Turn 2: PANIC[6, Poor] The rain continues unabated. It's also a little windy.
Try the woodcutting thing again
Try the housing again, but with waaaaaaay fewer hill collapses
[8, Poor] The lumberjacks harvest more rough wood.
[6, Poor] The carpenters manage to set up some houses. They sway slightly in the wind, but are dry.
+19 Rough Local Wood+40 Swaying Scale Houses-40 WoodLead the architect in designing a luxury bungalow
Lead farmers in setting up not-crushed farmland
[2, Malus] The architect produces plans for some of a nice house. The plans do not call for it to be especially waterproof, which, well...
[9, Poor] The farmers set up some farmland at the base of the hill, to the side of the collapsed section.
+1/8 Coil Bungalow Plans+100 FarmlandBlacktongue: +2 LeadershipArchitect: +2 Architecture, now +2 Apprentice ArchitectLead hunters on another thrilling hunt! This time for smaller game, reluctantly.
Lead miners in quarrying some stone
[1, FAIL!] ...
"WHAT HO!"It emerges from the trees, monocle shining in the rain. A gigantic insect, thin and sleek, its tophat set at a jaunty angle.
"WHAT HO! What have we here?""I SAY, TIME FOR A SPOT OF TEA AND SOME CRUNCHY MORSELS!""I say! How uncivilized! ARRRRCH- What now, where are you all off to?"[6, Poor] vs [17, Bonus] The retreat is messy and somewhat ineffective; 6 hunters are daintily scooped up and carried off by the thing before everyone else manages to fade into the trees. Bollwheel expresses his dissatisfaction with their discipline.
[9, Poor] The quarrying efforts go better, but then they'd pretty much have to. The stone revealed by the hill collapse is a soft, pale stuff, generally pretty smooth. The colonists take to calling it pearlstone, for lack of a better term.
-6 Hunters+10 Rough PearlstoneBollwheel: +4 LeadershipHunters: +4 Hunting, now +2 Apprentice Hunters((This encounter brought to you by Dwarmin. THANKS DWARMIN!))
Major Action: Inlay tin ingots into the wooden blocks of the rainward, attempting to improve its stability.
Major Action: Carve additional runes of power into the rainward, attempting to improve its effectiveness.
[9, Poor] The tin inlays work to strengthen the rainward, acting as additional anchorpoints. They, ah... you sort of had to hammer them in lengthwise, though, so your stud-cubes look a little ominous.
[1, FAIL!] You, uh... uh...
The additional runes overload the material of the wood, resulting in the whole thing collapsing... sort of. It doesn't actually disintegrate, you suspect because of the tin studding, but rather... forms a ball, sort of. Some rain gets in, the ball overloads, it spills over. Repeat. This is somewhat more obnoxious than consistent rainfall to those nearby, and all the people who had set up tents in and near the area are now
super pissed.
+4 WardingRain-Lessening Ward now Tin-Studded RainballMajor Action: Refine the leash so that it becomes a Mind-Control Leash.
Major Action: Eat some light from the Sun from a nearby torch.
Minor Action: Read Channeling Your Inner Power.
Minor Action: Read Basic Alchemy.
[9, Poor] You pour a unit of Mind Affectation into the leash, hoping to make it a Mind Control Leash. It... mostly works, as far as can be expected.
[5, Poor] You find a torch amongst the supplies, and eventually get it dry enough to light while in one of the ships. Then you eventually manage to do so, and eat its light.
[14, Good] Your book is thoroughly soaked by still readable, and you begin paging through it for insight. It's a good read, but the tidbit that stands out most is the section on "Control and Flow." It advises striking a balance between playing to your strengths and resisting the urge to fall into mindlessness, using the analogy of water. It points out that if some water wants to be useful, it would do well to act as waterlike as possible to a point, but probably avoid flowing down drains just because they're there.
[12, Good] You page through your book on basic alchemy as well. It's a little hard to focus on reading concepts you're already familiar with, but it does remind you of the basics of alchemy. At its most fundamental level, alchemy is just breaking down some things and then adding them to others, like gold-plating a sword or sprinkling bread with spices.
+6 Light EssenceMajor action: Healer duty.
Major action: Use my herbalism skill for plant identification in the camp's immediate area. I'm most interested in edibles, dangers, and anything that will help with my plans for living leaf waterproof cloaks which move water from the insides to the outsides.
