injuring them. He confers this idea to the bandits to see if they're willing to participate. He also mentions that his wine is a special sort, used in rituals, meant to entice and appease spirits. A drink for the dead. He could attempt to rally the spirits, and gain their assistance, mayhaps enhance the flames in a manor. It is not, however, for drinking.
>>
No. 745167 ID: a107fd

>>745036
>ants can climb walls
"Yeah, but slowly. They're swift as horses across level ground."
>standing against the creatures in a contest of ability with the other men rather than alone
Of course. Sharing hospitality means everybody's in this together.
>fire
Solid plan, but insufficient resources. Alcohol content in fortified wine is slightly too low to burn properly, and the bandits don't have a supply of lamp oil (or if they do, aren't willing to share).
> A drink for the dead.
There are some walking corpses right over in the next room, operating on old orders to guard a tomb. Stone is now capable of giving them new orders.
>heal the wounded orcs
None of the bandits has formal medical training, nor much experience beyond the basics of bandaging. The lair gets no sunlight, and smells like none of the people who live there have had a proper bath in the past year. In terms of infection risk, it's a better environment than some rancid swamp or seething jungle, but not by much. Judicious application of wine as a disinfectant, and maybe one or two Least True Healing, could be what lets those orcs survive beyond the next week.
>>
No. 745191 ID: 338a7c

>>745167
>Stone is now capable of giving them new orders.
Simply put then, defend Stone and the men he is with. He will release the undead defenders into the room and ensure they're doing his will
As for healing, Stone will provide what care he can- I'm assuming however that the ants will be upon us before he can properly clean and seal any wounds. In light of their fast land speed and slower climbing, perhaps overturning the makeshift table and any spare crates or barrels being used for storage or chairs and such to form a crude barricade, keep the ants from rushing them, giving him a greater advantage with his spear.
>>
No. 745523 ID: a107fd

>>745191
These zombies seem to be about equal to ants in hand-to-hand, and outnumber them five to three. Not as mobile, but that doesn't matter much when defending a choke point. With ranged support from the bandits (zombies don't care about being shot in the back, which might otherwise be an issue in this sort of situation) it's over quickly. One of the zombies gets dismembered to the point of de-animation, but other than that, no friendly casualties.

So, leaving immediately? Or taking the opportunity to crack open that stone sarcophagus the zombies were apparently guarding?
>>
No. 745528 ID: 6423d7

>leaving immediately? Or...
First Stone will tend to the wounded as best he can. Fortified wine, and scraps of cloth that are available to make bandages, keep out infection, try to staunch the bleeding if he can. He tells them to change the bandages regularly, and if the wounds start to rot try to get rid of it otherwise it'll get into their blood and kill them. He'll leave them with 2 undead guardians assuming that the bandits are amiable, and instruct them to guard the men. He will take 2 of the undead with him and instruct them to help him open up the tombs, that way if there's any sort of traps or danger the zombies will take the brunt of the effects.
>>
No. 745529 ID: 6423d7

>>745528
>maybe one or two Least True Healing
also this if I have the capability to use that to heal the bandits.
>>
No. 745530 ID: d41523

rolled 4, 2, 3 = 9

>>744849
Since the party's good to go and no one else has suggested an alternative, Garaile will lead them down the WSE corridor, passing the door where Llyr is still ransacking the place to check in that he hasn't gotten himself killed yet.

Llyr, of course, will continue to make a mess of everything, as is his wont.
>>
No. 745593 ID: a107fd

>>745528
>tend to the wounded
Always appreciated.
>Least True Healing
You'll be tapped out, but it's certainly possible, and would make the bandage-changing and other long term care irrelevant.
>take two zombies and instruct them to open the sarcophagus
The zombies refuse. Which... really shouldn't be possible, given that they're otherwise mindlessly compliant. You could maybe shove the stone slab on top off to the side by yourself, or persuade the bandits to help. They'd probably want a share of whatever loot is inside, but given how much you just helped them and how they apparently weren't able to get at it themselves, there's room for negotiation on that point.
>>745530
Party has been reunited. Going to help Llyr finish ransacking the barracks, or call him away to check out that flickering green firelight around the next corner?

Also, since it's about to become very relevant, did you park the wagon back at the inn (for safety), or right outside the Mouth (for logistical convenience when retrieving bulky stuff like fifty triple-deck bunkbeds)? White Snake is on sentry duty either way.
>>
No. 745597 ID: d41523

rolled 5, 1, 1 = 7

>>745593
>wagon status
Left behind with White Snake. See >>740155

>flickering green firelight
Obviously an enemy, and given we can see them from their light and they can't see us yet because I didn't stupidly light a torch, why not take a formation at the corner and catch them by surprise? So speaketh "Sir" Garaile, already moving into position to do so.
>>
No. 745651 ID: a107fd

>>745597
> moving into position
After a bend to the east, wrapping around the south corner of the barracks, and another twenty feet or so, the hall turns south again. Around the corner, there's no door or arch; the corridor simply expands like the bell of a trumpet into a room at least 50' square, with three rows of pillars and, at the far wall, two massive braziers, each holding a roaring green bonfire.

>Left behind with White Snake
Yes, White Snake is guarding the wagon/secret hideout, and the wagon isn't IN the dungeon... but how far behind, exactly? Is it right outside, or miles away back at the inn? The post to which you refer leaves that point ambiguous.
>>
No. 745676 ID: b9aa79

rolled 2, 5, 3 = 10

>>745593
>You'll be tapped out
Worth it. Stone will heal the bandits
>The zombies refuse
Curious. Stone will attempt to see if his ancestors and or the bandits can determine what is keeping the zombies in check. If he cannot glean any new information, then he'll move on, taking his new pets with him.
>>
No. 745682 ID: d41523

rolled 4, 1, 1 = 6

>>745651
>cart
Cart is far away, back at the Inn.

>big room with braziers
No enemies? Garaile doesn't believe it for a moment, and advances extremely cautiously to investigate.

Ravenous Llyr is probably still ransacking, since no one has bothered to say anything to him.
>>
No. 745686 ID: a107fd

>>745676
These bandits have little or no useful insight into the theoretical underpinnings of theology or necromancy. Ancestral wisdom suggests that there's something stronger issuing conflicting commands, but is frustratingly short on specifics.

Proceeding toward the outside, through the secret door at the other side of the crypt, you emerge into a room with three other exits: two open archways in the opposite wall, and a hallway to the left continuing 30' to a door. Following the bandits' directions through the door, Stone finds himself emerging from the north (unmarked) path into the well-known entrance hall, described here:
>>735622
At the top of the stairs, blessed daylight.

>>745682
>No enemies?
No visible enemies. Somebody could be hiding behind any of those pillars, or a secret door, or maybe just up against the curves in the wall. Or even inside the fire, if it's an illusion or they're magically fireproof.

Speaking of which, Garaile sees something move in the left-side brazier, almost like a coil spring popping up in slow motion. No way to pick out color or fine detail through the lurid flames.
>>
No. 745845 ID: 3abd97

rolled 2, 2, 2 = 6

>>745651
It was my understanding we left the cart back at the inn. (Although back when we made this decision, I was also under the impression the ritual was being attempted today, when we're currently stalling / waiting for Rixxil to regain strength under intravenous feeding).

>>745686
Let's roll detect magic on this chamber. I haven't done that in a while!
>>
No. 745846 ID: a107fd

>>745845
Nothing magical in the barracks apart from stuff you brought in. Green fire is obviously some sort of magic, but you'd have to get within 20 yards for a good scan of the details, which means stepping out from behind cover and walking 30-40 feet forward. How cautious are you being about possible ambushes or traps, on a scale from one to ten? Higher numbers mean going slower.
>>
No. 746473 ID: b9aa79

rolled 5, 3, 3 = 11

>>745686
>blessed daylight.
Finally. Stone wasn't sure how long he would be wandering those caves- the bandits so close to the surface were a lucky break. If not for the broken skeletal remains and fresh blood staining the ground, stone might have sat down and celebrated with some of his new stash. He wonders, absent-mindedly if whoever was just here is after the bandits.
Quick status check- what kind of condition am I in, how does my inventory look, how are my clothes holding up, I know I had to rip them up a little bit. Also perception check- see if I'm in any danger, and try to look at the ground for any sort of worn path or indications of a town nearby.
>>
No. 747172 ID: a107fd

>>746473
>any danger,
Nothing immediate, but a dungeon mouth out on the frontier isn't exactly the best place to sleep alone.
>look at the ground for any sort of worn path
There's a foot trail leading down the hill and generally northward.
>indications of a town nearby
Watercourses are generally the best place to look for signs of civilization, and it looks like there's a small river off to the east. Thin trail of smoke on the horizon, north-north-east, source obscured by trees.
>inventory
Even after buying out Tall Jack Rat's entire stock of second-rate opium, Stone has a generous handful of silver coins left. More than enough to pay a tailor to replace the sleeve of a shirt.
>>
No. 747183 ID: 383927

>>747172
After a quick prayer of thanks, Stone will set out on the northerly path, assuming that at some point it leads towards the north-north-east smoke. Trails exist for a reason, and he bets that seasoned adventurers head to these caves on a regular basis. Put two and two together, and he thinks that it's not unreasonable this trail will lead him towards some sort of settlement.
>>
No. 747341 ID: 3abd97

rolled 1, 5, 6 = 12

>>745846
I don't think I'm particularly wary of mechanical traps, considering Llyr would have probably tripped those walking across them.

That said, the squishy mage isn't walking 30 ft ahead of the rest of the party as an advance scout.

Assuming a 1 is glacial paranoia, and 10 is a dead run heedless of the possible risks, uh, 4?
>>
No. 747366 ID: a107fd

>>747341
You confirm that it's very real fire (rather than some kind of illusion) and permanently linked to those bowls, just before a giant glittering snake slithers out of the flames to attack whoever's nearest. Marijke's caution gives her enough time to retreat to the point of not being the nearest.
>>
No. 747402 ID: d41523

rolled 1, 4, 4 = 9

>>747366
Garaile is nearest, and now has a certain amount of regret in purchasing a wooden shield instead of something a little more inflammable.

Rollin' to tank the snake.
>>
No. 747405 ID: a107fd

>>747402
Garaile wedges his shield into the snake's maw mid-strike and is pleasantly surprised to find no signs of combustion, nor even scorches and smoldering. Apparently this beast is merely resistant or immune to fire, rather than embodying or exuding the stuff. It's still got a pair of dagger-sized fangs, though, and a muscular body five or six yards long, as thick as Gunderbag's neck. Might be a real challenge to slay.

Good news is, the thing's scaly hide is absolutely beautiful, and will make a superb trophy. Might even be possible to get it reworked into some sort of magical armor.
>>
No. 747453 ID: d41523

rolled 5, 6, 3 = 14

>>747405
Garaile will fight defensively, keeping on the move to stay between the snake and the party. Who's behind Garaile, anyway?

Did Llyr finish ransacking the room? Haven't received a response on that yet. If he's aware of the threat and within action distance I'll roll for him too. Otherwise, the oblivious dullard will continue to make a big mess off by himself.
>>
No. 747486 ID: 3abd97

>Who's behind Garaile, anyway?
Marijke, at least. Presumably the rest of the group advanced into the room together? Sans Llyr, who's somewhere ahead of us.

>fireproof snake with armor quality scales
Hmm. So little flame puffs and mage-tossed daggers are unlikely to be effective. Unless I hit it in the mouth or eye, but that's probably unlikely considering the head of the snake is going to be the fastest moving part, snapping out our frontguard.

If it get stuck in the shield I suppose that might make it an easier target.

Headshotting the snake effectively would probably be a lot more suited to Than.

I suppose I could influencing it with the weakened free sample of Friendship Curse, but as I recall that being touch range, which seems like a bad idea. (Unless I could throw my gemstone form familiar at it. Can I still use him to carry spells in that form?).
>>
No. 747697 ID: a107fd

>>/questdis/103481
The braziers are shallow brass bowls, 10' in diameter, sitting directly on the ground. The snake probably weighs around 200 pounds.

>>747453
Garaile falls back before the serpent's fury, dodging and parrying as appropriate, attacking only when presented with a clear opening. A blow that he hoped would be decapitating, or at least open some major blood vessel, is half-dodged and only leaves a shallow scratch under it's chin. The snake, in turn, manages to sink a fang straight through the scale armor on Garaile's sword axe-arm, between radius and ulna, nearly out the other side. It feels ice cold. Some unwholesome fluid visibly drips from the other fang, though it's hard to judge colors in this sickly, flickering light.

Llyr wouldn't have finished the ransacking by now, but, given the lack of productivity, could easily have given up halfway through when something more exciting started happening. The remaining bunks and footlockers aren't going anywhere, so you could come back and resume searching later.

Gunderbag is still a bit groggy, trying to make his way to the front without stepping on anyone.

>>747486
>Can I still use him to carry spells in that form?
Feels like you should be able to, but it hasn't been tested.
>>
No. 747699 ID: a107fd

>>/questdis/103481
The braziers are shallow brass bowls, 10' in diameter, sitting directly on the ground. The snake probably weighs around 200 pounds.

>>747453
Garaile falls back before the serpent's fury, dodging and parrying as appropriate, attacking only when presented with a clear opening. A blow that he hoped would be decapitating, or at least open some major blood vessel, is half-dodged and only leaves a shallow scratch under it's chin. The snake, in turn, manages to sink a fang straight through the scale armor on Garaile's sword axe-arm, between radius and ulna, nearly out the other side. It feels ice cold. Some unwholesome fluid visibly drips from the other fang, though it's hard to judge colors in this sickly, flickering light.

Llyr wouldn't have finished the ransacking by now, but, given the lack of productivity, could easily have given up halfway through when something more exciting started happening. The remaining bunks and footlockers aren't going anywhere, so you could come back and resume searching later.

Gunderbag is still a bit groggy, trying to make his way to the front without stepping on anyone.

>>747486
>Can I still use him to carry spells in that form?
Feels like you should be able to, but it hasn't been tested.
>>
No. 747734 ID: d41523

rolled 1, 6, 4 = 11

>>747699
>fang through the arm
A loud stream of profanity makes Garaile's personal view of the matter quite clear (that's not unholy, is it?), and since both the axe and the shield appear to be utterly worthless in this fight, Garaile will drop them both and grapple the bastard, taking advantage of the foot-long fang lodged securely in layers of metal and flesh to keep a strong grip.

Garaile hopes dearly that at least one other party member will elect to assist in this combat at some point.
>>
No. 747753 ID: 3abd97

rolled 5, 3, 4 = 12

>voluntarily grappling a snake
Goodness this went wrong at some point.

