Topic: Our Salvation: It Is Written (Read 263899 times)

TopHat · « **Reply #1515 on:** August 31, 2016, 10:06:12 am »

Anything of interest in the background? Topological features of note?

Harry Baldman · « **Reply #1516 on:** August 31, 2016, 10:47:27 am »

Quote from: Toaster on August 30, 2016, 06:53:42 pm

Thomas nodded. "I apologize; my mistake. Maybe I can ask for the door to be unlocked so you can get out on your own time? I understand that the Outback has lots of places without people, if you don't mind the heat."

Continue to not fully understand various situations. Put in a corrected word with the warden, then.

She'll look forward to any more information, sir. Do keep an eye on that sword in the meantime. Thing seems quite hungry.

So you knock on the door, the warden coming by to open it up as the woman seemingly scurries up the walls again. Right, you say, good warden, could you ask him to maybe unlock this door some time in the future? The lady of the castle would like to leave.

[A Reasonable Request: 6]

Yes, the warden blinks. Well, he doesn't really blink. He more just closes his eyes and opens up the door wide, pointing to the exit. It seems he took the request a little more immediately than you expected.

Oh, you hear a voice from within, is everyone gone already? The turnkey does not open his eyes to answer in any way.

Quote from: Xantalos on August 30, 2016, 10:27:05 pm

Jack's unsettling gaze turns over to Diedre.

"So, who're you?"

Socialize while I wait for my armor.

The girl following you about, currently trying to look nonchalant as she's crouched down by the ramparts, is very much startled when you notice her. Oh, uh. She's, well, er, her name's Deirdre. She's with, er, him, she points at Mr. Wilde. They were doing this investigation, see, an investigation into how to maybe leave this place and, uh, that's kind of worked out, but she's been, well, uh, kinda waiting for Mr. Wilde to come along after he does all his stuff, you know, safer traveling when you're... not alone, yeah?

You get the feeling you're making her incredibly uneasy as you look at her. Might be the way your murder-thought, content to weave through the crenels for a minute or two, now seems to be inching toward her in a very deliberate fashion.

Quote from: AoshimaMichio on August 31, 2016, 02:39:10 am

"That hundred times cursed swindler... This doesn't appear to be his fault. Certain bastard in certain well cheated hell out of me and this is the price. Ask if you can have... your luggage in your own tent. Say it doesn't take much space when handled properly."

His annoyance is being redirected to certain well in certain place. Leif wonders if he could rain APOCALYPSE on the well from this far away. He hopes he can, even if it registers as a minor annoyance at best.

[A Lady's Things: 1]

Lee nods and turns to the stork man, explaining that the minder- she stops herself, no, not the minder, the luggage she would prefer to keep nearby. It doesn't take up much space, at least not when properly handled.

The stork man raises an eyebrow. He's not sure why, he grins, but he gets the strange sense she's trying to smuggle a minder into the camp. And that would be a very poor idea, he smiles and nods patiently, wouldn't she agree? So tying down, tarp and a double guard with adequate minder protocols it will have to be, then. Lee stares at him for a few seconds blankly, then sighs. There doesn't seem to be any winning this, her exasperated look tells you.

Quote from: penguinofhonor on August 31, 2016, 07:19:08 am

No! If I get eaten it's going to be by something bigger than you.

CHAOS SEA HUNGER

Well, at least you don't have to be worried about missing. Thing is literally all up in your grill now. So here goes!

CHAOS

[Word: 3]

You mouth the Word, and attempt several others, but your voice falters as a discordant noise flows into the great gaunt, shaking up its entire length as it recoils from your body, pausing in its devouring as it shrieks once more, magic! Chaos, magic, blood! It starts to chant as well, but seems unable to repeat the words for a moment. Alive! Chaos! Hunger! Joy! Fear! Defiance! It starts to pour through its vocabulary as the other gaunts begin to draw closer, the twitching and thrashing of the great one scattering little bits of blood and viscera, the scent of which appears to drive them mad.

