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Poll

Alan

It was inevitable
- 15 (42.9%)
Winners don't do drugs
- 6 (17.1%)
I'll be back
- 2 (5.7%)
Drink the Kool Aid
- 6 (17.1%)
Groovy
- 3 (8.6%)
Insane in the membrane
- 3 (8.6%)

Total Members Voted: 35


Pages: 1 ... 470 471 [472] 473 474 ... 521

Author Topic: Special People: Mechanical Syndrome  (Read 1141727 times)

Toaster

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7065 on: October 10, 2017, 12:30:21 pm »

John, clinging to the Maximus

Sigh.  Thanks, Zero.  <Any suggestions on what that corrective action would be?  Interference with my powers is new to me.  In fact, if at any point you see any helpful information, feel free to say it.  I'll let you judge helpful.>

"Okay team, I'm about to try to trick the turret doors into closing.  I could try to detonate it, but that strikes me as a bad idea."

Let's go with shutting the doors on the turret.  Even if I jam the turret shut without actually crushing it, that'll work.
Logged
HMR stands for Hazardous Materials Requisition, not Horrible Massive Ruination, though I can understand how one could get confused.
God help us if we have to agree on pizza toppings at some point. There will be no survivors.

Tiruin

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7066 on: October 10, 2017, 12:40:46 pm »

<Hey, sword three? How's River doing?>
Hey Irine! How're you feeling!

Theri busied herself by checking the surroundings for plants and other forage material she could use to help out Irine's campsite, and for her trip back with San and river. She kept San company with small talk and chat about his ideas and musings whenever he brought up a thought passing by or something related, and River with what she noticed was some kind of conciseness in his communication.

"San, did you recognize anyplace where we passed at length? I know you want to get back home, but I'm planning to bring you and River with me to fetch our companions, then we'll rendezvous with Irine later on.

"River, I also noticed you speak in very short words. Can you describe what happened to you since we- err, well, does 'Church' ring a bell? Use emotions to respond. Since we left and split ways for Dragon's something- I forgot the name. Then we met an ol' farmer's dog and-"


Theri also spoke at length in recalling what had occurred until the present, in between missing River, and finding several details about Irine's awesome good looks, and River's 'soulstone' or however it was called--Theri was forgetful, and still winded but regaining her stamina from healing and stabilizing the others.

Chat with bestbuddy Irine, and others!
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Xantalos

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7067 on: October 10, 2017, 03:22:59 pm »

Alan, Heavily Delayed Poster

When an opportunity for bluffing pops up, Alan never turns it down! He draws upon the accumulated experience of ten thousand milliseconds as an employed individual, and puts on an Official Face.

Summon some pizza and pretend to be a pizza delivery guy, talking my way past the guard with sheer bluster.
Logged
Sig! Onol
Quote from: BFEL
XANTALOS, THE KARATEBOMINATION
Quote from: Toaster
((The Xantalos Die: [1, 1, 1, 6, 6, 6]))

DreamerGhost

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7068 on: October 11, 2017, 06:18:52 am »

<Svajoklis|Hull of Maximus>

Go to the turret, not much else to do here.
Logged
The point of keeping the golems on fire isn't for the value of fire as a weapon. It's more to keep the golems functioning at a reasonable speed.
It was never a promise. It was a dirty lie, and you all knew that. You should all know by now that you can't trust a word I say.

NAV

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7069 on: October 12, 2017, 12:39:31 pm »

((I have incrementally edited my action for this turn. I know I've been greedy asking for things and don't expect to get everything I asked for. Just letting you know in case you missed edits.))
Logged
Highmax…dead, flesh torn from him, though his skill with the sword was unmatched…military…Nearly destroyed .. Rhunorah... dead... Mastahcheese returns...dead. Gaul...alive, still locked in combat. NAV...Alive, drinking booze....
The face on the toaster does not look like one of mercy.

Hawk132

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7070 on: October 12, 2017, 12:41:10 pm »

Walking Tank, Spess Mission

Shielding? Shielding.
Logged
Perplexicon: A New Arena - Abandoned, but feel free to give it a read.

Parisbre56

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7071 on: October 19, 2017, 04:59:40 pm »

You start climbing the stairs, but when you reach the top you notice that some of the lamps further from the stairs have been extinguished, making the corridor quite dark. You're about to get some of your dolls to bring you some candles from downstairs when you hear something moving about 10 meters in front of you, like stone being dragged on glass. You think you hear someone crying, sometimes whimpering something you can't make out.

"Heh, making scary noises is a very smart way to demoralize your foes. If I survive this, I'll be sure to make use of that." Napoleon muttered softly to himself as he got down on his hands and knees and quietly crawl backwards down the stairs until only his head peeked over the landing. "Of course, it also gives away your position, something that a marvelous tactician like yours truly can exploit."

Shaking visibly, Napoleon struggled to still his fluttering heart as he crawled backward to the middle of the stairs. Summoning three 1 foot dolls, he directed one to go get a candle and the other two to modify their arms into curved blades. As he controlled the first doll, Napoleon composed himself as the strange noises continued from upstairs.

