You know, I've been in this castle for a while and haven't found any secret rooms or anything. It's got to have a couple, especially with the minders around. They seem like secret room types. I wander about and search for hidden passages, concealed doors, or other things of that nature.
[Clandestine Architecture: 4]
You've got to give one thing for exploring in the dark - you've got a very good reason to blunder around touching all the walls and tugging at every sconce in the hopes of finding some form of secret passage. Unfortunately, no sconces turn or flip or otherwise respond (although one does come loose from the wall - you hold on to it for now). Manhandling a conspicuously undisturbed tapestry, however, reveals a small panel of what you believe to be wood on the wall behind it, which seems a little odd. You run your hands over it and discover that it does appear to be some kind of hatch. Furthermore, pressing down on it reveals a section that is a bit more pliable than the rest, a flawlessly cut, well-oiled wooden button. It clicks down and the hatch opens.
Needless to say, the work looks very familiar to you. Opening the hatch up, you think what's on the opposite side is probably a small space. Possibly a crawlspace. Poking your head in, you still don't see anything, but you think it leads to a confined space behind the wall, a passage extending to the left and the right. You can't quite tell much about it yet, but one thing does occur to you - for what is likely a secret passage this does seem remarkably free of dust.
I have rolled naught but ones and sixes for this entire damn game.
Lay on the ground and reignite the moonstone with the SUN. Maybe that will give him his intelligence back.
You lay down to get some more space and see if you can get your old minion back.
SUN
[Word: 4]
The stone jerks to a stop above you, the word awakening a soft glow. It resists at first, trying to shake off the implication it seems to find profoundly disturbing, but its surface starts to grow brighter as light with no apparent source begins to reflect off its surface, making it look like it's emanating moonlight, banishing the deep shadows of the nearby area.
It hangs there above you, anticipating instruction. It is not quite the same as it was before. More subdued. Probably less dangerous as well, you think.
"Alrighty then. What's the worst that could happen, am I right?"
Go wandering around loudly asking where the majordomo is. Hope this gains me some results.
[Directionless Questioning: 5]
Majordomo, you shout! What, shouts somebody from a nearby crowd! Stepping closer, you ask, is this the majordomo? Yes, he asks back, what?
Excellent, you say as you step closer. A closer feel of things reveals the majordomo to likely be an elderly gentleman wearing rather unusual-feeling garments. He seems a bit wrinkly, and is keen to protest being handled in such a way right up until you tighten your grip a little more, at which point he shuts up immediately.
"Vodkafruits better be tastier now."
Take a bite (or two. Three? Sure, why not.), and return to dissapointing reality while keeping pleasant state of imaginary drunkenness. Then... wander around aimlessly. Maybe I walk into something interesting.
[Drunkenness Is A State Of Mind: 4]
You enjoy a fine buzz as you focus your vodkafruit into more intoxicating shapes, textures and smells, finding they work a lot like a more potent, manlier version of a fruity drink. Your head and heart thus lightened, you return to your regularly scheduled faff.
[Drunken Wanderings: 4]
Climbing out of the well in what is now a well-established routine, your ear is first attracted to what you believe to be a crowd singing and praying in front of the deconstructed chapel. Seems like a pretty happening place to be despite the chapel not being on fire or anything, but you guess the eternal darkness is still young, is it not?
((Derm is using the Xantalos Die.))
Thomas sighed. While he appreciated being viewed as the standard for sanity around here, this was rather more than he cared to decide.
"Well, Miss Queen, there does seem to be much value in ceremony around here. As you are in charge around here, any ceremony you attend will be lent special significance. As to if you should... well, I sense no ill intent from her. I'm not sure what you mean by doomwraith; she's not said anything about doom to me. She did say that it would help solve the problem of darkness. I can't vouch for how well that will work, but that other guy did have a light show at his demonstration, so I guess they'll cut the lights back on for that? It'd be an impressive time to do it, certainly." He took a deep breath. "That said, I can appreciate the urge to sleep the problems away, but I've never solved any problems while in bed."
Any innuendo was lost on him.
Weigh options. Follow along if queen goes, depart if not.