Quote from: TopHat on August 31, 2016, 10:06:12 am

Anything of interest in the background? Topological features of note?

[Look Alive: 3]

The castle island is noticeably cleared of vegetation (as well as artificial, the confluence of two rivers forming the southern half, the northern artificially made with a nicely engineered, if very old canal), but beyond that you see forest - noticeably burned, ashen forest for a good patch of it, with a shoreline of dark glass. Something no doubt very energetic must have happened there. Burning's gone on for quite a bit on the other side of the river, and there is a continuity to it with the nearby shore, where a streak of glass is also visible, as if some great beam had passed over the land like a cruel god's magnifying glass.

The forest fire itself that no doubt arose from this very beam, you observe and consider, seems to have gone all the way to Anglefork Town, a few bits of which are still gently smoking a considerable distance downriver, where woods give way to farmhouses and wineries, which in turn give way to the center of town with its rather notable piers.

This is about as far as you get before your measure starts to shake violently in your grasp. Oh, Nately taps your shoulder, ooh! Let HIM look! He NEEDS TO KNOW.

Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)

Xantalos · « **Reply #1517 on:** August 31, 2016, 02:47:28 pm »

"Heh, true that. Don't worry about the feeling of impending doom by the way, I'm not going to kill you. That's for other people."

Rest my wound off while I observe the blacksmith do his thing.

penguinofhonor · « **Reply #1518 on:** August 31, 2016, 04:40:04 pm »

((Ah, I assumed the Gray One was using the same Word rules as us. I guess I was mistaken.))

Progress! Or I've just delayed the inevitable for a moment. Still, if this is the only thing that's worked for me so far... more CHAOS!

Toaster · « **Reply #1519 on:** August 31, 2016, 05:14:16 pm »

"There was a trend of outward movement. I think people want to go to the nearby town, really. I'm off to see myself. Good luck on finding your place! Thank you, sir," Thomas nodded to the warden as he headed outward.

Head on back to the castle grounds. Let's see what's going on outside before we head out.

AoshimaMichio · « **Reply #1520 on:** September 01, 2016, 12:02:56 am »

"Fuck you too." Sigh. "This magical and self aware luggage totally not pretending to be a minder now goes to spend quality time by itself. Find me when it is time to cross river. Just follow the trail of fire. Or whatever unnatural elements happen to appear overnight."

Ditch the party for now. Walk in some direction that doesn't have humans nearby and does have something I can punish for existing. Like a tree. Or a particularly ugly boulder.

TopHat · « **Reply #1521 on:** September 01, 2016, 09:48:54 am »

"Sure. I suppose it is your turn."
Hand Nately the measure and then back off a bit.

Harry Baldman · « **Reply #1522 on:** September 01, 2016, 03:42:19 pm »

Quote from: Xantalos on August 31, 2016, 02:47:28 pm

"Heh, true that. Don't worry about the feeling of impending doom by the way, I'm not going to kill you. That's for other people."

Rest my wound off while I observe the blacksmith do his thing.

Yeah, uh, thanks for that? Deirdre starts to step away from the murder-thought and come over toward you and Mr. Wilde, stepping up to observe the blacksmith's experience with the measure, which she stares at with a slight trepidation, wondering if this is a bit too close for her mortal eyes.

Maybe she should step back, she comments to herself. But then again, Nately seems to be doing all right for himself, she shrugs as she watches the blacksmith stare into the eyes of the skull. Of course, man's too bloody stupid to be rightly terrified of much of anything. Look at him, she says, just gormlessly staring into the thing. She'd bet money he's getting half of what the thing is telling him at best.

As the blacksmith stops sharing his romantic moment with the measure, he starts going on about what he's learned as he hands the wrapped skull back to Mr. Wilde. For instance, you exist on a base of rats! Simply FASCINATING. Unfortunately, not quite so fascinatingly simple, however! But, he tells you, it might do. There's only one way to find out, most likely, he says while looking you over critically. Might be worth a try!