"Okay Napoleon Lambeau," he cajoled himself with a fearful falsetto, which he quickly squashed. "This isn't the worst thing you'd experienced. Sure none of that compared to this debacle but you've lived for at least two centuries without biting the dust. That's because you're the Doll Prince, a man blessed with a veritable army of dolls and the will and the capability to mold and control them much like a normal human flexing his fingers independently. Such a simpleminded creature as whoever making that noise cannot hope to understand the hive mind that I wield, neither can they hope to survive my superior tactics. Now, let's show them how I play with dolls!"

After getting a candle, Napoleon will send the trio of dolls upstairs to see what's making that scraping noise. He will look through the dolls' eyes to see the person... or thing for himself. If the entity in question becomes a clear and present threat, Napoleon will have the dolls hold it off while he runs off to find a good place to hide.
You cower assume a more tactically sound position near the top of the stairs while you get one of your dolls to get you a candle from downstairs. However, the short doll is quite clumsy and takes a while to climb the stairs and reach you. At least the floor is made of stone so there's little danger it will set the entire place on fire if it trips. Worst it can do is maybe light a curtain or a carpet on fire.

By the time the doll gets back to you it's a bit too late for it to be useful. You can already see the source of the noise (though it appears he can't see you): It's the same old man from before. He is shuffling forward like a zombie, slowly dragging his feet against the stone floor with a faint sound of glass being dragged against stone. He keeps walking forward, despite the bloody pieces of glass sticking out of the bottom of his boots. Looks like he will pass by the stairs and keep going through the hallway. His hands are covering his face. Small rivulets of blood escape from beneath his hands, the red drops occasionally dripping to the floor, creating a trail behind him. He is crying and you can occasionally hear him whimpering "gone, gone..." between sobs.


You go to the intercom, push the button with your body and speak into the microphone. There's no reply. You try looking through the one-way mirror but you can't make out anything in the other room, you can't know whether or not there's anyone in there.

You're about to try repeating your message when you hear something on the other side of the door, like something is being dragged against it. A few seconds later the electronic device next to the door beeps and blinks green. You see the door handle being twisted experimentally, someone testing if the door has unlocked.

Quickly position myself beside the door hinges so that when the door is opens toward me, I won't be seen until the person enters the room. Once the person enters the room, rush the person and put them into a stranglehold. Demand that the person identify who they are and tell me everything they know about where I am and why I am here.
((Nice use of a previously provided detail to your advantage. I approve.))

You move behind the door before it opens. It swings inwardly, hiding you. Everything's quiet for a second or two.
"Hey! Are you sure he's in here?" you hear him say.
: Yes, that's what the records say. : a female voice on a radio responds.
"Well, I'm looking at the interrogation room right now and I'm telling you he's not here."
: Well, ummm... :
"Hold on a sec, let me check something." he says as he picks up the chair and uses it to keep the door from closing.
: OK :

You hear him take a few careful steps forward. You charge at him with a cry and shove the man forward, surprising him and causing him to fall on the metal table, hitting his head on it. This stuns him long enough for you to put your knee on his neck and start strangling him.
"Who are you? Who sent you?" you scream into his face.
He tries to push your leg off him but he isn't strong enough.
"What is this place? Why am I here?"
"Grh- glargh!" the man responds as he flails his arms around ineffectually.
You think you discovered a small issue with your 'interrogate while strangling him' plan.


Introduction, Tess

Tess, taking a second to think, nods at the suggestion of the weird person.
"Good. Then here we go."

He grabs you, flaps his wings and lifts you up in the sky, quickly rising far above the clouds. You're starting to feel like the air is too thin, like you can't breathe. You pass out before you can do anything.

When you wake up next, you're standing on the clouds. There's a boy looking at you with a huge smile.
"Hi!" he says, full of enthusiasm.
The boy looks quite younger than the man that took you, but you can tell it's the same person, just younger.
"Welcome to the Games!"

((I think that's good enough for the intro, unless you want RP some more.))


Spacey Mission, Tess

Not that much I can do here. Just wait around for someone else to do the thing for me.
You stand around asking "Are we there yet?" all the time.

<Svajoklis|Hull of Maximus>

Go to the turret, not much else to do here.

You move as fast as you can towards the rest of the team. Let's say you'll be there next turn. For now, you're just walking towards them. While you do so, you watch the pretty lights in the distance and hear your teammates' radio chatter.

Brian Hoss, The Maximus's hull

: I found a sensor cluster, and I'm about to try something to disrupt it. :

Move and enlarge my eye to cover as much of the cluster as I can.
You try to enlarge your vortex and put it on top of one of the two sensor clusters. You feel there's something resisting against the widening of your 'eye', as if the pressure of all this liquid is pushing against it, trying to keep it from growing. And yet somehow this feels like it's actually making your eye more stable. You also feel the sensor cluster itself pushing against you, trying to repel your eye, but the effect is much weaker than the one you encountered at the Phoenix. By focusing on your ability, you are able to overcome the effect and keep your now-enlarged vortex on the cluster as it moves around.

