Topic: Our Salvation: It Is Written (Read 263679 times)

Harry Baldman · « **Reply #2295 on:** August 29, 2017, 11:35:43 am »

Quote from: TopHat on August 26, 2017, 03:38:34 pm

"Oh, of course. How much is it?"
Might as well pay. Doubt it'll be more than 4gp.

[Lifestyles of the Poor and Errant: 6]

You cough up all four of the gold coins in your possession on Hrmhrmr's behalf and deposit them into the madame's slowly outstretching hand, but while her expression is still unreadable on account of being mostly petrified, her eyes seem vaguely disappointed. A grumbling, creaking noise slowly begins to emanate.

Nooot enooough.

Yup, says Hrmhrmr. He's been a regular for a long time. Full amount is much more. Fifty times more. Maybe you have something valuable?

The madame emits a long hurm of disapproval before turning to you with a painful noise.

Yoou may ennnter. But heeee staaaays out.

[Between the Dark and the Light: 6]

You notice she is becoming more animated by the moment as you look in her direction. It seems she likes the attention.

Quote from: Xantalos on August 27, 2017, 02:50:18 am

Daniels waves. "Hiya Alphonse, and ... I'm afraid we haven't met, mister doctor. This is Linda, I'm showing her around. Is Dipper okay?"

He pauses as another shriek echoes from the poor man's cabin.

"Relatively speaking, that is."

Assess situation, introduce happy manikin.

A manikin, says the doctor... one of the captain's manikins, no less. Following your commands from the looks of it. Interesting.

As for Big Dipper, the doctor sent one of the hands out for the key. An hour ago. No doubt he will be back any minute now, he starts to say before another shriek from within cuts him off. Any minute.

You notice Linda scratching at the door, and the doctor looks as she taps for a moment before returning to you, motioning at herself, then at the door and making vague upward insinuations with her arms.

Quote from: penguinofhonor on August 28, 2017, 08:27:50 am

I love the idea of an evil fear sword, but I'm not helping this guy in his sadistic stoat genocide. I already talked Oggie down from massacring innocent people. Guess it's monster hunting time.

"Get ready," I mutter to my companions as I create an explosive cyst, then lob it at the not-minder. "I'm afraid I can't take your offer!" I shout.

You give notice to your companions as your arm slowly goes to sleep, a cyst forming on your palm. Sadly conducting a surprise attack on something that appears entirely able to read your thoughts is a difficult prospect, and when you look back you do not see the head, only something moving behind the lumber piles...

[Everything's Better With Explosions: 1 vs. 1]

This turns out to have been a diversion, a trick of the mind - the shadows explode into screams and wild shapes as a lumber pile detonates, filling the air with dust and splinters taking the shapes of faces.

And then the ghoul dives out of the dust, cornered and with little to lose - it looks far less human than expected, its mouth ripped open on its seemingly irradiated head, a large spiked tongue lolling out of its mouth as it leaps toward you screaming. This is the most normal part of its appearance, as instead of a body it seems to possess merely the nervous and circulatory system of one, an ambulatory knotting of nerves and veins and arteries aggregated into a purplish sensory mass. Its scream goes right past your ears and digs right into your brain, a chill nearly threatening to still your very being as it dives through the air, light as a feather.

[Let's Practice Medicine: 4]

The doctor does run out of the way, but there is a purpose in her eyes as she does, running behind another pile to break line of sight, evidently planning something.

[Let's Wring Some Necks: 5]

Oggie, meanwhile, does not bother to plan at all as the supernatural terror of targeted minding just bounces off her alien mind. She has already grabbed a two-by-four.

[Right In The Mind: 2 vs. 2]

Though swung with a great deal of strength and certainly striking, the board stops just short of the ghoul as it seems to slide around it through a combination of liberally applied levitation techniques and having nothing of substance to break or even terribly bruise - it lands nearby, seemingly entirely unharmed, but also evidently very displeased about the complete failure of its reckless charge.

Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: GM Note (click to show/hide)

Xantalos · « **Reply #2296 on:** August 29, 2017, 12:50:39 pm »

"Ah, Linda isn't bound to my will or anything like that, she's her own person. She's just very excited about everything, so I'm exploring the ship with her."

He notices Linda's gestures and smiles. "I'm still going to find a way to give you a voice, but you're doing a pretty good job without it."

Lift Linda up near the keyhole of the door, I assume that's what she's trying to get across. If she says something else, try to follow her directions as best as I can.

((Shame to see Leif go, he was a good character. And probably just about to run into Thomas too. Ah well.))