>>Can I still use him to carry spells in that form?
>Feels like you should be able to, but it hasn't been tested.
Alright, I'm going to attempt to cast free sample friendship curse on the snake via thrown familiar-gem.
>>
No. 747830 ID: a107fd

>>747734
"Sir" Garaile twists the snake's head upside-down with a variant of the classic 'wax off' forearm parry, then punches it in the eye with his shield arm while it's disoriented, rips the offending fang out of it's mouth, and is sitting astride it, ankles crossed, getting ready to strangle it to death with his legs.

Then the snake recovers it's wits and starts fighting back again, not so much constricting as trying to right itself and throw him off, like a wild horse. Garaile is starting to get lightheaded and short of breath, presumably from the effects of the poison.

Gunderbag is in a position to get involved, but thinks the situation is funny enough to just watch. Ravenous Llyr also arrives on the scene.

>>747753
The snake has been successfully charmed. It will not attack Marijke (or Eadric), and regards her as, if not a trusted ally, at least pleasant and harmless. If she can figure out how to tell it to stop fighting Garaile, it will probably cooperate with that suggestion, apart from immediate self-defense.
>>
No. 747837 ID: 3d2d5f

rolled 4, 1, 4 = 9

Wow. Except for the poison, I think Garaile is actually winning hand to hand grappling a giant snake.

>poison
I sure hope LTH works on that, since I don't have a specific cure poison spell.

>tossed gem familiar works for touch spells
I may need to acquire a sling.

>If she can figure out how to tell it to stop fighting Garaile, it will probably cooperate with that suggestion
Ah, right. There's probably a language barrier here, if the snake is even intelligent enough for language in the first place.

Can't just stand between them while he's riding it, either.

>what do
Approach, while trying to soothe the snake (talking gently to it, arm motions), and instructing Garaile to dismount and/or Gunderbag to catch him if he falls or is thrown.

Eadric can pop back to bird for the moment. Better to have two angles to block the snake attacking people.

If we manage to extricate Garaile, Marijke will see what she can do treating his poisoning while leaving Eadric between the snake and the rest of the group. We can exploit its charmed status to cheap-kill it for it's hide later.
>>
No. 747839 ID: d41523

rolled 4, 2, 2 = 8

>>747830
>gunderbag choosing not to help
This ogre is goddamn liability.

For lack of anything better to do, Garaile will begin stabbing the snake in the head with its own fang.
>>
No. 747845 ID: a107fd

rolled 2, 5, 2 = 9

Can Letkra step in, with her shield at a moveable tower-size/large-shield size, to protect Marijke as she tries to slip in there? If so she tries that.
>>
No. 747862 ID: a107fd

>stab it in the head
Fireproof snake is now minus an eye. Garaile is thrown off, crashing into one of the pillars and re-breaking his collarbone in a poorly-thought-out, yet otherwise successful, attempt to absorb the impact. Letkra interposes her shield between Garaile and the snake just in time to deflect a panicked strike of the remaining fang.

>I sure hope LTH works on that, since I don't have a specific cure poison spell.
Many snake venoms attack the life-giving qualities of the blood directly. Least True Healing will close the wound, but restoring blood on that level is a job for Lymphatic Auditor, and neutralizing the venom before it runs it's course would require 3rd circle magic, or alchemical antivenins prepared in advance. That spell the acolytes use to preserve corpses could buy a few hours in which to come up with a better plan.

On a more practical note, Fool's Luck and mundane first aid could improve Garaile's chances, and it'd be easy enough to act as a human shield at the same time, forcing the snake to either retreat to it's blazing nest, or engage Letkra (who might be immune to the poison and can eventually heal), Llyr (who can rapidly heal, if he wins), or Gunderbag (who's distracted by picking some human hair from between his teeth). The kobold brownsmith has apparently picked up plundering the abandoned barracks where Llyr left off.

>This ogre is [...]a[...] liability.
That comes as a surprise? Truly? Consider their reputation. If someone were described to be "as graceful, as well-groomed, as dependable, as compassionate as an ogre," it would almost universally be regarded as a string of insults. Propaganda aside, and further ignoring the clinging stench of objective, metaphysical evil, consider that they are stronger than oxen in body and weaker in will, somewhat more capable of following complex instructions, and yet nobody bothers to enslave them for labor... besides the Neogi, who have no scruples, and can scarcely understand any relationship other than master-and-slave. Possibly also whoever made those tapestries, but how'd that work out?
>>
No. 747868 ID: d41523

rolled 3, 4, 1 = 8

>>747862
If Garaile is still conscious from broken bones and heavy injuries in multiple places, Garaile will go ahead and Lay Hands on themselves, thankful for the support of Letkra's shield.
>>
No. 747870 ID: d41523

rolled 2, 1, 2 = 5

No longer having to be concerned about friendly fire, (an issue he's been struggling with) Llyr will gleefully leap in to take "Sir" Garaile's place at the fore of the battle, raw adrenaline and violent excitement whipping him into a frothing martial trance, and attacking with a certain disregard for his own life.
>>
No. 747872 ID: 3abd97

rolled 4, 3, 4 = 11

Right. Running off to provide first aid, then. Least true healing and a fresh fool's luck, since I can probably assume he used up the first bonus somewhere in that snakefight.

Eadric can un-gem and act a shield on snake's path towards Than and the kobold.
>>
No. 747911 ID: a107fd

>>747870
Critical success. Llyr learns that this snake's ribs and spinal column are made from unmelting ice. Only the skull is conventional bone. This adds to the treasure value, but presents no significant complications to gutting it like a fish and devouring the still-beating heart. In short order, he's got the skin cleaned and folded up, largely intact, and 2x 50lb bundles of snake steaks (40lb of edible meat mixed with 10lb of icy vertebrae, for freshness) wrapped and ready to carry off.

When Llyr calms down, a significant quantity of blood and gristle is still stuck to the ceiling.
>>747868
Garaile's entire cardiovascular system feels like it's on fire. He can stand up, with a friend or a wall to lean on, and move around at a leisurely walking pace, but anything more strenuous should probably be limited to heroic necessity.
>>747872
Main puncture wound is already closed up before Marijke gets there with Least True Healing. Where there ought to be bruises and scratches, some sort of golden light with a peculiar... angular? ...quality is pulsing under Garaile's skin, and he's stumbling around like a marionette with tangled strings.
>>
No. 747953 ID: 3abd97

rolled 1, 5, 3 = 9

>>747911
Okay... going to try to get Garaile to stop stumbling around and hold still so in order to get a good look at what's going on with him. I'm assuming there's left behind holy light actively fighting the continuing damage the poison is doing?

Rolling for mage sight / study.

Is that visible golden light under his skin, or mage-sight light?

"I don't have the spell to fix this. Non-fatal but fixable injury is a good time to be turning back." (Nico has Lymphatic Auditor, I think, and/or the alchemist probably has the means to counteract poison).

If he's limited to a slow walking with assistance, we might want to opt for a force-shield stretcher instead, or perhaps the ogre express.

>Critical success.
Good work. If the other tooth is full of poison, or there's a poison gland, harvest that. It might help the alchemist counteract this if she had a sample, and if she doesn't need it, I'm sure we'll find some other use for poison.
>>
No. 748014 ID: a107fd

rolled 3 = 3

Rolling for random encounters, either on your way out of the dungeon, or while you search the Chapel of Green Flame for other loot and points of interest, and provide first aid to Garaile.

>>747953
>Is that visible golden light under his skin, or mage-sight light?
Yes to both. The angular quality is more pronounced under magical analysis.
>actively fighting the continuing damage
Not really. It's bypassing the damage, propping up his physiology. If Lymphatic Auditor is a handyman fixing the plumbing, this a bucket brigade, heroically bailing out the flooded basement and carrying water to upper floors in response to shouted requests. Once it wears off, he'll be back to depending on venom-damaged blood, and most likely pass out or die. Hard to say when that will be, since Marijke's never seen anything like this before... although it is vaguely reminiscent of whatever left those scorch marks in the library.
>>
No. 748033 ID: d41523

>>747911
>Garaile can barely stand and only walk with assistance
Garaile has become a serious burden and is the first to admit it. Garaile requests an escort to the exit, deciding to throw in the towel on this one and not drag the group down too much.

>>747953
>ogre express
Garaile doesn't have enough energy to voice the full litany of curses on that idea, instead settling on a gruff reminder that the ogre is partially indirectly responsible for this lamentable condition, having had the opportunity to assist in the snake fight, and actively choosing not to out of some dark and twisted sense of humor.

>>747862
>kobold loot
On the way out, check in with the kobold and see if they've scrounged up anything good.
>>
No. 748063 ID: a107fd

>>748033
>scrounged up anything good
Yeah! Tasty little lump of tallow with some string in it, most of a sewing kit, three-quarters of a rusty copper coin, so many warm blankets (the best of which are now being carried, overhead and in a trail dragging behind), and, best of all? This awesome mouse skeleton, which the brownsmith has already threaded onto a necklace, in clear imitation of Garaile's trophy-taking.

>exit
You make it back to the first room without incident, but half a dozen walking corpses are blocking the stairs out.

Than says she's got a reasonably clear shot at the living human figure at the top, carrying a spear and surrounded by a swirling aura of bound spirits, who seems to be in charge. Decapitation might result in your group being mobbed by uncontrolled undead with high-ground advantage, though, so she doesn't fire immediately. They don't seem to have noticed you.
>>
No. 748150 ID: d41523

>>748063
>being mobbed by uncontrolled undead with high-ground advantage
Garaile is of the opinion that this is a significantly better option than being mobbed by intelligently controlled undead with high-ground advantage, and suggests Than take the shot. From a purely tactical standpoint, Garaile also expresses a desire to not be in the vicinity of the battle when it begins, to avoid hindering the party, and also for the ogre to be put at the front of the group before it begins, because it's time that lug did something around here.
>>
No. 748160 ID: a107fd

>>747183
>>748150
As Stone takes a first lurching step down the side of the hill, an arrow pings off the back of his helmet, right on the lower edge. If it was aimed a hairsbreadth lower, or fired a moment earlier, he'd have a broken spine, and likely been dead before he hit the ground.

Retaliate? Flee?
>>
No. 748172 ID: ff8b71

>>748160
Stones instincts kick in- he's already drained after helping the bandits, and doesn't know who or what is after him. Normally his ancestors would be able to warn him of something like this before it happens, so whatever's attacking him is fast. Hes hoping whatever's on the offensive only has range as their disposal. He's going to command the zombies to form a wall behind him, blocking the direction of the attack. He'll then drop into a crouch behind them, stone leg thrown out behind him, spear leveled at whatever's attacking him. What does he see?
>>
No. 748196 ID: 3abd97

rolled 5, 4, 1 = 10

Mutter mutter, taking tactical advise from people high on magic painkillers.

>what do
Rolling for mage sight on our mystery man, and a better description of him / what he's holding as he whips around, before he drops.

>He's going to command the zombies to form a wall behind him, blocking the direction of the attack.
>He'll then drop into a crouch behind them
>What does he see?
You're gonna see a row of zombie butts. Were you expecting something different?
>>
No. 748259 ID: a107fd

>>748172
Beyond and between the zombie butts, you see mostly darkness. Stone's a human, humans are notoriously night-blind, and you've been staring at the glorious daylight long enough for pupils to contract.

>>748196
>mage sight
No enchanted gear, no obvious combat buffs. Whatever's keeping the ghosts and corpses under control is magical, but defies analysis. It's cruder than a spell, the way a living tree is cruder than a log cabin.
He's also got some kind of curse, but where Nico's is an elegant lotus, this is some sort of invasive vine. Rooted in the root chakra (in plainer terms, the crotch) and life-giving heredity, it perversely drains flexibility from flesh and progressively converts it to some nonliving (yet possibly still animate) material.
>>
No. 748268 ID: b9aa79

rolled 4, 5, 5 = 14

>>748259
Damn. Then in that case it's time to retreat. Keeping the wall of flesh between himself and the direction of the attack, he'll drop and roll down towards the tree line that was obscuring his view of the smoke. He orders the zombies to retreat with him, staying in formation. Is the hill steep enough to block the vantage point from the cave mouth? If so he'll stop and assume the same defensive position as before, waiting for whatever it is to crest the hill so he can get a good look. If not, he'll wait in the tree line, looking for trucks and foliage suitable for hiding behind
>>
No. 748385 ID: d41523

rolled 4, 5, 1 = 10

>>748268
>willingly surrendering the high ground in favor of better light
Garaile, now way in the back, is disappointed the figure escaped the sneak attack by the skin of their teeth, but is cheered slightly by the fact that at least the mob of intelligently-controlled undead no longer have high-ground advantage. This is followed by directing a diplomatic suggestion to the ogre that he might find it quite enjoyable to go charging down that hill and sending the wall of undead flying like bowling pins: an action which would give the party an excellent opportunity to take control of an otherwise unfavorable situation. If we could neutralize the undead threat, the helpless necromancer could be captured alive and interrogated for the dungeon's secrets.
>>
No. 748518 ID: a107fd

>>748268
>>748385
By the time Stone is down to the foot of the hill and approaching the nearest trees, his corporeal undead entourage has been whittled down to two, and the ogre's casual loping jog easily covers as much ground as Stone's desperate lopsided sprint or the zombies' top-speed shuffling. Still a clear line of sight back to the Mouth. Continue straight along the path? Go left, into deeper and darker underbrush, or right, up a different hill? Turn and make a stand? Climb a tree?
>>
No. 748526 ID: b9aa79

rolled 5, 6, 4 = 15

left into the underbrush, but not far. Get behind into the tree line where he can hide more easily and keep an eye on the attackers. Assuming all he sees is the ogre he's not going to try to employ any reason, simply try to get into the think forest and lose the creature in an area where it's mobility is hopefully hampered by the closeness of the trees. He'll order his undead to split off in a V-shape, both going down the hill to either side of Stone, by about 30 feet or so, to not draw more attention to himself.
sorry for the double post, I accidentally did strike through instead of spoiler. If it counts for anything my roll on the last post was 11.
>>
No. 748626 ID: a107fd

rolled 5, 4, 5 = 14

>>we might want to opt for a force-shield stretcher instead
Sounds good to me, but...

>>Sneak attacking the apparent necromancer
Letkra had been focusing on getting Garaille onto her stretcher, mumbling something about "What, you don't have your portable coffin? Do they not do that here or something?", when she realized that the group had snuck up on someone and Than had already shot at him.