It seems to be enough to provoke a response from the turret. It pauses its movement for a second. There is a burst of electricity released from the cluster, but it has no effect on your 'eye'.  Then it fires a lance of white-hot energy towards it but it also has no effect. After a few seconds it seems to decide there's nothing it can do about it and continues trying to track the Phoenix with its one unblocked sensor cluster, but its movements appear more uncertain, pausing and then changing direction as if it's not sure where exactly it is.

John, clinging to the Maximus

Sigh.  Thanks, Zero.  <Any suggestions on what that corrective action would be?  Interference with my powers is new to me.  In fact, if at any point you see any helpful information, feel free to say it.  I'll let you judge helpful.>

"Okay team, I'm about to try to trick the turret doors into closing.  I could try to detonate it, but that strikes me as a bad idea."

Let's go with shutting the doors on the turret.  Even if I jam the turret shut without actually crushing it, that'll work.
: Analyzing. Please stand by... :

You try to use raw power to bypass the ship's shielding against supernatural influences and access the system that closes the doors. You feel... bits and pieces, you catch glimpses of motors, locks and rails but can't muster enough power to find a control system before you have to stop and take a break. You could try to use your limited telekinesis to unlock the systems keeping the doors locked in place, but you don't have the power necessary to move them. So it might be better to keep searching, unless you have a better idea.

: Please try entering an area shielded against outside supernatural influences. Did this help resolve the problem? :
The S0 unit in your Interface seems quite limited but fortunately it looks like it is trying to be helpful. Or at least more helpful than usual.

Walking Tank, Spess Mission

Shielding? Shielding.
You shield Toaster's and Zormod's characters. You're pretty sure there won't be much of you left if one of those torpedoes explode in your face and you don't know how good your shield will be against one of those energy lances, but you figure some shielding is definitely better than no shielding.

Kosak Durar:

"Blasted physics!"

Punch my way through the door! Well, try to open it first, but if it doesn't open, or opens slowly, punch it repeatedly.
The door has several railings around it, probably meant to serve as anchor points for some vehicle, so you try to grab on to them and pull the door open. In a fortuitous turn of events, the turret stops moving while you try to do so, giving you some time to try to grab and open the door without having to worry about sudden changes in acceleration.

You try to pull the door open and for a moment it feels like it's working, but there's something fighting you, the moment you stop putting your full strength behind it the few millimeters of the door you managed to open go back to zero. So instead you try punching the door. But even though the door looks less armored than the rest of the turret, it's still tough enough that you don't even make a dent in it. It wasn't a very strong attack, you didn't use your full strength, but even if it was you don't think it would had caused too much damage. You think you at least managed to scratch the door, only to realize a moment later that what you're seeing are chips of the material of your spacesuit stuck on the door. You wipe them away, leaving no trace that your attack ever happened.

If you're going to try something, you better do it quick, because you feel the turret start moving around again. This thing is going to get harder to hold on to than a mechanical bull...

WMD, Space Mission

"I reckon you forgot somethin'. No free rides."

Use my Willpower to mentally beat and batter the demon if I can, to try to take its power or at least force it to submit to using its powers for my benefit. If I can't do that, then just remain silent and down the trench in the direction I'm facing.
The demon is not the one that attacked you, so you can't follow him back through the attack. You can attack the tiny pieces he uses to transport his messages, but like a good parasite should, he doesn't leave you any trace for you to follow.
 
You can try to counterattack whatever tried to inside your mind. You don't have any sort of telepathy with which to try to sense them or attack directly, but you could try to pursue the attacker through the same "mental route".

Hell, with willpower like yours you could probably just focus on something real hard and it could have an effect.

I don't know if you want to do that or not, so let's leave that option open and have you explore. You start walking forward. You reach a point where the trench you are in branches in two. One leads to a narrow tunnel, filled with pipes. The other is a dead end, but it looks like the wall was very thin there. It has a large crack on it, revealing a small passage filled with dangling wires.

Parisbre56

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7072 on: October 19, 2017, 05:02:57 pm »

Campaign, Ike!

Metal is definitely what I meant, way to go, old man!

Artifacts-wise, I find myself in desperate need of something that could cause a large explosion. Flames are all fine and good, but sometimes you just need to get a wall out of the way. Preferably something non-volatile, a bit of magical C4 if you will. Healing potions as well, and some of those Mystifying Mirages sound pretty good to have around as well.

And maybe something to help communicate with him at a distance - I have an associate that'd doubtlessly be able to ask better questions than I could about the basic nature of these bondformer creatures, y'see.

Also a healer would be cool to have along, if anyone's willing to volunteer.


Spoiler: As for questions... (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Explosives (click to show/hide)

He only has two of those Malcador's Mesmerizing Mirages just lying around, he'd need time to make more. One's been been given to Nikolai. You get the second one.

He says he'll give you and your group a good number of general purpose healing potions that will slow/stop bleeding, accelerate healing and combat some poisons or other harmful substances and effects. He also gives you a couple of more potent regrowth potions that can regrow limbs if applied quick enough and a couple of powerful cleansing potions that should work against most non-magical and many magical poisons or other magical influences.