[8, Poor] Your powers of foresight once again border on the prophetic, and it isn't long before your fellows wander in with a variety of incurable ailments. You patch them up as best you can, but it's not your finest work. Not that infectious parasites ("poison" indeed, the blind brute!), needle-teeth punctures, and rock trauma are easy to classify as anything but "self-inflicted" in the first place!
You also address minor scrapes and infections from the moisture. Turns out two weeks of being deeply wet is less than ideal.
[6, Poor] You find some pretty common tangerine-sized fruit, rough and brown on the outside but a mild-tasting pink inside. They mostly seem to come from a type of tree, but are also found on either related species or juvenile, less tree-like forms. You estimate they'd make a fine, if somewhat low-quality, staple crop.
You said trying to force-train wizards into something isn't as good as letting them discover their own talents (banjo mage), but how does that work with the system where experienced actions can't be tried without prior training/teaching? If a wizard discovers their vocation as a banjo mage do they have to go off on a pilgrimage to find another mage with the same powers to teach them?
Major Action: Doctor assistance.
Ano's Action: Go play some banjo with the ratmen and make them jealous of your banjo-playing prowess.
[15, Good] Oddly, no one needs your assistance, so you try to form shapes out of raw magic. That kind of works, but you soon get a better idea and ask Blacktongue for brief assistance. She's all too happy to electrocute you, and soon you've got some crackling black lightning to form into pretty shapes instead.
[10, Poor] You spend the week staring at unsightly rashes brought on by stress and constant moisture. It's mostly mundane work, but you know from your training that mundane work now means fewer amputations and shambling fungus horrors later.
Oh, and treating imbeciles for being repeatedly savaged by smallish predators, eating what the primary doctor assures you are eggs, and digging into unstable stone cliffs despite having no knowledge of mining safety whatsoever.
[1, FAIL!] Ano returns thoroughly traumatized by the jeering insults of the ratmen, his dreams of becoming the greatest banjo construct in history shattered beyond repair.
Time to gather more raw materials! For certainly and possibly no mage can work without plenty of materials to slave over in their hellish pits labs!
Major Action: A hunting we will go! Go hunting to capture some interesting test subjects/bodies! Second verse, same as the first.
Major Action: Search the jungle for academical ingredients! Certainly some of the local flora, fauna, and minerals could be used in his work? Or at least, it's worth a try. At the very least getting a handle on what type of resources are available couldn't be a bad thing.
[14, Good] You catch some sort of... centipede and/or snake; it's got a more reptilian build, but also lots of limbs and a carapace. It's maybe 3-4 feet long and around eight inches thick. It also bites you a lot, but such is progress.
[4, Malus] You find some
incredibly poisonous berries. How do you know they're incredibly poisonous? Gee, you dunno, Nak. How do we know they're poisonous?
On the bright side you have them now. They're dark purple with a kind of spiral texture over them.
+2 Herbalism, Now +0 Dabbling Herbalist+Snakeipede
+Oops Berries
Poisoned, BittenMajor actions:
Attempt to cure lumberjacks of addiction using holy magic if that DO work.take them to doctor after that begin trying to draw a detailed map of the surronding areas.
In a relieved and innocently happy voice
Thank you s-so what can I-i do for you to get you to send more people down there?
[14, Good] You use your holy magic to ease them out of their unhealthy obsession with artifical happiness. It's a subtle difference, but a healthy one. You recommend they see a doctor just to be sure.
[3, Malus] Drawing a map of the surrounding area suffers from a number of complications. One, it is raining constantly. This makes putting permanent marks on parchment complicated. Two, the trees and rain make it hard to get a good view of anything. Three, you're not much of a cartographer, so while you can do landscapes just fine, turning what you're seeing or walking on into a useful overhead map that isn't just literally every tree you're seeing is a bit tricky.
Still, you do end up with something. It's more of a tree-dot diagram than a proper map, but it works.
+2 Drawing+Crude Tree-Dot MapMajor action: take the miners advice, try to borrow a pick (I already have a shovel) and dig into the hill on the side that fell off.
Major action: Follow Gruelfist around and learn what I can from watching him.
((Ok major actions finished...))
[18, Bonus] Oh sure, the rocks collapse on you a few times. Oh sure, digging through solid stone is incredibly difficult. Oh sure, you hate every single person and object in this rain-soaked hell.