"Wait a minute, why are we attacking someone who didn't even attack us first? Could that guy even see we were here?! Are you sure he's an enemy?" She frowns. Something is definitely off about how everyone else keeps acting, she's noticed, but she has almost no idea why. But she really doesn't like the feeling of all this unprovoked attack stuff, so she decides to do something about it.

On a related note, she has very little idea that injured persons are delicate and that someone who's laying down is still prone to potential combat exposure. Laying down = nothing to worry about; it doesn't even cross her mind that anything else might be the case, she just takes this for granted.

So by all that internal logic, Letkra decides to charge up the stairs, still pulling Garaille along on her shield-stretcher floating a short ways off the ground as she hefts it. She's going to try to catch up to the Ogre and tell him to stop and wait a minute, because we need to ask that guy some questions and figure out what's going on. (Surely the Ogre will understand and cooperate!)
>>
No. 748650 ID: d41523

rolled 3, 2, 4 = 9

>>748626
>Why are we attacking someone who didn't even attack us first? Are we sure he's an enemy?
Garaile will (quite a bit more condescendingly than necessary) explain the following sequence of logic to Letkra:
1. Earlier, we were attacked, unprovoked, by a group of skeletons, which caused significant injury to a member of the party.
2. The undead do not exist naturally, being abominable creations of necromancy.
3. We did not find the necromancer responsible for the skeletons at that time.
4. Just now, we found a necromancer, right around the place where we were attacked by skeletons, surrounded by twice as many undead as before.
Conclusion: It is extremely likely that this necromancer is an enemy affiliated with, if not directly responsible for, the previous attack on us by undead.

Furthermore, (and Garaile will be teeth-grittingly urgent about this point) if you go charging into a field containing a number of killer undead and a flailing ogre while carrying me, a heavily-injured person, it is highly likely that I will die. You will be directly responsible for my death, and I have done nothing to provoke you, so if you take the course of action I see you are currently in the middle of taking, God damn it, you will be the only member of the party carrying out an unprovoked attack on someone! Stop immediately and withdraw!

Now read all that in Garaile's ridiculous accent.
>>
No. 748730 ID: a107fd

>>748526
Gunderbag catches Stone's petrified leg and breaks it off just above the knee. No blood, and surprisingly little pain. Stone manages to slip away in the confusion, finally gaining ground as he belly-crawls underneath branches and thorns that the ogre would have to crash through. Gunderbag gives up the chase and turns back to smashing up 'surviving' zombies with his new prize.

Stone continues deeper into the increasingly dark forest, finding himself at the rocky waist-high fence around a small cottage and garden. The spirits say another magic-user lives here, not especially powerful, but profoundly unclean.

>>748650
>2. The undead do not exist naturally, being abominable creations of necromancy.
As Garaile starts to say this, there's a noise that only he can hear, whispering, in creaks and crunches like ripping metal, that he's incorrect. Undead are fundamentally wounds in the world, which is the root of their various strengths and weaknesses relative to more meticulously-crafted golems (even those constructs built of bone and rotten flesh). While it is true that the undead have no role in the healthy functioning of natural ecosystems, they can and often do wander uncontrolled, or even arise spontaneously in cursed or neglected places. Attic Whisperers, for example. When you see a bleeding gash, sure, look for a murderer with a knife... but remember it might as easily be the result of an accidental scrape against splintered wood or jagged stone, or old scar re-opened by scurvy.

>>748626
By the time Letkra catches up it seems to be too late. The necromancer has disappeared, dropping Stone Leg x1.
>>
No. 748736 ID: 383927

rolled 2, 5, 4 = 11

>>748730
Stone is pretty confident the ogre didn't fire whatever projectile nailed him in the back of the head, which means there's more coming. Even if he can evade an ogre, he's not in a good way and if someone finds him he'd be easy to pick off. With that in mind he'll crawl up over the rock wall and then prop himself up using his spear. Knock on the door and hope.
>>
No. 748827 ID: 3abd97

rolled 6, 6, 2 = 14

Marijke will come up the slope, following slower in the wake of her teammate's charge for the high ground, musing out loud and sharing what she saw.

"I didn't sense any powerful or enchanted objects on him, which I would expect if we were dealing with a powerful necromancer running a dungeon. His power didn't seem like structured magic- some kind of natural," glances in Garaile's direction, "unnatural ability? And there was some kind of curse, like parts of him might not flesh..."

She comes to a stop as she catches up and sees Gunderbag holding the stone leg.

"Oh! I suppose that didn't really offer him any addition protection, did it."

Now outdoors, Marijke will return Eadric to bird form, and ask him to take to the skies to see if there's any threats to us nearby, or if our one legged necromancer is out in the open anywhere.

And she'll examine the stone leg. Are cursed transmuted limbs worth anything? Have any applications? Could it be reattached? (Not that she's necessarily going to have the chance to try soon, but it's of interest).
>>
No. 748854 ID: d41523

>>748730
>God: "You are completely wrong, you absolute buffoon."
Garaile will respectfully keep that in mind.

>>748827
>not a powerful necromancer running a dungeon
"Daesn't mean anything." Garaile grumps, remaining in a prone position atop the shield. "Could jaest as easily be an apprentice or a subaerdinate. Never pays to onderestimate an enemy. Ye can do yer fancy magickal analysis once we've captured 'im." After a moment's thought, Garaile appends an extra comment in Letkra's direction "If ye really want tae, ye can run off and do... whatever's so impaertant ye're willing to sling yer ally into a herde a' zombies tae do it. Only, help me down first. Oi'll lay in the grass instead."
>>
No. 748856 ID: d41523

rolled 6, 3, 2 = 11

Ravenous Llyr, meanwhile, is quite disinterested in trying to make a meal of the disgusting-looking zombies, and opts to track down the caster instead, tracking being his specialty and all. Still soaked in snake blood, he's full-on sharkface and quite a terrible sight to behold, as well as leaving a breadcrumb trail of bloodstains so the party can easily figure out where he went. He also straps his (manufactured) weapons to his back to allow the use of both hands. Nonlethal doesn't mean he can't have a little nibble, right? Rolling for the hunt.
>>
No. 748878 ID: a107fd

>>748827
>examine the stone leg. Are cursed transmuted limbs worth anything? Have any applications? Could it be reattached?
It's solid rock, but at the same time, the knee and ankle are flexible. Almost the full range of motion you'd expect from healthy flesh. Hard to say whether it'd be easy to reattach, but if you can't, it seems like it might be excellent material for building rock siege-men or similar constructs. At the very least, Riv would want a sample.

Eadric can't see your quarry through the forest canopy, which is particularly dense off to the west. There are some gnolls on a hill to the east-north-east, but they seem to be encamped rather than looking for trouble.

>>748856
Llyr tracks the crawling necromancer to that little cabin without much difficulty, and is close enough to see when he props himself up with that spear as a crutch, knocks on the door, and is pulled inside.

>>748736
Inside the cabin there's a second ogre... ogress, technically, judging by the mass of flesh displayed in that low-cut blouse. She's overjoyed that Stone arrived in time for dinner, although it's only a bit after noon.

Bundles of soporific herbs dangle from the ceiling, and the ogreess chants a lullaby through crooked teeth as she goes back to chopping vegetables with a heavy cleaver. Stone, and Llyr if he's approaching at full speed, should roll to resist falling asleep.
>>
No. 748884 ID: d41523

rolled 3, 5, 1 = 9

>>748878
>arrived in time to be dinner
Llyr is pretty much going to burst right through the door in hot pursuit. How rude of him! Rolling to resist becoming shark fin soup.
>>
No. 748891 ID: b9aa79

rolled 2, 4, 6 = 12

>>748878
Stone, startled by the grotesque, monstrous demon creature dripping blood and rotting flesh bursting in to the room does his best to slump against the counter and level his spear at the ogress, hoping this thing wants to eat him less than the ogre does.
>>
No. 749057 ID: a107fd

>>748891
Stone gets dizzy, loses his balance, and hits his head on the counter on his way down. Still conscious, barely, but pretty winded from the recent chase scene.
>>748884
Llyr has finally met someone with bloodlust comparable to his own, but who wasn't his sister or something gross like that. He's growing back bits that get bitten off and the ogress isn't, and she's reluctant to smash up her own home, which negates most of her reach and strength advantage, so he can probably win this... but he thinks he might be in love.
>>
No. 749062 ID: a107fd

>Now read all that in Garaile's ridiculous accent.
Challenge accepted!

I once played a play-by-post Exalted game where all of my character's dialogue was in ridiculous Ye Olde speak rife with "verily thou art"isms, because it was a concept I wanted to run with and she was supposed to be speaking a half-mislearned, 10% forgotten, and centuries-old/divergent variant of High Realm. But I'll admit it was mostly my obsession with Dragon Warrior I and II to blame.


>1. Aearlier, we waere attaeck'd, unprovooked, be a groop o' skaeletans, which caused significaent injury to a maember o' thae party, ye blitherin' simpleton!
>3. We did not find the naecromancer respoonsible fer the skaeletons ot that time.
"You mean skeletons don't just appear randomly around here, like most monsters do?? This place is weird."
She continues running as the lecture goes on...

>Conclusion: 'Tis extraemely lakely that this naecroomoncer is an aenemy affiliated with, if not deereckly raesponsible fer, the praevious attack oon us bae undaead.
This part she seems to get. "Ohhh, okay. So they're his minions? Is he the leader of the Mouth of Doom then? (why's he back at the entrance though, instead of the bottom?)"

>if ye go chargin' inta a faild containin' a naember o' killer undaead and a flailin' oogre while caerryin' me, a haeavily-injured paerson, it is haeghly likely that I will die.
And her expression goes right back to baffled, but this time she stops. "What?? You're wounded and laying down! You're already dead, right? How would you become dead by- what are you even talking about, here??"

> Ye well be the oonly maember o' tha paerty caerryin' oot an unprovooked attack on soomeone! Stop immaediately an' withdraw!
"Attack?? I don't even have my spear out right now! You're not making any sense."

This debate, and losing the trail, probably means Marijke and Than caught up to these two by this point. She'll tell them what she saw in the chase in case that helps.

>"If ye really want tae, ye can run off and do... whatever's so impaertant ye're willing to sling yer ally into a herde a' zombies tae do it. Only, help me down first. Oi'll lay in the grass instead."
"Alright, I'll do that if I go somewhere, but- aren't we still looking for the Necromancer? (and I'm still not clear on his behavior, showing up by the entrance and us attacking him unprovoked- I mean, monsters are the only ones that are supposed to attack before you're ready, not adventurers-)"
Letkra blinks a moment, briefly stopping to internally assess whether she's mistaken a group of monsters for adventurers. On one hand some of the signs point that way, but on the other hand, it leaves too many unanswered questions to really explain what she's been seeing. She doesn't comment on this concern at all, and instead quickly resumes speaking.
"Anyway, are we looking for him? If I'm in your party then we should go look for him together, right?"
>>
No. 749083 ID: 79c166

rolled 3, 4, 5 = 12

>>749057
Stone is in an undeniablely dire situation. Loosing consciousness in a house filled with monsters, body failing him, magic exhausted. He doubts any petty illusion he has the strength to conjure will fool the ogress but he has the lives of 4 generations upon his shoulders and should he fail here his life will be added to the burden of the next one who comes to break this curse. He refuses to let this curse be passed onto another. He withdraws inwards, and attempts to separate his mind from his body. He will ask his ancestors to take his place and animate him beyond his normal means, much in the way a skeleton moves with no muscle and zombies crawl with no pulse. He only hopes that it is not overly long before he can convince them to return his body back to his possession; the dead, once ahold of living flesh, are not often of the mind to return it
>>
No. 749104 ID: d41523

rolled 5, 6, 2 = 13

>>749057
>carelesswhisper.mp3
Llyr will compliment her ravishing appetite and good taste (in both senses of the word) and cheerfully introduce himself between mouthfuls, asking for her name in return. In other words, roll to court the ogress mid-struggle.

>>749083
>house filled with monsters
Well to be fair, the monsters are suddenly pretty distracted, so you could probably just sneak out from under their noses if you're careful.
>>
No. 749239 ID: 3abd97

rolled 1, 6, 3 = 10

>You're already dead, right? How would you become dead by- what are you even talking about, here??
He's talking about getting to the point where he can't talk, dear. If people are machines our friend is only damaged. He isn't broken, yet.

>>749104
Marijke arrives within eye and ear shot of the hut, following other party members, just in time to be stupefied at what she sees. And feels compelled to spare a glance askance in Gunderbag's direction, as if he could explain this, or might be expected to jump in next.

Roll for mage sight and assessment. In between the blood, gore, and disturbing audio, Marijke hopefully recognizes a witch when she sees one, and the potentially dangerous / useful / valuable ingredients hanging around.

Is using mind-magic to assist Llyr's... diplomacy (sure we'll call it that), an option? Could I use a friendship curse to benefit him rather than me?
>>
No. 749306 ID: a107fd

>>749083
Stone regains his senses two days later, on a cold slab, under the clinical gaze of Ulman Dark, Unlicensed Necromancer. The bill for sorting out that benign case of possession, and replacing missing portions of one leg with animate bone, comes to almost exactly all his coins, plus the opium.

>>749239
Marijke's mage sight reveals that the ogress has developed the potential for at least second-circle spells, but is too stupid to cast that power effectively. As for furnishings... there's a large but otherwise ordinary cauldron, appropriately-scaled bed, herbs as previously mentioned, various other kitchen supplies, and a set of tattooing needles which ping as at least faintly magical, but the most valuable thing is almost certainly that 2'x4' mirror of silver and flawless glass, with subtle geometric flourishes worked in to the elaborate frame. As a scrying focus it's probably worth around ten pounds of gold.

Gunderbag is grossed out like a gradeschooler on Valentine's Day as sounds of struggle inside the hut become increasingly sexual, but manages to speculate that this may be Yorgala, who was exiled for dabbling in forbidden magic and/or literacy.

>>749104
Seduction successful. Thanks to the species issue, you won't need to worry about contraception, but based on the sheer quantity (and variety) of bodily fluids exchanged, Yorgala will almost certainly be a wereshark ogress as of the next full moon, complete with ravenous regeneration, assuming she survives her injuries until then.
>>
No. 749309 ID: 3d2d5f

>2'x4' mirror of silver and flawless glass
Tempting, but trying to rob her while they're in the middle of that seems an idea that would backfire terribly. One does not risk interrupting the sexual exploits of a berserker. Or sharks. Or ogres.

Also too large to apport, unfortunately.

>if she survives her injuries
Marijke is also adamantly not closing to touch range for healing while that is ongoing. Also not going to subject my familiar to that.