He says he will give the Water Mages he'll send with you a Water artifact that allows for long range voice communication. (Like a magical telephone?) It can also send shapes that are recreated on the other side, although that requires more power and may wear out the Mage conducting the ritual. (So more like a video call then.) He says its reception depends on the existence of nearby Flows of Water Magic and both parties need to be conducting the communication ritual at the same time in order for a line of communication to be established. (So, maybe more like an IM call after all.) To that end, he will set a time in the morning, midday, evening, early in the night and late in the night when one of his mages will be ready to receive their messages. He probably won't be the one answering you, he has other things to do, especially now that he'll have to organize the Temple into an organization that can actually get shit done instead of just a bunch of people dicking around and meditating all day (that's basically what he said, but using fancier words). But if you really need to speak with him, then he's sure the mage manning the Water phone can contact him.

He says he'll have no trouble getting a healer with you. Most Water Mages can conduct some basic healing rituals. And right now there are a lot of people volunteering in response to the Headwater's call for adventure action, even a few Masters have asked to be allowed to be part of it. So he's certain whoever he sends with you will have some experience. Still, there are many that are not entirely comfortable with you and your group of merry adventures from another universe, so he wants to try to make sure he sends people who won't panic and/or stab you in the back.

1. Let's say he gives you an old archeological account about the area that contains some information and some rough sketches of the insides of the fortresses. It's the sort of thing where you ask for info and I give it to you or it is revealed when it's appropriate. Mostly because I can't write several pages worth of maps and/or accounts of exploration and/or gruesome death in a single post.

Spoiler: 2. Sovereignty weapons (click to show/hide)

3. Blood Vultures are creatures closely related to Death magic and Chaos magic to a lesser extent. They are most frequently seen flying around battlefields, arenas, slaughterhouses and other places where they can find easy access to the dead and their meat. Some mages try to get Blood Vultures as pets with varying degrees of success. While very intelligent for an animal (especially when it comes to food and defending their nest) and capable of cooperating with each other, it all depends on the temperament, the personality of the bird, some being much more cooperative than others. Trying to keep them captive almost never works, they somehow always manage to escape. That might be why you might see crude drawings of them in prison cells, a message from one prisoner to the next that this cell can't hold them forever. Others say that the drawing is actually a sign of the Thieves Guild who frequently use the birds as messengers due to their ability to get anywhere, though the Headwater himself doesn't believe the Thieves Guild actually exists anywhere except in stories. While many may be tempted to kill them in order to get rid of their annoyance, they are vengeful birds and quick to spread rumors. One who acts against one bird may soon find himself the target of an entire flock. The best thing to do if you're plagued by Blood Vultures is to turn to an Order priest and have him Ward your house or turn to a hunter or mercenary and have him hunt them all down. They are especially protective of their mates and nests, which makes sense since once they choose a mate they are bound for life.

4. A long time ago the First King led a group of adventurers and freedom fighters against the tyranny of the Necromancer-Emperor, defeated him and established the Kingdom in its place with him as its First King. The First King was a brave, charismatic young man and a wise and powerful mage, a master tactician and great philanthropist. He was the hero of the people, freeing them from slavery and defending them from the evil minions of the Necromancer-Emperor. Or so the stories say. After all, winners write the history books. Who's to say that in a few hundred years there won't be a book stating how you bravely arrested the vile Griman and forced him to confess his crimes, his shame being so great that he took his own life? He says Irine's sword likely knows more about him than all the books in their library combined, seeing as it accompanied him in most of his journey. Strangely, there's little mention about how the Sword actually came to be in his possession, most merely stating that it was granted to him by the Gods to mark him as their chosen to liberate their people.

5. Well, he doesn't have an instruction manual for the Armour or anything like that, but he knows that it is actually forged from a rare material called Adamantine. It is found in very small quantities and only deep beneath the mountains or in some cases in meteor craters. It is very resistant to all sorts of influences, making turning it into something actually useful extremely difficult. That is why most of the time it treads that thin line between 'extremely valuable' and 'utterly worthless' as few beyond Kings and Grandmaster Mages (and sometimes not even those) have the time and resources necessary to acquire a sizable chunk of Adamantine and turn it into something useful. Furthermore, even if you do manage to turn it into a useful shape, it's actually completely useless for enchanting due to its resistance to magic. That means that while it is perfectly capable of guarding someone from most physical and magical attacks, it needs extra attachments or hidden compartments in order to support wards against other kinds of attack. And since Adamantine is actually quite elastic, a powerful strike might be able to break those enchantments. The First King's armour on the other hand has its enchantments weaved directly into it through an unknown process (some say the gods did it), making it 'super OP, plz nerf' as D would say. Other than that, he only knows stories. It is said that it can protect the wearer from almost all harm, its enchantments protecting the places its metal does not. It is said it can stop all poisons, making every breath you take as clean as mountain air. It is said it can be used to fly as free as a bird. It is said it can project shields that can defend entire armies and blades that can cut through anything short of Adamantine itself. It is said that it can make the wearer invisible or have him change appearance. It is said that it can be used to move from one spot to another before a man can blink. It is even said that the First King once used it to stay underwater for hours, waiting to ambush on of the Necromancer-Emperor's generals. But he doesn't know how much of this is true, how much of this is exaggeration and how much of this is people conflating the power of the Armour with the power of the Sword. And as good as it is, it is not impervious to damage. As mentioned previously, it is quite susceptible to powerful blunt strikes and a particularly quick or powerful attack might also be capable of bypassing or overwhelming the enchantments guarding its weakpoints. And, of course, no matter how strong it is, it probably can't protect you from having a tunnel collapse on you or jumping into the liquid fire of Stodir, at least not for a large length of time.

