Topic: Our Salvation: It Is Written (Read 258866 times)

AoshimaMichio · « **Reply #975 on:** April 17, 2016, 03:11:36 am »

"Grapefruit, what a wonderful gift of Ægir. Gotta praise the lad."
"Nice to meet you, name's Leif Erikson, nowhere as human as I look, apparently. Likewise, who are you?"

TopHat · « **Reply #976 on:** April 17, 2016, 06:07:30 am »

"Well, thanks for the help. Sorry to bother you."
Leave. Head towards that guard's office if the servant knows where it is.
"Sorry about that, it looks like there won't be an easy way out after all. Well, we might as well collect our reward for finding out where the minders are."

Harry Baldman · « **Reply #977 on:** April 17, 2016, 03:54:10 pm »

Quote from: Xantalos on April 16, 2016, 04:20:31 pm

"Sorry! Sorry about that, it slipped. I've got it under control now, I think. It's a unique power I've acquired in my time here, and it's a bit eager at times. It's all good now though. Did you want me to deliver the queen alive? Dead? Multiple pieces?"

Deliver the above fake-out and then murderize them again when/if they fall for it. Target the speaker primarily.

[100% Plausible Explanation: 4]

You don't think they believe you, necessarily. But they do allow you an incautious moment. You take them up on their generous opening.

[Reach For The Heart: 1 vs. 4]

You try to send your thought far out to the speaker, but by the time it reaches him it has lost almost all of its bite and vicious intent. It's so very hard to project plausible murder across these distances, you see. It is still, however, enough for a distinct impression of malign intent, at which point you assume the speaker gives up on the attempts at negotiation and commences a full retreat, instructing the stoats at the wall to do the same. They comply, but not before giving you another parting volley.

[Rain of Bolts: 4 vs. 2]

This time you are unfortunate enough to actually catch a bolt in the gullet, which you suppose is fair enough - gotta allow the peasants at least a 1% hit rate, right? Still fucking hurts, of course, but phrasing it as fair play is better for one's dignity.

Quote from: penguinofhonor on April 16, 2016, 05:36:24 pm

I step into the well's door. "I would like to make a deal, and I will offer a connection. My question: what is the nature of the sea of light beneath the tombs?"

Your straightforwardness is appreciated, the darkness shifting to accommodate you at the pace of your entry. Welcome. It has been some time.

Your answer: the sea of light is a byproduct of extensive work by the group of individuals designated as time-enders (see time-enders, exploration of principles, best disposal practices). It is not a natural feature of this world, and predated the founding of the kingdom designated as Benzerwald (see kingmakers, exploration of linearity, experimental history) by several millennia. It was the conclusion of a series of projects aimed primarily at the specific deconstruction of matter, with some unforeseen admixture of deconstruction of spacetime (see difficulty of purification, outside perspectives, large-scale experimentation). It is currently effectively covered up by the kingdom of Benzerwald and poses next to no immediate risk to surrounding areas. Secondary risks from exposure appear to include madness, uncoupling from physical laws, headaches, sudden unexplained death, deterioration of fate, loosening of the continuum of space and time, widening of probability, disruptions of celestial activity, personality changes, intestinal distress, depression, mania, mood swings, heightened exploitability of universal law by outside entities and several distinct rarer permutations and combinations of the preceding (see gulf of darkness, spacetime faults, long-term exposure to the unnatural). Its nature can be best described as artificial, managed, highly unsafe for mortals, somewhat important in the grand scheme of things.

State a desire. Or state another question. The choice is yours.

Quote from: Toaster on April 16, 2016, 09:52:59 pm

Ugh. Must be what I ate coming back to haunt me.

"I will remain, if you don't mind. She seems quite the knowledgeable person."

Wait inside if allowed. Wait outside if not.

Certainly, the queen says. It shouldn't terribly matter, she suspects, considering the minders do not actually speak. If what she has to say is not for your ears, she supposes you will not be permitted to hear it? Hard to say in advance. The leadership seems to have undergone a change if she reckons accurately.