I suppose the relevant decision here is if we leave Llyr to spend the night, or if we wait for them to finish in order to apply healing, diplomacy, information / favor / loot gathering (and mental manipulation).
>>
No. 749311 ID: d41523

rolled 4, 2, 3 = 9

>>749306
>wereshark ogress
This is the best possible outcome. Have you heard of my new metal band?

After matters are *ahem* concluded, Llyr will obviously try to recruit Yorgala to come join the pirate crew and be with him, and assuming he asked about her interests, he can mention the library of forbidden magicks the group has unlimited access to. When he discovers Marijke peeping outside, he'll also request she heal the ogress' wounds.
>>
No. 749314 ID: 3d2d5f

rolled 6, 4, 1 = 11

Avoiding the weresharkism contaminated fluids (note to self: put medical gloves on the shopping list) Marijke will cast free samples of LTH and friendship curse for good measure.

I'll refrain from demanding gift on her valuables while Llyr is actively trying to recruit her. A caster equipped to scry might be more valuable than a scrying tool to sell.
>>
No. 749315 ID: b9aa79

rolled 2, 5, 2 = 9

>>749306
Stone will start by sitting up, slowly and non-threateningly. In a distinctly foreign accent he will thank the man, sincerely, for services rendered. Mentally he will check to see his current status- what of his equipment he is still in possession of. He will check the range of motion, subtly if possible, in his new leg; start with swiveling the hip and knee joints whilst sitting up, testing the ankle and toes while talking. He listens for the voices of his ancestors which would be immediately apparent to him should they be present.
"Weaver of bones, I ask of you, how did you come upon me? And, seeing as I am out of both coin and trade goods, do you perhaps have need of any services? The needs of the body outweigh the needs of the mind presently, and afore I move from this place I require a hot meal and a bath.
>>
No. 749323 ID: a107fd

>>749311
>>749309
Even with the magical healing, Yorgala remains unconscious from some combination of post-coital bliss and blood loss. Who's going to spend the night in her gloomy patch of woods, possibly nursing her back to health, and who's going straight back to the Black Boar Inn?
>>
No. 749334 ID: d41523

>>749323
Llyr will stay with Yorgala, despite being useless for first-aid. He will also request Marijke stay as well, as she's the only available healer, offering a portion of however much money he still has as compensation.

Garaile will obviously return to get the deadly poison dispelled.
>>
No. 749336 ID: a107fd

>>749334
After two nights of rib-cracking cuddles and a day of spoon-feeding her chicken soup reinforced with certain blood-strengthening fruit extracts, Llyr wakes up beside the ogre witch one sunless morning (the canopy of trees over her cabin is so thick that scarcely a ray of light gets through even at noon) to hear Yorgala politely explaining that she's just not looking for a serious long-term relationship right now.

Then she swings that meat cleaver toward his right hip, and he realizes that his hands are tied to the bedframe. Legs are free, though.
>>
No. 749338 ID: 3d2d5f

rolled 2, 6, 4 = 12

"Resume Bleeding"

From the doorway of the hut: "Surrender, and release him, please. I can put you down as easily as we put patched you up."

I'd also like to specify the additional healing I stuck around to apply came with more friendship curses. Which has to be good for a bonus in this situation.
>>
No. 749339 ID: a107fd

After voicing some concerns about the party seperating, Letkra will help carry Gairaille back to town. (Not sure if Than's coming with us or staying with Marijke.)
>>
No. 749340 ID: a107fd

>>749338
More than one application of Friendship Curse would be redundant, once it got through. Have you been testing out Penalty Clause?
>>
No. 749345 ID: d41523

rolled 5, 4, 4 = 13

>>749336
Alas, poor Llyr, it seems it wasn't meant to be. He'll channel the raw emotional pain of being rejected into a surge of savage strength. Bicycle kick.
>>
No. 749348 ID: a107fd

>>749345
Some sinews in the ogress's tricep audibly tear loose. Llyr gets a shallow scratch on his abdomen, and Yorgala catches the rebounding blunt edge of the cleaver with the bridge of her nose.
>>
No. 749353 ID: 3abd97

>>749340
I thought they built up / conditioned over time? And it's been 2 days. (Although I suppose the effect might have been wasted if she weren't conscious for it).

>penalty
Oh wait, I do have penalty clause. I was thinking that was a level up thing I failed to pick up, but it's in my list. Yes, that is a very smart precaution to take when treating a potentially unruly patient.

Can I use the binding phrase "obey me"?
>>
No. 749381 ID: a107fd

>>749353
>Can I use the binding phrase "obey me"?

Sure, if for some perverse reason you wanted to punish someone for following instructions. The way it works is "If you knowingly and willfully do [action X], the attached spell is revoked" so setting X to equal "disobey my direct orders," or "attack my crew," might be better.
>>
No. 749415 ID: 3abd97

>>749381
Oh, right, I forgot about the double negative.

We'll go with "disobey my direct orders" and then the bit about surrendering, ceasing her attacks, and releasing Llyr. >>749338
>>
No. 749550 ID: a107fd

Yorgala's skin cracks and melts and peels off like cheap paint as she spits defiance at Captain Marijke. Ravenous Llyr manages to chew the rope off his wrists without inflicting further injury.

The ogress is still conscious, but clearly unwilling to join the crew, and, between the crippled arm and full-body salted papercut feeling, unlikely to present any effective resistance for the next few minutes at least. Word among the Black Boar Inn staff is she's got a history of capturing intruders, killing and eating at most one per week, putting some sort of cursed tattoo on the rest, and then ransoming them back through an intermediary.

You could leave peacefully, loot the place, kill her or inflict various debilitating mutilations in order to end the long-term threat, or bring Rixxil Kas out here to drill a hole in her mind and pressgang her. Apart from obvious benefits of both obedient muscle and another caster, being higher on the orgchart would give Rix a morale boost, and thereby improve chances of surviving the surgery. Don't think I need to explain the potential downsides.
>>
No. 749590 ID: 3abd97

rolled 1, 6, 3 = 10

>have Rixxil mindbreak her
Spending half a day to drag the injured patient who's supposed to be taking it easy out here doesn't sound like the best idea. Even if it would get a morale boost from it.

Not really fond of mind-breaking or enslaving everyone we get into a fight with, either. That goes to a dark place, and potentially causes us more problems than it solves in the long term. Gives us a malus dealing with anyone who can recognize what we're doing and disproves of it, and the crew / their partners seeing this is the reward that awaits a breakup could have consequences too.

It would also mean another possibly dangerous point of failure if Rixxil doesn't survive the ritual. I don't want a suddenly not-enslaved pissed off ogre mage on the loose.

>what do
LTH for Llyr's would.

"Llyr, you were paying me to heal her. She tried to kill you in your sleep. By rights of commerce and vengeance, that makes her life yours. Does she get to live?"

If he opts to kill her, I'm looting the place of valuables after.

If he spares her, I'm hitting her up with demand gift, and "asking" her to pay us with her valuables as thanks for saving her life, and as an apology for the dreadful hospitality she just displayed. (And... we're probably still taking her stuff even if the Demand Gift doesn't take. She can't disobey my orders right now, this is just to convince her to go along with it / give her less reason to come after us).
>>
No. 749591 ID: d41523

rolled 5, 2, 2 = 9

>>749550
Ravenous Llyr's just gonna sorrowfully eat her. The only proper way to end a passionate short-term relationship.
>>
No. 749710 ID: a107fd

>>749591
Problem with the cannibalism plan: she masses approximately as much as a horse, which, rhetoric notwithstanding, is more than even Ravenous Llyr can choke down in one sitting. Wolf down the choice bits and leave the rest to rot, or do a few man-hours of butchery (she's got all the necessary tools on hand, including preservative spices) to bag up the leftovers?
>>
No. 749712 ID: a107fd

>>/questdis/103894
When you knock on the door, a little sliding panel opens and a hobgoblin peeks out. He's got four questions:
Who are you?
Where you from?
Why you here?
How long you staying?
>>
No. 749728 ID: 383927

rolled 2, 2, 3 = 7

>>749712
Baron 'a Gophf, from the kingdom 'a Nunia. Here for a stiff drink, staying as long as it takes to get one.

Do I need any filler on my starting area or how I got here? Or do I make that up as I go along? Also, which set of inventory did I have? rope and blood or oil and manacles?
>>
No. 749752 ID: d41523

>>749710
>Ravenous Llyr is incapable of eating a horse
Something, somewhere has gone horribly, horribly wrong if Ravenous Llyr, a person titled after their insatiable appetite, who is known solely and specifically for devouring anything and anyone in his way, and who explicitly has supernatural powers of digestion, is unable to eat something only marginally larger than himself. Also, it's not cannibalism because Llyr isn't an ogre.

Llyr is just going to sit there and take as long as it takes to eat her. Not rolling because I'm not changing my previously stated action from >>749591
>>
No. 749833 ID: a107fd

>>749752
>only marginally larger than himself
Ravenous Llyr weighs maybe 250 pounds. Without magic, he could (based on a quick review of world records for competitive eating) wolf down some 10-15 pounds of meat in under 15 minutes, before needing to slow down to digest. With magic, he can bite through armor-weight leather and even bone as easily as cartilage, and dectuple the stomach-capacity limit by converting excess directly into fuel for regeneration... but that's still only about half his own weight.

Typical ogre weighs half a ton. Yorgala's a scrawny nerd by ogre standards, and has a relatively sedentary lifestyle and limited diet that wouldn't be conducive to maintaining muscle mass, so let's say seven or eight hundred pounds. She outmasses Llyr by a factor of three. Even if he's on quadruple rations like an Olympic athlete, that's more than he'd normally eat in three weeks, and he had his fill of that giant snake just two days ago.
>>
No. 749842 ID: d41523

rolled 4, 6, 4 = 14

>>749833
Ugh, fine. Preserve what he can't eat then, but no one else is permitted to eat the Yorgala rations. So sayeth this broken heart.
>>
No. 749894 ID: a107fd

>>/questdis/103912
>failed to accumulate any real wealth
>the dungeon exploration trip was an utter failure,
>no profit
>absolutely need more income
>can't afford to just muck about

That corpse Gunderbag bit the head off of was wearing some pretty nice boots, and those rusty scimitars the skeleton warriors were wielding clean up decently well with Rhyme of Mending. Garaile got hurt bad, but not so bad he couldn't walk away, nothing a few weeks of bed rest and/or low-circle healing won't fix, and, as they say, "you should'a seen the other guy." No friendlies died. If it was just that, and maps, the expedition could have been considered to be a marginal success, breaking even but not getting ahead. It wasn't, though.

Speaking of "the other guy," that snake's skin is more than two square yards of good armor-weight leather, naturally fireproof, and it's beautiful. The proprietor of the general store offers 40 pounds of silver. Not to buy the hide outright, no, just an incentive not to skip town or sell to anyone else before he can call in a specialist to appraise it properly. Total offer will probably be between twice and ten times that deposit.

The mirror from Yorgala's cottage attracts less immediate mercantile attention, but is in the same ballpark for resale value.

Operating expenses for the whole company should be under ten pounds of silver per month, if you're mostly staying in the wagon's basement, buying bulk ingredients for the kitchen, doing your own laundry and so on, rather than renting inn space and paying for restaurant service.

In short, you got some good loot, maybe not the best ever but well worth your time. Mucking about is a plausible option at this point.

>cut short
How deep were you planning to go?
>>
No. 749900 ID: 3abd97

rolled 1, 1, 1 = 3

>nothing a few weeks of bed rest and/or low-circle healing won't fix
Doesn't Nico and/or one of the acolytes have access to Lymphatic Auditor to patch up the remaining issues with Garaile? (And he was injured in the line of duty, so if we have to pay an outside contractor to fix him, the reasonable medical expenses provision in the charter should cover that, unless he wants to tough it out and heal the slow way).

If I need to take in active role in making sure he gets treated, that's probably within my responsibilities as captain slash healer.

>what do
Marijke looks like she's spending the rest of her day helping carry loot back to base, appraising the goods, and mending things. (Eventual division will be left to the quartermaster).

In addition to fixing the scimitars, I'd also like to try crafting a few caltrop infused wax apples. I'll have to make poisoned ones another day, as my alchemist is unconscious.

>just an incentive not to skip town or sell to anyone else before he can call in a specialist to appraise it properly
How long does he expect that to take? Although that's probably worth it.

>what else
Time remaining until it's appropriate to attempt the ritual?

Any crewmembers unaccounted for?
>>
No. 749923 ID: a107fd

>>749900
>the acolytes have access to Lymphatic Auditor
Yep.
>crafting a few caltrop infused wax apples
Something about the geometry just clicks perfectly into place in Marijke's mind. After an hour of work with a soft cotton cloth and a thin steel wire, she's got three flawless-looking apples that'll be a very unpleasant surprise for anyone who bites into them, and three caltrop-shaped pieces of displaced wax.
>How long does he expect that to take?
The usual hedge is "six to eight weeks," but it's the off-season. Could be as little as two weeks, or conceivably tomorrow morning if the preliminary description catches the attention of some dynastic sorcerer or petty god who's willing and able to throw around 5th circle teleportation in pursuit of exotic ingredients.
>Time remaining until it's appropriate to attempt the ritual?
After a long day of medical care, paperwork, cargo-shifting, and general managerial headaches, Captain Marijke walks in to the prepared ritual chamber like she owns the place (as she sorta does). The acolytes report on their preparations and she walks them through what she thought, for some reason, was just going to be a rehearsal.

There's a sharp ping. A bottle which once contained peach brandy wobbles, precesses around in a lopsided series of ellipses, tips off the shelf, and shatters against the library floor, revealing the misplaced arrowhead. Rixxil Kas is feeling better already.
>>
No. 749952 ID: d41523

As soon as Garaile has recovered enough to walk without assistance, Garaile will seek out someone to drill a little hole through the thick end of the snake fang so it can be strung onto the ear necklace, paying for the service if necessary. It's not an ear, but who in the world is going to raise a fuss about the gruesome trophies a deranged soldier's decided to wear around their neck?
>>
No. 749966 ID: 3abd97

>>749923
Daaaang that was perfect. We even sterilized the arrowhead after removing it!