Quote from: penguinofhonor on August 31, 2016, 04:40:04 pm

((Ah, I assumed the Gray One was using the same Word rules as us. I guess I was mistaken.))

Progress! Or I've just delayed the inevitable for a moment. Still, if this is the only thing that's worked for me so far... more CHAOS!

Since you get the feeling the normal course of things has absolutely no chance of ending well for you, you go with the greatest flow of all, entropy!

CHAOS

[Word: 4]

The great gaunt twitches, knots, screams and roars, smaller gaunts branching off it as bones twist in unorthodox fashions, bending and breaking with the power you are hurling into it, unraveling as it starts to wildly thrash about the area, sharp limbs flying about as it starts to wind around the cairn, around itself, all of it whirling and ripping every which way like a storm of silvery debris.

[Blood and Chaos: 3]

The other gaunts retreat slightly, though you hear extraordinarily curious cooing from their midst as the spirit of the chant fades, robbing them of a certain single-minded wonder. A few come closer, skeletal creatures much like the one that got you here, but gets a faceful of flailing bones for its trouble, sending it tumbling back into the ancient wood. You lay there in the middle of this, the thrashing great gaunt cavorting overhead as some kind of animating energy in its bones seems to imbue it with a manic and destructive restlessness. You feel it shriek in resistance, evidently feeling a great deal of pain as it tries to regain control of itself, but it's quite clearly on the edge now.

Quote from: Toaster on August 31, 2016, 05:14:16 pm

"There was a trend of outward movement. I think people want to go to the nearby town, really. I'm off to see myself. Good luck on finding your place! Thank you, sir," Thomas nodded to the warden as he headed outward.

Head on back to the castle grounds. Let's see what's going on outside before we head out.

Oh, wonderful, says the lady of the castle, moving down the wall as you head out past the turnkey. The sound of bare feet making rather large steps on the ground a little distance behind you, following you up the stairs as you walk to the door, but stopping short of following you outside.

As you step outside into the courtyard, the lady calls out to you. Ah, sir, is there anybody out there? Sorry to impose, but she can't really look, as there's the chance somebody would look back, yes?

You look around the courtyard, and find there to be very few people about. A woman runs out the entrance along the drawbridge, an exceedingly pleased look on her slightly emaciated face. You see a few others in front of some houses, seemingly getting various things together for some traveling in the near future. Very few guards, though - you spot but one on a nearby wall, observing Mr. Wilde and Mr. Daniels as well as two other people standing about and looking mostly toward the outside.

You look back at the doorway, and a small glimpse of it makes you blink involuntarily. An odd tic, considering you don't really see anything there as the lady apparently has chosen not to stand in the frame.

Quote from: AoshimaMichio on September 01, 2016, 12:02:56 am

"Fuck you too." Sigh. "This magical and self aware luggage totally not pretending to be a minder now goes to spend quality time by itself. Find me when it is time to cross river. Just follow the trail of fire. Or whatever unnatural elements happen to appear overnight."

Ditch the party for now. Walk in some direction that doesn't have humans nearby and does have something I can punish for existing. Like a tree. Or a particularly ugly boulder.

You start walking off. The stork man seems perplexed, and asks Lee if that's supposed to happen. She says yes exasperatedly, just let it go. He'll come back. It'll come back. Whatever. Take her in there, she says, she needs to check up on a few things...

[The Landscape Was Asking For It: 2]

Of course, more than that you don't quite catch, as you are instead looking for some objectionable landscape to visit some horrors upon. Rather disappointingly the Stork Clan seem to have chosen a rather picturesque camping spot - geometric canyon, rolling plains with a hint of brushland, nary an animal or tree within quite a few miles. Seems like most forms of wildlife are avoiding the area, even.

Quote from: TopHat on September 01, 2016, 09:48:54 am

"Sure. I suppose it is your turn."
Hand Nately the measure and then back off a bit.

Aha, says Nately, seizing the measure, cradling its majestic form in his hands as he steps out of immediate range of anybody nearby. He then makes a dramatic flourish as he pulls off the cloth and stares into its eyes as the light of knowledge courses into him freely.