The Sword is supposed to be all-powerful in its domains, capable of using all sorts of Order, Fire and Light magics, its only limit being the power and skill of its wielder. Beyond that, it is also said to be indestructible and capable of cutting through anything. Not that anyone has actually tried to destroy it, as far as he knows.

6. According to the Headwater, Void magic is the embodiment of destruction, of nothingness, of taking and leaving nothing behind. In a way it's like anti-magic, a magic that exists only to destroy other magic. Much like anti-matter in that way, you'd say. However, unlike anti-matter, it doesn't just vanish in a giant explosion the moment it comes into contact with magic. Rather, the destruction can create feedback that can sustain the Void, making it have similar destructive capabilities but spread over time. Void magic is closely related to Dark magic. One can emerge from the other and the two can merge to create (usually short-lived) magical constructs. Ultimately those tend to dissolve into corruptive energies that twist anything they touch, the effects sometimes lasting for years. Mages that use their abilities incorrectly may accidentally call upon Dark magic and summon Void energies, among the various other bad things that can happen to them.

7. They know about bond-formers, though nothing about what you described. You guess it makes sense, if the traitor wanted to hide it wouldn't go around showing off to everyone, though that would make your job significantly easier. As for bond-formers in general, he says those rare and mysterious creatures usually appear in times of great change, accompanying great heroes or infamous villains and aiding them with their awesome powers. He doesn't know of any actually being active at the time. That is, he doesn't know of any beyond the ones you told him about. He says it makes sense for bond-formers to appear at this time when great changes are happening once more. He only hopes that the one accompanying you will be known by future generations as a hero, rather than a villain.

8. Beastmen have existed as long as man can remember. And as long as man can remember, beastmen have been his enemy. Though peaceful relations or cooperation between the two is not unheard of (beastmen are frequently employed by pirates or mercenaries and sometimes become leaders of pirates and mercenaries themselves, after all), it seems that throughout history the two races are doomed to conflict. Perhaps it is the fact that their way of thinking is too different that's preventing them from integrating into human society, perhaps it is only a cultural thing or mistrust borne out of their bloddy history, perhaps it is a matter of magic or the gods. He doesn't know, nor does he have any strong opinion on the matter. He has heard rumors that the Fire Tower was conducting experiments with beastmen prisoners but he doesn't know if they had any sort of significant revelation on the matter. Chizra is supposed to be neutral on the matter, so if a beastman ever approached the gates and asked for sanctuary, he would be happy to accept them. Unfortunately, none have come, at least none that he knows of. From what he knows, even beastmen themselves don't get along well with each other, constantly warring between different clans and subspecies and only uniting when one of the other races becomes a threat.

The Elves have always been a secretive bunch, so he doesn't know too much about the details, but he knows that about a hundred years ago there was some sort of religious civil war between two factions of Elves. Perhaps if the Kingdom had truly known what the war was about, it would had helped (though most likely not). Instead, the Kingdom chose to bide its time in order to attack whichever faction emerged victorious, a terrible mistake in hindsight. It turns out the Elves that won the war was a sect promoting a very Dark and corrupted interpretation of the Elves' worship of Life magic. When they had gathered what they needed, the victorious Elves conducted a ritual that transformed the majority of their kind into something else. They call themselves the Immortal Elves, but those Elves that remain Elves call them the Dark Elves instead. The surviving True Elves fled to the Kingdom and the Smothered Coast, where a slightly less cruel fate was expecting them: in order to survive, they would become slaves. Though the Kingdom supposedly forbids the existence of slaves, in truth there are special provisions in place that make Elves slaves in anything but name. While 'free', they are unable to own land or businesses, hold any position of authority and so on. The most valuable were claimed by the King and the Tower as prisoners for experimentation and interrogation, most of them ended up as cheap laborers and servants, while the most unfortunate ended up in the lowest places of society. As the two races intermingled, the once rare sight of half-elves became more common (a sight that your ears and 'uncommon' appearance make you closely resemble). With their parents unwilling to recognize their bastard sons and daughters, those half-elves usually ended up accompanying their elven parents in the same social class. Most Elves try to retain their cultural identity, trying to maintain their traditions and laws, their worship of nature and forest spirits, though a few half-elves have started slowly being integrated into the Kingdom's society. He believes that in a few more years they will be living amongst them without discrimination or prejudice. (You decide not to burst his bubble by speaking about how these sorts of situations progressed on Earth.) Even before the Dark Elves emerged, relationships between the two nations were not very good, mostly due to the Elves' nature worship conflicting with the Kingdom's expansionist tendencies and their desires for more raw materials. With the emergence of the Dark Elves, these problems have multiplied a hundredfold. Not only did the Kingdom's attack fail horribly, the Dark Elves' coutnerattack claimed a significant chunk of the western part of the Kingdom. To this day the Dark Elves continue trying to expand their influence, constantly attacking their neighbours with no attempts at diplomacy, taking away civilians to consume them as part of their Dark rituals. He is thankful for the fact that the Dark Elves have yet to try to take advantage of the fall of Ineth and the Tower and attack, though he is unsure about why they have done so. Instead, the Dark Elves remain behind their magical walls, hidden in their corrupted forest.