>>749952
One of your kobold buddies would probably be more than willing to help you with that.
>>
No. 750205 ID: a107fd

>>749952
Kobolds can manage the tooth-drilling. Fang ends up making a nice centerpiece for the necklace, since it's so much heavier than an ear.
>>
No. 750968 ID: a107fd

>>/questdis/104023
Immediate ship-acquisition costs would be less than 20% of the group's ready cash, and could rightly be called "investment" rather than "expense." If you'd prefer to avoid piracy, some people manage to make a living just by hauling freight in such vessels, or hunting wild beasts that are not widely considered to be sapient, let alone possessed of property rights.
>buy a month's worth of mushroom starch for a fraction of the price
Gunderbag is willing to settle for bread and fish and bear-haunch, but the particular type of starchy mushrooms he was so enthusiastic about are actually surprisingly expensive right now, on par with the finer sorts of cheese, and the price has been trending upward as stocks are depleted. Normally it's a regular import from the Dream-Burrow Duchy, upstream of Passholdt, but a tribe of noisome gugs threw boulders in the river's main navigable channel, and have been systematically thwarting efforts to reopen the trade route. Failure to resolve a kidnapping related to that banditry was what cost Marr-Yana the profitable pretension of divinity, and thus indirectly provided you with a deeply discounted exodimensional space.
>>
No. 751076 ID: a107fd

40 shares to Marijke,
28 shares to Nico (mostly reserved for operating expenses),
5 shares each to Garaile, Llyr, and the trapfinding kobold,
4 shares each to Lektkra, Than, Gunderbag, and Rixxil Kas (for providing telepathic comms while on medical leave)
3 shares each to Dimitry, Goris, Altsoba, Eswic, Riv, the other two kobolds.
Probably Zero shares for Stone, if he signed up a couple days after the adventure was over.

Main value of the haul was 2000 gold from the sale of the mirror and snakeskin. With a little extra from the boots off that corpse in the pit, and miscellaneous plunder from Yorgala's supplies, that works out to 17 gold per share. Voting aside, Marijke's personal share from this haul and leftover of the previous one is over 850 gold, more than enough to buy a ship... which was the original plan, wasn't it? The captain's larger share is offset by responsibility.

Note that the described price was for a basic ship and crew with basic (C-rank) equipment and training. Upgrading to B-rank equipment would increase all the costs by 1.5x, and provide the same cargo capacity, but improved combat performance. Conversely, you could cut costs with D-rank equipment and/or training.

Might want to think about add-ons. Deep-water vessels don't interface well with a harbor-less rocky shore, so a ship's boat to ferry boarding parties across shallow water might be necessary. Setup and maintenance costs 1/15th as much as the ship, assuming it's kept to the same standards. Occupies one squad worth of cargo space if it's being stored on the ship, internally or hanging off a bracket, and half maintenance cost if it's mostly in storage rather than ready at a moment's notice.
You can't acquire seige weapons legally, but given a month or two and reasonable budget Riv could easily build something. A semi-portable ballista (like the one Gunderbag's partner was using) could be made for as little as 25 gold (though more is better), and occupy one squad's worth of cargo space, while something bigger and heavier would be 2.5x the setup cost, twice the weight, and would require a whole team of draft animals to move, but only about 1.25x the maintenance headaches. Regardless, these would be finnicky prototypes. No out-of-pocket upkeep costs so long as you're limiting combat use to two months per year, and keeping Riv nearby for ongoing debugging.

Speaking of Riv's inventions, the quartermaster now has enough cash on hand to, in the "thpirit of thkolarthip," http://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch08/ch08_29.html approve Riv's requisition for parts to build a clockwork familiar.
>>
No. 751173 ID: d41523

>>751076
In order to permanently solve the eternal question of how much money I have available:

Garaile is starting a Save the Kobolds fund. All liquid wealth Garaile accumulates will be stashed in this fund, with the exception of 50 gp. Therefore, any time Garaile wishes to buy something, it will come out of that 50 gp budget, which will be refreshed back up to a maximum of 50 gp whenever Garaile receives new shares of wealth, with all excess going to the fund. Eventually, the fund will be used to build a safe haven for kobolds. In the (more likely) case that Garaile dies before that dream becomes a reality, Garaile's last will and testament specifies all material possessions, including the fund, be divided amongst any surviving kobold members of the party, and failing that, be donated to the nearest kobold-controlled community.

Ravenous Llyr on the other hand, will approach Marijke and propose a deal. Llyr would like to surrender all current liquid wealth and any future shares of wealth to which he might be entitled, in exchange for triple rations, first dibs of any food-related bounty, and a chartered right to be able to at least partially consume any living thing slain by the party.
>>
No. 751215 ID: 383927

Riv assumes with the approach of a seafaring journey, and other seafaring journeys to follow shortly that she'll be locked in her quarters and have very little to do other than make clockwork creatures, build magic daggers and preform dangerous surgery on herself/others and maybe even get consent to do so this time . For these reasons, she will supplement some of her current dagger crafting pursuits with a visit to Garaile. She address the paladin while cloaked in her full body garb, so very little of her is visible except for a small dark slit at eye level, angled away from him. The sound of chains rattling quietly emanates from within her cloak and only serves to enhance her raspy hissing voice.
" Ears. I have need of you. Teach me to kill creatures like you, creatures like Meatfist. We train now, every day, until ship departs. Anything breaks, you restore, start again tomorrow. Need to be in real danger to learn real value. Attempt to kill me. I attempt to kill you. I grow stronger, I donate to your kobolds. Kill me, I leave wealth to kobolds. We start tomorrow. Bring weapons.
She turns sharply with a billowing motion and leaves, returning to her room to continue work on her project.
>>
No. 751232 ID: 3abd97

>Marijke's personal share from this haul and leftover of the previous one is over 850 gold, more than enough to buy a ship... which was the original plan, wasn't it? The captain's larger share is offset by responsibility.
Marijke's original plan was to get rich enough to retire in luxury for the rest of her life.

Blowing everything on a ship (and worrying about an allergy that's suddenly a lot more relevant than she ever expected), not so much, no.

Although providing we don't sink it, ships do have resale value. And it's an investment towards making more money. And actually owning the ship personally does give her role as captain a lot more legitimacy. (Why is she in charge? It's her ship!).

>850, more than enough
How much, more than enough?

>extras
Getting a lifeboat / longboat / dropship to actually be able to reach shore seems reasonable.

And funding Riv to actually arm our pirate ship is a pretty small investment compared to the actual cost of the vessel.

>Ravenous Llyr on the other hand, will approach Marijke and propose a deal. Llyr would like to surrender all current liquid wealth and any future shares of wealth to which he might be entitled, in exchange for triple rations, first dibs of any food-related bounty, and a chartered right to be able to at least partially consume any living thing slain by the party.
The last term is the one that might be the stickiest. Some living things might be valuable to harvest for supplies before consumption (such as the snake skin, or things with academical applications). Although from his earlier actions, I think he understands that.

The bigger issue is for people we slay, their surviving companions might think they have a prior claim on the bodies. We might lose the ability to get other groups to surrender or yield if Llyr consuming their dead is non-negotiable.

Would Llyr be willing to waive his claim on the meat in this circumstance? (Possibly having this loss offset by a share of loot).
>>
No. 751295 ID: d41523

>>751215
Garaile is unintimidated by Riv's bizarre appearance and mannerisms, and initially uninterested in the proposal, but relents when Riv targets that kobold weakpoint. Given Garaile already has a morning training regiment planned out for the kobolds, (Remember >>738559 ?) Garaile will incorporate Potentially-Lethal-Sparring-with-Riv time into that routine, to allow the kobolds to watch a real no-holds-barred fight while they're recovering from their own (much more reasonable and realistic) training.

>>751232
Llyr agrees to allow particularly valuable materials to be harvested from monsters beforehand, as long as he still gets some of the meat. Regarding negotiating surrender using the corpses of the fallen, Llyr is extremely bewildered. Having been a self-sufficient hunter-predator his whole life, Llyr has never heard of and fundamentally doesn't understand the concept of "sparing someone you were trying to kill just because they don't want to fight anymore." From his hunter point of view, when the prey gets tired and can no longer struggle or escape, that's when you get to kill and eat them. Hearing Marijke's concern over enemies not giving up, Llyr assures her that if you keep killing and eating them, they'll definitely give up eventually. Llyr is also a very short-sighted individual, with interest in loot only as far as he can see its immediate usefulness. (i.e. He only cares about money if there is something else he wants that is for sale at that time.) In other words, he understands money has value, but only in the same way that a child in a toy store understands money has value. It's a different story, however, if the loot in question is an actual item he can find a use for, like a fancy weapon or a high-quality whetstone. Llyr could definitely be persuaded to waive his claim on a meal in exchange for something tangible like that, but won't pass up fresh meat just for currency. Low ambition, y'know.
>>
No. 751297 ID: 6ddd99

>>751295
>Garaile is unintimidated by Riv's bizarre appearance and mannerisms
>but relents when Riv targets that kobold weakpoint
She may be a paranoid child but she does her best to appeal to what people want. She very much does remember your daily training regiment; it's possible that even factored into her decision to appeal to you
If Garaile wants to work out more concrete details as to the incentives she's offering the kobolds, she'll give up one share to Garaile after every successful acquisition of assets, and he can choose how this works into his fund. She also agrees to sign into the will he outlined designating supplies go to Kobolds at a future point and time, before the ship has left but after she feels progress is being made. She also offers instead of paying for services in gold, she will provide alchemical lesions to any willing and capable students he brings to her. A educated individual is that much more difficult to enslave. Trust her, she would know
>>
No. 751435 ID: a107fd

>>751232
From a bookkeeping and pirate-ethics standpoint, it might be simpler to say that Llyr is formally entitled to the same share of loot as everyone else, but has an arrangement with the quartermaster to receive the majority of his pay directly in the form of fresh meat rather than gold. Then, if he eats anybody you've got a treaty with, recompense to next-of-kin can simply be added to his bar tab.

>How much, more than enough?
850-375=475
Marijke could've gotten two ships and started calling herself "commodore." Probably safer to get used to being a real captain first.
>>
No. 751511 ID: 3abd97

>From a bookkeeping and pirate-ethics standpoint, it might be simpler to say that Llyr is formally entitled to the same share of loot as everyone else, but has an arrangement with the quartermaster to receive the majority of his pay directly in the form of fresh meat rather than gold. Then, if he eats anybody you've got a treaty with, recompense to next-of-kin can simply be added to his bar tab.
That does seem a simpler way to word it. Marijke is happy with that arrangement if Llyr will accept it.

>Garaile is starting a Save the Kobolds fund.
>Eventually, the fund will be used to build a safe haven for kobolds.
Marijke will offer her support for this idea. Helping run a charity is a relatively low threat endeavor with a high social credit return. It's something she could see herself lending time to once she's rich and retired from piracy.

>Potentially-Lethal-Sparring-with-Riv
Try not to kill her, please. An alchemist is useful, even if there are limits to how far you can protect someone from their own foolishness.

>Marijke could've gotten two ships and started calling herself "commodore." Probably safer to get used to being a real captain first.
Even Tagon knew trying to take control of a fleet when you don't know how isn't a good idea.
>>
No. 751585 ID: d41523

>>751435
>>751511
>simplified contract
Llyr will accept it so long as it means his previously-stated conditions will be met. The extra rations can come out of his shares, but he still wants written authority to eat part of whatever the party kills, and first dibs on food-related loot. He is perfectly willing to give up all his gold for those privileges. He's pretty sure that's a fair trade.

OOC, I don't know what the average gold-food exchange ratio is, but regardless, there's no way he can possibly eat his shares' worth of food. He hasn't been paying to eat the monsters the party's killed so far, and without realizing it, he's basically suggesting he start paying for it. Getting "special permissions" makes him feel like he's getting the better end of the bargain, but in actuality, he's just trading away all his money for what he would have gotten for free anyway. Even in the don't-eat-the-bodies-they-surrendered situation, he definitely would have just eaten the bodies anyway without thinking twice. With this deal, he'll have to pay for that. This is intended to be an IC way for me to remove all his funds so I won't have to deal with this constant wealth ambiguity. He'll just be flat broke from now on.
>>
No. 751641 ID: 3abd97

>>751585
Morally, Marijke has no problem getting the better end of the deal versus someone who seems intent on cheating themselves.

The complication comes from the charter. The senior staff ripping off one of the crew in their share of the loot is basically failing a contractual obligation, and someone who wanted to challenge her authority / legitimacy could use that.

Let's just say the quartermaster is setting aside the difference in the gold to meat exchange rate for a rainy day. I think it's very likely Llyr will one day eat something he's not supposed to; we can just use his unclaimed shares to pay it off inevitable shark-zerker expenses.
>>
No. 751729 ID: a107fd

>>751585
>average gold-food exchange ratio
One gold coin (50 to a pound) is $400.
Grain varies from $1 per pound for corn to $4 per pound for wheat (at market; maybe less if you're buying wholesale direct from a farm)
Trail rations (mainly hardtack, supplemented with almonds and pemmican) are $2 per pound, and 15 pounds is enough for one man for a week.
Meat varies from $4 per pound for the least appetizing kinds of fish to $8 per pound for basilisk or chicken to $15-$20 per pound or more for anything rare or elaborately prepared, including long-term preservation.

Three-quarters of a gold coin ($300) will support a peasant family of five for a month, and most of that cost is food on the cheap-and-starchy end of the scale. Twice that for more calories, a higher proportion of protein, and other lifestyle considerations necessary to middle-class professionals, whether scribes or soldiers.

One gold coin will buy Llyr a 50 pound slab of raw lizard meat, the basilisk equivalent of a side of beef, which, if he's not feeling quite up to finishing it off in one sitting, can be stored in a refrigerated pantry in the "basement." Llyr's share of the latest raid (his financial share, not counting giant centipedes, as much of the snake's meat as he felt like taking, and Yorgala's entire corpse) was eighty-five gold coins. If he weighs 210 pounds and devours his own weight in meat every two weeks, that is, if he's scarfing down an average of fifteen pounds per day, which is on the upper end of 'plausible without magic,' that diet's not going to put a noticeable dent in the money for months yet.
>>
No. 751751 ID: d41523

>>751641
>>751729
Pretty good deal for Marijke then. It's easy enough to say "Oh yeah, that [insert-thing-Llyr-just-ate-here]? Yeah, that particular thing was super rare, so it was definitely worth 10x the market price for similar products." or "What a shame, Llyr shouldn't have eaten that particular thing, it would have been alchemically useful or something, that'll have to be counted for extra." Llyr would never catch on, and it wouldn't be able to be used to fuel a mutiny either, because Llyr would literally be eating the evidence. It would work out just fine IC, and OOC I'd rather Llyr not have any money at all than have to constantly wonder how much money he has. If Marijke feels a little guilty about conning someone who doesn't know any better out of $34 grand, she can assuage her guilt by donating a small percentage to Garaile's charity.
>>
No. 751773 ID: 3abd97

>>751751
>guilt
Marijke has no qualms about ripping someone off in a deal- that's pretty much what she's for. With mind magic pushing on scales when she can manage it, even.