But you did it. You carve out a small room's worth of stone from the hillside, giving you... a really shitty cave to hide in. A really shitty DRY cave to hide in. You have to ward off those smug miners with your stolen pick and honestly acquired shovel to keep them from cramming themselves into your new acquisition, because all of a sudden everyone's jealous that they didn't spend the week pounding at rock.
Also your back hurts.
[14, Good] Your journey with Gruelfist teaches you the importance of resilience. All his work was lost last week, but he perseveres and encourages his underlings to do the same. Now there's actual houses to live in instead of just sadness and loathing of the hill you settled on.
+1 Pearlstone+1 Dry Pearlstone Cave+2 Mining, Now +0 Dabbling Miner+Mild BludgeoningMiya gets up and walks over there.
h-hey blacktongue.....you a-arent allergic to glazed nuts are you?
She raises an eyebrow.
"No. You aren't finally gaining the spine to try to threaten me, are you?"The imp grinned widely as he was complimented, sticking the blackwood staff into the ground and puffing out his chest to appear more imposing. "I knew you would see true greatness when you saw it. Now follow me, there are things to be done."
"Oh! Right away!" She obliges, hopping from foot to foot and clapping her hands excitedly.
Joseph John Jackson (crazyabe)
-
Shoulder Bandages: Some minor setbacks have left you with doctor's orders not to be bludgeoned about the head and neck areas.
-
+3 Adept Necromancer (0/16)
+3 Adept Channeler (0/16)
+2 Apprentice Anatomist (0/8)
+1 Novice Brewer (0/4)
+1 Novice Surgeon (0/4)
+1 Novice Intimidator (0/4)
+0 Dabbling Spearogre (0/2)
+0 Dabbling Miner (0/2)
-
Soldier Godfather: Apparently the soldiers here are some kind of gang, and you're one of the "hardest mothers" they've ever seen. This grants a great deal of fear and respect when dealing with soldiers in the colony.
-
1 Unit of Pearlstone: This unit of stone was carved out by you fair and square. You're not sure if you should dump it in the collective piles or keep it stored safely in a jumbled pile outside your hole in the wall.
Bladed Shovel: This ornate runed silver shovel repels hostile undead.
Frankenholder: This rotting patchwork ball of flesh and eyes has some interesting powers. Note that interesting does not mean useful or potent.
Small barrel of Mossrot Beer: Better than it sounds, but that's not saying much. Rougher necromancers are known to appreciate the low-class taste of decay in it.
Bag of "Holding": This bone-sewn sack grips its contents tightly. While a transdimensional space is a much better way to carry things, sometimes you have to make do with evergripping skeletal hands.
Three simple black linen robes; cloth-wrapped dagger collection; mystery bone bag
Sjig-Nak (Criptfeind)
-
Infected: Apparently it's not poison, it's parasites. They don't have a cure.
Bandaged Arm: Good as new! Can hardly tell you were repeatedly and grievously stabbed.
-
+3 Adept Fleshcrafter (0/16)
+3 Adept Channeler (2/16)
+2 Apprentice Dark Mage (2/8)
+1 Novice Doctor (0/4)
+1 Novice Alchemist (0/4)
+0 Dabbling Herbalist (0/2)
-
Snakipede: This four foot long, eight inch wide thing looks like a carapaced snake with several tiny legs. It likes biting things.
Oops Berries: These deep purple berries are highly poisonous, if Sjig-Nak's current nausea and pain are any indications.
Nak's Mancatcher: This oversized hoop-on-a-stick looks sturdy enough to pin down creatures considerably larger than a man.
Portable Lab: Imagine a dresser somebody thought was a carrying trunk, and you've got the basics. Folds out into a "lab," complete with tools for manipulating biological reagents and rags that are either for sopping up acid or wearing to fine parties.
Emergency Naksnaks: These reddish balls are wrapped in dried leaves, and serve as an incredibly potent source of energy and protein. They're also somewhat expensive and taste terrible, but it's still better than Nak when he's desperate.
"Dark Shrimp" Malacent (Caellath)
-
+3 Adept Splicer (0/16)
+3 Adept Channeler (0/16)
+2 Apprentice Sculptor (4/8)
+1 Novice Dodger (0/4)
+1 Novice Doctor (0/4)
-
Bladed Blackwood Staff: Too large for Malacent, not that that's ever stopped him.
Ano: This scrap-and-corpse ball with limbs is not very large or impressive, but makes up for it with a ruthless dedication to playing the banjo. Currently despondent.