Speaking of, there she comes - the head girl of the minders glides into the room about a second after the guard opens the door, eyes closed and her general bearing seeming almost overdignified to the point where the queen coughs and straightens out in her chair, adopting a stiffer posture as she places her hands in her lap. The girl opens her eyes slowly and adopts a gentle look, careful to betray as little of her surprise at your presence as possible. She looks at the queen, and the queen meaningfully looks back. They then begin to stare at each other, the queen going through several unique expressions along the way while the minder continues to appear as enigmatic as she can. It's a curiously uninformative scene to observe.

Quote from: AoshimaMichio on April 17, 2016, 03:11:36 am

"Grapefruit, what a wonderful gift of Ægir. Gotta praise the lad."
"Nice to meet you, name's Leif Erikson, nowhere as human as I look, apparently. Likewise, who are you?"

She is Lee. A victim of, she looks around as she considers the appropriate word, brigands. She shuffles to the right, then to the left, appraising you from several angles.

You are a minder, she says. Are you going to ask her a riddle?

Quote from: TopHat on April 17, 2016, 06:07:30 am

"Well, thanks for the help. Sorry to bother you."
Leave. Head towards that guard's office if the servant knows where it is.
"Sorry about that, it looks like there won't be an easy way out after all. Well, we might as well collect our reward for finding out where the minders are."

You exit the minder chambers, the girl leaving behind you and locking the door as she leaves. You turn to the servant, who seems to relax as the girl leaves, and deliver your insights on the matter. She frowns, but admits that it's probably a good idea to report to the captain for now, and soon enough you are at the door to a sizable corner building. Your companion seems to have a key to the outer door hanging around her neck, which she uses to open up the door - inside there's a small corridor, one end leading to a downward stairway into darkness, the other to a somewhat intimidating door. The servant girl knocks on the latter, and you hear the captain of the castle guard invite her in - she goes inside carefully, and you follow.

You find yourself in a dusty office, the captain sitting at a bare desk, fingers steepled and expression almost completely consumed by boredom, eyes wandering along what look like shelves laden with various junk - a jar filled with a yellow-brown semi-opaque liquid, an assortment of gray rat pelts organized by size and coloration, quite a few tools of unclear purpose and suspicious scent, a few wooden plates engraved with images of dissected animals. A barrel looking out of place near the desk. Finally, a bundle of dried human fingers hanging from a wall. The office feels terribly motionless as the servant draws closer. She and you, she says, have things of interest.

First of all, the minders - they are in the keep. She gives a report of the room they are in. The captain blinks and gives the barest inkling of a nod. Secondly, she has recovered a key ring from one of the royal guards - an important one, she believes. Most of the keys are on there. The captain nods a little more, then reaches into the barrel.

One rat for the location, he says, two more for the key ring. Adequate repayment for tasks expediently performed. He pulls out three skinned and smoked rats from the barrel and carefully separates them into two groups that he then plops onto the desk delicately. The girl grabs her share of two, nodding her head for you to take the one remaining one. Her face is one of undisguised joy, the captain merely looks at you blankly.

Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)

Xantalos · « **Reply #978 on:** April 17, 2016, 04:07:32 pm »

*glk*

"Should've given me a better offer, man! I'll be listening if you get one! Ah fuck that actually kinda hurts."

Right, that didn't accomplish much. Now what to do? Maybe I should go visit the queen, I could go ask for some armor.
...
Well, the blacksmith did give me the murder-thought, maybe I should ask him for protection-thoughts or whatever they use here.
...huh, I don't seem to be immediately dying from this bolt in my throat. Guess the well didn't give me completely shit advice after all.
Well, to the blacksmith I suppose. Maybe he's conscious.

Go head over to my mental blacksmith friend. He come around from his manic forge-induced coma yet?

Toaster · « **Reply #979 on:** April 17, 2016, 04:21:45 pm »

Well, it'd be rude to interrupt their staring contest.

Continue to wait and observe.

penguinofhonor · « **Reply #980 on:** April 17, 2016, 05:32:20 pm »

"My desire is the magical word SEA."

AoshimaMichio · « **Reply #981 on:** April 18, 2016, 01:48:49 am »

"Bruce Lee! Hahaha. No, sis, I'm a miner not a... wait a moment. I know few minder tricks, that does make me a minder, doesn't it? Wohoo, level up!
If it's a riddle you want then here's one: Where does the wind go?"