The objection is... sort of a lawful evil logic kind of thing? (Not that I want to stamp a restrictive alignment system on here). Namely that the small bonus of Llyr's share isn't worth breaking the group's rules in a way that could be used to challenge or undermine her leadership down the line. Ripping off your own minions' benefit plan is right there in the evil overlord list!

If OOC you don't want to deal with Llyr's finances, that's fine. We'll pay him in meat, and instead of pocketing the difference, the extra will be dumped into a "sharkmergency" fund. (Like a trust fund, since he doesn't want to and/or can't manage his own money). If he gets killed without a will (I doubt Llyr would ever think of one) we'll dump it back into the loot pool. If not, maybe we'll buy him a mammoth or dinosaur or something suitably rare and expensive to eat someday.
>>
No. 751813 ID: d41523

>>751773
>"sharkmergency" fund
Sounds good to me. It'll probably help a lot when Llyr inevitably breaks somebody's ming vase or gets arrested and needs bail or something. I just don't want to have to keep asking how much money I have. I'll know the answer: zero.
>>
No. 752015 ID: a107fd

So, Marijke's Marauders (or whatever you decide on as a company name) have up to two months of downtime. Any side plans? If left unspecified, I'll assume your character focused on R&R, converting gold to XP as efficiently as possible.
>>
No. 752019 ID: 11a968

>>752015
Riv is devoting an hour of her time to grueling and dangerous training with Garaile each day. When she's not doing that, she's working on her knife which she intends to trade to Marjije for the clockwork lock box after which she will begin work on her familiar. I assume this will be more efficient in terms of time and money as compared to making and selling alchemical solutions on the street, correct?

Stone is not yet sorted out, but assuming he's brought into the fold he wants to do what he can to make low risk money to get a little equipment and some sleep aids and then as assumed kick back, relax, earn EXP
>>
No. 752021 ID: a107fd

>>752019
>trade to Marjije for the clockwork lock box after which she will begin work on her familiar. I assume this will be more efficient

Nico Nashville, the quartermaster, has already budgeted some gold for Riv's familiar. Instead of a convoluted trading sequence followed by cannibalizing the cashbox, it would be vastly more efficient to mail-order from wholesalers in Passholdt, or possibly travel there yourself to do some shopping. Once you've got the parts, rebuilding your familiar's body is only about three days of work, or, with the help of some powerful stimulants, a single 24-hour frenzy. Still want to go ahead with the blood-seeking dagger, or mothball that plan in favor of potions? Or library research toward deciphering Neogi physiology? Or cobbling together some nautical siege engines? Or...?
>>
No. 752022 ID: 3abd97

>Stuff to do
Marijke will probably be involved in the construction of the ship. There's logistics to handle, people to negotiate with, deals to be struck, things to buy, people to hire, etc etc. It's all pretty relevant to her skillset. Probably be working with Nico on at least some of that, since he's the quartermaster, and is still an eloquent charmer in a negotiation, even with the lisp.

(Nico would probably be spending his free time on researching his condition or whatever weirdness caught his fancy, I assume. Between his own condition, Stone's condition / the leg we recovered, the library, there's all kinds of weirdness to keep him entertained).

Rixxil would probably be useful in the logistics end of ship making as well. Maybe make him a foreperson?

For side projects she'll finish educating Eadric in Humish, and try to provide him with the context to be an aerial scout. (Be useful to have, especially at sea). I'd also like to get in a little practice with a sling (for smacking things with gem-form familiar to cheese touch-range spells), and to make a few poisoned wax-apples if I can convince Riv to mix something up for that.

Might want to hang with Gary some more, since we're going to be in the area, and he seemed amenable to teaching stuff. Possibly some of our fighters with nothing better to do while we're stuck here for a few months could provide an escort to the monks he was gonna see and back? Marijke can easily afford to pay him something for his time to get him to stick around a little longer. (Bonus that this increases favor / relations with the acolyte faction a little).

Uh, we might want to finalize the deal for those enchanted boots? Not sure how we left that negotiation, both Than and Letkra were interested, and are probably much more able to afford them on their own (or convince the quartermaster to purchase them as company gear and issue to them, now that we have that as a practice).

There's also the library we now own for someone to explore and catalogue, but I think I've got Marijke busy enough already she wouldn't have much time for that. Might be relevant to Nico's interests. Maybe Riv or Stone, if Santova doesn't have then doing anything else. Not sure who else might be a big reader.

>>752019
I thought we already established the only way Riv could afford to buy the lockbox out of the loot pool was if she sold herself into slavery? That would have to be one hell of a knife to be equal in value.

You're probably better off just ordering the high quality parts you need. We're stuck in place for months and bringing in workers and supplies for the ships, anyways. You can order all kinds of specialized clock-work equipment and likely have it arrive before we're done, and still probably have your familiar up and ticking before we start the next thread.

And selling potions / alchemical things on the side while you wait for the parts to come in would probably offset what you spent on the parts and shipping anyways. (If Riv was clever, she could save on shipping by getting her stuff added to the requisition orders bringing in ship-construction stuff).
>>
No. 752023 ID: d41523

rolled 6, 5, 6 = 17

>>752015
>>752019
Garaile will likely be spending all morning, every morning training the kobolds and Riv. Afternoons will be R&R and possibly helping with general logistics. Garaile will probably stop drinking in order to stay fresh in the mornings, but will certainly be meditating in the evenings to hone martial focus and contemplate the divine. I probably should have done this before, but what with taking the kobolds as formal disciples and all, Garaile is going to actually learn their names. Lastly, when there's spare time for it, Garaile is going to root through the group's occult library, sift out every book that detects as being inherently evil, and group them all together in one place under lock and key, if necessary purchasing a nice large chest and padlock for that purpose. If Garaile is capable of it, laying down a divine blessing/seal on top would be great too. Just a precaution, as Garaile is not at all interested in something nasty being accidentally summoned in from extradimensional space to melt the party.
>>
No. 752037 ID: 11a968

>>752021
See here >>104058 Riv has acknowledged that she can get the parts she'd need to get crackin, but if I remember the description of the lockbox its clockwork parts were so beautifully crafted that they'd be almost impossible to replicate; the problem was that functionally they had little value, so they were priced at roughly 1000 gold. A magic dagger is worth 1000 gold, so it should be an equivalent exchange, so it's just a matter of quality. If it would improve the quality of her Familiar and its existence, then she will wait to be able to afford the superior parts. Honestly, even if it makes no functional difference, Riv is still a child and for this, for her opius maximus, she going to do whatever she can to stand out. I think for her, the pride and satisfaction in knowing that her creation is made out of beautiful irreplaceable parts is worth the time and effort. Full work on the dagger, trade dagger to Marjike and build a familiar to be outshined by none. And if there's ever a question of using mind altering drugs Riv will likely say no, except in the cases of teas and coffees to ensure she can work through the night without faltering. If requested, she will find time to make seige weaponry, doing her best to finish that off quickly and returning to her side projects during the night until she can devote herself fully again
>>
No. 752057 ID: a107fd

>>752023
>what with taking the kobolds as formal disciples and all, Garaile is going to actually learn their names
>rolled 6, 5, 6 = 17
The sewing-and-leatherworking specialized kobold is named "tha'tun," the cooking-and-hazmat specialized kobold is named "oth'run," and the heavy-lifting-and-brownsmithing specialized kobold (who came along as a trapfinder) is named "shortstop." Or at least, Garaile thinks so, and over the course of teaching them to read and write Humish and ensuring equal rights for kobolds in the charter, has them sign some official papers accordingly. Who's on first, What's on second, I-don't-know's on third...
>>
No. 752060 ID: 3abd97

>>752037
It was my understanding that a lot of the work of art aspect was tied directly to the current configuration of the parts, not the parts themselves, which would be lost as soon as you started prying them apart.

Also if you can build something worth 1000 gold in your free time, you could put that profit towards funding even better familiar construction instead of chasing the shiny lock box you're fixated one.
>>
No. 752074 ID: a107fd

>>752037
You don't actually have a good timetable on completing the dagger, and the clockwork box might plausibly go for more than a thousand gold at auction, if Marijke and Rixxil Kas were willing to sell it, which they aren't. Riv can get an adequate set of parts to build the familiar for 300 gold, with Nico peeking over her various shoulders to clamp down on any unnecessary extravagances, and then put in the time and effort to further upgrade it by her own skill as she gains levels.
>>752022
>Rixxil would probably be useful in the logistics end of ship making as well. Maybe make him a foreperson?
Rixxil Kas settles easily into any sort of administrative role, once the expectations are made sufficiently explicit.

>increases favor / relations with the acolyte faction
Meaning Altsoba, Eswic, and Goris? Gary's friendly with them, but has had no contact with the larger Church of Orcus in many years. His expertise and social circle might be better described as "Passholdt's criminal underworld."

>poisoned wax-apples if I can convince Riv to mix something up for that
Fat-soluble toxins are simple enough, when you can get the target to eat something without noticing what it tastes like.

>Not sure who else might be a big reader.
Garaile volunteers, then eagerly wastes a week and a half attempting to reorganize and further secure the library based on, apparently, his own highly eccentric opinion of how certain books (such as volumes two, three, five, and seven but not one, four, six, eight, nine, or ten of a particular set of encyclopedias) smell "evil."
>>
No. 752087 ID: 11a968

>>752074
In that case, realizing that while her ideal creation would be difficult to obtain the resources to create, she will simmer down and mail order the parts she needs. Knowing that it'll take more than 480 hours of work to complete the dagger, she will slow the pace- if she can't complete the project within the next two months then she'll have plenty of time on the boat. She'll throw some silver on another combat dagger and some smaller knives she can hide about her person more easily, the smallest being a razor blade that she attempts to find a way to insert sub-dermally, near one of her wrists as a last ditch fail safe should she need it. She will devote maybe 8 hours a day after her training to the market, selling what she can. After that, she'll return and spend roughly 4 hours working on anything the captain needs, with any time spare after she finishes her allotted tasks being spent making her dagger. Riv will sleep anywhere from 7 hours a night, to which she wakes up angry for wasting so much time doing nothing, to as little as 1-0 hours, tired but so hyper focused on the task at hand she looses touch with time, her surroundings, and much of her help. Of course, once her familiar is made it will be employed as a full time lab assistant, brewing teas and helping with anything it can.

In regards to Marjikes comment indicating that she was slightly worried about getting Riv to do what she wants; anytime the captain approaches her Riv stops what she's doing and drops her eyes to the floor. When Marjike tells Riv jump, she asks how high. It is evident that Riv is deferential at least to Marjikes face, and does as she is told when she is told. In comparison, she treats the rest of the crew, aside from letkra, as if they were beneath her and that even if she is not captain she is clearly superior and should be obeyed.
>>
No. 753083 ID: a107fd

Three days before Marijke's new ship is ready to set sail, Gary shows up again at the Black Boar, looking rather more haggard than before, and missing his left arm below the elbow.

After the business at the monastery, he got another contract job. Seemed like a very straightforward strike mission. Some earl's granddaughter's birthday party went wrong, now she's stuck with a curse, simplest fix involves pearls from a particular spot near the mouth of the Stoneheart River, currently held by alien pirates. Good money, plenty of intel. Team of mercenary Griffon Knights and a couple of other specialists banded together, flew in to raid the place. Whole plan went to pieces almost immediately, because one big thing wasn't in the briefing. Literally big, maybe half as tall as the Froghemoth. Spat little cat-sized buggers faster than a catapult loaded with scattershot. You know what happens when a riding griffon suddenly gets pumped full of paralytic venom in midair above a rocky shoreline? It ain't pretty. Riders all had featherfall rings or talismans, of course, but the ones that didn't drown, or turn on each other in melee with the hulking beetle-apes, rotted away to nothing when they breached the wrecked ship's hold. There was an eye in there. Any time somebody tried to hit it back, it just slid away, fast as blinking. If that eye ever fit in a face, on an elvenoid body, the owner would have to have been two hundred feet tall, like the very highest trees.

Anyway, long story short, Gary's pretty sure he was the sole survivor of the attacking party, and they didn't get the prize, so he's here to check whether Ulman Dark has any suitable replacement limbs ready to go, and then head west into the orc territories. How's the exodimensional sanctum been working out for you? Wards stable? Any weird, ah. light shows?
>>
No. 753232 ID: 3abd97

rolled 1, 5, 3 = 9

>>753083
Marijke sighs sympathetically. "I wish I'd known you were heading that way, we had our own run in with them. We could have provided you with better intel (for a price, of course) or at least warned you to stay the hell away."

Looking in Riv's direction: "I'm calling 'I told you so' on a full on attack being a bad idea!".

Mental line to Rixxil: what's the likelyhood your former compatriots would be trying to hunt down survivors of an attack like that? Can you tell if he's being tracked?

We there any of those pearls among Rixxil's share of the loot we captured? If any of its wealth was in the form of precious and/or semiprecious gems, we might be able to just sell one of these pearls to the people in need of one.

>Ulman Dark has any suitable replacement limbs ready to go
Well, I'm in possession of a lovely articulated stone leg, but that's not quite what you're looking for.

>How's the exodimensional sanctum been working out for you? Wards stable? Any weird, ah. light shows?
Rolling for uh, retrospective spot check to have noticed instability and/or light shows, if they happened. Response dependent on what I noticed, if there was anything to notice.
>>
No. 753278 ID: a107fd

>>753232
>could have provided you with better intel
After a bit of further discussion it becomes clear that his initial briefing included everything you learned in your raid (including from Riv and Rix) and shared with Marty, plus more besides. The elephant-sized spawn-spitter simply wasn't there six weeks ago, although with even a cursory description Rixxil Kas can confidently identify it as a "Great Old Master."

>Mental line to Rixxil: what's the likelyhood your former compatriots would be trying to hunt down survivors of an attack like that? Can you tell if he's being tracked?
Possible, but unlikely. Revenge is a low-margin business. Too late to stop knowledge of their location from getting out, no point building a reputation of terrifying invincibility if they're still planning to pack up and leave. Gary seems to have taken all reasonable precautions against mundane tracking, and they didn't have any relevant supernatural resources.

>any of those pearls among Rixxil's share of the loot we captured?
Nope. The way it's described, might be easy to misconstrue as something naturally occurring, but they're actually synthetic, a private project the administrarch was working on.

