Well now we have an answer as to who it is. This probably means he is intended to survive a while, but we shall see.

To the quest author, please don't take all the intended treachery and possible derailing as an insult towards your intended plot. It is just that the idea of an inverse quest has too much potential to pass up.

There's also the point that even if we do decide to betray him, we'd want to do it as late in the game as possible, to make it as disastrous interesting as we can.

So for a good long while, helping him or not is going to amount to practically the same thing.

...of course the obvious risk of a long game is he'll win us over. We are suckers sometimes. So really, he has decent odds of surviving us at least, no matter our intentions.

>>58247
CURSE THAT HANDSOME DEVIL, HE ELUDED OUR 'clever' TRAP ONCE AGAIN <3

Oh man I didn't even see that this thread was made. So anyway >>58301 is the one I made but this one can be the official one I guess.

Okay, I should probably have mentioned this in-quest, but if you have any questions about the setting/races, you can ask here. This knowledge will transfer over to the quest, under the pretense of the Guidance Stone having been around in the realm for a while.

Can we get a general summary of the races and types of magic that are around?

Species: Cythraul AveGaruda 2012/08/24(Fri)19:06 No. 59184 ID: af3431
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Life span: several millenia.
Sexually dimorphic: No more than humans.
Culture: Highly intelligent, but largely solitary due to the distribution of individuals across multiple dimensions.

Cythraul are humanoid demons with usually ashen red skin, hair in shades of black or gray, and eyes in orange, yellow, and red color ranges. They have a humanoid base, with the addition of horns unique to each individual, a tail, clawed fingers, sharp teeth, pointed ears, and two-toed feet. Each individual is "born" into a new dimension at the start of each life cycle already of age, with few memories from their previous life. They have a primal compulsion to seek out the Guidance Stone. Occasionally Cythraul will have life cycles that overlap, causing them to share the dimension. Cythraul get their reputations as demons for their horns and the presence of immense dark magic sealed within them in place of souls. They are able to channel this energy through a unique seal somewhere on their body, although overuse will cause them to go insane and become possessed by the dark magic.

Does possession just make them evil(er), or does it make them do amusing things like exploding?

Cythraul aren't inherently evil, they just have a bit of an evil reputation because of the actions of those competing to find, and those who actually possess the Guidance Stone. When a Cythraul becomes possessed by their dark magic, they lose all inhibitions and intelligence. Anything and everything is a target. They will attack with full force anything they see, be it a living thing, a tree swaying in the breeze, or even a rock shifting. They use the full force of their power which slowly tears them apart from the inside out.

Does that have permanent repercussions, or do they just start out normal and sane in the next life / world after this inevitably leads to death?

Each time they die while possessed, they will spawn sane again. However, their magic will be stronger, but will corrupt them much faster. After dying while possessed often enough to be very susceptible to possession, if they die again while possessed, they will not respawn and are permanently dead.

Here's a few qestions:

What are Rictocs? What monsters and dangerous animals are there? How did the elves come to claim the guidance stone? What does the guidance stone know of their culture? Are there half-elves? If not, can we make some through some gruesome ritual or other?

What treasures does the stone know of? What other magical items or artifacts exist to be found? Are there any plants around particularly useful for alchemy or the like? Any notable magical animals? Sacred/magical areas to be seized or destroyed? Is there anything around we should fear?

There are no remarkable animals or monsters in this setting. Most wildlife is the same as on Earth (birds, mammals, fish), with a few non-magical creatures like slimes and gnomes. As far as plants go, consider this setting to have identical flora to Earth because I am neither an alchemist nor a botanist.

It just so happens that in the history of this dimension, the elves were the civilization that stumbled across the stone most recently, and passed it down between villages and generations until now. As the Guidance Stone, you know little of their culture, because they were very wary but reverant of you. They mostly kept you safely hidden in a shrine, both for safekeeping and protection. You do know that they are a very environmentally-minded people, resulting in small, simple villages rather than large, advanced cities.

Half-elves exist, but their only identifying property is their half-elf blood. They tend to take on the physical characteristics of either the human or the elf parent. The blood of each species in this world can be used for different rituals, although they are usually classified as element, humanoid, ethereal, or pure human blood rituals.

The stone knows of no remarkable treasure in the area, as the elves were content to keep to themselves and the trees, rather than seek out riches.

Species: Rictoc AveGaruda 2012/08/27(Mon)18:12 No. 59384 ID: af3431
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Lifespan: 300-400 years
Sexual Dimorphism: None
Culture: High intelligence, live in mountainous areas in small family clusters.

Rictocs are the original elemental sapient species. They emerged when a pocket of pure magic energy from the core of the planet embedded itself in a clay bed deep beneath a mountain. They are highly intelligent, communicating through telepathy, and possessing an enhanced ability to read the intentions of others. They have two large limbs on which they walk, with two smaller, clawed appendages hanging beneath them for finer manipulation. Extremely powerful and durable in combat, Rictocs make valuable allies, but often do not work with other families, severely reducing their numbers in organized forces.

Infodump 3/4 AveGaruda 2012/08/27(Mon)18:18 No. 59387 ID: af3431
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Magic corresponds to sapience in this setting, so there are no magical animals. However, the closest thing to a dangerous magical animal, also something to be avoided at all costs and feared with reckless abandon, is the Awyr Teyrn. Believed by most to be myth, the Awyr Teyrn were once a powerful, intelligent civilization. They strove to unlock the manipulation of pure magical energy, in essence to 'play god'. In a cataclysm that reset most life on the planet, the species was largely wiped out. What few individuals remain are far beyond coherent thought, and travel the skies cloaked in deadly storms, sweeping destruction in their path. There have been no reported sightings of Awyr Teyrn in hundreds of years, but that may simply be because no one has survived the encounter.

Giant Infodump 4/4: On the Premise of Magikks AveGaruda 2012/08/27(Mon)18:57 No. 59397 ID: af3431
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Here's a summary of how magic works in this setting.

All magic originates from the soul of the planet. The planet's soul is roughly similar to the core, in that it is a high pressure, high concentration sphere of pure magic energy in the center of the planet. It leaks out onto the surface in very faint amounts, although rarely, a large enough burst of pure energy is released. This energy then comes into contact with some species, being absorbed into the soul of the creature, granting sapience and access to a small reserve of magic. The type of magic that this soul becomes made of depends on the creature it enters. Elves have very faint life/nature type magic. Cythraul have dark magic. Humans have thought/fabrication magic. Rictocs have earth element magic. There are many variations of the magic that can make up a creature's soul. Most species, such as elves and humans, can not naturally manipulate this soul, and require intense training to form even basic spells. Other species, like Cythraul and Roctocs, are highly magic-centric and are able to instinctively control their souls for spells and other magic.

Magic is a purely living aspect, and as such can not be imbued into weapons, armor, or artifacts. There are no specific places where magic is likely to spring out of the earth, so magic sites/springs are more a matter of being in the right place at the right time than seeking out an area.

AveGaruda 2012/09/05(Wed)20:46 No. 60421 ID: af3431
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Humanoids are divided into various archetypes based on the type of magic that makes up their soul. There are elves (nature/life), true humans (thought/fabrication), Arua (water/ice), the pictured Awyr (air/sand), and the Ilosgi (fire/rebirth).

>>59397
maybe not imbued but a guy could light his sword on fire for as long as he is holding it.

Both The Murderous Testament of Ildmir Dolmeri II and An Ordinary Trip will be on hiatus for now, as I am a bit overwhelmed with school and other stuff.