"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!
((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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
I'm probably going to rework the Wound rules to work like this: resting takes away all Wounds (but not all mutilation), and if Wounds are alleviated they go away at a rate of one per turn until more are taken or all are gone.
Leif Erikson, Miner
- A Word: INEVITABLE
- A Word: APOCALYPSE
- Mead of Poetry (6 shining revelations remaining)
- Enders' Friend: The Grave of Red Clouds Parting
- Small brass box
- Body Count: 1
- Reappropriated, Clean Skirt
- Inscribed Wooden Stylus
- Iron spear
- 1.03 gp
- The Box: ?
- Induced Lucidity: the Aftermath, or the New Beginning
- Compatibility: Minding
- Tricks of the Mind: Perception, Memory
- Tricks of the Mind: Engagement, Negation, Abstraction, Prestige
- Tricks of the Mind: the Self, the Other
- Gods of the Underground: Did You Just What
- A Visit From The Stork: Is What You Yes
- The Voracious Dark: Two Deals Made
- The Voracious Dark: The Promised Sixth
- Moth's Flight: Quest for the North
Eileen Minett, Vinyl Collector
- In Living Memory: Yeah She's Probably Dead Isn't She I Think She's Dead Yeah
- In The Dark Of The Night: Blood and Chaos
- Wounds: 3
- The Doom Guard: Consorting With The Enemy
- Exotic serrated zweihander
- Reclaimed Hooded Robe (worn, torn)
- Inauspicious Day: Off Into The Horizon
- Giant White Mushroom
- A Word: SEA
- A Word: HUNGER
- A Word: CHAOS
- A Weapon: Explosive Cysts
- The Voracious Dark: Three Connections Given
- Tower of the Mind: There's Something To Remember
- The New Queen: And Something To Forget
- Body Count: 1
- The Impromptu Prophecy: ?
- Sweet Little Children: Fond Farewell
Jack Daniels, Karate Man
- Red and gold vest and breeches combo (worn)
- Leather boots (worn)
- 14033 gp (in sack)
- The Flip Side: Uh, Yeah
- The Queen's Guard: Unusual Troublemaker
- Powers of the Beyond: Gardener of Thoughts
- Dusty Wooden Speaking-Trumpet
- Crossbow Bolt (in throat)
- A Word: REND
- A Word: SILENCE
- A Weapon: Murder-Thought
- Traces of Mischief: A Bisected Left Kidney
- Traces of Mischief: Ruined Left Hand
- Uncoupled: Strength
- Wooden Door (held)
- The Winding Path of Inspiration: A New Direction
- Tower of the Mind: Endless Well of Mystery
- Induced Lucidity: A Garden Well-Tended
- Elongated Affairs: Enemy of the New State
- A Place In History: Vastly Unreliable
- Anglefork Castle: the Great Serpent
- The Obsolete Class: Suggested Victims
- 2 rats, crushed
- 1 rat, strangled
- 1 rat, live
- Travels In The Fourth Dimension: Sunday ± 2 Days
- The Impromptu Prophecy: There's A Mountain Higher Than We Knew
- Doomstones: So High Up But Such A Bitter View
- The Majordomo: A Great Divide Between Us Now
- The Voracious Dark: Decreasing Demand
- The Voracious Dark: More Specific Requests
- The Good Doctor: A Recommendation
- Body Count: 3
Thomas Minstep, Insurance Agent
- Troubles In Anglefork Town: Bearer of the Sword
- Wounds: 2
- A Word: ABSENCE
- A Weapon: The Sword They Fear
- Traces of Mischief: Nausea's Depths
- A Bowl, Black and Knobby
- Anglefork Castle: From Another Time, Another Land
- Gross Incandescence: Partly Illuminated
- Tight Leather Pants (worn)
- Incredibly Tight Blue Dress (worn, mutilated, mildly provocative)
- Travels In The Fourth Dimension: Sunday, July 25th, 409 S.D.
- The Majordomo: Busy Morning
- The Good Doctor: House Call
- The Queen's Guard: A Reward Well Earned
- Make A Man Out Of You: A Crowning Achievement
- The New Queen: Lasting Gratitude
- Tower of the Mind: Advice Given
- The Obsolete Class: Let Them Be
- The One They Fear: A Satisfactory Contract
- A Place In History: A Worthwhile Associate
- The Box: The Vision's Quest
- Body Count: 2
Oscar Wilde, Chemistry Teacher
- A Word: REVELATION
- Time-ender's measure (wrapped, yawning)
- 10 m of rope
- Half a candle
- This Is The End: A Grim Prophecy
- 1 rat, skinless and smoked
- 6 gp
- Poor Misshapen Dice
- Lock of Hair (unidentified)
- Iron nail, unused
- An Inauspicious Key
- Burlap Foot Wrappings (worn)
- Burlap Hand Wrappings (worn)
- Moth-Eaten Hat (worn)
- Respectable Brown Skirt (worn)
- Old Brown Waistcoat (worn)
- Bright Yellow Tunic (worn)
- A Wealth of Burlap Ribbons
- An Obsolete Class: Trustworthy Individual
- The Flip Side: the Denouement
- The Doom Guard: The Inquisition Moves On
- Tower of the Mind: An Interruption
- The Voracious Dark: Backed Away
- The Winding Path of Inspiration: Future Hopes