TopHat · « **Reply #2297 on:** August 29, 2017, 01:18:03 pm »

To Hrmhrmr: "Nothing valuable enough I can afford to lose, I'm afraid. Is there anything in particular you wanted to come in here for? I'm tempted to have a look around, anyway." General: "So what is this place, anyway?

((A shame about that.))

Toaster · « **Reply #2298 on:** August 30, 2017, 01:19:13 pm »

Must be one of those observation posts. Thomas waved at the statue.

"Ah, yes, hello. I come... representing the Rabbit Clan here as they seek entry. I also seek entry for my own purposes. Can we come in now please?"

Ask nicely.

penguinofhonor · « **Reply #2299 on:** August 31, 2017, 07:38:24 am »

Just when you think things can't get creepier. And it didn't even flinch at my zinger. I'll have to think of a better one by the time I kill this thing.

I swing my scimitar at the ghoul, aiming for the head.

Harry Baldman · « **Reply #2300 on:** August 31, 2017, 11:40:20 am »

Quote from: Xantalos on August 29, 2017, 12:50:39 pm

"Ah, Linda isn't bound to my will or anything like that, she's her own person. She's just very excited about everything, so I'm exploring the ship with her."

He notices Linda's gestures and smiles. "I'm still going to find a way to give you a voice, but you're doing a pretty good job without it."

Lift Linda up near the keyhole of the door, I assume that's what she's trying to get across. If she says something else, try to follow her directions as best as I can.

((Shame to see Leif go, he was a good character. And probably just about to run into Thomas too. Ah well.))

You lift Linda up to the keyhole, and she happily wiggles for a moment before leaning in toward the lock.

She raps at the lock a few times and brings her nearly featureless face up to it. The lock vibrates gently at her for a few moments. She draws closer. The door creaks invitingly as its frame bends slightly. Linda puts her head tight up to the cabin's door handle.

[The Silver Key: 1]

The handle then proceeds to smack her across the top of her head, which seems to not so much cause damage as it does completely crush the poor manikin's morale. Linda looks heartbroken at the cruel trick the door seems to have chosen to play on her before resuming its normal station as, near as you can tell, a perfectly normal and inanimate door.

You notice the doctor having raised his eyebrow. Alphonse appears to have skittered off while you weren't looking, which you figure is just typical of the old man.

Quote from: TopHat on August 29, 2017, 01:18:03 pm

To Hrmhrmr: "Nothing valuable enough I can afford to lose, I'm afraid. Is there anything in particular you wanted to come in here for? I'm tempted to have a look around, anyway." General: "So what is this place, anyway?

((A shame about that.))

You get the sense, partly from the man himself and partly from the obscenely large tab, that Hrmhrmr has been hanging out here a long time and that not doing so is in some vague sense intolerable to him. The woman is being cruel, he says. Tab isn't that large. He'll pay up. Later. When he gets a quest. And an advance to go with it as well. Always need to ask for an advance when getting great quests.

The madame, for her part, doesn't seem very able to articulate the answer to your question in full, but does eventually manage to creak out some manner of explanation.

Gooo riiight iiin. Yoour monnney haaas paaaid foooor... onnne rouuund.

Quote from: Toaster on August 30, 2017, 01:19:13 pm

Must be one of those observation posts. Thomas waved at the statue.

"Ah, yes, hello. I come... representing the Rabbit Clan here as they seek entry. I also seek entry for my own purposes. Can we come in now please?"

Ask nicely.

[Caught Watching: 6]

The statue pretends not to have heard you for a moment, but when it notices that the jig is up, suddenly relaxes (not something you commonly see on statues, to be sure). As do all the other ones on the stairs as they start milling about and checking each other over for dust and bird shit. This you recognize as a further delaying tactic, so you decide to ask again.

The statues do respond this time, although none of them say a word of any kind. In fact, they respond by pantomiming some kind of deep thought as they collectively sit down or adopt other exaggerated thinking poses, start scratching their heads and stare out into the distance. Occasionally one of them raises a finger, but then lowers it.

[Elizabeth's Welcome: 4]

This goes on for a good two minutes as they mime contemplation. The Shrikes and Treefrogs stop a slight distance away, mildly deterred by the sight of this sudden outbreak of mimes in the area as far as you can tell.

Then the statues all shrug and gather around you, pointing at each of your retinue and seemingly conferring with one another in no language you can readily understand. Nobody is especially harassed by the statues, patted up and down, shoved back and forth a little bit and even gets a tweak on the nose from a stone finger, nearly breaking it. However, at last they shrug and motion together at the gates, which slowly open just the slightest bit - enough to permit you entry.