[The Funnest of Facts: 2]

He looks into it for a good while as the shaking subsides, his look of wonderment slowly replaced with a thoughtful frown as he furrows his brow and stares at the measure for a while yet, wrapping it in cloth again, then looking up.

WELL, he says, looking up at the sky a moment, then at Mr. Daniels. That was some interesting information. A LOT of information, actually. For instance, did he know he was based on a great heaping helping of rats? FASCINATING stuff, simply fascinating, but unfortunately not quite as fascinatingly simple as he would have hoped.

In any case, it might do. Only one way to find out, he shrugs.

Spoiler: GM Note (click to show/hide)

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Xantalos · « **Reply #1523 on:** September 01, 2016, 04:00:28 pm »

"Huh, so that's the base the substrate is made of.
...
What are you meaning by that."

You thinking of disassembling me? For your sake, don't be. I prefer staying assembled.

Toaster · « **Reply #1524 on:** September 01, 2016, 11:13:37 pm »

"Well, there's a few people out here. Uh. Are you looking for anywhere in particular? You're welcome to come with me toward the airport; perhaps you could find what you're looking for on the way. It'd make the trip more interesting at least."

Miss the point some more. Offer in earnest anyway.

penguinofhonor · « **Reply #1525 on:** September 02, 2016, 07:09:33 am »

The only way to go now is CHAOS.

AoshimaMichio · « **Reply #1526 on:** September 02, 2016, 12:50:50 pm »

*Sigh* "Do I need to cause apocalypse in my own mindscape again?"

I think that one bush is looking me in particularly offensive way. Yes, the one without physical presence, much like the well. Ground around this non-existant bush must suffer my frustration. Let there be "APOCALYPSE!"

TopHat · « **Reply #1527 on:** September 02, 2016, 01:56:32 pm »

"Rats? Really? Tell me everything! Verbatim, if possible."
Anything more specific?

Harry Baldman · « **Reply #1528 on:** September 02, 2016, 03:08:15 pm »

Quote from: Xantalos on September 01, 2016, 04:00:28 pm

"Huh, so that's the base the substrate is made of.
...
What are you meaning by that."

You thinking of disassembling me? For your sake, don't be. I prefer staying assembled.

Since you seemed to be interested in obtaining SOME form of armor, the blacksmith has a strong suspicion that your body can be... suggested to take on more interesting properties. He thinks he has an idea how to do this, but explaining it to you may prove harmful to the ultimate success of the plan. Now, since you have experience with this, he's fairly sure you're robust enough to take it. But he does feel it important to warn you that this will hurt to an EXTREME degree most likely. Far more than last time. He can try with stone, since as you pointed out there is a lot of that, although broken or crushed glass might also work if you prefer that. Both should have MARKEDLY different properties of course. Amorphous and crystalline, you know, the blacksmith nods and winks at Mr. Wilde.

Quote from: Toaster on September 01, 2016, 11:13:37 pm

"Well, there's a few people out here. Uh. Are you looking for anywhere in particular? You're welcome to come with me toward the airport; perhaps you could find what you're looking for on the way. It'd make the trip more interesting at least."

Miss the point some more. Offer in earnest anyway.

She's certainly thankful for the offer, mind you, but she is terribly unsure you'd care to travel with someone of her unique condition. She has been known to drive many a man mad with a mere look, she confides in a lowered voice from the door.

But, er, is there a spot on the wall where nobody is looking? Preferably on this side of the courtyard? She'd like to make an unseen exit. Lack of stairs is... not necessarily a problem, mind you.

Quote from: penguinofhonor on September 02, 2016, 07:09:33 am

The only way to go now is CHAOS.

It's what makes the universe grow cold.