Medicine Kit: From bone needles to obsidian scalpels, this ominous-looking box has everything an aspiring doctor needs to maybe commit some forms of medicine.
Two simple black linen robes; survival kit; reference booklets; spare parts for Ano; backpack
Miya the Pathetic, (AbstractTraitorHero)
-
+3 Adept Charmer (2/16)
+3 Adept Channeler (2/16)
+2 Apprentice Holy Mage (0/8)
+1 Novice Animal Friend (0/4)
+1 Novice Drawer (2/4)
-
Crude Tree-Dot Map: This map of the surroundings is a bit odd and overly specific, but does list major landmarks and terrain features.
Sky's Eye: A blue gemstone pendant with white speckles in it, reminiscent of a star-speckled sky. A gift from Miya's mother, who assured her it'd keep her safe whenever things got really rough.
Orb of Happiness: This glowing golden orb invokes happiness in people. It works slowly, requiring physical or very near contact for a while to really build up.
Simple purple wool robes; water pouch; small ring; snack pouch filled with assorted glazed nuts
Mongo the Magnificent (Nirur)
-
+3 Adept Healer (2/16)
+3 Adept Channeler (2/16)
+2 Apprentice Livewood Shaper (0/8)
+1 Novice Dancer (0/4)
+1 Novice Herblorist (0/4)
-
Emerald and Alder Ring: This pretty, sentimental memento also serves to channel more nature-inclined magics.
Livewood Lures: This set of living wood tools are topped with glowing nodules, and serve to help imprint more refined patterns of livewood shaping and encouragement.
Endless Well of Eternal life: This giant seed pod produces livewood seeds, which are then used to make livewood items from scratch rather than cuttings or buddings from existing plants. Most often used for larger projects, or as a portable startup for where there are no suitable local woods.
Bottle of 315 Wildmelmrelmrikon Blue: This exquisite wine was produced by 315 small earwiglike bugs of the Wildmelmrelmrikon colony, and represents a truly remarkable refreshment that any true elf can appreciate.
Screamsleep Vials: These two bulbous green glass containers are named for the intended series of events involved in their use: The thrower screams, then their assailant sleeps. As with all solutions to difficult problems, these suffer from a variety of complications, but are pretty reliable and expensive.
Fancy spare clothes; ugly abstract picture; shaving kit which elves totally need on hand from time to time
Ulfric Stoneforged (tntey)
-
+3 Adept Matterbender (0/16)
+3 Adept Channeler (2/16)
+2 Apprentice Enchanter (0/8)
+1 Novice Stoneskin (0/4)
+1 Novice Wrathmonger (0/4)
-
Enchanted Iron Anvil: A sturdy magical anvil, built to withstand the rigors of smithing and enchantment.
Stoneforged Iron Greataxe: A masterwork greataxe runed with enchantments of courage. The material of the head is supernaturally sturdy.
Book of Enchantments: This weathered leatherbound tome contains a variety of common and interesting enchantments, though it focuses more on specific enchantments and how to reproduce their trickier elements than on enchanting in general or for beginners.
Playing Cards: These nonmagical, nonrigged playing cards are there to entertain their owner by being used to play cards. Other wizards seem inordinately confused by these facts.
Rugged clothing; hammer; saw; workbench; copper flask filled with whiskey
Omuz (DemonicSpoon)
-
+3 Adept Warder (6/16)
+3 Adept Channeler (0/16)
+2 Apprentice Golemancer (0/8)
+1 Novice Enchanter (0/4)
+1 Novice Blacksmith (0/4)
-
Leyline Doohickey: This complex brass and steel ball requires constant rebuilding and refinement as it explodes and reveals room for improvement. Its stated purpose is the detection and manipulation of leylines, though minor setbacks seem to get in its way rather frequently.
Trunk of Wizard Hats: This oversized trunk contains entirely too many wizard hats, each gaudier than the last.
Trunk of Tools: This oversized trunk contains an assortment of smithing, enchanting, and warding tools, often in questionable condition or design.
Amulet of Fire Resistance: This garnet-eyed dragon-shaped brass amulet helps protect its wearer from heat-related mishaps.
Ring of Hair Regeneration: What's more important than skin? Hair, of course. This handy horsebone ring studded with turquoise and bristling with spikes of rat claw allows its user's hair to regenerate rapidly, assuring among other things that they will never be without a thick, full beard for long.