You are ushered in by the statues, leading in the front and following at the back in a broad encirclement to make sure you and your buddies don't go anywhere, along the streets of Elizabeth, shining spotless in the sun, beautiful buildings of stone and marble of all sorts formed up in regular, well-proportioned streets with nary a sign of dilapidation.

Everything here, near as you can tell, is made of stone of one kind or another, the style of the buildings putting in your mind a Greek acropolis. Or maybe a necropolis - architecturally impressive though the buildings are, they are almost completely still and silent apart from the occasional shuffling of a statue as it attends to some pressing business in a methodical manner.

The deeper you go in, however, the clearer it becomes that there are other clansmen here - Tabernacle notes the gleaming scales of a fully armed Dragon clansman skulking on a rooftop, looking down on you as some manner of shiny, winged Australian dinosaur skulks up right next to him. The glare of the dinosaur is unmistakably one of complete and utter scorn - you don't think you've ever seen its like. A gaggle of richly dressed individuals are dubbed Monkeys by Lily, and you catch a glimpse of a man covered in bizarre boils before he disappears down an alleyway in the company of another statue - that there's a Gallfly, the treefisher elder nods.

You appear to come close to the center of the local population of tourists, which looks to be a cul-de-sac at the end of one of the main streets where a large number of clansmen gather even now, but you are led off to the side before you get there, and into an out-of-the-way residence right beneath the local aqueduct. As the heavy stone door slides out of the way at your approach you find that it's quite dark inside, but completely dust-free, and with ample room for as many as several dozen residents. Everything is still made of stone, mind you, including the beds, albeit those appear to be sculpted exceptionally well for what they are. Suppose they assumed you'd bring your own sleeping bags or something.

The statues who were guiding you here seemed to peel away along the way, but at the doorstep of your appointed residence the very last of them decide to part ways with you. Of course, there are also many statues inside, shaped vaguely like servants and blending in perfectly with the rest of the place to the point where you'd be forgiven for having a heart attack when one of them steps out of seemingly nowhere and looks to you to see if you'd perhaps like anything.

Weird feckin' place, Evey shakes her head as she stands by you, the rest of your followers having chosen to get a feel for the accommodations for now with a more than reasonable amount of suspicion, possibly verging on paranoia as some of them walk around poking at walls and testing the floors, afraid of them perhaps coming alive suddenly.

Quote from: penguinofhonor on August 31, 2017, 07:38:24 am

Just when you think things can't get creepier. And it didn't even flinch at my zinger. I'll have to think of a better one by the time I kill this thing.

I swing my scimitar at the ghoul, aiming for the head.

[Have At Thee: 1, 5 vs. 1]

You and Oggie both charge at the ghoul - you swing from the front while she winds up a great swing with her board and slams at the minder from behind - the resulting effect is rather like a pair of scissors, the ghoul's strange protective abilities lapsing for a moment as you manage to shear its head right off, the boneless balloon of a cranium flying loose in a sudden conflagration of levitating powers carrying it upward.

The bundle of nerves and veins making up its body falls to the ground limply and wetly in a small pile - the head continues to fly, and obviously make a hell of a noise as it circles above, shrieking down with all of its might.

[Mistress of Her Own Soul: 1]

Oggie begins to swing her board wildly as the sudden impulse seems to simultaneously blind and enrage her - the first swing narrowly misses your head as she seems to try and get at anything within reach just to make the screaming stop.

Rindle Fischgartner:

The smell of pineapple hits your nostrils strongly as you draw in breath, waking up after what feels like a very long time. You don't recall when you fell asleep, or where, but you are fairly certain it wasn't under the circumstances you are presently in.

You find yourself naked in the cot of an attractive young dark-skinned woman in a strange dress who stands over you in breathless wonder. The cabin seems poorly ventilated at first, but then you notice several vents installed around the various parts of the room, they just appear to have been overwhelmed by the chemistry equipment arranged all around.

[This Is Not My Beautiful House: 2]

Blinking slowly, you notice the woman's expression slide into a grin as she leans to be right above you.

Her first questions are simple enough: how are you feeling? Any aches or pains, or a strange tingling or tension? Do you remember anything at all?

Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)

Xantalos · « **Reply #2301 on:** August 31, 2017, 12:21:03 pm »

Daniels' expression darkens.

"Oi! Nobody does that to Linda, she's adorable!"

He directs his considerable attention at the lock.

"Open up or I make you."

Attempt to intimidate an inanimate object! If it doesn't work, just punch the lock into smithereens.

((Dammit Shores.))

Toaster · « **Reply #2302 on:** August 31, 2017, 01:39:33 pm »

Thomas wasn't sure if they were elaborate costumes or if Australia was a lot farther ahead in robotics than he knew about. At this point he knew he'd get nowhere asking. "I think the place is quite charming, really." A bit odd, but so was everywhere here.