CHAOS

[Word: 5]

It is as if a spring is loosed in the body of the great gaunt, and you shrink back as it violently explodes into pieces, every single part of it tearing off into its own direction, flying into the surrounding area, hitting the other gaunts left, right and center, the cackles of those gathered turning into dissatisfied grinding and tearing noises, clanks and violent banging noises resounding through the surrounding area. The commotion explodes into a massive fever of running, charging, fighting and other kinds of violent action as most of the gaunts seem to lack sufficient intelligence to fail to read anything but utmost malice into this sudden attack. Chaos, some shout in imitation still, some of the cries cut off suddenly and violently by crack and a metallic screech.

[The Eye of the Storm: 2]

Unfortunately, downward still remains a perfectly valid direction to go for quite a few of the bits, you notice as a jagged arm plunges straight into your gut and through to the other side. It wobbles violently as you start losing a lot of blood, and it is only through a lot of flailing that you manage to tear it out of yourself and send it tumbling along the field, the power of chaos filling it with destructive drive as it moves out into the woods, picking up a new and unexpected velocity vector every second.

Quote from: AoshimaMichio on September 02, 2016, 12:50:50 pm

*Sigh* "Do I need to cause apocalypse in my own mindscape again?"

I think that one bush is looking me in particularly offensive way. Yes, the one without physical presence, much like the well. Ground around this non-existant bush must suffer my frustration. Let there be "APOCALYPSE!"

The bushes are quite wild here, it's true. And quite a few of them give off the impression of unseemly hunger. You bet none of them care if you live or die. So you return the favor, looming over a small enough specimen for you to attempt to encompass and focus upon.

APOCALYPSE

[Word: 3]

You know, you're not quite sure what you expected, but the bush does catch on fire as you shout at it. It does look fairly unusual in that while the fire does spread to encompass it, it does not seem to be burning anything in particular, with no smoke rising from it or branches turning to ash as the flame rises and roars.

Hey, it seems to say, hey you. Yeah, you right there. What, you feel compelled to ask. Step the fuck off, it answers, that's holy ground you're standing on. And take off your- wait, you're barefoot. That's all right then.

[Borrowing From One's Children: 5]

Considering this is fairly dry brushland, the fire is remarkably well-behaved and orderly, and seems mostly content to stay where it is for now.

Quote from: TopHat on September 02, 2016, 01:56:32 pm

"Rats? Really? Tell me everything! Verbatim, if possible."
Anything more specific?

There was quite a lot of information, says Nately, and UNFORTUNATELY memorizing it all was... impractical.

However, he declares! FACT ONE: the base of your flesh seems to be rats. Or, well, the blood seems to be rats. The rest of it might be something else, now that he thinks about it, but WHAT else it could be eludes him. Birds, perhaps? The minders could feasibly catch a few. But there was quite a bit about CLOSE RELATIONS in there. Apparently rats are surprisingly close to humans in basic makeup.

Anyway, FACT TWO! There is obviously a reason that your blood is rats. That being that these are very strongly MODIFIED rats, to the point where they can plausibly resemble blood. They seem less... tethered in possibility than most materials as a result. This would go some way in explaining certain unlikely properties of your bodies!

And, of course, FACT THREE! While they aren't quite tethered in possibility, something evidently controls this rat-stuff you are made of, as the expected fate of blood drawn from Mr. Daniels was that it would turn back into rats after some time. There was more on that, but much of it was unfortunately lacking in CRUCIAL CONTEXT!

Spoiler: GM Note (click to show/hide)

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Xantalos · « **Reply #1529 on:** September 02, 2016, 04:04:00 pm »

"Suggested to - no you're trying it on stone. I have ways to do what you've described already, I don't need you trying it with an imperfect method and possibly screwing something up. Believe me, the consequences for mistakes with our substrate aren't pretty."

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Author Topic: Our Salvation: It Is Written (Read 263899 times)

TopHat

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World

Harry Baldman

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World

Xantalos

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World

penguinofhonor

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World

Toaster

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World

AoshimaMichio

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World

TopHat

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World

Harry Baldman

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World

Xantalos

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World

Toaster

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World

penguinofhonor

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World

AoshimaMichio

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World

TopHat

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World

Harry Baldman

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World

Xantalos

Re: Our Salvation: To The Four Corners Of The World