9. Ask away. Though actually getting all this info is not instantaneous, since I'm assuming you're getting more info and asking more questions than I can comfortably write here. You know, mundane stuff like 'you know the name and a thing or two about place X'. So right now the sun has set and it is maybe a couple of hours before to midnight.

Some equipment for our ragtag militia would be good. Spears and shields would probably be ideal because of how effective they are with little training. Or just whatever rusty farm tools they can spare.

We should also ask for some armour for Alan and Zech (might be difficult to find due to Alan's girth and Zech's wings).

Nikolai personally would really like a ranged weapon better than a sling, the more magical or powerful the better. Something point and shoot that works well with tsaring, not something that requires fancy waving movements or anything like that. He would be happy with a mundane crossbow.

Nikolai would also like some bottles of high proof alcohol or other flammables if they have any. Mostly because tsar molotovs combo incredibly well with a certain pyromaniac fox.

We should ask for several large barrels of water, because we're going through a desert and the water mages need it and tsar water enchanted equipment really needs it.


Spoiler: Artifacts (click to show/hide)
Ask if they're willing to give a few more of these minor artifacts.
Priority:
-Water armour. Tankity tank, layers with other armour.
-Flaregun wand. Combos well with Irene and probably makes a good bazooka when tsared.
-Ice sword. Join the magic sword club.
-I'm pretty sure we're already being offered healing potions.

Lastly, an empty book and some writing supplies. So I can draw and write about machines and technology in the hopes that someone who cares about it finds it one day and advances this world from medieval fantasy to steampunk magitech. If anyone wants to travel with us to learn about technology they are welcome.

Oh yeah, and anything that can track, disable, or protect against void magic could help our quest.

I have no problem with giving Headwater the pendant and scroll, especially if he gives us more artifacts and supplies.

Well, there is a weapon merchant that's been pestering the Headwater for quite some time now, looking to trade his weapons, the same guy Ike met in the tavern. The Headwater says he could contact him and get him to sell quite cheaply. He'd need to keep a number of weapons to bolster the Temple Guard but all the rest could be given to your militia.

Sure, they can get armour. Light armour would probably be best if Zechariah wants to maintain his ability to glide and Alan his ability to move (since with his STR he'd probably end up unable to move quickly/dodge while wearing anything heavier).

How about a crossbow and some alchemically enhanced bolts? What sort of effect would you prefer? Merely explosive or something less boring?

You get some barrels of booze and water, pending transportation to your carts, there's no shortage of either.

Sure, one water armour for you. And 2 Signallers, 2 full-power uses each along with instructions on how to use them. And a nice ice sword for #MagicSword.

He has an idea about someone who might be interested in this sort of knowledge-gathering thing...

There is an artifact in the Temple that can offer some protection against void magic, but he can't give that to you, no matter how helpful you have been. He could use Dark alchemy to prepare a sort-of Void repellent you could drink, but it wouldn't offer real immunity. Your best bet is using Irine's sword or finding a Light mage who knows some protection spells. That or praying to the gods, if you're a religious man.

You hand over the stuff you looted from the assistant. The Headwater is grateful.

Parisbre56

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7073 on: October 19, 2017, 05:06:14 pm »

Alan, Heavily Delayed Poster

When an opportunity for bluffing pops up, Alan never turns it down! He draws upon the accumulated experience of ten thousand milliseconds as an employed individual, and puts on an Official Face.

Summon some pizza and pretend to be a pizza delivery guy, talking my way past the guard with sheer bluster.
You approach the front door, your and Brad's face hidden behind the giant stack of pizza each of you is carrying. You barely manage to get up the stairs with that weight on you.
"Uhh... Wait, where are you going with all those... things?" the guard asks as he sees you approach.
"Pizza delivery from Luigi's. Weren't you notified? Come on pal, I'm in a hurry."
"Erm... Pizza?"
"Yes! Pizza! It is food! The Head Waiter told us to bring you all our pizzas so he could serve them at the great party."
”He means the Headwater." Brad interjects but immediately receives a kick from you for his insolence.
"I'm the head delivery boy! Only I explain what's going on!"
"Ow. Okay, okay."
"Anyway, we need to bring these things to the party."
The guard opens one of the boxes experimentally. You can feel his mouth watering as he speaks.
"He told you to-"
"Yes, he called in person. Don't tell me this is some kind of prank. I expect to get payed you know."
"Well, I-"
"Maybe they just didn't let you know? Where is your supervisor? I bet he would be able to verify this and save us from this pointless delay. These pizzas aren't getting any warmer you know and I bet your boss wouldn't like cold pizza for dinner. Everyone knows cold pizza is strictly for breakfast."
"He isn't here, he went to some secret- secret... meeting... Oh. Ooohhh."  he says, as if slowly realizing something.
"W-why wasn't I informed of all this?" he says absent-mindedly.
"Oh, poor guy. They didn't invite you to the super cool party? Too bad, too bad. Well, don't you worry. You can take a pizza from me, free of charge."
"Oh, wow, really? Thanks man, you're the best. Are you sure there won't be any problems?"
"Nah, I'm sure they won't miss one pizza. It's the least you deserve."
"Thanks a bunch. You don't know what it's like always being ignored, always-"
"I'm sorry, I'd love to stay and chat but I'm in a hurry. Raincheck?"
"Oh. Okay. You need any help with those?"
"No, I'm sorry. Only official delivery boys may handle pizzas until they are handed over to the customer, I'm afraid."
"Oh, well. If those are the rules..."
"Have a great night! Enjoy your pizza!"
"I will! Thanks again!"
You leave the guard to enjoy his pizza, find a closet to dump the rest and start making your way to the top of the temple.