Look around the building. Anyone else here besides the statuesque people? Would say unpack but there's not that much to unpack really.

DoctorMcTaalik · « **Reply #2303 on:** September 02, 2017, 12:27:20 am »

"....Sorry, who are you? And what is this place? Some kind of lab?" Rindle crosses his arms across his chest and, surprised to feel skin, awkwardly lowers them to a more strategic position.

"Why the hell am I naked?"

Shrink away from the leering woman, sputtering questions in response to hers while trying to cover my shame. Rack my brain for any memories that might explain my present predicament.

TopHat · « **Reply #2304 on:** September 02, 2017, 02:47:29 pm »

Mental note: Ask Hrmhrmr what sort of quests. I might want to think about hiring him.
"Eh, I'll have a look round. Hrmhrmr, hold that thought. I may have a proposal for you later."

Go in then. Let's see what sort of place this is.

Harry Baldman · « **Reply #2305 on:** September 02, 2017, 03:45:50 pm »

Quote from: Xantalos on August 31, 2017, 12:21:03 pm

Daniels' expression darkens.

"Oi! Nobody does that to Linda, she's adorable!"

He directs his considerable attention at the lock.

"Open up or I make you."

Attempt to intimidate an inanimate object! If it doesn't work, just punch the lock into smithereens.

((Dammit Shores.))

It isn't in any serious doubt that you could crack this lock open like an egg. You're sure the lock would agree had it not settled into an inanimate state again, whatever strange power Linda exerted over it having faded as it used its precious few seconds of consciousness to be a complete dick to her.

As such you feel absolutely no remorse as you take a moment to brace yourself and then effortlessly punch the door right open with your obscene untethered strength, the door smacking against the metal wall as it is halfway taken off its hinges.

[The Condition My Condition Is In: 2]

Big Dipper is standing upright with his clothes torn off and his Ursa Minor in plain view. He is pointing at you and shrieking wildly. The doctor looks at him disapprovingly and then takes a moment to survey his supply of duelist-grade tranquilizers. Big Dipper pays him no mind and continues to scream at the top of his lungs.

Quote from: Toaster on August 31, 2017, 01:39:33 pm

Thomas wasn't sure if they were elaborate costumes or if Australia was a lot farther ahead in robotics than he knew about. At this point he knew he'd get nowhere asking. "I think the place is quite charming, really." A bit odd, but so was everywhere here.

Look around the building. Anyone else here besides the statuesque people? Would say unpack but there's not that much to unpack really.

A gray blush goes over the walls at your compliment as you go around and survey the house's layout.

[Luxurious Appointment: 1]

There is an atrium that you find quite readily, with well-sculpted stone trees surrounding a zen garden of white sand raked carefully around a vinegar fountain in a tragic interior design suicide.

Next you come upon a library which you discover by running right into a solid granite bookcase because no windows were provided so as to not distract visiting scholars with excellent views. A rushing statue lights a blue torch, which lets you appreciate the decorative stone volumes populating the vast number of shelves for a few moments before the flame consumes enough oxygen to send you into a retreat.

There is also a bathhouse in the expansive basement, and the waters are likely about as rich in nourishing salts as the Dead Sea because if the sauna-like air is any indication, the water in the bathing pool has likely exceeded its normal boiling point by a generous margin. It roils and whirls ceaselessly underneath a thick film of opportunistic archaea shielding any casual passerby from getting a third-degree burn from the spray. The air feels as if a cadre of homely volcanic smith-gods had slept off a mighty dinner of beans in here.

You would explore more, but you're not sure doing so would be in your continued best interest.

Quote from: DoctorMcTaalik on September 02, 2017, 12:27:20 am

"....Sorry, who are you? And what is this place? Some kind of lab?" Rindle crosses his arms across his chest and, surprised to feel skin, awkwardly lowers them to a more strategic position.

"Why the hell am I naked?"

Shrink away from the leering woman, sputtering questions in response to hers while trying to cover my shame. Rack my brain for any memories that might explain my present predicament.

Oh, she is The Asymptotic Peaks Ever-Crumbling Between The Sharp Teeth of the Forever Change, but you may call her Peaks. She continues to grin. All of this must seem very strange to you, obviously, so she shall continue to go through things in order.

You are on a ship, she says playfully after a second's thought, specifically the Vault of Heavens, traveling west on a river you have not heard of in a land you likely have no knowledge of, and yes, you are in a lab which incidentally also has her quarters in it. You started to manifest over there, she points at a workbench from which materials appear to have been cleared in a hurry, but she put you in the bed once you stopped leaking and got big enough to become a... structural concern.