Answer: "Not a fricking clue, let's find out!"
Cut myself a piece of cheese, inform Lee that I'm about to leave this stoat siege camp and offer her free ride to freedom, get outside, check wind direction and INEVITABLY find ourselves to where winds go, or at least in a place without stoats nearby. Adventure awaits!

Harry Baldman · « **Reply #982 on:** April 18, 2016, 01:58:47 pm »

Quote from: Xantalos on April 17, 2016, 04:07:32 pm

*glk*

"Should've given me a better offer, man! I'll be listening if you get one! Ah fuck that actually kinda hurts."

Right, that didn't accomplish much. Now what to do? Maybe I should go visit the queen, I could go ask for some armor.
...
Well, the blacksmith did give me the murder-thought, maybe I should ask him for protection-thoughts or whatever they use here.
...huh, I don't seem to be immediately dying from this bolt in my throat. Guess the well didn't give me completely shit advice after all.
Well, to the blacksmith I suppose. Maybe he's conscious.

Go head over to my mental blacksmith friend. He come around from his manic forge-induced coma yet?

Eh, it's just your throat. It'll be fine.

And yes! The blacksmith does appear to be awake. And also quite naked, possibly in imitation of you. He is easy to spot, as he appears to have climbed atop his workshop and is currently in the process of pulling out some bolts lodged into his roof. You figure you could speak to him from atop the castle wall if you don't feel like descending a few flights of stairs.

Quote from: Toaster on April 17, 2016, 04:21:45 pm

Well, it'd be rude to interrupt their staring contest.

Continue to wait and observe.

The queen glances your way with a strange look on her face, then locks eyes with the minder girl again. The staring contest is soundly lost, you would think, especially given how the queen blinks all the time, but it goes on for a while yet, right up until the queen looks up at you again. The minder girl nods at her, then proceeds to glide on out of the room, the door opening on her and then shutting after she leaves with impeccable timing.

Well, the queen says. That was... strangely illuminating. She sips a little tea, then looks at you with slight discomfort. Er, feeling well, Mr. Minstep?

Quote from: penguinofhonor on April 17, 2016, 05:32:20 pm

"My desire is the magical word SEA."

Your fulfillment:

SEA

It rumbles through the normally silent void as it settles into your forehead, the warm tickle of a third unseen eye beneath the surface of your skull never letting you forget its presence. It tingles with half-forgotten memories, whispering of final inexorable annihilation, radiating thoughts of unspeakable danger. The sea is close here. You feel it through the word.

Your price: a connection now belongs to the well. Would you be interested in providing a source in the near future? A special deal may be made.

Quote from: AoshimaMichio on April 18, 2016, 01:48:49 am

"Bruce Lee! Hahaha. No, sis, I'm a miner not a... wait a moment. I know few minder tricks, that does make me a minder, doesn't it? Wohoo, level up!
If it's a riddle you want then here's one: Where does the wind go?"

Answer: "Not a fricking clue, let's find out!"
Cut myself a piece of cheese, inform Lee that I'm about to leave this stoat siege camp and offer her free ride to freedom, get outside, check wind direction and INEVITABLY find ourselves to where winds go, or at least in a place without stoats nearby. Adventure awaits!

She considers the riddle for a moment as you help yourself to the bounty, wincing a little as her dagger is used for something so pedestrian as cheese theft. Her answer, which she comes to after a moment's contemplation, is that the wind goes where it wishes to. To presume otherwise is to court disaster. You guess that's close enough! Her reward, you say, is to get to come along with you as you collectively blow this joint (heh heh). Intrigued, she resists only slightly. You run out of the tent. You see the stoatmen of the surrounding area looking preoccupied. The knight is coming back at a rapid pace. No time like the present for a daring escape!

[Which Way The Wind Is Blowing: 6]

As it happens, the wind is blowing right the hell out of here as well. So you figure it'll make for a decent ride. You look at Lee, then toward the horizon. You inhale the sweet country air. Adventure calls.

INEVITABLE

[Word: 3]

Well, truthfully, perhaps your escape isn't quite as inevitable as you first pretend. Especially given that you are absolutely drunk. But you can be said to have a decent guarantee of getting to the river from here at least, if only because it's a stone's throw away from the tent. It's also probably inevitable you'll wind up in the in the river by some means or another, so you go ahead and do that as well. And really, at this point it's just a matter of whether you can swim for your life or not.