Actually moving through the temple is quite easy. There are not a lot of people up and about at this time and the few monks and guards that are awake either pay no attention to you (most of them are lost in deep mediation) or glance at you curiously before resuming what they were doing.

You make your way to a stairwell and start climbing up. Brad takes a torch with him to light the way. The thing goes up for quite some time, turning from a grand smooth staircase into a narrow, rough, uneven thing carved out of the rock. You don't encounter anyone else on it.

You're starting to get bored when you finally come upon a landing. The air is quite humid and the rock floor is slightly wet and slippery. The wide open area is decorated with wavy concentric circles, centered around an empty pedestal at the centre of the room. There's a window through which you can see the waterfall. It looks like you're right under it, the flow being almost completely solid.

There's a rock door on one side of the room that looks like it can slide out of the way. It has a circular hole in it, like the end of a pipe. The door is decorated with a few simple drawings surrounded by sentences in a language you don't understand.
"Ooohhh, a great mysterious door, no doubt hiding treasures behind it, no doubt activated by some nonsensical ritual. Gotta love the classics!"

He approaches the door and looks at the drawings. One depicts a figure on an altar and a much larger figure is doing something on it with an object with wavy blue lines. The other depicts two eyes looking at each other through a blue line, maybe a mirror?

"Hmm... The old tongue. Something something sacrifice something water of life, something the eyes to something the door, etcetera etcetera. Let's leave that for later. We need a quicker way to get up there... Oh, I know!"

He bends down, presses his ear against the stone and starts tapping the door and the stone around it, occasionally readjusting his position.

"The thing about these complicated magical doors is that oftentimes you need a quick way to open them from the other side. Like, say, if there's a fire or something and you want to run away. New ones have things like this all the time, you just need to figure out how to trigger them from the other side and all the fancy security is worthless. Now, where is it..."

<Hey, sword three? How's River doing?>
<He is... surprisingly resilient. He is trying to block most of our senses now, but from what we saw before he started doing that, we found it hard to believe he could stay alive, let alone heal at this rate. We do not know how much of his former self is left, but whoever he is now we believe whatever's left of his mind, body and soul will regain their full combat capabilities soon, even if there are pieces of them missing.>

<We have seen no signs of ill intent towards you or the rest of your group. While we do not like working with people of the Dark element, it's not unheard of for Dark people to aid a Good cause if it aligns with their interests. For example, even though he acted out of his own selfish desires, the Lonely Khan was of great assistance to the First King and his group. So as long as you trust him and you are willing to work with him, then we will try to do so as well. Though we will keep an eye on him.>


Despite what the sword is saying, River doesn't look so well right now. Looks like what Theri told him really upset him.

<Hey, sword three? How's River doing?>
Hey Irine! How're you feeling!

Theri busied herself by checking the surroundings for plants and other forage material she could use to help out Irine's campsite, and for her trip back with San and river. She kept San company with small talk and chat about his ideas and musings whenever he brought up a thought passing by or something related, and River with what she noticed was some kind of conciseness in his communication.

"San, did you recognize anyplace where we passed at length? I know you want to get back home, but I'm planning to bring you and River with me to fetch our companions, then we'll rendezvous with Irine later on.

"River, I also noticed you speak in very short words. Can you describe what happened to you since we- err, well, does 'Church' ring a bell? Use emotions to respond. Since we left and split ways for Dragon's something- I forgot the name. Then we met an ol' farmer's dog and-"


Theri also spoke at length in recalling what had occurred until the present, in between missing River, and finding several details about Irine's awesome good looks, and River's 'soulstone' or however it was called--Theri was forgetful, and still winded but regaining her stamina from healing and stabilizing the others.

Chat with bestbuddy Irine, and others!
San says he has no problem following you, he prefers coming with you to having to wait here without you. He also says he knows this area only because he passed through it earlier, he doesn't have in depth knowledge of it.

River"s response to your question is fear or perhaps embarrassment, standing with his tail between his legs and trembling slightly. After a few he takes a careful step forward and touches his head to your leg.
<Sorry.> he says.
<Promise broken. Sorry. Sorry. Couldn't protect. Couldn't protect you. Couldn't protect him. Couldn't protect her. Couldn't protect my friend. Couldn't protect me. Was weak. Now friend is dead. I am dead. So sorry. So sorry.>
He takes a step away from you and remains there, looking down while keeping you in his field of vision.