[This Is Not My Beautiful Wife: 6]

As she points it out, you can't help but notice flecks of blood all over the worktable. And her gloves. And, although most of it has been cleaned off, on the very nasty-looking carving knife tucked in the belt of her dress (her dress, however, is quite spotless and a little shiny) along with a large number of other questionably stained instruments. And there sure are a lot of specimen jars around the place, a lot of them murky and filled with pickled things you can't make out.

As for why you're naked, she scratches your chin, dunno to be perfectly honest. Suppose it's likely that your clothes aren't an integral part of your self-image if she's getting this right, or it might be some kind of incentive to get moving on the part of your creator. Bit of column A, bit of column B?

[A Better Time: 5]

You think a moment on what you last remember doing before you woke up here, and are surprised to remember very clearly that you were having lunch with a colleague of yours. Specifically, you were sipping at a glass of watered-down syrup after availing yourself of the mashed potatoes and she was in the middle of describing her progress on the NGS data that you'd been chipping away at pretty much nonstop for weeks, and it sounded suspiciously like good news before she was interrupted by... well, you must admit you don't quite understand what happened then. But whatever it was, it seems to have abruptly transitioned into you being naked on a mad scientist lady's bed.

Your contemplation is interrupted when there is a loud crash from no more than a room away, and a horrific shriek. Just ignore that, Peaks says as she adjusts her tool belt circumspectly, that's just the third mate. Whatever he's drunk this time, he's sure had a lot of it. Anyway, she'll look for a spare robe, she says and immediately turns away to check her wardrobe for something that'd fit you.

Quote from: TopHat on September 02, 2017, 02:47:29 pm

Mental note: Ask Hrmhrmr what sort of quests. I might want to think about hiring him.
"Eh, I'll have a look round. Hrmhrmr, hold that thought. I may have a proposal for you later."

Go in then. Let's see what sort of place this is.

You leave a dejected Hrmhrmr behind as you take the madame's offer and pass by a compacted cloakroom into the darkened main chamber of her establishment. The madame does not follow, and you're not sure she could even if she wanted to.

After a moment's inspection of what awaits you within you come to the conclusion that this is some kind of museum of negotiable affection. Well-preserved, petrified remains of many a working girl grin at you happily along the walls in dresses that must have been fairly revealing even before they were mostly eaten away by the ravages of time. Hardworking moths stake out dynastic claims on the drapes and mysterious games from a bygone age provoke your archaeological interest, or possibly some evolutionary reflex preserved from whatever primordial human they were supposed to originally tempt. A staircase to the upstairs wordlessly promises to bring to life the world's oldest profession like you've never seen it before.

You wonder if you can get some kind of guided tour as your light catches a girl with a very nice blond wig and she twitch-winks at you with glacially returning strength.

Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)

Toaster · « **Reply #2306 on:** September 03, 2017, 11:31:54 am »

((Someone offering the newcomer clothes? These young whippersnappers just get everything handed to them

))

Thomas beat a hasty retreat to the others before getting scalded or asphyxiated or worse. "You know, suddenly I feel like exploring the city. Who's with me?"

Head out and explore the city. Anyone who wishes to come with is welcome to tag along.

Xantalos · « **Reply #2307 on:** September 03, 2017, 04:31:00 pm »

Daniels cracks his knuckles. "Oi Dipper! Quiet down, you hallucinating nut! You're just reacting to some psychoactive bullshit that got put in your booze!"

Restrain the poor man and try to calm him down. If that doesn't work, SILENCE his screaming.

DoctorMcTaalik · « **Reply #2308 on:** September 04, 2017, 10:10:49 pm »

"Peaks. What an interesting name. Now, where does someone get a name like that?"

Make small talk with the mad woman. Hope she doesn't stab me.

penguinofhonor · « **Reply #2309 on:** September 06, 2017, 08:08:46 am »

"Hey, Oggie, snap out of it! I'm on your side!" I dodge away from her and throw an explosive cyst upward at the ghoul head, timing it to explode in midair and vaporize the head, or at least knock it to the ground.

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Author Topic: Our Salvation: It Is Written (Read 263679 times)

Harry Baldman

Re: Our Salvation: Eyes of Terror

Xantalos

Re: Our Salvation: Eyes of Terror

TopHat

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Toaster

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penguinofhonor

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Harry Baldman

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Xantalos

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Toaster

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DoctorMcTaalik

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TopHat

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Harry Baldman

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Toaster

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Xantalos

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DoctorMcTaalik

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penguinofhonor

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