[World-Saving Enthusiasm: 1]
Light shows and ceremonies. She sighs. Should probably get around to looking at all that at some point. Definitely not right now, however. She'd have to get out of bed, get dressed, go outside, hope no stray shots from the sieging forces hit her, rally the guards... really, all of it is stuff she'd rather do when she's well-rested. And not, say, resting after a failed assassination attempt. Something to be said about putting up a brave face before danger, but she's pretty sure it's supposed to be nighttime right now anyway, and so if there really is anything to this darkness business, no doubt a better time to do something about it would be when the sun's out.
With that in mind, she'd really like to catch up on her sleep now. The guards both nod and head out with you in tow. The red-haired one relieves the shift of the one going on about doomwraiths. The queen instructs the two remaining royal guards to redirect any disturbances to the Minister of Moronic Affairs. Or the majordomo. Or the castle physician. Or a servant girl, perhaps. Anybody who isn't her, really.
Eric Codeburn, COMPUTISTICS SPECIALIST
- Wounds: 3
- Body Count: 62
- Floral Nightgown (worn, burnt, wet)
- A Word: SUN
- A Word: MOON
- Anglefork Castle: Minister of Moronic Affairs
- Sweet Escape: the Correct Side At Last
- The Impromptu Prophecy: Child of the Sun and Moon
- Adherents of the Great House: Enemy of Memory
- Well and Truly Narked Upon: 1
- Friends in Low Places: a Successful Transaction
- Army of the New State: 455 Stoatmen
- Army of the New State: To Shoot The Sun
- The Good Doctor: the Solitary Candidate
- The Birds: Feeding the Crows
- Subordinate Moonstone (3 tons, uncomfortably close)
Leif Erikson, Miner
- A Word: INEVITABLE
- Wounds: 1
- Reappropriated, Clean Skirt
- 1 gp
- Anglefork Castle: A Free Man
- The Box: ?
- Tower of the Mind: a Lack of Patience
- Imaginary Inebriation: Buzzed
- Induced Lucidity: the Burning Church
- The Prison Stone
- Elongated Affairs: A Noble Task
- Elongated Affairs: The Numbers of the Stoat
- Compatibility: Minding
- Tricks of the Mind: Cormick's Condescending Riddle
- Tricks of the Mind: Perceptual Rebuke
- The Voracious Dark: Two Deals Made
- The Voracious Dark: The Promised Sixth
Eileen Minett, Vinyl Collector
- Wounds: 1
- A Word: HUNGER
- A Word: CHAOS
- A Weapon: Explosive Cysts
- Rat Pantheon: Disliked
- Traces of Mischief: Mouthful of Blackness
- Origins: Witness to Dissolution
- Tower of the Mind: There's Something To Remember
- The New Queen: And Something To Forget
- The Queen's Guard: Bringer of Doom
- Gross Incandescence: Crumbling Shell
- Touch of Flame: the Secrets of Flammability
- Inscribed Brick ('Water')
- The Voracious Dark: Two Connections Given
- Body Count: 1
- Never In: the Obvious Candidates
- Labyrinths of Anglefork: A Familiar Hatch
- The Impromptu Prophecy: the Sensible Solution
Jack Daniels, Karate Man
- Wounds: 1
- Voluntarily Naked
- Uncoupled: Strength
- Wooden Door (held)
- The Majordomo: Well In Hand
- The Winding Path of Inspiration: the Sword of Destiny
- The Winding Path of Inspiration: Something Priceless?
- The Winding Path of Inspiration: Something Purple?
- The Winding Path of Inspiration: A Profane Megalith
- Tower of the Mind: Endless Well of Mystery
- Induced Lucidity: A Garden Well-Tended
- Doomstones: ?
- A Place In History: Emergent Abomination
- Anglefork Castle: the Great Serpent
- 2 rats, crushed
- 1 rat, strangled
- 1 rat, live
- Touch of Flame: the Second Degree
- Gross Incandescence: Unilluminated
- Travels In The Fourth Dimension: Sunday ± 2 Days
- The Impromptu Prophecy: ?
- The Voracious Dark: Two Connections Given
- Body Count: 2
Thomas Minstep, Insurance Agent
- Anglefork Castle: From Another Time, Another Land
- Traces of Mischief: Sandy Groin
- Gross Incandescence: Partly Illuminated
- Tight Leather Pants
- Travels In The Fourth Dimension: Friday, July 23rd, 409 S.D.
- The Majordomo: Happy to Redirect
- The Queen's Guard: Okayed by the Queen
- The New Queen: Within the Margin of Sanity
- Tower of the Mind: the Quest for Signage
- Body Count: 1