>retrospective spot check
If anything was going to go wrong with the wards, it would most likely have done so during the ceremonial teleportation surgery thing, and didn't, so mostly good news, but now that he mentions it...
>>748014
>vaguely reminiscent of whatever left those scorch marks
>>
No. 753404 ID: 383927

>>753083
If possible, Riv will do her best to take Gary aside and gather all the information she can regarding the layout, number of creatures, defenses and so forth. What's the chain of command like, did he notice any sort of morale changes throughout the fight, etc etc. It's fairly clear she's trying to gather as much detailed information that could be used to plan an assault as possible.
>>
No. 755792 ID: d41523

rolled 1, 4, 4 = 9

>>/questdis/105102
>do something
I figured this was a decision for Marijke as the captain, not me.

Here's a roll. Let's go find the coven, get what we're owed, and then head to the pearl-aliens, I suppose.
>>
No. 755795 ID: a107fd

>>753404
>>/questdis/105104
Gary doesn't have much more to give; he wasn't in a great position to observe the larger conflict at any point. Only made it out at all with a mix of elite ninja skills, unabashed mercenary cowardice, and considerable luck. Posts unaccompanied by a roll won't generally achieve much unless the action in question has no plausible chance of failure, and putting together follow-up questions that could extract further useful information from his jumbled memories of sequential jump-scares and near-death experiences would be nontrivial.

>>755792
>find the coven, get what we're owed

An unspecified favor, in exchange for compromising the neogi crash site's security. Did you have a specific favor in mind?
>>
No. 755856 ID: d41523

>>755795
>specific favor
Yes, actually, unless Marijke has something she wants more. Since our ship is about to become integral to our continued livelihoods, it would be excellent to have it enchanted by such a powerful group of magic-users. We'd like them to make it supernaturally faster and more durable than other ships, reliably capable of both chasing down and fleeing other ships, as well as able to take more damage than it might otherwise. A Black Pearl enchantment, so to speak.

And speaking of cool ship names, we still have to name our ship, yeah?
Garaile would like to give it a regal-sounding name like the Highland Duke or the Ardent Star. Conversely, Llyr wants a dangerous-sounding name, for people to say in hushed tones, like the Wicked Seer or the Storm Raider.
>>
No. 755870 ID: 3abd97

We'll give our condolences to Gary, and Marijke will at least spend a little time hanging with him before we set sail. If Gary's interested, he can sign on, but I'm not going to be aggressive about pushing recruitment.

>An unspecified favor, in exchange for compromising the neogi crash site's security. Did you have a specific favor in mind?
I was imagining oracular services of some kind? Say, several questions answered (or one per person, fits the visiting the oracle trope). We have several characters on personal (or other) quests in need of answers. Or information to set them on the right track. Letkra is trying to find a path home / the truth about his nature; Nico's whole thing is seeking out occult secrets; Riv is on the prototypical alchemist's stone type quest for knowledge, power, and personal security; Stone is seeking a way to break his curse; the acolytes want foreknowledge about what the cult of orcus is sending after them (if anything); Snake wanted to do something with his mutations. Garaile could certain ask something to help his search for renown, or Llyr for true love.

I hadn't decided Marijke's exact question in this scenario yet- but there's plenty of ways to leverage wealth from potent information. An insider tip for a grand haul to last a lifetime?

(Also, just noticed Stone's fear of deep water, drowning. Pff. I'm not the only one disadvantaged out here, ha).

>>755856
OOC, I think Ardent Star sounds the coolest. And it's sort of neutral, connotations wise, and could be spun to be something positive or negative in different contexts. Plus it translates pretty easily into some kind of flag or heraldry. (And for Marijke's part, it speaks indirectly to wealth, if the star is a gem).

I think we might need to have a flag made before we leave. And Marijke would probably add a pin or something to her outfit with the same symbol.
>>
No. 755939 ID: a107fd

>>755856
>supernaturally faster and more durable than other ships, reliably capable of both chasing down and fleeing other ships, as well as able to take more damage than it might otherwise.

Sounds like you're looking for a war galley instead of a sailing ship, with some sort of tireless spirits powering the oars. Could get you a letter of introduction to somebody at an appropriate shipyard, and cut through most of the red tape that usually prevents unaligned murderhobos from getting their grubby paws on large scale military hardware, but you'd still need to put up at least a couple hundred gold of your own money, or thousands if you really want the best of the best.

>>755870
>grand haul to last a lifetime

The Cauldron of Blood has limits on how far into the future it can see, based on the quantity of blood supplied, and tends to slant ambiguous requests toward it's fascination with violent tragedy. You know that old saying, "build a man a fire, he's warm for a day, but set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life?" Might want to rephrase the problem so that it can't be trivially solved by steering you toward an untimely death.
>>
No. 755997 ID: d41523

>>755939
>rephrase desire for wealth
How about "How can we, without making an enemy of any major mover and shaker or directly causing the death of any member of our own group, acquire enough wealth to afford the platonic ideal of a noble's standard of living, within six months?"
We're pathetically below our Character Wealth by Level. Even a level 3 character should be able to afford a few minor magic items. We have maybe one such item in the whole party? Even a gritty setting should allow us some nice things, once in a while.
>>
No. 756005 ID: 24aec8

>>755997
A wagon worth hundreds of thousands, and a boat + crew worth a hefty sum have taken up most of our Magic item fund I think
>>
No. 756072 ID: a107fd

>>755997
>a few minor magic items

Rixxil's cashbox has four cure light wounds potions and two lesser restoration potions. Marijke has cinnamon incense and dragonweed. Letkra bought a pair of boots that aren't technically magical, but provide comparable benefits. Most of all, you had a third-tier (meaning, equivalent to +3) weapon and traded it for, effectively, a Bag of Holding rated to hold 240 tons. That's a few minor magic items and one big one, which might put your group somewhat above standard D&D wealth by level, without even counting the acolytes. I haven't actually done the math on that, because I'm not especially concerned with keeping personal prowess and financial success marching in lockstep.

>>755792
After a day of sailing down the river, a night at anchor, and a day of cautiously exploring coastal reefs to the south, Marty the Adorable Talking Shark shows up off the starboard bow. He explains that he's carrying some magic which will let the folks his coven owes a favor to walk across the surface of the water as if it were solid ground, they just have to jump overboard and boop his snoot. Anyone who didn't help with the raid, and tries to follow, will be treated as hostile... except for Garaile. He can come too.

>"How can we, without making an enemy of any major mover and shaker or directly causing the death of any member of our own group, acquire enough wealth to afford the platonic ideal of a noble's standard of living, within six months?"

Following the crones' instructions, Garaile cuts his palm over the bubbling cauldron and solemnly intones the request. The surface clears, and he sees his own face, in profile, embossed on a gold coin the size of a dinner-plate. The coin flips over, showing some grand palace or temple on the reverse side, then continues to turn, but now the face is some ancient long-bearded conqueror-king, only vaguely resembling Garaile. With another turn, the palace has been replaced by a circle of standing stones, and then the face by something barely human, with elongated jaw and ram's horns. The coin spins faster, into a golden blur, and drops away into a glittering pile of similar coins. As the view continues to pull back, Garaile sees himself and companions scooping the loot into bags, in a cavern deep beneath the earth. There's more than one such cache to be found. In fact, staring into the cauldron, they seem nearly as numerous as the stars in the sky. A whole network of caves, a vast tangle of tunnels and yet-unplundered tombs, a veined tumor in the telluric currents. The focal point on the surface, epicenter of the whole thing, is a green glass pipe nearly four yards in diameter, protruding from the ground amid a distinctive array of earthworks in the coastal hills. Having seen the whole thing from above and within, the way it all interlocks with the natural flow of the land, Garaile would have no trouble finding the place on foot.

There's a message woven into those earthworks, describing a central knot at the heart of the dungeon. Not the deepest pit, with Orcus upon his throne, but a nugget of some unnatural self-sealing stone that far predates the demon prince's arrival.

"This is not a place of honor. No highly esteemed deed is commemorated here. Nothing valued is here. This message is a warning about danger. Sending this message was important to us. We considered ourselves to be a powerful culture. What is here is dangerous and repulsive to us. The danger is unleashed only if you substantially disturb this place. This place is best shunned and left uninhabited. The danger is still present, in your time, as it was in ours. This place is a message, and part of a system of messages. Don't go down the well!"
>>
No. 756075 ID: d41523

rolled 2, 6, 6 = 14

>>756072
>had a third-tier (meaning, equivalent to +3) weapon
Too bad it was a weapon that was literally unusable? It burned Garaile on touch, who was the only melee fighter at the time. I'm just complaining about still having to use a mundane weapon at this level since we've started encountering monsters (like the snake) which Garaile actually couldn't cut through with the current grade of weapon. No adventurer should have to mark down cause of death as "Couldn't afford equipment strong enough to fight same-level monsters."

>a whole network of caves, a vast tangle of tunnels and yet-unplundered tombs
>seen the whole thing from above and within, the way it all interlocks with the natural flow of the land
Rolling to draw up a map, while the image is still fresh, so when Garaile inevitably dies a horrible untimely death from this cauldron blood tragedy juju, the rest of the party won't be disadvantaged in obtaining all that treasure.
>>
No. 756105 ID: a107fd

>>756075
>snake
Based on emperor cobra stats from the Bestiary 2. Nothing that specifically requires a magical weapon, just 50+ HP protected by pretty good natural armor. CR 5. Plenty of adventurers have had to mark down cause of death as "tried to solo a monster which turned out to have twice as many hit dice as me."

>Rolling to draw up a map,
>rolled 2, 6, 6 = 14
The resultant frantic scribbles will be a useful mnemonic device for Garaile himself, but nobody else can make heads or tails of 'em.

>when Garaile inevitably dies a horrible untimely death
The Cauldron of Blood tends to interpret ambiguities toward tragedy, but it won't pervert the letter OR the spirit of a clear and focused request. "Monkey's Paw rental" is not a long-term viable business model.

Raiding tombs is dangerous, but not remotely certain death, and if there was a safe way to get that kind of money in a hurry everyone would do it. Whatever enemies you make that way are probably the sort of cthonic horrors that would've killed you soon as they had the chance regardless. And, hey, if you kill them first, and plunder what they swore to protect afterwards, that's violence and tragedy accounted for without any of your own team hurt!
>>
No. 756106 ID: 3430e2

rolled 6, 6, 3 = 15

>>756075
The mace was traded in for a portable inn and storage keep. Inventory management and storage are solved for the conceivable future. As noted, because Garaile couldn't use it, this is out best bet, but even if he could the portable dimension seems more valuable than magic armament the mace could be traded for

As for magic weapons, we could have afforded a magic weapon for Garaile, but decided as a group that investing in a boat was the way money should be spent. You've gone up against some tough enemies, and lived to tell the tale, so maybe prioritizing better equipment can be your next choice but we have not lacked the resources in game to do so. Our GM is not depriving us or starving the party for magic and gold. As I understand encounters are rolled randomly based on location. I don't think he's scaling it to level and fucking us over because we spent our experience and money in places other than combat utility. The comments made feel hostile, but perhaps I'm just reading too much into things. I think if the lack of weapons and armor really scare Garaile though, he should have a talk with Marjike about how funds are spent, rather than directing comments towards the GM. We've had the chance to get these magic items a couple of times and chosen to do other things with them- things like travel by boat which we deemed better safety wise. So not everything we've bought puts us at greater risk either. There's different ways to procure safety

Rib is unsure if the coven considers her part of the raid. If Marty confirms this to be the case, she is going to take the time to devise a makeshift raft and oar as well as a chain or ladder of sorts down the side of the boat. She is going to do anything and everything to avoid being dunked in the ocean. The salt spray is bad enough for her and she can feel her joints stiffen in the damp mornings, add any more water and she might just start to rot. Her coat should be water proof enough to protect her from ocean spray but not jumping overboard or the damp salty air. She doesn't trust the magic to work in the first place, -and even if it does who know when it'll wear off? She's not going to "cash in a favor" and then be told she has to swim back to drown at sea or get devoured before she can do even that.

Is Riv eligible to cash in a favor? If so, what guidelines are set forth by the coven?
And, if any of what Garaile sees is broadcast, she makes known her doubts. An anchient evil locked away by an anchient civilization, with a ladder leading straight down too it? Vast riches, available to be plundered in an underground tunnel network? Things just don't all add up. And she hates it when people tell her what not to do.
>>
No. 756119 ID: a107fd

>>756106
>water problems
There's a bit of a leap of faith involved, and the water-walking magic produces a sensation unpleasantly similar to hopping barefoot across hot sand, but Riv suffers no actual injury. The coven's hideout is only accessible through a cave which floods to the ceiling at high tide, so it would be advisable not to waste time while inside.

>Is Riv eligible to cash in a favor?
She helped compromise the neogi camp's security, so yes.

>If so, what guidelines are set forth by the coven?
They're fairly evasive about the exact limitations of their knowledge and power. Ask whatever you wish, and if it would cost more to grant than they feel you're owed, they'll figure out some counter-offers, possibly including further favors you could do in exchange for greater boons.
>>
No. 756121 ID: a107fd

>did Riv sparring for an hour every day these past few months have a noticeable effect on her, Garaile or the kobolds?

In GURPS, the standard rule is 200 hours of training per point in a skill. One hour a day for two months is about 60 hours, so the kobolds are making visible progress toward the rudiments of self-defense, but they have some ways yet to go.

>Did her alchemy stand in the market square have a net affect on finances?

Riv is a highly skilled alchemist, but her abrasive personality, lack of formal certifications, and disregard for 'trivial cosmetic side-effects,' don't exactly attract a horde of eager customers. I'm figuring she spent most of the time allocated to alchemy on preparing tools and reagents for future projects, or building her familiar into it's current form: an articulated serpent of gilded steel and brass, about the size of a cat, with seven iridescent membranous wings.
>>
No. 756150 ID: 3430e2

rolled 1, 4, 6 = 11

>>756119
>advisable not to waste time while inside
Got it. If Riv is able to pull a makeshift raft along behind her without risking being caught in high tide she will do so, informing the other members she is skeptical that the spell will last long enough to prevent them from having to swim back home. Roll is for mage sight to see what she can ascertain about the spell. Analyzing magic isn't necessarily her strong suit but she'll give it the best look over she can.

If she is unable to make hast and bring a raft, she'll voice her concerns but will come along anyways.

>>756121
>making visible progress... but they have some ways yet to go.
Understood. If possible, Riv will continue her training with Garaile on the ship. It may take her another 4 months but she's already committed a big enough chunk of time that she's committed to getting something back for it. With her progress made on her familiar and lack of customers which is pretty much how I envisioned it- Riv is pretty sorely lacking in the customer service department. As for her familiar though, holy shit, how cool is that?! She's willing to dedicate more time to a formal education for the kobolds. She's not very personable or patient, but she is pretty damned smart. Her master had a background in philosophy as he was a learned nobleman before his life changed paths, so she should be aware and capable of teaching the kobolds more about formal etiquette, history, and general information about civilization, even if she doesn't adhere to them herself.