Two thick insulated robes; two heavily ornamented belts; jewelry box of assorted beard ornaments; pointy boots; sack of assorted metals; sack of assorted wheels of cheese; walking cane
Otto (ATHATH))
-
+3 Adept Alchemist (2/16)
+3 Adept Channeler (0/16)
+2 Apprentice Prime Channeler (0/8)
+1 Novice Secondary Channeler (0/4)
+1 Novice Tertiary Channeler (0/4)
-
5 Mind Affectation Essence
6 Light Essence
-
Mind Control Leash: In theory, this leash will allow its wielder to control a victim's mind. In practice, it's probably not powerful or sophisticated to do that entirely, but every little bit helps.
Gauntlets of Construction: These sturdy gauntlets are used to break down or combine two items. They take several minutes to work on most materials, and have a few predictable problems regarding subtlety and user intent.
Alchemical Tools: Advanced and sophisticated equipment mostly consisting of a runed iron cauldron and a gold-rimmed monocle.
The Book of Elements: This book is part sermon on the wondrousness and supremacy of elements, part insightful examination of the nature of elements, and part index of various elements and their properties, including very obscure or less helpful ones.
Basic Alchemy: "Congratulations! If you've done everything correctly, you should now have a bubbling cauldron of Earth Essence. In the next chapter, we will learn some of the various uses for this valuable material!"
Advanced Alchemy: "Notably, Shovels of Digging are known for petrifying if they've been allowed to steep for too long; the Earth essence having saturated the available channels and flowed into the structure of the material. Once an item has been tainted in this manner, it is generally not worth the effort to leech it out again; simply use it or render it to recycle some of your investment."
Master Alchemy: "Assuming the Catalytic Matrix holds, the sphere should be stable and allow safe entry for the time required. Do not touch the centerpiece or allow any undue matters or energies to come into contact with it, as it is fully reactive and may become tainted by any premature contamination. In the centermost row, place the Sigils of Hardness, Sigils of Stone, and Sigils of Value in alternating patterns; the precise order should not matter so long as each Sigil is adjacent to each of the other two kinds. In the middle row..."
How To Tap Into Your Inner Power: A handy guide to tapping into your inner power. Caters to those hoping to realize their full potential as well as those afflicted with demonic possession, supernatural rage, inherited powers, and incident-related infusions.
Eternal Scribing Tools: This tablet and quill can supposedly record infinite data. Its organization could use some work...
100 Farmers [+1 Farmer (0/4)]
44 Hunters [+2 Hunter (2/8)][+0 Bowman (0/2)][+0 Tough Guy (0/2)]
50 Soldiers [+1 Spearfighter (0/4)]
20 Carpenters [+2 Carpenter (0/8)]
19 Lumberjacks [+1 Woodcutter (0/4)]
10 Miners [+1 Miner (0/4)]
10 Bureaucrats [+1 Leader (0/4)]
9 Masons [+1 Mason (0/4)]
9 Channelers [+1 Channeler (2/4)]
5 Blacksmiths [+1 Smith (0/4)]
1 Architect [+2 Architect (0/8)]
30 Swaying Rough Local Wood Scale Houses
10 Swaying Imported Wood Scale Houses
JJJ's 1-tile Dry Pearlstone Cave
100 Farmland
?? Supplies
0 Rough Local Wood
10 Imported Wood
10 Rough Pearlstone
300 Low, mostly waterproof tents
Morale: AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
27-unit (+6 lip) Flexible Rainball (Tin-Studded Local Wood Blocks) in settlement
6-Strength Flexible Ward over beasty pit, resists weaker specimens
Gruelfist
-
+3 Adept ?? (0/16)
+3 Adept Leader (4/16)
+2 Apprentice ?? (0/8)
+1 Novice ?? (0/4)
+1 Novice ?? (0/4)
Blacktongue
-
+3 Adept Black Mage (0/16)
+3 Adept Leader (4/16)
+2 Apprentice Channeler (0/8)
+1 Novice ?? (0/4)
+1 Novice ?? (0/4)
Bollwheel
-
+3 Adept Tough Guy (0/16)
+3 Adept Leader (6/16)
+2 Apprentice Puncher (2/8)
+1 Novice ?? (0/4)
+1 Novice ?? (0/4)
((Important Note: Untrained skills may now be used and produce results, they'll just also injure you. If you'd rather ruin somebody else's progress to train a skill without injury, please specify that you're attaching yourself to their efforts like a leech.))
Author
Topic: The Expedition Arcane [ded] (Read 44365 times)