[Unleash The Dolphin: 3]

It's a bit tough, admittedly. Lee's not the best swimmer, and you are, once again, really fucking drunk at the moment. It's not too hard to stay afloat though, you suppose. River's a bit too fast for your liking, but progress is definitely being made!

Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)

Xantalos · « **Reply #983 on:** April 18, 2016, 02:15:08 pm »

Nah, just go make my way over to him with my supernatural strength. Maybe jump from the wall over to his roof. Point is, get close enough to talk to him without it being necessary to yell.

"Hey blacksmith! Thanks again for the murder-thought, it's been real handy. Pun not intended. Question! Would you be able to make me armor of some sort? Not that I'm really all that vulnerable as it is, but I'd like for stabby things to not pierce my flesh quite so easily."

penguinofhonor · « **Reply #984 on:** April 18, 2016, 02:44:18 pm »

"I would be interested in that, but I don't know the process quite as well as I do with connections. If I knew a little more about what offering a source entails, I'm sure it would be a lot more feasible."

TopHat · « **Reply #985 on:** April 18, 2016, 02:47:42 pm »

"... Thank you. Is there anything else you need a hand with or should we be going?"
Take the rat and enquire aboutfang other errands.

Toaster · « **Reply #986 on:** April 18, 2016, 04:34:14 pm »

Thomas blinked a couple times. He felt he had missed some context from the contest.

"Um... yes, I am, thank you. Had some lunch from the kitchen, and it was... well, it was food. Was your... exchange enlightening? I feel there is something important she is not telling me."

Miss point

AoshimaMichio · « **Reply #987 on:** April 19, 2016, 12:37:29 am »

Laugh it off and keep floating down the river. Seems easier than actual swimming. Though keep eye on Bruce Lee and help her if it looks bad.

Harry Baldman · « **Reply #988 on:** April 19, 2016, 02:51:54 pm »

Quote from: Xantalos on April 18, 2016, 02:15:08 pm

Nah, just go make my way over to him with my supernatural strength. Maybe jump from the wall over to his roof. Point is, get close enough to talk to him without it being necessary to yell.

"Hey blacksmith! Thanks again for the murder-thought, it's been real handy. Pun not intended. Question! Would you be able to make me armor of some sort? Not that I'm really all that vulnerable as it is, but I'd like for stabby things to not pierce my flesh quite so easily."

You hop on over to his roof - seems like a cozy enough place. A private enough location for two naked friends to converse on the subject of artifice. You pose a question to the blacksmith - armor, you say, pointing to the arrow within your throat. Has he got the metal and, more importantly, the mettle to provide you with some?

The blacksmith definitely thinks a second, looking you over. A manic spark, no doubt left over from your previous engagement, shines briefly. He has some thoughts! Is it possible? Yes! Armor is a possibility! Of course, he is not at all an expert on these matters. Weapons, these he has thought of extensively! More thought has been devoted to these, in fact, than he has devoted to anything else at all. Weapons in the context of probability, destiny, inspiration! Even now his mind is afire with sharpness and blood and untold glories of a never-born age!

NEVER-THE-LESS, however, it is not impossible that some of his weapons may, in fact, be armor instead! Destiny is a shield as much as a blade, don't you know. Ideas are miraculously shapeless like that, he has learned. Had you asked him before this revelation, why, he couldn't have bloody well helped you at all! Too focused on materials, oh yes, when it was in fact the materials that were the crucial flaw, in fact it is when you get the sharpness and the bloodletting into a less corpore- no! Armor! Not weapons!

Truthfully, he finds it a little difficult to think of armor. He does believe he'll need an assistant for this one, oh yes! A worthy assistant! Not an apprentice, mind you! A master of their craft! What craft that may be, well, that he leaves up to you! This is new and exciting ground after all.

But that, of course, is not all. The blacksmith paces along the edge of the roof, increasingly giddy with excitement. To hone you further, an example is required! An unmistakable sliver of perfection, to put it in adequately inspiring terms! He sweeps his arms outward at the thought, nearly falling off the edge as his balance is momentarily compromised.

And finally, he whispers, a glimpse! A look into the unknown, encapsulated! A thing to be seen or heard, then to forever slip his grasp. The frustration! The wondrous frustration. What glories it could lead him to. Hah!