Concerning her favor, Riv advises the party that for the acolytes, as long as their clever, only one needs to ask about Orcus. They should have a backup question in case someone fucks up. Riv's greatest concern is immortality of course, but she has some ideas up her many sleeves. She will pose her questions to the crew before asking the witches, in case they wish to advise her otherwise:

Option 1) "Make me immortal." Straight forward. She doubts the coven can/will actually do it, but if they're asking for favors, that's what she wants. She imagines there's less fuck up room in a request like this because they won't grant it right away, and if they have to clarify or step in, she can get more information about the costs or trade offs of a request like that. Basically, ask for something she knows they won't grant, so instead of getting fucked over immediately she can gather information about what the price really is and haggle from there. Not a surefire bet by any means though.

Option 2) "Tell me how to become immortal." Pretty self explanatory. Will likely require haggling

Option 3) "I would like to be able to do what you do." Obvious benefits: If we have the same powers the coven does, we don't have a limit on the questions we can ask. Downside is, they probably don't want to give away trade secrets, and it's doubtful that their power can be replicated easily. We don't have a magic blood cauldron after all.

Option 4 "How can I conduct black market research into magic and black power weaponry without being discovered by forces that would oppose this research?" I imagine this is a more straightforward request with less haggling involved

Option 5/6: "I want insight into creating a magic blade/ I want insight into creating a more capable familiar." Simple, easy, likely to have a tangible benefit worth roughly 1000 gold without too much risk of self harm, and in the near future.

What are the crews thoughts on these questions. Advise as to which Riv should ask? Should she rephrase them?
>>
No. 756151 ID: 07280d

rolled 2, 5, 2 = 9

In regards to Marjikes comments in the disq thread which I'm too lazy to link to,
>Might be worth having Stone take a look at it,
In the days leading up to reaching the coven, Stone examined Marjikes amulet, under the presumption that because of the nature of Thans bow, spirits, and time travel, Stones affinity for the ocular and his abilities to look into the past of a place or object might give him an edge in alayzing the amulet and understand the events that unfolded. Roll is to use a combination of spirit guidance, mage sight, postcognician and sensitivity to the dead to see if he can add insite to what happened
>>
No. 756184 ID: d41523

rolled 6, 3, 6 = 15

>>756121
>One hour a day for two months is about 60 hours, so the kobolds are making visible progress toward the rudiments of self-defense, but they have some ways yet to go.
Riv was receiving one hour a day. However, the kobolds were being trained "all morning", of which one hour included Riv. That would reasonably be something like 7am to noon. With Sundays being a rest day, 5 hours/day x 6 days/week x 4 weeks/month x 2 months = 240 hours, plus a little more depending on the individual month length. Taking 200 hours of training as one point in a skill, that would mean the kobolds now have one point of combat ability, and ~40 hours toward the next point. So they do already have some rudimentary capacity for self-defense.

>>756105
>a useful mnemonic device for Garaile only
This is fine. It will prevent it from being used by enemies if it gets stolen. After we leave the coven, Garaile will sit down with Marijke and teach her to be able to interpret the map, such that it becomes a device she can also use. Rolling for that.
>>
No. 756218 ID: 3abd97

>what ask
Well, since Garaile already has lead on treasure (when we're prepared to go delving again) I suppose my amulet is the most interesting thing I've got ask about.

"I have in my possession a once-jade amulet attuned to magics of the mind, that caught an arrow fired by a spiritual bow. Creatures slain by that weapon now appear deep inside, and I have since seen that same arrow in my dreams, and woken to a perforated mattress stained with my own blood.

"I ask to know the secrets contained within this item. What its changed nature means, if that arrow still flies towards my breast, if that flight can be arrested."

If Eadric counts as an independent creature to receive a reward (he'll ask somewhat shyly, intimidated by the coven, after Marijke has received her answer) he'll ask about Marty and shapeshifting. Being able to turn into a small stone is great for hiding or defending himself, he guesses, but it's not very pleasant, and Marty's a lot better at this changing thing. How does he get better?

...I'm not sure if Rixil is here? It might be useful for telling the Coven anything they wanted to know about the aliens, but Marijke can question him remotely if needed. And arguably it's actions helped in our efforts, but saying as much and then offering payment (crediting incompetence so bad as could be considered treachery) is pretty insulting. Not sure what he would ask for either. (A way to redeem himself?).

Not sure if other nearly accidental turncoats like the octopus or Gunderbag are here. Although I am amusing myself imagining what they might ask for.

I'd assume Llyr is here too, since he did participate in that fight. (And he'd be able to swim in regardless of water walking enchantments).
>>
No. 756390 ID: d41523

>>756218
>Llyr
Llyr isn't eligible to receive a reward. He didn't do anything except join the crew, get on Marijke's bad side, and then fumble himself into a lake, ultimately accomplishing nothing. Being able to swim is irrelevant, because the coven stated they'd attack him if he tried to come with anyway.
>>
No. 756409 ID: 3abd97

>>756390
Technically that's still helping with / participating in the raid, even if he wasn't very effective. (Of course if Llyr himself feels he doesn't deserve to show up, showing up in front of powerful people who can probably tell that at a glance is a bad idea).
>>
No. 756599 ID: a107fd

>>756184
> Garaile will sit down with Marijke and teach her to be able to interpret the map, such that it becomes a device she can also use. Rolling for that.
>rolled 6, 3, 6 = 15

Marijke's eyes glaze over midway through the explanation and she mutters "The danger consists of... three bodies?... a threefold emanation of energy. If it began to dream, it might wake. It cannot die, only kill." Then she asks Garaile to slow down, or maybe start over, or just leave the explanation for another time since she's suddenly got a nasty headache.

>>756218
>"I have in my possession a once-jade amulet attuned to magics of the mind, that caught an arrow fired by a spiritual bow. Creatures slain by that weapon now appear deep inside, and I have since seen that same arrow in my dreams, and woken to a perforated mattress stained with my own blood.
>"I ask to know the secrets contained within this item. What its changed nature means, if that arrow still flies towards my breast, if that flight can be arrested."
"Transmutation of jade into crystalline yasal is no great feat, though it's a bit impressive someone managed to do so accidentally, while retaining the original shape. The arrow must have been fired from a bow strung with a thread of Time. A skilled archer, thus armed, can angle the shot into the future so it strikes the target when it's least expected, but always within the next week or so. If more than two months have come and gone, it probably just missed, as hastily-fired arrows tend to do. You'll be fine."

Assuming Than admits to having fired the arrow in question, Marty immediately inquires about the status of her soul, and any afterlife plans, in the manner of an insurance agent sizing up competition before making an offer.

>If Eadric counts as an independent creature to receive a reward (he'll ask somewhat shyly, intimidated by the coven, after Marijke has received her answer) he'll ask about Marty and shapeshifting. Being able to turn into a small stone is great for hiding or defending himself, he guesses, but it's not very pleasant, and Marty's a lot better at this changing thing. How does he get better?
Normally they'd count caster and familiar together as one, but this is so easy it's not an issue. Marty provides an extended metaphor involving a burlap sack being woven out of raw fibers and being filled with various items. Long story short, Eadric's powers are a nearly direct result of Marijke's stored spells. The three members of the coven are powerful as individuals, and Marty is familiar to all of them, so he's got considerable power stacked up inside. Of course, such a situation is not to be entered into lightly! Consider one of those comedies about two rivals fleeing through the wilderness while shackled together at the wrist, and imagine how unpleasantly the situation might evolve if those shackles were... deeper, rather than being severable by any rural blacksmith.

>...I'm not sure if Rixil is here?
Yep.

>It might be useful for telling the Coven anything they wanted to know about the aliens, but Marijke can question him remotely if needed.
They have lots of questions about "great old masters," and it's generally easier not to work through an intermediary.

>And arguably it's actions helped in our efforts, but saying as much and then offering payment (crediting incompetence so bad as could be considered treachery) is pretty insulting.

From Rixxil Kas's perspective, it's a matter of having a really bad day, then working one's way back up from "bushwhacked chump," through "livestock," or "boss's science project," and now finally being back up to the level of performing tasks which are valuable and sensitive enough that the incentive package consists primarily of rewards rather than punishments. Neogi don't generally believe in an inherent, inalienable right to survival or security or dignity or anything like that, but they'll grab an armload off the free sample tray if you're offering, and gladly forgive almost any misbehavior provided it ultimately turns a profit.

>Not sure what he would ask for either.
(Rixxil Kas is not male.) It whispers a request, out of earshot of the rest of the crew. Rylshna abruptly steps back, with a look of disgust. Marmtroth bursts out laughing. Shralynn chews her lower lip contemplatively, then hesitantly nods. "Sure. Haven't ever done something like that before, but it's easy enough in theory. Nothing above the fourth circle. Come back in a year, most of the setup should be ready by then." Rixxil politely acknowledges this as acceptable, then telepathically petitions Marijke with a formal request for three days of shore leave, on this specific shore, starting exactly a year from now.

>Not sure if other nearly accidental turncoats like the octopus or Gunderbag are here.
The coven's counting those two as 'plunder' rather than 'teammates.'

>>756151
>Stone examined Marjikes amulet
>Roll is to use a combination of spirit guidance, mage sight, postcognician and sensitivity to the dead to see if he can add insite to what happened
>rolled 2, 5, 2 = 9
In conjunction with what the coven said (or is reported to have said, because apart from not being invited, no way is somebody with a phobia of drowning going to jump overboard feet-first into the waiting maw of a sapient shark they're just now meeting for the first time), Stone theorizes that the arrow may be moving along nearly parallel to Marijke's 3+1 dimensional existence, occasionally intersecting at very shallow angles like a pebble skipped across calm water. Great-Uncle Petros had quite a bit to say on the subject of 'angles of time,' some of which was very nearly comprehensible, but he died during the war. Not, it should be noted, in the war; he was found naked, covered in slime and appalling lacerations, inside his apartment, far from the front lines. Doors and windows were locked from the inside, walls were covered with plaster in swirls vaguely reminiscent of elven architecture. Since bizarre and initially inexplicable deaths were fairly common for both that particular family and that time period, no assassin ever stepped forward to take credit, and Petros personally lacked obvious political or symbolic significance, the incident mostly got lost in background noise. His spirit is not among Stone's available advisors. Unclear whether this is because he somehow escaped the curse without breaking it's hold on others and is now at peace, or stumbled across some other horror and is bound to still greater torments, or simply isn't a lineal ancestor.
>>
No. 756732 ID: 3abd97

>Marijke's eyes glaze over midway through the explanation and she mutters "The danger consists of... three bodies?... a threefold emanation of energy. If it began to dream, it might wake. It cannot die, only kill." Then she asks Garaile to slow down, or maybe start over, or just leave the explanation for another time since she's suddenly got a nasty headache.
Wow. The exploitation was so bad you made her hallucinate. Or left her open to temporary possession.

>crystalline yasal
Well, know that I know what it's called, I'm going to have to look up the properties of that material first chance I get. (Having a portable library is convenient).

>A skilled archer, thus armed, can angle the shot into the future so it strikes the target when it's least expected, but always within the next week or so.
So... Than can theoretically perform conventionally untraceable assassinations and surgical strikes. Granted, the truly dangerous and powerful you'd want to kill untraceably probably have the resources to magically backtrack that, but we could still probably find a way to exploit that.

>(Rixxil Kas is not male).
(Typo. I have to go back and make sure I actually call it an it instead of reflexively gendering it, and one slipped through).

>Rixxil politely acknowledges this as acceptable, then telepathically petitions Marijke with a formal request for three days of shore leave, on this specific shore, starting exactly a year from now.
Granted. It would be remiss to prevent it from collecting its payment. Marijke is curious what Rixxil could have asked for that would have provoked that reaction, but isn't going to pry, for now.

>Stone theorizes that the arrow may be moving along nearly parallel to Marijke's 3+1 dimensional existence, occasionally intersecting at very shallow angles like a pebble skipped across calm water.
Hmmm. The obvious question is if there's any way to exploit that.

>what do
Gotta wait for the remaining PCs and NPCs to get paid in oracular lore, then see if there's any new business to discuss with the coven.
>>
No. 756788 ID: a107fd

>>756732
>look up the properties of that material
Hardness, optical properties, planes along which it can be easily cut, and other mechanical and alchemical trivia are easy enough to look up in a geologist's encyclopedia.

As for magical properties... there are a number of mid- and high-circle effects which bind spiritual creatures, or souls outside a body, and almost all of them require some sort of gem as the focal point, the actual container. Usually the specific type of crystal is carefully chosen to match the type of entity being bound. Onyx for petty hollownesses to animate zombies and skeleton warriors, diamond for purifying corrupted Messengers, and so on. Yasal crystal, cut in a rough angular natural shape, can not only substitute for any type of gem in such a ritual, a big enough one can obviate the need for any casting at all, simply capturing a spirit in the moment of physical contact like a pokéball.

>So... Than can theoretically perform conventionally untraceable assassinations and surgical strikes. Granted, the truly dangerous and powerful you'd want to kill untraceably probably have the resources to magically backtrack that, but we could still probably find a way to exploit that.
Acolyte Goris, after she's asked whether the Church of Orcus is sending assassins after herself and her friends (answer: not in the forseeable future), explains that in high-level warfare, such weapons are more often used for harassing fire than actual sniping. Forcing someone to either maintain constant, sleepless vigilance for days on end, or else retreat to a teleportation-warded sanctum, can be much more costly to their side than a single arrow wound, however precise and heavily poisoned.

There's also the issue that strands of time are hard to come by. Only known sustainable source is to steal from the Norns, around whom even dragons tread carefully. Since the bow can't be removed while she lives, this makes Than's soul exceptionally valuable to the sort of people who deal in such things.

>remaining PCs and NPCs
Anyone heard from CalimariGod?
>>
No. 756871 ID: 3abd97

>Anyone heard from CalimariGod?
Nope. He doesn't hang out in the chat room, so far as I'm aware.

If you don't want to automate a question for Nico, we could stage his reward as something that will take prep time, like Rixxil's, leaving it in flux for now.

That still leaves Letkra, Than, and Snake.
>>
No. 757250 ID: d41523

>>756599
>Marijke cannot grasp the true form of Garaile's map
Well, at least now she has a reason to keep Garaile alive and around.

While we wait for this fortune-telling session to conclude, we may as well decide on where to go next. Should we go fight the alien pirate monsters that slaughtered an entire team of flying griffon knights, or go find the warp pipe that leads to the underground demon nightmare labyrinth?
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