River would very much appreciate your retelling of events once he is done with his breakdown.


OOC
This is one of those posts where you don't realize how much you've written until you try to post and get a character limit error. I can barely keep my eyes open, I hope I haven't made too many mistakes.

((I have incrementally edited my action for this turn. I know I've been greedy asking for things and don't expect to get everything I asked for. Just letting you know in case you missed edits.))
Eh, I don't mind. Just remember to do what you did and notify me when you make edits I'm likely to miss, since I copy posts on a text file on my phone so I can write turns when I have time, like when I'm on the bus.

FallacyofUrist

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7074 on: October 19, 2017, 05:44:56 pm »

Kosak Durar:

"Bah!"

Okay, get back, get back into the nook I was in before. That's not working.
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FoU has some twisted role ideas. Screw second-guessing this mechanical garbage spaghetti, I'm basing everything on reads and visible daytime behaviour.

Would you like to play a game of Mafia? The subforum is always open to new players.

NAV

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7075 on: October 19, 2017, 08:29:37 pm »

"Ike, you should ask for long range weapon so you can snipe."

Nikolai would like some standard stabby bolts and some explodey ones. Maybe even some blunt ones. But what fancy exotic alchemical bolts do they have?

Examine the crossbow. How accurate/powerful/quality does it seem? Does it reload through cranequin, windlass, goats foot lever?

Examine the Ice Blade. Note how big and slashy/stabby and cool looking it is.

Examine the MMM. I know what it does but have no idea what it is and how one uses it. Does it have a button?

Examine the water armour enchantment. Is it an enchantment placed on my current armour or is it something separate like an amulet? How does one activate the water armour?

Examine a signaller. Same dealio as the rest.
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Highmax…dead, flesh torn from him, though his skill with the sword was unmatched…military…Nearly destroyed .. Rhunorah... dead... Mastahcheese returns...dead. Gaul...alive, still locked in combat. NAV...Alive, drinking booze....
The face on the toaster does not look like one of mercy.

Toaster

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7076 on: October 19, 2017, 10:05:21 pm »

John, on the Maximus

Of course.  Thanks, Zero.

"Not having a lot of luck shutting this thing down.  I'm still looking for the controls!"

Maybe take ten steps to the left and try again?
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HMR stands for Hazardous Materials Requisition, not Horrible Massive Ruination, though I can understand how one could get confused.
God help us if we have to agree on pizza toppings at some point. There will be no survivors.

Sir Elventide

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7077 on: October 19, 2017, 10:10:44 pm »


You cower assume a more tactically sound position near the top of the stairs while you get one of your dolls to get you a candle from downstairs. However, the short doll is quite clumsy and takes a while to climb the stairs and reach you. At least the floor is made of stone so there's little danger it will set the entire place on fire if it trips. Worst it can do is maybe light a curtain or a carpet on fire.

By the time the doll gets back to you it's a bit too late for it to be useful. You can already see the source of the noise (though it appears he can't see you): It's the same old man from before. He is shuffling forward like a zombie, slowly dragging his feet against the stone floor with a faint sound of glass being dragged against stone. He keeps walking forward, despite the bloody pieces of glass sticking out of the bottom of his boots. Looks like he will pass by the stairs and keep going through the hallway. His hands are covering his face. Small rivulets of blood escape from beneath his hands, the red drops occasionally dripping to the floor, creating a trail behind him. He is crying and you can occasionally hear him whimpering "gone, gone..." between sobs.


A tinge of regret welled up inside of Napoleon as he deducted that the old man was referring to the sword he'd taken from the display case. Perhaps if he'd left it alone, the old man wouldn't be in such a state. Oh, the lengths people would go just to express their sorrow at failure...

At first, Napoleon considered giving the sword back and expressing his deepest regret at stealing it. However, something told him that he would regret it. After all, such a man didn't seem to be in the best state of mind and who's to say that he won't punish Napoleon by disemboweling him with the sword, a bitter irony that's characteristic of poetic justice. Besides, the sword was wasted at the side of a lifeless mannequin anyway.

Taking the candle from the clumsy doll, Napoleon unsummoned it as he continued to watch the old man trail blood along the hallway. With the other two dolls at his side, Napoleon decided to:

Wait until the old man disappear from sight before climbing down the stairs. Once at ground floor, Napoleon will then go to the dining room and walk down the stairs there.
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DarkArtemisFowl

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7078 on: October 20, 2017, 01:03:02 am »

((I've been busy the last couple of weeks and haven't had the time to respond, and now I missed something major... damn. I don't know where to go now... my character did have fairly big involvement in what would have happened.))
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Parisbre56

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Re: Special People: Welcome to the party, pal!
« Reply #7079 on: October 20, 2017, 01:13:22 am »

((If you don't know what to do, you could always go searching for Alan like Ike asked you.

Or just say you're with Ike in the meeting asking for magical blenders or whatever kind of rewards you want for aiding the Headwater and leading the militia. NAV asked for some light armour on your behalf.

Or just go around speaking to random people about what happened.))
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