If you'll excuse him, however, he has some things he needs to look at in his workshop! They're a little difficult to see in the light, he mutters and starts to climb down the roof, tittering every now and then as he descends to the front of the workshop.

Quote from: penguinofhonor on April 18, 2016, 02:44:18 pm

"I would be interested in that, but I don't know the process quite as well as I do with connections. If I knew a little more about what offering a source entails, I'm sure it would be a lot more feasible."

In the simplest terms, it entails the delivery of a sentient being with at least one existent connection here. The delivery will be irreversible. However, the reward for this will be five answers and one fulfillment. This is sufficiently generous.

Immediate acceptance is not required. Neither is your direct involvement. The special reward goes to the first one to deliver. Subsequent deliveries will be rewarded with three answers and one fulfillment as per usual terms.

Quote from: TopHat on April 18, 2016, 02:47:42 pm

"... Thank you. Is there anything else you need a hand with or should we be going?"
Take the rat and enquire aboutfang other errands.

You grab one of the rats. Its flesh crumples a little at your touch. It feels terribly dry. Nevertheless, you ask if he perhaps has any other outstanding tasks to fulfill.

[The Doom Guard: 1]

For his part, the captain affirms that he does. The former stable master has gone noticeably missing, which is a striking disruption of routine. Any hints as to his whereabouts will be met with reasonable incentives. His safe return will be repaid with the highest possible incentives.

Quote from: Toaster on April 18, 2016, 04:34:14 pm

Thomas blinked a couple times. He felt he had missed some context from the contest.

"Um... yes, I am, thank you. Had some lunch from the kitchen, and it was... well, it was food. Was your... exchange enlightening? I feel there is something important she is not telling me."

Miss point

[Royal Honesty: 3]

Ah, you see, the queen says, she did rather imply that you were somewhat unusual. And by 'imply', she means that she rather explicitly warned of several important dangers that you and, er, individuals such as yourself seem to pose if not approached with care. She finishes her tea quickly.

Other than that, well, she also somewhat hinted that the sudden outpouring of supernatural events are indeed, well, supernatural, despite one's best hopes to the contrary. This is unfortunate, she says, because that somewhat limits her experience in dealing with it. Lucid dreaming is all fine and good, you know, but only as long as what's menacing you isn't very, very real, you must understand.

You can't say you do understand, but you nod along anyway.

Quote from: AoshimaMichio on April 19, 2016, 12:37:29 am

Laugh it off and keep floating down the river. Seems easier than actual swimming. Though keep eye on Bruce Lee and help her if it looks bad.

[Which Way The River's Flowing: 3]

Don't worry, you laugh through bits of dark water occasionally flowing into your mouth. Even if things get heavy, you'll all float on okay.

And you do. When rocks get in the way, the stream gets nasty or the wet gets into the bones, you all just float on anyway.

In the near distance, the town of Anglefork looms, the river slowing ever so mildly after the confluence. Lee trails behind you, saying nothing as she concentrates staying above water. Tall docks with no boats tied to them greet you in the distance, the familiar figures of stoatmen, though far less armored standing upon them, going about some form of daily business. Further downriver are the drinkable bits, and further still lie the washing areas. Of course, you're not there yet. You suppose you could try to swim to shore along with Lee. Or hey, just keep on floating on. Water's deep and rapid. But once you stop fearing that, what's going to stop you in turn?

Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)

AoshimaMichio · « **Reply #989 on:** April 19, 2016, 03:10:13 pm »

Hmm, I think getting onto shore before floating past the town may be good idea. If nothing else, I can chat a bit more with Bruce. And for that end, I unfortunately may have to be less drunk. Not full drunk reboot, put partial.

Bay 12 Games Forum

News:

Author Topic: Our Salvation: It Is Written (Read 258866 times)

AoshimaMichio

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light

TopHat

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light

Harry Baldman

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light

Xantalos

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light

Toaster

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light

penguinofhonor

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light

AoshimaMichio

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light

Harry Baldman

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light

Xantalos

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light

penguinofhonor

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light

TopHat

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light

Toaster

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light

AoshimaMichio

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light

Harry Baldman

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light

AoshimaMichio

Re: Our Salvation: What I Bring Is Light